UFC 92 picks Forrest Griffin vs Rashad Evans Wanderlei Silva vs Quinton Jackson Nogueira vs Mir

by mmaninja 12/27/2008 5:27:00 PM

As usual, I say these will be super quick fight picks for UFC 92, but then I'll probably end up writing for an hour. Besides the fact that this is a really star studded event, like the old Pride year end event used to be, here are my picks.

Forrest Griffin Vs. Rashad Evans - what a tough pick this is for me, Rashad has been winning steady and last fight was a huge statement, especially for this confidence in his skills. Even though Forrest beat on Rampage a bit in their last fight, Rampage wasn't nearly at his best, but he has that advantage of going through that tough 25 minute championship fight and after being knocked down in the very first. So I like both guys, but I'm leaning towards Rashad and his power. Picking Rashad Evans.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Vs. Frank Mir - I'm honestly not sure what Mir can do to Nogueira. His striking is still isn't good enough for Noguiera and his latest submissions were against guys that are inexperienced at them. I give Nogueira striking advantage, stamina and submissions for that matter. He'll wear Mir out in the very first round, peper him with all kinds of striking. In the second he'll proceed to doing the same and finish Mir in the third. Picking Nogueira by just being better at everything and experience.

Wanderlei Silva Vs. Quinton Jackson - In both of their previous fights Rampage started off better than Silva and as soon as he got into any type of rhythm or a good position he was interrupted. In the first it was the ref for an odd reason, when Rampage was on top and pretty active and could have very well worn Silva out to finish him later. In the second he did great in the first round and spend good energy to get Silva on the ground and be on top before the bell rung. Silva showed why he was still great after exlusively beating up on 10+ japanese fighters and cought Rampage with some amazing forever-highlight reel shots. Again I really like both guys and both faltered lately. I hope Rampage learned from Silva-vs-Liddell, and Silva vs CroCop for that matter, that straight shots are Silva's cryptonite, Achilles's heel, whatever. Silva hopefully got some more good training in at Randy Couture's. So I want Rampage to win and hope he got whatever messed him up for the Griffin fight taken care of and is in better shape physically and metally.

CB Dollaway Vs. Mike Massenzio - picking CB Dollaway and his peruvian necktie, cause I get a feeling Massenzio is there to make CB look good again and promote him further.

Cheick Kongo Vs. Mostapha Al Turk - picking Kongo because he should be pretty hungry for a win after he basically gave away a fight he was winning a no talent hack Heath Herring.

Yushin Okami Vs. Dean Lister - So...like...wtf is Dean Lister still doing in UFC? Honestly! I know Dana hates Yushin Okami, but it is a damn sport that's already so popular that if there are a few guys that are not exiting but beat other good fighters with skill, IT IS OK. I mean, look at how boring Lyoto Machida can be, but he is damn good and in my opinion has redeemed himself when he gave Tito Ortiz the biggest humiliation of his life. Yep, and that's after Randy spaked Tito in front of millions. Anyways, hope Okami beats up Lister and moves on to the contender list for 185 right after.

Ryo Chonan Vs. Brad Blackburn- picking Ryo Chonan.

Other fights - who cares.

Mr. Sunshine post UFC 81 Frank Mir interview - Mir gives Brock Lesnar credit and thinks he has real potential

by mmaninja 2/4/2008 9:53:00 PM

courtesy of Sherdog.com
To all the fans out there that decided to ignore the fact that Brock Lesnar was a NCAA Division I heavyweight champ and a real elite athlete before he joined WWE to make a living and derogatory comments after his loss to Frank Mir by submission about him still not being "real", please listen to Mr. Sunshine's radio interview of Frank Mir to hear what Frank Mir himself thinks about Brock Lesnar after the fight finally took place.

To all the fans to had a clue about Lesnar's athletic experience and his good performance against Frank Mir, also please list to Mr. Sunshine's interview of Frank Mir. It's quite revealing and honest coming from Mir himself. I have to give Mir props for admitting that few times when Brock hit him he was seeing white, not a lot of fighters are honest like that.  Mir also thinks that Brock is for real and has a lot of potential in this sport.

Check out the interview, Mir also gives his thoughts on Nogueira vs Sylvia bout and what's next in the UFC heavyweight division.

UFC 81 Rodrigo Nogueira beats Tim The Lame-iac Sylvia for the interim UFC heavyweight championship belt

by mmaninja 2/3/2008 2:36:00 AM


I think Tim The Lame-iac Sylvia is lame. Why? This loss to Nogueira is a prime example of why Sylvia is lame.  He could possibly have the heavyweight belt all to himself to parade around on his scooter and M-16 in remote areas of Midwest while listening to snappy honky-tonk country songs. Like in his numerous prior outings in UFC he was fighting a hurt fighter and couldn't not finish him no matter what. It was like that against and injured and hurt Arlovski, against a hurt Vera and again last night against a hurt Nogueira. Only this time it was Sylvia who hurt Nogueira, so it should have been painfully obvious to him that he should just go in for the kill instead of just flailing his arms. He has the size and physical attributes that he needs to hurt people standing and thwart most takedown attempts to keep it standing. What he doesn't have and may never will is killer instinct and aggression to go out there and finish fights without being afraid of getting banged up a little in the process. That's why he is lame.

As soon as the fight started it was very obvious that Sylvia had the reach and size advantage over Nogueira. In the begining of the first round both fighters did some light striking with Sylvia getting more in. Nogueira tried a half hearted attempt at a takedown and pulled guard, which moments later Sylvia just stood out of. Some where mid first round, Sylvia slipped to the left and landed a left hook and right cross combination right on Nogueira's chin sending him down to the mat. Sylvia pounced on Nogueira, landing in his guard to try to finish the rocked Nogueira, but couldn't and eventually stood out of the guard again. While standing, Sylvia failed to land any significant punches again and Nogueira actually managed to finish a single leg takedown and landing in the side mount only to have the round end.

Getting the takedown in the first round probably gave Nogueira some confidence in his ability to take Sylvia down again, but in the second round he didn't manage take Sylvia down at all. Sylvia though continued to land shots throughout the round. In the third round Nogueira gain shot for a takedown and instead of pushing through, he rolled under Sylvia and pulling a half guard. From there he was able to reach under Sylvia's other leg and managed to sweep him. He immediately passed guard to sidemount and moments later went for a step over armbar. Sylvia rolled to his knees and Nogueira switched to an arm in guillotine choke. Sylvia quickly tapped.

Nogueira took a lot of punishment but found a way to win after being nearly out. He is one of the most resilient fighters out there. I was very happy for him and his win, but I'm really starting to doubt his longevity in the sport. I hope these last two fights were just a streak of bad luck and he won't be nearly out again in his next championship defense. Will his recent performances draw out Couture for one more fight?  Or is Mir next in line? Both would be good fights.

What's next for Sylvia? Fight with Mir or winner of Kongo vs Herring?

MMANinja.com | FeedSubscribe

ABOUT MMA NINJA

MMA NINJA MMANINJA
Just a big MMA fan, since the early days of MMA

E-mail me Send mail

FeedSubscribe
Add to Technorati Favorites

Gear up at the UFC Store !

Tags

Gear up at the UFC Store !


Extreme Blogs - BlogCatalog Blog Directory Top Blogs Sports blogs

Gear up at the UFC Store !

Disclaimer

The opinions expressed herein are my own personal opinions and do not represent my employer's view in anyway.

© Copyright 2010

Sign in