UFC 141 MMA Crypt Staff Predictions

UFC 141 MMA Crypt Staff Predictions

The Main Card for this event has several interesting bouts and it should prove to be an exciting night of fights. Some of the staff here at MMA Crypt have provided their predictions for UFC 141, which takes place FRIDAY December 30th. Contributing to MMA Cyrpt's Staff Predictions for UFC 141 (main card only) are :

Kickass32 - Crypt Site Moderator, Misfit - Crypt Administrator, Kimurafan - Crypt Site Moderator, Rich Davie - Crypt Administrator, CooperJacob - Crypt writer & CrimsonColts18 - Crypter

Main Card:

Heavyweight Bout:

Brock Lesnar (5-2-0) vs. Alistair Overeem (35-11-1)

Lightweight Bout:

Nate Diaz (14-7-0) vs. Donald Cerrone (17-3-0)

Welterweight Bout:

Jon Fitch (26-3-1) vs. Johnny Hendricks (11-1-0)

Light Heavyweight Bout:

Vladimir Matyushenko (26-5-0) vs.Alexander Gustafsson (12-1-0)

Featherweight Bout:

Manny Gamburyan (13-7-0) vs. Diego Nunes (16-2-0)

UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem Predictions from the staff at MMA Crypt.

Brock Lesnar (5-2-0) vs. Alistair Overeem (35-11-1)

Kickass32 : This is one fight that the fighters styles couldn't be more opposite. Brock is a tough as nails wrestler with little standup to speak of other than pure power. Overeem is the prototypical standup fighter, and although he has a number of submission victories to his credit, he really isn't a threat on the ground. Simply put, whomever fights their fight wins this.
A.O is big and strong, and so is Brock, and I'll give Brock the speed and strength advantage. Overeem looked horrible in his last fight against werdum, while Brock looked bad in his last fight against Cain.
I usually see ring rust as being the great equalizer and a real bitch, but Brock's style of fighting isn't reliant on timing so much, so I actually don't see it playing a factor here. I do see Brock overwhelming Overeem, taking him to the ground and dishing out a very brutal and lopsided beating...ala Mir/Lesnar II.

Brock Lesnar via 2nd rd KO

Misfit : I'll start with, I've been drinking so I apologize for grammar, spelling and overall stupidness. This fight gives me a ton of question marks, but if I have to pick a winner, I'm going to say, Brock, nasty GnP in the first or second. This fight is about which fighter can make their fight happen. I don't think Brock can KO Overeem standing, mostly cause I don't trust Reem's chin more than I respect Brock's hands. But I also look at who each guy has been fighting. Brock has had 1 easy MMA fight against some guy mostly likely with the name Kim in his name. It was ugly, Brock threw ugly ass punches with this thumbs sticking straight out, it was just horrible. But since coming to the UFC, every single fight has been against a damn good fighter and YES, Herring is/was a damn good fighter. So, Brock has really never had an easy UFC fight, Reem on the other hand has made a career out of fighting guys he really has no business fighting. That said, Reem did destroy every single one of those guys just like he should have, no fighting down to his competition UNTIL..., the Werdum fight. Not sure if I just want to call that a bad night or what. But if Reem is that afraid of Brock as he was Werdum, it will be a short night for him as Brock knows how to take the fight to his deep end unlike Werdum, wishing the fight entered his waters. So, I'm saying Brock TKO in 1st or 2nd.

Kimurafan : Friday's main event is a match-up of two men who are heavyweights among heavyweights. Even so, what makes this match-up so intriguing is the fact that both men, despite considerable offensive arsenals, are so glaringly fallible. Lesnar's domineering top control and thunderous ground-and-pound have seen him demolish opponents such as Frank Mir and Shane Carwin, but performances such as his defeat at the hands of Cain Velasquez have led fans to question his striking capabilities and the strength of his chin. On the other side of the equation, Alistair Overeem has long been lauded as a talented striker, an attribute which has only been augmented by his triumph in the 2010 K1 World Grand Prix, but his own suspect chin has been put on display throughout his career. Furthermore, the issue of whether or not Overeem has the level of defensive wrestling necessary to fend off Lesnar's seemingly hydraulic takedowns is perhaps the most significant factor in the upcoming bout. If Lesnar is able to establish himself in the top position and land significant punches, can Overeem persevere? An in-depth study of Overeem's past losses strongly suggests that if he were to be planted on his back by Lesnar, he would likely not be able to find his feet and, if Lesnar were able to connect with heavy shots, would likely be brutally battered. On the other hand, if Lesnar is unable to effectively close the distance and remove Overeem from his footing, one well-placed knee or uppercut may be all it takes to spell the end for him. This fight is incredibly difficult to call as both men have clear paths to victory and fatal flaws that could well lead to crushing defeat. However, it would seem that Lesnar's wrestling ability is impressive enough to plant virtually any heavyweight on the canvas. Even Cain Velasquez fell prey to the Lesanr takedown, even if he did go on to win the fight. Unlike Velasquez, Overeem does not seem to have the guard-game to be able to threaten from his back or frustrate Lesnar's top-game enough to escape to his feet. Once Lesnar secures a clean takedown, he will control Overeem and pound him out for the stoppage victory.

Brock Lesnar - (T)KO - Round 2

Rich Davie : For me, this one appears to be a no-brainer after watching the bout between Overeem & Werdum. If Overeem was so tentative to engage Werdum in the stand-up aspect of the game where Overeem was supposed to be the better striker and Werdum was winning that aspect of the fight in the 1st round, then I don't hold much hope for Overeem going up against Lesnar unless Brock is not 100%. This one should be over early on in the bout, and I doubt it goes past round 2 or 3. I'm gonna say that Brock reverts to his old standard of bum-rushing Overeem to take him down and holding him there to land his patented "jack-rabbit hammer fists" to win the fight by TKO in the 2nd round.

Brock Lesnar by TKO in round 2

CrimsonColts18 : I mean this fight only has 2 ways it is gonna go. #1 Brock gets in and gets the takedown, and pounds him out finishing him within 3 rounds cause he is able to take him down at will basically. #2 Overeem lands 1 good shot on Brock and knocks his ass out. I figure Overeem will land a big shot, Brock will back up and cover up, Overeem will land another big shot on Brock and that will be that.

Alistair Overeem by 1st round KO/TKO

CooperJacob : I wasn't impressed in the slightest at Overeem's performance against Werdum, he looked very hesitant and was unsuccessful in forming any sort of attack. However, Reem has all the characteristics to bounce back with a very solid performance. Lesnar will be at his best I believe, after such a long lay off he will be determined to come back with a bang. This is not going 5 rounds, and if it does it will look horrible in the fifth. Look for Lesnar to use his solid wrestling and overwhelm Overeem, who will come into the later rounds very tired en route to a Brock (T)KO.

Lesnar via 4th round (T)KO

Nate Diaz (14-7-0) vs. Donald Cerrone (17-3-0)

Kickass32 : I guarantee this is fight of the night...guarandamntee it!! This will more than likely be 15 minutes of standup warfare. Cerrone has shown his standup arsenal has been ever improving and Diaz, while more reliant on boxing than a diversified game, has shown he is capable of handling a stand up war.
I just see Cerrone winning the speed battle, and certainly has the power advantage, as well as more stand up weapons coming from his Muay Thai background. It'll be the diversification of Cerrone's arsenal that enables him to out point and punish Diaz.

Donald Cerrone via Unanimous Decision

Misfit : I see Cerrone just killing Nate. Granted, I don't think all that highly of Nate but he did have a DAMN good showing against Gomi but damn near everybody is having a good showing against Gomi now. But seeing what Cerrone did to Siver just blew me away, I think he's reached the next level and is 2 good wins away from a title shot and this will be 1 of those wins. I'm seeing Cerrone finishing this fight in the 2nd, I'm not real sure how but I'm guessin, maybe hoping for a brutal beatdown, ending with a tko of Diaz.

