For good reason, Cheick Kongo’s UFC run up until now can only be comparable to a roller coaster.He’s racked up wins over the likes of Pat Barry, Paul Buentello and Mirko Cro Cop, losses to the likes of Frank Mir, and a draw with Travis Browne. However…
For good reason, Cheick Kongo‘s UFC run up until now can only be comparable to a roller coaster.
He’s racked up wins over the likes of Pat Barry, Paul Buentello and Mirko Cro Cop, losses to the likes of Frank Mir, and a draw with Travis Browne. However, he’s never been able to get over the hump.
It’s probably not helping matters that Matt Mitrione is on a tear at this very moment, nor is it soothing Kongo to realize that a win for Mitrione at UFC 137 next Saturday means that the undefeated Mitrione could find himself a win or two away from a bout with someone in the Top 3.
So knowing that Kongo came from behind to beat Barry at UFC on Versus 4 this past June, and given both his history in big fights and Mitrione’s rise, what is realistically the best to expect from Kongo on October 29th?
Given the win over Barry, we can expect a resilient and a very game Kongo to let the MMA world see exactly how Mitrione reacts when an established veteran takes it to him.
It won’t be the same as the test an Alistair Overeem, Josh Barnett or even a Sergei Kharitonov would give to Mitrione, but Kongo is good enough to help us gauge where Mitrione is now and where he can go with a few more battles in the cage.
Let’s not forget that Kongo is the man who almost took the “0” away from UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez at UFC 99 in what was arguably the most difficult fight of the champion’s career so far.
So Mitrione and his skill set will face a challenge next weekend and his performance against the wily veteran Kongo will answer plenty of questions about whether Mitrione is ready to be used in the same sentence as the champion’s name without provoking hysterical laughter.
The only question Kongo will have to answer is whether or not he can finally get over that gosh-darned hump and establish himself as a serious title contender.
And while he gained strong momentum from his win over Barry, it’ll be hard to buy him derailing Mitrione’s momentum train until we see him actually do it come fight night.
UFC 137 is just around the bend, and since the lineup has made more changes than a MTV awards show host, we figured we’d lay out the current odds before something else horrible happens. So, courtesy of BestFightOdds.com, check out the sweetest lines available, along with our time tested advice below.
PPV Main Card
B.J. Penn (-115) vs. Nick Diaz (-105)
Matt Mitrione (-135) vs. Cheick Kongo (+115)
Roy Nelson (-290) vs. Mirko Filipovic (+245)
Hatsu Hioki (-330) vs. George Roop (+270)
There is no line yet available for the recently bumped up Tavares/Jacoby fight.
Spike TV Prelims
Donald Cerrone (-225) vs. Dennis Siver (+185)
Tyson Griffin (-290) vs. Bart Palaszewski (+245)
The undercard odds have yet to be released as well, but we only bet big here, so forgeddaboutit!
The Main Event:
(Not yet………………………………..getting warmer…….)
UFC 137 is just around the bend, and since the lineup has made more changes than a MTV awards show host, we figured we’d lay out the current odds before something else horrible happens. So, courtesy of BestFightOdds.com, check out the sweetest lines available, along with our time tested advice below.
PPV Main Card
B.J. Penn (-115) vs. Nick Diaz (-105)
Matt Mitrione (-135) vs. Cheick Kongo (+115)
Roy Nelson (-290) vs. Mirko Filipovic (+245)
Hatsu Hioki (-330) vs. George Roop (+270)
There is no line yet available for the recently bumped up Tavares/Jacoby fight.
Spike TV Prelims
Donald Cerrone (-225) vs. Dennis Siver (+185)
Tyson Griffin (-290) vs. Bart Palaszewski (+245)
The undercard odds have yet to be released as well, but we only bet big here, so forgeddaboutit!
The Main Event: With a line as even as Penn/Diaz, you might as well be basing your pick on attendance records at this point. Both are excellent submission artists with equally deadly striking and blocks of granite for chins. It has all the ingredients for one hell of a fight, but a hard one to invest in. If the fight is changed to a five rounder, which is still up in the air, you gotta think it favors Diaz, who can literally run, swim, and cycle miles around Penn. But Paul Daley was pretty damn close to finishing him in his last fight, I don’t care what anyone says. So if you think Penn is the man to actually put Diaz away, then a modest bet wouldn’t be a terrible decision.
