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UFC Live 4 Preview: Pat Barry vs. Cheick Kongo

June 22, 2011 / Drew Ellis

The heavyweight division is too big for the likes of Pat Barry and Cheick Kongo to both survive.

So, that is why it is important for both men to get a win on Sunday night when they face off at UFC Live 4 from the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh.

Here is a look at both sluggers coming into this contest.

Pat Barry (6-2) – Pat Barry is a legend in his own mind. The kickboxer has some tremendous skills, but his failure to build on those skills have led to some poor losses to Tim Hague and Mirko CroCop. Barry has the skills to beat a lot of top level fighters, but he needs to develop better grappling skills and have more of a killer instinct. In this fight, he will likely have a striking edge, but he will lack the overall size that Kongo has and may not have the grappling skills to match his opponent.

Cheick Kongo (15-6-2) – Kongo isn’t as intimidating as he looks. He fights very stiff and doesn’t have a lot of good technique in any area of the fight game. His striking can be powerful, but it isn’t crisp. His grappling is okay, but not great. For this fight, he isn’t going to want to stand in front of Barry much, as he will have to eat some pretty bad leg kicks to do so. Look for Kongo to fight in the clinch and put his weight on Barry to tire him out.

Who Will Win: This is a tough one to call. Both men have obvious flaws. I think Barry has more potential, but Kongo has the experience to win this fight. I think Barry’s lack of grappling skills will be a big factor in this contest. As much as I would like to see a kickboxer like Barry win, I think Kongo will pull out a decision in this one.

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Cheick Kongo Pat Barry UFC Live 4

UFC 135 just keeps getting better: Gomi vs. Nate Diaz booked

June 21, 2011 / Drew Ellis

UFC 135 is already shaping up to be a pretty interesting event with Jones vs. Rampage and Hughes vs. Sanchez, but now it is even better.

MMAFighting.com is reporting that Nate Diaz is making the move back down to lightweight and will face Takanori Gomi.

What has me and other fans excited about this is the legendary matchup between Nick Diaz and Gomi back at Pride 33. Diaz won via submission, but the bout was ruled a no contest after Diaz failed a drug test after the fight.

Still, it was a very entertaining fight, which you can see below. Hopefully Nate Diaz and Gomi can recreate this bout to a certain level.

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Nate Diaz Nick Diaz Takanori Gomi UFC 135

UFC Live 4 Preview: Nate Marquardt vs. Rick Story

June 21, 2011 / Drew Ellis

Despite making his 170-pound debut this Sunday, there is a lot of buzz about where Nate Marquardt fits into the UFC welterweight division.

Rick Story just recently proved at UFC 130 that he isn’t someone to be taken lightly after beating Thiago Alves by unanimous decision.

Now, the two will meet, and there is only room for one to climb up the contender ladder.

Here is a look at both fighters heading into this contest.

Nate Marquardt (31-10-2): Nate “The Great” has been one of the top middleweights in the UFC for years but has now decided to make the drop down to welterweight. Marquardt is well rounded, but uses his striking and strong wrestling to win his fights. Marquardt likes to bully his opponents, which is something that Story likes to do as well. His weakness in the new division could be speed and conditioning, as his opponents may be able to push a faster pace.

Rick Story (13-3): Rick Story is on a six-fight win streak as he has worked his way up the 170-pound division. Story is a fearless fighter that will bring the fight to his opponents and not be afraid to let the fight go anywhere. He has strong wrestling and respectable striking. He is pretty much a mauler that just tries to smother his opponents and not let them get comfortable. While his strength has been his wrestling, he may struggle with the size and strength of Marquardt in this fight.

Who Will Win: Story is a tough fighter, but Marquardt has a style that I think will pose problems for him. Grapplers that weren’t as strong as Marquardt have struggled with him and I think that will be the case in this fight. I don’t think Story will be able to get him to the ground and that is when Marquardt’s striking will take over. I look for Marquardt to overwhelm Story and get a clear decision victory.

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Nate Marquardt Rick Story Thiago Alves UFC Live 4

The highs and lows of Nate Marquardt

June 20, 2011 / Drew Ellis

It is hard to find a more storied career than Nate Marquardt.

Despite never having won a championship, he has prominently been in the title picture for nearly four years now.

Marquardt has a great all-around game, but “The Great” has never been able to come through with the big victory to send him over the top.

As he gets set to return to action on Sunday in his 170-pound debut against Rick Story, I thought I would look at the three biggest wins and losses in his lengthy career.

High – KO win over Demian Maia at UFC 102 – In what was billed as a No. 1 contender’s match in the UFC middleweight division, Marquardt and Maia faced off. It didn’t last long though, as Marquardt recorded a one-punch KO of Maia in just 21 seconds. It was the most devastating finish of his career and one that seemed to have him on track for his second title shot.

Low – Decision loss to Chael Sonnen at UFC 109 – Following the win over Maia, Sonnen was then placed in front of Marquardt and the two had a war, but Marquardt wasn’t able to stay off his back, which is normally a strength for him. Sonnen dictated the location and pace of the fight, which set Marquardt back once again.

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Chael Sonnen Demian Maia Jeremy Horn Nate Marquardt Rousimar Palhares Thales Leites Yushin Okami

Your weekly MMA TV Schedule update

June 19, 2011 / Drew Ellis

We have reached Sunday night once again, which means it is time for your MMA on TV update.

This week has a pretty solid amount of content, with Bellator, Strikeforce, and the UFC each have events.

– This week’s MMA on TV gets started on Friday with Strikeforce Challengers 16. The event takes place from the ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington. The main card airs live on Showtime at 11 p.m. ET. Friday’s main event is a lightweight clash between Carlos Fodor (8-2) and James Terry (10-2) and lightweight Ryan Couture (2-0) will also make his return to action when he takes on Matt Ricehouse (4-0).

– On Saturday, Bellator 46 takes place to start the newest season of the fight promotion. The event will be held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino from Hollywood, Florida. The main card airs live on MTV2 at 9 p.m. ET. The quarterfinals of the featherweight tournament will take place with fighters Marlon Sandro, Pat Curran, and others taking part.

– On Sunday, UFC on Versus 4 takes place from the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The card will air on Versus at 9 p.m. ET. The main event of the card is a welterweight clash between Rick Story and Nate Marquardt. Marquardt is making his 170-pound debut. Pat Barry and Cheick Kongo meet in a heavyweight bout while Tyson Griffin and Manny Gamburyan face off in a featherweight contest. Matt Mitrione, Joe Stevenson, and John Howard also have bouts on the night.

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Cheick Kongo Manny Gamburyan Nate Marquardt Pat Barry Pat Curran Rick Story Ryan Couture Tyson Griffin