UFC 2011 - Business As Usual

[stangejr]

June 11, 2011

In the third contest, two young featherweights went to battle. The result of this fight didn't mean much for the loser, due to both of these fighters being highly talented and having a great future ahead of them. Having a record of 9-1, Dustin "The Diamond" Poirier is a WEC veteran that holds a Zuffa record of 3-1. Just recently grinding out a decision win over Josh Grispi, Poirier could find himself on the main card, and possibly in a fight for the number one contender spot with a decisive win here. Against him is Jason "Shotgun" Young. Young is a very talented fighter that has the ability to knock people out with his hands or feet. He also has a submission on his record. He comes in making his UFC debut as the underdog.

Round one begins as both fighters touch gloves and prepare for a fight. Poirier appeared as the aggressor in the opening round attempting nearly three times the strikes to that of Young. Although he didn’t land many more, Poirier’s strikes also had a lot more power behind them. With him putting all of his juice behind his punches, it is only a matter of time before he gasses his arms out, so he is clearly looking for a finish. Poirier did happen to land a very solid right hook in the opening round of the fight, but Young didn’t seem fazed. It will be interesting to see of he picks it up in the second.

The second round sees both fighters keep the same strategies, but have completely different outcomes. In this round, Poirier continues to amass a large quantity of hard strikes, which none land on their target cleanly. Young used a lot of feints in order to trigger the attacks, which he easily avoided and counter punched. In this round, Young clearly out struck Poirier, making it pretty clear that the third round will decide the fight, with each fighter winning one already.

The third round brings a nice end to this competitive contest. Poirier’s heavy hands began to wear on him as his tank started running low. Young seemed just as fresh in the third as in the first. The beginning of the round was a lot like the second. Young found much success countering Poirier’s combos with straights. Towards the end of the round, Poirier got desperate and started lengthening his combos and putting more power behind them. At one point, he had Young with his back against the cage, and he unloaded, but not much seemed to get through Young’s guard. From there, he tried a takedown to steal the round, but it was denied, ending the round. Both fighters put their hands up as the judges rendered their scores. All three judges scored the bout 29-28 for the winner by unanimous decision, Jason Young.

. . .
Jason Young def. Dustin Poirier
Unanimous Decision | 5:00 | Round 3
Average

[stangejr]

June 11, 2011

In this one, we saw undefeated, TUF season 11 contestant, Nick "The Promise" Ring go head to head against the 7-1 James Head. Nick Ring, although undefeated, showed he is by no means an unstoppable force. He looked very sluggish on the Ultimate Fighter, eventually losing, but those fights do not contribute to the fighter's MMA record. He still has a lot to prove before he is taken seriously in the UFC's deep middleweight division. Against him is a largely unknown fighter in James Head. Head is coming off an impressive win against Gerald Harris, with his only loss coming by decision to Jesse Forbes. In this fight, Head really doesn't have much to lose.

The first round began as both fighters met in the center of the octagon to touch gloves. From there, the fighters kept their guard high and began testing each other’s striking. At first, although it is quite even, Nick Ring seemed to edge out James Head on the feet. Not feeling as confident as he’d wish, he tried setting up a takedown attempt, but it was easily avoided by Head. The stand-up continued, and Ring tried setting up yet another takedown. The only problem is this time he got clipped with a huge uppercut that put him on his back. With less than twenty seconds remaining in the round, Head tried to finish the fight, but Ring was able to wrap his legs around Head’s throat to stop the beating and make Head worry. Regardless, he shrugged it off and the fight got sent to the second round.

Round two was a little less eventful than the first. It started with Ring using his counter-punching to control the stand-up. Yet again, he shot for a takedown that was avoided by Head. Immediately after the shot, Head tried throwing a kick to the body, which was caught, allowing Ring to get the single-leg. Head was able to neutralize Ring’s attacks on the ground, eventually scooting to the cage and standing up, only to be tripped back down and stand up back up as the horn sounded signaling round three.

