Tag: Wanderlei Silva

Fighter vs. Writer: UFC 132 Picks with Joseph Benavidez

Filed under: UFCNot only is Joseph Benavidez one of the wittiest fighters in the game, he also knows as much or more than anyone about the two main event participants at UFC 132.

Plus, he’s a Joe-Jitsu black belt tie-dye belt and a skilled (or so I h…

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Joseph BenavidezNot only is Joseph Benavidez one of the wittiest fighters in the game, he also knows as much or more than anyone about the two main event participants at UFC 132.

Plus, he’s a Joe-Jitsu black belt tie-dye belt and a skilled (or so I hear) bowler, so why wouldn’t I want to sit down with him for this edition of Fighter vs. Writer?

Benavidez fought two memorable fights with Cruz, and has spent the last few years as one of Urijah Faber’s main training partners, so he has a perspective on this fight that few can match. It’s probably not hard to tell who he’s picking in Saturday night’s main event, but does he have what it takes to go pick-for-pick on the rest of the main card with yours truly? Find out below.

Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber

Benavidez: Faber via submission. “He’s been my main training partner for four years, and I’ve just seen the way he works and the goals he sets for himself. For all these four years, I’ve never seen him more inspired and motivated for a fight. He’s a big part of the WEC going to the UFC, so this is huge for him. He’s a guy who rises to the occasion, and this is the biggest of occasions for him. Not only that, but he obviously has the skills. Dominick will be hard to hit, but he doesn’t do much damage, and Urijah has the grappling edge.”

Fowlkes: Cruz via decision. He’s just too fast and too hard to pin down. He may not have the power to knock Faber out, but I doubt Faber will be able to put his hands on Cruz very much at all, so I’m not sure how much it matters. Faber was a true champ in his time, but that time is over.


Chris Leben vs. Wanderlei Silva

Benavidez: Silva via TKO. “Before the Stann fight I didn’t think Leben could get knocked out, but he did, so I guess it could happen again if they’re going to sit there and slug. Wanderlei could definitely catch him with a punch. I think they are going to stand there and swing at each other, and Leben will go down. Plus, Wanderlei’s a legend, so I kind of root for him, even though I love watching Leben fight also.”

Fowlkes: Leben via TKO. Obviously Silva is a sentimental favorite, but I don’t think his chin is nearly as solid as it once was, and being out of action for 16 months won’t exactly make him sharper in the cage. Even if they throw down in the center of the cage, Leben can take it and dish it out better at this point.

Tito Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader

Benavidez: Ortiz via decision. “I think Tito is going to prove a lot of people wrong and come out with a comeback here — maybe not a total comeback — but I think he’ll go out there and get the win, old school ground-and-pound style. I actually think Tito’s boxing is a lot better too.”

Fowlkes: Bader via decision. I admire Benavidez’s optimism, but I’m not such a believer in Ortiz’s boxing, nor do I think he’s right about Bader having weak takedown defense. Bader is younger, quicker, and more explosive. I don’t see where Ortiz holds an advantage.

Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim

Benavidez: Condit via TKO. “He’s always in a super exciting fight and puts just this horrendous pace on people. He really lives up to his name: ‘The Natural Born Killer.’ He goes in there and tries to kill you. He’s going to put a lot of pressure on Kim and get the victory by stoppage.”

Fowlkes: Condit by TKO. Kim absolutely has the power to turn this into a grappling match, and if he does, he can absolutely win it there. But I don’t see Condit going out like that. He’ll come back late in the fight and overwhelm Kim with sheer aggression.

Matt Wiman vs. Dennis Siver

Benavidez: Wiman via decision. “That’s a tough one. Wiman has really good wrestling and has been putting it on people lately, but so has Siver. With Wiman though, I think he’s really hitting his stride right now, and this is going to be one that really catapults him to that next level where he wants to be at in the division.”

Fowlkes: Siver via decision. I simply cannot pick against the underrated Siver, who consistently surprises people and then melts back into the background to be forgotten and then underrated once again. His takedown defense will keep this one standing, and his power will keep Wiman reeling.

