I am going to start at the beginning of the PPV, which I believe was the "Fight of the Night" in
Jason MacDonald vs. Demain Maia
This was an amazing show of not only the Abu Dhabi champion's brilliant jujitsu skills but, MacDonald showed that he is no slouch in that area either. The first two rounds were basically Maia and MacDonald trading submission attempts and positions back and forth. MacDonald showed that he not only had the technique and heart to fight out of submission attempts by Maia but, he also threw in a bunch of sub attempts of his own. Maia had a pretty tight triangle at one point but, could not control the arm so, MacDonald got his back. It was a great grappling exhibition by both fighters. Finally, in the third round Maia got MacDonald flattened out on his back and sunk in a rear naked choke which forced the tap. A great fight to kick off UFC 87.
Result: Maia wins by tap out due to a Rear Naked Choke in the 3rd Round
Kenny Florian vs. Roger Huerta
The reason this was not as Dana White predicted over and over again a "Fight of the Night" candidate was because Florian had a good game plan and made Huerta fight his fight. Florian did not get dragged into the exciting all out brawl which would have been the way Huerta would have like to fight. Florian had Huerta a lot of times in very bad positions, he was mounted and he had Huerta's back a couple of times but, was unable to do any major damage or sink any kind of signifigant submissions attempts. The fight went the distance, all three rounds, as I thought it would, but I thought with Huerta's heart and aggressiveness that he would have been able to take the fight to Florian. However, Florian's technique and gameplan were just too good for Huerta and Florian took the decision,winning all three rounds from the Mexican born fighter 30-27 and is probably next in line for a title fight for the Lightweight Title.
Result: Florian by decision, winning on all 3 judge scorecards 30-27.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Saturday, August 9, 2008
UFC 87 Ready to Go
I know I only posted the previews for two fights for UFC 87, however, I will definitely be giving the results and the breakdowns of all fights during and after UFC 87. Just saw a preview on the 6PM SportsCenter and Dana White again stressed that the Florian-Huerta fight might not only be the "Fight of the Night" but, also perhaps the "Fight of the Year".
Will be back shortly with results and breakdowns... Looking forward to it.
Will be back shortly with results and breakdowns... Looking forward to it.
Friday, August 8, 2008
UFC 87 Preview Part II
Kenny Florian vs. Roger Huerta
Standup: This is the technical very calculating style of Kenny Florian vs. the wild unorthdox and extremely exciting style of the very talented Sports Illustrated coverboy Roger Huerta. Florian's standup has advanced by leaps and bounds since he was a contestant on the first season of the Ultimate Fighter reality show. He even went to Thailand to hone his Muay Thai and you can ask Sean Sherk how sharp Florian's elbows can be. He does not have tremendous knockout power but, he will pick you apart and he is one of the few fighters in the UFC who, you actually have to worry about getting hit by one of his elbows and getting the fight stopped because he can cut you open that badly. Huerta's standup is powerful but, not nearly as technical as Florian. He throws things with a lot of power but, he can become very wild with his strikes specifically his kicks and leaves himself open to straight counters which I am sure a smart fighter like Florian can use to his advantage. I have to give the edge to Florian but, that does not mean Huerta can not knock Florian out.
Edge: Florian
Wrestling: This aspect clearly goes to Huerta who actually has the wrestling experience in high school and college. He also uses the takedown a lot after he flurries to finish off scrambles. Florian only really has utilized the takedown against guys who he clearly outclasses on the ground and have no takedown defense, examples would be guys like Kit Cope and Sam Stout. Sean Sherk threw around KenFlo like a rag doll, however, Sherk has thrown a lot of people around like that. Huerta just has to be careful because once it gets to the ground it leads to the next aspect of MMA....
Edge: Huerta
Jujitsu: Florian is the clear winner in this area. A Brazilian Jujitsu Black Belt who uses it very well in MMA, submitting a bunch of his opponents. He is not only good at Jujitsu, he knows how to game plan it against fighters who do not have his skill level on the ground. Huerta is no slouch either though. For a guy who takes that many risk both with his striking and his takedowns, giving up his back all the time he does not get submitted. This is not because he has not faced anyone with Florian's level of Jujtsu either. Alberto Crane and Leonard Garcia both are tremendous BJJ competitors and Huerta showed amazing submission defense against both of these fighters. Huerta should still be careful with his style though in this fight because if he makes a mistake Florian will be there and try and take advantage of it.
Edge: Florian
Prediction: I think this one may actually go the distance and it will be a close and hotly contested hard fought win for Huerta. I just think Huerta may outhustle him and be more aggressive for takedowns but, definitely a "Fight of the Night" contender
Standup: This is the technical very calculating style of Kenny Florian vs. the wild unorthdox and extremely exciting style of the very talented Sports Illustrated coverboy Roger Huerta. Florian's standup has advanced by leaps and bounds since he was a contestant on the first season of the Ultimate Fighter reality show. He even went to Thailand to hone his Muay Thai and you can ask Sean Sherk how sharp Florian's elbows can be. He does not have tremendous knockout power but, he will pick you apart and he is one of the few fighters in the UFC who, you actually have to worry about getting hit by one of his elbows and getting the fight stopped because he can cut you open that badly. Huerta's standup is powerful but, not nearly as technical as Florian. He throws things with a lot of power but, he can become very wild with his strikes specifically his kicks and leaves himself open to straight counters which I am sure a smart fighter like Florian can use to his advantage. I have to give the edge to Florian but, that does not mean Huerta can not knock Florian out.
