Author: ryanpoli

UFC on FX 5 Main Card Breakdown & Predictions

  Travis Browne  vs.  Antonio Silva In the majority of Browne‘s fights, he is usually the heavier fighter with the longer reach, but it’s Silva who will have both advantages in this fight. Silva, a.

 

Travis Browne  vs.  Antonio Silva

In the majority of Browne‘s fights, he is usually the heavier fighter with the longer reach, but it’s Silva who will have both advantages in this fight. Silva, a judo and jiu-jitsu black belt, is a phenom on the ground, so Browne should do everything in his power to avoid Silva’s attempts to take the fight there. Browne’s only chance is to come out fast and catch Silva with an early knockout, however, Silva and is also a black belt in karate and has skilled muay thai strikingis more than capable of handling himself on the feet as well. Eventually Silva will get the fight down to the ground and get Browne in a compromising position. He always has a good chance of submitting Browne, but most of his wins are by knockout/TKO via ground and pound. If Silva was able to stop Mike Kyle and Fedor Emelianenko, I have the utmost confidence that Silva can do the same to Browne.

Prediction : Silva via TKO

Jake Ellenberger  vs.   Jay Hieron

If it wasn’t for the fact that Hieron defeated Ellenberger six years ago, in a bout outside the UFC, nobody would care about this fight. Not only has Ellenberger developed into an elite athlete and one of the best welterweights in the world, but what has Hieron done to earn a fight with Ellenberger? Yes, he’s beating some bigger names in other MMA organizations, but how does that earn anyone a shot against a top ten welterweight? It would’ve made more sense to match Ellenberger with either Mike Pierce or Aaron Simpson, and have Hieron fill a slot on the preliminary card. It’s ridiculous to think that Hieron is co-main event material. I don’t see Ellenberger loosing two fights in a row, especially to Hieron. Don’t get me wrong, Hieron has skills and is a good stiker, but not on the level he needs to be to give Ellenberger a run for his money. Martin Kampmann is arguably the best pure striker in the welterweight division, and even he collapsed under the power of Ellenberger in the opening seconds of the fight. Kampmann was able to turn things around in the second round, but Ellenberger won’t give Hieron the opportunity to do the same. The Juggernaut will be able to use his elite wrestling and throw Hieron around like a rag doll and use his big power to put Hieron away.

Prediction : Ellenberger via TKO

John Dodson  vs.  Jussier da Silva

Silva may be the former #1 ranked flyweight in the world, but he’s at a disadvantage in this fight with Dodson. For maybe the first time in his career, Dodson will have the size advantage. This will make it that much harder for Silva to get Dodson to the ground, which is the only way Silva has even the slightest chance of getting his hand raised. Dodson has excellent takedown defense, so Silva will have to literally drag Dodson to the ground to pose any sort of threat. However, with the size and speed advantage in the favor of Dodson, he’ll have no problem avoiding Silva takedown attempts, especially if he was able to avoid the takedown attempts of a great wrestler like TJ Dillashaw. Winning the striking battle will be a walk in the park for Dodson since he won’t be battling a large reach disadvantage that he faced in his last fight with Tim Elliott. Dodson will pick Silva apart on the feet, and when Silva becomes overly frustrated when his takedown attempts are unsuccessful, Dodson will push the pace and look the finish the fight.

Prediction: Dodson via KO

Justin Edwards  vs.  Josh Neer

The fact that this fight is on the main card completely baffles me. This fight should’ve been swapped out with one of the preliminary fights, it just doesn’t make sense. This fight doesn’t require a great deal of research. Neer has better striking, more experience, and has fought opponents at a higher skill level. Both Edwards and Neer are purple belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, but I’d even give the grappling advantage to Neer, based solely on his ability to hold his own against high level jiu-jitsu fighters like Nate Diaz and Gleison Tibau. If Edwards is able to take Neer down, Neer has a very underrated and active guard that has caught UFC veterans Melvin Guillard and Mac Danzig. People who are picking Edwards to beat Neer are simply hoping for an upset and I don’t see it happening.

