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      UFC 131 Preview: Kenny Florian vs. Diego Nunes

      June 7, 2011 /

      nullThe complex of the UFC featherweight division could take an interesting turn on Saturday at UFC 131.

      Accomplished lightweight, Kenny Florian, will make his debut at 145 pounds when he takes on Diego Nunes. The featherweight division is in need of some star power and Florian can provide that if he looks solid in his debut on Saturday against a legit contender in Nunes.

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

      Kenny Florian (13-5) – Florian is a solid muay thai fighter and a great submission specialist. Known for finishing fights, Florian has had his last three victories in the octagon come by choke. Despite being one of the best at 155 pounds, Florian hasn’t been able to make it over the championship hill, and now looks to find his gold at 145 pounds. Florian should have a size advantage in the weight class, but it has yet to be seen if he can match the speed of fighters like Nunes. Florian is also coming off a knee injury that could play a factor in his conditioning.

      Diego Nunes (16-1) – Nunes has just one loss in the UFC, but is somewhat unknown because he hasn’t been heavily profiled on television. His last three wins are over Mike Thomas Brown, Tyler Toner, and Raphael Assuncao. They all came by decision, and in fact, his last six bouts have gone to a decision. A grinding wrestler, Nunes will try to get Florian to the ground and control, similar to how Gray Maynard beat Florian. Nunes may struggle with the size of Florian and this will be the most technical striker he has fought in the octagon.

      Who Will Win: I think this is a tough first test for Florian at 145 pounds as Nunes is a grinder, but I expect Florian’s experience and poise to pull him to a victory. After a tough couple of rounds, I look for Florian to gain a advantageous position on Nunes and secure a victory by choke in the third round.

      Events, Fighters, UFC

      Early Betting Odds for UFC 131

      June 6, 2011 /

      nullUFC 131 is set to go down this Saturday and BetOnFighting.com has the early odds for this weekend’s event.

      10 bouts have odds thus far and in the main event, Junior dos Santos is a slight favorite at -180 against Shane Carwin, who has a money line of +150. This matchup is a battle of two powerful strikers and will likely end up with a brutal KO one way or another. The question of the bout will be about which fighter can take a punch better than the other.

      In the co-main event, Kenny Florian is a clear favorite at -280 for his featherweight debut against Diego Nunes, who has odds of +200. Florian is a veteran of the octagon and one of the top lightweights in the world, but is now making the drop to 145 pounds. Nunes is a bit of an unknown to UFC fans, but a very tough challenge for Florian to open with.

      For the rest of the odds to UFC 131, check out the jump.

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      UFC 131 Preview: Junior dos Santos vs. Shane Carwin

      June 6, 2011 /

      nullThe UFC heavyweight division should clear up on Saturday night when two of the top contenders face off in the main event of UFC 131.

      Both men are powerful strikers and hard to get to the ground with their strength and size. It is likely this fight ends in the first five minutes with a brutal KO. The question is, which fighter will land the big punch.

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

      Shane Carwin (12-1) – Carwin was a collegiate wrestler and he arguably has the most powerful hands in the division. His four wins in the octagon have all come by first round KO in under four minutes. He had Brock Lesnar reeling before gassing out in the second round in his last UFC fight. Now, coming off of back surgery, it will be interesting to see if Carwin has lost anything in his time off. Can he still supply the same power and will he have the cardio to go more than five minutes in need be? We haven’t seen Carwin tested on the ground, but that is because nobody has been able to get him to the ground.

      Junior dos Santos (12-1) – Junior is also 12-1 in his MMA career and he is 6-0 in the UFC with four wins by KO. Dos Santos has big hands and a lot of quickness, and he is supposed to be a very sound jiu-jitsu fighter as well, but he has never had his fights go to the ground due to his dominance in the striking game. Junior has been taken past the first round twice in the UFC and still held up strong. He did start to fatigue against Roy Nelson, but it was more from throwing so many punches rather than being in danger of losing. Junior probably feels he is the better striker in this matchup, but that has yet to be determined.

      Who Will Win: I actually like the underdog, Carwin, in this matchup. I think he can match dos Santos in striking and he won’t be taken to the ground where he could be submitted. Junior has yet to face someone with the skill set and size of Carwin, and I think that will be the deciding factor in this fight. Carwin can take a punch, and he can certainly dish them out. One big strike from Carwin will rattle dos Santos and open the door for another first round TKO for Carwin.

      Events, Fighters, UFC

      Your weekly MMA TV Schedule update

      June 5, 2011 /

      nullIt’s another Sunday night, which means we have another MMA on TV update.

      This week is pretty thin during the week as The Ultimate Fighter wrapped up its season, but the weekend still features another big UFC PPV, UFC 131.

      – On Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET, the Countdown to UFC 131 debuts on SpikeTV. The hour-long program will take an inside look at key fighters for this Saturday’s PPV event. The main aspect of the show will focus on the main event between heavyweights Junior dos Santos and Shane Carwin. The show will replay on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET and 2 a.m. ET on Versus as well as midnight on Friday on SpikeTV.

      – On Friday at 10 p.m. ET, HDNet will air Maximum Fighting Championship 30: Up Close & Personal live from the Mayfield Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta. The main event is a lightweight showdown between Drew Fickett and Brian Cobb while Marcus Davis and Pete Spratt meet in a fight between two UFC veterans.

      – On Saturday at 9 p.m. ET on PPV, UFC 131 will take place from the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia. Carwin and dos Santos face off in the main event while Kenny Florian makes his featherweight debut against Diego Nunes. Demian Maia also faces off with Mark Munoz in a middleweight bout while Donald Cerrone takes on Vagner Rocha in a lightweight contest. Some of the prelim bouts will air live on SpikeTV at 8 p.m. ET and other bouts are expected to air live on Facebook.

      Events, Fighters, UFC

      UFC Ultimate Fighter Finale Recap: 2011 hates Anthony Pettis

      June 5, 2011 /

      nullIf 2010 was the year of Anthony Pettis, 2011 is certainly doing all it can to be the opposite.

      It all started with the end of 2010 where Pettis won the WEC lightweight championship over Ben Henderson and was told he would be the No. 1 contender for the UFC belt.

      Well, on the very first day of 2011, Pettis watched Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar fight to a draw and his title shot was pushed back.

      Then, even though Dana White said Pettis would still be next in line for a title shot after Edgar-Maynard III, both fighters got injured for a planned title fight and Pettis was then told he would have to win twice in the UFC to get the title shot.

      Then, Saturday happened.

      Pettis made his UFC debut against Clay Guida and Guida was able to use his wrestling to keep Pettis on his back for most of the fight, giving Guida the unanimous decision victory.

      Pettis showed some solid strikes and an active guard, but he couldn’t lock in a submission or hit a big strike to end the fight.

      The loss certainly set Pettis back and he will now need a strong run to ever earn a title shot. Guida will now move into the top 5 discussion for UFC contenders.

      The other featured bout of the night was the championship of The Ultimate Fighter Season 13 where Tony Ferguson defeated Ramsey Nijem by knockout in the first round.

      Ferguson showed strong wrestling and absorbed a few flurries from Nijem before landing a big left hand that put out the lights of Nijem.

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      Events, Fighters, News, The Ultimate Fighter, UFC

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