Regardless of any opinions of the match ups, results, or overall excitement of the event; there’s no debating that UFC 155 answered a number of questions. Being one of only a half dozen of predictors.
Regardless of any opinions of the match ups, results, or overall excitement of the event; there’s no debating that UFC 155 answered a number of questions. Being one of only a half dozen of predictors to call an upset in the main event, I’m not all that surprised with Velasquez recapturing the title. There were however several results, some of them more shocking, that deserve a little more attention.
Todd Duffee is NOT overrated
Even with a seven second knockout under his belt, as well as six other first round knockouts, a number of MMA fans considered Duffee to be nothing more than over hyped fighter. Dispite back to back losses to Mike Russow and Alistair Overeem, arguments for counting out Duffee in his bout with Phil De Fries were feeble. Before the unbelievable comeback from Mike Russow, that fight was as one sided as a fight could possibly be. As far as the Overeem loss, can you really hold that against him? Overeem is arguably the second best heavyweight in the world. As to why anyone would think Duffee wouldn’t overcome the likes of De Fries is baffling, but he proved the nay sayers wrong by finishing De Fries only two minutes into the fight.
I don’t think anyone is making the argument that Duffee should be ranked in the top ten of the division, but he certainly deserves a step up in competition for his next fight. There are quite a few opponent options for Duffee, but the one that is really making a world of sense to me is Pat Barry. He’s a fellow heavy hitter coming off a recent knockout win of his own.
The suspension hurt Leben more than expected
Derek Brunson had less predictions pulling for him than Cain Velasquez did, but he was able to get the job done. Although Brunson had several impressive takedowns, the story of his success was more of a lacking performance on Leben’s part. To get straight to the point, Leben didn’t look like the old crowd pleasing brawler most people were expecting to return. When he was first taken down, Leben utilized a very active guard, but he tired quickly after. Joe Rogan even made a comment that it looked as if Leben had lost a significant amount of power in his punches, and Brunson didn’t seem discouraged even after Leben tried to unleash all his fury. Clearly, Leben didn’t stay as active in the gym during his suspension as most people assumed. Hopefully he will wise up and get back to training, because if his next fight is a letdown, the UFC could say farewell to the crippler.
Miles Jury will be a serious lightweight contender
This was the fight that the odds makers are kicking themselves for right about now. The heavily favored Michael Johnson didn’t amount a shred of offense and was dominated on the ground for fifteen minutes. This marks the second consecutive victory for Jury which was shocking impressive. I considered Johnson to be on the rise, but after seeing what Jury was able to do, I’ll be eager to see him compete again against another up and coming fighter.
Jury is truly a prospect in the lightweight division, and therefore should next face fellow lightweight prospect Abel Trujillo. It will make for the a most intriguing fight that will determine if Jury has what it takes to excel to the next level.
Perez needs a true test
While it’s true that I have been outspoken about the controversy of Perez’s “submission win” over John Albert, I can’t deny that Perez had an incredible display of determination and submission skills, both offensive and defensive. In his three UFC wins, Perez has demonstrated well rounded skills and is in dire need of a step up in competition. A few names come to mind, such as Ivan Menjivar,Mike Easton, or Scott Jorgensen. These three suggested opponents are either coming off a loss, a win over a no name fighter, or a win over a fighter that Perez has already beaten. Either of the three bantamweights would make for an intriguing fight with Perez, and it would give him the challenge of a higher level opponent that he deserves.
Wineland may be ready for a title shot
I was surprised when I found out that Brad Pickett wasn’t the favorite going into the fight against Wineland. I predicted Pickett submit Wineland after successfully taking the fight to the ground, but Wineland stuufed all takedown attempts, and did substantially better on the feet than I expected. Worst case scenario, I saw the entire fight going like it did in the third round. In that scenario, Pickett would’ve won a split decision. Nonetheless, I was wrong and Wineland looked sharp in his performance. I can’t remember seeing Pickett outclassed on the feet like that. Even Renan Barao didn’t pick him apart as well as Wineland did in that first round. Wineland has two consecutive wins over two top bantamweights, and has only lost to two elite fighters while in the UFC. At this point, Wineland is back in the top five of the division and could get the next shot at either the tiitle, or interm title, depending on when Dominick Cruz returns. However, he should at least fight the loser of Renan Barao and Michael McDonald.
George “Rush” St. Pierre has given Nick Diaz the greatest and the worst Christmas present ever. On one hand he gave him the biggest pay day of his life, and on the other he will.
