Sport Chit Chat

Randy “The Natural” Couture
DOB: June 22, 1963
Height = 6 foot 1
Weight = 220 lbs
Record: 16-8-1
Notable losses: Chuck Liddell X2, Vitor Belfort (cut), Josh Barnett, Ricco Rodriguez, Valentijn Overeem, Enson Inoue

Strengths: Roman Greco Wrestling (in turns leads to good take downs and a top notch clinch game), game planning, high level of pace and quickness

Weaknesses: Lack of size for a HW, no submission game proving difficult to finish some opponents, age

Brock Lesnar
Height: 6 foot 3
Weight: 265 (at weigh in)
Record: 2-1
Only Loss; Frank Mir (or Murr according to Lesnar)

Strengths: strength, wrestling, heavy fists, general athleticism

Weaknesses: prone to submissions, refusal to put hooks and pull own submissions, inexperience (handicapping becomes difficult due to this in turn), questionable cardio, poor instincts due to inexperience. He’s shown some major improvements but because it’s still

Both guys have their question marks that make them almost unbettable. Randy is 45, Brock has the body of a champion and the skills to be a high level fighter but the problem is inexperience. His inexperience entails a lot of things including his jiujitsu skills, his scrambling instincts and the level of his striking.

How will the fight go?

Randy will try to measure Brock with counter punching. Then he will try to put Brock on his back and see how he reacts. Randy might pull off some ground and pound will Brock tries to buck him off. If Brock secures a takedown, he will probably finish Couture. His ground and pound is lethal and there shouldn’t be a reason with Brock’s strength that he will be able to at least hold him down and thus tire out Randy. I really think Randy has to work harder for a victory then Brock.

Who’s the better bet? Brock but it’s still a coin toss. (The odds coincide)

I probably stand to lose some money as I’ve sprinkled some money on some big dogs and hope to pull even with my favorite pick.

Patrick Cote (around +550) or Anderson Silva (around -750)
Before betting make sure you find the best sports book that has the best line. Due to being such a big underdog fight, Silva has ranged from -650 to -1150.

Anderson Silva is the MOST overrated fighter in the world. Beyond Fedor as it stands. It’s warranted and he has the skills but the way he’s nuthugged is ridiculous. I don’t think a MMA fight should ever be more then -500 unless you are Fedor (who is literally the best all around). Silva has weaknesses which are involved with his takedown defense and his grappling. The notion that he has wordclass jiu-jitsu is absurd. You WANT to take down Spider and people have done it at will. (See Okami, Takase)

Patrick Cote is probably not the fighter to take down Anderson but to give Cote zero chance, standing and on their feet is a joke. I’m not saying Andy is going to take Cote light but with the right gameplan and a tempered aggression can show you some of Silva’s weaknesses. Cote needs a lot of luck to win but I think he’ll at least impress. P.S. Cote will back away for the first two minutes trying to measure Anderson. Eventually he’ll try to work a clinch game and bait the Thai plumb and take down Silva. What happens from there will determine the winner.
Pick: No one in the right mind is willing to risk 7 dollars to make one. Just makes no sense from a logistic stand point. I’d rather put my money into the stock market. Sprinkle some money on Cote.

Thiago Alves (+120) vs Josh Koscheck (-150)
Pick: Toss up/advantage Koscheck
I’m surprised Alves made weight. Diego Sanchez impied that Alves has a enhanced body and while Alves has been caught with illegal substances before, it definitely makes sense but that’s kind of mean. I don’t know how Alves manages to moves but he’s going to be to raise that level is Koscheck can takedown the best (see GSP). However Alves can scare Koscheck away with his striking. Advantage goes to Koscheck though since he does have good enough striking now while Alves has no real ground game.

Gray Maynard (-225) vs Rich Clementi (+185)
Pick: Maynard but Clementi is great value here.
Maynard was going to be one of my picks and must to my disdain, Maynard is a huge favorite. Maynard has zero value due to inexperience. While Clementi is good match up for Maynard it isnt out of order to see Clementi subbing or outworking Maynard.

Fabricio Werdum (-750) vs Junior Dos Santos (+550)
Sprinkled money on JDS. Though I know nothing about him.
Why is Werdum a -750? He really didn’t impressed me on his feet against Arlovski. We found that he can pass Vera’s guard and got a early ref stoppage. I’m just not as impressed with him.

Tyson Griffin (+220) vs Sean Sherk (-270)
Pick: Sherk all day long.
Tyson Griffin is incredibly overrated. He used to be an exciting fighter but since he’s been afraid to wrestle grapplers and used is striking which is okay but very boring. Griffin’s wrestling will be tested but look for it to go the way of Edgar vs Griffin but with more domination. Griffin might make it look close but Sherk will outclass him.

