UFC 94 Review

UFC 94 turned out to be a decent show with great top billed fights. With an estimated 14,855 people showing up at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. I watched the fights on ppv and will be interested to see how many ppv buys the event had. GSP v. Penn has been hyped since last year and my guess is that the advertising dollars paid off.

Clay Guida def Nathan Diaz via Dec (Split)- Guida came to the fight with a high energy and smothering style to win the split decision. Diaz was able to land some heavy strikes and knees, but couldn't get anything really going. Guida won the fight by being able to get Diaz' back, get takedowns and better position. Guida now has three straight wins since his loss to Roger Huerta.
*Guida and Diaz win Fight of the Night.

Karo Parisyan def Dong Hyun Kim via Dec (Split)- In my opinion, Kim got the short hand of the stick in this fight. Kim won the first round by getting Karo's back, throwing down hammerfists, and almost getting Karo stuck in a Kim triangle choke. The first round that was decisive as the second and third round were very hard to score. I would give the second to Karo and the third to Kim. In dropping the decision, Kim learned a lesson not let the fight go to the judges scorecards.

Jon Jones def Stephan Bonnar via Dec (Unanimous)- Jon "Bones" Jones looked athletic and unorthodox in his second straight win in the UFC pushing his record to 8-0. Jones landed a suplex in the first while trying to get Bonnar's back. Jones also connected with a spinning back elbow and a vicious knee. Jones didn't let up, tossing Bonnar to the mat, getting takedowns at will, and throwing good knees throughout the fight to win the unanimous decision. With some more training and experience, Jones will continue to progress and develop into a force.

Lyoto Machida def Thiago Silva via KO (Punches) R1, 4:59- Machida took his time early on before connecting with a kick and knee to the body. After a brief time for a knee to the groin, Machida was able to land consistent combinations and takedowns. Right before the end of the round, Machida landed a left right combination and dove in for one more punch. Absorbing the impact, Silva is out for the count as the ref called the fight. Machida did a good job silencing his critics as he systematically took Silva apart.
*Machida wins KO of the Night.

Georges St. Pierre def B.J. Penn via TKO (Corner Stoppage) R4, 5:00- GSP simply overwelmed BJ Penn en route to an eventual TKO at the end of the fourth round. St. Pierre was able to dominate the fight with takedowns, ground and pound and connecting on his feet. BJ almost was able to get a couple submission attempts going, but they never really came close. BJ ate way too many elbows and punches in the fourth and when he went to the corner they called the fight.

GSP is now a lock for the UFC Hall of Fame. He has five straight wins including over Matt Hughes for the interim title, Matt Serra to unify the title, and defending against Jon Fitch and BJ Penn. A fight with Thiago Alves looms, as well as speculation of a potential fight with Anderson Silva.

UNDERCARD

Dan Cramer def Matt Arroyo via Dec (Split)
Jake O'Brien def Christian Wellisch via Dec (Split)
Thiago Tavares def Manny Gamburyan via Dec (Unanimous)
Jon Fitch def Akihiro Gono via Dec (Unanimous)
John Howard def Chris Wilson via Dec (Split)- Won the second fight of the night bonus.

UFC 94 Preview

UFC 94 kicks off this Saturday, January 31st at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The BJ Penn v. GSP fight is being hyped up as the Superbowl of MMA. We will see how the card plays out, hopefully Machida is feeling peppy. All fighters made weight, with former heavyweights Christian Wellish and Jake O'Brien debuting at 205 pounds.

MAIN CARD

Georges St. Pierre vs. B.J. Penn- This fight is being hyped as the fight of the year. The undisputed king of the 170 pound class versus the king of the 155 pound class. In addition, this is a rematch of a match from UFC 58 where BJ lost a close split decision. I would expect to see GSP go for the takedown early and often. The question in this fight may come down to whether or not BJ can get a submission off his back.

Since a crazy upset loss to Matt Serra, Georges St. Pierre has been on quite a streak. He has outwrestled Josh Koscheck, armbarred Matt Hughes and punished Matt Serra and Jon Fitch since that loss. Georges is an incredible athlete, with suberb striking, cardio and wrestling ability. Georges also holds wins over Jay Hieron, Sean Sherk, Mayhem Miller and Frank Trigg.

