Wednesday Morning MMA Link Club

(The "Yes We Cain" limited edition t-shirt, just $20 at dethroneroyalty.com.)
Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…
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Cain Velasquez yes we cain t-shirt dethrone
(The "Yes We Cain" limited edition t-shirt, just $20 at dethroneroyalty.com.)

Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…

– As of Today, Fedor Emelianenko Is a Russian Politician and He Plans to Enforce the People’s Rights (MiddleEasy)

– Cain Velasquez Gets Mobbed by Fans Who Are Not Impressed with Brock Lesnar (MMA Scraps)

– Jake Shields: If Kampmann Doesn’t Tap, I’ll Snap His Arm In Half (MMA Convert)

– Matt Hamill: Friendship Out the Door vs. Tito Ortiz at UFC 121 (MMA Fighting)

– Gabriel Gonzaga Discusses His UFC 121 Opponent and the Current Depth in the Heavyweight Division (LowKick)

– Sam Stout Ready To Welcome Paul Taylor To The Lightweight Division (Heavy.com/MMA)

– The Eight-Point Stance: UFC 120 (Five Ounces of Pain)

– Exclusive: Mike Pyle – ‘I Just Absolutely Handled The Kid’ (SBNation.com/MMA)

– Frank Shamrock is On A Mission to Legalize MMA in New York (FightMagazine)

– Arianny Celeste Promotes Playboy Appearance on TMZ (Versus MMA Beat)

UFC 121 Predictions

Brock Lesnar (current champion) vs Cain Velasquez In the Heavyweight Championship bout, we have the humongous Brock Lesnar taking on the always conditioned and great stand up boxer/wrestler Cain Velasquez. I’ve wanted Lesnar to lose almost every match. However, it hasn’t happened. The guy has gotten excellent at what he is good at. This is […]

Brock Lesnar (current champion) vs Cain Velasquez

In the Heavyweight Championship bout, we have the humongous Brock Lesnar taking on the always conditioned and great stand up boxer/wrestler Cain Velasquez. I’ve wanted Lesnar to lose almost every match. However, it hasn’t happened. The guy has gotten excellent at what he is good at. This is no different than anyone in the early days of mixed martial arts, where they won based on their main skillset. Matt Hughes, Royce Gracie, Dan Severn, Mark Coleman, now Brock Lesnar. Velasquez is a far different fighter with extremely well rounded skills. Velasquez is going to be giving up a lot of weight to Lesnar, and it will be interesting to see how Velasquez carries that burden.

If Velasquez gets Lesnar in the same position Carwin got Lesnar in round 1 of their fight, I think Velasquez will do better at taking advantage of the situation. Not only that, Cain is maybe less powerful than Carwin, but much faster, 10x better footwork, and his wrestling is top notch as well.

If Lesnar can’t work his gameplan, I think Velasquez will win via decision. If Lesnar can work his gameplan, which he has been able to do in all his winning fights, Velasquez could get KO’d rather quickly. Velasquez was stunned badly against Cheick Kongo, but nobody else has been able to strike with him. If Lesnar gets on top, I think its over. He has one of the most vicious and relentless top games in MMA.

Cain at +145 and Lesnar favored at -175

I want to pick Cain here as I’ve been impressed with his last string of fights. I’m going to go against what I want to happen, and go with Lesnar. He is too much of a wall and I don’t know if Cain’s firepower is enough to chop the mountain down inside 5 rounds.

PPV card

Welterweight bout: Jake Shields vs. Martin Kampmann

I’m going with Jake Shields because he somehow manages to avoid getting destroyed on the feet and has a devastating ground attack that smothers people into submission.

Welterweight bout: Diego Sanchez vs. Paulo Thiago

Looking for Diego to bounce back here and avoid getting KO’d or submitted, by the always tough Thiago.

Light Heavyweight bout: Tito Ortiz vs. Matt Hamill

Perfect opponent for Tito Ortiz. However, I worry Hamill is the one more pumped up for this fight. I have no clue if Tito is pumped up or not, I just know Hamill has to be going against a legend and his former coach.

Hamill is a great opponent for Ortiz. He isn’t very good off his back which lends to Ortiz getting back to his old punishment from inside the guard. Ortiz also has an underrated ground game. Remember him catching Machida in a triangle?

I like Ortiz to get a win inside the Octagon and we never hear the end of it.

Heavyweight bout: Brendan Schaub vs. Gabriel Gonzaga

I think Gonzaga gets back on the winning side in this match up.

Preliminary card (Spike TV)

Middleweight bout: Court McGee vs. Ryan Jensen

Ryan Jensen. Super tough, highly experienced.

Middleweight bout: Patrick Côté vs. Tom Lawlor

Coteeeeee, Cote Cote Cote.

