(Anthony Pettis becomes the new UFC lightweight champion by submitting Benson Henderson in the first round at UFC 164 Saturday night | All videos via FoxSports Youtube)
Magnus Cedenblad defeats Jared Hamman via guillotine choke submission.
Video highlights of Barnett vs. Mir, Mendes vs. Guida and Poirier vs. Koch after the jump
(Anthony Pettis becomes the new UFC lightweight champion by submitting Benson Henderson in the first round at UFC 164 Saturday night | All videos via FoxSports Youtube)
Lots of statistics, a regaling of skills and endless hype will be thrown at all of us leading up to the bouts at UFC 164 at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee. But once we’re finally past the point of ever having to hear Benson Henderson talk a…
Lots of statistics, a regaling of skills and endless hype will be thrown at all of us leading up to the bouts at UFC 164 at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee. But once we’re finally past the point of ever having to hear Benson Henderson talk about getting that “Pettis stain off of my soul” in the hype commercial, there are some interesting tidbits to watch out for during the event.
Guida’s mosh fighting, the parade of fighters that we have seen practically grow up in the ring and cage and some straight-up world-class skill will be on display. And at UFC 164, it will be worth taking note of each so you can sound like an MMA guru in front of your friends or at the bar.
The countdown to UFC 164 has begun and so we feel it is fitting to watch UFC’s signature Countdown mini documentary show before tonight’s championship pay per view event. This episode features two of the night’s biggest fights.
First, the lightweight title main event rematch between champion Benson Henderson and challenger Anthony Pettis is looked at through the eyes of both fighters. Learn more about Pettis’ rough child hood and adolescence and hear why Henderson is confident he’ll avenge his 2010 defeat to “Showtime.”
In the second part of the Countdown to UFC 164, heavyweight submission wizards and former champions Frank Mir and Josh Barnett finally lock horns in a fight that makes us want to party like it’s 2005. Some fans want to see who will get the better of grappling exchanges between Mir and Barnett but you should watch and listen to some of their pretty hilarious insults of one another and decide who will has the trash talk advantage. Spoiler alert, Mir is allegedly “a dick” and Barnett is an insecure fat kid who never grew up.
Henderson vs. Pettis is above and Mir vs. Barnett is after the jump.
Enjoy the Countdown to UFC 164 and enjoy tonight’s fights.
The countdown to UFC 164 has begun and so we feel it is fitting to watch UFC’s signature Countdown mini documentary show before tonight’s championship pay per view event. This episode features two of the night’s biggest fights.
First, the lightweight title main event rematch between champion Benson Henderson and challenger Anthony Pettis is looked at through the eyes of both fighters. Learn more about Pettis’ rough child hood and adolescence and hear why Henderson is confident he’ll avenge his 2010 defeat to “Showtime.”
In the second part of the Countdown to UFC 164, heavyweight submission wizards and former champions Frank Mir and Josh Barnett finally lock horns in a fight that makes us want to party like it’s 2005. Some fans want to see who will get the better of grappling exchanges between Mir and Barnett but you should watch and listen to some of their pretty hilarious insults of one another and decide who will has the trash talk advantage. Spoiler alert, Mir is allegedly “a dick” and Barnett is an insecure fat kid who never grew up.
Henderson vs. Pettis is above and Mir vs. Barnett is after the jump.
Enjoy the Countdown to UFC 164 and enjoy tonight’s fights.
(We had no idea what picture to use for this post, but this one seems to work nicely. Be sure to check out Meerkatsu’s shop for plenty of other awesome jiu-jitsu artwork.)
Are “the experts” really more knowledgeable than anyone else in terms of predicting who will win a fight?That’s debatable, to say the least. Today we’re bringing in Adam Touchet – a college football blogger and the most casual of casual MMA fans – to see how his predictions hold up against what will actually happen on Saturday night. Read on for his picks, follow him on Twitter, and check out more of his work at what is possibly the least pretentious college football blog on the Internet, BattleOfTheSun.com.
I’ve spent my tiny broadcasting and show-business career trying to prove that just because you’re on television with a microphone it doesn’t make you an expert. What makes a guy who doesn’t even play a sport an “expert” at it, and what makes the “predictions” of the broadcasters presenting a sporting event to the masses any more valid than its rabid fan base?
Spoiler Alert: Nothing.
(We had no idea what picture to use for this post, but this one seems to work nicely. Be sure to check out Meerkatsu’s shop for plenty of other awesome jiu-jitsu artwork.)
Are “the experts” really more knowledgeable than anyone else in terms of predicting who will win a fight?That’s debatable, to say the least. Today we’re bringing in Adam Touchet – a college football blogger and the most casual of casual MMA fans – to see how his predictions hold up against what will actually happen on Saturday night. Read on for his picks, follow him on Twitter, and check out more of his work at what is possibly the least pretentious college football blog on the Internet, BattleOfTheSun.com.
I’ve spent my tiny broadcasting and show-business career trying to prove that just because you’re on television with a microphone it doesn’t make you an expert. What makes a guy who doesn’t even play a sport an “expert” at it, and what makes the “predictions” of the broadcasters presenting a sporting event to the masses any more valid than its rabid fan base?
