The "Outlaw" is gunning for a major upset

Is GSP unbeatable at welterweight? Over his past four fights it certainly seems so. His lethal combination of powerful wrestling and smooth striking have left his opponents scrambling for answers. Even if you know exactly what GSP plans to do you can't stop it. What makes it worst is that the more sh*t you talk the harder he trains to whoop your a$$.

So what makes Hardy any different then the last four victims? To be honest, not all that much. Both John Finch and Thiago Alves are ranked higher then Hardy and have more well rounded skills. And they both got demolished by the French Canadian. Finch is a better wrestler then Hardy and got taken down at will. Alves is a hulking, explosive, and talented Muay Thai striker with some serious takedown defense, yet he got taken down repeatedly and out struck for most of the fight. Grappling legends BJ Penn and Matt Serra own a pair of Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts but were completely controlled and dominated on the ground. In thier rematch,Serra was overwhelmed in the second round. Penn, whoose takedown defense is legendary, was thrashed for four rounds until his corner mercifully threw in the towel.

Ok, so at this point your probably wondering how Hardy could possibly pose a serious threat to the welterweight kin pin. According to the Brit, the difference is his mindset. Despite the stacked odds, the Outlaw is supremely confident in his abilites and relishes the underdog role. Being an underdog allows Hardy to train harder without the crushing pressure of high expectations. Hardy claims to be "St. Pierre's Kryptonite" and describes GSP as, "...an athlete, not a fighter". He points to the fact that the champion is mainly focused on winning fights and keeping the belt rather than, "putting a beating on somebody". As strange as it sounds, Hardy has a point. GSP is a brilliant technician not a gritty brawler. In St.Pierre's mind, a slug-fest is something to be avoided, especially with a dynamic striker like Hardy. So if by some divine miracle Hardy avoids being thrown around like a rag doll, and manages to force GSP into a shootout, there is a window of opportunity. It is also important to remember that Hardy has nothing to lose. He is expected to lose. And a man with nothing to lose is dangerous.

UFC 111 preview coming soon!!

Frank Mir talks a lot of crap! But can he back it up??

Frank Mir is obessed with Brock Lesnar. Of course if you saw the brutal beatdown he received at the hands of the champ, followed by the absurd taunting, you can probably understand his frustration. Still, Mir had that beating coming to him. Some people just don't learn. Hes like the stupid person at the zoo who throws rocks and agitates the giant Silverback gorilla, then gets mad when his arms are torn off. As much as I respect and admire Mir's skills in the ring, it can't be denyed that he is an arrogant self promoter. It really isn't his fault. He doesn't mean to be one because it is part of his personality. If I was a 265 lb+ former UFC heavyweight champion with a black belt in jiu-jitsu and kempo karate I would probably be pretty cocky myself. That is how he comes across as during interviews, during the pre-fight hype, and even at moments during his WEC commentating. Recently, Mir was quoted as saying, "I want to break his neck in the ring" and that he hopes that Lesnar is the "...first person that dies due to Octagon related injuries." Once again, Mir's words will be fuel for Lesnar's fire. If I were fighting Lesnar I don't think anger is something I want to provoke. First things first. Mir shouldn't look past Shawn Carwin. Carwin also dislikes Lesnar and will probably want to make an example out of Mir. Ouch. Either way, win or lose, it will be a painful trip to the top for the former champ.

UFC 111 preview and predictions coming soon!

Little guys gearing up for a big showdown in Ohio

Gotta love the WEC! I respect the fact that although these guys get half the attention, half the money, and half the promotional opportunities as their peers in the UFC, they continue put on some of the most exciting and memorable fights. Also, the WEC is home to three of my favorite fighters Jose Aldo Jr, Urijah Faber, and Miguel Angel Torres (aka DA MAN) all of whom are, in my opinion, ranked among the elite pound-for-pound fighters in the world. In fact, Aldo was recently selected as FIGHT magazines' 2009 fighter of the year.

Columbus, Ohio hosts the next big WEC event and showcases the ultra talented striker Dominick Cruz facing the current bantamweight champion Brian Bowles. Bowles pulled off the upset of the year against the seemingly invincible Miguel Torres way back in August via violent knockout. Torres, who former UFC champ and WEC commentator Frank Mir described as the "best American born mixed martial artist" prior to the fight, boasted a remarkable 37-1 record. The Mexican-American's dedication and work ethic was legendary, his ferocity and killer instinct unmatched. Yet, Bowles completely dominated Torres from the opening bell. Torres, used to pressing the action, was caught off guard by the Georgia native's power and precision. He was dropped to the mat with a quick right hand within the first 2 minutes and knocked unconscious soon after.

