Tag: Cheick Kongo

Francis Carmont is just hours away from making his UFC debut against Chris Camozzi.

Carmont has been fighting professionally since 2004 and has finally made his way into the big leagues, due to the five-fight winning streak he has compiled over the past few years.

Camozzi has been re-signed by the UFC, after being released earlier this year following a loss to Kyle Noke. His current UFC record is 2-1.

Making the cut to middleweight for the first time, former light heavyweight Carmont’s cardio is a big question mark in this fight.

If Camozzi can push a solid pace and take the fight into the later rounds, there is a good chance he will tire Carmont out.

However, Camozzi will need to be careful in the early goings of the fight. Carmont is a very aggressive fighter and often finishes his fights early.

Expect Carmont to come out with guns blazing, eager to impress in his UFC debut, and gas himself out.

Camozzi will be in trouble early, but whether the storm, and take advantage once Carmont begins to fade.

I see Camozzi snagging a submission early on in the third-round, but would not be surprised to see Carmont win with an early TKO—Carmont has solid ground and pound and swarms when he senses an opponent is hurt.

This fight is likely riding on whether or not Camozzi can keep his composure in the first round and make it a war of attrition.

I think he’ll be able to do it.

Final Prediction: Chris Camozzi defeats Francis Carmont via third-round submission.

Bleacher Report’s Andrew Barr

Though it will take place on the undercard this evening, Dennis Siver vs. Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone is one of the most interesting fights scheduled to take place at UFC 137, and has serious meaning in the lightweight title picture.

Cerrone crossed over to the UFC earlier this year, after the promotion merged with the WEC. Since then, he has gone on a three-fight winning streak, most recently defeating dangerous up-and-comer Charles Oliveira by first-round TKO.

Siver has been with the UFC for four years now and experienced several ups and downs, but is finally making his way into title contention, coming off of big wins over George Sotiropoulos and Matt Wiman.

A win for either fighter this evening would be huge and, in all likelihood, guarantee them a top five opponent in their next fight.

Expect this fight to take place mostly on the feet.

Both men are talented and technical strikers and they both like to stand and trade.

It wouldn’t be shocking to see Cerrone, who has a slick submission game, try to take this fight to the ground, but Siver has excellent takedown defense and should be able to stop the Cowboy’s takedowns.

As a striker, Siver is compact and somewhat heavy on his feet. He could stand to be a bit quicker and a touch lighter on his feet, but he is an accurate striker with big power in his hands.

Cerrone is a different breed of striker. He probably doesn’t have as much power as Siver, but he is lighter on his feet and a little bit faster.

Also, expect Cerrone to throw significantly more kicks than Siver, as he is the lengthier fighter and will want to utilize his range effectively.

This should be a back-and-forth type of fight, but I believe Cerrone will be on the winning end of most exchanges.

Cerrone is much taller than Siver and has better footwork, so look for the Cowboy to leap in and out of Siver’s range throughout the fight and out-point him.

Siver has a solid chin and has only been TKO’d once in his career, so a decision is likely here.

Final Prediction: Donald Cerrone defeats Dennis Siver via Unanimous Decision.

Bleacher Report’s Andrew Barr

Today’s the day—UFC 137 is just hours away and the co-main event of the evening is set to be a heavyweight matchup between Cheick Kongo and Matt Mitrione.

Kongo vs. Mitrione is one of the most intriguing fights on the card and also has the potential to be one of the most exciting.

Mitrione made his way into the UFC by competing in the tenth season of The Ultimate Fighter and since then has enjoyed nothing but success within the promotion, amassing an impressive record of 5-0.

Though relatively inexperienced as a mixed martial artist, Mitrione has proved to be a quick learner and many believe he has the potential to be a top contender in the heavyweight division.

During his time with the UFC, Kongo has lost consistently to the top level competition he’s faced. His biggest win was defeating Mirko Cro Cop back at UFC 75, which was a controversial performance from Kongo, who landed several illegal groin shots throughout the fight.

Because of his inability to get passed the elite of the division, many consider Kongo to be the unofficial gatekeeper of the UFC’s heavyweight division—a role he’ll be looking to shed with a big win later today.

On paper, this fight goes to Kongo.

He’s much more experienced than Mitrione, has proven himself against tougher competition, and is arguably the third-best striker in the heavyweight division.

The only glaring flaw in Kongo’s game is that he’s not great on the ground, especially if he’s on his back.

That said, he has solid takedown defense and, given that Mitrione doesn’t come from a wrestling background, Kongo should be able to keep this fight standing if he wants to.

If the fight does stay standing—which is likely, as both these guys love to stand and bang—Kongo will have a big advantage, in terms of technical striking.

