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.
The main event at UFC 164: Henderson vs. Pettis in Milwaukee, held at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, will feature one of the most anticipated rematches in MMA history when Benson Henderson looks to avenge his loss to Anthony Pettis.
The co-main event p…
The main event at UFC 164: Henderson vs. Pettis in Milwaukee, held at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, will feature one of the most anticipated rematches in MMA history when Benson Henderson looks to avenge his loss to Anthony Pettis.
The co-main event provides a bout hardcore fans have been arguing about for nearly a decade. And from the main card down through the prelims, the fights hold a wide range of veterans who all are well aware that losses at UFC 164 will place their careers in jeopardy, while a win will launch them into final pushes for a belt.
With all that in mind, some rather surprising statistics underscore the already notable gravity of the event. UFC 164 holds the world’s only non-finishing champion, the two most experienced active veterans in the game and some of the most active fighters in the world at any weight class.
*All stats compiled from FightMetric.com and Sherdog.com’s Fight Finder
It’s time for UFC 164, one of the most thoroughly stacked fights of the year, headlined by an almost sure-fire candidate for Fight of the Year in Ben “Smooth” Henderson vs. Anthony “Showtime” Pettis 2. In addition to that super-exciting rematch, we hav…
It’s time for UFC 164, one of the most thoroughly stacked fights of the year, headlined by an almost sure-fire candidate for Fight of the Year in Ben “Smooth” Henderson vs. Anthony “Showtime” Pettis 2. In addition to that super-exciting rematch, we have awesome bouts dotted across the card.
Josh Barnett vs. Frank Mir is a major heavyweight tilt between two of the most experienced heavyweights in the history of the sport. Clay Guida vs. Chad Mendes is a potential top contender bout at featherweight. Then we have more and more intriguing fights like Jamie Varner vs. GleisonTibau, Ryan Couture vs. Al Iaquinta and SoaPalelei vs. Nikita Krylov.
The last time Erik “New Breed” Koch was in the Octagon, he was on the wrong side of an exciting but brutal finish. At UFC 164, Koch is my pick to win in a fight that I’m predicting will win Fight of the Night. Koch was viciously stopped with downward e…
The last time Erik “New Breed” Koch was in the Octagon, he was on the wrong side of an exciting but brutal finish. At UFC 164, Koch is my pick to win in a fight that I’m predicting will win Fight of the Night. Koch was viciously stopped with downward elbows by Ricardo Llamas at UFC on Fox 6 in January.
He makes his return against another top-notch featherweight in Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier in Milwaukee, Wis. on Saturday night.
Fights that feature contrasting styles can be snoozers or thrilling and gutsy chess matches. This one should be the latter. Koch is a well-rounded fighter with a strong Taekwondo background, while Poirier is an accomplished Brazlilian Jiu Jitsu artist. Though Poirier‘s base discipline makes him comfortable on the ground, Koch has shown consistent advancement in that area.
Despite the fact that Llamas’ elbows found their mark while Koch was on his back, New Breed has seven submission wins to his credit.
This doesn’t mean Koch is going to out-grapple Poirier, but it should mean he’s solid enough on the ground to keep himself out of trouble there. If this bout takes place in standup, Koch’s speed and dynamic striking ability give him the edge.
Expect this one to go into the third round and for Koch to score a late KO in the night’s best fight.
Now, who’s going to score an even more impressive KO win?
Ben Rothwell over Brandon Vera: KO of the Night
I’m not on the Brandon Vera hype train. Quite honestly, I never have been. Vera’s career has been more about promise than production. He’s only 12-6 and even though he’s faced stars like Jon Jones, Frank Mir, Fabricio Werdum and Randy Couture, he’s only defeated Mir, and that was in 2006.
Adding to that, Vera is taking on Rothwell as a heavyweight. This will be his first heavyweight bout since 2008. At 35, it seems time is winding up on his career.
Rothwell is bigger, stronger and an underrated grappler. He has a KO of the Night to his credit against Brendan Schaub at UFC 145. I predict he’ll pick up his second by stopping Vera.
Nikita Krylov over SoaPalelei: Submission of the Night
Palelei is a devastating puncher, but he’ll be vulnerable if the fight extends beyond the first round. Expect Palelei to come out like gangbusters—which is appropriate considering Krylov‘s nickname is Al Capone—but the 21-year-old Russian is skilled and tough. Krylov has already earned 10 submission wins in his career.
He’ll curtail this initial attempt and take the big Australian to deep waters and drain his strength. Fatigue will play a role, and ultimately Palelei will be made to submit.
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The last time Erik “New Breed” Koch was in the Octagon, he was on the wrong side of an exciting but brutal finish. At