Quick Picks:
Thales Leites vs Drew McFedries: at -455, Leites takes it. Worth a parlay.
Franca vs Aurelio: Franca has the striking advantage and I could see him KOing Aurelio.
Pete Sell vs Josh Burkman - at +180 I like Sell here, not much to bet on but Burkman is overrated and has been lackluster inawhile. The fact that he missed weight is very telling. Pete Sell at 170 is very scary, he just gets a bad rap for getting KO’d by Nate Quarry (and that awesome KO by Smith) but ask Kalib Starnes how he feels about Quarry’s strikes (well he can’t answer you, he’s already ducking that).

UFC 89 a weak but surprise surprise FREE card. It sure couldn’t hurt to put on a good card but nonetheless with a card coming up next week as well. I sure as hell don’t mind. I don’t have much to say.

Chris “The Crippler” Leben (+180) vs Michael “The Count” Bisping (-220)
Pick: The Crippler.
Who has The Count faced that makes him so good? He lost to Rashad Evans in a close but rather decisive decision. He lucked out against Matt Hamill and in general he beats on Ju-jitsu guys/grapplers. His main strength is his technical striking but he’s been dominated based on control. He just ground and pounds weaker foes and will probably have to take it to the ground against Leben to win. The Crippler will keep moving forward and most shots will probably unfaze him. Leben’s a good bet here as an almost to 2 to 1 dog. Leben’s achilles heel are guys who are willing to go to the ground and that isnt Bisping.

Keith Jardine (+155) vs Brandon Vera (-185)
Pick: Keith Jardine. Jardine is a more proven fighter while The Truth still remains a question mark after disappoint performances. To win, Vera must be ruthless and pick up and the pace looking for the KO. Or else he will be strategically picked up by Greg Jackson and Co. Vera has more improving to do but I don’t bet my money on how good a fighter will become but what he already is and Vera is just another overrated fighter who hasn’t done squat lately.

Luiz Cane (-105) vs Sokoudjou (-125): Too CLOSE to call! Should be an awesome fight. If Cane was a bigger dog I would take him as I think Sok is overrated after some big wins.

Chris Lytle (-350) vs Paul Taylor (+280): I would take Lytle here. Not betting since he’s my favorite fighter.

Paul Kelly (+235) vs Marcus Davis (-295): Kelly’s a live dog here, the odds are justified but we’ll see if he has the moxie to pull off an upset.

Dan Hardy (+285) vs Akhiro Gono (-355): Gono is a decent fighter and Hardy will be hard pressed to beat the guy the weird blog posts.

Neil Wain (+500) vs Shane Carwin (-700): Who? (Of course I know Carwin want to see more of him before laying a big one at -700)

Liaudin (+125) vs Bielkheden (-155): Liaudin isn’t very good and is a staple on these English cards. Dominating by Diego Sanchez didn’t really give us an idea where Bielkheden is.

Terry Etim (+240) vs Sam Stout (-300): Stout is overrated? Etim shouldn’t be that big of a dog though I don’t know as much. From what I’ve seen from Stout… he doesn’t belong as a 3 to 1 favorite yet.

Are you a gambling man who likes big underdogs and isn’t afraid to lose some dough? Well… then the Elite XC card on CBS tomorrow likely will fill out your pleasure because Elite XC is notorious for putting on… squash matches.

Kimbo Slice (-400) vs Ken Shamrock (+300)
Pick: Not worth betting.
Shamrock is OLD. He’s lost 7 of his last 8 fights. The Tito Ortiz trilogy was like watching a slow car crash. He followed his post-UFC career with a loss to Robert Berry (who?) (12-8 career). His only win is against Kimo Leopoldo (who?). He was once a legend but yeah he has a problem on his hands. Kimbo Slice is an improving opponent who made A LOT of mistakes against James Thompson specifically on the ground with a reckless guillotine guard pull (commentators referred to it as a DDT) and some poor guard defense which he ended up crucified (the move…not w/e). The line is justifed. You could argue that Shamrock, a wrestler should be able to take down Kimbo and expose him but I doubt Shammy could w/o getting rocked.

Roy “Big Country” Nelson (+300) vs Andrei “How’s Taste My Pee-Pee-Pee” Arlovski (-400)
Pick: Andrei Arlovski but Affliction may be jinxing things so I’ll pass on betting -400.
Why? Not fat guys. Seriously. Arlovski’s fight was actually very exciting fight with Arlovski outwilling Ben Rothwell a very talented heavyweight that many (including myself) thought could upset Arlovski. Nelson doesn’t have the stand up skill and that’s a problem. Arlovski only losses are by KO/TKO. He’s too fast and strong to submit imo. Arlovski should easily beat the fat guy.