Tiebreaker: time of shortest fight

Benavidez: 2:35 of round 1.
Fowlkes: 1:57 of round 1

Benavidez picks Faber, Silva, Ortiz, Condit, Wiman
Fowlkes picks Cruz, Leben, Bader, Condit, Siver

 

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UFC 132 Fight Card: Dominick Cruz vs Urijah Faber Head to Toe Breakdown

UFC 132 Fight Card: Dominick Cruz vs Urijah Faber Head to Toe BreakdownBleacher Report’s Andrew Barr:Experience:Experience-wise, these two should be pretty evenly matched.Both of them have captured championships within the WEC and they both defended th…

UFC 132 Fight Card: Dominick Cruz vs Urijah Faber Head to Toe Breakdown

Bleacher Report’s Andrew Barr:

Experience:

Experience-wise, these two should be pretty evenly matched.

Both of them have captured championships within the WEC and they both defended their belts multiple times.

Neither fighter should be phased by the pressure of being the main event, as both have been in that position before (although not for the UFC).

Faber could be considered to have a slight experience advantage because Dominick is not the most dangerous fighter he’s faced, but Urijah is debatably the most dangerous opponent Cruz has ever faced.

Edge: Push

Cardio

Similar to their experience levels, these two should be pretty much dead even as far as cardio goes.

Faber and Cruz both have tremendous cardio and neither of them are strangers to going all five rounds.

If this fight were to go on forever, until one fighter finally tired, I would pick Dominick to outlast Urijah.

That is not the case, however, it is a standard five round fights and both guys have proved that they can make it five rounds without gassing.

Edge: Push

Striking

Dominick is quick on his feet and is always moving in and out of his opponents range.

If this fight stays standing, expect Cruz to use his superior movement and quickness to outclass the slower Faber. Dominick might also be able to use his striking to keep Urijah off balance, in order to set up takedowns.

Faber will have the power advantage, but neither of these guys are power strikers, so Urijah won’t be able to threaten with one punch knockout power.

Edge: Dominick Cruz

Chin

Urijah has been TKO’d before and Cruz has not.

That said, Faber has faced much more dangerous strikers than Cruz has.

Urijah went all five rounds with current featherweight champion Jose Aldo. Anyone who can do that has to have one hell of a chin.

I can’t really give Faber the advantage, though, because Cruz has never been knocked out.

Both guys have proven they can take a hell of a punch and neither of them are devastating strikers, so this one is about even.

Edge: Push

Grappling

In college, Faber competed in Division I of the NCAA. He was never champion, but in 2002 he did finish top 12. He also finished second in the University Nationals for Freestyle Wrestling.

Dominick started wrestling in the seventh grade and was very successful in wrestling throughout high school. Unfortunately, an injury stopped Cruz from wrestling in college and so he has no NCAA experience to compare to Faber’s.

Cruz and Faber both have excellent wrestling, but I think Faber is the more powerful of the two and the fact that he competed throughout college, while Cruz was unable to, should help him.

It’s possible that Dominick could use his superior quickness to gain a wrestling advantage (see Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard 2), but I’m leaning towards Urijah for this one.

Edge: Urijah Faber

Submissions

Urijah has 13 wins by submission, Cruz has one.

Faber is a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has submitted black belts before. Dominick is not ranked in BJJ.

Urijah has submitted Cruz before with a guillotine choke.

I will give Dominick some credit, he has definitely improved his submission defense since his first fight with Faber. Since then he has fought some solid submission guys and not been tapped.

Edge: Urijah Faber

Winner

This is such a close fight and I’m not ashamed to say that I’m far from certain about the prediction I’ve come up with.

As I see it, this fight hinges on Faber’s ability to get it to the ground and, ultimately, I think he can do it.