(Georges St. Pierre pictured)

Since a disappointing loss to Matt Hughes at UFC 63, BJ Penn reinvented himself at 155, dominating his competition. He won over Jens Pulver following TUF 5, then crushed Joe Stevenson for the interim 155 pound title. He then went on to outstrike and eventually TKO Sean Sherk to unify the 155 pound title. BJ will be looking to strike with GSP and possibly go for a submission. If BJ has one clear advantage, it would be in the submission game. BJ also has wins over Duane Ludwig, Takanori Gomi, and Caol Uno.

(BJ Penn pictured)

Lyoto Machida vs. Thiago Silva- Someone's undefeated status will be loss against in this battle for the number one contender spot at 205 pounds. Machida is a karate and BJJ black-belt who utilizes a countering style that frustrates many opponents. Silva, who owns a great ground game rarely uses it. Silva instead uses his heavy hand to knock his opponents out.

I expect this fight to remain standing, with Machida waiting to capitalize on a Silva mistake. Machida is 13-0 with victories over Rich Franklin, Stephan Bonnar and BJ Penn outside the UFC. He holds wins over Sokoudjou, Tito Ortiz, Kazuhiro Nakamura, David Heath and Sam Hoger inside the UFC.

(Lyoto Machida pictured)

Thiago Silva (13-0) has ten knockouts and two submission wins in his career. He has beaten Antonio Mendes, Houston Alexander, Tomasz Drwal and James Irvin in the UFC. I expect Silva to try to get in close on Machida to throw punches in the clinch.

Stephan Bonnar vs. Jon Jones
Karo Parisyan vs. Dong Hyun Kim
Nate Diaz vs. Clay Guida

UNDER CARD

Jon Fitch vs. Akihiro Gono
Manny Gamburyan vs. Thiago Tavares
John Howard vs. Chris Wilson
Jake O'Brien vs. Christian Wellisch
Matt Arroyo vs. Dan Cramer

Ultimate Fight Night 14 aka Anderson Silva at 205

After Affliction's heavyweight all-star card was almost together, the UFC decided to launch a counter-attack. They are bringing a free card on Spike TV that has some star power, mainly in the form of UFC MW Champ Anderson Silva.


As you can see, there are 3 former IFL fighters making their UFC debuts.

Anderson Silva (21-4, 6-0 UFC) vs. James Irvin (14-4, 4-3 UFC)- Expect this to be a stand-up battle. This is Anderson's debut at 205 pounds. Anderson has looked unstoppable in his 6 fights in the UFC so far. In his last fight, Anderson beat Pride Champ Dan Henderson in the second round. Irvin is a stand-up guy, and has some notable wins on his resume over Terry Martin, Houston Alexander, Scott Smith and Doug Marshall.

Brandon Vera (8-2, 4-2 UFC) vs. Reese Andy (7-1, 5-1 IFL)- Vera is coming off two losses in the heavyweight division to Fabricio Werdum and Tim Sylvia. He is making his debut in the 205 pound division, and it is likely his first cut to that weight. He usually comes in around 225 for his heavyweight fights. Reese Andy is making his UFC debut after fighting in the IFL. He has a 4 fight win streak but hasn't fought for a year.

Frankie Edgar (8-1, 3-1 UFC) vs. Hermes Franca (18-6, 6-3 UFC)- Franca has been suspended a year for using steroids in the Sherk fight. Edgar was pushed around by a bigger Gray Maynard in his last fight and lost a decision. I wouldn't be surprised to see the loser of this fight go to 145.

Jake O'Brien (10-1, 3-1 UFC) vs. Cain Velasquez (3-0, 1-0 UFC)- Both of these guys are big time wrestlers. O'Brien is coming off a loss to Andrei Arlovski in his last fight and may look to trade with Velasquez. Velasquez has earned TKO victories in each of his three fights.

Kevin Burns (6-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. Anthony Johnson (5-1, 2-1 UFC)- The Iowa based fighter Kevin Burns is coming off an outstanding submission victory over BJJ black belt Roan Carneiro. He has four straight victories. Johnson displayed extreme power in his hands in his KO's of Tom Speer and Chad Reiner. His only loss came via submission to Rich Clementi.

C.B. Dollaway (6-1, 0-1 UFC) vs. Jesse Taylor (6-2)- This was the latest bout announced for the main card. CB is coming off another arm bar loss to Amir Sadollah. Taylor is coming off kicking out a limo window and acting a fool If Taylor wins it could potentially set up a bout with Amir Sadollah, but Sadollah may already be eyeing the 170 division.

