UFC 57 - Liddell vs. Couture

[Cyclone792]

No idea if anyone else on RZ checks out the UFC, but here's my rough guesses of how the card shapes up ...

Liddell over Couture (I want Randy to win, but don't think he will)
Mir over Cruz (only Andrei can stop Frank)
Sobral over Van Arsdale
Sakara over Sinosic
Vera over Eilers
Buentello over Aldana
Monson over Lee Hinkle
Riggs over Diaz
Jardine over Whitehead

I guess we'll see if I should have spent some time and cash on these picks in Vegas ...

[TeamSelig]

For some reason I thought Hughes and Gracie were fighting on this card.... when are they fighting, do you know?

[Cyclone792]

Hughes vs. Gracie is in May. I'm not sure the exact date, or if the exact date's even been scheduled, but it will be sometime in May.

[Big Donkey]

Wow, awesome to see at least a couple more MMA fans on board here. I was considering posting something about UFC or Pride sometime when I got a chance, myself; thanks for posting this, Cyclone. MMA is one of my most passionate sports subjects, right there behind Reds baseball and UK basketball, no matter how bad they look these days. I may be looking into a journalistic opportunity within the sport now, actually.

Anyway, regarding UFC 57, I will offer my picks up as well.

Couture over Liddell - I'm going with my gut on this one, Couture is also my all-time favorite fighter, and everytime it seems like he's a heavy underdog, he comes with his best. I'm not sure he would have lost last time to Chuck, at least the way he did, if it were not for the infamous thumb to the eye (though I am not suggesting it was intentional). Randy has never blamed the loss on the thumb, but he said it made him, for probably the first and only time ever, divert from his gameplan as he got fired up about getting thumbed and went right after Chuck, and caught the right hand on the chin. I expect a much closer fight than either of the first two, and I like Randy's chances.

Mir over Cruz - Agreed that only Arlovski can stop Mir among UFC's heavyweights, and likewise, Mir is the only who has a chance at stopping Arlovski, at least at this point. Cruz is still a bit of an unknown to a lot of MMA fans, but he's an incredible grappling and submission specialist, and it could be closer than many expect, but I'd still pick Mir in his comeback fight.

Sobral over Van Arsdale - Agreed on this, though I put this in the same category as Mir-Cruz, I think a lot of people expect Babalu to walk over Van Arsdale, and I think it'll be a much closer fight than that. Van Arsdale, pound for pound, could be the second or third best pure wrestler in UFC, right there behind Hughes and maybe Couture.

Sakara over Sinosic - Agreed here. Sinosic seems to be in a "gatekeeper" role, where they will see how some of the newer talent stacks up against him. Sakara is a great striker, and could be the future at 205 for UFC.

Vera over Eilers - Agreed here as well. Vera also looks like one of the brightest spots for UFC among future stars, much like Sakara. I think Vera will stay at heavyweight probably, seeing as how it's fairly thin there, but he might be better suited at 205.

Buentello over Aldana - Expect a total slugfest here, could end any second by either guy, but I think Buentello has the edge, Aldana doesn't seem too refined in his skills, not that it matters TOO much in a total slugfest.

Monson over Hinkle - Monson gets another crack at UFC, finally. One of the best pure submission heavyweights there is, he's in the same mold as the aforementioned "Pe De Pano" Marcio Cruz. Hinkle's a tough ground-n-pounder in that Coleman and Randleman mode, but I think Monson will beat him. Could be a real close one, maybe a decision.

Diaz over Riggs - I think this is just the second one I disagree with Cyclone on... though Riggs is a monster at 170, Diaz holds his own in striking and is one of the slickest there is on the ground at Gracie jiu jitsu. Should be one of the most competitive, but I like Diaz by sub.

Jardine over Whitehead - Still not clear if this fight is at heavyweight or light heavyweight; I've heard both and would be shocked if Whitehead can cut to light heavyweight. I wouldn't expect him to win over Jardine at all at 205, but at heavyweight, he would have a better chance. Either way, I'll pick Jardine in the battle of what was SUPPOSED to be the two best guys at heavyweight on the show, The Ultimate Fighter.

