Author: Spinalmanu the First

Anderson Silva Set to Dominate Sonnen in UFC 148

Las Vegas will host Anderson Silva’s crowning achievement in July when Silva vs. Sonnen 2 headlines UFC 148.There we will see just how much better The Spider is than absolutely everyone else in MMA at 185 pounds.Yes, Sonnen delivered an unprecedented b…

Las Vegas will host Anderson Silva‘s crowning achievement in July when Silva vs. Sonnen 2 headlines UFC 148.

There we will see just how much better The Spider is than absolutely everyone else in MMA at 185 pounds.

Yes, Sonnen delivered an unprecedented beating on Silva during four-and-a-half rounds in the summer of 2010. Yes, Silva is now in his late 30s. Yes, Sonnen presents an awkward matchup for The Spider. Yes, Sonnen only lost due to his Achilles’ heal: the triangle choke, something he’s fallen pray to four times before. He only needs to tweak that weakness and he’s got Silva’s number.

There are a million reasons to theorize why Sonnen is one small step away from dethroning the Silva Dynasty.

Problem, though, is reality. It trumps popular opinion. And in the Internet age, popular opinion receives more web exposure than professional diagnosis. The web has created the “fan as sports commentator” phenomenon which leads Google searches to show masses of mediocrity indecipherable from true journalism.

One cure for this mediocrity are the Nevada betting odds. They have a stronger tie to reality.

Right now, Silva is a 2:1 favorite on most betting lines. And for good reason.

In August of 2010, Sonnen was indeed fighting a bent (although not broken) Silva. The Spider was nursing bone-bruised ribs which put a significant thorn in a fighter’s game.

Further, Sonnen’s testosterone levels at UFC 117 were 17:1. That’s nearly triple the amount allowed for competitive athletes and more than four times the normal human levels.

Sonnen was in challenger status: hungry and healthy. Silva was in definite plateau mode. Having dispatched the big names in his midst he could seem almost bored in the Octagon. Psychologically, this puts a reigning champ at a disadvantage.

With Sonnen’s testosterone levels in check and Silva’s body (hopefully) in standard condition, as well as his psyche reignited, we will see a true comparison of these men’s skills.

Sonnen ran through Brian Stann but technically lost (in my, and many sports journalists’ honest opinion) to Michael Bisping. In comparison, The Spider wiped Vitor Belfort and Yushin Okami off his checklist in decisive fashion. Comparing both men’s past two years paints a picture of Silva’s performance against Sonnen in 2010 as an exception, not the rule.

Silva’s fighting IQ is monstrous compared to one-dimensional Sonnen. And The Spider’s historic record is against bigger and better names than his mouthy nemesis from Oregon.

My humble, and ironically “fan as commentator” opinion, is a Silva TKO victory in the early moments of Round 3.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Why Is Nick Diaz the No. 2 Welterweight in the World?

The Las Vegas lights softened the judges’ heads at UFC 143 to the point that Carlos Condit walked away with a win over Nick Diaz for the UFC’s interim welterweight title.Despite this technical blip, Nick Diaz is the No. 2 welterweight in the world and …

The Las Vegas lights softened the judges’ heads at UFC 143 to the point that Carlos Condit walked away with a win over Nick Diaz for the UFC’s interim welterweight title.

Despite this technical blip, Nick Diaz is the No. 2 welterweight in the world and will most likely dethrone Georges St-Pierre in early 2013.

The only real opponent for the Stockton bad boy is his affair with Mary Jane.

Begin Slideshow

UFC 137: 2 Reasons Why Diaz Will Beat Penn in Las Vegas

UFC 137—On October 29, 2011 BJ Penn will square off against Strikeforce’s Nick Diaz.The winner will undoubtedly be in line for a title shot against the winner of GSP vs. Condit.The 32-year-old Penn—a former welterweight and lightweight UFC …

UFC 137—On October 29, 2011 BJ Penn will square off against Strikeforce’s Nick Diaz.

The winner will undoubtedly be in line for a title shot against the winner of GSP vs. Condit.

The 32-year-old Penn—a former welterweight and lightweight UFC champion—is trying to get one more title run under his belt before father time catches up to him.