However, Mitrione has surprisingly quick footwork and, in general, moves well.

Back at UFC 107, Frank Mir was able to out-strike Kongo by using busy footwork and head movement. Mitrione is even more light on the feet than Mir, so if Mitrione wins, the key to victory will likely be his movement—he needs to be a moving target.

This is a difficult fight to call because we don’t know what to expect from Mitrione.

Since his debut in the UFC two years ago, Mitrione has looked better and better every time we’ve seen him in the cage.

But has he improved enough since his last fight to contend with Kongo?

I’m thinking, no.

Kongo is so much more dangerous standing than any of the other opponents Mitrione has faced and that will be the deciding factor in this one.

Mitrione will frustrate Kongo for a while, using his footwork to avoid getting tagged, but eventually Kongo will land a big shot and finish Mitrione off with a barrage of punches.

Final Prediction: Cheick Kongo defeats Matt Mitrione via late second-round TKO.

Bleacher Report’s Andrew Barr

Jeff Curran may need a bulletproof vest at UFC 137, where he’ll make his UFC return against top-5 bantamweight and former title contender Scott “Young Guns” Jorgensen.

The UFC certainly isn’t easing Curran into the bantamweight mix. Despite coming off back to back wins over Billy Vaughan and David Love, Curran is 4-5 in his last nine fights.

Meanwhile, Jorgensen rebounded from a decision loss to UFC champion Dominick Cruz at “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 13 Finale, where he scored a first round knockout over Ken Stone.

Curran is a journeyman and a wily veteran of the sport, but he has been plagued by inconsistencies against quality opposition. He can beat up on middle of the pack scrappers all day long, but when it comes to legitimate top-10 opposition, Curran tends to come up short in those bouts.

Is this the time he finally turns everything around?

It’s going to be tough against Jorgensen, who is clearly a stylistic nightmare for Curran. As predominantly a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter, Curran struggles against aggressive strikers with domineering wrestling, which is a great description of Jorgensen’s skill set.

Jorgensen, a three-time PAC-10 NCAA Division I wrestling champion at Boise State University, is a strong wrestler with a sturdy top game and great submission defense. Along with his wrestling prowess, Jorgensen is a fairly powerful striker at 135-pounds.

Curran will have openings to land on the feet, as Jorgensen still shows signs of defensive woes in the standup exchanges.

Still, it’s hard to envision Curran showcasing the standup chops needed to take advantage of Jorgensen’s mistakes.

This won’t be a pretty fight. Curran will take a three-round beating, but his will to survive should keep him in the fight and possibly even open up a few opportunities to take the upset.

Unfortunately, the opportunities will be missed, as Jorgensen dominates and takes a clear cut unanimous decision.

Bleacher Report’s Jordy McElroy

UFC 137 will take place on Saturday, Oct. 29, from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, NV.  The main event will feature a welterweight contest between former UFC champion BJ Penn and Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz. 

Penn and Diaz have trained together in the past and in the days leading up to the fight, both fighters spoke of how the bout was not an ideal situation for either of them.

The talk of mutual respect and friendship lasted until Friday’s weigh-ins, when the two went head-to-head during the staredown, with Diaz leaning into his opponent and Penn not giving an inch. The two were then separated without incident. Diaz left the stage before he could speak to UFC commentator Joe Rogan. Penn gave a terse response to Rogan’s interview attempt, and—just like that—a fight that some had been worried about went to an entirely different level.

In the evening’s co-main event, Matt Mitrione and Cheick Kongo will meet in a heavyweight contest. Mitrione will put his 5-0 record on the line against his toughest competitor to date. Kongo is coming off a knockout victory over Pat Barry that many consider the comeback victory of the year. Both fighters will be looking to use this fight to take the next step within the division.

Another heavyweight bout of some importance will also take place on the pay-per-view card. In that bout Mirko Cro Cop will face Roy Nelson. Both fighters will enter Saturday night carrying with them a two-fight losing streak. Nelson will be looking to ride a victory back into the mix in the heavyweight division, while a win for Cro Cop could very well end his MMA career on a high note.

The full UFC 137 fight card:

Nick Diaz vs. BJ Penn

Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic vs. Roy Nelson

Hatsu Hioki vs. George Roop

Jeff Curran vs. Scott Jorgensen

Donald Cerrone vs. Dennis Siver

Tyson Griffin vs. Bart Palaszewski

Eliot Marshall vs. Brandon Vera

Danny Downes vs. Ramsey Nijem

Chris Camozzi vs. Francis Carmont

Dustin Jacoby vs. Clifford Starks

Check back often as Bleacher Report will have pre-fight, in-fight and post-fight coverage of UFC 137 right here.

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