The Good Dogs: If Cheick Kongo’s miracle win over Pat Barry taught us anything, it’s that the man can take a licking and keep on ticking. Does Mitrione have more power in his hands than Barry? Doubtful. Has he fought anyone even close to Kongo’s level? Nope. It’s not that Mitrione can’t win it, because Kongo has looked less than brilliant as of late, the Hail Mary knockout excluded. But Kongo’s experience should pay dividends if this goes into the later rounds, so a bet on him seems fair. Having been the underdog before, Siver is tempting at +185, but he barely eeked out the nod over Matt Wiman (which I believe he deserved) and Cerrone will dictate where and how the fight takes place.
The Easy Bet: Look, I am about as big a Cro Cop fan as you get get, but even I cannot see him winning this one. Nelson has a far superior ground game plus the power to knock Cro Cop out, which, let’s be honest, has been getting to be less and less of an accomplishment. And if Mirko couldn’t knockout the man Big Nog knocked out in half a round, then he aint’ doing it to “Big Country.” I see this one ending with Cro Cop flat on his back and looking up at the lights, wondering why in the hell he named his son Filip Filipovic.
Stay the Hell Away From: George Roop. The man has never been one for consistency, and though he has scored brilliant knockouts over Chan Sung Jung and Josh Grispi, he was also blown out of the water by Mark Hominick, and has dropped decisions to Eddie Wineland and Shane Nelson. Shane who you ask? Exactly. Hatsu Hioki takes this with ease.
Official CagePotato parlay: Kongo + Nelson + Cerrone
A bet of 50 bucks nets you $158.82, or enough to buy that UFC glove autographed by Fedor Emelianenko you’ve always wanted, though I imagine its asking price is only headed downhill.
UFC 137 will go ahead without welterweight king Georges St-Pierre and Carlos Condit.Instead Nick Diaz and B.J. Penn will take centre stage as the main eventers of the evening.In less than a fortnight’s time UFC 137 will be making its way to the M…
UFC 137 will go ahead without welterweight king Georges St-Pierre and Carlos Condit.
Instead Nick Diaz and B.J. Penn will take centre stage as the main eventers of the evening.
In less than a fortnight’s time UFC 137 will be making its way to the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
And with it a host of supreme warriors will follow suit—seeking to showcase their skills whilst ensuring the end result culminates in them being victorious.
Even without St-Pierre and Condit headlining the main event, the show is still stacked to rafters with fights that could easily blow the roof off the Bay Center.
Here’s a sneak-peek at the match-ups that could emerge as the main attractions of the evening…
Nick Diaz has become THE topic heading into UFC 137, but the heavyweight fight between Matt Mitrione and Cheick Kongo—which is now the card’s co-main event—is an extremely important fight as well.The fight may well have implications as to w…
Nick Diaz has become THE topic heading into UFC 137, but the heavyweight fight between Matt Mitrione and Cheick Kongo—which is now the card’s co-main event—is an extremely important fight as well.
The fight may well have implications as to who will be next in line at a No. 1 contender fight or even a title shot.
However, to Mitrione, it really doesn’t matter a whole lot. In fact, it doesn’t really matter at all.
“I don’t get paid to worry about that,” Mitrione said concerning his proximity to a title shot at the UFC 137 media call. “I don’t really care, to be honest. If I go out there and kick Cheick Kongo’s ass, then that’s a conversation that we’ll have.”
Mitrione may not be concerned about the belt, but he’s definitely concerned about what’s below it—his “nuts and berries.”
Kongo has a reputation for landing groin shots, and it’s a reputation that the former NFL star is certainly aware of and is (hopefully) prepared for.
The Illinois native doesn’t have any special technique for avoiding being hit below the belt; he just hopes his cup is “one that’s, hopefully, protecting.”
“As long as it covers my jewels, my nuts and berries, I’ll be alright.”
Nut shots aside, Mitrione still has reasons to be cautious when fighting Kongo.
The Frenchman recently increased his stock with an unbelievable comeback victory over Pat Barry that is widely considered to be the best comeback in MMA history (or the second best if you think the best was Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen).
Is this what has Mitrione concerned? Yes, but concerned is too strong a word; Mitrione is just aware.
“Cheick is resilient and he’s not gonna let the fight get stopped,” he said. “He’s got a ton of heart…If you get him in trouble, he’s too active and the [referee] won’t stop the fight because he’s so active.”
