UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn II

Date: Aug 28, 2010
Location: Boston, Mass.

Venue: TD Garden

Broadcast: Pay-per-view and Spike TV

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)

Champ Frankie Edgar vs. B.J. Penn (for lightweight title)
Randy Couture vs. James Toney
Demian Maia vs. Mario Miranda
Kenny Florian vs. Gray Maynard
Marcus Davis vs. Nate Diaz

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)

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

PRELIMINARY CARD

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

Predictions

BJ Penn

Randy Couture

Demian Maia

Kenny Florian

Nate Diaz

Joe Lauzon

Andre Winner

Dan Miller

Nick Osipczak

Mike Pierce

Event Summary

When I heard the UFC was going to Boston. I thought the company would pull out all the stops the make sure New England was getting a great event. Well, not only is Boston getting one of the most highly anticipated rematches of the year. They get a first of it's kind...MMA Legend vs. Boxing Legend match up in Randy "The Natural" against Michigan's own James "Lights Out" Toney. Even more, the UFC is holding it's second Fan Expo of the year right in President Dana White's backyard. There will almost 100 UFC star's from the past and present in attendance this weekend.

The Main Event pitts two of the best Lightweight fighters against each other for the second time this year. In April, Frankie Edgar pulled off the biggest upset of the year when he defeated BJ Penn by unanimous decision after 5 rounds at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi. Penn has since said he had a sinus infection during that bout and has vowed to win back his Title. I believe BJ Penn will be able to take his Championship back but it certainly won't be easy. Frankie Edgar is a new breed of MMA fighter who comes from Wrestling and has been able to round out his skills with outstanding boxing and superior speed. Will it be enough for Frankie to retain his Title or will Penn erase the memory of his recent defeat?

The Boxing vs. MMA debate has long been discussed among the fans on MMA forms across the Internet for years. Now, we will get to see a real (although fading) Boxer against one of the most decorated Champions in the history of the UFC. The co-Main Event features Randy Couture vs. James Toney and believe me when I say...there will be fireworks! I think Randy is going to play this one smart, takes Toney down and introduces him to the wonderful world of Ground and Pound. Although there have been Boxers in MMA before. No one with name as high as Toney as ever attempted to step into the Octagon. And for good reason too. "Lights Out" has talked a ton of trash leading up to this contest and has even said he would knock out Dana White if given the chance. That tells me, Toney does not respect the sport of MMA or even the UFC for that matter. And so, for that, he shall pay dearly.

A late addition to the card is Demian Maia vs. Mario Maranda. Maia should be able to work his excellent Jui-Jitsu to his favor and end this fight before the end of three rounds. Maranda is no pushover as his record stands at 10-1 and has ended 80% of his fights. Maia was set to face rising Middleweight Alan Belcher in September but Belcher had to pull out with a devastating eye injury that occurred during training in Brazil. The change of timing could have a negative effect on Maia more so than Maranda but I think Maia's experience will prevail and take home the victory.

In what I think will be the Fight of the Night this Saturday. Boston's Kenny Florian faces Michigan State's Gray Maynard. I am only picking Florian because I am a Wolverine fan. No, no...that wouldn't be right. This bout is honestly a hard one to pick. Florian and Maynard match up very well and the winner has been promised a title shot at the winner of the Edgar vs. Penn fight. Gray has great boxing and moves in and out very, very well. He also has the bonus of being an All-American wrestler. I just think Kenny's Muay Thai, BJJ and Boxing will to much for Maynard to overcome. This one has the makings of a great show. Florian has fought for the 155 title twice already. Will the third time be the charm?

Rounding out the main card is New England's Marcus Davis vs. Nathan Diaz. This fight will probably end up being all over the place. Both are outstanding Boxers (Davis has fought as a Pro before). Both are very well versed on the ground (66% of Diaz's wins have come by submission). As always, it will come down to who is the better Fighter that night. I'm picking Nate because I know he'll be smart enough to stay on the outside and pick his shots. If it goes to the ground, he has a better chance of winning there than Davis by far. Davis tends to get into wars of attrition and usually lands a shot that sets up his way to victory. I just don't think it will come against the former Ultimate Fighter Champion. Diaz by submission. That said, this one could also steal the show before the Main Event starts.

Don't miss this Event on Saturday night. I made my pick's. Who you got?

Cheers!!!