Winner: Urijah Faber via Third-Round Submission

UFC 132 Results: Predicting the Outcome of Dominick Cruz vs Urijah Faber

UFC 132 Results: Predicting the Outcome of Dominick Cruz vs Urijah FaberBleacher Report’s Jonathan R.R. Clarke:Round OneBoth men are capable strikers, but I think Urijah and Dominick will take their time in the opening minutes of the fight, feeling …

UFC 132 Results: Predicting the Outcome of Dominick Cruz vs Urijah Faber

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan R.R. Clarke:

Round One

Both men are capable strikers, but I think Urijah and Dominick will take their time in the opening minutes of the fight, feeling each other out and getting familiar with their opponent.

I think we will see a few flurries of Dominick’s trademark combinations coming forward, but nothing too committed or too reckless. Faber will be looking for the takedown early in the fight, as he is the far more accomplished submission artist—holding 13 submission victories to his name, compared to Cruz’s single win via tap-out.

Faber attempts takedowns in round 1, but Cruz does well to snuff them.

The Story of The Round: Cruz utilizes fast combinations whilst Faber looks for the takedown—an expected start to the fight.

Round Two

By now, both fighters are comfortable with each other’s style and approach to start to loosen up a bit. Dominick’s stand-up game starts to improve as he lands some good shots on Faber. Cruz has to be careful when moving forward, as Faber is always on the lookout for a takedown. And there it is!

Faber gets a single leg takedown and Cruz is now in dangerous territory.

He is on his back and Faber is no slouch from inside the guard. If Cruz can somehow get himself into top position his ground and pound would be a welcome asset to his arsenal. As it is though, the round grinds down to a close as both fighters finish on the mat—Faber unable to slap on any significant submission attempts and Cruz is happy to see the second round come to an end.

The Story of The Round: Faber takes Cruz down and scores big. Cruz is fairly defensive for the best part of the five minutes.

Round Three

Dominick is a lot more wary of the takedown now and doesn’t leave any legs trailing. He looks a lot more alert on his feet—as a few swift jabs followed by a head kick just scuff Faber’s defending arm.

The two fighters exchange punches—which leads to an entangled clinch upon the cage wall. Cruz utilizes the support of the caging in order to prevent a takedown. In trying too hard for the slam to the mat, Faber has found himself locked into a guillotine.

The fighters fall to the ground, but as they do, Cruz’s guillotine is broken and he finds himself on his back. This time Faber is able to reach side control. Cruz does a good job of preventing the mount, as Faber is unable to do much damage from the advantageous position he finds himself in. The horn rings and that’s the end of round 3.

The Story of The Round: Both fighters displayed some effective stand-up, Cruz scoring slightly better. Faber once again showed his strengths when the fight went to the mat.

Round Four

The championship rounds. The last two rounds when good fighters are separated from great fighters.

Straight away, Faber looks desperate for that early takedown—shooting in but not getting close. He thinks an early takedown in the round would spell great danger for Cruz and I have no reason to think any different. However, Dominick isn’t the Champion for nothing, and he quickly tries to neutralize this by using his strong stand-up game.

Mid-way through the round Faber is able to get the take down, but it doesn’t turn out quite how he would have liked!

Cruz finds himself in top position thanks to a sleek sweep, and now proceeds to rain down a barrage of devastating elbows and punches. The referee is close by and Faber looks in trouble. The referee takes a closer look and IT’S ALL OVER!

Dominick Cruz defeats Urijah Faber through a devastating ground and pound!

Cruz is jubilant as he circles the ring in celebration, whilst Faber is conscious but hurting from the defeat.

UFC 132 Results: Chael Sonnen Picks Chris Leben over Wanderliei Silva

UFC 132 Results: Chael Sonnen Picks Chris Leben over Wanderliei SilvaBleacher Report’s Mike Hodges:Wanderlei Silva responded to fellow UFC middleweight Chael Sonnen’s comments on Twitter by saying that he would “kill him fast” if the smack talk d…

UFC 132 Results: Chael Sonnen Picks Chris Leben over Wanderliei Silva

Bleacher Report’s Mike Hodges:

Wanderlei Silva responded to fellow UFC middleweight Chael Sonnen’s comments on Twitter by saying that he would “kill him fast” if the smack talk did not stop from the Team Quest standout.