Nick Diaz—28 years old—is coming off a 10-fight winning streak that has spanned three and a half years at Strikeforce.

Two of those years have been as Strikeforce’s welterweight champion.

Oddsmakers give a slight edge to “The Prodigy” BJ Penn for the Halloween weekend fight. However, oddsmakers are like weathermen: very knowledgeable but systematically inaccurate.

Many casual MMA fans are relatively unaware of Nick Diaz. And given that Jake Shields, a Strikeforce middleweight champ, is 1-2 in the UFC, and nowhere near title contention, many will write off yet another Strikeforce cross-over hopeful.

But in Diaz’s case, this may be a mistake.

Penn has been fighting at lightweight for three of the past four years. The jump to welterweight is somewhat recent and Penn has only seen two outings at this division. And despite an impressive early knockout of an aging Matt Hughes, Penn is relatively untested at welterweight.

He lost two-straight decisions to a diminutive Frankie Edgar at lightweight, and barely squeaked out a draw against welterweight Jon Fitch in early 2011.

He has not shown the steam roller dominance that marked his earlier, championship days.

In all likeliness, Penn is going to be a tough gatekeeper at either welter or lightweight until he retires in the next two years.

Diaz, on the other hand, has a fairly impressive recent resume in the welterweight category. Although his wins are outside the UFC, they are against bigger, faster and stronger bomb throwers than BJ Penn.

The main reasons Diaz will walk away victorious against Penn are: chin and reach.

CHIN:

When he fought Robbie Lawler eight years ago, Diaz showed a tremendous chin. And recently he’s shown that chin to be in top form during fights against Evangelista Santos and Paul Daley. Unless BJ can take Diaz down and damage him from guard, he will not likely be rattling the Strikeforce newcomer in stand-up exchanges.

Penn’s chances on the ground are not necessarily fantastic against a Brazilian Ju Jitsu black belt such as Diaz. Not to mention that Diaz is difficult to bring down in the first place, and works well from the back.

Unless Penn can do to Diaz’s chin what no one else has been able to do recently, he’ll have to resort to submissions or out-pointing the Stockton resident.

REACH:

Diaz is 6′ 1″ and has a 74 inch reach. Penn stands 5′ 9″ and sports a 70″ reach.

And this is only one dimension of Diaz’s reach advantage. It is his reach “style” that has proved problematic to even well-seasoned strikers.

In victories over a bevy of contenders who are effective boxing-style fighters, Diaz’s unorthodox southpaw stance, distracting arm-waving and odd-angled punches have overwhelmed many confident strikers.

BJ Penn has leaned heavily on his boxing abilities over the past three years, not unlike the morph we have seen from Rampage Jackson, who was far more diverse during his Pride days but found early UFC success by accentuating his strengths as a boxer. This comfort zone eventually made him predictable and beatable.

Most likely, a stand up war with Diaz will not work and Penn will have to get busy elsewhere.

Prediction: Diaz by third round TKO (strikes).

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Vitor Belfort: Moving to Welterweight?

After a stunning debut in the early years of the UFC, Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort disappeared. Eventually he re-surfaced and found his way back to MMA and finally the UFC.This time his competition included some of the finest MMA athletes in history. All…

After a stunning debut in the early years of the UFC, Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort disappeared. Eventually he re-surfaced and found his way back to MMA and finally the UFC.

This time his competition included some of the finest MMA athletes in history. Allistair Overeem and Anderson Silva proved too big or too good for the Phenom to re-capture his old glory.

But there’s something about Vitor that keeps fans believing and the establishment calling. It’s more than the “puncher’s chance” he always brings. It’s the dynamic quality of his whole package and the devastating finishes he’s able to deliver.

Unlike some elite UFC fighters, Belfort shows up to fight. And fans are paying to see men fight, not play “the fight game.”

At this juncture and age, Belfort has one final run at relevance. The heavyweight class belongs to Jon Jones and will do so for the next 3 years (at least). Until Anderson Silva retires, middleweight is a no-win for Belfort.

Standing 6 feet and weighing an approximate 180 to 195 outside the ring, cutting to the 170 welterweight mark is not unthinkable.

