Tag: Georges St. Pierre (Page 9 of 11)

UFC 129 Betting Odds – Both Champions Favored

April 22, 2011 / Drew Ellis

UFC 129 is just eight days away and it is set to be one of the biggest events in the history of the organization.

Outside of the record attendance with over 50,000 expected, the fight card is stacked with two championship bouts and a fight featuring a Hall of Famer.

The fine folks at Bodog.com have released their odds for selected UFC 129 bouts and here is a look at who they like.

In the main event, UFC Welterweight Champion, Georges St. Pierre, is a heavy favorite at -500 when he defends his title against Jake Shields (+300). Now GSP will tell you that he should probably be the underdog in the fight, but clearly oddsmakers see through the pandering.

In the co-main event, UFC Featherweight Champion, Jose Aldo, is also a clear favorite at

-500 in his defense against Mark Hominick (+300). Hominick has one-punch KO power, which makes him an interesting challenger. But, Aldo has been so dominant. It is hard to see him coming up short in this fight.

Another featured bout has UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture as a +250 underdog in his contest with Lyoto Machida (-325). Couture has stated that this will be his last fight unless something unexpected happens, and certainly he will want to go out on a high note. Machida, who has lost two straight, desperately needs this win to get back into title contention.

The last bout that has odds released is a lightweight contest between Canadian Mark Bocek (+115) and former WEC Lightweight Champion, Ben Henderson (-145). Bocek will have the crowd support in his favor and he also has UFC experience, while Henderson is making his first appearance in the premiere MMA organization. The WEC lightweights have performed pretty well in the UFC thus far, but Henderson’s wrestling ability could be neutralized by Bocek’s submission skills.

Events, Fighters, UFC

Ben Henderson Georges St. Pierre Jake Shields Jose Aldo Lyoto Machida Mark Bocek Mark Hominick Randy Couture UFC 129

The 5 books that need to be written in MMA

April 18, 2011 / Drew Ellis

As MMA has grown in popularity a common occurrence amongst the fighters has been to write books.

The latest is Brock Lesnar, who is set to release “Deathclutch: My Story of Determination, Domination, and Survival,”on May 24.

Lesnar joins the likes of Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes, Randy Couture, B.J. Penn, and Forrest Griffin as fighters who have come out with books, all of which have been best sellers.

Look for this trend to continues as the sport continues to progress. Here are some ideas I have for potential books featuring mixed martial artists.

“You Can’t Handle My Rhythm,” by Georges St. Pierre – The UFC welterweight champ finally breaks down his walls and talks about his “rhythm” and what makes him one of the best fighters in the world. While the hard cover edition may not be a hot seller, GSP’s self-spoke audio book will be a must own.

“Clay Guida: My Life as a Rock Star,” by Clay Guida – The UFC lightweight showman talks about his hair, his tattoos, and his undying love for the Carpenters and Millwrights union. Tie in the book release in a promotion with a new version of “Rock Band” that features walkout songs of the UFC, and the book is sure to sell quickly.

“How to Cope with Trash Talk,” by Michael Bisping – In this book, the UFC middleweight talks about finding your Zen and not letting opponents get to you with their trash talk. Tips include bottling up your rage and fun ways to kill time after you get suspended from fighting due to losing control in your post-fight celebration.

“Decisions, Decisions” by Jon Fitch – Fitch discusses his ability to continually win in the octagon without ever finishing opponents. This book includes an autographed mouth piece to help prevent grinding your teeth.

“Urine For A Treat,” by Lyoto Machida – The karate master provides a great recipe book for meals that compliment his morning glass of urine. (Hey, he admitted to it)

Fighters, UFC

BJ Penn Brock Lesnar Chuck Liddell Clay Guida Forrest Griffin Georges St. Pierre Jon Fitch Lyoto Machida Matt Hughes Michael Bisping Randy Couture

Your weekly MMA TV Schedule update

April 17, 2011 / Drew Ellis

It is Sunday night, so that means it is time for your weekly MMA on TV update.

Here is a look at the MMA content that will be airing this week:

– On Wednesday, the fourth episode of The Ultimate Fighter will air on SpikeTV at 9 p.m. ET. Team dos Santos took a 2-1 edge in the prelims last week and regained control of the fight picks. This week, Lesnar brings in fellow wrestler Matt Hughes to work with his team.