The fight between Mitrione and Kongo will be the co-main event of UFC 137 and will almost certainly be a fight of the night candidate due to each fighters striking-oriented style as well as Kongo’s apparent ability to knock people out when he’s seemingly unconscious.
Should Mitrione win, he’ll rise in the heavyweight rankings and will be labeled a contender, making his fight with Kongo one that should definitely be watched (even if you are squeamish regarding shots below the belt).
The biggest test of his professional fighting career awaits Matt Mitrione on October 29, when he steps into the cage to oppose the dangerous veteran striker Cheick Kongo in Las Vegas.
At 5-0, Mitrione is still unbeaten, yet still quite green in the game. Still, he’s opened some eyes with his power, conditioning and aptitude for learning and implementing new techniques. And while Mitrione’s never displayed any lack of confidence, he says that the changes he’s made in his training and diet have him chomping at the bit to get in the octagon against Kongo.
“I promise you I’m ready to scrap,” Mitrione said on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour. “I’ve put in so much work. I’m ready, I’m excited, I’m not overtrained. I feel l’m ready to go. I’m going to give a wonderful performance. If Cheick wins, damn good job but I really feel I’m going to give a hell of a run for it.”
Just how ready is he? Mitrione, who was a pro football player in the NFL before moving over to MMA, claims he’s reached his apex, saying he is more confident for his UFC 137 fight than he’s ever been for any sporting event in his life.
“I feel like I am a very, very dangerous human being right now,” he said.
Mitrione said his confidence stems from his training partners and fighting shape. He’s spent time with former UFC fighter Jake O’Brien, noted grappling coach Neil Melanson, and is soon heading to Florida to finish up training with former UFC light-heavyweight champion Rashad Evans and kickboxing star Tyrone Spong. He is also working with strength and conditioning guru Mike Dolce.
Now in his last weeks of camp, Mitrione is convinced he is well prepared to contend with all of Kongo’s weapons. Though widely considered a kickboxer, Kongo has underrated wrestling (he takes down opponents on 65 percent of tries, according to FightMetric), and he also has powerful ground strikes.
“I feel better right now than I ever have in my life,” he said. “If Cheick’s lucky enough to beat me, he beat the very best product I could put out there. The very best.”
Mitrione could have been distracted by the construction of his new gym, Integrated Fighting Academy, but he said he’s put some of that work on hold until after the completion of the Kongo bout.
In his last fight, he knocked out Christian Morecraft in the second round of their June encounter. Kongo is a decidedly higher caliber opponent, and a win could launch Mitrione into the fringes of the division’s top 10. Less than two years after his UFC debut and coming from a pro football background, that type of rise is against the odds not only for its speed but its unlikeliness.
Mitrione said he isn’t thinking much past Kongo, but acknowledges that the fight is a good measuring stick to “see if I’m legit or not.”
With typical Mitrione candidness, he adds, “I think I’m kind of good right now.”
But Mitrione also knows there is danger lurking, citing Kongo’s resiliency, experience and fight IQ as reasons to be wary. Kongo showed all those attributes in his last fight against Pat Barry, where he was in big trouble in the first round and staggered by Barry’s power, only to rebound for a sudden, comeback knockout.
“I feel that I am extremely dangerous anywhere inside of an 8-sided cage,” he said. “Whether it’s up against the fence, on the floor, up on top of the cage, underneath the cage, I feel wherever the hell it’s going to go, I’m going to be there ready to scrap. I feel that Coach Neil put so much time and energy in me that if Kongo can get it to the ground, he won’t want to keep it there. If he does, I’ll tap him. I promise, I’ll tap him or I’ll break something, but I’ll get something done.”
The biggest test of his professional fighting career awaits Matt Mitrione on October 29, when he steps into the cage to oppose the dangerous veteran striker Cheick Kongo in Las Vegas.
At 5-0, Mitrione is still unbeaten, yet still quite green in the game. Still, he’s opened some eyes with his power, conditioning and aptitude for learning and implementing new techniques. And while Mitrione’s never displayed any lack of confidence, he says that the changes he’s made in his training and diet have him chomping at the bit to get in the octagon against Kongo.