This is a real interesting lineup, and tough to call which ones exactly will air live and which will be prelims that air as time allows. I would venture that the five airing live are Vera-Eilers, Babalu-Van Arsdale, Mir-Cruz as the semi main event, Diaz-Riggs as the swing fight between the two main events, and obviously Liddell-Couture on top.

Haha, on your Vegas note, I've actually considered putting money on some of these picks, just because I've had great success just at picking some recent ones that would have brought good amounts of money - most notably, Georges St. Pierre over Frank Trigg at UFC 54 (a sure bet I thought though Trigg was favored) and more recently, Josh Burkman over Drew Fickett at the last Spike TV special a couple weeks ago. I don't think I have any underdogs in my picks but Randy though... Whitehead should be favored over Jardine if that fight is at heavyweight, and Riggs might be favored over Diaz by now (I think it opened even).

[Cyclone792]

I've got a couple friends that are crazy about MMA, and one of them has even taken it to a level that he now trains at Jorge Gurgel's jiu jitsu gym in Middletown.

In fact, just a couple months ago he actually got a chance to roll with Joe Riggs at the gym. I remember him calling me up and saying, "Yea, Jorge has us all in a small circle just discussing technique and there maybe only eight guys there. I look around the circle and sitting next to me are Tim Sylvia, Brad Imes and Joe Riggs!"

The Cincy area is also really starting to become an MMA hotbed, due in large part to Gurgel's gym. Rich Franklin also trains there, and the "mad scientist" Billy Rush is based out of this area. Since Gurgel is mostly at the Middletown gym, quite a few big name MMA fighters come to Cincy to train from time to time. Kerry Schall also runs International Combat Events (ICE) at Metropolis in Cincinnati Mills.

If you're looking into MMA journalism, now's the time to do it. You probably realize that most MMA journalism so far ... isn't the best quality. As it becomes more mainstream the writing quality will improve, but if you've got more writing talent than most of the current writers then you're a notch ahead.

[Cyclone792]

MMAWeekly.com has learned the official fight order for tomorrow night's show.

Prelim Fights according to MMAWeekly.com
- Mike Whitehead vs Keith Jardine
- Jeff Monson vs Brandon Lee Hinkle
- Paul Buentello vs Gilbert Aldana
- Elvis Sinosic vs Sakara

MAIN CARD
- Joe Riggs vs Nick Diaz
- Babalu vs Mike Van Arsdale
- Frank Mir vs Pay De Pano
- Brandon Vera vs Justin Eilers (Swing Fight)
- Chuck Liddell vs Randy Couture

Very happy to see the Riggs/Diaz fight on the main card. I'd also love to see the Jardine/Whitehead fight, but that would likely require some of the main card bouts to end quickly.

[Big Donkey]

Originally Posted by Cyclone792

I've got a couple friends that are crazy about MMA, and one of them has even taken it to a level that he now trains at Jorge Gurgel's jiu jitsu gym in Middletown.

In fact, just a couple months ago he actually got a chance to roll with Joe Riggs at the gym. I remember him calling me up and saying, "Yea, Jorge has us all in a small circle just discussing technique and there maybe only eight guys there. I look around the circle and sitting next to me are Tim Sylvia, Brad Imes and Joe Riggs!"

The Cincy area is also really starting to become an MMA hotbed, due in large part to Gurgel's gym. Rich Franklin also trains there, and the "mad scientist" Billy Rush is based out of this area. Since Gurgel is mostly at the Middletown gym, quite a few big name MMA fighters come to Cincy to train from time to time. Kerry Schall also runs International Combat Events (ICE) at Metropolis in Cincinnati Mills.

If you're looking into MMA journalism, now's the time to do it. You probably realize that most MMA journalism so far ... isn't the best quality. As it becomes more mainstream the writing quality will improve, but if you've got more writing talent than most of the current writers then you're a notch ahead.

