Author: ryanpoli

Ridiculous Media Article

As someone who titled their MMA show Dissension, I’ve heard a plethoria of MMA opinions, but now I’m calling BS on a recent MMA article. Anyone who Dissension’s MMA predictions knows Josh Leduc and myself.

As someone who titled their MMA show Dissension, I’ve heard a plethoria of MMA opinions, but now I’m calling BS on a recent MMA article. Anyone who Dissension’s MMA predictions knows Josh Leduc and myself have poked fun at Bleacher Report for some of their articles, but it was all in fun for the most part. After reading an article titled “MMA Contenders and Pretenders That Will Be Revealed in May”, I almost couldn’t believe what I read. The article more or less stated that Rafael dos Anjos, Costa Philippou, Khabib Nurmagomedov, TJ Grant, Bigfoot Silva, Mark Hunt, and Gray Maynard weren’t contenders in their respective weight classes.

First of all, can you even fathom an MMA writer with half a brain saying such nonsense? Gray Maynard isn’t a lightweight contender? Are his wins over Kenny Florian, Nate Diaz and Clay Guida not enough for contender status? Even if Maynard losses to TJ Grant later this month, that still won’t take away the fact that he’s at least in the top ten of the UFC’s lightweight division. And Mark Hunt isn’t a heavyweight contender? Why? Because he might lose to Junior dos Santos this month? Since when has losing to the former champion been frowned upon so much. If you say Cheick Kongo isn’t a real contenders, that’s fine, but Hunt KO’d Stefan Struve and Kongo, so maybe MMA writers shouldn’t putting them on the same level.

It’s easy for anyone to say that Bigfoot Silva is overrated. Personally, I’ve heard things like “Alistair Overeem only lost to Bigfoot because he dropped his hands, or Fedor Emelianenko was washed up Bigfoot beat him, and both of those arguments are weak. With the exception of a few, everyone had Travis Browne destroying Bigfoot, and that’s not at all how the fight played out. The bottom line is Bigfoot has legit wins over three former heavyweight champions, and has lost to Fabricio Werdum, Daniel Cormier, and Cain Velasquez; elite UFC heavyweights. I rest my case.

Why so quick to overlook Costa Philippou? Does he have multiple wins over the biggest names? No, but if you’re going to downplay Philippou, the same goes for fighters such as Tim Boetsch, Hector Lombard, and Alan Belcher; yet you have nothing negative to say about them. Before Philippou pulled out of his bout with Ronaldo Souza, I was predictiong Souza to get the victory. That doesn’t mean that Philippou can’t still be considered a contender. We’re talking about a guy who finished off Tim Boetsch, who was undefeated at middleweight. Not even Yushin Okami or Hector Lombard could hand Boetsch his first loss.

Like Costa Philippou, UFC lightweights TJ GRant, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Rafael dos Anjos haven’t fought the best of fighters, but they’ve shown that they are the just outside the top ten (of the world, not UFC). Between dos Anjos out grappling a Jiu-Jitsu black belt, to Grant and Nurmagomedov scoring devastating knockouts in their last fight, it’s foolish to think that anyone of these three lightweights couldn’t be the next to break into the top ten. Yet for some reason Nathan McCarter is confident that this will not happen. It’s difficult to understand why, seeing that Rafael dos Anjos was equally dominating in his fight against Mark Bocek as the current champion was in his bout with the Canadian. But maybe I’m just weird and think of things like that… No, definitely not.

– Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli

@FightFreek

Post UFC 159 Match ups

The results for UFC 159 are in, with only half of the fighters taking a step backwards, while the other half go on to continue their success in the octagon. Here are the match ups.

The results for UFC 159 are in, with only half of the fighters taking a step backwards, while the other half go on to continue their success in the octagon. Here are the match ups that the UFC needs to put together for the winners and losers of Saturday night.

1.) Ovince St. Preux  vs. Vinny Magalhaes

You might be asking why anyone would think Magalhaes could handle the stiking of OSP after being picked apart on the feet by a wrestler, but this makes for an interesting fight due to St. Preux’s weaker takedown defense. This fight wouldn’t be seeing the final bell, as OSP would KO the Brazilian, or get caught in a submission.

2.) Alan Belcher  vs. Chris Camozzi

Belcher didn’t exactly live up to the hype of his fight, and Bisping certainly worked him over. The only thing I can credit to Belcher with, is having a good chin. Bottom line, he didn’t look like himself. Camozzi has been creeping through the UFC middleweight division, and has a similar style to Belcher. Camozzi is filling in for the injured C.B. Dollaway at UFC on FX 8. Whether he wins or losses to Cezar Ferreria, he should face off with Alan Belcher in his folowing fight. Luckily Camozzi’s fight will be in two weeks, so filling in for Dollaway shouldn’t affect this match from taking place.