Spoiler Alert: Nothing.
My knowledge of MMA is limited to Jim Norton being choked out by almost the entire UFC roster on the Opie & Anthony Show. My knowledge of specific fighters stops at Brock Lesnar and Ken Shamrock. Yeah, that’s right, I’m a Vince McMahon guy (Hi CM Punk!).
So when this fine world-wide-web destination asked me to choose who is walking out of UFC 164 a winner, I was ready to twerk a Miley Cyrus slug trail all over the #ThickeDicke that is Cage Potato. My picks are highly uninformed and shamelessly unfounded. However, “predictions” are conjecture and results are the truth.
Here are my predictions for the pay-per-view matches. I don’t see why I need to Zumba my way through the 17 hour preliminary event because Fox Sports 1 needs to justify its existence to our cable providers. By the way, is this event really being called the “Hometown Throwdown?” <sarcasm> Gee, I wonder why Dana White stopped naming these events </sarcasm>.
Benson Henderson (c) vs. Anthony Pettis
My first impression of Benson Henderson isn’t “Destroyer of Worlds”. He seems like a nice guy and has the appearance of someone who brings interesting conspiracies to The Joe Rogan Experience, and “Smooth” is always an unacceptable nickname for champion. All of my superficial gripes about the champ aren’t nearly as inexcusable as Pettis being the fourth best in the world according to a website whose rankings actually matter. What’s the deal, did someone get a concussion?
Having said all that, Henderson is Korean. I think Koreans are underrated. No, I won’t explain myself further. Zip up your amazingly boss satin tiger jumpsuit, I’m picking Henderson to retain the title.
Frank Mir vs. Josh Barnett
Here’s what I know: Mir beat Brock Lesnar. Has Barnett beaten John Cena or HHH lately? If you can bring me proof, then I could have a case for Josh Barnett.
By the way, how old are these gentlemen? You people wonder why MMA is illegal in Manhattan! Is it even legal, nay, moral, to put two men of a certain age into the cage? Holy crap, get Ray Romano, Scott Bakula & Kevin James on the phone; Men of a Certain Age IN THE CAGE is the no-brainer sequel to Here Comes the Boom. I can’t be bothered with fact-checking and research, because I need to check Scott Bakula’s availability in 2014. Frank Mir wins.
Chad Mendes vs. Clay Guida
Chad Mendes is part of Team Alpha Male. I already feel like he’s threatening my masculinity. Clay Guida doesn’t feel the need to intimidate me as a viewer, so he’s totally got this.
Ben Rothwell vs. Brandon Vera
I tried to learn more about this matchup, but Wikipedia fell asleep before it could try to explain why I should be excited about it. When in doubt, I pick who scares me the most. Ben Rothwell, you look like a grizzled trucker, before the FDA banned gas station amphetamines. You win, sir.
Erik Koch vs. Dustin Poirier
What kind of uninformed, babbling, self-aggrandizing sports analyst would I be if I didn’t take my hometown hero, Dustin Poirier? That’s my pick, because they’re going to say the name of my city on the TV box!
Do you understand how shameless you can truly be when you just call the elephant in the room? Take note ESPN, if you count your revenue dollars from big NCAA TV contracts while chastising student-athletes for disgustingly trumped-up violations, you won’t look like a bigger dunce than I did trying to predict the outcome of UFC 164.
One of the most exciting matchups in UFC 164—Henderson vs. Pettis—is a battle between two ground specialists in Frank Mir and Josh Barnett. Both fighters have held the UFC’s heavyweight strap in the past and are making their way to th…
One of the most exciting matchups in UFC 164—Henderson vs. Pettis—is a battle between two ground specialists in Frank Mir and Josh Barnett. Both fighters have held the UFC’s heavyweight strap in the past and are making their way to the top in the stacked heavyweight division.
The question is: who has the edge on the ground?
Both fighters have several wins coming via submission. Barnett has the edge in numbers with 19, but it is interesting to note that majority of Mir’s submission wins happened in the UFC, while the former is most successful in organizations outside of the UFC.
Mir’s submissions are mainstay in every UFC highlight video and never fail to give audience a feeling that an arm or leg will be broken when he fights.
Shall we see a Mir submission win tomorrow?
Let’s relive Mir’s nastiest submission wins in his UFC career.
(The UFC 164 marketing strategy summed up in less than 30 seconds.)
By Dan “Get Off Me” George
This Saturday night, Zuffa brings us perhaps the most anticipated title rematch in lightweight history when Benson Henderson attempts to remove a stain from his soul against the man responsible for leaving said stain, new/interim #1 contenderAnthony Pettis. The preliminary portion of the card may not boast many recognizable names (which is a nice way of saying it’s garbage-ass) but the PPV lineup is a veritable potpourri of grizzled veterans and surgingprospects, with a little bit of something for everyone both new and old to MMA.
So come along as we head to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and highlight the undercard bout you stand the best chance of banking on as well as all of the main card bouts for UFC 164: Henderson vs Pettis II. All lines courtesy of BestFightOdds, per usual.
