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UFC 132 Recap & Review – Too Much To Cover

July 3, 2011 / Drew Ellis

null Well, where do I begin?

UFC 132 took place last night and was one of the most entertaining PPV’s I have seen in quite some time.

There were so many storylines that emerged from the event, but I guess I will have to start with the main event.

Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber put on quite a show, proving that bantamweights can headline a PPV. In the end, Cruz won a close unanimous decision that had Faber crushed and Cruz looking very joyous and relieved (AP Photograph).

I personally felt Cruz won 48-47 based on scoring rounds, but I don’t feel like the fight had a true winner or loser. I didn’t think Faber did enough to warrant winning the title, but I think he should be considered for an immediate rematch.

Faber’s quickness did nullify some of Cruz’ movement, but Cruz still seemed to dictate the pace and style of the fight. The ground scrambles were really impressive from both men and that essentially made the fight a standup battle, where Cruz landed a lot more strikes.

In the co-main event, Chris Leben defeated Wanderlei Silva by KO in just 27 seconds. Coming in, many thought Tito Ortiz would be fighting his last fight, but it may have been Silva that did, as he suffers another big time KO and is just 2-6 in his last eight fights.

Events, Fighters, News, Results, UFC

Carlos Condit Chris Leben Dennis Siver Dominick Cruz Dong Hyun Kim Matt Wiman Melvin Guillard Ryan Bader Shane Roller Tito Ortiz UFC 132 Urijah Faber Wanderlei Silva

UFC 132 Picks & Predictions

July 2, 2011 / Drew Ellis

UFC 132 takes place Saturday night from Las Vegas with a stacked card.

The main card features five exciting bouts and here are my picks for the contest.

UFC Bantamweight Championship – Dominick Cruz (17-1) vs. Urijah Faber (25-4) – In this rematch I see Cruz winning by unanimous decision. His movement and wrestling will be too much for Faber to deal with. Cruz is a much different fighter than the one that met Faber before and I expect his footwork to pose problems for Faber and his explosive takedowns will be too much for Faber to stuff.

Middleweight Bout – Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1) vs. Chris Leben (21-7) – In this battle of strikers, I like Silva as I think his striking is a little more diverse. I think Silva’s chin is a little weaker, but I expect Silva to land the big punch first. Leben has a big heart, but he has struggled against strikers in the past. Look for Silva to win by second round TKO.

Light Heavyweight Bout – Tito Ortiz (16-8-1) vs. Ryan Bader (12-1) – This should be Ortiz’ final bout with the UFC as I see Bader winning by decision. I think the fight should be competitive, but Bader’s athleticism and combination of wrestling and striking should be too much for Ortiz, who will have to score takedowns in order to win.

Welterweight Bout – Carlos Condit (26-5) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (14-0-1) – This should be a very close fight, but I like Kim to remain unbeaten. His size and strength should be too much for Condit. I see Kim putting his weight on Condit against the fence and then scoring some judo throws and takedowns to control Condit. Look for Kim to win by decision.

Lightweight Bout – Dennis Siver (18-7) vs. Matt Wiman (13-5) – Siver is a short, compact striker that is hard to get to the ground because of his low center of gravity. I see Wiman struggling to get the fight to the ground, and that will allow Siver to out-point Wiman with his striking. My pick is Siver by decision.

Events, Fighters, Predictions, UFC

Carlos Condit Chris Leben Dennis Siver Dominick Cruz Dong Hyun Kim Matt Wiman Ryan Bader Tito Ortiz UFC 132 Urijah Faber Wanderlei Silva

UFC 132 Preview: Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim

July 1, 2011 / Drew Ellis

UFC 132 will let us know who the next great contender in the UFC welterweight division may be.

Carlos Condit and Dong Hyun Kim are both knocking on the door of top-5 contender status, so their clash this Saturday night will show us which one is ready for the next step.

Here is a breakdown of both fighters heading into this contest.

Carlos Condit (26-5) – Condit is a solid all-around fighter. He is known mostly for his grappling, but has since really shown some improved striking, both in terms of power and technique. His KO of Dan Hardy sent a big message to the division and put him in line to contend for the title with another big one. While Kim isn’t known much around the country, he is unbeaten, and would be a big win for Condit.