3.) Roy Nelson  vs. Travis Browne

I know that Dana white had announced a possible fight with Daniel Cormier or Mark Hunt ( if he can beat Junior dos Santos), but I think the UFC is ranking Nelson far to high on their list, and a fight with Travis Browne would be far more appropriate. Also, I have no idea what the hell Dana White is thinking if Mark Hunt isn’t awarded a title shot for beating JDS. If Hunt losses his fight, then yes, Match Nelson with Hunt. But only if JDS is the victor.

4.) Michael Bisping  vs. Yushin Okami

Both fighters have recently bested Alan Belcher, and are in the top five of the UFC’s middleweight division, so this fight just makes sence. Bisping has been trying and trying to get his title shot, and a win over Okami could get him closer to that goal, if not secure it. I’m curious to see how Bisping would fair against a strong wrestler who has improved diligently on his striking. But it goes both ways, and maybe Bisping is able to showcase strong takedown defense like in his fight with Chael Sonnen. Either way, a fight between two elite middleweights is always one fans will be eager for.

5.) Pat Healy  vs. Gilbert Melendez

Last time I checked, submitting Jim Miller meant enough to get a fighter a title shot. I’m not pushing for that, but Healy had one hell of a UFC debut, and I see no reason why he couldn’t fight the most recent title challenger. Healy was supposed to fight Melendez in Strikeforce for the belt, but unfortunately, Melendez got injured and pulled out of the fight. This is the perfect opportunity to put a fight back on the books, and it’s not like there are more available opponents in the lightweight division at this time, so this fight makes perfect sense.

 

 

– Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli’

@FightFreek

UFC 159 Predictions

Jon Jones  vs.  Chael Sonnen Sonnen Faired well against the striking of Anderson Silva, but I crdit that to the talent gap in their wrestling. Jon Jones on the other hand, is a skilled wrestler.

Jon Jones  vs.  Chael Sonnen

Sonnen Faired well against the striking of Anderson Silva, but I crdit that to the talent gap in their wrestling. Jon Jones on the other hand, is a skilled wrestler who has yet to be taken down by any of his opponents. The reach and creative striking of Jones will make it more than difficult for Sonnen to get close enough to threat with a takedown, but even if he can get within range, Jones should be able to use his wrestling in reverse to prevent being put on his back. When coming in for a takedown, Sonnen better beware of Jones grabbing hold of his neck, because he has one hell of a guillotine.

Pick : Jon Jones

 

Michael Bisping   vs.  Alan Belcher

This may be a more anticipated fight that the main event, with many fans eager to see how this fight will play out. Whether or not he’s bluffing, Bisping made comments of having better Muay Thai than Belcher. While I don’t necessarily agree with that statement, Bisping may be trying to lead his opponent into pure striking mindset, which will allow Bisping the opportunity to gofor takedowns. This is a similar stategy he utilized against Brian Stann, which leads me to believe at some point during the fight, Bisping will look to take Belcher down. Belcher may be a huge middleweight, but after witnessing such impressive takedowns against a strong opponent like Brian Stann, I don’t think Belcher’s size will be enough to stop the takedown, especially if he’s sucked into a striking battle.

As a BJJ black belt, Belcher is proficient on the ground, but if Bisping takes him down, Belcher most likely won’t be able to pull off a submission off his back. Belcher has found himself on his back numerous times due to a failed guillotine attempt, a move he is quick to go for, but rearly can pull off. I know Belcher has the ability to KO the Englishman, but in the end, I think Bisping will fight a smarter fight. Also, the cardio and pressure of Bisping will give him the edge if this fight goes to a decision.

I know both fighters have improved since their past fights, but Bisping and Belcher have three opponents in common, and Bisping won all three fights, fairing much better than Belcher did. Just something else to think about.

Pick : Michael Bisping

 

Roy Nelson  vs.  Cheick Kongo

Call him a gatekeeper if you’d like, but Kongo is a skilled striker who’s always a threat. I predicted both Matt Mitrione and Shawn Jordan to defeat Kongo, and I was wrong. With that being said, my initial edge still goes to Nelson, based on the fact that he has the potential to KO Kongo like Mark Hunt was able to do. Against Nelson, Kongo will be unable to take the fight to the ground to unleash his brutal ground and pound. Regardless of Kongo’s reach advantage, Nelson’s technically improving striking and knockout power should give him the advantage on the feet, as well as his obvious grappling advantage. Both Nelson and Kongo have fought Mirko Cro Cop, Frank Mir, and Matt Mitrione, and it was Nelson who was more impressive against all three opponents.