Gina Carano (-600) vs Kelly Kobold (+450)
Gina Carano is very hot. She’s also undefeated and therefore CBS has been protecting her. I would never bet on Carano though as it’s likely she’ll go down one day but it’s clear that she IS the best women martial artist in the world (a bout with Santos is what people are really looking for). Weight cutting issues aside, her striking makes it hard for most women and Kobold will likely take punishment trying to implement a game plan as Carano is well rounded on the ground.
Pick: Sprinkle on Kabold, but probably not worth it.

Paul “Semtex” Daley (+400) vs Jake Shields (-550)
This is actually a fight where Elite XC probably doesn’t have a vested interest in the result. A striker vs grappler match up however at those odds, Daley can pull out a win or win by strikes.
Pick: Good value on Semtex but he’s still an underdog. I think a +300 would be more suitable. I’m basing this on Shields dominating grapplers but I’m not sure about his stand up. Daley is a legit fighter.

Murila “Ninja” Rua (-200) vs Benji Radach (+165)
Don’t know enough about Benji. Can’t help you.

Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos (-600) vs Yoko Takahashi (+450)
Pick: Cyborg by murder. If you saw Cyborg’s last fight..this would not be in doubt.

Melvin Manhoef one of the best strikers outside of the UFC, period has decided to retire at the ripe age of 32. He decided to call it quits after his upset defeated to eventual Dream MW winner Gregard Mousasi. The video can be found here. His biggest mistake in the match was when he was caught in the triangle choke but powered out of it. Instead of keeping Mousasi in the air and hence the pressure, he chose to slam Mousasi putting himself deeper in the submission and being forced to tap out.

I wasn’t Manhoef’s biggest fans because I didn’t think he was well rounded enough but one thing for sure is that he was very exciting and brutally murdered Japanese legend Kaz Sakuraba. I think he would’ve been a popular fighter had the UFC attempted to sign him. He was exciting, quick, explosive, aggressive etc. - all the things that excite fans. People talk about the MW division being weak… psh the UFC just sucked at signing them.

Here’s hoping he comes back, he’s still in his prime and is one of the guys I’d want in the UFC.

Here’s a highlight vid:

Back to Part I here.
Force Unleashed: That is a great trailer. It looks like you get to fight Vader at the end. I wonder if you get to kill him? That wouldn’t fit with the movies very well. It would kind of ruin the movie I just watched.

Ultimate Fighter Preview: Jose Aguilar just compared himself to Hitler and claimed the he “belongs raping and piliging dawg, straight up criminal dawg.” That’s really a terrible thing to say. I think if that is the way that all fighters are like, this is not a sport I can like.

Guida vs. Danzig: I pick Guida. He reminds me of this guy I went to highschool with. It’s the hair.

3:19 left in fight: I have no idea what just happened or who was hurt more, but Guida just got on Danzig’s back. But that move beforehand was awesome. They were just entangled. Guida is going to kill this guy… Danzig looks like Helo from Battlestar Gallactica.

I haven’t written much this round because I have been having a snack. It important to stay full while watching the UFC. I don’t want to do it on an empty stomach.

Wow Guida just ended by pummelling the shit out of a guy.
That was a great fight.
And a dedication to those who were affected by Hurricane Ike. This is a surprisingly well spoken man. Considering that the last guy just got angry.

Wow the screen just showed 3 hot UFC fans. I think the entire point of that was “see there are just dicks here, there are a few big boobs as well.” Essentially a way of saying “women like the UFC too.”

I’m fairly certain that there was a trailer for that new Dane Cook movie (it also has the guy that humps the pie in it) that was just a scene from the movie. WHY? I don’t want to watch that movie now. I already know how one scene will go. That’s just weird.

Diaz vs. Neer: Ok now its time for the marquee fight. One guy comes from a fighting family. I guess that is important. I don’t know why, but it seems like it makes sense. Maybe genetics plays a role.
Neer just called himself “the best competition” but crafted it in a way that it was a compliment to his opponent. That is sly. Well played Neer, well palyed.
The music is very chill for the entrance of the fighters. Do the fighters pick the music like baseball players pick the song that they can go to the plate to?

Nate Diaz is punching himself in the face. That is bizarre.

I pick Neer. I know I could be very wrong here. But I gotta give it a shot.

Diaz is way too crazy. He wont stop moving back and forth.