The heavy-handed Australian comes in as the +180ish underdog against Ukrainian (is game to you?) submission specialist and -200 favorite Nikita Krylov. Palelei has a chance to payout early in this fight if he is able to use his striking effectively, but the 16 year age gap between the fighters may prove the difference if Krylov’s is able to sustain the early onslaught from Soa. With this in mind, Palelei has been submitted once in his career and 7 out of his last 8 wins (Well, 6 out of 8. Bob Sapp no longer counts.) have come in the first round. +180 for Palelei is an underdog worth taking.
(The UFC 164 marketing strategy summed up in less than 30 seconds.)
By Dan “Get Off Me” George
This Saturday night, Zuffa brings us perhaps the most anticipated title rematch in lightweight history when Benson Henderson attempts to remove a stain from his soul against the man responsible for leaving said stain, new/interim #1 contenderAnthony Pettis. The preliminary portion of the card may not boast many recognizable names (which is a nice way of saying it’s garbage-ass) but the PPV lineup is a veritable potpourri of grizzled veterans and surgingprospects, with a little bit of something for everyone both new and old to MMA.
So come along as we head to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and highlight the undercard bout you stand the best chance of banking on as well as all of the main card bouts for UFC 164: Henderson vs Pettis II. All lines courtesy of BestFightOdds, per usual.
The heavy-handed Australian comes in as the +180ish underdog against Ukrainian (is game to you?) submission specialist and -200 favorite Nikita Krylov. Palelei has a chance to payout early in this fight if he is able to use his striking effectively, but the 16 year age gap between the fighters may prove the difference if Krylov’s is able to sustain the early onslaught from Soa. With this in mind, Palelei has been submitted once in his career and 7 out of his last 8 wins (Well, 6 out of 8. Bob Sapp no longer counts.) have come in the first round. +180 for Palelei is an underdog worth taking.
Both fighters are coming off tough losses to high-level competition and will be looking to use the other as a stepping stone back to the short list of top contenders at featherweight. Fighting out of his home town, Koch is the -150 favorite to the +130 Poirier and this line should come closer to even odds by fight time. Poirier has a three inch reach advantage and Koch has battled some injury issues which showed in his second round battering at the hands of Lamas back at UFC on FOX 6. +130 for Poirier to win based on the better price and the fact that he has less question marks hanging over his head going into this fight.
Ben Rothwell is the +100 underdog to -130 Brandon Vera, who is returning to heavy weight after losing while trying to put his mouth piece in against Shogun at UFC on FOX 4. Vera is the right favorite and should be fast enough to get in and out against Rothwell in the early stages of the fight, which should wear out Big Ben as the fight unfolds. If Rothwell cannot find a way to pressure Vera against the cage and put “The Truth” on his back, he may be at the mercy of a technically sound striking clinic. Vera to avoid the takedown and best Rothwell in the stand up game -130.
-465 for Mendes to have his hand raised at the end of this fight is perhaps worth placing in a parlay, but +115 that Mendes has to win by decision is a compelling prop bet when looking at his opponent. Clay Guida may not be the most threatening fighter out there, but he has fought and survived against top lightweights who pose similar skill sets to that of Mendes. Guida is a survivor and while he may get Clay Guida’d by Chad, he should be able to stay out of range (like he did against Maynard) on the feet and out of trouble on the mat (like he did against Bendo) to avoid losing inside the distance. Mendes to win via decision +115.
Josh Barnett’s biggest win since 2007 is against Sergei Kharitonov, which really does not inspire confidence when you examine the Warmaster’s steady diet of out grappling one-dimensional competition as of late. Frank Mir is closer to Daniel Cormier than the rest of Josh’s more recent opponents and while he may get put on his back, he is surely going to be difficult to stop from there. +130 that fight goes to decision is where the safest option may be — Barnett is not known for his GnP KO’s or being the victim of a TKO or submission lately. +130 fight goes to a decision.
The bookies firmly believe that lighting will not strike twice. If you look into the prop bets, Pettis is currently +300 to win by decision, but they are far less certain when it comes to whether or not Pettis will be able to win the lightweight title in his home town. Benson Henderson has bounced back well from losing his WEC belt, going on to win the UFC lightweight belt (a.k.a the one that matters) and successfully defending it 3 times now.
Many presume the kick heard round the world was what won Pettis the first encounter, but re-watching this fight, (despite being thoroughly entertained) it is rather evident that Pettis is just as fast as Bendo and the clear cut stronger striker of the two. Henderson may have an advantage in having fought 5 rounds for 4 straight fights now, but Pettis has never showed cardio as an issue in the past and beat Bendo on the cards after five rounds. Pettis at even money to become the new champ and +300 that Pettis wins (in hometown on the cards)…..+500 for the bold ones who think the decision will be unanimous.
Parlay 1
-Mendes + Vera
Parlay 2
-Mendes + Pettis
Parlay 3 (underdog parlay)
-Palelei + Poirier
Props
-Mendes wins via decision
-Barnett/Mir fight goes the distance
-Pettis wins via decision
Please share your thoughts on who you like CP nation. Enjoy the fights and may the winners be yours!