Prediction: Neer via TKO

Written by : Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli

@fightfreek

UFC on FX 5 Prelims Breakdown and Predictions

  Aaron Simpson  vs.  Mike Pierce When Simpson was set to face Jon Fitch in his welterweight debut, I thought he had a good chance of winning. As it turned out, it was a blessing.

 

Aaron Simpson  vs.  Mike Pierce

When Simpson was set to face Jon Fitch in his welterweight debut, I thought he had a good chance of winning. As it turned out, it was a blessing in disguise for Simpson when Fitch pulled out due to injury and was replaced by Kenny Robertson. Like many fighters in their first fight at another weight class, Simpson’s performance wasn’t his best. He was slower than normal, and the weight cut seemed to affect his cardio. Pierce on the other hand, has never showed problems with his cardio and is on the wrestling level of Simpson. Although Simpson may have the advantage in punching power, Pierce should have the overall striking advantage, which he will use to out strike and outpoint Simpson when the wrestling is a stalemate. Pierce has gone toe to toe with elite welterweights such as Johnny Hendricks and Josh Koscheck and lost controversial decisions. I think third times a charm for Pierce in this case. I don’t see this fight ending by Knockout or submission, so Pierce will take a decision. Don’t be surprised if it’s a split decision.

Carlo Prater  vs.  Marcus LeVesseur

LeVesseur is a high level wrestler, but seems to lack skills in the jiu-jitsu department and that could cost him dearly against Prater. He was clearly the stronger, more dominant fighter in his fight with Cody McKenzie, but a simple mistake got him caught with a guillotine choke, so Prater could find a quick submission if LeVesseur hasn’t fixed his novice mistakes. LeVesseur should seize control early in the fight seeing it took him just seconds to get a takedown in his fight with McKenzie. The challenge will be not letting Prater counter with his jiu-jitsu, but I can see LeVesseur using his wrestling to stifle Prater’s jiu-jitsu attacks and overpower him with his top control. Prater’s striking isn’t anything spectacular, and LeVesseur should be the heavier handed fighter, regardless of his own striking ability. This fight could go the distance, but I see LeVesseur getting and early finish via vicious ground and pound.

Darren Uyenoyama  vs.  Phil Harris

Even though Harris is making his octagon debut, he will be the more experienced fighter, about three times as much experienced. This may give Harris an advantage, but even the most experienced fighters have shown the “octagon jitters” in their debut which can negatively affect their performance. Uyenoyama may have only had one fight in the UFC, but it was against the very popular Kid Yamamoto. Even before his UFC debut, Uyenoyama has fought in top MMA organizations such Strikeforce and Dream, none of which Harris has ever fought for. Both are primarily grapplers and it’s difficult to say which fighter has the superior striking, but Uyenoyama was able to close the distance and avoid taking damage against Kid Yamamoto who is well known for his striking. This may be a lackluster ground fight, but I’m giving it to the fighter who has home field advantage. Darren Uyenoyama by decision.

Bart Palaszewski  vs.  Diego Nunes

Palaszewski is always looking for a highlight finish, his five knockouts in his last seven wins are proof of that, but the technical striking advantage clearly goes to Nunes. Nunes will use his kicks to keep Palaszewski at a distance, and seeing Nunes also possesses the speed advantage, I doubt Palaszewski will be successful in closing the distance to land any significant strikes. Nunes has faced several fighters with the capability of knocking anyone out and done exceptional well in those fights. In just his last four fights, Nunes has faced a diverse range of fighters from ground fighters, Mike Brown and Manny Gamburyan, to technical strikers,Kenny Florian and Dennis Siver. I don’t think it matters what Palaszewski brings to the table, it won’t be anything Nunes hasn’t seen before and hasn’t already overcome. Nunes hasn’t been known for finishing fights, so I’ll pick him to win by unanimous decision.