George “Rush” St. Pierre has given Nick Diaz the greatest and the worst Christmas present ever. On one hand he gave him the biggest pay day of his life, and on the other he will give him the worst ass kicking of his life. I’m going to make a bold prediction here; GSP is going to retire Nick Diaz. I may end up eating my words, but after being dominated for five rounds I believe Nick Diaz will call it quits. GSP has the edge in all of the areas; here are a few where I believe he will really show his dominance.
Wrestling
This is quite obvious, St. Pierre is one of the best wrestlers in the UFC; and he had no prior wrestling experience when he began his career. When GSP met Koscheck for the first time he showed the world how dominant of a wrestler he really was, out wrestling the All American for all three rounds. Some people say that when the fight hits the mat Diaz will have the advantage because of his BJJ; those people forget that GSP has a black belt in the “gentle art” as well. GSP has crushing top control and Diaz will be no match for his strength and skill.
Athleticism
GSP is by far the most athletic fighter to grace the Octagon, yet this is only due to his hard work and dedication. Whereas in my opinion Diaz is one of the least athletic, sure he trains for triathlons, but he doesn’t measure up against GSP. The Champ is stronger, faster, and can go hard for five full rounds, something he has been doing for eleven out of his past twelve fights.
X-Factor
I’m not talking about the TV show here, I’m talking about intangibles. The fight is taking place in GSP’s home town of Montreal at the Bell Centre. Diaz is known for hating press conferences and the likes; it will be interesting to see how he fairs in another country while doing these activities.
GSP is also one of the most composed fighters ever, he is strictly business when he steps in the Octagon. Diaz on the other hand is not, he is known for his trash talking and antics while fighting and leading up to fights. This I believe will play into the hands of the Champion. GSP has dealt with trash talkers from Koscheck to Hardy, and I don’t believe Diaz has what it takes to get into his head.
Summary
In the end Diaz will be no match for GSP, much like all of the previous challengers to his belt. GSP will beat Diaz to the punch, kick, and takedown; and he will do so for five rounds. As we saw in the Condit fight, Diaz will lose his cool and begin to talk trash and try to anger King George. In the end the judges will be called to make a decision and Bruce Buffer will announce “And still the UFC Welterweight Champion of the World! George “Rush” St. Pierre”. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a brawl ensue, but in the coming days Diaz will retire; who knows maybe he will become a professional triathlete.
We are less than one week away from the biggest heavyweight fight in MMA history, where the two baddest men on the planet will meet in the octagon for the second time to compete for.
We are less than one week away from the biggest heavyweight fight in MMA history, where the two baddest men on the planet will meet in the octagon for the second time to compete for the heavyweight title. Velasquez will attempt to be only the second fighter in UFC history to get his belt back from the man who took it from him via knockout. The highly anticipated fight main event has fight of the year written all over it, but UFC 155 is stacked from top to bottom. Saturday night will welcome the return of heavy hitters, Chris Leben and Todd Duffee, and four middleweight contenders are looking to make the statement that they are serious about a title shot. The fights will be hard to call, but you can bet that this event will be anything but boring.
Chris Cariaso vs. John Moraga
Moraga was relatively unknown in his UFC debut, but had a brilliant knockout performance over former Bellator Fighting Championship competitor, Ulysses Gomez. Moraga has finished seven of his eleven wins, five by submission and two by knockout, his only career loss came at the hands of the current UFC flyweight number one contender, John Dodson. Cariaso is riding a three fight winning streak, but he could easily be 1-2 in his last three fights had the judging gone a different way. He won a split decision over Vaughn Lee, and won a decision over Takeya Mizugaki, which is considered to be one of the most controversial judge’s decision of the year. Moraga is far more proficient in his striking and ground game than Cariaso and should enjoy the advantage anywhere the fight takes place. Cariaso doesn’t possess that power or aggression to stop the inevitable knockout that Moraga will deliver.
Pick : John Moraga
Leonard Garcia vs. Max Holloway
Any fight that Garcia is in has fight of the night written all over it. This striker vs. striker match up is sure to please the fans, and win a bonus award of some kind. Garcia will be throwing haymakers like a mad man relentlessly headhunting for the knockout. His exceptional conditioning allows him to exert insane amounts of aggression and energy in his striking, but because of this style, his pace tends to slow later in the fight. In his the fight against Justin Lawrence, it was Holloway’s conditioning that won him the fight after Lawrence started to fade in the third round. From there, Holloway was able to push the pace, and put together a combination that dropped Lawrence to get the stoppage victory. Garcia doesn’t pace himself as intelligently as Holloway, but the fight could end early if Garcia connects with one of his wild punches. Holloway possess the crisp technical striking that will allow him to counter the wide looping punches that Garcia throws, and this will be the deciding factor in this fight. Holloway is too intelligent a fighter to be sucked into a brawl with Garcia, and should be elusive enough to avoid his wild swinging punches. Look for Holloway to pick his shots, land cleaner, and be the overall fresher fighter throughout the entire fight. Garcia has a heck of a chin, and has yet to be knocked out in his professional MMA career, so this fight should go the distance with Holloway getting his hand raised.
