UFC 118 Preview - Penn v. Edgar

UFC 118 will feature of a well deserved immediate title rematch of Frank Edgar and BJ Penn which will no doubt be as entertaining as the first match. The co-main event harkens back to the roots of MMA, pitting a boxer, James Toney, against a grappler, Randy Couture, in the most interesting bouts of 2010.

In the first fight between BJ Penn and Frank Edgar (12-1, 7-1 UFC) at UFC 112, both fighters were content to stand and trade for five rounds, with Penn stuffing a couple Edgar takedown attempts.

On my scorecard, BJ narrowly took the first two rounds, Edgar narrowly took the last two rounds, and the 3rd round was a toss-up. The judges didn't quite see it that way, giving Edgar the win 50-45, 48-47 and 49-46 to become the new champ.  Look for Edgar to box, get in the clinch and attempt the occasional takedown in the rematch.

Frank Edgar's martial arts career started as a wrestler in high school then Clarion University in Pennsylvania where he qualified for the national tournament every year. He went 5-0 outside the UFC, defeating solid fighters Deividas Taurosevičius and Jim Miller before being invited to the UFC. While in the UFC, Edgar has defeated Tyson Griffin, Sean Sherk, Spencer Fisher and Hermes Franca.

BJ Penn (15-6, 11-5 UFC) is a dynamic BJJ blackbelt prodigy and solid striker. Penn famously began training BJJ at the age of 17, learning extremely fast, winning tournament after tournament before getting his black belt in 2000 and winning the world BJJ championship in Brazil.

(BJ Penn Pictured)

BJ went directly to the UFC in 2001, crushing Joey Gilbert, Din Thomas and Caol Uno before losing a very close decision to Jens Pulver. After winning additional fights against Matt Serra and Takanori Gomi, Penn came back to the UFC defeating Matt Hughes for the 170 pound title. After some time in K-1 Hero's, Penn came back to win the 155 pound title and defend 3 times. His other career wins have came against Kenny Florian, Diego Sanchez, Joe Stevenson and Renzo Gracie.

In the bout between James Toney and Randy Couture, expect things to end quickly with either James Toney tapping to a choke or Randy Couture seeing stars. Couture (18-10) surprisingly has only 3 submissions on his record, but his grappling ability is still second to none. The UFC Hall of Famer and former HW and LHW champion has beat an insane line-up of challengers including Tito Ortiz, Tim Sylvia, Vitor Belfort, Gabriel Gonzaga and Mark Coleman.

(Randy Couture Pictured)

What can you say about James "Lights Out" Toney? The current IBA and NABO heavyweight champ still has power in his punches and a decent skill set. However, Toney (72-6 in boxing) began his pro boxing career in 1990 and has put many miles on the tank, despite never being knocked out. Toney's signature win maybe when he TKO'd Evander Holyfield in 2003. From recent interviews it doesn't seem like Toney got in a real MMA camp or worked much on grappling in his preparation for the bout.

(James Toney Pictured)

Kenny Florian v. Gray Maynard- This fight will determine the number one contender in the lightweight division. Florian (13-4, 11-3 UFC) will look to use his excellent muay thai to work Maynards legs and keep distance. Florian has wins over Takanori Gomi, Clay Guida, Joe Stevenson and Joe Lauzon.

(Kenny Florian Pictured)

Maynard (9-0, 7-0 UFC) will likely look for the clinch and try to dirty box. If Maynard does try to use his wrestling offensively, he will run into a dangerous BJJ blackbelt off the ground. Florian also has solid elbows from the ground to damage Maynard. Maynard has career wins over Nate Diaz, Jim Miller, Roger Huerta and Frank Edgar.

(Gray Maynard punching Roger Huerta)

Demian Maia v. Mario Miranda- This battle of Brazilians will pit BJJ ace Demian Maia (12-2, 6-2 UFC) against solid wreslter Mario Miranda (10-1, 1-1 UFC). Maia will look to set up a takedown to get the fight to the ground where he has a distinct advantage. Look for Miranda to use his wrestling to defend takedowns and keep the fight standing.

Marcus Davis v. Nate Diaz- Hometown hero Marcus Davis (17-6, 9-4 UFC) will look to bring the fight to long and lanky TUF 5 winner Nate Diaz (12-5, 7-3 UFC). Davis, a former pro boxer himself, will look to close the distance and get inside on Diaz. Diaz meanwhile will look to stay on the outside peppering his jab from all angles. If Diaz gets the fight to the ground, expect him to transition to multiple submission attempts.

SPIKE PRELIM BOUTS

Joe Lauzon v. Gabe Ruediger
Nik Lentz v. Andre Winner

UNDERCARD - Quick bouts possibly air on delay

Dan Miller v. John Salter
Nick Osipczak v. Greg Soto
Amilcar Alves v. Mike Pierce

The below video features James Toney's boxing promoter Dan Goosen discussing James Toney v. Randy Couture.