His opponent Cruz looked great in his last victory against Joseph Benevidez. He kept the shorter Benevidez on the outside and used quick footwork, good headmovement, and sharp strikes to secure the victory. He also imployed great defensive wrestling skills on the ground. However, Benevidez doesn't have the explosive punching power of Bowles. The soft spoken champion dropped the iron chinned Torres with a single right hand. Granted, most critics and sportswriters would probably agree that Torres was too aggressive and got caught by a good punch. But the fact remains that Bowles owns a pair of laser guided missles for hands and is a proven finisher, all 8 of his fights have ended via stoppage. Cruz will have to move his head a lot and use his speed advantage to stay out of danger. Bowles will try to draw Cruz into brawl and land heavy blows to end the fight.

UFC 110 reflections

UFC 110 was an awesome event!! The card was stacked with exciting fights from top to bottom and certainly smashed even the most hopeful expectations. The Austrialians proved to be lively, educated, and loyal fight fans nearly blowing the roof off in support of thier hometown heroes. UFC 110 also showcased a wealth of young talent. It was clear that there are many bright young stars on the rise in nearly every division.

Biggest Winners:

Cain Velazquez- To describe Cain Velazquez as a "young hungry lion" is an understatement. Velzaquez is a force of nature, and his brutal knockout of the granite chinned Nogueira thrusts him into the upper echelon of the heavyweight division. As of now, I would place him as the solid #3 heavyweight in the UFC behind only Lesnar and Mir. What amazes me about Cain is his constant and rapid improvement in all areas. Both his striking and grappling are now world class. At first he was merely a top notch wrestler. Now he is both a top level wrestler AND a lethal striker who mixes fluid combinations with lighting fast takedowns. His striking is both powerful and accurate, his timing is impeccable. His chin might as well be made of steel and his cardio is unmatched by any big man. Velazquez will be a handful for any top heavyweight. Although he will give up at least 30 lbs if he faces Lesnar, I don't doubt that Cain has the ability to push the champion to his limits.

George Sotiropoulos- This mans ground game is SICK. He also has very nice hands and great cardio. The Aussie's 15 minute war with Stevenson was a barn burner! Stevenson is no joke and is a legitament test for any man in the 155lb division. He is a judo and bjj black belt with good boxing and gorilla like grappling strength. Despite his strenghts, Stevenson was dominated on the ground and was out boxed. Great performance by the Aussie!

Wanderli Silva- Silva needed a win to stay relevant. He looked excellent. The legend was much more technical and actually had a gameplan. As a pinpoint striker I predicted that Bisping would pick apart Silva on the feet. I was wrong. The brazilian's defense was good and he did not throw wild power shots. He stayed patient and kept his feet moving even mixing in some leg kicks on occasion. Big improvement by Wanderli. I hope to see him in action again soon.

Ryan Badr: Badr could probably knockout a rhino. The throws all his weight behind every punch and it must be scary to fight him because every blow is meant to smash your head like a pumpkin. Despite gassing in the second round, it was a great performance against a intelligent and tough veteran.


Bigest Losers:

Keith Jardine: It was his third loss in a row. Second in a row by KO. Not good. Things looked bright for Jardine going into the third round when it seemed as if Badr had faded. But one right hand, a flying knee, and a crunching left hook put Jardine to sleep once again. I would not be suprised if this is Jardine's curtain call.

Antonio Nogueira: Tough loss. Nogueria looked slow on his feet and a little hesitant to engage and it cost him. The normally iron chinned Brazilian ate numerous leg kicks and finally succumded to a vicious left-right combination to the jaw.

My 2 cents: UFC 110 predictions part 2

Co-Main Event: Wanderli Silva v. Michael Bisping

This highly anticipated match up will be a definite candidate for fight of the night. However,
I'm sensing there will be a juicy knockout of the night check waiting for the winner. I just don't see this one going the distance. Both men are finishers. They are relentless predators that swarm over their opponents like hungry wolves. Once an opening is found it is exploited and usually the fight is finished quickly.

Wanderli Silva is a legend. Plain and simple. He is a wild man with bone crunching power in both hands and an aggressive style that most find hard to deal with. His legacy was built in Japan as the nearly iconic middleweight champion. In Pride Silva was a force of nature, an intimidating presence that defeated most of his oppoents before they even stepped into the ring with him. However, Silva has faced a string of losses of late, winning only 1 out of his last 5 fights. Critics have questioned his chin and point to the massive amount of damage Silva has absorbed as a reason for retirement. However, no critic can question his willpower and heart. He has the ability to violently end a fight at any moment (just check out the Keith Jardine fight) and can also handle himself on the ground. Look for Wanderli to attack Bisping from the opening bell. Once again reunited with the famed Chute Boxe academy, Silva has ramped up the intensity of his training and has re-built his arsenal of weapons. The number 1 weapon of choice should be his knees from the clinch. His gameplan should be to bully Bisping around the ring and to keep his hands high to defend against Bisping's crisp counter punches. Meanwhile, he must close the distance and attack the body. On the feet, Bisping has the kickboxing skills to pick Wanderli apart over 3 rounds so he will try engage at close range. To close the distance, Silva will probably throw wild power shots, but once locked into the Muay Thai plum Silva has free reign to unload the same knee strikes that demolished Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in thier first two fights. The one thing Wanderli has over Bisping is one punch knockout power. One power shot can end Bisping's night early. I still believe that Bisping has been hesitant since the Henderson fight, and if he gets caught like he did against Dennis Kang he will get tucked into bed.