David Doig

UFC 117: Silva vs. Sonnen
Date: Aug 07, 2010
Location: Oakland, Calif.
Venue: Oracle Arena
Broadcast: Pay-per-view

MAIN CARD

Anderson Silva def. Chael Sonnen via submission (triangle choke) - Round 5, 3:10 (retains middleweight title)
Jon Fitch def. Thiago Alves via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Clay Guida def. Rafael dos Anjos via submission (injury) - Round 3, 1:51
Matt Hughes def. Ricardo Almeida via submission (modified arm-triangle choke) - Round 1, 3:15
Junior Dos Santos def. Roy Nelson via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)

PRELIMINARY CARD

Rick Story def. Dustin Hazelett via TKO (punches) - Round 2, 1:15
Phil Davis def. Rodney Wallace via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Johny Hendricks def. Charlie Brenneman via TKO (punches) - Round 2, 0:40
Tim Boetsch def. Todd Brown via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Stefan Struve def. Christian Morecraft via TKO (punches) - Round 2, 0:22
Dennis Hallman def. Ben Saunders via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)

Overview

Anderson showed exactly why he is the best in the world. Silva got completly dominated by Chael Sonnen for 4 and a half rounds during their Middleweight title fight on Saturday night. Chael was winning in every aspect of the game the whole fight then, with less than 2 mintues to go in the fifth and final round. Out of nowhere, Anderson Silva slapped on a tight triangle choke with his legs. Chael tried with all his might to get out of the choke but to no avail. Sonnen tapped out and conceeded victory to the Champion. It was truly unbelievable. It even took the offical's looking at the replay to truly determine what exactly happen so quickly. The replays were conclusive and the victory was awarded to Anderson Silva. He is now a perfect 12-0 in the UFC, a feat no one else has been abled to do. He has also finished 9 of those 12 fights as well. Hard to argue that he isn't the best fighter in all of MMA right now.

While a rematch with Sonnen could be in order for Silva. There plenty of challengers left for him at 185 lbs. to match up against like Vitor Belfort, Yushin Okami, Alan Belcher and Wanderlei Silva. Personally, I want to see Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort in November or December.

Jon Fitch cemented himself as the #1 contender in the Welterweight divison again by defeating Thiago Alves via unamious decision. It was a solid performance against one of the top WW's in the game and Fitch controlled every minute of it. Fitch not lost since his last fight against Champion Georges St. Pierre which was two years ago. With his American Kickboxing Academy teammate Josh Koscheck set to face St. Pierre in December. Fitch's next move is uncertain. He has gone on record that he will move up to 185 if Koscheck defeats St. Pierre.

Clay Guida show us why he is one the best Lightweight fighter's in the game today. You can punch, kick, grapple, whatever you want to do to this guy and he'll come back stronger every time. Guida survived a high paced attack by Rafeal dos Anjos in the first round and wore him down until he could go no more. Guida broke dos Anjos's jaw sometime during the first round. In the thrid, Guida took his opponent down against the fence. As Guida tried to apply a submission hold, dos Anjos quickly tapped as Guida's shoulder was pressed against his jaw. Guida will probably face the loser of Kenny Florian vs. Gray Maynard which takes place later this month at UFC 118 in Boston.

UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes added another Gracie product to his list as he defeated Ricardo Almeida with a modified arm-triangle choke in Round 1. After a feeling out process and breif exchange on the feet by both. Hughes landed a hard punch on Almeida's chin that sent him to the canvas. Hughes quicly follow him to the mat and locked up "an old wreslting move" and put Almeida to sleep. He is 4-0 against fighter's from the famed Gracie camp. Hughes has said he wants to take the Fall off and should return to the Octagon sometime in early 2011.

In a bout that would determine who will face the winner of Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Valesquez next year. Junior Do Santos out struck and out lasted veteran Roy Nelson over the course of three rounds. Cigano used his superior boxing skills and gave Big Country all he could handle. In the end, it was clear who the winner would be. To his credit, Nelson took and gave a lot of shots back but in the end. Dos Santos won every round and is now 6-0 in the UFC and in line for a title shot.

Overall, I went 10-1 on my picks for this Event. I am thinking about placing some bets on-line because I have done so well over the last two PPV's. MMA is not an easy sport to pick winner's on. Next up...UFC 118 on 8/28/2010 from Boston, MA.

UFC 117: Silva vs. Sonnen
Date: August 7, 2010
Location: Oakland, Calif.
Venue: Oracle Arena
Broadcast: Pay-per-view, 10 PM EST.