Preliminary card

Welterweight bout: Mike Guymon vs. Daniel Roberts

Pass

Lightweight bout: Sam Stout vs. Paul Taylor

Sam Stout is more highly skilled and possesses better standup in terms of combos and is probably more powerful in both the hands and legs than Paul Taylor (however, Taylor is VERY good on the feet). Should get replayed on the PPV if time allows as this fight is going to be good.

Middleweight bout: Chris Camozzi vs. Dong Yi Yang

Pass

Heavyweight bout: Jon Madsen vs. Gilbert Yvel

Madsen is likely going to take Yvel down and do the wrestler GnP thing on Yvel. However, this is one spot where Yvel could get highlight reel KO as Madsen is on the shorter side which plays into Yvel’s dangerous high kicks.

Besides Being a Linguistics Expert, Tito Ortiz is Apparently also a Neurologist Specializing in the Hearing Impaired

(Video courtesy InsideMMA)
Just when you thought you had heard the most ridiculous thing come of Tito Ortiz’s mouth, "The Huntington Beach Badboy" goes and steps in front of a camera and raises the bar to new heights.
On the latest edition of…


(Video courtesy InsideMMA)

Just when you thought you had heard the most ridiculous thing come of Tito Ortiz’s mouth, "The Huntington Beach Badboy" goes and steps in front of a camera and raises the bar to new heights.

On the latest edition of Inside MMA, which will air Friday night at 9:00 p.m. ET, Ortiz explains the differences between the anatomy of the head of a deaf person, like his UFC 121 opponent Matt Hamill compared to that of someone who isn’t hearing impaired. 

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Jon Jones May Not Have Asked for the Hype, but He’s Stuck with It

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, NewsA year ago, Jon Jones was what you might call an up-and-comer in the MMA world. He had a couple UFC wins under his belt, mostly on the unaired prelims of pay-per-view cards, and primarily against middle of the …

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A year ago, Jon Jones was what you might call an up-and-comer in the MMA world. He had a couple UFC wins under his belt, mostly on the unaired prelims of pay-per-view cards, and primarily against middle of the pack opponents. He’d only been in the sport for a little over year, and people were just starting to come around to the idea that he was someone worth watching.

All that’s changed now. After demolishing Matt Hamill (okay, so he lost via disqualification, but we all saw where that fight was headed) and then Brandon Vera, he has since been officially upgraded from up-and-comer to bright prospect. Instead of asking if he might one day fight for a title, fans have started asking when.

The hype is growing, and with it, the expectations. Only now that Jones has got the MMA world’s attention, he’s not entirely certain that he wants it.

UFC on Versus 2 Fight Breakdown: Jon Jones vs. Vladimir Matyushenko

Filed under: UFCWhen Vladimir Matyushenko was named as the next opponent for the surging Jon Jones for UFC on Versus 2, the announcement was met with a resounding thud. Many fans and media members believed Jones, who was coming off an impressive win ov…

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When Vladimir Matyushenko was named as the next opponent for the surging Jon Jones for UFC on Versus 2, the announcement was met with a resounding thud. Many fans and media members believed Jones, who was coming off an impressive win over Brandon Vera, would draw a bigger name as he continues his ascent up the light-heavyweight ladder.

While Matyushenko may lack a little in the flash department, the reality is that he has proven himself to be a tough out for anyone, and is a practical test for the ever-improving Jones on Sunday night (the event airs on Versus at 9 pm ET).

Most likely, when the UFC put the matchup together, they realized that Jones needed to be tested by a rugged veteran who had been in all sorts of situations, one that would challenge him and force the rising star into moments of adversity.

Video: Tito Ortiz ‘Strictly Business’ Against Matt Hamill

(Props: dragonman34)
"UFC made the decision. I was bummed. I love Matt, I think he’s an awesome athlete, I think he’s an awesome person, but his time’s not now. You won’t see any shit-talking from me about Matt Hamill because I think he’s an …

(Props: dragonman34)

"UFC made the decision. I was bummed. I love Matt, I think he’s an awesome athlete, I think he’s an awesome person, but his time’s not now. You won’t see any shit-talking from me about Matt Hamill because I think he’s an awesome guy. But it’ll even make it a better fight when it comes October 23rd, when I cave his face in. No bad feelings. No bad emotions. Just punishment, and that’s what it’s about. So, we’ll see. October 23rd. As I look to beat down Matt Hamill. In a nice way. For once."

So says Tito Ortiz, after signing the contract to face his former pupil Matt Hamill at UFC 121. As he explains, his past dealings with Chuck Liddell taught him that business and competition should always come before friendship. But is the world ready for a trash-talk-free Tito? The oddsmakers currently have him as a solid +145 underdog in this match, which feels about right. As Ortiz has gone 0-3-1 since December 2006, he may need to score an upset to keep his job…