Jason Volkmann  vs.  Shane Roller

Roller is a good wrestler and has solid jiu-jitsu, but because his striking is average at the best, he is in a world of hurt when he faces a superior wrestler. The jiu-jitsu advantage may lie with Roller, but Volkmann is the better wrestler with great top control. Roller’s guard is not deadly enough to threaten Volkmann with anything off his back, and Volkmann’s losses have come at the hands of submission specialists, Paul Sass and Paulo Thiago. Roller just doesn’t possess that level of jiu-jitsu to give him a fighting chance of betting Volkmann. This is another fight that is most likely to take place on the ground, so I predict Volkmann to win by unanimous decision.

Dennis Hallman  vs.  Thiago Tavares

I think people are forgetting how skilled Hallman is on the ground and are automatically giving it to the Brazilian. What people are forgetting, is that Tavares’ loses have come at the hands of fighters who are good wrestlers and also possess submission skills such as Tyson Griffin, Matt Wiman, Kurt Pellegrino, and Shane Roller. Tavares’ last two wins over Sam Stout and Spencer Fisher were easier for him because neither of them had much skill in wrestling or jiu-jitsu. Now that he is facing an opponent who possess such skills, he will know he’s in a fight, Hallman is a fighter who comes out in the opening seconds of the fight and is in his opponents face. His early finishes of Karo Parisyan and John Makdessi are proof of that. On top of that, he nearly submitted Brian Ebersole early in their fight, but Ebersole was able to weather the early storm and reverse the position. Tavares doesn’t possess the durability of Ebersole, which is why I’m picking Hallman to win and I think he’ll even get the stoppage, either by KO or submission.

Michael Johnson  vs.  Danny Castillo

Johnson was very impressive in his last three wins, while Castillo’s last several performances has seemed sluggish, even against lesser talented opponents such as John Cholish and Shamar Bailey. His takedown attempts have been feeble and his cardio has taken a toll. Johnson is extremely aggressive and is dangerous on the feet. He should have no problem avoiding Castillo’s takedown attempts and picking him apart on the feet. Johnson won’t stop coming forward and will eventually stop Castillo via TKO.

Jeremy Stephens  vs.  Yves Edwards

This may be the fight where Edwards will exercise his jiu-jitsu, because I don’t see him going toe to toe with Stephens. After all Stephens out struck Sam Stout, and Stout was able to beat Edwards to the punch and knock him out. Edwards is the more technical striker, but he isn’t on the level of Marcus Davis, Anthony Pettis or Donald Cerrone. Therefore, I doubt Edwards will overcome the shier power and aggression of Stephens. Bottom line, I don’t see Edwards avoiding the power of Stephens or being able to use his technical striking to out point him. The chin of Edwards is in question and Stephens will look to test it over and over in their fight. I got Stephens by devastating knockout.

Written by : Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli

@fightfreek

UFC on Fox 4 Aftermath

After an over hyped UFC 149 that did not deliver to fan’s expectations, the UFC got right back on track with a heavily action packed card on Fox. UFC on Fox 4: Shogun vs. Vera.

After an over hyped UFC 149 that did not deliver to fan’s expectations, the UFC got right back on track with a heavily action packed card on Fox. UFC on Fox 4: Shogun vs. Vera was one of the most exciting events of the year, an event that saw four knockouts and three submissions. The question now, where does this put Saturday’s competitors now that every fight has come to its conclusion?

After being absent for over two years, Mike Swick returned to the octagon to knockout DaMarques Johnson in the second round. Although Johnson was knocked out in devastating fashion, he most likely won the first round, and made it an extremely competitive fight. As for his next fight, Matt “The Immortal” Brown would be ideal for a competitive fight for Johnson. Having such an impressive knockout after being absent for so long, is proof that Swick is still a force to be reckoned with at welterweight and he should fight another dangerous opponent such as Yoshihiro Akiyama or Siyar Bahadurzada.