TUF 10 - Big Country

The TUF 10 Finale produced some dramatic KO's and submission victories, a weird ending and an unlikely decision victory. The biggest winner was TUF 10 heavyweight champion Roy Nelson. The 263 pound former IFL Champion was matched up against former football star Brendan Schaub, who played at Colorado in college, Utah Blaze of the arena league and briefly for the Buffalo Bills.

Big Country came out to Weird Al's "I'm Fat" which is a parody of "I'm Bad" by Michael Jackson and let his belly do the talking in the ring. Brendan was the early aggressor, tagging Roy and forcing him to cover up and defend numerous punches. From there, Roy was able to get a takedown and nearly got the fight into his infamous crucifix position.

Brendan was able to scramble and get back to his feet. During the next exchange, Roy threw a massive overhand right that found its mark to Brendan's temple. Brendan crumpled to the canvas and Roy threw a couple follow-ups to seal the first round victory and TUF 10 crown.


In other action, Jon Jones looked athletic, fast and dominating in his performance against Matt Hamill. The extremely long limbed Jones threw front kicks, spinning kicks, and spinning back elbows from southpaw and traditional stances. Midway through the first, Jones nailed Hamill with a massive slam, possibly dislocating Hamill's shoulder.

With full mount, Jones threw wicked ground and pound with amazing quickness. Hamill managed to block many of the strikes with some sneaking threw before Jones threw a 12-6 straight up and down elbow that is illegal. The strike KO'd Hamill, and ref Steve Mazzagatti gave Hamill a DQ win.

Two former college wresting stand-outs Frank Edgar and Matt Veach put on an excellent show. Veach was able to land crowd pleasing slams and use his power. Unfortunately for Veach, eventually Edgar found his mark with right hand sending Veach to the canvas. From there, Edgar working a rear naked choke.

Kimbo Slice made a successful debut in one of the upsets on the card. Most hardcore fans such as myself thought that Houston Alexander and his nasty muay thai put him at a clear advantage. Alexander was circling and shuffling throughout the fight. There were moments of big action and exchanges, with Kimbo mostly finding his mark.

In the second round, Kimbo managed to get a decent slam takedown with good ground and pound. Kimbo continued his dominance in the round working his counter punches. Houston Alexander's best round was the third, where he was able to land some big kicks to Kimbo's legs, at one point knocking the former street brawler down. In the end, it was a unanimous decision for Kimbo.

In other action former NFL players and TUF 10 castmates Matt Mitrione and Marcus Jones did battle in their official UFC debut. Marcus Jones was able to land a big takedown early and batter Mitrione with ground and pound strikes. However, in the second round Mitrione landed a big right hand to floor Jones, whose striking game still needs work.


FULL RESULTS:

Roy Nelson def Brendan Schaub via KO (punch) R1, 3:45
Matt Hamill def Jon Jones via DQ (illegal elbow) R1, 4:14
Kimbo Slice def Houston Alexander via unanimous dec
Frankie Edgar def Matt Veach via sub (RNC) R2, 2:22
Matt Mitrione def Marcus Jones via KO (punches) R2, 0:10
James McSweeney def Darrill Schoonover via TKO (strikes) R3, 3:20
Jon Madsen def Justin Wren via split dec
Brian Stann def Rodney Wallace via unanimous dec
John Howard def Dennis Hallman via KO (punches) R3, 4:55
Mark Bocek def Joe Brammer via sub (RNC) R1, 3:36

*Dana White announced the coaches for TUF 11, Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz.

UFC: Silva Strikes Back

UFC's 3 hour broadcast of Ultimate Fight Night was also a fine fight card. Rory Markum pulled out one of the best high kicks in MMA history. CB Dollaway rebounded well as he pulled off the rare Peruvian Necktie submission. The main event also delivered, as Anderson Silva destroyed James Irvin.

Shannon Gugerty def. Dale Hartt via. Submission (Rear-naked choke) R1, 3:33
Brad Blackburn def. James Giboo via TKO (Strikes) R2, 2:29
Nate Loughran def. Johnny Rees via Submission (Triangle choke) R1, 4:21

Rory Markham def. Brodie Farber via KO (Head kick) R1, 1:37- Markum won the knock-out of the night on one of the best high kicks in UFC history. After being on the losing end of a few exchanges, Markum began backing up and eating two more shots. Then out of no-where he launched a high kick that struck Farber in the neck for the instant KO. After it landed, Markum walked away knowing his foe was out and the kick landed solid.