Kimurafan : Come Friday night, these two lightweights may very well steal the show. Both men will be ready for wherever the fight goes, and neither one will be willing to give an inch. Nate Diaz has long been known for his ground-game, but over the past several years Donald Cerrone has been very impressive when fighting from his back. Furthermore, while Diaz has displayed a boxing style which often overwhelms his opponents with the sheer volume of punches he throws, "Cowboy" has made his name with a fearsome Muay Thai arsenal and a granite chin. While Diaz is able to frustrate opponents with his punches, he is rarely able to overcome them based on that facet alone. Cerrone, on the other hand, has shown improved striking in almost every fight he has been in. Diaz will be able to hang with Cerrone on the feet early, but he will fade against Cerrone's superior technique and iron will. Later in the fight Cerrone will likely also showcase his improved takedowns to fortify his performance.

Donald Cerrone - Unanimous Decision

Rich Davie : I don't find this match-up to be all that interesting, and the odds makers apparently don't see this as much of a challenge for Cerrone either. Nate made a nice comeback in his last bout after being on the UFC chopping block, but I don't see him winning this fight... especially after he pissed-off Cerrone by slapping-off his trademark cowboy hat. I believe Cerrone is going to want to put an exclamation point on this win for that silly-ass move by Diaz, and I'm gonna go against the general consensus and predict Cerrone wins by submission in round 2.

Donald Cerrone by submission in round 2

CrimsonColts18 : This one is rather simple too. Donald Cerrone should win this fight. And when he does, what an impressive year for him. If he wins this fight, he will be 5-0 this year, all in the ufc. Very impressive, having said that, he should be able to beat Diaz, but he ain't gonna finish him. I figure it will be a good fight and probably fight of the night, but Nate Diaz doesn't get finished, and he won't here.

Donald Cerrone by decision

CooperJacob : Cerrone has looked at his career best in his last few outings, beating contenders such as Dennis Siver and Charles Oliveira in impressive fashion. Nate, however, dominated a once-great Fireball Kid in his last bout in devastating fashion and looks back to great form despite a two-fight skid prior to the fight with Gomi. This has all the makings of an instant classic in the ever-so exciting lightweight division, and the stare-down at the pre presser made the fight look even more exciting - with Diaz knocking Cerrone's signature cowboy fight off. I predict a frenetic pace in the first two rounds, and the third being dominant for Cerrone.

Cerrone via split/unanimous decision

Jon Fitch (26-3-1) vs. Johny Hendricks (11-1-0)

Kickass32 : I kinda see this fight as a "changing of the guard" fight. Hendricks and Fitch are both very highly skilled wrestlers, with Hendricks being the more decorated at the collegiate level. Hendricks also has a huge power advantage in the striking department.
All Fitch seems to do is win, win ugly, but still win. But I think Hendricks' wrestling wil win out over Fitch's and the striking game will take over, and while Fitch probably has the more technical striking, Hendricks has been improving a lot and the power advantage will win out, I'm going with the upset here.

Johny Hendricks via 2nd rd KO

Misfit : Fitch, via judges. He wins all 3 rounds just like he normally does. Nothing all that exciting but the outcome will be very, very clear.

Kimurafan : On paper, Fitch and Hendricks have similar styles. However, there will be a technique gap between the two men once the opening bell rings. While Hendricks is a more accomplished wrestler and has power in his strikes, Fitch is more polished with his boxing and grappling. Fitch has long been known to mix his strikes well with his takedowns. Meanwhile, we have seen Johnny Hendricks beaten at his own game in his fight with Rick Story. If Fitch gets taken down by Hendricks, his guard is such that he will likely be able to either sweep his opponent or escape to his feet. However, once Fitch is able to put Hendricks on his back, his top control will be more than effective enough to keep Hendricks here while he lands strikes and searches for submissions.

Jon Fitch - Unanimous Decision

Rich Davie : I don't have the animosity against Jon Fitch the way many MMA fans do for his style of winning fights... after all, the whole point of fighting is to win the bout any way possible. That being said I believe with what we've heard as of late regarding Fitch's desire to win by a method other than decision, Fitch will effort to finish the fight on the ground by submission which just might cause him to lose an upset. I'm inclined to agree with Kickass32 and believe that this one has the makings for an upset win by Hendricks when Fitch efforts to deviate from his old tried and true standard of winning. I'm gonna go with the upset pick as well and choose Johny Hendricks by TKO in round 2.

Johny Hendricks by TKO in round 2

CrimsonColts18 : I won't spend time on this one, Jon Fitch will win this fight. He will win it by decision, and be rather dominate in this fight like basically all of his other fights, and it will not lead to the title shot he actually deserves.

Jon Fitch by decision

CooperJacob : Not the most exciting fight on the card, that's for sure, but one of the most intriguing. There are two questions that could be answered here: can Fitch's impressive streak be stopped, or can Fitch finish a fight for the first time in three-and-a-half years. Jon Fitch has promised that he will finish the fight in order to deserve another shot at GSP, but Johny Hendricks is no joke. With only one loss in his career and wins over the likes of Mike Pierce and Charlie Brenneman, Johny has the potential to provide a major upset against Fitch. However, I imagine Jon Fitch will return to his roots in a three-round, borefest that contains a lack of action and overwhelming booing from the audience.

Fitch via unanimous decision

Vladimir Matyushenko (26-5-0) vs. Alexander Gustafsson (12-1-1)

Kickass32 : If not for the Cerrone/Diaz fight, this would be a top contender for FOTN honours. This is a fight that we'll get to see if the Gustafsson hype is for real, and Matyushenko seems to be the guy that the "Hype train" gets tested on, because he played a similar role for "Bones".
Matyushenko is a gamer and a veteran in the game, but I think everything that he does well, Gustafsson does just a little bit better, and training with Phil Davis has really tided up his ground game.
I predict a back and forth affair with both guys eating some big shots that have either of them teetering on the brink at different points in the fight, however I feel Gustafsson's age, and abilities will eventually get him over the hump in this one.

Alexander Gustafsson via 3rd rd KO

Misfit : Gustafsson via some nasty as KO kick.

Kimurafan :

Rich Davie : I think this bout is a toss-up. Matyushenko has the edge in the wrestling and experience departments, but I believe that Gustafsson has the better striking skills. I'm gonna say that Gustafsson efforts to keep it standing early on and goes for the finish by applying pressure and out striking Matyushenko. I'm picking the younger man to win in either round 1 or 2 by TKO.

Alexander Gustafsson by TKO in round 2

CrimsonColts18 : I am pretty sure alot of people are gonna go with Gustafsson in this one, but I think people need to look at it alot closer. I am in no way saying that he can't win, but the janitor doesnt lose except to the elite of the elite. And again, not saying Gustafsson cant be that, I just got a feeling that V-mat doesn't lose this fight. The janitor has fought guys of equal skill or better skill then Gustafsson and beat them, the only person on V-mats level that Gust fought was phil davis, and he lost that. I am picking Matyushenko by decision.

Vladimir Matyushenko by decision

CooperJacob : My favourite clash of the evening featuring two guys on the brink of top-10 status - if they haven't done enough to achieve that already. Both fighters have everything to win here, and this bout will separate the men from the boys. Will Gustafsson prove to be a hot prospect after all? Or will Matyushenko look as brutal as he did in his last fight with Brilz? I have no idea. From my perspective, this fight could be an overwhelming three-rounder for Gustafsson, or a quick finish from the big Belarusian. I'm going to go for the latter, and another quick finish from The Janitor.