MAIN CARD

Champ Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen (for middleweight title)
Thiago Alves vs. Jon Fitch
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Clay Guida
Ricardo Almeida vs. Matt Hughes
Junior Dos Santos vs. Roy Nelson

PRELIMINARY CARD

Dustin Hazelett vs. Rick Story
Phil Davis vs. Rodney Wallace
Tim Boetsch vs. Todd Brown
Charlie Brenneman vs. Johny Hendricks
Christian Morecraft vs. Stefan Struve
Dennis Hallman vs. Ben Saunders

MY PICKS

Anderson Silva
Jon Fitch
Clay Guida
Junior Dos Santos
Matt Hughes
Rick Story
Phil Davis
Tim Boetsch
Johny Hendricks
Stefen Struve
Ben Saunders

I am really looking forward to Saturday night (as always). But this one a special. Chael Sonnen has been throwing around insults towards anyone he feels obligated to. Lance Armstrong was recently one of his victims. But he mostly has focused his taunts towards the UFC 185 lb. Champion Anderson Silva, who is also widely considered the Pound for Pound best MMA fighter today. Probably not the best idea to do so but it will ensure Chael that Anderson will come ready to fight at his very best.

Since Sonnen is a wrestler at heart and will do everything in his power to bring the fight to the floor. I believe this strategy will play right to Silva's web of limitless tools. Chael is going to be up close and personal with Silva that is not where you want to be. I believe Sonnen will get caught with a knee to the face at some point and get knocked out cold.

Matt Hughes vs. Ricardo Almeida is a great fight. Almeida asked UFC matchmaker Joe Silva for this fight right after his mentor Renzo Gracie was defeated by Hughes in April. Hughes also holds a victory over MMA legend Royce Gracie and also defeated Almeida himself via submission at an Abu Dahbi Combat Club event about ten years a go. That event was a submission grappling tournament and is still considered the highest event of it's kind in the world of Jui-Jitsu and/or submission grappling.

I think Matt Hughes is going bring the fight to Almeida and eventually take it the the floor. That is where Hughes is most effective and should be able to win the fight. He can either control the whole fight due to his wrestling ability or get a TKO stoppage victory if Ricardo does not fight well enough to reverse the tide.

I am picking Jon Fitch over Thiago Alves because I think Fitch going to do everything he can to get another shot at UFC 170 lb. Champion Georges St. Pierre. He also holds a victory over Alves via TKO in 2006. Alot has changed since then and now the two will compete for the #1 contender slot to see who goes against the winner of St. Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck. Alves is as dangerous as they come with his high powered striking attack and could knockout Jon Fitch is he isn't careful. Fitch is known as "a grinder" and can dictate where this fight goes if he can stick to his game plan.

Lastly, the fight between Junior Dos Santos vs. Roy Nelson will determine who will get to face the winner of UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar and #1 contender Cain Valasquez who will fight for the Title in October. Dos Santos probably has the best boxing in the Heavyweight divison right now. He has also finished all 5 of his opponent's in the Octagon thus far. In Nelson, he faces a former IFL Champion, a former TUF Champion and a guy who has fought and trained with some of the best in the business. I still like Dos Santos because he can end a fight at any moment with all his power. He just better be careful not to get taken to the ground and get caught under a man like Roy Nelson. If he does, I believe he could reverse the situation given his knowledge from training with Antonio Rodrigo Minotauro Nogueira, who knows a thing or six about getting out of bad postions.

This fight card has a lot of great fighter's on it and should make for a great event. It'll be hard to top UFC 116, which was a best card in all of MMA this year so far. It's like the old saying goes...Anything can happen. Cheers!

UFC on Versus 2: Jones vs. Matyushenko
Date: Aug 01, 2010
Location: San Diego, Calif.

Venue: San Diego Sports Arena

Broadcast: Versus



MAIN CARD


Jon Jones def. Vladimir Matyushenko via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 1:52
Yushin Okami def. Mark Munoz via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Jake Ellenberger def. John Howard via TKO (eye injury) - Round 3, 2:21
Takanori Gomi def. Tyson Griffin via KO (punch) - Round 1, 1:04



PRELIMINARY CARD


Jacob Volkmann def. Paul Kelly via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Matt Riddle def. DaMarques Johnson via TKO - Round 2, 4:29
Igor Pokrajac def. James Irvin via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 2:29
Brian Stann def. Mike Massenzio via submission (triangle choke) - Round 3, 3:10
Charles Oliveira def. Darren Elkins via submission (armbar) - Round 1, 0:41
Rob Kimmons def. Steve Steinbeiss via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)



Overall, I thought this turned out to be a great card from what we saw on television. Jon "Bones" Jones put on a dominant display of abilitly to overcome an opponent with over 3 times his experience in Valdimir Matyushenko. Jones quickly took the fight to the floor after a small feeling out process on the feet. He landed in side control and moved into the cruifix position almost imidiately. As Bones rained down about 10 elbows on an undefending Janitor's face. Referee Herb Dean called a stop to an otherwise short and impressive performance by Jon Jones. UFC President Dana White said Jones could fight a top 8 ranked opponent next. I think it'll be the winner of Antonio Rogerio Minotoro Nogueira vs. Ryan "Darth" Bader or former UFC Middleweight Champion and 205 lb. contender Rich "Ace" Franklin.