Timothy Credeur def. Cale Yarbrough via TKO (Punches) R1, 1:54- Credeur picked apart Yarbrough with punches, bullying Yarbrough for the win.

CB Dollaway def. Jesse Taylor via Submission (Peruvian neck tie) R1, 3:58- CB Dollaway was able to rebound from his TUF Finals loss. After a failed takedown, CB was able to get Taylor's back trying for a rear naked choke. Eventually, CB was able to get the unusual submission and Jesse was tapping. CB won the submission of the night bonus.

Kevin Burns def. Anthony Johnson via (TKO) R3, 3:35- Unfortunately, this fight ended the wrong way with Anthony Johnson losing via an inadvertent eye poke. In the replay, Burns finger clearly drove deep in Johnson's eye. Burns said he wanted to do the fight again. Apparently, Burns has broke the hand 3 times in 16 months and he only does palm strikes with that hand.

Cain Velasquez def. Jake O'Brien via TKO (Strikes) R1, 2:02- Valasquez was dominant in defending a takedown, getting the dominant position and raining down punches. He knocked O'Brien out.

Frank Edgar def Hermes Franca via Decision (Unanimous)- Edgar was able to win the take down battle for the victory. Edgar was also able to land effective elbow strikes which opened up a cut on Franca's eye. While Franca was able to attempt some submissions, he didn't quite have the energy to get one in the later rounds. One arm bar attempt looked close, but I don't think I'll ever see Edgar tap. He is a very tough customer.

Brandon Vera defReese Andy via Decision (Unanimous)- Vera's first cut to 205 didn't help his cardio. He lost quite a bit of steam quickly in the fight. Andy just didn't have the size or strength as he lost the unanimous decision.

Anderson Silva def James Irvin via KO (Punches) R1, 1:01- Silva punctuated the night with his absolute destruction of James Irvin. "Any little mistake and he makes you pay," stated commentator Joe Rogan.

Silva circled Irvin moving back and forth before shooting leg kicks. When Irvin threw a leg kick, Silva capitalized. He grabbed the leg and punched Irvin square in the face. While he was probably out cold then and there, Silva threw more punches before being pulled away.

In the post fight interview, Silva was very happy as he talked through an interpreter. He stated he would fight in either 185 or 205 pound divisions. In the end, Silva spoke in English thanking the crowd and dedicating the fight to his mom.

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

Who fights the winner of BJ Penn v. Sean Sherk?

Roger Huerta (20-1, 6-0 UFC) and Kenny Florian (9-4, 7-2 UFC) have emerged as the frontrunners in the 155 pound division. Florian has won four straight, all finishes, after his loss to Sean Sherk. Huerta has six straight victories, four ending by early stoppage. Huerta is coming off a battle with Clay Guida in which he may have been down the first two rounds. Huerta was eventually able to get the rear naked choke for the come from behind victory.

*Close behind would have to be Tyson Griffin (11-1, 4-1 UFC) who has three straight decision victories over quality competition.

*Nate Diaz (9-2, 4-0 UFC) needs to fight Tyson Griffin, Florian or Huerta as he is ready to fight the top tier competition. All his victories have come by submission.

*5'6" Frank Edgar (8-1, 3-1 UFC) may want to move to the 145 division after being bullied by Gray Maynard. The time is right for the UFC to start a 145 division bringing over Faber, Pulver and Garcia.

*Quietly, Matt Wiman (9-3, 3-1) has 3 straight victories in the UFC at 155.

*Gray Maynard (5-0, 3-0 UFC) looked dominant in his victory over then undefeated Frank Edgar. He looks bigger than many of his opponents, but needs to finish opponents.

*Gleison Tibau's (15-5, 4-2 UFC) recent loss Tyson Griffin puts him down the ladder.

UFC Best of 2007

Thoughts by the MMA Blaster

Many of the top fights and highlights of 2007 were shown last night throughout a 3 hour session. A pretty good show, even though certain fights I saw fairly recently. Some aspects of these fights have been blown out of porportion, and I hope to bring us all back to Earth.

Edgar v. Griffin- This was a legit top three in the fights of the year. Some of the best grappling was on display in this contest and it was close. However, Edgar was definately the guy who won the fight. The defining moment of the fight, and the point I realized Edgar was the real deal, was when Griffin sunk in a knee bar. Edgar remained composed, showed heart, never stopped, and then at the end punches Griffin's leg with authority. Both of these guys will fight for a title someday.

Huerta v. Garcia- This was a top two fight of the year. Huerta is the real deal, with his strikes getting the most of Garcia. Garcia has some serious moxy though and is the definition of a scapper. Garcia never stopped his offense and didn't let the beating stop him.