Matyushenko via first-round (T)KO

Manny Gamburyan (13-7-0) vs. Diego Nunes (16-2-0)

Kickass32 : The toughest fight of the night for me to call. I can see this fight ending with either guys hand raised, no matter the outcome, I won't be suprised.
Gamburyan's judo may be the deciding factor here, but then again, Nunes' speed may decide things.
I am going to go in the direction that I believe Diego Nunes will imploy a "Bisping" approach to this fight and hit and move the entire fight, occasionally landing the big power shots, and giving manny fits and getting him frustrated.

Diego Nunes via Unanimous decision

Misfit : Manny being Manny, they will go to touch gloves and Manny will attack. I'll be rooting for Nunes but I see Manny grinding out a decision.

Kimurafan : While this fight certainly has the potential to be exciting, the majority of the action will likely be rather one-sided. While Manny Gamburyan certainly has considerable power

Who wins this one ?

Rich Davie : Manny has been plagued with injuries since the early days when he first appeared on TUF, and unfotunately that plague has followed him throughout his UFC career. Manny is also gonna be feeling the pressure to win and avoid the dreadful situation of being a UFC fighter with a potential 3 losses in a row. The majority of this bout will probably take place on the ground, and If Manny makes it through the fight without agravating his past shoulder injury I believe that Nunes wins a unanimous decision.

Diego Nunes by unanimous decision

CrimsonColts18 :

CooperJacob : This is another very exciting match-up with two former contenders in the featherweight division. Manny has lost two in a row and may be on the brink of being cut from the UFC, whilst Diego went three rounds with Florian in his last outing. Gamburyan could have won his fight with Griffin in a very close decision, and Nunes beat former champ Mike Brown in his UFC debut. These two have a wealth of experience in fighting top-10 FWs so will have no problem standing and banging. If this fight stays standing, Gamburyan will win this I believe, whereas Nunes could have the advantage on the ground. Manny has some sick judo throws and takedowns, but he will problem want this to stay on the feet. I predict that this could be fight of the night and that The Anvil will look great and will smother The Gun en route to a decision.

​Gamburyan via unanimous decision

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UFC 141 Predictions- Kamikaze Overdrive MMA

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Strikeforce: Melendez vs Masvidal Predictions- Kamikaze Overdrive MMA

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UFC 140 Predictions- Kamikaze Overdrive MMA

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Frank Shamrock – “Nick Diaz will beat GSP”

Frank Shamrock – “Nick Diaz will beat GSP”

5

Becoming the first ever UFC Middleweight champion (later named light heavyweight) and successfully defending his belt for four consecutive bouts before leaving the Zuffa promotion is just one triumph in the career of “The Legend” Frank Shamrock. Growing up in poverty conditions, foster homes and finding himself in trouble with the law, martial arts gave him an outlet for discipline and the ability to learn a craft he would go on to help pioneer into the sport of mixed martial arts. Retired from competition the San Jose native is enjoying his role as a family man and ambassador for the sport, continuing to commentate for Strikeforce and do his best to help educated the world about MMA.

Frank was kind enough to speak with FightHub in this exclusive interview and share his thoughts on Strikeforce as a company, career accomplishments and the upcoming welterweight championship between GSP and Nick Diaz.
FHTV: First of all, thank you for taking the time to speak with us. How is retirement treating you?
FS: It is great man. I love to spend time with my wife and kids. The ability to travel and be here for whatever, whenever they need me is really nice. Never thought I would see myself this relaxed form not fighting but it’s a new me and I am liking it.
FHTV: You are still active with Strikeforce and commentating, correct?
FS: Yes I am, we have an event coming up on Showtime in a few weeks that I will be calling and that is something I want to become truly professional at. I love calling the fights, knowing what they are doing and using my background I think gives me an advantage but I want to become the best at it. Like in anything I do, always trying to become better.
FHTV: What is your opinion on Strikeforce as a promotion right now?
FS: Hmm, tough one (laughs). I really hope this thing stays around. This is a company that I came too, fought my last fights in and when I came to them, I saw it as something I could help build. They were and still are, a smart group of people, capable to make it big. I was shocked when Zuffa purchased it and had my opinions; looking back on it, from the view as a businessman, it was the smart thing and good thing for them to do.
Strikeforce can still be a good promotion, with quality events and quality fighters, I am hoping it stays around for awhile and is not written off.
FHTV: Some people may have viewed them as a lower league promotion; Given the success of the men who have entered the UFC after their time with Strikeforce, what do you think?
FS: I think if you are a true fan of the sport and not one organization that you can see who is talented and who is the real deal. Some guys have bad nights and that can happen anywhere, it does not make them a bad fighter because they didn’t win their first UFC fight. Time goes on and there is always someone to come up and get big and someone to drop down and help build.
FHTV: How do you see the Strikeforce Grand Prix ending?
FS: This fight (Barnett v Cormier) is a great fight for everyone and one I love. I love it when a fight gameplan is so simple – Barnett needs to go to the ground, Cormier needs to stay on the feet. I think that Barnett will win because of the experience he has compared to Cormier but I would not discredit Daniel at all. He has heavy hands, we all have seen that – Barnett will not take him down and anything can happen in a fight, just like what happened with Velasquez v JDS.
Cain was favored and I thought he would win myself but he looked bad that night, not the same guy we have watched. It could have been from time off, the injury, tossing out the gameplan, a lot of factors. He messed up by not sticking to his strength which was wrestling and got caught.
FHTV: When you look bad at your career, what do you feel was your greatest victory?
FS; Wow, that’s a good question – I would have to say when I won the UFC title after submitting Kevin Jackson. It was amazing to feel the accomplishment of winning a title but this particular fight, it was in Japan and here I was to show the world that Americans can fight in MMA as well and was one of the first American champions to do so. It was a sense of honor and pride for myself on what I had done, working for so long and training to become the best and showed the world that I was.
FHTV: Moving forward to your last fight with Nick Diaz, what was your mindset going into that match?
FS: To kick the crap out of this kid and teach him a lesson but that didn’t happen. I went in feeling ready and able to shut him up, there were nagging injuries but they didn’t play too big of a factor. At the end, Nick was awesome – he is a different level of fighter and I knew that after he landed the first punch.
When the fight was over and I had lost, I took some time to really look and see what I had done, where I was at and where I could go with this and then decided it was the best option to hang up the gloves. I can look back on the fights and say I am happy with my performances. Nothing would draw me back inside of a cage, the fighting is over for me. That is a weird feeling for me to have but it is the truth.
FHTV: What about a fight with Ken (Shamrock)?
FS: (laughs) Nope, not even Ken. Those days and that desire to fight him is gone for me.
FHTV: What are your thoughts on Nick Diaz and GSP?
FS: Nick is going to whoop on him. That is a fighter Georges has not faced and I think will really test him, if not beat Georges. The advantage he has over Nick is wrestling and if he decides to lay on him for five rounds, what has he proven? Diaz has better boxing, better cardio and better jiu jitsu. If the fight goes to the ground, GSP can’t take his time how he likes to, looking for a submission; Nick will be moving and looking for any submission he can get. It will be a great fight I know that for sure.
FHTV: Can you please tell us more about your nonprofit organization?
FS: Absolutely! It is starting in New York and it’s a program for troubled kids or those with nowhere to go after school to come learn MMA/ martial arts to keep them off the streets. This saved my life and turned me around and I want to be able to help kids do the same who want to.
We are looking to go nationwide in 2012 and I encourage anyone interested who would want to donate time, equipment, etc. all the stuff we would need to get this going to do so. I would love to see academies and gyms be able to help get these kids scholarships and grants, something they can use for their future, at the same time learning a life skill. If you want to know more, please feel free to visit my Facebook page here, my website or on Twitter @FrankShamrock.
FightHub is very grateful for Frank to take the time out of his personal life to speak with us and we wish him the most success on his nonprofit organization.