BJ Penn dropped from welterweight’s 170 to lightweight’s 155. And dominated.

George St.Pierre stands 5′ 10″ and probably floats to 180-185 lbs outside the octagon.

With Vitor’s furiously fast and potent hands and his “big man” advantage of sucking down to welterweight, his best bang-for-his-buck move is paying GSP a visit at 170.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Why the UFC-Fox Sports Deal Is Good for MMA

This week, Dana White and the Fertitta brothers announced that UFC has entered into a seven-year television deal with Fox Sports. The deal includes moving The Ultimate Fighter reality show to F/X and delivering four free fights per year on affiliate Fo…

This week, Dana White and the Fertitta brothers announced that UFC has entered into a seven-year television deal with Fox Sports. The deal includes moving The Ultimate Fighter reality show to F/X and delivering four free fights per year on affiliate Fox networks.

The question is, will this be good for MMA and the UFC in particular?

The answer is a resounding yes.

With free fights aired on one of the most-watched sports networks in North America, more of the general public will be exposed to MMA and the UFC.

Before switching to pay-per-view, boxing was accessible on radio and then television to the general public. It was as “American” as football, baseball and basketball. Some say the demise of boxing was when it moved to the PPV medium.

The UFC began on PPV and has built a hardcore fanbase. Current UFC skeptics are people who wouldn’t pay $50.00 to watch a sport they’re not sure they’ll like.

Who would?

A little whiff of the octagon will convert a number of such couch potatoes.

There’s a reason pushers give you the first taste for free.

Likewise, more people will be exposed to The Ultimate Fighter reality show and will become initiated into the cult of Zuffa.

Free UFC fights will be tailored to give a taste of good fighting without diminishing the value of PPV feasts.

Yes, some will maybe buy one less event in a given year due to the four free events, but the number of new fans that will start purchasing one or more PPVs yearly will offset the loss. At least, that’s the plan.

And it will probably work.

Dana White and the Fertittas know they have locked in their red-meat-eating, beer-swilling neanderthals in the 18-to-34 demographic. These addicts will never stop injecting at least two or three PPVs per year.

But the Zuffa beast wants more followers and the mainstream is the only place to find them.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC: Why Sonnen vs. Silva Is Still the Most Exciting Fight Imaginable

In the last 18 months, we’ve seen Fedor Emelianenko’s mystique vanish and Georges St-Pierre has bored us for the fourth fight in a row.Brock Lesnar has been exposed as an emperor with no clothes, and B.J. Penn was punched into gatekeeper status.It’s be…

In the last 18 months, we’ve seen Fedor Emelianenko‘s mystique vanish and Georges St-Pierre has bored us for the fourth fight in a row.

Brock Lesnar has been exposed as an emperor with no clothes, and B.J. Penn was punched into gatekeeper status.

It’s been open “dethrone royalty” season for every fan favourite in the sport… well, almost.

Anderson “The Spider” Silva has continued to fight the best challengers and he keeps dropping our jaws—and nearly breaking Vitor Belfort’s.

On most analysts’ charts, Silva is currently the pound-for-pound best MMA fighter in history. And it is nearly impossible to argue otherwise.

Recently, he turned the lights out on the frighteningly resurrected career of Belfort. Before that, he embarrassed Forrest Griffin. And let us not forget the facial reconstruction on Rich Franklin.

Silva has dominated every single opponent since entering the Octagon—except one.

Chael Sonnen gave Silva the biggest workout and scare of his UFC career—by a long shot.

Although, post-fight, Sonnen’s face was the bumpier of the two, Silva was well behind on all four-and-a-half rounds before a “lucky” choke saved his belt.

Up until that moment, Sonnen came at Silva relentlessly. He ate a lot, but he fed Silva more.

Silva could get no comfortable rhythm and never dictated either the pace, ring space or style of the match.

It was the only fight in his UFC run where he looked like he was in a fight.

No one has ever managed to make Silva look uncomfortable and reactionary.

No one.

Ever.

There is no greater fighter in UFC or MMA history than Silva. And there has been no single fight in Silva’s career in which he was dominated for four-plus rounds.

Name me a better fight than Sonnen vs. Silva 2.

That’s right.

There is none.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com