Haha, it's funny you mention Gurgel's gym, I actually had an invitation to go there from one of the trainers to roll, but never have had a chance to do it. I chatted with a guy there for a while and they have some full-on MMA classes at a very reasonable rate... I might at some point, I've done a little with muay thai and BJJ before, and if nothing else, it's an exciting way to stay in shape. It's hard to not get in a rut when doing workouts the "regular" way, though I'd like to think I am pretty good about staying dedicated. This would make that a complete non-issue though.

Yeah, I hear Billy Rush stays that way a lot of time, and Imes did most of his training for that Ultimate Fighter finale fight at Gurgel's if I recall correctly. Sylvia's been spending a lot of time there for a Miletich fighter, and I've heard about Riggs being there too.

I've heard about those ICE shows for a while that Schall runs, and have been interested in checking one out sometime. The Metropolis they run at is actually a club inside of the mall, right?

I would definitely agree that it's blowing up, particularly around here, just by the increased class offerings at Jorge's gym. There's a lot more options than there used to be. And, yeah, you're right on the level of journalism. There's maybe a couple places with quite reputable writers and pieces going out, but a good chunk of it is garbage to say the least. The radio aspect of MMA coverage is starting to get a lot of steam as well, I've noticed.

[Big Donkey]

Originally Posted by Cyclone792

MMAWeekly.com has learned the official fight order for tomorrow night's show.

Prelim Fights according to MMAWeekly.com
- Mike Whitehead vs Keith Jardine
- Jeff Monson vs Brandon Lee Hinkle
- Paul Buentello vs Gilbert Aldana
- Elvis Sinosic vs Sakara

MAIN CARD
- Joe Riggs vs Nick Diaz
- Babalu vs Mike Van Arsdale
- Frank Mir vs Pay De Pano
- Brandon Vera vs Justin Eilers (Swing Fight)
- Chuck Liddell vs Randy Couture

Very happy to see the Riggs/Diaz fight on the main card. I'd also love to see the Jardine/Whitehead fight, but that would likely require some of the main card bouts to end quickly.

Cool, thanks for the fight order. Pretty much what I expected. There may need to be some quick decisions on the main card if you wanna see Jardine-Whitehead. I suppose it could be the second most prioritized fight to get on air if they have time, I'd expect Sakara-Sinosic to be the first one they show if they have time. Buentello is coming off a main event at UFC 55 (which he had no business being in, he was building a decent name and got rushed) and since he still has a future ahead, I could see his fight being next to get on if he wins over Aldana. I'm just curious where the Jardine-Whitehead fight takes place at as far as weight, there's been a lot of confusion on it.

[M2]

Grabbing Diaz is like trying to hug cooked spaghetti. He slithers out of everything.

I've caught some UFC fights in recent months on Spike. The fight that has me real interested in Rich Franklin vs. David Loiseau, which I think is the headliner for the next PPV.

[Big Donkey]

Originally Posted by M2

Grabbing Diaz is like trying to hug cooked spaghetti. He slithers out of everything.

I've caught some UFC fights in recent months on Spike. The fight that has me real interested in Rich Franklin vs. David Loiseau, which I think is the headliner for the next PPV.

Haha, very true on Diaz. If you saw the Diaz-Sanchez live fight on Spike, that was absolutely one of the best ground wars I've ever seen, and the kind of fight I am hoping gets the casual fans more interested in ground aspects of MMA rather than just slugfests. Slugfests are cool, don't get me wrong; just saying I would rather MMA not go the way where a good technical battle is getting "boring" chants from guys only there to see bloodspill.

Rich Franklin vs. David Loiseau is going to be awesome, I am very much anticipating that one myself. And you're right, it headlines UFC 58 March 4th, which is an all US vs. Canada themed card. Semi main event is an INCREDIBLE match on paper between BJ Penn and Georges St. Pierre... winner would fight Matt Hughes almost assuredly.