Yushin Okami show exactly why he is one of the hardest fighters to finish in the UFC. Okami was able to use his underrated grappling skills to stuff every one of Munzo's takedown attempt's and out boxed him for three full rounds. The fight was offically won via Split Decision but even the hometown San Diego crowd who backed Munoz knew Okami won that fight outright.



Jake Ellenberger and John Howard put on a Fight of the Night worhy performance even though they did not win it. That honor went to "All-American" Brian Stann and Mike Massenzio for their all out unaired pre-lim war. Ellenberger was able to used a superior ground game and basically pound Howard's face until the Doctor had seen enough mid-way through the third round. To his credit, Howard had Ellenberger in trouble a couple times throwing vicious shots throughout the bout. But, Jake had the last laugh and picked up the "W".



Takanori The Fireball Kid" Gomi silenced all his critic's (at least for a bit) and picked up his first win in the UFC with knockout victory over Extreme Couture's Tyson Griffin. It was quick and only last about 66 seconds but Gomi showed us all that he still has what it takes when he takes his fight's seriously. I think we'll see him fight against the winner of Melvin Gulliard vs. Jermey Stephens at UFC 119 in September. That one should be fireworks!!!



Next UFC event...UFC 117: Silva vs. Sonnen on Saturday August 7th on Pay-Per View at 10 PM EST. I will post my picks over the next day or so.

WXC: A Night of True Champions
Yack Arena – Wyandotte, MI.
7/24/2010

Trombley, Gautner and Woodford impress in Title bout wins

Lee Trombley has overcome a lot of hardship to get to this point in his MMA career. He sacrifices time between a sport he loves, his day job and his loving wife Stephanie. He travels over 60 miles round trip to train with his teammates at 360 MMA in Toledo from his home in Ann Arbor three to four times a week. Lee also recently overcame a broken hand suffered in his last bout against the hard hitting Jon Green. On Saturday July 24th, it all came together for Mr. Trombley as he knocked out Kalamazoo’s Matt Stringham in the first round of their Light-Heavyweight title bout. Trombley dominated the fight with a strong kickboxing attack and finished the fight after a hard right cross put Stringham down for good. In a scene similar to a Rocky film, Mrs. Trombley leaped into her Husband’s arms after his victory and held on to her love as if were the last time they embraced. It was quite a moment to say the least. Trombley and Green are expected to meet again at a future WXC event on August 28th in Monroe.

Taylor’s Will Woodford wasted no time in getting what he wanted to get done. Woodford blitzed Mickey Marshank of Westland with an all out attack in their Lightweight Championship bout. It took Woodford all of 23 seconds to claim his prize as Referee Danny MacIntire stopped the fight via TKO and saved Marshank from any serious damage.

Gary Conradson and Billy Ward both put in a workman like effort in their Welterweight title fight. It was a close fight going into the final frame. The two had gone back and forth dishing out all that they could give. In the end, it was Conradson who gained the most points and took home the 170 lb Championship. Judges Rob Taylor, David Chambers and Phil Sindone scored the bout 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27. Conradson has proven to be a hard fight for anyone who wants to step in the cage against him in this category. His record now stands at 6-1.

The Fight of the Night went to two outstanding competitors in Belleville’s Mike Gautner and Eddie Tamez of Portage. The two fought tooth and nail for almost two rounds. Gautner got the better of the action and was able to secure the TKO victory due to strikes at 2:50 of the second. Referee Jake Short and Master of Ceremonies Pete Trevino both urged the crowd rise to their feet and give the two a much deserved standing ovation. It happened within seconds of the fight being over and rightfully so. Gautner also won the WXC Flyweight title in the process.