Pick : Max Holloway
Philip De Fries vs. Todd Duffee
This is the easiest fight to predict on the card, I’m picking Todd Duffee by first round knockout. Duffee has gone 1-1 since being cut by the UFC over two years ago, but I can’t hold the loss against him seeing it was at the hands of Alistair Overeem, who could possibly be the next challenger for the UFC heavyweight belt. All seven of Duffee’s wins have come by knockout, with six ending in the first round, and four of those fights ending in under one minute. His loss to Mike Russow was arguably the biggest comeback in not just MMA history, as far as I’m concerned, Duffee’s only real loss was to Overeem, which is nothing to be ashamed of. De Fries doesn’t possess the striking skills to hold his own on the feet and Duffee is too strong to be taken down, so De Fries potential jiu-jitsu advantage won‘t place a part in this fight. Duffee has the power to put anyone to sleep and De Fries is no exception. De Fries will be overwhelmed by Duffee’s striking and this fight won’t see the start of the second round.
Pick : Todd Duffee
Erik Perez vs. Byron Bloodworth
Bloodworth is coming off a loss to Mike Easton, where he was finished in the second round. He hasn’t fought in over a year and it’ll be tough to get the momentum going to overcome Perez and his well rounded skills. Perez is riding a seven fight win streak and hasfinished his last two fights in the first round. In his fight against John Albert, he showed his submission defense as he fought his way out of a triangle choke and reversed the position to have Albert defending a armbar attempt. There was much controversy in the way the fight ended as Albert never actually verbally submitted, but nonetheless, Perez showed a never say die attitude, excellent submission defense, and good Jiu-Jitsu of his own. After knocking out Ken Stone in only seventeen seconds in his most recent fight, I’m confident that he will find a way to get the victory no matter where the fight goes.
Pick : Erik Perez
Michael Johnson vs. Myles Jury
How did Jury land this fight? Johnson defeated Shane Roller, Tony Ferguson, and Danny Castillo in his last three fights, while Jury defeated Chris Saunders in his official UFC debut. Why is Johnson not fighting someone like Edson Barboza or Rafael dos Anjos? I’m not saying Jury has a snowball’s chance in Hell, but Joe Silva certainly gave Jury an early Christmas present that will catapult his career if he ends up pulling off a win. Again, I’m not saying it’s impossible, but Jury will have his work cut out for him. Johnson is a superior striker to Chris Saunders and Al Iaquinta, the two fighters that Jury has fought. Johnson out struck Tony Ferguson, defended Danny Castillo’s takedowns, and defended Shane Roller’s submission attempts. His last three fights have showcased the epitome of well rounded. Johnson will have advantages of experience, speed, conditioning, and power; Jury simply won’t be able to match Johnson’s pace and best case senario, will go on to lose a decision.
Pick : Michael Johnson
Melvin Guillard vs. Jamie Varner
It’ll be interesting to see how Guillard performs after being knocked out by “Cowboy” Cerrone at UFC 150. Prior to that fight, Guillard had never been knocked out, so this could potentially throw him off his mental game. Even though Guillard has come back from less than adequate performances to finish tough opponents, such as, Dennis Siver, Evan Dunham, and Shane Roller; having a strong performance after his first knockout loss will be his biggest challenge to date. Guillard’s strong points are obviously his striking and aggression, but Varner has solid boxing skills that he mixes with his wrestling, which he used to get the better of Ben Henderson and Joe Lauzon until he succumbed to a submission in both fights. Because the word jiu-jitsu probably isn’t even in Guillard’s vocabulary, Varner will take Guillard down at will and hold him there without any fear of being submitted. After seeing Varner destroy Edson Barboza, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was able to finish Guillard, but it’s more likely Varner out wrestles Guillard for all three rounds.
Pick : Jamie Varner
Brad Pickett vs. Eddie Wineland
Both these fighters are exceptionally well rounded and are coming off stellar knockout victories. The winner of this fight will have a strong argument to fight the winner of Renan Barao and Michael McDonald, or at least be next in line after Dominick Cruz. It’s difficult to say who has the superior wrestling, but I’m leaning towards Pickett. He out wrestled Demetrious Johnson and Damacio Page. Wineland and Urijah Faber were dead even in the wrestling at UFC 128, until Wineland started to fade in the second round and Faber was able to take over. Wineland was successful in knocking out Scott Jorgensen, but Jorgensen is primarily a wrestler. Pickett on the other hand, knocked out talented striker, Yves Jabouin, and went toe to toe with Renan Barao. The biggest deciding factor for me is the jiu-jitsu. Half of Wineland’s losses have been by submission while half of Pickett’s wins have been by submission. This fight is almost being set up for Pickett win by submission, and that’s exactly what I think will happen.