Probably Not Televised
Brodie Farber vs. Rory Markham(IFL Vet)
Brad Blackburn(IFL Vet) vs. James Giboo
Nate Loughran vs. Johnny Rees
Shannon Gugherty vs. Dale Hartt

*Interesting Note- The UFC should look at fighter Jason High. He is (6-0) with victories over main card fighter Kevin Burns and under card fighter James Giboo.

*Cool Anderson Silva pic on photobucket

UFC 82 Preview

*All fighters have made weight and are primed and ready to go.

MAIN CARD

MW Champ Anderson Silva (20-4)(5-0 UFC) vs. Pride MW Champ Dan Henderson (22-6, 2-1 UFC)- This match is for the UFC MW Title- Anderson is on an impressive 5-0 streak to start his career in the UFC. He has looked unbeatable in his dismantling of Nate Marquardt, 2X of Rich Franklin, Chris Leben and Travis Lutter in the UFC. The only real blemish was giving up some takedowns to Travis Lutter.



While Dan Henderson lost a unanimous decision to Rampage Jackson in his last UFC bout, many fans seem to forget just how great of a career Henderson brings to the table.

He started his career 9-0 winning three tournaments including UFC 17, Brazil Open 97, and the five match, two night, Rings - King of Kings 99. During that stretch, Dan defeated Carlos Newton, Allen Goes, Gilbert Yvel, Renato Sobral and UFC HW Champ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. His other notable victories are over Renzo Gracie, Ninja Rua, Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva, Yuki Kondo, Murilo Bustamante, Akihiro Gono and Kazuo Misaki.



**My pick - Silva via TKO Rd. 3

Heath Herring (27-13, 1-2 UFC) vs. Cheick Kongo (11-3, 3-1 UFC)- These two heavyweight strikers will be throwing some serious leather. Counter punching could get a little boring. If Kongo can win he will get close to getting a shot at the title.

**My pick - Kongo via KO Rd. 2


*Old Kongo HL

Chris Leben (17-4, 7-3 UFC) vs. Alessio Sakara (12-6, 3-3 UFC)- Both will stand and bang and this will more than likely be an exciting affair. I'm hoping for a quick KO so we can see an extra fight from the stacked undercard.

**My pick - Leben TKO Rd. 1

Yushin Okami (20-4, 5-1 UFC) vs. Evan Tanner (34-6, 11-4 UFC)- After two losses in a row in 2005, Tanner fought once in 2006 winning by triangle choke versus Justin Levens at UFC 59. He hasn't fought since. Each of Okami's UFC fights have reached the third round, where Okami usually turns on the heat. Okami's only loss in the UFC was to former title holder Rich Franklin.

**My pick - Okami via decision

Jon Fitch (15-2, 7-0 UFC) vs. Chris Wilson (13-3, 0-0 UFC)- Chris Wilson is a veteren of the IFL and has wins over their WW Champ Jay Hieron and the exciting Rory Markum. Fitch has 14 victories in a row, and has looked excellent in his grappling and his submission game.

**My pick - Fitch via submission Rd. 2

UNDERCARD

Former HW Champ Andrei Arlovski (11-5, 9-4 UFC) vs. Jake O’Brien (10-0, 3-0 UFC)- This is Arlovski's last fight on his contract. Arlovski will be looking to KO or submit O'Brien who hasn't fought since his upset of Heath Herring which was a year ago. I expect to see O'Brien attempt a takedown early and to absorb some punishment.


**My pick - Arlovski via kneebar Rd. 1

Dustin Hazelett (10-3, 3-1 UFC) vs. Josh Koscheck (9-2, 7-2 UFC)- Hazelett has three straight wins in the UFC. Kos will be looking to take Hazelett down and ground and pound a victory.

**My pick - Hazelett via armbar Rd. 3

David Bielkheden (12-5, 0-0 UFC) vs. Diego Sanchez (17-2, 5-2 UFC)-Diego is looking to rebound from two decision losses to Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck.

*Diego in KOTC according to photobucket

**My pick - Sanchez via TKO Rd. 2

Luke Cummo (6-4, 3-2 UFC) vs. Luigi Fioravanti (11-3, 2-3 UFC)- Cummo and Fioravanti are both looking to take steps up the 170 pound latter.

**My pick - Cummo via armbar Rd. 2

Jorge Gurgel (11-3, 2-2 UFC)vs. John Halverson (16-5, 0-1 UFC)-Halverson's only loss in the UFC was to young star Roger Huerta. Gurgel will look for a submission, while Halverson will more than likely look for a KO.

**My pick - Halverson via KO rd. 3