Round three began with Head weary of takedowns from Ring. Head began pumping his jab in order to control the distance, and when an opening occurred, he threw a hard body kick that was yet again caught by Nick Ring, although this time he threw everything into a right hand that landed flush on the chin of Head. Head collapsed to the mat, where he was greeted with right hands from Ring, who pounced on his fallen foe. Referee John Wilkens saw no attempt from Head to fight back, ending the fight,

. . .
Nick Ring def. James Head
TKO | 0:50 | Round 3
Good

[stangejr]

June 11, 2011

To round out the fights on Facebook, "The Polish Experiment" Krzysztof Soszynski went up against Igor Pokrajac. After competing on season eight of the Ultimate Fighter, Soszynski went 6-2 with notable wins over Brian Stann, Andre Gusmao, Stephan Bonner, and UFC highly touted prospect Goran Reljic. Against him, Igor Pokrajac shares a loss to Stephan Bonnar with Soszynski. He also has a record of 2-3 in the UFC. He needs a win here, or he could find himself looking for a job.

Round one of this contest opened up with both fighters trying to use counter-punching to catch the other with a solid shot. After a few attempts on his feet, Soszynski threw a faint, getting Pokrajac to bite and throw a combo, where he could duck under to a get double-leg. On top, Soszynski couldn’t do much damage, as he was too busy fighting off submission attempts. Pokrajac was eventually able to get a hold of Soszynski’s neck, forcing the Polish Experiment to roll over, giving Pokrajac side control. Igor figured he’d be in better shape on his feet, so he stood up, as soon as Soszynski got up, he shot in again, bringing Pokrajac back to the canvas. From here Pokrajac continued to work submissions, keeping Soszynski on his toes till the buzzer.

The second round began with Pokrajac landing a nice kick to the body that bruised up immediately. Pokrajac continued his kicks, landing a few to the body and legs of Soszunski in order to take his power away in his shots. Throughout the round, Soszynski shot in twice, neither one were even close to a takedown. I’m not sure if the kicks were already taking their toll, but it was obvious Soszynski was very hesitant to engage, and avoided Pokrajac for most of the round.

The final round started with Soszynski throwing heavy right hands at Pokrajac, most of which missing their mark. Then from far out, Soszynski shot in for a takedown that was blocked easily. This time, however, Pokrajac pounced on his overextended foe and kicked his legs out to the sprawl position. From here he began landing heavy right hands to the head of the Polish-Canadian, forcing him to roll over and give up his guard. Igor tried throwing some heavy hands in guard, but Soszynski got a hold of one of them and attempted a kimura. At first it didn’t seem to be too threatening, but eventually Soszynski sunk it in, forcing the tap.

. . .
Krzysztof Soszynski def. Igor Pokrajac
Submission | 3:06 | Round 3
Decent

[stangejr]

June 11, 2011

As the Facebook fights ceased, and the UFC went live on Spike TV, viewers skyrocketed regardless of the low marketability of the fighters appearing on cable TV. In the first matchup, two middleweight future contenders went to battle. Jesse "Water" Bongfeldt and "The All American" Chris Weidman. Jesse Bongfeldt is a Canadian fighter that came into the UFC with a record of 15-4, and his only fight in the UFC ended up a majority draw against Rafael Natal. Therefore, he has the tough task of proving himself against the undefeated American in his home country of Canada. "The All American" Chris Weidman is a New York state wrestling champion and two time NCAA Division I All American. He currently holds a record of 5-0 with a notable victory in his UFC debut against Alessio Sakara.

In the first round of this contest, it isn’t long until the two time All American shot in for the double-leg takedown. Easily, Bongfeldt was put on his back, from here, not much was able to be done as Weidman made numerous attempts to pass the guard of Bongfeldt, but nothing was allowed through. Eventually, referee Steve Mazagatti saw enough and stood them back up. On the feet, Bongfeldt was able to land a few punches before being taken down again. This time, with less than ten seconds left in the round, Weideman stacked up Bongfeldt’s guard and started unleashing some heavy shots, but Bongfeldt was able to absorb them with his gloves.

The second round starts with the two fighters circling, hesitant to attack. Eventually, Weidman threw a combo that missed it’s mark, where Bongfeldt hit a viscous leg kick. After the leg kick, surprisingly Bongfeldt shot in for a takedown. Weidman tried to snatch a guillotine in the process, but he couldn’t get it. Weidman was able to use an underhook on the right side to get back to his feet only to take another leg kick. From there, they two just traded punches, and Weidman was able to score a last second takedown to possibly steal the round.

From the onset of the third round, till the end, Weidman was able to get a takedown and lay on Bongfeldt without doing anything significant. Clearly a snoozer, Weidman disappointed with his lay and pray technique. The judges announced their scores. All three gave it 29-28 for the winner by unanimous decision, Chris Weidman.

. . .
Chris Weidman def. Jesse Bongfeldt
Unanimous Decision | 5:00 | Round 3
Poor

[stangejr]

Re: UFC 2011 - Business As Usual

Next, in a possible fight of the night contest, Sam “Hands of Stone” Stout squared off against UFC long time veteran, Yves Edwards. Canada’s own Sam Stout is a highlight reel just waiting to get played. Stout holds a record of 16-6-1, and is no stranger to Fight of the Night honors, holding 5 already. He has dynamite in both of his hands and if the fight moves to the ground, he can hold his own, even with the best of them. Yves Edwards will probably agree with Stout on one thing, this fight should remain on the feet. Yves Edwards has fought in nearly every major MMA organization, whether it be PRIDE, WEC, Bellator, Strikeforce, or EliteXC. He is not new to the fighting game at all, as he has amassed a record of 40-16-1 in his 13 year career. He is always game to put a show on, and that is what we expect to see. The Thugjitsu Master vs Sam Stout.

The fight begins with Yves landing a hard right hook, leaving Stout staggering. Deciding not to foolishly run in, Edwards allows Stout to clear his head. From there, they choose to strike a little more, no one getting the better of the exchanges. Finally Yves Edwards shot in for a quick takedown. It was originally stuffed, but with a second effort, he was able to drive Stout into the ground. Stout was able to pop back up, but the takedown at the end of the round probably solidified the round for Yves.

The second round consisted of a very shy Edwards. It seemed as if the entire round all Yves was looking for was a takedown. Stout controlled the round by using quick footwork to dart in, hit a solid shot, then dart out. Although not many hit flush, Stout surely won the round with his aggression and attempts to land some strikes.

The third round opens up with Stout throwing a huge combo ending with a high kick. The first couple strikes were blocked, and Edwards was able to duck under the kick and land a solid leg kick. With that momentum on his side, Edwards shot in hard for a takedown. Stout saw it coming and used Edward’s momentum along with his powerful hips to turn Yves’ shot into a Judo throw, landing him in side control. Stout, wanting nothing to do with the Thugjitsu master on the ground, got up and allowed Yves to stand up as well. From there, they exchanged a few more shots. As Stout threw a wild hook, Edwards was able to beat him to the punch and connect with a huge shot to the jaw, dropping Stout. He tried to follow up with dropping a bomb, but Stout was able to move out of the way and catch him in guard. From there, Stout wall-walked his way back to his feet as the final buzzer sounded. The judges turned in their scores. All three judges scored the bout 29-28 for Yves Edwards.

. . .
Yves Edwards def. Sam Stout
Unanimous Decision | 5:00 | Round 3
Poor

[stangejr]

June 11, 2011

In the first fight aired on PPV, an interesting clash of heavyweights is sure to excite. Jon Olav Einemo went to war with Dave “Pee Wee” Herman. Even though Einemo hasn’t fought in four years, it doesn’t mean he can’t tear through the heavyweight division quickly. He holds a 6-1 record, his only loss coming to the highly talented Brazilian Fabricio Werdum. Against someone like Herman, Einemo shouldn’t have a hard time finding an opening to get the takedown and a quick tap due to Herman’s extremely aggressive style. But this could also help Mr. Herman. Dave Herman can knock you out or submit you, and he likes to do it in exciting fashion. Herman is always looking for the flashy finish, which can help or hurt him. Holding a record of 20-2, Herman has only went to the judges once, and he was named the winner in that fight. Therefore, we were all expecting fireworks for his UFC debut.

As the first round began, I believe everyone expected the rusty jiu jitsu fighter to try to get the fight to the ground. Instead, he did the exact opposite and went toe to toe with Pee Wee. Would I call it a mistake? Not exactly. Would I call it foolish? I wouldn’t say that. Should he had stayed with his strengths? Yes. Einemo impressed a lot of people in the round, but why am I writing as if the fight ended? Overall, Pee Wee got the better of the exchanges, only getting nipped a few times. It will be interesting if Einemo decides to keep the fight standing, like he has been.

Is it possible for me to eat my words? This round Einemo did exactly what I said he should’ve, and it didn’t work for him whatsoever. As the round began, Herman, who was coming off hot from the last round, didn’t hesitate to open up and try to touch Einemo’s face quite a bit with his gloves. Einemo was able to avoid it fairly easily although being the bigger, slower fighter. Finally, when he saw an opening, Einemo shot in for a double leg. Herman, not completely surprised, but somewhat off-guard sprawled, pushed Einemo face down. From here, Herman pulled back and started dropping nukes on the side of Jon Olav’s head, busting him open and causing referee Ken Friend to stop the fight.

. . .
Dave Herman def. Jon Olav Einemo
TKO | 1:41 | Round 2
Great

[stangejr]

June 11, 2011

The next fight live on PPV was Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone vs Mac Danzig. In this contest, it is safe to say the fighters really don’t like each other. It all started with Dana announcing Donald Cerrone was close to title contention and that just didn’t go well with other lightweight contestant Mac Danzig. Danzig made a comment on how Cerrone gets unfair privileges due to his “Cowboy gimmick.” This led to a heated exchange of words, hyping this fight up. Cerrone is a WEC veteran and one of the best fighters to emerge since the merger. He holds a 14-3-1 record with wins over Jamie Varner, Chris Horodecki, and Paul Kelly. A win here could put him into a number one contender fight for the next shot at the belt. Looking to spoil his plans is Mac Danzig. Danzig comes in with a 20-8-1 record, dropping 6 of his last 10 fights. In almost every form, Cerrone outclasses Danzig, but with the emotions riding on this fight, anything can happen.

Oooh, I personally couldn’t wait to see this fight. I mean, who doesn’t wanna see two men who completely hate each other fight? It’s like one of the classic schoolyard fights. Well, the two men finally went at it and boy was I surprised. From the git-go, I expected Cerrone to tear Danzig up on the feet. In fact, I was predicting a first round stoppage due to TKO…yes, I played the odds, but I was amazed to see Danzig countering everything Cerrone threw at him. Reminiscent to the Forrest Griffin / Anderson Silva fight, Cerrone was just getting embarrassed! If things couldn’t go worse for the Cowboy, Danzig shot in for a double, scooped up Cerrone, and slamed him hard to the mat. From here, Danzig postured up and started tagging Cerrone’s face at will. It was sheer domination…until Cerrone happened to slip his legs up, create a little figure four around Danzig’s neck, and sinking in a triangle. Oh that silly Cerrone.

. . .
Donald Cerrone def. Mac Danzig
Submission | 3:26 | Round 1
Great

[stangejr]

June 11, 2011

In the next contest, Demian Maia went to battle with Mark Munoz. This fight is interesting because it is more of a chess match than most. For a fighter to be so excellent at one thing and lacking large amounts in others is rare in today’s world. That’s what can be found in this contest. No matter where the fight is, someone is uncomfortable. To say Demian Maia is a submission expert would be an insult. This man is considered to be #2 in the world at his weight in BJJ alone. Of the top guys in BJJ, very few convert to MMA fighters. Therefore, his submission game is light years ahead of anyone else currently in the UFC. He holds 36, yes 36 awards in grappling outside of the UFC. He also holds a very impressive record of 14-2 within the UFC, with 8 of those being submissions. Against him is the highly touted wrestler, Mark Munoz, who also has momentum on his side. He holds a 10-2 record, winning 5 of his last 6 bouts. Munoz holds so many wrestling credentials, it would be safe to say he is to wrestling as Maia is to BJJ. It has been noted that Dana White is keeping a close eye on this kid, after seeing Silva’s last fight with a wrestler, it may be time to throw some more at him. This fight is hard to predict, because both men need work on their standup, but Munoz has fared better in it. But on the ground either man could prevail. It is Munoz’s ground n pound vs Maia’s submissions.

When the fighters were brought to the center of the octagon, I have to admit, Demian Maia’s stance had me a bit baffled. He came out without a lead leg, he kinda squared up with Munoz like he was about to begin a wrestling match. Whatever it was, it worked, for Munoz threw a right hand, only to get countered with a jab and then a follow up takedown. This alone is pretty incredible. Demian Maia’s takedowns must truly be underrated. From here, Demian did what he does best. He slowly slithered from position to position until eventually he ended up on Munoz’s back. If you have Demian Maia on your back, the chances of you NOT getting choked is equal to the chance Ken Shamrock has of returning to the UFC to destroy the Heavyweight division. Without surprise, yes Demian Maia trapped Mark’s arm and sunk in the choke, to put a quick end to that fight.

. . .
Demian Maia def. Mark Munoz
Submission | 4:38 | Round 1
Decent

[stangejr]

June 11, 2011

The co-main event features Kenny “Ken-Flo” Florian against WEC veteran Diego “The Gun” Nunes. Kenny Florian began as a contestant on the original Ultimate Fighter, going as far as the finals against Diego Sanchez. From there he dropped to Welterweight, where he racked up two wins and dropped to Lightweight. As a Lightweight contender, he fared very well. Making his Featherweight debut tonight, he holds a record of 14-5, 11-4 being in the UFC. After losing his last fight to Lightweight number one contender, Gray Maynard, Kenny feels as if dropping another weight class might be the golden move for him. With an unsure picture on who the number one contender may be, a win here could give Kenny another shot at UFC gold. But to get there, he must get through the 16-1 Diego Nunes. Diego wrecked the WEC’s featherweight division, going 4-1 and in his UFC debut, he upset former WEC featherweight champion, Mike Brown. On paper, Kenny should have more trouble with the weight cut than the fight, but Nunes is no stranger to being the underdog. This is his chance to shock the world.

Who doesn’t like fights that end definitively in the first round? Diego made sure that happened. Too bad he wasn’t the one that came away with the W. The fight began with a very uneventful striking battle, as neither fighter’s hands were quick enough to catch the other’s head. Eventually, K-Flo shot in for a quick takedown, which was achieved without much trouble, landing him in Nunes’ butterfly guard. With the butterflies in, Nunes was able to push Kenny off, who jumped back down onto Nunes, but ended up in the North-South position. From here he delivered a few shots to the body of Nunes, then switched to side control to attempt a straight armbar. Nunes just wasn’t as strong as the former Middleweight fighter, and was forced to tap.

. . .
Kenny Florian def. Diego Nunes
Submission | 3:59 | Round 1
Great

[stangejr]

June 11, 2011

In the main event, Junior “Cigano” dos Santos will face the toughest task of his career in Shane Carwin. Dana made it clear that the winner of this fight will meet the UFC Heavyweight Champion next, probably at UFC 136. Both fighters come into the fight with an incredible 12-1 record, dos Santos’ loss to Joaquim Ferreira early in his career, before he began training with top level athletes. Carwin’s only loss came in his last fight against, at the time, the UFC Heavyweight champion, Brock Lesnar. With their combined fights, the contest has only left the first round three times. The difference here is dos Santos is 2-0 in fights leaving the first round after breaking Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic’s orbital bone and dominating Roy Nelson for three rounds. Carwin’s 0-1 after the first round, where he showed a lack of conditioning against Brock Lesnar, being submitted in round 2. This leaves questions about whether Shane can last more than a single round, or if his cardio will plague his mixed martial arts career. Both fighters possess deadly stand-up. Junior’s hands are those of a professional boxer’s, clean, crisp, and deadly. His technique puts him way above anyone else in the Heavyweight division as a striker. He is able to his openings that are closed to most. Carwin has more of a brute force stand-up game. He gets his wins by capitalizing on large openings in his opponent’s standup, allowing him to hit the “homerun shot” sending his opponents into the 4th dimension. The big wildcard in this fight isn’t so much whether or not Carwin will find his big shot or will Junior pick him apart, it is the questions relating to the ground. Carwin has showed his venom in the clinch by making short work of Frank Mir, as well as his dangers on the ground. Carwin has some of the deadliest ground n pound in mixed martial arts today. Junior, on the other hand, has not been seen on the ground yet. Everytime he gets taken down, he pops up immediately. His ground game should be feared though, as he trains with the Nogueira brothers in Brazil. In this contest, it might be in Shane’s best interest to test this field. The fans voted on who they thought would win, and the results are quite even. 57% picked dos Santos as 43% chose Carwin. This will be exciting.

To everyone’s amusement, dos Santos came out with an interesting shirt. It had a picture of a cartoon arm snapping and said “Nogueira Let Me Borrow His Jiu Jitsu.” Whether this means dos Santos will actually try to submit Carwin or just get a cheap laugh will soon be figured out. Carwin came into this fight looking a little slimmer than he did against Lesnar, perhaps no more than 265lbs. As referee Herb Dean brought the big boys together, they showed respect for each other by toughing gloves and Carwin even gave out a “good luck.” The fight began with Carwin throwing fastballs at the face of dos Santos to no one’s surprise. dos Santos was able to dodge the haymakers from Carwin and counter with a few quick shots. Then to everyone’s surprise, dos Santos shot in for the takedown and achieved it! JDS finally got a chance to shw what he’s got on the ground. Is this just to wear down Carwin until he’s less dangerous or to actually finish him? Well dos Santos showed he wasn’t a fan of the lay n pray. He immediately dropped elbows on Carwin, busting him open at the nose. From there dos Santos decided he’d try to pass, which he did incredibly easy, wrapping up Carwin’s neck in an arm triangle, very similar to Carwin’s last fight.

. . .
Junior dos Santos def. Shane Carwin
Submission | 3:54 | Round 1
Great

[stangejr]

June 12, 2011

UFC 131: dos Santos vs Carwin
June 11, 2011
Rogers Arena
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Attendance: 9,238

Quick Results
Michihiro Omigawa def. Darren Elkins
Joey Beltran def. Aaron Rosa
Jason Young def. Dustin Poirier
Nick Ring def. James Head
Krzysztof Soszynski def. Igor Pokrajac
Chris Weidman def. Jesse Bongfeldt
Yves Edwards def. Sam Stout
Dave Herman def. Jon Olav Einemo
Donald Cerrone def. Mac Danzig
Demian Maia def. Mark Munoz
Kenny Florian def. Diego Nunes
Junior dos Santos def. Shane Carwin

Bonuses
Fight of the Night: Junior dos Santos vs Shane Carwin
Knockout of the Night: Nick Ring
Submission of the Night: Junior dos Santos (Arm Triangle)