Fight of the night award winners, Joe Lauzon and Jamie Varner, not only put on the performance of the entire event, but are being considered for fight of the year. Going into the third round, it was still either man’s fight to take. Lauzon didn’t take any chances and refused to let the fight go to a decision when he slapped a triangle on Varner that forced him to tap. Just like DaMarques Johnson with his loss to Mike Swick, Jamie Varner won the first round and made the fight extremely competitive. Varner should draw a quality opponent in his next fight, perhaps Khabib Nurmagomedov or Rafael dos Anjos. Lauzon is ready for another big name, and should fight his original opponent, Terry Etim.

Lyoto Machida not only scored what was arguably the most impressive knockout of the night, but did so without so much as being touched by his opponent, Ryan Bader. There is no shame in getting knocked out by the dragon, and Bader is still among the elite in the light heavyweight division, but after Brandon Vera’s performance against Shogun, it would be interesting to see Bader vs. Vera. As for Machida, he should no doubt get the next shot at the light heavyweight title, whether it’s against Jon Jones or Dan Henderson.

Brandon Vera shocked everyone when he gave Shogun a run for his money in the main event. Though he was on the loosing end of the fight, he arguably gained more fans than any other fighter that night. Dana White said it best about Vera by saying “You can’t Rank a fighter’s heart. Heavily favored Shogun did pull off the victory, but with much more difficulty than anticipated. Nonetheless, a win is a win and now is the perfect time for the UFC to match Shogun against Rashad Evans, a fight that was supposed to happen a year and a half ago.

The list of possible match ups after this event is endless. Regardless of what future fights the UFC puts together, bottom line, UFC on Fox 4 was a great event and raised the bar to events to come.

Written by : Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli
@fightfreek

Good Card, Bad Headliner

Three former Zuffa Champions; two former title challengers, and one Ultimate Fighter winner. UFC on Fox 4 has more than enough to appease even the most casual fan of MMA, and what’s even more exciting,.

Three former Zuffa Champions; two former title challengers, and one Ultimate Fighter winner. UFC on Fox 4 has more than enough to appease even the most casual fan of MMA, and what’s even more exciting, is that this event is free on cable TV. However, there is much controversy surrounding this card, and it has nothing to due with injuries or common fighter trash talk. The controversy is being caused by one fight, oddly enough, the main event. It’s absolutely mind-boggling that the fight headlining this card has top light heavyweight, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, squaring off against Brandon “The Truth” Vera.

When Rua’s original opponent, Thiago Silva, pulled out of the bout due to injury, the replacement fighter was briefly expected to be Glover Teixeira. However, UFC President Dana White later stated that Rua refused to fight Teixeira. White went on to say that Rua had stated that he would rather be cut from the UFC than to fight Teixeira. Although Rua’s camp denied he said such things, Dana White is known for “telling it like it is”. Even if Rua gets the benefit of the doubt on the Teixeira issue, that doesn’t change the fact that choosing Brandon Vera as the replacement doesn’t make much sense at all.

Victory has eluded Brandon Vera in six of his last ten fights, having only defeated run of the mill fighters such as Reese Andy, Mick Patt and Elliot Marshall. The most talented opponent in which Vera was victorious against, was Krzysztof Soszynski, but still an accomplishment far from extraordinary. Most MMA rankings have Vera just barley coming in at the top thirty of the light heavyweight division, while no one has Rua ranked lower than top five. Rua’s last five fights were against top light heavyweights. Dan Henderson, Forrest Griffin, Jon Jones, and Lyoto Machida on two consecutive occasions. Adding Brandon Vera to the list of names of Rua’s opponents just doesn’t look right, especially for a former UFC champion.

Regardless of who is to blame for this conundrum, the MMA fans will not get to see a main event that can truly hype this card up, as a main events should. At this point, it would make more sense to bump Lyoto Machida and Ryan Bader up to the main event, and have Rua and Vera demoted to the co-main event. At least this way, the fans will get to watch two top light heavyweights go head to head in a battle with just as much on the line for both fighters. No matter how this fight is looked at, it’s either an undeserved opportunity for Vera, or an easy fight for Rua.