[Cyclone792]

Originally Posted by Big Donkey

Haha, it's funny you mention Gurgel's gym, I actually had an invitation to go there from one of the trainers to roll, but never have had a chance to do it. I chatted with a guy there for a while and they have some full-on MMA classes at a very reasonable rate... I might at some point, I've done a little with muay thai and BJJ before, and if nothing else, it's an exciting way to stay in shape. It's hard to not get in a rut when doing workouts the "regular" way, though I'd like to think I am pretty good about staying dedicated. This would make that a complete non-issue though.

Yeah, I hear Billy Rush stays that way a lot of time, and Imes did most of his training for that Ultimate Fighter finale fight at Gurgel's if I recall correctly. Sylvia's been spending a lot of time there for a Miletich fighter, and I've heard about Riggs being there too.

IIRC, my buddy just walked in and checked the place out. He may have called ahead of time, but he was just basically a random guy off the street in their eyes. Heck, he's been going up there for maybe six months now and loves it, though he wasn't happy when a bunch of us got together for a football game last fall and broke his ribs since he missed more than a month at the gym due to that.

Originally Posted by Big Donkey

I've heard about those ICE shows for a while that Schall runs, and have been interested in checking one out sometime. The Metropolis they run at is actually a club inside of the mall, right?

Yep, they do have an outside entrance that I always use and it's on the north side of the mall near the parking garage. It's a bit pricey as you might have to drop close to $30 to get in the door and spend even more to get a good seat, but if you love MMA it's at least worth checking out once. The only downside is since a lot of the fighters are amateur fighters the bouts are a bit one-sided. Most fights end just a minute or two into the first round with one guy just destroying another, but there also have been some amazing, lengthy fights.

Originally Posted by M2

Grabbing Diaz is like trying to hug cooked spaghetti. He slithers out of everything.

I've caught some UFC fights in recent months on Spike. The fight that has me real interested in Rich Franklin vs. David Loiseau, which I think is the headliner for the next PPV.

Yep, Franklin vs. Loiseau for the MW Belt in about a month. If Franklin can avoid getting cut open above the eye by one of Loiseau's elbows then I think he'll come out hanging onto his belt, but as always anything can happen.

With the PPVs, usually about a half dozen guys and I get together to catch them and split up the costs so it's economical for us. Some sportsbars also pick up the PPVs in case you're close to any ...

http://joehandpromotions.com/locations.html

[Cyclone792]

Originally Posted by Big Donkey

Rich Franklin vs. David Loiseau is going to be awesome, I am very much anticipating that one myself. And you're right, it headlines UFC 58 March 4th, which is an all US vs. Canada themed card. Semi main event is an INCREDIBLE match on paper between BJ Penn and Georges St. Pierre... winner would fight Matt Hughes almost assuredly.

Penn vs. St. Pierre could be one of the top fights of the year and is one of the fights I'm definitely looking forward to. It's an incredible match, as you say, and has serious potential for an amazing fight.

[Cyclone792]

Originally Posted by Cyclone792

No idea if anyone else on RZ checks out the UFC, but here's my rough guesses of how the card shapes up ...

Liddell over Couture (I want Randy to win, but don't think he will)
Mir over Cruz (only Andrei can stop Frank)
Sobral over Van Arsdale
Sakara over Sinosic
Vera over Eilers
Buentello over Aldana
Monson over Lee Hinkle
Riggs over Diaz
Jardine over Whitehead

I guess we'll see if I should have spent some time and cash on these picks in Vegas ...

Mir looked terrible, completely out of shape and just looked lost out there. Consequently, Cruz also cut him up pretty bad and took the fight. However, I should have gone out to Vegas as I nailed all other eight fights, including decisions for Riggs, Jardine and Sakara. Randy Couture had one takedown of Chuck, but once he slipped and Chuck capitalized, that fight was over. Sadly, that's the last we'll see of The Natural as he stated that he's hangin'em up now ...

[mole44]

You forgot to mention Adam Dunn was there, and made it on TV with his pick