The Yack Arena crowd also witnessed the first event dubbed Tap Team MMA in WXC history. In what can only be described as a frantic paced bout that left all 4 fighters and the crowd hanging on to hear the final result. It was a complete success. Team Tubbs (Darryl Childs and Eric Burress) defeated Team Demolition (Tyler Pittock and Ben Mason) after 3 rounds. The first round saw Burress get the better of Pittock, earning Team Tubbs 10 points to 9. The second round was more higher paced as Mason submitted to Childs via guillotine choke giving Team Tubbs two extra points. Tyler Pittock then entered the cage against Childs to finish out the round. The scores stood at 22-18. The third frame started out with a bang as Burress finished Mason with punches and got the TKO stoppage in less than one minute. Enter Tyler Pittock again, the feared striker and Burress battled for position early. After a few exchanges, Pittock put Burress on his back and went for a ground and pound attack. Pittock got the stoppage and earned his team two points but it was too little to late as Childs lasted the rest of the round. The crowd roared at the conclusion of the contest clearly wondering what the final result would be. Team Tubbs of Detroit won the first event of its kind in the WXC by a score of 35 to 29. Individual round scores were 10-9, 12-9 and 13-11. Promoter Jeff Pittock, MC Pete Trevino and Match-Maker Dave Chambers have since gotten many offers from fighters who want to try their hand at Tap Team MMA.

Tray Suthers of Team Tubbs gave notice to the rest of the Lightweight division that he is here to stay. Suthers knocked out Nate Ellison in the second round of a hotly contest affair. Tray was able to use a strong wrestling base and solid submission defense to keep a game Ellison at bay. During a scramble in round two, Suthers connected on a solid overhand right with Ellison in guard position. Suthers could possibly fight Woodford in the future with another win or two.

Jared Pieknic of Westland won Submission of the Night honors for his slick guillotine submission choke victory over Monroe’s Will Jones. Pieknic now has a record of 6-1 and could possibly contest for a 135 lb. title shot with another win.

It was another excellent night of fights that also featured two WMMA bouts. Monroe’s Kathleen Albany defeated Detroit’s Melissa Griffith via TKO. Tashia Moore of Flint defeated Torrie Music of Monroe via rear-naked choke.

The WXC is quickly becoming the premier Amateur MMA event to see in the State of Michigan. Their next event is set for Saturday August 7th at Michigan Elite MMA in Dearborn Heights, Michigan.


Quick Results

Andrew Evans def. Matt Bomia via submission (arm triangle) – RD 1, 2:18
Shawn Dunn def. Rob Ray via TKO (strikes) – RD 1, 0:21
Bill Peltier def. Mike Synder via submission (rear-naked choke) – RD 1, 1:06
Pat McGauley def. Mike Raines via submission (guillotine choke) – RD 1, 1:19
Eric Salazar def. Don Trout via submission (guillotine choke) – RD 1, 1:10
Doug Rehan def. Brett Coleman via submission (rear-naked choke) – RD 2, 1:32
Kathleen Albany def. Melissa Griffith via TKO (strikes) – RD 1, 0:27
LaBron Oldham def. Brandon Labign via submission (rear-naked choke) – RD 1, 0:27
Bobby Tucker def. Antoine Blass via submission (rear-naked choke) – RD 3, 0:23
Mike Flores def. Calvin Porter via unanimous decision after 3 rounds
Doug Babler def. Justin Walls via submission (rear-naked choke) – RD 2, 0:45
Tray Suthers def. Nate Ellsion via knockout (punch) – RD 2, 1:55
Jared Pieknic def. Will Jones via submission (rear-naked choke) – RD 1, 1:19
Special Feature Tag Team MMA match – Team Tubbs def. Team Demolition via points, 35 to 29 (RD 1 10-9, RD 2 12-9 and RD 3 13-11)
Tashia Moore def. Torrie Music via submission (rear-naked choke) – RD 2, 2:20
Joe Caudill def. Darnell Rowebee via unanimous decision after 3 rounds
Will Woodford def. Mickey Marshank via TKO (punches) – RD 1, 0:23 (wins WXC Lightweight title)
Mike Gautner def. Eddie Tamez via TKO (punches) – RD 2, 2:50 (wins WXC Flyweight title)
Gary Conradson def. Billy Ward via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 and 29-28), wins WXC Welterweight title
Lee Trombley def. Matt Stringham via knockout (punch) – RD 1, 2:17 (wins WXC Light-Heavyweight title)

Fight Night Awards

Submission of the Night = Jared Pieknic

Knockout of the Night #1 = Tray Suthers

Knockout of the Night #2 = Lee Trombley

Fight of the Night = Mike Guatner vs. Eddie Tamez


Written by David Doig…feel free to contact David at ddoig@heritage.com