Dong Hyun Kim (14-0-1) – Kim is a judo grappler that is very big for a 170-pound fighter. He has really been a tough opponent for people to figure out due to his strength and grappling ability. He has won his last three fights, including victories over Nate Diaz and Amir Sadollah. Though he hasn’t finishing most opponents, he has done enough to clearly win fights.

Who Will Win: Kim has the ability to take a punch and keep moving forward, so I see this being a bad matchup for Condit. I don’t think Condit will be able to win the grappling battle with Kim. With Kim being the bigger fighter, I see Condit struggling to get off his back when the fight hits the ground and that will allow Kim to get another decision victory.

Events, Fighters, UFC

Carlos Condit Dong Hyun Kim UFC 132

Dana White stands firm, Marquardt done with the UFC

June 30, 2011 / Drew Ellis

null I guess it wasn’t an emotional reaction from Dana White after all.

Just minutes after Nate Marquardt was declared unable to compete at UFC Live 4, White stated that Marquardt was done with the UFC.

Now, despite Marquardt’s tearful apology and a hoard of Twitter followers trying to influence White to rethink his decision, the UFC President stood firm about his choice during the UFC 132 Pre-Fight Press Conference on Thursday. Here is what White told MMAFighting.com.

“Nate’s done,” said White. “I’m done with Nate. Listen, Nate’s a really nice guy. He’s a really sweet, nice, humble guy, but the facts are the facts and it is what it is. It’s easier to go after a guy like Josh Barnett. He’s just callous and rude and he’s a d–k. So when he does it it’s easier to just go, you know what, f–k Josh Barnett. The difference is, Nate’s such a sweet, nice guy, but the same results.”
“The difference with Chael and Marquardt, is we can talk about everything in the Chael incident. We can’t with Marquardt. I’ve seen some of the stuff people are saying. You think I’m this crazy, emotional psycho. Give me a break. This isn’t the first time. Everybody’s like, ‘Oh, give him a second chance.’ This would be like the fourth time.”
“He tested positive before, then apparently he was on suspension with New Jersey, because his levels were high, then he comes into [Pittsburgh] and he doesn’t pass his medicals. Now you tell me: is that the fourth chance? Or is that a second chance? Sounds like a fourth chance to me.”

It appears that Marquardt’s run with the UFC is indeed over and he probably only has himself to blame. Hopefully he still is able to land on his feet in some capacity.

Events, Fighters, News, UFC

Chael Sonnen Dana White Nate Marquardt UFC Live 4

UFC 132 Preview: Ryan Bader vs. Tito Ortiz

June 30, 2011 / Drew Ellis

Will this be the swan song for “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy”?

One of the first superstars of MMA was Tito Ortiz, but on Saturday, he can be facing his last appearance in the octagon if he is unable to beat, or maybe just compete, against Ryan Bader.

Bader was one win away from perhaps fighting for the UFC Light Heavyweight championship, but he was dominated by current champ, Jon Jones.

Here is a breakdown of both fighters heading into this contest.

Tito Ortiz (15-8-1) – Ortiz is 0-4-1 in his last five fights and he hasn’t picked up a victory since 2006. Ortiz is a strong wrestler, but he has never quite evolved in his striking and many of the top light heavyweights have been able to match his wrestling ability. His last loss saw him taken down by Matt Hamill, and Ryan Bader appears to be a more explosive wrestler than Hamill.

Ryan Bader (12-1) – Bader ran through the UFC until facing Jones, but he picked up some solid wins along the way. Bader has used a mixture of takedowns and big hooks to beat his opponents. While he isn’t a great technical striker, he has some good power. He is able to fake takedowns and follow up with a big overhand hook because his opponents are too busy preparing for the shot. Bader is very athletic and can push a good pace for a 15-minute fight. Bader did struggle with the wrestling of Jon Jones, and Ortiz does have some good explosiveness in his takedown attempts.

Who Will Win – Ortiz is skilled, but he just doesn’t have what it takes to beat today’s superior MMA fighters. Bader is a better version of what Ortiz was in his prime. I see Bader being able to stuff Ortiz’ takedown attempts and Bader being able to get Ortiz down a few times each round. I also see Bader getting the best of the striking exchanges in this fight. Look for Bader to win by decision.