3:50 left in 1st: It looks like I am making the right choice. This Neer fellow is stronger than Diaz. I also like it that I can never forget which one is Neer, he has that big tattoo on his back with his name. Always there to remind us.

4:05 left in 2nd: Diaz is slippery. The announcers have made sure I know that. They keep saying it. But it is true. He is moving like a spider…

2:30 left in 2nd: Neer had him and couldn’t finish. You always need to finish.

Two huge punches at the end of the Second. But I didn’t see their resuly because of this stupid cut to commercial.

OK so a great third round and a good fight. It reminds me of that scene in office space where they destroy the printer. Except the printer fought back in this version. Now I wait for the final decision while I watch Burger King commercials over and over again.

Well there it is. Diaz wins. And so ends my first UFC battle. I struggled through but made it to the end. At points I wanted to stop watching, but I never let my guard down. I kept going and in the end it was worth it. UFC isn’t that bad. But I’ll take a hockey game over it any day. Sorry UFC. Maybe if it was played on ice.

Read Part II Here
I have never watched a UFC fight before. I have seen pieces of fights as I flip through channels. Or at a friend’s place if they have the TV on. But I have never sat down to watch a UFC event. As I am watching the end of Star Wars Return of the Jedi, and I am seeing commercials for this event, Nate Diaz vs. Josh Neer, and I feel the need to watch it. I mean there has to be a reason that so many people like it.

40 minutes to Fight Night Live: The death star has just fired on a Rebel cruiser. Luke is fighting the dark inside him.

30 min to: Luke kicks Vader down the stairs. “Obi-Wan has taught you well.” Now this is a fight.

2 min 45 seconds to: All the main characters are rejoicing with the Ewoks, if this is the case, who is guarding the fleet? Piloting the ships. Is noone worried that there are sill high ranking empire officials who want to attack them? Furthermore, what the hell made George Lucas decide to put the spirit of young Anakin Skywalker on the screen with Yoda and Obi-Wan? Why wouldn’t the spirit look like the Vader that died? And if they look like the young versions of themselves why isn’t Ewan McGregor’s image on the screen.

Opening Credits: Sick music.

Live from Nebraska: Is the UFC the only sport that openly associates itself with the reality show of itself? I don’t think football ever advertises “2 a Days.” Clay Guida is a scary looking guy, I wouldn’t want to meet him in an alley.

Alexander vs. Schaffer: Home town advantage. I root for Houston Alexander. He is going to give his home town a good showing. Wow. Omaha is now booing Schaffer. I didn’t know that home town fans rooted for their boys so much.

4:04 left in 1st: A great kick to the leg by Houston, but ehy are his shorts so tight and short. Can’t he wear board shorts likr the other guy?

2:10 left: Feel good story about the home town hero. But my roommate points out that a guy with 6 kids has no business being in the ring where he could make them all orphans.

0:50 left: And this is exactly why. Continuous blows to the head are not good for anyone.

SCHAFER WINS!! Oh wow, the Assassin taps out. “That is the greatest shit of all time” Schafer’s buddy says to him. And the line on Shafer’s shirt “Jesus didn’t tap.” You know this guy is full of himself. But I guess you have to think you are the shit to get in the Octagon on a regular basis.
I enjoyed my first fight. It went a full round, I got to see a guy get pummelled in the face, tap out due to an ‘arm triangle’ (I don’t know what that is but it sounds sweet). Hey Star Wars The Force Unleashed sponsors the UFC. When Jedi’s back your sport you know something good is going down for you.
Shout out to the deceased hero, classic.
And back to commercials.

I don’t know what pit fight is. But the commercial that just aired makes it look awesome. If this fight keeps me interested, maybe I will watch that.

Opportunity Knocks. A new show. Whoever thought to bring reality TV and game shows together is an idiot. (Granted I openly hate reality TV but still this looks dumb) How much of the show is a game show and how much is them turning the street into a game show. Will I get to here sappy family stories if I watch. This sounds like shit. I encourage you to watch.

Herman vs. Belcher: Herman seems to be confident that he will control the fight, claiming to be able to keep it standing or on the ground depending on what he wants. So I will pick Alan ‘the Talent’ Belcher. (Note that I never read anything on these fighters and are picking them solely by nicknames and facial expressions only.) How do I keep picking the guys with short shorts.

3:52 left in first: I just realized what the Ultimate Fighter is like. It is like Farm Teams. They need to develop new talent right, cause Chuck Lidell (the only MMA fighter I have ever heard of, thanks Entourage!) won’t fight forever. So they use this reality show, get to air it and make money from it and hopefully get some new fighters ready to go.