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Some guy took 12,000 MMA fights and fed them to a computer, Here’s what he discovered

Some guy took 12,000 MMA fights and fed them to a computer, Here’s what he discovered

It's pretty rude to address a person that took the time to analyze 12,000 MMA fights as 'some guy.' His name is Vik Singh, and his official title is 'some guy that is a glutton for data mining.' In short, he took a database of 11,886 fight records and fed them into a supercomputer to identify any trends with winning and losing an MMA bout. He extracted a gargantuan amount of information, and it seems like he will use this data to make an absurd amount of money in online betting. You can check out his scientific blog right here to see what he intends to do with this data, but check out the extraordinary facts he discovered in his arm-chair mathematical experiment. [Source]
Top UFC Insights
Fighters older than 32 years of age will more likely lose
This was validated in 173 out of 277 (62%) fights*

Fighters who have won 3x or more decisions than their opponent will more likely win
This was validated in 142 out of 235 (60%) fights*

Fighters younger than their opponents by 3 or more years in age will more likely win
This was validated in 165 out of 278 (59%) fights*

Fighters who haven’t fought in more than 210 days will more likely lose
This was validated in 162 out of 276 (59%) fights*

Fighters taller than their opponents by 3% will more likely win
This was validated in 159 out of 274 (58%) fights*

Fighters who have lost less by submission than their opponents will more likely win
This was validated in 75 out of 119 (63%) fights*

Fighters who have lost 6 or more fights will more likely lose
This was validated in 172 out of 291 (60%) fights*

Fighters who have lost 2 or more KOs will more likely lose
This was validated in 54 out of 84 (64%) fights*

Fighters from Japan are more likely to lose
This was validated in 36 out of 51 (71%) fights*

Fighters with a wrestling background vs fighters who don’t have one more likely win
This was validated in 72 out of 122 (60%) fights

Top Insights over All Fights

Fighters currently on a 3 fight (or better) winning streak will more likely win
This was validated in 1172 out of 1884 (62%) fights*

Fighters with 3x or more wins than their opponents will more likely win
This was validated in 1395 out of 2387 (58%) fights*

Fighters who have lost 7 or more times will more likely lose
This was validated in 1305 out of 2299 (57%) fights*

Fighters with no jiu jitsu in their background versus fighters who do have it more likely lose
This was validated in 334 out of 568 (59%) fights*

Fighters who have lost by submission 5 or more times will more likely lose
This was validated in 580 out of 986 (59%) fights*

Fighters in the Middleweight division who fought their last fight more recently will more likely win
This was validated in 272 out of 446 (61%) fights*

Fighters in the Lightweight division fighting 6 foot tall fighters (or higher) will more likely win
This was validated in 50 out of 83 (60%) fights

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Boxing legend Joe Frazier dies at age 67

Boxing legend Joe Frazier dies at age 67

Joe Frazier forever will be linked to great rival Muhammad Ali.

Updated Nov 8, 2011 6:10 AM ET
PHILADELPHIA (AP) He beat Muhammad Ali in the Fight of the Century, battled him nearly to the death in the Thrilla in Manila. Then Joe Frazier spent the rest of his life trying to fight his way out of Ali's shadow.
That was one fight Frazier never could win.

SSSSSMOKIN' Joe Frazier may not have reached the status of contemporaries like Muhammad Ali, but he put a hurt on the world's best in a career full of highlights.

He was once a heavyweight champion, and a great one at that. Ali would say as much after Frazier knocked him down in the 15th round en route to becoming the first man to beat Ali at Madison Square Garden in March 1971.
But he bore the burden of being Ali's foil, and he paid the price. Bitter for years about the taunts his former nemesis once threw his way, Frazier only in recent times came to terms with what happened in the past and said he had forgiven Ali for everything he said.
Frazier, who died Monday night after a brief battle with liver cancer at the age of 67, will forever be linked to Ali. But no one in boxing would ever dream of anointing Ali as The Greatest unless he, too, was linked to Smokin' Joe.
''I will always remember Joe with respect and admiration,'' Ali said in a statement. ''My sympathy goes out to his family and loved ones.''

KRIEGEL: FINDING PEACE Joe Frazier's life became marked by a hatred for Muhammad Ali. Hopefully in death he finds peace and liberation, Mark Kriegel says.

They fought three times, twice in the heart of New York City and once in the morning in a steamy arena in the Philippines. They went 41 rounds together, with neither giving an inch and both giving it their all.
In their last fight in Manila in 1975, they traded punches with a fervor that seemed unimaginable among heavyweights. Frazier gave almost as good as he got for 14 rounds, then had to be held back by trainer Eddie Futch as he tried to go out for the final round, unable to see.
''Closest thing to dying that I know of,'' Ali said afterward.
Ali was as merciless with Frazier out of the ring as he was inside it. He called him a gorilla, and mocked him as an Uncle Tom. But he respected him as a fighter, especially after Frazier won a decision to defend his heavyweight title against the then-unbeaten Ali in a fight that was so big Frank Sinatra was shooting pictures at ringside and both fighters earned an astonishing $2.5 million.
The night at the Garden 40 years ago remained fresh in Frazier's mind as he talked about his life, career and relationship with Ali a few months before he died.
''I can't go nowhere where it's not mentioned,'' he told The Associated Press. ''That was the greatest thing that ever happened in my life.''
Bob Arum, who once promoted Ali, said he was saddened by Frazier's passing.
''He was such an inspirational guy. A decent guy. A man of his word,'' Arum said. ''I'm torn up by Joe dying at this relatively young age. I can't say enough about Joe.''

Ali, Foreman react
Joe Frazier's boxing peers react to his death:

Muhammad Ali
“The world has lost a great Champion. I will always remember Joe with respect and admiration. My sympathy goes out to his family and loved ones.”

George Foreman
“Good night Joe Frazier. I love you dear friend.”

Frazier's death was announced in a statement by his family, who asked to be able to grieve privately and said they would announce ''our father's homecoming celebration'' as soon as possible.
Manny Pacquiao learned of it shortly after he arrived in Las Vegas for his fight Saturday night with Juan Manuel Marquez. Like Frazier in his prime, Pacquiao has a powerful left hook that he has used in his remarkable run to stardom.
''Boxing lost a great champion, and the sport lost a great ambassador,'' Pacquiao said.
Don King, who promoted the Thrilla in Manila, was described by a spokesman as too upset to talk about Frazier's death.
Though slowed in his later years and his speech slurred by the toll of punches taken in the ring, Frazier was still active on the autograph circuit in the months before he died. In September he went to Las Vegas, where he signed autographs in the lobby of the MGM Grand hotel-casino shortly before Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s fight against Victor Ortiz.
An old friend, Gene Kilroy, visited with him and watched Frazier work the crowd.
''He was so nice to everybody,'' Kilroy said. ''He would say to each of them, `Joe Frazier, sharp as a razor, what's your name?'''
Frazier was small for a heavyweight, weighing just 205 pounds when he won the title by stopping Jimmy Ellis in the fifth round of their 1970 fight at Madison Square Garden. But he fought every minute of every round going forward behind a vicious left hook, and there were few fighters who could withstand his constant pressure.
His reign as heavyweight champion lasted only four fights — including the win over Ali — before he ran into an even more fearsome slugger than himself. George Foreman responded to Frazier's constant attack by dropping him three times in the first round and three more in the second before their 1973 fight in Jamaica was waved to a close and the world had a new heavyweight champion.
Two fights later, he met Ali in a rematch of their first fight, only this time the outcome was different. Ali won a 12-round decision, and later that year stopped George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle in Zaire.
There had to be a third fight, though, and what a fight it was. With Ali's heavyweight title at stake, the two met in Manila in a fight that will long be seared in boxing history.
Frazier went after Ali round after round, landing his left hook with regularity as he made Ali backpedal around the ring. But Ali responded with left jabs and right hands that found their mark again and again. Even the intense heat inside the arena couldn't stop the two as they fought every minute of every round with neither willing to concede the other one second of the round.
''They told me Joe Frazier was through,'' Ali told Frazier at one point during the fight.