Written by : Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli
@fightfreek

The New Era of Nate Marquardt

After seven years of pursuing a championship title, Nate Marquardt’s efforts have finally paid off. After more than a year of inactivity, Marquardt was not only able to capture the vacant welterweight title in his.

After seven years of pursuing a championship title, Nate Marquardt’s efforts have finally paid off. After more than a year of inactivity, Marquardt was not only able to capture the vacant welterweight title in his Strikeforece debut, but do so by knocking out undefeated Tyron Woodley in spectacular fashion.

Ever since his defeat at the hands of Anderson Silva in 2007, Marquardt wanted nothing more than to get back into title contention. Unfortunately, he always seemed to be just one win away from making that a reality. Matters only got worse for Marquardt when he was released from the UFC due to issues with his testosterone replacement therapy. This alone would be enough to end a fighters confidence, and therefore, his career. However, this didn’t deter Marquardt, and he pushed on. Just seven months after being released from the UFC, his determination and perseverance were rewarded with the opportunity to fight Tyron Woodley for the vacant Strikeforce welterweight title.

Many people thought Marquardt would have his hands full with Woodley. After all, Woodley had a perfect 10-0 record and was an NCAA division l wrestler. In 2010, Woodley was named Strikeforce’s rising star of the year and later fought and defeated former UFC top welterweight, Paul Daley, in 2011. It was obvious that even if Marquardt was able to leave with the belt, it would be no walk in the park.

Although he took several heavy shots from Woodley early in the fight, Marquardt was able to regain his composure and impose his will, which won him the first two rounds. He dropped Woodley on several occasions and was even able to take him down. By the beginning of the fourth round, Woodley looked as if he didn’t have much more fight left in him, and that Marquardt simply sucked out all of his will. It wasn’t more than a minute later that Marquardt landed a flurry of punches and elbows that landed flush to the head of Woodley, forcing the referee to waive off the fight, and making Marquardt the new Strikeforce welterweight champion.

The belt that had eluded Marquardt for seven years is finally around his waist, making him the first Strikeforce welterweight champion since Nick Diaz. After his dominating performance against Woodley, in his first fight at welterweight, Marquardt has sent a powerful message to all his fellow welterweights that he isn’t a force to be taken lightly. It’s hard to imagine a fighter who could possibly challenge Marquardt for his title, let alone take it from him. If anyone poses the skill to be a champion who can defend his title a significant number of times, it’s Marquardt. With that being said, the Strikeforce welterweight division has truely entered a new era, the era of Nate “The Great” Marquardt.

Written by: Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli

UFC 148 Aftermath : Who’s Next?

UFC 148 definitely lived up to the hype, and was easily one of the most exciting MMA events this year. Now that the fights have come to a conclusion, the UFC has to decide what’s.

UFC 148 definitely lived up to the hype, and was easily one of the most exciting MMA events this year. Now that the fights have come to a conclusion, the UFC has to decide what’s next for the fighters. For those who were defeated, just how far did they get knocked down the ranking ladder? For those victorious, how much closer does this bring them to a fight for the title? Is there anyone who will not be returning to the octagon? These are just some a few of the questions that are being asked after UFC 148.

Mike Easton and Ivan Menjivar had a three round back and forth fight that saw Easton getting his hand raised. After the performance that Easton showcased, his next opponent should be a top ten contender. Eddie Wineland or Michael McDonald would most likely be the best choice to ensure another exciting striking war. Menjivar was the underdog, but still displayed a commendable performance. A perfect opponent for Menjivar to face next is Scott Jorgensen. Both are coming off a loss, but are still considered to be two high-level fighters in the division.