Edge: Florian
Wrestling: This aspect clearly goes to Huerta who actually has the wrestling experience in high school and college. He also uses the takedown a lot after he flurries to finish off scrambles. Florian only really has utilized the takedown against guys who he clearly outclasses on the ground and have no takedown defense, examples would be guys like Kit Cope and Sam Stout. Sean Sherk threw around KenFlo like a rag doll, however, Sherk has thrown a lot of people around like that. Huerta just has to be careful because once it gets to the ground it leads to the next aspect of MMA....
Edge: Huerta
Jujitsu: Florian is the clear winner in this area. A Brazilian Jujitsu Black Belt who uses it very well in MMA, submitting a bunch of his opponents. He is not only good at Jujitsu, he knows how to game plan it against fighters who do not have his skill level on the ground. Huerta is no slouch either though. For a guy who takes that many risk both with his striking and his takedowns, giving up his back all the time he does not get submitted. This is not because he has not faced anyone with Florian's level of Jujtsu either. Alberto Crane and Leonard Garcia both are tremendous BJJ competitors and Huerta showed amazing submission defense against both of these fighters. Huerta should still be careful with his style though in this fight because if he makes a mistake Florian will be there and try and take advantage of it.
Edge: Florian
Prediction: I think this one may actually go the distance and it will be a close and hotly contested hard fought win for Huerta. I just think Huerta may outhustle him and be more aggressive for takedowns but, definitely a "Fight of the Night" contender
UFC 87 Preview Part I
It has been a really long time since I last posted. However, I am back and I am going to be giving my UFC insight on regular basis. In terms of the UFC 87 coming up on Saturday night I would rank it as an average to above average card. It's not the greatest card they've had but, its not the worst either at least 3 of the fights have "Fight of the Night" potential.
Let's start where we should with the Main Event:
UFC 87 Preview Part I Main Event
George St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch
GSP vs. Fitch
Standup: This is probably where St. Pierre has the biggest edge. St. Pierre uses his jab really well to keep people at the distance he wants, to utilize his explosive kicks including leg kicks and some more unorthodox spinning kicks. Fitch does not have bad standup but, it is mostly effective against someone who is really defending against his takedowns. St. Pierre's biggest edge in the fight is his standup in this battle between two of the more well rounded fighters in the sport. Edge: St. Pierre
Wrestling: While on paper Jon Fitch is clearly the more accomplished wrestler being captain of the wrestling team in college at Purdue a Division I powerhouse, St. Pierre has shown you do not need to be a great collegiate wrestler to become a great MMA wrestler. He has not only held his own but, has made other tremendous wrestlers look like they have never attempted a double leg takedown in their life. He took down wrestlers like Matt Hughes, Josh Koscheck, Sean Sherk, and Frank Trigg.
Edge: Slight to St. Pierre but, very close
Jujitsu: This may be even more even than the wrestling aspect to this match. Fitch just got his black belt from Dave Camarillo at American Kickboxing Academy and St. Pierre has trained with pretty much every great BJJer there is. He started out with Renzo but, has had solid BJJ training for a long time now and has only been submitted once in an MMA match by Matt Hughes, in match I think he was just very nervous in, making a mistake by overcommiting to a Kimura. A mistake I don't think he would ever make again at his current skill level.
Edge: Even
Prediction: I think the only chance Fitch has in this match is to make it a really long match and keep on working on getting a takedown. He should not get discouraged from being stuffed early on in the match, keep shooting in on St. Pierre and see what damage Fitch can do while on top. The last thing Fitch wants though is to make this a standup fight or let St. Pierre take him down because I think that would lead to a TKO. I do not see either fighter submitting each other unless one of them is rocked first. My guess would be St. Pierre by TKO in the second or third round.
Let's start where we should with the Main Event:
UFC 87 Preview Part I Main Event
George St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch
GSP vs. Fitch
Standup: This is probably where St. Pierre has the biggest edge. St. Pierre uses his jab really well to keep people at the distance he wants, to utilize his explosive kicks including leg kicks and some more unorthodox spinning kicks. Fitch does not have bad standup but, it is mostly effective against someone who is really defending against his takedowns. St. Pierre's biggest edge in the fight is his standup in this battle between two of the more well rounded fighters in the sport. Edge: St. Pierre
Wrestling: While on paper Jon Fitch is clearly the more accomplished wrestler being captain of the wrestling team in college at Purdue a Division I powerhouse, St. Pierre has shown you do not need to be a great collegiate wrestler to become a great MMA wrestler. He has not only held his own but, has made other tremendous wrestlers look like they have never attempted a double leg takedown in their life. He took down wrestlers like Matt Hughes, Josh Koscheck, Sean Sherk, and Frank Trigg.
Edge: Slight to St. Pierre but, very close
Jujitsu: This may be even more even than the wrestling aspect to this match. Fitch just got his black belt from Dave Camarillo at American Kickboxing Academy and St. Pierre has trained with pretty much every great BJJer there is. He started out with Renzo but, has had solid BJJ training for a long time now and has only been submitted once in an MMA match by Matt Hughes, in match I think he was just very nervous in, making a mistake by overcommiting to a Kimura. A mistake I don't think he would ever make again at his current skill level.
Edge: Even
Prediction: I think the only chance Fitch has in this match is to make it a really long match and keep on working on getting a takedown. He should not get discouraged from being stuffed early on in the match, keep shooting in on St. Pierre and see what damage Fitch can do while on top. The last thing Fitch wants though is to make this a standup fight or let St. Pierre take him down because I think that would lead to a TKO. I do not see either fighter submitting each other unless one of them is rocked first. My guess would be St. Pierre by TKO in the second or third round.
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