Well, if that’s the case, hopefully Sonnen has his will up to date and has someone close to him to write his obituary. 

UFC.com posted a video of Sonnen previewing the co-main event of UFC 132, where Silva takes on Chris “The Crippler” Leben.

Needless to say, Sonnen did not give Silva a chance in winning this 185 pound affair, which many are seriously considering to be a Fight of the Year candidate.

Shockingly, Sonnen started off by saying “Wanderlei, he can be pleasing to watch. He goes out and he’ll mix it up for a little bit,” the controversial middleweight stated.

However, the former All-American wrestler did not wait long to take another verbal shot at one of his oldest adversaries.

“Eventually, Wanderlei’s fights all end the same. The referee pulling his mouthpiece out and a doctor shinning a flashlight in his eyes.”

While Sonnen is obviously trying to rile up the former Pride star, it is hard to ignore the fact that “The Axe Murderer” has lost five of his last seven, three of those losses coming via knockout.

Sonnen continued by saying “I think it’ll be a pretty fun match to watch, but I don’t think it’s going to be ultra competitive. I think it’s going to be Chris Leben.”

Uncle Chael wasn’t done there, also mentioning that “I think Leben’s got the edge everywhere. He’s a little bit faster, he punches a little bit harder, but the biggest strength Chris will have, is his ability to take a punch.”

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Reminder: Watch the UFC 132 Weigh-Ins Live Right Here at 7:00 pm ET


(That week off made Dana look 10 years younger. PicProps: MMAMania)

Just a friendly reminder that you can check out the UFC 132 weigh-ins right here starting at 7:00 pm ET.

This could be the last time we see “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” flexing in his underwear — unless of course you’re one of his Twitter followers (am I right, ReX?). Let’s place our wagers now who will get into a heated nose-bumping match and who won’t make weight.

Expect the staredown of the decade between Leben and Silva.

Check out the stream after the jump.


(That week off made Dana look 10 years younger. PicProps: MMAMania)

Just a friendly reminder that you can check out the UFC 132 weigh-ins right here starting at 7:00 pm ET.

This could be the last time we see “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” flexing in his underwear — unless of course you’re one of his Twitter followers (am I right, ReX?). Let’s place our wagers now who will get into a heated nose-bumping match and who won’t make weight.

Expect the staredown of the decade between Leben and Silva.

Check out the stream below.

UFC 132: By the Odds

LAS VEGAS — As I relaxed in the sportsbook at the MGM Grand earlier this afternoon, patiently awaiting my complimentary domestic beer and listening to the sounds of tourists gawking at caged lions nearby, I found myself mesmerized by the one prop bet …

Dominick Cruz Urijah FaberLAS VEGAS — As I relaxed in the sportsbook at the MGM Grand earlier this afternoon, patiently awaiting my complimentary domestic beer and listening to the sounds of tourists gawking at caged lions nearby, I found myself mesmerized by the one prop bet the MGM was offering on UFC 132.

If you think the Cruz-Faber main event won’t go the distance, it turns out that you can profit to the tune of $180 for every $100 wagered (that’s what +180 means, smart guy). If you think it will go the distance, you have to put down $220 to make $100 (also known as -220). I’m not ashamed to admit that I must have spent fifteen minutes looking at those odds and trying to talk myself into believing that this fight won’t go the full five, even though I know it probably will.

See, that’s how Vegas gets you. You know there’s a reason for the long odds on some options, but you want to believe. You want to believe in longshots and Tito Ortiz comebacks. In free Cirque du Soleil tickets and especially lucky slot machines. And yet, they didn’t build these monstrous casinos because so many people win. In the end, that free domestic is probably the best deal you’re going to find.

But enough deep thinking. Let’s take a look at how some of Vegas’ sharpest minds see the action going down at UFC 132.