''They lied,'' Frazier said, before hitting Ali with a left hook.
Finally, though, Frazier simply couldn't see and Futch would not let him go out for the 15th round. Ali won the fight while on his stool, exhausted and contemplating himself whether to go on.
It was one of the greatest fights ever, but it took a toll. Frazier would fight only two more times, getting knocked out in a rematch with Foreman eight months later before coming back in 1981 for an ill advised fight with Jumbo Cummings.
''They should have both retired after the Manila fight,'' former AP boxing writer Ed Schuyler Jr. said. ''They left every bit of talent they had in the ring that day.''
Born in Beaufort, S.C., on Jan 12, 1944, Frazier took up boxing early after watching weekly fights on the black and white television on his family's small farm. He was a top amateur for several years, and became the only American fighter to win a gold medal in the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo despite fighting in the final bout with an injured left thumb.
''Joe Frazier should be remembered as one of the greatest fighters of all time and a real man,'' Arum told the AP in a telephone interview Monday night. ''He's a guy that stood up for himself. He didn't compromise and always gave 100 percent in the ring. There was never a fight in the ring where Joe didn't give 100 percent.''
After turning pro in 1965, Frazier quickly became known for his punching power, stopping his first 11 opponents. Within three years he was fighting world-class opposition and, in 1970, beat Ellis to win the heavyweight title that he would hold for more than two years.
A woman who answered Ellis' phone in Kentucky said the former champion suffers from Alzheimer's Disease, but she wanted to pass along the family's condolences.
In Philadelphia, a fellow Philadelphia fighter, longtime middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins, said Frazier was so big in the city that he should have his own statue, like the fictional Rocky character.
''I saw him at one of my car washes a few weeks ago. He was in a car, just hollering at us, 'They're trying to get me!' That was his, hi,'' Hopkins said. ''I'm glad I got to see him in the last couple of months. At the end of the day, I respect the man. I believe at the end of his life, he was fighting to get that respect.''
It was his fights with Ali that would define Frazier. Though Ali was gracious in defeat in the first fight, he was as vicious with his words as he was with his punches in promoting all three fights — and he never missed a chance to get a jab in at Frazier.
Frazier, who in his later years would have financial trouble and end up running a gym in his adopted hometown of Philadelphia, took the jabs personally. He felt Ali made fun of him by calling him names and said things that were not true just to get under his skin. Those feelings were only magnified as Ali went from being an icon in the ring to one of the most beloved people in the world.
After a trembling Ali lit the Olympic torch in 1996 in Atlanta, Frazier was asked by a reporter what he thought about it.
''They should have thrown him in,'' Frazier responded.
He mellowed, though, in recent years, preferring to remember the good from his fights with Ali rather than the bad. Just before the 40th anniversary of his win over Ali earlier this year — a day Frazier celebrated with parties in New York — he said he no longer felt any bitterness toward Ali, who suffers from Parkinson's Syndrom and is mostly mute.
''I forgive him,'' Frazier. ''He's in a bad way.''

http://msn.foxsports.com/boxing/stor...cancer-110711/

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Hot MMA Girls in even Hotter Halloween Costumes...

Hot MMA Girls in even Hotter Halloween Costumes...

Arianny Celeste:


Stephanie Ann Cook:

Natasha Wicks:

http://mmafix.com/2011/10/mma-girls-...day-link-dump/

---------- Post added at 07:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:40 PM ----------

[h=1]Hot Potato Halloween: 18 Photos of MMA Babes in Costumes[/h] 1 of 18 Pictures

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Viacom buys Bellator, plans 2013 start on Spike