Pick : Roy Nelson

 

Phil Davis   vs. Vinny Magalhaes

Magalhaes is one of the top Jiu-Jitsu practitioners in the UFC, and this fight could very well end with him forcing Mr. Wonderful to tap. However, there’s one critical attribute of Magalhaes that is preventing me from picking him, his cardio. Although he lost his five round fight against Rashad Evans, he still went five rounds. I don’t think Magalhaes has that kind of cardio. In his fight with Igor Pokrajak, he was visibly fatigued even towards the end of the first round, and that has be questioning whether he’ll have any gas left to threaten with submissions in the later rounds. He may win the first round, but unless he can finish before the second round, Davis should easily take the next two rounds.

Pick : Phil Davis

 

Jim Miller  vs.  Pat Healy

Healy is the bigger fighter, but that will be his only advantage. Miller has become more aggressive in his striking and overwhelmed Joe Lauzon in the first round of their fight. When it comes to the ground game, Miller has the wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu advantage. He’s a BJJ black belt under Jamie Cruz with more than half of his wins coming via submission. Healy is a proficient submission fighter as well, but just not on the level of Miller, and will be a step behind regardless of where the fight goes.

Pick : Jim Miller

 

Rustam Khabilov   vs.  Yancy Medeiros

Medeiros has won six of his nine victories by knockout, so the UFC newcomer could be successful in his debut. However, Khabilov is no stranger to opponents with a repertoire of knockouts, as he man handled Vince Pichel, who had seven of seven wins via knockout. Khabilov is an expert in sambo and has proficient submission skills, but has the ability to KO anyone with his excellent suplex. I don’t think he’ll have any problem closing the distance with Medeiros and utilizes his sambo, whether that means he out grappling him for three rounds, submitting him, or getting the KO with another awesome suplex.

Pick : Rustam Khabilov

 

Gian Villante   vs.  Ovince St. Preux

I don’t normally pick a fighter based solely on power and not necessarily skill, but I’ll make an exception and pick St. Preux. I’m really not that impressed with his striking skills, but he has knockout potential similar to that of Chris Leben in his prime. Whether or not he’s losing the striking battle or is being controlled on the ground, OSP has a unique ability to consisantly turn the fight around with his heavy punches. I think Villante will come out and take the fight down quickly and control the majority of the fight until St. Preux lands that game changing blow. Villante will be on the defensive, as OSP swarms in for the finish.

Pick : Ovince St. Preux

 

Sara McMann   vs.  Sheila Gaff

Anyone who knows McMann’s grappling crudentials knows that she’s a force to be rekoned with. Stylistically, this is a bad match up for Gaff. Her berzerker style of fighting will open up opportunities for McMann to secure a takedown where she will have a considerable advantage. I wouldn’t be surprised if Gaff catches her opponent early and force the stoppage, but if this fight goes more than thirty seconds, it’ll be McMann controlling Gaff on the matt until the fight ends via submission.

Pick : Sara McMann

 

Bryan Caraway   vs.  Johnny Bedford

Caraway is an exceptional wrestler, but Bedford is an all around good fighter. Bedford has been wrestling since age five, so even if Caraway is a tad better, Bedford is better in Jiu-Jitsu. We’re talking about a guy who triangle choked Daniel Pineda; that’s pretty sick. Bedford has really been showcasing his hands, and even finished his last two opponents via knockout. I just don’t see Caraway dominating the wrestling, so I’m pretty confident that Bedford win get his hand raised seing he clearly has more way to win than Caraway does.

Pick : Johnny Bedford

 

Leonard Garcia   vs.  Cody McKenzie

This fight all comes down to whether or not McKenzie can pull off a guillotine choke. Garcia won’t be looking to take this fight to the ground, so McKenzie will have to be the one to initiate the ground game. He isn’t necessarily a strong wrestler, so he may have to pull guard if he really wants that guillotine. Matt Grice was able to take Garcia down multiple times, but was unable to finish. Bottom line, I don’t see McKenzie taking Garcia down and being able to control him. Therefore, the fight should take place on the feet where Garcia has a huge advantage despite McKenzie’s reach.

Pick : Leonard Garcia

 

Nick Catone   vs.  James Head

Catone was impressive in his welterweight debut, and even won the first round in his fight against TJ Waldburger. However, Waldburger’s crafty submission game proved to be crafty as ever when he tapped Catone with a triangle choke. Not having anywhere near the Jiu-Jitsu skills that Waldburger possess, Head will not pose the same threat on the ground, so Catone will be able to contol him without fear of succumbing to a submission. Seeing that Catone had no problem dealing with the striking skills of Chris Camozzi for the majority of their fight, I don’t see Head’s striking giving him much trouble. If anything, the weight cut should only be easier for Catone, and his conditioning could even be better for this fight. No matter how I look at this match up, I like Catone chances and see him as a clear favorite.