Shogun Rua v. Griffin- Rua fans, it is ok, he did not get completely dominated and this was actually a very good fight. Rua was able to get a takedown's, looked decent on his feet, and just got gassed. Why? Because he had a ligament tear suffered in training and probably didn't get enough cardio work in. When he is healed, I'm sure he will rebound and challenge for the title. The thing to say about Forrest is that he is the real deal and belongs among the top of the UFC 205 division and so does Jardine. This fight got pretty nasty when Shogun opened up a cut near Forrest's hairline, the blood did not phase Forrest.

Cro-Cop v. Gonzaga- The head kick against Cro-Cop was absolutely brutal. The angle of Cro-Cop's foot after the head kick looked alot worse than I remebered.

Salmon v. Evans- Another brutal head kick, perfectly executed. They didn't show the first round last night, but Salmon was winning that fight.

Fisher v. Stout 2- Not as exciting the second time around, Stout definately lost the fight despite getting a couple cuts.

Anderson Silva- Silva is the cream of the crop. If he is on his game he can beat you on his feet or on the ground. Marquard was able to get some takedowns, but took serious punishment from Silva. Franklin was destroyed in the rematch even though it was a better effort by Franklin.

Maynard v. Emerson- I still think that Maynard should have won that fight even though he may or may not have been knocked out. As soon as Emerson hits the mat he was tapping.

Houston Alexander- This guy is a beast and looks absolutley ripped for his fights. If he can develop a better ground game and try to stay off his back he still can be a force. If Alexander's knee connects to your face you will be seeing stars shortly.

Penn v. Pulver- Penn will dominate if he stays at 155. He looked leaner and in better shape for the fight and hammered Pulver. The rear naked choke at the end of the fight was held a touch too long, but I still don't believe it was malicious.

Kenny Florian- Great year for Florian with wins over Mishima (17-6), Alvin Robinson (7-2), and Din Thomas (20-7). All three of those fights was entertaining and he put forth a technical attack.

Rampage- This guy is going to be champ for a long time. While I have seen the replay of the Chuck KO a few times, I didn't remeber the commentary. Apparently Chuck was asking his corner what happened. Liddell did not have a good year (0-2, TKO win over Tito Ortiz 12/30/06).



UFC 145 Division- One thought while watching the program was man, the UFC really needs a 145 class. Really all they have to do is take the guys from the WEC, Urijah Faber, Jeff Curran, Jens Pulver, Cub Swanson not too tough. Leonard Garcia and some of the current UFC 155's could get to 145 and it is probably a more natural weight for them. With the amount of cards the UFC is putting out, they need some more talent.

UFC 78 Picks - Total Card

UFC 78 Picks, by the MMA Blaster

I have previously written about the top three fights in the blog. Instead of posting individually, I've decided to clump the rest together.

Bisping vs. Evans - Evans by Decision
Chonan vs. Parisyan - Parisyan by TKO rd 3
Lytle vs. Alves - Alves by decision

Silva vs. Alexander - Alexander by TKO rd 3- This is the toughest fight to call. It could go either way and the winner will instantly be a top 2-3 contender. I just have a feeling Alexander will continue the momentum and win in a brutal fashion. Thiago, out of team Chute Boxe, has some impressive wins over German Tomasz Drwal (14-2), James Irvin (12-4) and Vitor Vianna (7-1). Alexander has victories over Elite XC vet Jon Murphy (4-2), wins over UFC vets Alessio Sakara (11-5) and Keith Jardine (13-3).

Edgar vs. Fisher - Edgar by decision- This fight will be awesome, probably the fight of the night. I have a feeling that Edgar will pull it out. His gutzy performance against Tyson Griffin made me a huge fan. Fischer is no slouch and it could easily go either way.

Doerksen vs. Herman - Doerksen by ground and pound, rd 3 - Only reason I am giving it to Doerksen is the experience factor. Herman lost by triangle in the previous fight, and I am betting he will be game this time around. Herman is (2-2)in the UFC with two wins in a row. Doerksen is 1-3 in the UFC, last losing to Paulo Filho in the WEC.

Reinhardt vs. Lauzon - Lauzon by TKO, rd 2- Reinhard has mostly fought in smaller shows against, no offense to the Courage Fighting Championships, LOF, EC and KOTC. He has fought many fighters with sub 500 records and 0 fers. Lauzon has fought in the TUF tourney, KO'd Jens Pulver, and beat Brandon Melendez in the TUF finale. I see Lauzon imposing his will and ground and pounding a TKO in the second.

Caudillo vs. Aurelio - Aurelio sub rd 1 -this is by far the easiest fight to call on the card. I think the UFC is building Aurelio up for an eventual title shot.

Gono vs. McCrory - McCrory by decision- Gono has a huge experience edge, but my gut tells me that McCrory is the real deal and can pull this one off.