Viacom buys Bellator, plans 2013 start on Spike

CAPTION

Bellator Fighting Championships

MTV Networks' Spike TV channel is getting out of the Ultimate Fighting Championship's business, but the broadcaster has increased its ties to mixed martial arts.Viacom, parent of MTV Networks, bought a majority stake in Bellator Fighting Championships and will start airing the promotion's bouts on Spike in 2013, the companies told USA TODAY this week. They've had ongoing talks for about a year as they finished up various deals, and over the past month finally reached the point where they could announce the news, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said.
Selling to Viacom's entertainment conglomerate guarantees a stable future for Bellator, said Rebney, who will remain in charge of the MMA organization.
"It puts all of those cornerstones of ownership in place for us," he said. "Which is something that's been so seriously lacking in the MMA space with so many different companies, including Strikeforce and the IFL and Affliction and all the different failures that have occurred. … It alleviates those issues."
Bellator is the No. 2 promotion in mixed martial arts behind market leader Zuffa, owner of UFC and Strikeforce.
The experience and cachet of Spike in broadcasting mixed martial arts over the last six years makes it the ideal partner for Bellator, Rebney said. Spike became the first channel to embrace the sport when it started airing Zuffa's programming in 2005, including The Ultimate Fighter reality show and live UFC Fight Night events.
Although Spike's agreement to carry new material from UFC ends in December, the channel still has rights to the promotion's library through 2012. As a result, fights from Bellator won't air on Spike until 2013, said Kevin Kay, Spike TV president. In addition to continuing Bellator's current practice of having two seasons annually, Spike expects to run additional programs such as highlight shows and related content, both on TV and online.
MTV2 has been airing Bellator's main cards since March. MTV Networks increased its Bellator programming in September by streaming preliminary fights on Spike TV's website.
As early as last year, executives for Viacom saw little hope for reaching another deal with UFC.
"We had a great relationship with UFC and we still do," Kay said. "We helped each other to build each other's brand. Like all good things, you know that at some point it's going to come to an end."
Advantages of ownership
Owning its own promotion allows Spike to take a longer view and commits it more firmly to the sport, he said.
"As we realized that our relationship with UFC was likely to come to an end, our Viacom mergers and acquisitions folks, and us, started to have conversations with MTV2 about getting invested in a mixed martial arts promotion and become owners as opposed to renters," Kay said. "You're building value in something that you own, and you own it for the long term. You're not in a constant state of negotiation."
Other brands in mixed martial arts have been sold over the past year, most notably Strikeforce, which Zuffa bought in March. But Bellator's organizational ability, knack for exciting bouts and unique approach to fighter match-ups made it stand out, Kay said.
While most MMA companies put together cards based around single fights, Bellator has weekly shows built around eight-person tourneys to produce title contenders.
"The tournament format (is), we think, a great way to get the audience invested in the fighters as personalities, as characters," Kay said. "I think we can help, with the expertise we have in building fighters as fighters that people want to see and come back week to week."
Since starting in 2009, Bellator has built up a roster that includes a number of ranked fighters. Lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez, featherweight contender Pat Curran and featherweight Marlon Sandro are in the top six for their weight classes in the USA TODAY/MMA Nation consensus rankings. Middleweight champ Hector Lombard and featherweight titleholder Joe Warren are No. 13 for their divisions.
Other top-20 Bellator names include heavyweight champion Cole Konrad, welterweight champion Ben Askren, welterweight contender Jay Hieron, bantamweight champion Zach Makovsky and bantamweight tourney finalist Alexis Vila.
Bigger audience, more resources
The overall reputation for Bellator's assembly of talent remains far behind UFC, by far the largest and richest organization in the sport. But adding Viacom's financial muscle could help Bellator retain its biggest stars, or at least make it much harder for others to sign them away.
"They'll have a ton of more money to negotiate with," said Alvarez, who has three to four fights left on his current contract. "As long as I keep doing well and do what I'm supposed to do, the future looks bright."
He's been with Bellator since it started in 2009 with delayed airings on ESPN Deportes. Bellator has expanded its TV presence each year, with live shows on the scattered affiliates of Fox Sports Net in 2010 and a consistent presence on MTV2 this year.
"We both grew together," Alvarez said. "I'm sort of peaking in my career, and it seems like so is Bellator. … I was with a lot of promotions that failed, that flopped, and this is actually working. Everything's coming to fruition."
Moving to Spike all but guarantees a much larger audience for Bellator. Spike says it's available to almost 100 million cable and satellite subscribers, compared to roughly 80 million for MTV2. Spike is also easier to find in channel line-ups because it generally gets a lower number in the vicinity of other popular cable/satellite offerings such as FX, TBS, TBS and USA Network.
Spike also has high-definition broadcasts, these days a benchmark for sports programming. Bellator currently appears on HD only through Epix, which is not carried by some large cable providers.
"The goal is HD all the time and once we get to Spike, it'll be that way," Kay said. "When you're looking at an organization like Bellator, what you see is the opportunity for growth and to grow ratings. We have big expectations."
Fighters and managers will raise their sights too. Exposure to more viewers should help athletes land sponsors that can add a sizable amount to their income.
"I'm smiling ear-to-ear right now," Alvarez said. "I couldn't be any happier. Endorsements are hard to come by when you're on ESPN Deportes and these other smaller channels."
Audience expectations
Bellator's largest audience for a live broadcast on MTV2 was an estimated 325,000 viewers for a show in May. Spike has generally drawn between 1.2 million and 2.2 million viewers for UFC Fight Night shows.
TV ratings and pay-per-view buys for UFC have flattened or declined this year. Spike's executives dismiss concerns that the sport's popularity has peaked. Injuries to big names beset several UFC main events since March, which Kay describes as a short-term problem.
MTV2 airs Bellator on Saturdays, often pitting it head-to-head with UFC's live programs. Executives haven't decided what night will work on Spike, but next year's run on MTV2 gives them a platform to test ideas. The effect of not only UFC, but other sports, needs to be measured, Kay said.
"There's a lot of factors we're going to analyze and figure out," Kay said. "Also, where's our audience used to watching it? … We've got a lot of good research and data to think about where it goes. I don't know that you want to program football against football or baseball against baseball. We'll look at all of that."
Bellator deserves at least two years on Spike before its success can be evaluated, he said. The channel has been willing to give its shows time to develop, especially when it owns the content and is investing in its development. Kay cited Spike's patience with comedy Blue Mountain State, which started with unimpressive ratings before blossoming.
No one expects Bellator's numbers on Spike to match UFC right away. Losing UFC's cachet as the industry leader has risks, but Spike's experience moving from World Wrestling Entertainment to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in 2005 shows that long-term exposure eventually can boost numbers when switching from one brand to another, Kay said.
"I had the same fear: 'Are people going to watch another wrestling organization on Spike?' " Kay said. "That first year or so, we had probably (an average of) 600,000 viewers. Last week we had 2 million; it's the highest-rated TNA in the history of Spike."
Competing or complementary?
Zuffa over the last few years has been pushing into other countries aggressively, going so far as to sell a 10% stake to an arm of the Abu Dhabi government because of that entity's ability to open new markets. Viacom's resources will also fuel expansion plans outside the United States and Canada, Rebney said.
"The timing remains to be seen in terms of when exactly that occurs, but that will occur," he said. "International expansion of live Bellator events will absolutely occur."
Even though Bellator will replace UFC on Spike and occasionally try to go after the same talent, Rebney and Kay declined to characterize themselves as direct competitors with UFC.
"They're No. 1 in the space, there's just no question about it," Kay said. "Who's more competitive than Dana White? I am, but that's not a horse race we really want to run around here. I think we respect that organization tremendously."
Bellator and Zuffa have occasionally butted heads over talent -- they're currently suing each other over fighter contracts -- but executives from both companies steer clear of harsh words. Even UFC President Dana White, never shy about disparaging promoters who irritate him, maintains a mild tone.
"The people from Bellator have never said anything about us," White said recently. "I have nothing to say about them either. They're out there. They're doing their thing. Good for them."
Spike taking over Bellator could help Zuffa in terms of public perception. Critics argue that Zuffa has become a monopoly by acquiring other brands such as Pride Fighting Championships and Strikeforce, making it difficult for other companies to break into the space and taking away options that might give fighters negotiating leverage. A thriving Bellator would erode that argument.
At the same, UFC's continued growth and success would help Bellator and Spike because it would expand the sport as a whole, executives said. Bellator's announcement with Spike comes less than three weeks before UFC makes its debut on Fox.
"It's a very, very good day for mixed martial arts as a whole," Rebney said. "Because now you have two groups in the space that have a very substantial presence that obviously isn't going to go anywhere for a very, very long time."

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Will UFC 137 turn out to be a great event afterall?

Will UFC 137 turn out to be a great event afterall?

From looking like one of the best of the year, to one of the worst of the year; UFC 137 has been a train wreck from the start.

Firstly, Sam Stout was forced to pull out of his bout with Dennis Siver - but was replaced with a more-than-respectable opponent in Donald Cerrone.

Then, it all went wrong...

The much-anticipated title fight between Nick Diaz and Georges St-Pierre was scrapped when Diaz failed to turn up to the press conferences. Diaz was then replaced with Carlos Condit, and was put into a bout with BJ Penn.

Dubbed "The Natural Born Killer", Condit was slated as being St-Pierre's worst nightmare and that he would knock him out. Unfortunately, this was not the end of the train wrecked event, as St-Pierre was injured during training and forced to pull out of the bout.

So, Penn and Diaz were put into the main event - a three-rounder with title implications. It's still a great bout, and one that I've wanted to see for a long time being a big MMA fan for so long. The co-main event is also an awesome bout: Matt Mitrione, an unbeaten knockout artist facing Cheick Kongo, a UFC veteran with a great résumé. I'm also very excited to see Cro Cop face Big Country - a fight that could be the last for one of these big heavyweights. Siver vs. Cerrone is also a great bout, as is Palaszewski and Griffin in the Featherweight division. Hatsu Hioki will also be introduced to some of the UFC's finest, a man dubbed the #2 Featherweight in the world.

All-in-all, this is still a good card - albeit a very altered one. It still has all the makings of a classic, and one that should not be missed.

Here's the card as it stands today :

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)

• Nick Diaz vs. B.J. Penn
• Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione
• Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic vs. Roy Nelson
• Hatsu Hioki vs. George Roop
• Jeff Curran vs. Scott Jorgensen

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)

• Donald Cerrone vs. Dennis Siver
• Tyson Griffin vs. Bart Palaszewski

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)

• Eliot Marshall vs. Brandon Vera
• Danny Downes vs. Ramsey Nijem
• Chris Camozzi vs. Francis Carmont
• Dustin Jacoby vs. Clifford Starks

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Episode No. 5 recap: 'The Ultimate Fighter 14: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller'

Episode No. 5 recap: 'The Ultimate Fighter 14: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller'

by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Oct 19, 2011 at 10:55 pm ET

Welcome to the latest episode recap for "The Ultimate Fighter 14: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller.

While the previous double-fight episode focused almost entirely on fights, the drama returns this week in a big way.

Sit back and enjoy episode No. 5:

Storylines

After the sting of two additional losses and winless against Team Miller, Team Bisping's Diego Brandao begins yelling at Steven Siler and threatens to "take your head off, bitch." Diego punches the wall, which head coach Michael Bisping immediately halts because he doesn't want the fiery fighter breaking his hand. No one seems to know what caused the outburst, especially Steven.

Head coach Jason "Mayhem" Miller stops by the house and delivers Dustin Neace a cowboy hat with a large "B" on it. Team Bisping's lovable bantamweight Josh Ferguson feels it's a swagger-jacking move, especially when he notices Dustin also has taken his sunglasses to complete the look. "Come on, man," Josh says. "This is all I've got going for me."

While at the house, Miller begins asking about the mole in their camp. Steven believes it's John Dodson, and they decide to feed John false information. While they initially planned for Steven to fight Diego next, Miller instead decides he'll put Dustin against Team Bisping's Akira Corassani. Dustin is down for the secret plan. "Akira will be really fat, Dustin will be really in shape, and Diego will be really pissed," Miller concludes. That's a win-win-win situation for "Mayhem."

None of the other team members knows about the secret plan, and Steven acts as though he's going through his weight cut to fool John, who's watching the situation closely during their training session.

At a subsequent Team Bisping session, they discuss their latest intelligence. And sure enough, John has told them it'll be Steven vs. Diego with the next fight. Team Bisping begins preparing Diego for a fight that isn't actually happening. Team Miller's plan appears to be working just fine.

In the middle of the night, Josh steals Dustin's hat and hides it as part of a friendly prank. But once awake, Dustin believes rival Akira has taken it. "He's dead," Dustin says. "I'm going to [expletive] kill him. He's [expletive] with my stuff for the last time." He then begins destroying Akira's stuff and then threatens to do the same in the cage. He then takes most of Akira's belongings to the UFC Training Center and tosses it all around the dressing room. When Akira arrives, he's in disbelief. Tempers boil over, but the coaches regain order. Akira, though, swears he didn't touch his hat, but Dustin says he doesn't care. Each then throws out some emasculating and sexual-oriented insults.

Sure enough, Team Miller sticks with the secret plan, and Miller announces Dustin Neace (Team Miller's No. 3 featherweight pick) vs. Akira Corassani (Team Bisping's No. 2 pick). Both fighters are already heated, strip off their shirts, go forehead to forehead, and then Dustin shoots on Akira and gets the double-leg takedown. The teams quickly try to restore order, but the coaches also get into a brief spat while breaking up the melee.

John, meanwhile, is surprised by the pick, and he knows everything happened because of him. "Eh, [expletive] happens," John shrugs in a confessional.

With that fight chosen, the lone remaining featherweight bout pits Team Miller's Steven Siler (No. 4 pick) against Team Bisping's Diego Brandao (No. 1 pick). Diego seems perturbed that he had already cut weight, and Dustin admits it's going to be a tough week waiting for their fight.

After all the drama and bad blood, Miller confronts John about his snitching. John simply shrugs and offers no apologies or excuses.

Afterward, Team Bisping fighters move the reserved-spot parking designation for Miller to a handicapped spot. Miller ultimately parks in the spot, so Team Bisping calls for him to be towed. Later during the episode's conclusion, the car is towed away as Team Bisping lounges around watching it all from the lawn of the UFC Training Center. "We know you're mentally handicapped, but you have to be physically handicapped to park there," Bisping says.

Pre-fight

At a Team Bisping session, Bisping wants to keep Akira focused. He thinks he has a bright future, but he knows it'll be easy for him to get too distracted and heated from the bad blood. They work with Akira on getting off his back, which seems to be their biggest concern for the fighter.

At a Team Miller session, Dustin is very confident. His ground game looks sharp, and he believes he's one of the best grapplers in the house. Like Akira and his team, Miller wants to assure Dustin is simply focused on the fight and not the drama.

At the weigh-ins, Bisping initially is a no-show once again. Dustin weighs 145, and Akira is 146. The face-off is a bit less intense, and no skirmishes break out. As the face-off is taking place, the Team Bisping coaches finally arrive.

The fight

It's soon fight day, and we have Team Miller's Dustin Neace (22-16-1) vs. Team Bisping's Akira Corassani (9-3). UFC president Dana White does the pre-fight intros, Herb Dean is our referee, and we're underway with our latest bout.

There's little action early as each fighter tests his range. Nothing substantial lands in the first minute of the fight before Akira finally gets through a combination. Dustin works low kicks that don't have much behind them. He then lands a nice combo while moving forward. Akira catches a kick and dumps Dustin, but he's initially hesitant to go the ground before finally going into full guard. Dustin ties him up, but Akira mixed in some punches and an elbow from top. Dustin looks to maneuver, and then grabs an arm. He looks for the kimura but doesn't have the angle. Akira delivers some punches from the top before he's again tied up. During a scramble, Dustin grabs a heel hook and torques it. Dustin appears to let go, and Team Miller yells that Akira tapped. But the fight goes on, and Akira escapes the submission. Dustin grabs the leg again, but he can't secure it, and Akira gets back to his feet. Both fighters look a bit depleted, and sloppy striking follows. Dustin shoots again and gets the takedown. He gets up and delivers a punch before the round ends. Despite what appeared to be a tap, Akira gets the round, 10-9, because of the no-call.

Both swing wildly to start the second round. Akira connects and clinches to put Dustin against the cage. He delivers a few knees, but they eventually separate and reset. Both connect on some punches. Akira then lands a stiff left hook that drops Dustin. He quickly follows him to the mat with more punches, but Dustin regains his composure and tries to tie him up. Akira works from half guard and then postures up to deliver punches before returning to the mat. Dustin scrambles, but Akira ends up in side control and delivers knees to the ribs. Dustin works on a triangle but can't secure it, and Akira delivers more punches from the top. Dustin again looks for a triangle choke and an armbar, but the round ends with his offense shut down.

Before the scorecards are even read, Akira mockingly acts as though he's machine-gunning down Dustin, who's sitting on a stool. The coaches break it up, but Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer quickly enters the cage and says, "There's about to be a suspended fighter. You want off the show?" Bisping quickly intervenes and cools things down before Akira is tagged with a suspension.

The scores are read, and Akira takes the controversial win via majority decision.

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Ed Soares Anderson Silva Only Has Around 4 Fights Left, Sonnen Should Be Back of line

Ed Soares Anderson Silva Only Has Around 4 Fights Left, Sonnen Should Be Back of line

Getty Images - Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
about 1 year ago: OAKLAND CA - AUGUST 07: Chael Sonnen kicks Anderson Silva during the UFC Middleweight Championship bout at Oracle Arena on August 7 2010 in Oakland California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Anderson Silva's manager, Ed Soares, recently spoke to SporTV in Brazil and made it clear that Silva is reaching the end of his career. He also stated that Chael Sonnen shouldn't get the next shot.
Here's a clip from the article, translated by Tom Mendes:

Let's see what the big boss is going to do. My opinion is that he had his chance and tapped, he should go back to the end of the line. The same thing is true with Vitor Belfort. They're great fighters, but they had their chance. Sonnen would make a big fight, as would Dan Henderson and Georges St-Pierre, but we should recognize that Anderson only has around 4 fights left in his career.