– On Thursday at midnight (so to some that is Wednesday night) UFC 129 Primetime airs its second of three episodes. The show is following Jake Shields and Georges St. Pierre as they prepare for their UFC 129 welterweight championship showdown on April 30. The second episode airs on SpikeTV and will be replayed at 1:30 a.m. and 11 p.m.

– On Saturday, Bellator 42 takes place from the Lucky Star Casino in Concho, Okla. The show will air live on MTV2 at 9 p.m. ET. This event features a main event of heavyweight champion Cole Konrad taking on former UFC heavyweight contender, Paul Buentello. The fight will be a non-title contest. The light heavyweight tournament semifinals will also take place as Tim Carpenter faces off with Christian M’Pumbu and Richard Hale squares off against D.J. Linderman.

Bellator, Events, Fighters, The Ultimate Fighter, UFC

Bellator Brock Lesnar Cole Konrad Georges St. Pierre Jake Shields Junior Dos Santos Matt Hughes MMA Paul Buentello The Ultimate Fighter TV Schedule UFC

Marquardt moving down to 170, faces Anthony Johnson at UFC on Versus 4

April 14, 2011 / Drew Ellis

Does this look like a guy that can make 170 pounds?

Well, that is the future for former UFC middleweight Nate “The Great” Marquardt.

After losing two of his last four bouts, Marquardt has decided to move down to the UFC welterweight division where he will debut against Anthony Johnson at UFC on Versus 4 on June 26 from Pittsburgh, Penn.

Marquardt was one of the bigger middleweights in the division and strength was something that was always a positive for him in his fights.

Now, Marquardt will be a massive 170-pounder that will pose problems for anyone, including current champion and teammate, Georges St. Pierre.

The key will be for Marquardt to make the weight, as that first weight cut will probably be a test of his will.

On the other side of things, the UFC on Versus 4 card is looking pretty impressive considering it is on free TV.

Aside from the Marquardt vs. Johnson main event, the card is also slated to have a heavyweight clash between Cheick Kongo and Pat Barry, a welterweight showdown between Martin Kampmann and John Howard, and another heavyweight collision between Matt Mitrione and Christian Morecraft.

Events, Fighters, News, UFC

Anthony Johnson Georges St. Pierre Nate Marquardt UFC on Versus 4

No need to panic: GSP-Silva can still happen despite latest news

April 11, 2011 / Drew Ellis

Some of the bigger news to emerge this past weekend in the UFC was a report that Yushin Okami will take on Anderson Silva for the middleweight title at UFC Rio in August.

I made light of the fact that many media pundits believe that this fight would spell the end of the Silva-Georges St. Pierre super fight that appeared to be in the works.

I actually think that the plans for Silva-Okami just play more into the super fight taking place.

GSP has stated many times that if he was going to take the fight with Silva, he would surrender his welterweight title and take some time to properly put on weight and be in the right condition for the fight. As a welterweight, GSP would probably need at least six months to truly focus on strength training and putting on another 10 pounds of muscle to his frame.

GSP takes on Jake Shields at the end of April and a win there will clearly clean out the division, leaving no legitimate contenders that he has not already beaten handily. He could then begin his training to move to middleweight and that would put him in place to fight in the winter. I would expect the UFC to target his return for either their New Year’s weekend show in late December or their Super Bowl weekend show in early February.

If that is the case, Silva last fought on Super Bowl Weekend of 2011, beating Vitor Belfort by first round KO with a front kick. If Silva didn’t fight Okami, that would put him off for nearly a year. The UFC clearly doesn’t want their top fighter sitting out that long without good reason, so putting him in his home country in August makes sense. A win over Okami (which I don’t think will be that easy) would still give him about four months to prepare for GSP, which is standard for most fights.

Typically the UFC looks to put on its top shows in December and February, which to me makes this fight make even more sense now with the latest developments.

While GSP has never committed to leaving the welterweight division after this next fight, he also has never said he won’t. I think after his UFC 129 fight is over, GSP will come up with a game plan and announce the move. Then it will be up to Silva to defend his title successfully against Okami.

With GSP’s wrestling ability and footwork, I think he has as good of a chance as anyone to dethrone Silva. Silva has a weakness with takedown defense once guys get inside his range and GSP will be smart enough and athletic enough to do that. It should be a great matchup physically and mentally.

Fighters, News, UFC

Anderson Silva Georges St. Pierre Jake Shields UFC Yushin Okami