Pick : Brad Pickett
Chris Leben vs. Derek Brunson
Leben has to be eager to get back in the cage after his year long suspension. His time away from competing has me concerned that his performance could be hindered in this fight, but I’m betting he’ll be same the aggressive, heavy hitting fighter he was before his suspension. In his fight with Mark Munoz, Leben made it a very competitive fight and even took down the veteran wrestler. The fight was ultimately stopped due to a cut on Leben’s eyebrow that ceased his vision, but had the fight continued, no one knows what could’ve happened. Every extra second that goes by in a fight gives Leben a better chance to knockout his opponent. Brunson is a fairly well rounded fighter, but I was surprised when he was knocked out by Ronaldo Souza in forty one seconds, when Souza isn’t much of a threat on the feet. If Souza was able to catch Brunson, then you can be sure that Leben can do the same. If his time away from the octagon hinders his performance enough to prevent the knockout from happening, Leben will still win a decision by using his heavy hands and aggressive style.
Pick : Chris Leben
Alan Belcher vs. Yushin Okami
For me, this is the toughest fight to call on the entire card. This fight may be considered a striker vs. grappler match up, but both fighters have drastically developed on their secondary skills. Okami’s striking has improved leaps and bounds since his loss to Chael Sonnen, but has continued to improve, especially after his loss to middleweight king, Anderson Silva. In Belcher’s last fight, he practically challenged submission specialist, Rousimar Palhares, to a grappling match and came out on top. Both fighters should revert back to their primary styles in their fight with Okami being the better wrestler and Belcher having the superior striking. In order for Okami to implement his game plan, he will need to take Belcher down and use effective top control, something that Okami will have a heck of a time trying to accomplish. Belcher will be wise enough use his superior striking and footwork to avoid letting Okami initiate the clinch and work for a takedown. Belcher moves well and using angles in his kickboxing which will make Okami getting a hold of him more difficult and allow Belcher to score the significant points he needs to sway the judges decision in his favor.
Pick : Alan Belcher
Tim Boetsch vs. Costa Philippou
When Chris Weidman pulled out of the bout with Boetsch, Phillipou seized the opportunity to step in as a replacement. A victory over Boetsch will benefit him significantly more than one over Nick ring would, and could arguably put him within the top five of the UFC middleweight division. Philippou is riding a four fight winning streak over the likes of Jorge Rivera, Jared Hamman, Court McGee, and Riki Fukuda. He has looked impressive with his exceptional boxing and takedown down defense, and now he’s facing a step up in competition. Boetsch is 4-0 since dropping to middleweight, but under close examination, it becomes clear that his success hasn’t come without plenty of luck. Boetsch was completely outclassed by Yushin Okami for two rounds, but in the third round he caught Okami with big uppercuts that dropped him, and the ref had to intervene. His performance against Hector Lombard wasn’t all that impressive either. First off, I think Lomabrd should’ve gotten the nod in that fight, and Boetsch wasn’t showing any aggression until the final round. Luckily for him, Lombard didn’t look like his usual self that night and never landed any potential fight ending blows. If Boetsch allows Philippou to get comfortable with his striking, it will be lights out for Boetsch. Even if Boetsch comes out aggressive, Philippou’s excellent takedown defense will nullify Boetsch’s wrestling and he will land the more effective strikes in the exchanges. Boetsch‘s durability should get him through all three rounds, but Philippou will get the nod from the judges.
Pick : Costa Philippou
Joe Lauzon vs. Jim Miller
After his fights with Melvin Guillard and Jamie Varner, no fighter in the UFC lightweight division should be underestimating Joe Lauzon. He may only be a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu purple belt, but seventeen of his twenty two wins have been by submission. Lauzon utilizes a heavy Jiu-Jitsu style similar to that of advanced BJJ black belts. In addition to having good top control, he has the ability to submit any fighter off his back. Miller, who is BJJ black belt, has twelve wins by submission and combines aggressive wrestling to his style. Lauzon is not as talented a wrestler as Miller and will end up on the bottom when the fight hits the ground. Lauzon will use his active guard to muster up as much offense as possible, but the same the crafty moves that have finished Lauzon’s past opponents, won’t be enough to catch Miller. Miller has excellent top control that will stifle Lauzon’s Jiu-Jitsu and the judges will see Miller as the dominant ground fighter. Even for the moments that the fight stays on the feet, Miller will have the striking advantage, so no matter where this fight takes place, Miller will be comfortable. Because his Jiu-Jitsu is so good, I doubt Lauzon will be submitted, but he could very well succumb to a knockout in similar fashion to how Miller was able to finish Kamal Shalorus. Lauzon’s only real chance of winning is to catch Miller in a submission, which I don’t see happening. Even if Lauzon last the entire fight, Miller will go on to win a unanimous decision.