Chad Mendes’ quick finish of Cody McKenzie just shows how bizarre this match up was. Mendes should have been matched with someone of a much higher ranking, especially seeing his last fight was against Jose Aldo for the lightweight title. Mendes should fight Ricardo Llams next, but if it ends up being someone talented like Charles Oliveria, then that would still be justifiable opponent. Who knows who KcKenzie’s next opponent will be, but clearly it shouldn’t be an elite contender. He’s just not ready for that yet, and his fight with Mendes is proof of that.

In a stunning upset, Demian Maia make quick work of Dong Hyun Kim, proving that he is a force to be reckoned with at welterweight. Many people speculated that the weight cut would hurt his performance, but it actually helped it, and made him much faster. Whether or not the fight was stopped due to an injury received by Kim is irrelevant. Maia got Kim right where he wanted him and unleashed a fury of punches, the referee would’ve had to step in regardless. After taking out a fighter as good as Kim like it was child‘s play, Joe Silva should give Maia a fighter either in the top ten or just outside the top ten. Diego Sanchez would be ideal if he doesn’t decide to return to lightweight. However, it would be understandable if Maia were to pull a fighter like Jake Ellenberger.

After Cung Le’s performance over Patrick Cote, people are realizing that maybe they were to quick to turn on him. After all, he was out striking Wanderlei Silva for the majority of their fight, and scored multiple knock downs. Not to mention, Patrick Cote was cut from the UFC in 2010, after three consecutive losses. The only reason he was brought back was to fill a spot when Rich Franklin was pulled from the bout. Since being cut from the UFC, Cote had fought less talented competition and just isn’t on Le’s striking level. Joe Silva should match up Le and Costa Philippou seeing they both won their last fight, and fought on the same card. If the UFC grants Cote another fight, a rematch with Chris Leben is one that fans would go crazy for. Leben’s suspension will end in November, so the timing couldn’t be more perfect.

Fight of the night award winners, Forrest Griffin and Tito Ortiz had a very controversial decision in the eyes of the crowd. However, most MMA website agree with the decision that Griffin won the first two rounds. What was more shocking was Griffin running out of the octagon before the official decision came out, and then later taking
Joe Rogan’s microphone to interview Ortiz himself. Griffin later apologized for his actions and simply stated he wasn’t thinking and wish he could take it all back. Ortiz officially retired after the fight, and was inducted in the UFC Hall of Fame. Griffin was asked if he had planned to retire as well, but Griffin stated that he definitely had a few more fights in him. Many have suggested a rematch with Rampage Jackson or Stephan Bonnar for Griffin’s next fight, which are most likely the most interesting fights for the fans.

Chael Sonnen made round one of his rematch with Anderson Silva look like a reenactment of their first encounter. After securing a takedown just seconds into the fight, Sonnen was able to control Silva on the ground and land over seventy strikes, while taking zero. What was more impressive, was Sonnen passing Silva’s guard and achieving the mount position, instead of being content with staying in Silva’s full guard like in their first fight. However Silva turned things around in round two. He was able to keep the fight standing and avoid the takedown attempts of Sonnen. The most important strike Silva was able to dodge was a spinning back fist that when missed, threw Sonnen off balance and caused him to tumble to the mat. Once Sonnen was down, Silva seized his opportunity to pressure Sonnen with a plethora of strikes. Once Silva took control, it was the beginning of the end for Sonnen, and the referee eventually had to step in. As far as who is next for Silva, there aren’t many options to go with. If Mark Munoz beats Chris Weidman, it would most likely make Munoz the number one contender. However, if Weidman is victorious, the UFC may wait to see how the fight between Hector Lombard and Tim Boetsch plays out. As for Chael Sonnen, A fight with Vitor Belfort would be a bout fans would like to see due to the added tension with neither fighter being to fond of the other. However, before that fight can happen, Sonnen needs to decide whether or not he will continue fighting. He said he would like to take some time before making a final decision, but the majority of the fans are confident that we will see the American gangster come back to the octagon.

Written by : Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli