Brock Lesnar Training for UFC 106
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UFC 103 Recap
UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort wasn’t one of the most hyped UFC events of the year, but it delivered solid action and perhaps presented middleweight champion Anderson Silva with a legitimate challenger.
On the preliminary card, Rafael dos Anjos showed why the UFC kept him around after an 0-2 start with the company by defeating Rob Emerson by unanimous decision. The majority of the fight took place standing, and dos Anjos controlled much of the action with some vicious leg kicks. The fact that Emerson was still able to stand at the end of the third round is a credit to his toughness. Dos Anjos now moves to 1-2 in the organization, while Emerson drops to 2-2.
Vladimir Matyushenko’s return to the UFC was a successful one, as he defeated Igor Pokrajac by unanimous decision. Jim Miller improved to an impressive 4-1 in a stacked lightweight division by beating UFC newcomer Steve Lopez, though the finish wasn’t how he wanted it. Lopez dislocated his left shoulder while throwing a punch early in the 2nd round. The injury forced an end to the bout, and Miller was awarded the TKO victory.
For the first time, the UFC showed preliminary fights free on Spike TV. In the first of the televised fights, Tomasz Drwal and Drew McFedries slugged it out throughout the first round. Early in the 2nd round however, it was Drwal getting the better of the striking with a left hand that dazed McFedries. The fight moved to the ground where Drwal got the side mount and submitted McFedries rather quickly with a choke. The win improved Drwal’s UFC record to 3-1, while McFedries dropped to 4-5 in the UFC.
In the other fight shown on Spike, former The Ultimate Fighter winner Efrain Escudero was impressive in a first round victory over Cole Miller. The round started slowly, but Escudero eventually connected with a solid right hand that knocked Miller down. Escudero followed up with more shots before the fight was stopped about three and a half minutes into the round. Escudero’s UFC record improves to 2-0, while he remains undefeated overall at 13-0. Miller drops to 4-2 in the UFC with the loss.
The pay-per-view began with lightweights Hermes Franca and Tyson Griffin. Franca missed weight and didn’t look too sharp in the early going. Griffin seemed quicker to the punch in a first round that primarily took place standing. Early in the 2nd, Griffin seemed to get Franca’s timing down as he was able to dodge Franca’s punches and find holes for his own. Midway through the 2nd, Griffin connected on a big right hand that dropped Franca. The finish came soon after with Griffin dropping more shots down on Franca. Griffin stopped an opponent for only the 2nd time in his nine UFC fights, but it was an impressive stoppage. The win moves Griffin to 7-2 in the UFC and 14-2 overall, and establishes him as a serious contender in the UFC’s lightweight division. Meanwhile, Franca drops to 6-5 in the UFC and has lost three of his past four fights.
Josh Koscheck ruined Frank Trigg’s UFC return with a violent TKO of the former welterweight contender. Just over a minute into the first round, Koscheck connected on a right hand that dropped Trigg. Follow up shots forced an end to the fight, though Trigg complained it was an early stoppage. It wasnt. Trigg wasn’t defending himself and Koscheck was landing bombs. Trigg has likely fought for the last time in the UFC, as UFC president Dana White said after the pay-per-view that Trigg would likely be released. Meanwhile Koscheck rebounds from a shocking loss to Paulo Thiago at UFC 95 and puts himself back in the fringe of title contention in the UFC’s wild welterweight division.
Speaking of the welterweight division, Martin Kampmann and Mike Swick were supossed to fight to determine Georges St. Pierre’s next challenger. However, Swick had to pull out of the fight due to an injury, forcing UFC newcomer Paul Daley to take his place againste Kampmann. Kampmann was expected to get the title shot with the victory, but Daley made sure that wouldn’t happen. He blasted Kampmann early and often with big lefts, and Kampmann was never able to really regain his composure. The end of the fight came only two and a half minutes into the first round. Kampmann was never knocked down, but it was clear that the cage was the only thing holding him up as Daley kept landing shots. The impressive performance from Daley certainly earned him a fight with another top contender, while Kampmann will drop down and try to work his way back up to title contention. Georges St. Pierre’s next challenger is still to be determined.
Junior Dos Santos may have ended Mirko Cro Cop’s UFC career, and perhaps his MMA career as well, with a dominating performance in the co-main event of the evening. Dos Santos clearly won the first two rounds as he was quicker to attack than Cro Cop and controlled much of the action. Mirko barely threw any of his patented high kicks, and the few he did throw missed badly. Dos Santos really started putting the pressure on in the 3rd round, and connected on a punch directly on Mirko’s left eye. Cro Cop said he couldn’t see and the fight was stopped. Dos Santos moves to an impressive 3-0 in the UFC, while Mirko’s UFC record now stands at a disappointing 2-3. After the fight, Cro Cop hinted at retirement, and Dana White pretty much stated that Mirko wouldn’t fight for the UFC any longer.
In the night’s main event, Vitor Belfort didn’t fight like the Vitor of old, but instead like a new-and-improved version in his win over Rich Franklin. The first half of the first round was spent with the fighter’s circling around, looking for an opening. Finally, they engaged, and Belfort connected with a left hook that appeared to hit Franklin on his temple or above his right ear. Franklin went down and Befort followed up with another left that pretty much knocked Rich out cold. Belfort connected with a few shots directly to the back of Franklin’s head, but even though they were most likely illegal shots, they had no impact on the fight. Even without those shots, the fight would have been stopped. Franklin drops to 26-5 overall and 12-4 in the UFC, while Belfort improves to 19-8 with an 8-4 mark inside the Octagon. Next up for Belfort may be a date with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. In the post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White implied that Belfort may get the next shot at Silva, while Dan Henderson and Nate Marquardt may have to square off to determine who would challenge for the title after Belfort. Vitor looks like a completely different fighter than he did earlier in his UFC career. He’s much more patient and fights much smarter. Training with the guys at Xtreme Couture seems to have improved his overall game and his fight plan. He looks to be an intriguing and dangerous challenger to Anderson Silva’s reign atop the UFC’s middleweight division. For Franklin, a permanent move to the UFC’s 205 pound division is likely, with fights against guys like Keith Jardine or Forrest Griffin possible.
FULL RESULTS:
Vitor Belfort def. Rich Franklin via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 3:02
Junior Dos Santos def. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic via submission (verbal) – Round 3, 2:00
Paul Daley def. Martin Kampmann via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:31
Josh Koscheck def. Frank Trigg via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:25
Tyson Griffin def. Hermes Franca via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 3:26
Efrain Escudero def. Cole Miller via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:36
Tomasz Drwal def. Drew McFedries via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:03
Jim Miller def. Steve Lopez via TKO (injury) – Round 2, 0:48
Nick Lentz def. Rafaello Oliveira via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Rick Story def. Brian Foster via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 1:09
Eliot Marshall def. Jason Brilz via split decision (30-28, 27-30, 30-27)
Vladimir Matyushenko def. Igor Pokrajac via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Rafael Dos Anjos def. Rob Emerson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
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UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort Preview and Predictions
Tyson Griffin vs. Hermes Franca: Both fighters are trying to climb back up the lightweight ladder. Franca has been there before, losing a title shot to Sean Sherk by unanimous decision back at UFC 73. He’s 6-4 in his UFC career, and last fought at UFC 90, defeating Marcus Aurelio by unanimous decision. He was scheduled to fight Joe Lauzon back in February, but tore the ACL in his right knee during training and had to pull out. Franca is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and has 11 submissions in his 19 career victories. The Xtreme Couture trained Griffin focuses primarily on an agressive wrestling style, though his standup game has also improved significantly. He beat Rafael Dos Anjos by unanimous decision back in April in his last fight. Griffin is 13-2 in his MMA career, and sports a 6-2 UFC record. He was also the first fighter to beat Urijah Faber, doing so in 2005. I expect Griffin to use his explosive style to control the fight with Franca. Griffin’s top game is good enough to fend off submissions from Franca on the bottom, and I think he’ll have a slight edge on the feet too. No matter where this fight goes, I think Griffin will have a slight advantage. I expect a fast-paced, exciting fight to open up the televised portion of the card, and a Griffin victory. Griffin via unanimous decision.
Josh Koscheck vs. Frank Trigg: This fight marks Trigg’s return to the UFC after a four-year hiatus. He twice fought Matt Hughes for the UFC welterweight title, but was choked out both times. In his previous run in the UFC, Trigg went 2-3, also losing to Georges St. Pierre. Despite being a wrestler himself, Trigg struggled with some of the better wrestlers he faced during his career. He’s 19-6 overall in his career. Koscheck certainly fits the desciption of a dominant wrestler. He was a four-time Division 1 All-American while wrestling for Edinboro College of Pennsylvania, and won the 2001 National Championship in the 174 pound division. He was part of the original cast of The Ultimate Fighter, and since the show he’s gone an impressive 10-5 in the UFC. In an effort to round out his game, he has possibly fallen in love too much with his striking. He’s certainly becoming an effective force standing, but in doing so has almost forgotten about the fantastic wrestling base he has. His last fight was a loss to Paulo Thiago at UFC 95. In that fight he was controlling the standup for much of the first round before being caught by a big Thiago punch that ended the fight. I expect Koscheck to go back to some of his wrestling roots in this contest. I don’t think Trigg will fare any better with dominant wrestlers this time around the UFC than he did in his first go around. I think Koscheck is simply a better at this point in his career, and should handle Trigg rather easily. Koscheck via TKO in the 2nd.
Martin Kampmann vs. Paul Daley: Daley is a late replacement for Mike Swick, who suffered a concussion during training and had to pull out of this fight. Swick vs. Kampmann was going to determine Georges St. Pierre’s next title challenger, and it is expected that Kampmann will still get a shot at GSP with a victory. Daley was already scheduled to face Brian Foster on the same card, so he will be in shape for this fight. He will be making his UFC debut, and has a career MMA record of 21-8-2. He’s primarily known as a striker, and has had difficulty with solid ground fighters in the past. Of his 21 career wins, 16 have come by KO/TKO. Kampmann sports an impressive 15-2 career record, and has gone 6-1 in his 7 career UFC fights. His only loss in his UFC career was to Nate Marquardt at UFC 88. After that fight, Kampmann dropped down to the welterweight division, and looked solid in a victory over Carlos Condit at UFC Fight Night 18 in April. He is a former Danish Thai Boxing champion, and has solid Jiu Jitsu skills as well.Kampmann has shown a suspect chin at times however. I expect Kampmann to come in with a game plan of striking just enough to keep Daley off balance, then using takedowns and his ground game to control the fight. His ground skills looked very good against Condit, and Daley is nowhere near as good as Condit on the ground. Daley certainly has a puncher’s chance, but I think Kampmann will pull out the victory. Kampmann via submission in the 2nd.
Junior Dos Santos vs. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic: Dos Santos splashed on the UFC scene with a brutal knockout of the heavily favored Fabricio Werdum back at UFC 90 in Chicago. He followed up that performance a TKO win over Stefan Struve that took under a minute at UFC 95. His career MMA record is 8-1. He trains with the Nogueira brothers and Anderson Silva at Black House. Dos Santos has great striking skills, but they will be put to the test by Cro Cop. Cro Cop was once one of the most feared strikers in all of MMA. He’s 25-6 in his MMA career, and beat fighters such as Josh Barnett (three times) and Wanderlei Silva during his run in PRIDE. When he entered the UFC for the first time in 2007, he looked like a different fighter. He overwhelmed Eddie Sanchez in his UFC debut, then was brutally knocked out with a head kick from Gabriel Gonzaga, and followed that with a decision loss to Cheick Kongo. Mirko left the UFC and went 2-0-1 (the No Contest was due to low blows from Alistair Overeem) in Japan. He returned to the UFC and beat Mostapha Al-Turk at UFC 99. He still didn’t look like the Cro Cop of old in that fight however. I think Cro Cop’s long career and numerous injuries have taken their toll on him. I look at this fight as a chance to build up Dos Santos by having him beat a solid “name” fighter. If Cro Cop can regain some of his past explosiveness he definitely has a chance, but I don’t see it happening against the ultra-talented Dos Santos. Junior Dos Santos via TKO in the 1st.
Rich Franklin vs. Vitor Belfort: In this catch weight fight at 195 lbs, Belfort will be making his UFC return in this fight after a four-year abscence. He was once one of the most feared fighters in the UFC, going 7-4 in his first UFC run. He had lightening quick hands and was a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, though he didn’t utilize his ground game as much as maybe he should have. After leaving the UFC, Belfort fought for Strikeforce, Affliction and PRIDE. He last fought at Affliction: Day of Reckoning, impressively knocking out Matt Lindland in under a minute back in January. Franklin has headlined two shows already this year, losing to Dan Henderson in a close split-decision at UFC 93, and beating Wanderlei Silva in a unanimous decision at UFC 99. Franklin is a very solid all-around fighter, combining good punches and kicks with a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. In the past few years, Franklin has become a much better defensive wrestler as well, and he held his own with Henderson on the ground back in January. Belfort does have the potential to overwhelm Franklin with his speed, but I think the longer that the fight goes, Franklin will begin to impose his will on Belfort. Belfort has the ability to end the fight early, but I’m banking on this fight going to a decision. If it does, Franklin will get the nod. Franklin via unanimous decision.
Popularity: 7% [?]
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers Scheduled for Nov. 7th on CBS
After weeks of rumored dates, Strikeforce has finally settled on November 7th to unveil their new signing, Fedor Emelianenko. Strikeforce and promotional partner M-1 Global announced that Rogers would be Fedor’s first Strikeforce opponent last month. A date wasn’t announced at that time, though October or early November seemed to be likely targets.
This will be the debut of Strikeforce on CBS, though the network aired three Elite XC events last year. It will also certainly be Emelianenko’s largest U.S. audience to date. According to the press release, CBS is likely to air four fights from the card while the undercard fights will be shown elsewhere.
CBS executive Kelly Kahl is excited to have Fedor’s Strikeforce debut on the network:
There’s no question this is a sport that is fast becoming a force in popularity and as a business. We’re excited to be the platform that will enable millions more to see the athlete regarded as the very best in his sport. The Number One heavyweight on the most-watched network has a very nice ring to it.
The 30-1 Emelianenko is considered the top heavyweight in the world. He signed with Strikeforce in early August after Affliction folded their MMA promotion. Emelianenko had lengthy contract negotiations with numerous organizations, including the UFC, before signing with Strikeforce. Rogers is 10-0 in his MMA career. He is coming off of a knockout victory over Andrei Arlovski at Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields.
The UFC has counter-programmed numerous events from their competitors with broadcasts of recent pay-per-views or other specials on Spike TV. They counter-programmed Affliction’s debut show with a live card of their own featuring Anderson Silva. There have been rumors that the UFC has a live card scheduled and on hold, waiting for Strikeforce to select the date for Fedor’s debut.
November 7th may prove to be a difficult day for the UFC to counter-program however. UFC 105 takes place on November 14th, while UFC 106 takes place on November 21st. Scheduling three live events in three consecutive weekends would be a huge strain on the UFC’s resources and staff.
Additionally, scheduling a live card to air opposite a network MMA event would be very risky. Numerous households only have basic cable, so if there’s a UFC event on Spike TV and a Strikeforce event on Showtime, the UFC is likely to win the ratings war simply because Spike TV is available in many more homes. However, trying to counter-program an event on CBS would be much more difficult. Many more casual viewers would be likely to tune into CBS on that date than Spike TV. I wouldn’t be surprised for Dana White and the UFC brass to announce the re-air of a past pay-per-view instead of trying to air a live event opposite Strikeforce.
Additionally, some sources are indicating the Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers may take place in the Chicago area, with the Sears Center in Hoffman Estates as a possibility. Keep checking back to www.mmagroundnpound.com for more information!
Popularity: 4% [?]
Nover out of fight against Sam Stout
Phillipe Nover suffered a seizure this afternoon, and has pulled out of his scheduled fight tonight against Sam Stout. He has since been released from the hospital.
Popularity: 3% [?]
UFC Fight Night 19 Main Card Predictions
Nate Quarry vs. Tim Credeur: The 37-year old Quarry brings an 11-3 overall MMA record and a 6-2 UFC record into this contest. The only two fighters that Quarry has lost to during his UFC career are former middleweight champion Rich Franklin, and middleweight contender Demian Maia. He last fought at UFC 97, earning a TKO victory over Jason MacDonald. Credeur is 3-0 so far in his UFC career, though those victories were against lower end competition such as Cale Yarbrough, Nate Loughran, and Nick Catone. Credeur has a slick ground game, but Quarry is a huge step up for him. Quarry gets most of his wins with striking and a solid top game. I don’t expect Credeur to be able to put Quarry on his back to effectively work his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu game, and I think Quarry is talented enough from the top to fend off Credeur’s submission attempts from the bottom. Quarry via TKO in the 2nd.
Carlos Condit vs. Jake Ellenberger: Ellenberger is taking this fight on short notice as a replacement for Chris Lytle. He has a 21-4 MMA record, and this will be his UFC debut. He has fought for Bodog, the IFL and Bellator among other organizations. He trains at Team Quest alongside Dan Henderson and Matt Lindland. As expected, he has a solid wrestling game to go along with good striking power and decent Brazilian Jiu Jitsu skills. Condit will be making his second appearance in the UFC. In his debut, he lost a decision to top contender Martin Kampmann. He’s 23-5 overall in his MMA career, and is the former WEC welterweight champion. He is solid in all facets of MMA, and probably better than Ellenberger in all of them. Ellenberger has the power to make an upset possible, but Condit is much more technical in his striking, and that should give him the advantage here. Condit via TKO in the 2nd.
Gray Maynard vs. Roger Huerta: Huerta is in the last fight of his UFC contract, and has made it known he plans on pursuing an acting career after this fight. He hasn’t fought since losing to Kenny Florian at UFC 87. His UFC record stands at an impressive 6-1. However, besides Clay Guida, most of Huerta’s victories have come against lower-level competition. Maynard trains at Xtreme Couture, and has a solid wrestling background. He was a top 10 finisher at the Collegiate Wrestling Championships three times while wrestling for Michigan State University. Additionally, he has shown better striking skills in recent performances, especially in his unanimous decision win over Jim Miller at UFC 96. He is on the threshold of possibly getting a lightweight title shot, but definitely needs a victory here to get him closer. He should be able to do it. Though word is that Huerta has trained hard and well for this fight, the problem for him is that he has struggled with fighters such as Maynard before. Guida was giving him fits before he connected with a fight-changing knee, but Maynards wrestling is better than Guida’s. Unless Huerta fixed the major flaws in his game, Maynard is the safe pick. Maynard via unanimous decision.
Melvin Guillard vs. Nate Diaz: The main event for UFC Fight Night 19 features two lightweights trying to climb towards the top of the division. Guillard has a solid 5-3 record in the UFC, with wins over Marcus Davis and Gleison Tibau among others. He likes to keep the fight standing, and he has vicious hand speed and knockout power. However, he has shown in the past that he is susceptible to strong submission fighters such as Rich Clementi and Joe Stevenson. He did look a little better in fending off submissions in his win over Tibau at The Ultimate Finale 9 though. Diaz is a former winner of The Ultimate Fighter, but has dropped his last two fights against Clay Guida and Joe Stevenson. He desperately needs a win here to get back on the right track. Like his brother Nick, Nate posseses a standout submission game to go along with solid boxing skills. He’ll have a reach advantage over Guillard in this contest, so he should utilize his jab to keep Guillard at a distance to nullify Guillard’s power advantage. If he can get the fight to the ground, he should be able to end Guillard’s night quickly. However, Diaz likes to be in standup wars, even if it would be in his interest to not engage is such battles. That will be his downfall here. I think Guillard will connect with his superior hand speed and power, and finish Diaz soon after. Guillard via TKO in the 2nd.
Popularity: 3% [?]
UFC Fight Night 19 Preliminary Card Predictions
MMA Record- 168-107 (61%)
Ryan Jensen vs. Steve Steinbeiss: This could be the last chance for Jensen in the UFC. He was released by the organization after losing consecutive fights to Thales Leites and Demian Maia in late 2007. He followed those losses with a loss to Joey Villasenor in Strikeforce, then rebounded with two consecutive victories in smaller shows. Jensen made a return to the UFC at UFC Fight Night 15, only to get submitted by Wilson Gouveia. His 0-3 record in the UFC seems unsightly, but the losses were to some of the toughest fighters that the UFC middleweight division has to offer. He’ll fight someone more at his level tomorrow night in Steve Steinbeiss. Steinbeiss is 4-2 in his MMA career, with losses to former UFC fighters Bill Mahood and Carmelo Marrero. He trains alongside Ryan Bader, Carlos Condit and C.B. Dollaway at Arizona Combat Sports. Steinbeiss is a former light heavyweight fighter and would like to keep this fight standing and use his power advantage to strike his way to victory. Despite being submitted in each of his previous three UFC contests, Jensen should have the advantage if this fight goes to the ground. I’m going with Jensen to end his UFC losing streak at three. Jensen via submission in the 2nd.
Brock Larson vs. Mike Pierce: Welterweight contender Brock Larson hopes to extend his five fight win streak with a win over the 8-1 Pierce. Larson fights trains Brock Lesnar and Sean Sherk at the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy, and his solid wrestling background has enabled him to go 26-2 in his MMA career. His only two losses have come at the hands of Jon Fitch and Carlos Condit. Since entering the UFC after the WEC folded their welterweight class, Larson has gone 2-0, with wins over Jesse Sanders and Mike Pyle. Pierce has fought regionally in the Northwest, and will be making his UFC debut. His biggest victory so far was a unanimous decision win over former UFC fighter Paul Bradley in April. Both fighters have similar strengths, wrestling and top control, but I think that Larson does those things just a little bit better at this point in their careers. Larson via unanimous decision.
Jeremy Stephens vs. Justin Buchholz: Buchholz is a late replacement for the injured Ronnys Torres. He’s fought for the UFC three times previously, going 1-2. His lone win came over Corey Hill at UFC 86. Buchholz trains alongside Urijah Faber at Team Alpha Male. Stephens has lost his last two UFC contests, to Joe Lauzon in February, and Gleison Tibau in April. His UFC record is 3-4 overall, and he holds victories over Cole Miller, Diego Saraiva and Rafael dos Anjos. Stephens is a solid striker, and has been working on his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu skills with Hermes Franca. Stephens is the better overall fighter, and I expect him to get the victory here. Stephens via TKO in the 2nd.
Sam Stout vs. Phillipe Nover: The once highly-touted Nover’s job in the UFC is in danger if he drops this fight to Stout. Since winning a spot in the lightweight finals of the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter, Nover’s star has fallen. He lost to Efrain Escudero at The Ultimate Finale 8, and followed that up with a TKO loss to Kyle Bradley at UFC 98. During the taping of the show, UFC president Dana White compared Nover to Anderson Silva. It was lofty praise for any fighter, but especially for a fighter with only six professional contests under his belt at the time of the comparison. So far, Nover has been unable to deliver on the promise. In this contest, he’ll face a dangerous opponent in Sam Stout. Stout is a UFC veteran, and has a 14-5 MMA record to go along with his 3-4 record in the Octagon. He holds victories over Spencer Fisher, Per Eklund, and Matt Wiman in his UFC career. Stout is a dangerous striker, and has improved his ground game and defense in recent outings. Nover cannot strike with Stout, but is hoping his black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu will give him enough of an advantage on the ground to finish the fight. Nover has struggled on his feet before, and Stout will try and use the striking advantage to keep himself out of dangerous positions on the ground. The smart pick here is Stout, but I’m going with Nover. I think he knows his back is against the wall, and will come out aggressively looking for a takedown. He may have to eat some punches before he can accomplish that feat, but if he can survive, he can submit Stout. Nover via submission in the 2nd.
C.B. Dollaway vs. Jay Silva: Another former finalist in The Ultimate Fighter is fighting to continue his career in the UFC, as C.B. Dollaway tries to rebound from a humiliating 1st round loss to Tom Lawlor at UFC 100. Dollaway will be facing Jay Silva, who is a very late replacement for the injured Dan Miller. Miller set up as a very difficult opponent for Dollaway, and while no opponent is “easy,” Silva should be a much better match up for him. Silva will be making his UFC debut. He’s 5-1 in his MMA career, and fights at Wolfslair alongside Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Michael Bisping, and Cheick Kongo. He’s still a novice when it comes to MMA, especially at the ground game. Dollaway was an excellent collegiate wrestler, though he hasn’t utilized those skills in the Octagon quite as well as many other collegiate standouts. Still, he should be able to take Silva down at will, and given the fact that Silva is only a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu purple belt, it shouldn’t be long until Dollaway pounds him out, or submits him. Dollaway via TKO in the 1st.
Chris Wilson vs. Mike Pyle: Welterweights Wilson and Pyle will try to move up the ranks in this showdown. Wilson is 1-2 in his UFC career, with the lone win coming over Steve Bruno at UFC 87. He also had a very good showing against top welterweight contender Jon Fitch at UFC 82, though he lost a unanimous decision. He trains exclusively in Brazil, and holds notable wins over Jay Hieron and Rory Markham. Pyle trains at Xtreme Couture, and has a 19-6-1 MMA record. He lost his only previous UFC fight to Brock Larson at UFC 98, but has victories over MMA veterans Shonie Carter and Dan Hornbuckle on his record to go along with a win over Jon Fitch in Fitch’s MMA debut in 2002. Both Wilson and Pyle are solid all-around fighters, but I’m going with Wilson in a close one. He’s probably the better striker, and though Pyle is better on the ground, I think Wilson’s ground game is better than many give him credit for. Wilson via unanimous decision.
Brian Stann vs. Steve Cantwell: This will be the third time that these two have squared off, with each fighter having a stoppage victory to their credit. Stann won his first six MMA fights, which included a victory over Cantwell at WEC 26. He won the WEC light heavyweight championship by defeating Doug Marshall at WEC 33, but lost the title to Cantwell when the two had a rematch at WEC 35. Both fighters were absorbed by the UFC when the WEC folded their light heavyweight division. Stann lost his UFC debut to Krzysztof Soszynski at UFC 97. Meanwhile, Cantwell beat Razak Al Hassan at UFC Fight for the Troops, but then lost a tough battle to Luiz Cane at UFC 97. Since their first fight in early 2007, Cantwell seems to have grown much more as a fighter. Stann, a Marine Corps veteran, is a tough fighter who has the power to knock out Cantwell again. However, the 23-year old Cantwell is a much more well-rounded fighter at this stage of their careers. Stann will put up a good fight, but Cantwell will earn the victory. Cantwell via TKO in the 2nd.
Popularity: 3% [?]