Pick : Nick Catone

 

Steven Siler  vs.  Kurt Holobaugh

Holobaugh put up a good fight against Pat Healy, who is just outside of the top ten in the lightweight division. Now he’s facing a much smaller and less talented opponent (not saying that Siler isn’t a skilled fighter), so I’m giving my initial edge to Holobaugh. Siler has submission skills, but I have to think that Holobaugh has better wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu. As for the striking, if Holobaugh can perform like he did against Pat Healy, he should have the edge their too. Bottom line, I think Holobaugh will do enough to get the win, regardless of where the fight goes.

Pick : Kurt Holobaugh

 

 

Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli
@FightFreek

NEW MMA Lightweight Rankings

With a knockout victory over Nate Diaz, Josh “The Punk” Thomson has propelled himself among the top ten MMA lightweights in the world. As always our rankings display our top eleven per weight class, the.

With a knockout victory over Nate Diaz, Josh “The Punk” Thomson has propelled himself among the top ten MMA lightweights in the world. As always our rankings display our top eleven per weight class, the champion plus the top ten contenders.

1.) Benson Henderson
2.) Gilbert Melendez
3.) Anthony Pettis
4.) Gray Maynard
5.) Josh Thomson
6.) Nate Diaz
7.) Michael Chandler
8.) Eddie Alvarez
9.) Jim Miller
10.) Donald Cerrone
11.) TJ Grant

Feel free to give your own opinions on the rankings.

– Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli

@FightFreek

Josh Thomson Won’t Recieve an Immediate Title Shot

At UFC on FOX 7, Josh Thomson accomplished what no other fighter could, knock out Nate Diaz. Many thought this victory would propel Thomson to the top for the next shot at the lightweight belt,.

At UFC on FOX 7, Josh Thomson accomplished what no other fighter could, knock out Nate Diaz. Many thought this victory would propel Thomson to the top for the next shot at the lightweight belt, however, Dana White announced that the number one contender would be the winner of the Gray Maynard / TJ Grant fight. Not to say that the winner of that bout wouldn’t be deserving of a title opportunity, but I don’t know how knocking out the recent title challenger doesn’t place you in the front of the line. This is a situation that would be a damn shame if Thomson takes another fight, and loses.

Seeing Gray Maynard and TJ Grant won’t be fighting until the end of May, I doubt that Thomson will wait for the next title shot, or that the UFC will even give him that option. So the big question is who should Thomson fight next. Not only will he need to ensure a win, but also that it’s an opponent respected enough to secure a title shot.

Gilbert Melendez is always an option, but I seriously doubt will want to put together a fourth fight between the two so soon. Unfortunately, Joe Lauzon is the only other top ten UFC lightweight not currently committed to another fight. Athony Pettis, Gray Maynard, Jim Miller, Donald Cerrone, TJ Grant, Rafael dos Anjos, and Khabib Nurmagomedov are all wrapped up in other bouts. At first glance, I’m not to fond with this potential match up, but Lauzon has fought many fighters who have been eyeing a title shot. George Sotiropolous, Melvin Guillard, and Anthony Pettis were all nearing a title shot when they were matched up with Lauzon. In fact, it was Lauzon who spoiled Guillard’s hopes for a title shot when he forced Guillard to tap in the first round via rear naked choke. Jamie Varner wasn’t exactly one fight away from challenging for the belt, but he was coming off a win over lightweight prospect Edson Barboza, and Lauzon was able to submit him. Jim Miller was matched against Lauzon after his loss to Nate Diaz, and even though he won a decision, Lauzon made it an extremely competitive fight. This is proof enough that Lauzon would be an adequate opponent, plus there’s also the fact that options are extremely limited.

If Thomson doesn’t get matched up with Joe Lauzon, the UFC might just have him wait until after UFC 160 to find him a suitable opponent, seeing five other top lightweights will be fighting on that card. While I’m not thrilled to see Thomson get matched with Khabib Nurmagomedov if he wins his fight, he’s still a top ten lightweight who would be available. However, I’m sure fans would rather see him fight the loser of Gray Maynard / TJ Grant, or the winner of Donald Cerrone / KJ Noons. The decision of which fighter the UFC could select as Thomson’s opponent will most likely depend on how those bouts play out.

Personally, I think Thomson’s best chance of securing the next title shot is if Donald Cerrone has an impressive win over KJ Noons, and then he defeats Cerrone. Two wins over two elite lightweights should put him next in line after the Maynard / Grant winner. I’m just hoping the UFC doesn’t drag him along like they’re doing to Johny Hendricks.

– Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli

@FightFreek