“I promise you I’m ready to scrap,” Mitrione said on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour. “I’ve put in so much work. I’m ready, I’m excited, I’m not overtrained. I feel l’m ready to go. I’m going to give a wonderful performance. If Cheick wins, damn good job but I really feel I’m going to give a hell of a run for it.”
Just how ready is he? Mitrione, who was a pro football player in the NFL before moving over to MMA, claims he’s reached his apex, saying he is more confident for his UFC 137 fight than he’s ever been for any sporting event in his life.
“I feel like I am a very, very dangerous human being right now,” he said.
Mitrione said his confidence stems from his training partners and fighting shape. He’s spent time with former UFC fighter Jake O’Brien, noted grappling coach Neil Melanson, and is soon heading to Florida to finish up training with former UFC light-heavyweight champion Rashad Evans and kickboxing star Tyrone Spong. He is also working with strength and conditioning guru Mike Dolce.
Now in his last weeks of camp, Mitrione is convinced he is well prepared to contend with all of Kongo’s weapons. Though widely considered a kickboxer, Kongo has underrated wrestling (he takes down opponents on 65 percent of tries, according to FightMetric), and he also has powerful ground strikes.
“I feel better right now than I ever have in my life,” he said. “If Cheick’s lucky enough to beat me, he beat the very best product I could put out there. The very best.”
Mitrione could have been distracted by the construction of his new gym, Integrated Fighting Academy, but he said he’s put some of that work on hold until after the completion of the Kongo bout.
In his last fight, he knocked out Christian Morecraft in the second round of their June encounter. Kongo is a decidedly higher caliber opponent, and a win could launch Mitrione into the fringes of the division’s top 10. Less than two years after his UFC debut and coming from a pro football background, that type of rise is against the odds not only for its speed but its unlikeliness.
Mitrione said he isn’t thinking much past Kongo, but acknowledges that the fight is a good measuring stick to “see if I’m legit or not.”
With typical Mitrione candidness, he adds, “I think I’m kind of good right now.”
But Mitrione also knows there is danger lurking, citing Kongo’s resiliency, experience and fight IQ as reasons to be wary. Kongo showed all those attributes in his last fight against Pat Barry, where he was in big trouble in the first round and staggered by Barry’s power, only to rebound for a sudden, comeback knockout.
“I feel that I am extremely dangerous anywhere inside of an 8-sided cage,” he said. “Whether it’s up against the fence, on the floor, up on top of the cage, underneath the cage, I feel wherever the hell it’s going to go, I’m going to be there ready to scrap. I feel that Coach Neil put so much time and energy in me that if Kongo can get it to the ground, he won’t want to keep it there. If he does, I’ll tap him. I promise, I’ll tap him or I’ll break something, but I’ll get something done.”
UFC 137 is just over two weeks away, so to get your blood pumping, check out the recently released extended trailer, which features not only a look into the upcoming welterweight title fight between Georges St. Pierre and Carlos Condit, but a welterweight clash between B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz and the heavyweight slug fest between Cheick Kongo and Matt Mitrione. Featuring 12 fights including Mirko Cro Cop vs. Roy Nelson, Donald Cerrone vs. Dennis Siver, and Scott Jorgensen vs. Jeff Curran, UFC 137 is looking like on hell of a card, barring any last minute injuries.
A few notes:
UFC 137 is just over two weeks away, so to get your blood pumping, check out the recently released extended trailer, which features not only a look into the upcoming welterweight title fight between Georges St. Pierre and Carlos Condit, but a welterweight clash between B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz and the heavyweight slug fest between Cheick Kongo and Matt Mitrione. Featuring 12 fights including Mirko Cro Cop vs. Roy Nelson, Donald Cerrone vs. Dennis Siver, and Scott Jorgensen vs. Jeff Curran, UFC 137 is looking like on hell of a card, barring any last minute injuries.
A few notes:
-GSP believes he will finish Carlos Condit, and says it with the conviction of a man who’s last 4 fights have gone to decision (In related news, Condit has already stated that if he doesn’t finish GSP he will likely lose the decision).
-Nick Diaz and B.J. Penn have some kick-ass highlight reels.
-Mitrione believes his chin combined with his pressure and punching power will lead him to victory over Cheick Kongo. Just so you know Matt, Cheick has a pretty decent chin of his own.
For good reason, Cheick Kongo‘s UFC run up until now can only be comparable to a roller coaster.
The biggest test of his professional fighting career awaits