Fighter Salaries
Junior dos Santos $300,000 ($80,000 win bonus) ($70,000 FotN bonus) ($70,000 SotN bonus)
Kenny Florian $130,000 ($65,000 win bonus)
Shane Carwin $110,000 ($70,000 FotN bonus)
Demian Maia $80,000 ($40,000 win bonus)
Nick Ring $78,000 ($4,000 win bonus) ($70,000 KOotN bonus)
Donald Cerrone $36,000 ($18,000 win bonus)
Mark Munoz $22,000
Krzysztof Soszynski $20,000 ($10,000 win bonus)
Mac Danzig $20,000
Michihiro Omigawa $16,000 ($8,000 win bonus)
Jason Young $16,000 ($8,000 win bonus)
Yves Edwards $16,000 ($8,000 win bonus)
Dave Herman $16,000 ($8,000 win bonus)
Joey Beltran $12,000 ($6,000 win bonus)
Sam Stout $12,000
Igor Pokrajac $10,000
Dustin Poirier $8,000
Chris Weidman $8,000 ($4,000 win bonus)
Jon Olav Einemo $6,000
Aaron Rosa $5,000
Diego Nunes $5,000
Darren Elkins $4,000
James Head $4,000
Jesse Bongfeldt $4,000

Predictions
Astyn - 28pts

Notable Injuries
Diego Nunes - 1-2 Months (Dislocated Shoulder with Minor Tendon Damage)
Mac Danzig - 1-2 Months (Pulled Groin Muscles)
Igor Pokrajac - 1-2 Months (Muscle Tear in Right Thigh)
Jason Young - 1-2 Months (Collarbone Hairline Fracture)

Very good prediction from Astyn. Only miscalled two fights. Will be sending PM.

[stangejr]

June 13, 2011

Just two days after UFC 131 had taken place, Dana White, UFC president, has made an announcement that a fight between current UFC Featherweight champion Jose Aldo and UFC 131 victor and now number one contender, Kenny Florian has been signed and will take place in Stockholm at UFC 139 in November. This is big news, but not too surprising as Florian has the star power to "pull Jose up" as well as headline an international card. This will be Florian's 3rd opportunity for UFC gold, falling short on the first two. Whether the third time's a charm or not, Kenny's veteran presence as well as well-rounded skill set will pose as Jose Aldo's toughest challenge yet.

[stangejr]

June 14, 2011

[CENTER]Ready to shock the world?!  Tomorrow Ill be droppin the bombshell.
Time to take this shiit to the next level!!!!
Earlier this morning, Dana White's Twitter became active as he posted what appears to be big news.

Dana has a history of hyping his 'major announcements' up, and he rarely disappoints. I'm not sure what it is, but we can always speculate. Perhaps an early merger with Strikeforce? A major signing? Another promotion buyout? Hopefully it's not a pullout and replacement in an upcoming event. My money's on a new Flyweight division, although it's almost impossible to predict.[/CENTER]

[stangejr]

June 15, 2011

Today Dana unleashed some major news in the UFC. In an interview with Ariel Helwani, he announced a reincarnation perhaps, to an old PRIDE tradition, by bringing back a worldwide Grand Prix. Also in the interview, he outlined the way in which this 'new-age' GP will work and who will be competing in it.

Ariel Helwani
Ariel Helwani here with UFC president, Dana White. Dana, first of all, I would like to say, as always, it is a great pleasure in getting a word with you.

Dana White
Haha, I wish I could say the same for you.

Ariel Helwani
I'll bug ya anytime you want bud. Anyways, your Twitter account said something about a major announcement today. Have you made that announcement yet?

Dana White
No no, I'm getting to that. If you don't get on my nerves too bad, I'll announce it now. But first, I can't help but get pumped up for this upcoming card on Versus. I mean, how can you not be impressed with Anthony Johnson and Nate Marquardt?! I know I have been critical of Marquardt's performance in big fights before, but I honestly feel as if he has matured more than ever in the octagon and that problem may've fixed itself. Then there's Anthony Johnson, a guy that never fails to entertain the fans. He's on quite a run too, I mean, competing at this level in the UFC is no joke. All I can say is the winner of GSP/Diaz better be watching this fight.

Ariel Helwani
Are you saying the winner of this fight gets a shot at the UFC belt after Diaz?

Dana White
We'll see how things go. They're 'in the mix'.

Ariel Helwani
The whole card is shaping up to be a good one. Any comments on the other fights?

Dana White
I could talk all day about the rest of the card, but I think I'd be better if I just said watch it. Joe Silva really outdid himself in this one.