Dominick Cruz (-130) vs. Urijah Faber (+110)

Here’s a fight that’s all about speed. Cruz has it in spades, and Faber seems to be losing just a little more of it with each passing year. That’s not to say he’s some slow, broke-down old man, of course. Faber is still one heck of an athlete and an incredibly versatile fighter. But his biggest asset against a hummingbird like Cruz is going to be his mind. Not only is he a veteran who can adapt as the fight goes on, he’s also just so mentally strong that you know you’re not going to break him. Cruz has to stay busy and pepper him with those unpredictable combos of his, whereas Faber needs to get in close and slow this fight down in the clinch and on the mat. The fact that oddsmakers favor Cruz — but just slightly — tells you what they think of cage savvy against indefatigable quickness.
My pick: Cruz. I’ll save it for the parlay, but I think he’ll put Faber on the defensive with his speed and keep him there for five rounds.

Chris Leben (+150) vs. Wanderlei Silva (-170)

The first time I saw this line, I felt sure there had to be some mistake. Did some vandal come along and swap the plus and the minus? Were the bookmakers aware that it is in fact Silva who has been out for the last year and a half, and not Leben? I just don’t get it. I suppose if they square up and throw bombs, you could argue that it’s anybody’s fight. But even then, Silva doesn’t have the chin he once did. And even though Leben got KO’d by Stann, it still took some doing. The way to beat Leben is with straight, crisp punching and enough foot speed to stay away from his left. Silva isn’t known for any of that, especially in recent years. I can see why fans still go for him as a nostalgia pick, but the Pride days are over and time has marched grimly on.
My pick: Leben. I’m not the type of guy to advise you to bet the house, take out a second mortgage, and then bet that too — but if I were that type of guy…

Carlos Condit (even) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (-120)

This is probably the most competitive and most overlooked fight on the card. Kim is a big welterweight who can absolutely smother you on the mat, but Condit just has that raw, tear-your-head-off aggression. The problem is, you come charging in with blind hooks against Kim and you’re going to get taken down. I expect Kim to control the first part of the bout with his patient, methodical grappling, but Condit is never all the way out of the fight until the final bell. His best chance to catch Kim is when the takedown attempts have slowed and he’s entered full-scale desperation mode. Then, his finishing power could make all the difference. If it goes to the judges though, it’s Kim’s night.
My pick: Condit, but this one’s too close. It’s a great way to toss your money out the window, and it has the potential to screw up an otherwise perfect parlay. I’m leaving it alone.

Tito Ortiz (+350) vs. Ryan Bader (-450)

Okay, so you’ve been a huge Tito fan since 1999, and you’d like nothing more than to cash in on your Huntington Beach hero now that everyone else is writing him off. I get that — really, I do. But let me ask you this: how, exactly, do you see Ortiz winning this fight? He’s not going to stand there and outstrike the heavy-handed Bader because, well, when’s the last time he did that to anyone decent? And he’s probably not going to take the guy down and keep him on his back for three rounds because a) Bader knows a thing or two about wrestling, and b) Ortiz is not Jon Jones. So then what? It’s not as if an Ortiz victory is out of the question, but he has so few realistic ways to win. Sorry, but it isn’t 1999 anymore, and Bader isn’t Jerry Bohlander.
My pick: Bader. You won’t make any money off him, but at least you won’t lose it by taking a big risk on Ortiz.

Matt Wiman (+115) vs. Dennis Siver (-135)

Style-wise, you’d think Wiman might have the edge on Siver. But there’s just something about that stocky, scrappy German that makes it impossible to really count him out. Few people gave him much of a chance against Sotiropoulos, but look how that turned out. His takedown defense is solid and he can always hurt you on the feet. If you’re unfortunate enough to be on the business end of one of those spinning backkicks, you probably won’t breathe right for a week.
My pick: Siver. I’ll put it in the parlay, but I can’t go against Siver in any reasonable match-up.

Quick picks:

Anthony Njokuani (-150) over Andre Winner (+120). The man with the last name that everyone pronounces differently is too fast and too dynamic on the feet for Winner to handle.

Melvin Guillard (-280) over Shane Roller (+220). You won’t profit much off this one, but Guillard — at least when he has his act together, as I believe he does now — is a handful for anyone.

The ‘For Entertainment Purposes Only’ Parlay: Cruz + Leben + Bader + Njokuani + Guillard.

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