Pick : Jim Miller
Junior Dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez
Velasquez will have his work cut out for him as he attempts to be only the second fighter in UFC history to get his belt back from the man who took it from him via knockout. The only fighter in UFC history to successfully do so is Georges St-Pierre when he defeated Matt Serra at UFC 83. Carlos Newton, Randy Couture, Andrei Arlovski, Rich Franklin, BJ Penn, Frankie Edgar all have attempted the same, but were unsuccessful. Velasquez will have the advantage in most aspects of MMA, and has more than just a decent chance of recapturing the heavyweight title. The chin of the former champ can withstand plenty of punishment. In their first fight, it took Dos Santos three overhand rights that connected until he was able to stumble Velasquez, which set up the stoppage. Velasquez has the superior wrestling, and has the gas tank to go all five rounds. Whether or not the same can be said for the current champ is questionable, but he’s always just one punch away from a knockout victory. In their first fight, Velasquez was out landing Dos Santos early in the fight, ending all his combinations with leg kicks. If Velasquez can be as aggressive as he was against Antonio Silva, he will get Dos Santos down and rain down massive ground and pound that can potentially end the fight. Dos Santos’ best chance of success is to land flush with a big right hand, which will much harder to pull of the second time around. Velasquez will use much better head movement and footwork to insure that he won‘t suffer the same fate as last time, increasing his chances for victory either by TKO via ground and pound, or unanimous decision.
Master Lloyd Irvin is going to be huge; I’m saying it right now. The man is an inspiration to the masses and is going to help spread MMA and BJJ. He has such a passion.
Master Lloyd Irvin is going to be huge; I’m saying it right now. The man is an inspiration to the masses and is going to help spread MMA and BJJ. He has such a passion for the sport and his students, it is just incredible.
This passion is obvious when you look at the fighters he trains at Team Lloyd Irvin. Fighters like Mike Easton, Dominic Cruz, Brandon Vera, Phil Davis, and recently Alexander Gustafsson. Not to mention his BJJ competition team the Medal Chasers, you have guys like DJ Jackson, Jonathan Torres, and Keenan Cornelius. I’m going to tell you to watch out for Keenan Cornelius and any one else that comes on to that Medal Chasers team; they are going to be huge in the grappling world.
Master Lloyd is as great as the team he surrounds himself with. Recently he dropped an enormous amount of weight to inspire his students and the other instructors in the BJJ community. He then went on to take home a gold medal at the No-Gi Worlds along with several others members of the elite Medal Chasers. After this amazing accomplishment he was extremely humble accrediting his success to hard work, and the exercise regiment designed by Rhadi Ferguson.
Team Lloyd Irvin will become one of the next super camps in MMA. He has numerous fighters ready to challenge for a UFC title, and he is more motivated to succeed than any head trainer out there. Just like Master Lloyd has succeeded in the business world, he and his team will succeed in the MMA world. Just watch, within the next two years they will rival the Jackson-Winkeljohn Academy in Arizona.
Last week the UFC announced a Featherweight match up with title implications between Dennis Siver and Cub Swanson. Between these two there are five fight of the night awards, four knockout of the nights, and.
Last week the UFC announced a Featherweight match up with title implications between Dennis Siver and Cub Swanson. Between these two there are five fight of the night awards, four knockout of the nights, and a submission of the night. That’s ten fight night bonuses between them. So this bout is guaranteed to be a war.
Both men have looked impressive as of late, Siver is a winner of six of his last seven, and is two and zero since his drop to Featherweight. While Swanson is a winner of three of his last four, and is three and one in the Octagon.
Siver is coming off a dominant performance over the durable Nam Phan where he show cased his always impressive striking, and improved ground game. Swanson is coming of a first round knockout of the night win over Charles Oliveira. If their recent performances are any indication this fight should be fast paced and one of the most exciting fights of the year.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this fight ends up being a late candidate for fight of the year. I’m leaning towards Siver winning this match because of his technical striking abilities and take down defense, but Swanson has serious power in his hands.
Let me know your predictions in the comment section bellow.