Michael "The Count" Bisping is a brash, confident, and fearless competitor. Much like Silva, Bisping would rather finish fights then allow decisions. Thus, Bisping prefers to beat his opponents into oblivion rather then grind them down. He is an excellent kickboxer with a diverse array of strikes, excellent foot speed, and top notch cardio. Amazingly, he also has good wrestling skills despite never hitting the mat a day in his life before beginning MMA. The Brit also showed solid ju-jitsu skills in his beat down of Kang, by controlling the black belt's posture and employing great hip escapes. He might not need many hip escapes against Silva. Silva will not shoot in for a takedown, the only way the fight will hit the ground is if Bisping initiates it. And he should. Bisping should use strikes to pepper Silva and then look for a takedown. Once on the ground, Bisping can rain down his fierce ground and pound and smash Wanderli. If Bisping insists on slugging it out he will eventually get clipped and finished brutally. The motto of the night for Bisping is "Don't brawl with the brawler". However, I don't belive Bisping will attempt to prove anything by standing in front of Silva. He will pick Silva apart with pinpoint kicks and punches and take the Brazilian down. The fight will be stopped on the ground when Silva eats a barrage of hammerfists and elbows.

Prediction: Bisping 3rd round TKO

My 2 cents: UFC 110 predictions part 1

This card has the potential to be action packed from start to finish. On paper this could be one of the most electric events so far this year. The UFC's official debut in Australia is jammed packed with talented prospects and bonafide MMA legends all looking to climb up the rankings and solidify their spot among the elite in their respected weight class.

Main Event: Nogueira v. Velazquez

With title implications and perfect records on the line, there is a distinct possibility that this will be the fight of the night. The winner will most likely face either the victor of the Mir v. Carwin interim heavyweight title fight in Newwark, NJ or face HW champ Brock Lesnar sometime during the summer. Both fighters are well conditioned big men who break their opponents with their tenacity and pressure. Nogueria is by far the more experienced of the two, and has faced much tougher competition. He has also taken much more damage. The key to victory for Nogueira is to stay busy on the feet, use his boxing and footwork to strike at angles and frustrate Velazquez. He has keep moving or he will be taken down and slammed. On the feet I personally don't think Velazquez as the power to hurt Nogueira. I have seen Nogueira take blows that would put down an elephant. He has a gigantic heart and will not break under pressure. When he gets taken down (because he will be eventually) Nogueria MUST maintain guard. Even though he is a BJJ master and a magician on the ground, he probably doesn't want to be stuck in side control and being mounted against Cain is equal to a death sentence. Velazquez might slip up and make a mistake, however, with his world class wrestling, it will be difficult to catch him. If he does land on his back, he must control the posture of Velazquez and attack, attack, attack with submissions, elbows, and sweeps. If he can't do that he will get pounded into a bloody pulp by Velazquez's vicious ground and pound.

Velazquez is a two time NCAA division I All-American wrestler and a junior college national champion. Velazquez is also a machine with a deep gas tank and a berserk attacking style. I believe he is the most well conditioned heavyweight in the game. Fatigue isn't a factor so look for Velazquez to pressure Nogueira with take downs and press him against the cage. There is no doubt in my mind that Velazquez will put Nogueira on the mat at least a few times during the fight. The big question for Velazuez is his submission defense. When the fight hits the mat Velazquez cannot play around in Nogueira's guard or he will be eaten alive. A long training camp might not be enough to fend off a submission guru of Nogueria's esteem. Even a tiny mistake on the ground is like blood in the water against the bjj black belt. High caliber wrestlers like Velazquez have the ability to dictate the pace of any fight, so he must continuously keep the Brazilian on the defensive with punches and elbows. That being said, Cain should also avoid being drawn into a boxing match with his opponent. Nogueria's hands looked superb against Randy Couture, who also has solid boxing skills, and he was able to badly hurt the legend on multiple occasions. Both have solid chins but I expect Cain to only use his stand-up to set up takedowns. It will be a close fight, but due to Velazquez's deadly combination of endless cardio and world class wrestling I have to give him the edge.

Prediction: Velazquez by decision

The Warm up

Whats up MMA fanatics??? This is my first post on the new blog so bear with me if my brain/thoughts seem scrambled! lol. This blog is the beginning, the early stages, of a larger endeavor to create the ultimate MMA website. It is also a way for me to release the thousands of random and muddled thoughts running thru my brain, basically it will keep me sane lol. Plus, it will help me escape the massive boredom and zombie-like atmosphere of my office job. I will be giving my 2 cents on various topics including fighter rankings, event previews and reflections (not to mention betting odds as well), breaking news, and posting articles I find useful. ANNND as an added bonus...I will chronicle my own journey in MMA as I get my A$$ whopped in preparation for an eventual UFC debut (yea right! but a guy can dream can't he?). Enjoy!