It's sad to know that Silva is in the twilight of his career, but it does remain a positive to know that (at least for now) the plan is to get out at an appropriate time and before his skills have gone.
Still, other than St. Pierre or Jon Jones there simply is not a bigger fight out there for Silva than Sonnen. Moving Vitor to the theoretical "back of the line" makes sense given Belfort didn't have a second of success. Chael, however, had roughly 1,380.
I'll continue hoping that "the big boss" sees fit to put Chael and Anderson in the cage together one more time.

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St. Pierre on Condit: He's not my friend...I will remain the welterweight champion

St. Pierre on Condit: He's not my friend...I will remain the welterweight champion

UFC welterweight champion, George St. Pierre, will not let his history with upcoming title challenger, Carlos Condit, interfere with his legacy when they face each other at UFC 137 according to mmamania.com.

"I'm going to have to deal with a guy who has knockout power, very technical striker and a great ground game as well. Unpredictable fighter. I've seen a lot of improvement in Carlos' game but I believe I'm a more improved fighter than Carlos is. I have a game plan to take care of Carlos and I will execute it," St. Pierre said.
St. Pierre will be looking to make his seventh title defense when he fights Condit; an original super-fight with Nick Diaz was scrapped when Diaz was a no-show at press conferences. Condit was subsequently offered the fight and Diaz is now set to fight Condit's former opponent, BJ Penn.
St. Pierre and Condit has trained with each other numerous times in the past and both are linked with Jackson's Submission Fighting.
"He's not my friend and I don't put any emotion in but I believe I will have the key to victory. I do believe I will be able to knock him out or submit him. I will remain the welterweight champion," St. Pierre added.
UFC 137 is scheduled on October 29 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada with the St. Pierre vs. Condit welterweight title fight headlining.

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It's difficult to be a respected Champ when you're Jon "Bones" Jones

It's difficult to be a respected Champ when you're Jon "Bones" Jones

First off... I'm a fan of Jon "Bones" Jones and I'm not in the camp of those who are "butthurt" because fans don't like Jon "Bones" Jones, I'm perplexed at the never ending stream of creative and invalid excuses to dislike him.

The writing is and has been on the wall for quite awhile now... and with the progression of his career and challenges put before him, there's always a new set of reasons to dislike him even though he meets and exceeds those challenges in a highly professional and respectful manner.

First it was "who has Jones fought ?"

Then it was Vera is gonna be more than he can handle.

Then it was Matyushenko is gonna give him the best challenge to date.

Then many claimed that Bader was right on par with Jones and would give him a challenge.

Then he went up against what many MMA fans were and are calling the G.O.A.T. of the LHWs in Shogun Rua and Jones totally destroyed him, but that win was dismissed because Rua wasn't 100% healthy, coming off of a long layoff, and he had ring rust.

Then it was well... he's not a champ yet because he hasn't defended his title.

Now that he very easily defended his title against Rampage with a 4th round RNC submission, there appears to be more reasons than ever to dislike the guy... now added to the list of reasons are his "tactics" or "antics" in his last fight.

He not cocky, he's confident... in his fight against Rampage he showed Rampage a lesson from virtually every page in his book of game plans, including the bizarre crab-walk in the opening round of the fight... and when questioned about the maneuver in the post fight interview by Rogan, Jones explained his reason for that maneuver.

He's certainly not tactless... that title is owned by Lesnar.

He's never disrespected an opponent in the octagon in the manner that Anderson Silva has.

He's not cocky or disrespectful... that's the definition of fighters like Lesnar, Bisping, Mayhem Miller, Rashad Evans, Chael Sonnen and most U.K. fighters.

So all of the reasons for the Jones hate are invalid in my opinion, and no matter what Jones does in regard to exceeding the challenges put before him in a highly professional and respectful manner, it's obvious that those who choose to dislike him are using nothing more than excuses to validate their position... because now that he's not only destroyed Shogun Rua and defended his title against Rampage, the current prevailing argument in the minds of those who seek reasons to validate their dislike of Jones is... that in order for Jones to validate himself there is a list of fighters that he "has to beat" before he receives his just due.

Even if and when that occurs, that's not gonna happen at that point either because as I said above... in the minds of Jones' detractors there will be another set of excuses and reasons that he doesn't deserve respect.

Like him or not, it's just as Joe Rogan stated; "Jon "Bones" Jones is perhaps the greatest talent MMA has ever seen."

...and like my buddy James Ryan says :

If you don't like my opinion, I have others... (that you probably won't agree with either).

Rich Davie
MMA Crypt Admin
www.mmacrypt.com

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Hector Lombard rallies for super fight against Renato Sobral.

Hector Lombard rallies for super fight against Renato Sobral.

If you're an MMA fan then you've heard of Hector Lombard.

If you've seen him fight then you know what he's capable of.

The highly decorated Judoka has some vicious punching KO power.

He's the most feared Middleweight currently not in the UFC.

He is the current Bellator, Cage, and Australian Fighting Championship Middleweight champ.

Now the Bellator champ is rallying for a super fight against UFC veteran Renato "Babalu" Sobral. Hector feels that Babalu is dodging him and not backing up his talk. Sobral has gone on to say that during practice he's gotten the better of Hector and isn't afraid to fight him, that the issue is monetary. Sobral's management says that Bellator is sending mixed signals.

Hector just wants to make this fight to happen. If you recall this has happened to Hector before with another UFC vet, Nate Mardquart, who talked a big talk about going after his critics, of which Hector was one of them.

Hector welcomed the fight, but conveniently an agreement between Bellator and Nate couldn't be reached. Now it seems that Sobral is going down the same path leaving Hector frustrated and without a big name fight.

Many of Hector's critics say he hasn't fought enough big names to warrant his position in the top ten and a fight with Sobral or Nate would definitely help cement his place. The only problem is having them step up and put their money where their mouth is.

I for one would love to see this fight happen to give Hector a chance to prove his position as a top ten fighter. That and I love watching Hector knock people out.

As a fight fan I can only hope this fight goes down and anticipate a future match up between two dangerous fighter.

Francisco Gonzalez
MMA Crypt Staff

http://mmacrypt.com/forum/showthread.php?21497-Hector-Lombard-rallies-for-sup...

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MMA Crypt's Prediction Contest 42 : UFC 135 : Jones vs. Rampage

MMA Crypt's Prediction Contest 42 : UFC 135 : Jones vs. Rampage

MMA Crypt's Prediction Contest 42 : UFC 135 : Jones vs. Rampage

Date: Sep 24, 2011
Location: Denver, Colorado
Venue: Pepsi Center
Broadcast: Pay-per-view and Spike TV

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)

Champ Jon Jones vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (for light-heavyweight title)
Matt Hughes vs. Josh Koscheck
Rob Broughton vs. Travis Browne
Nate Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi
Mark Hunt vs. Ben Rothwell

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)

Aaron Riley vs. Tony Ferguson
Tim Boetsch vs. Nick Ring

PRELIMINARY CARD

Ricardo Romero vs. James Te Huna
Cole Escovedo vs. Takeya Mizugaki
Junior Assuncao vs. Eddie Yagin

This "Fantasy MMA Challenge" contest requires that you pick the winning fighters offered in the events, the method in which they will win and when they will win.

Here is how it works:
4 points to pick the winner.
3 points to pick the style of win : decision, sub or KO
3 points to pick when the fight is over if you get the winner right.

Method:

KO/TKO (votes as KO and TKO count as the same)
Decision (Majority, split and unanimous count as the same)
Submissions (all count as the same)Most points winsIf there is a tie, the poster with more posts on wins the tie breaker

Prizes:

1st Place: 20,000

2nd Place: 10,000

3rd Place: 5,000

Fight picks must be entered in this thread by Sept 24th, 2011 no later than 5:00PM East Coast Time.
Enter Here

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