Ariel Helwani
And the announcement?

Dana White
Ugh, sometimes I feel like I'm talking to a four-year old child asking life's most complicated questions. Well, for some time the 'skeptics' have criticized the UFC in our statement that the UFC is home to the world's best fighters. No matter who we bring in, someone will shine somewhere else and will be compared to the best here. Well, if people really think these guys can compete on a UFC level, here's there chance to prove it. I have organized a Lightweight Grand Prix to happen in 2012. There are sixteen fighters competing and replacements just in case something were to occur.

Ariel Helwani
You said 'these guys', who are they and are they under UFC contracts now?

Dana White
They are fighters from around the world. In other organizations. As we speak, five of the sixteen competitors were, and still aren't under a UFC contract. See, what we did is we had them sign a very loose contract with our parent company, Zuffa. These fighters have no restrictions on when and where they can fight. The contract does not bind them in any way to fight for the UFC, they just have the option. They have all verbally agreed to fight in the Grand Prix, and they will, as long as they want to fight the best in the world.

Ariel Helwani
Is there any word on who will be competing?

Dana White
As I stated, the best Lightweights in the world. We will be releasing the fighters shortly.

Ariel Helwani
Is there any more information on the contracts with Zuffa?

Dana White
I would tell you if I knew, all I know is Zuffa arranged it and I have no control over the details.

Ariel Helwani
Does the UFC plan to sign these fighters if given the chance?

Dana White
I have no comment.

Ariel Helwani
One more and I'll let you go, will the tournament be for the UFC Lightweight Championship?

Dana White
While the Lightweight Champion will be competing, his belt will not be on the line for obvious reasons. He can't fight a non-UFC employed fighter for the UFC belt. If the winner of Edgar/Maynard happens to lose to another UFC fighter in the tournament, it is safe to say he should find himself in title contention easily. Regardless, the winner of this Grand Prix will be declared the top Lightweight fighter in the world.

[stangejr]

June 16, 2011

UFC Live: Marquardt vs Johnson
June 26, 2011
Consol Energy Center
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania















Prediction Cheat Sheet

Nate Marquardt | Anthony Johnson in Round 1 | 2 | 3 | Dec by way of KO/TKO | Sub | Dec
Cheick Kongo | Pat Barry in Round 1 | 2 | 3 | Dec by way of KO/TKO | Sub | Dec
Martin Kampmann | John Howard in Round 1 | 2 | 3 | Dec by way of KO/TKO | Sub | Dec
Matt Mitrione | Christian Morecraft in Round 1 | 2 | 3 | Dec by way of KO/TKO | Sub | Dec
Tyson Griffin | Manny Gamburyan in Round 1 | 2 | 3 | Dec by way of KO/TKO | Sub | Dec
Joe Stevenson | Javier Vazquez in Round 1 | 2 | 3 | Dec by way of KO/TKO | Sub | Dec
Joe Lauzon | Curt Warburton in Round 1 | 2 | 3 | Dec by way of KO/TKO | Sub | Dec
Matt Brown | Rich Attonito in Round 1 | 2 | 3 | Dec by way of KO/TKO | Sub | Dec
Charlie Brenneman | TJ Grant in Round 1 | 2 | 3 | Dec by way of KO/TKO | Sub | Dec
Nik Lentz | Charles Oliveira in Round 1 | 2 | 3 | Dec by way of KO/TKO | Sub | Dec
Ricardo Lamas | Matt Grice in Round 1 | 2 | 3 | Dec by way of KO/TKO | Sub | Dec
Michael Johnson | Edward Faaloloto in Round 1 | 2 | 3 | Dec by way of KO/TKO | Sub | Dec

Example:
Nate Marqardt | Anthony Johnson in Round 1 | 2 | 3 | Dec by way of KO/TKO | Sub | Dec
or
Nate Marquardt | Anthony Johnson in Round 1 | 2 | 3 | Dec by way of KO/TKO | Sub | Dec

Remember, 2pts for the winner, 1pt for correct round, 1pt for way of victory.