1:50 left in 1st: Apparently some time in Thailand will not only make you stronger but it will also sharpen your mind! What great colour commentary.

0:10 left in 1st: Herman keeps going for some kind of choke. All I think is Vulcan Death Grip. As soon as the bell rings they go to commercial. Not even a lead out. That is maximizing ad space!

2:45 left in 2nd: A switch to southpaw by my boy Belcher. A risky move considering the constraints of dexterity.

0:09 left in 2nd: Wow what a punch. Fakes him out by looking to the side and then just jumps and punches to the top of the head. Its my kind of move. I picked the right guy, win or lose.

4:59 left in 3rd: They start by high fiving. How cute.

2:15 left in third: Belcher keeps looking at the clock. I can’t tell if this is good or bad. Is he tired or cocky? Or is he in league with the mafia and needs Herman to fall at a certain point.

Fight over. They go the distance. Impressive feat of athletic ability. One Vote Belcher. One against. SPLIT DECISION. My boy wins. It was all the superman punch. OK, this guy is crazy. Literally, he can’t talk right now. He is getting defensive about his critics. And now he told the place where to go party. Do MMA fighters get to drink, or is that against their training? Either way I bet that is a good party. Or at least a good sausage fest.

War Machine formerly Jon Koppenhaver was finally released from the UFC. He claims that he was released over his comments about Evan Tanner’s death and rejecting the idea of becoming a gatekeeper.

Basically he wanted to fight guys he could make a name out of and refuse to put people over. With his statements offending the homosexuals, his legal issue with beating up a guy outside a club and jumping the gun and saying Evan Tanner killed himself. It was about freakin’ time they released him.

Let me be clear, I don’t hate War Machine, I personally think he’s a funny character but in the end it’s hard to put the name “professional” next to his name without laughing.

Evan Tanner was found dead in California at the tender age of 37 today. The cause of death is unknown but Tanner was apparently taking a trip to the desert by himself, journeys that he would normally take. He told friends to call authorities if they didn’t hear back from him…

I was not a hardcore fan and I’ve gotten to experience the latter part of his career but he seemed like a stand up that was a great personality in the sport of MMA. He was a great character that likely had a future in MMA regardless if his fighting career was mostly to end. On his last post he sported himself with his beard shaved off and the training facility he was in and some fabulous photos of Oceanside, California.

Tanner’s MMA career was impressive and he fought the best of the best. He compiled a record of 32-8. He fought the world’s best such as Tito Ortiz, Rich Franklin, Phil Baroni, Robbie Lawler, David Loiseau, and Yushin Okami.

He also reigned as middleweight champion defeating David Terrell at UFC 51.

His last fight was a split decision loss to Kendall Grove in June.

Here are some videos:
Evan Tanner vs Yushin Okami:

Evan Tanner HL

Rest in Peace Evan Tanner!

Canadians are probably huge fans of the UFC and MMA in general. Like pro wrestling, we Canadians love the violence and partying of course. When the UFC came to Montreal last April headlined by Georges St. Pierre and Matt Serra, the place was a quick sell out. It wasn’t just a Quebec/Montreal thing though, it almost was a national celebration with people from all over the country going to the event (besides who doesn’t want to visit Montreal?).

Anyway Dana White has publicly stated that he would like to have a UFC event in Toronto by 2009 or 2010. A lot of mainstream media have picked up on the subject but they never pick up on the necessary news stories that would really help push the idea further.

The latest blow was the Ontario Althetic Commission rejecting the idea of amateur MMA.

Many believe in the Sherdog community that its Ken Hayashi’s influence who has a conflict of interest (he owns Tae Kwon Do Dojos and has a large influence on the athletic commisions). I’m just a blogger but I’ll try to talk to some people with more details and to make sure it just isn’t just bashing and actually confirm if Hayashi is a douchebag.

Having amateur MMA is required before professional MMA due to the government “concerns”. One of those concerns were:

“We are particularly concerned with submissions through choking, striking on the ground and the use of open-fingered gloves.”

“The use of open-fingered gloves” are they more concerned of accidental eye pokes over actual punches the face? A little bit too concerned. As for submissions through choking, this is a load of crap in MMA, those submissions are much safer then kimuras, armbars and heel hooks. The latter of the 3, will and have resulted in injuries. Choking in submissions usually leads to a tap where the person is okay just 5 minutes afterwards.

Clearly the politicians undies are in a bunch because MMA should be regulated by now. MMA is the future, don’t be douchebags and try to delay as slow as possible. For you MMA fans in Ontario, I guess we can try to do well all we can.