SB Nation User Blog: SamCupitt

New Ultimate Chaos Poster. I could only think that after the MMA world collectively tore them a...

SamCupitt — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:53:46 -0000

New Ultimate Chaos Poster.

I could only think that after the MMA world collectively tore them a new asshole over their last poster they decided to look into putting in a little effort this time around.

They've done away with most of the Word Art and it looks like all of the PRIDE photos.

What say you?

UFC 100 just got sexified. Kudos: Cage Potato Forums

SamCupitt — Thu, 14 May 2009 15:31:09 -0000

UFC 100 just got sexified.

Kudos: Cage Potato Forums

"IWAZU and well known, in the late 80's MLB (MEJARIGUBESUBORU) represent one of the Batman. 85...

SamCupitt — Sat, 09 May 2009 04:08:30 -0000

"IWAZU and well known, in the late 80's MLB (MEJARIGUBESUBORU) represent one of the Batman. 85 years with major debut, the glitter in the following year to 33 American League Rookie of hitting a home run. Athletics 3 in 87 years sitting at number 49 hitting a home run, and Mark McGuire at "Brothers BASSHU" called popular. 88 years "40 home runs and 40 stolen bases targeting" claim. At the time, it was the achievement of this record, there were just as lip service, the first major magnificent "40-40" to be achieved at the same time, was elected to the American League MVP. 1991 a record 44 home runs, are shining for the first time home run king. RENJASU and 92 years to be traded to Red Sox, Athletics, Blue Jays, Devil Rays and渡RI歩KI, 01 years after retirement. Since then, many former boxing高JI heat, which was his hobby of boxing tournament. Muay Thai training from age and a major, its history, it in 1920. And a rare physical ability to dominate such a major, overwhelming power is still alive and well. DREAM叩KI込MU tremendous punch in full swing on the moon shot!"

- Google translator on Jose Canseco's DREAM profile

My Drunken Predictions for UFC 97.

SamCupitt — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 17:10:39 -0000

Right, hello, here are my predictions for Sunday's... well Sunday here... UFC 97 card. On a related note, apparently Australian's may be getting UFC 100 on delay because Vic Darchynian decided he wanted to fight on that day... I will have words with this PPV provider. They actually put Andre Rieu on instead of UFC 91! But anyhoo... predictions!

Lettuce work from the bottom up starting with fight numero uno.

Matt Wiman vs. Sam Stout

Good fight, if all goes according to plan I think we have Fight of the Night right here. Looking closer at the fighters, Wiman was looking better than anyone had ever expected him to look ever as he knocked Thiago Tavares up a notch...bam, but he ran into a road block in a superior grappler in Jim Miller. It didn't really help that Wiman got caught in a guillotine choke in the first few seconds that would have a made a lesser man tap. Stout on the other hand hasn't looked so hot recently as he was sort of robbed at UFC 83 and then decisioned by that cat I can't understand, Terry Etim at UFC 89. Stout's jiu jitsu has never really been tip top but I think Wiman's JJ works better when he's under fire, so I predict Wiman to continously score takedowns on Stout but not being able to secure anything worth breaking or choking for three rounds. Wiman via decision.

Ryo Chonan vs. TJ Grant

Grant's a purple belt under Jorge Gurgel and has submitted 12 out of 15 opponents but I'm not sure he'll be able to handle the resilience of Ryo Chonan. Chonan is far from the model of consistency but he's got enough to stifle people who aren't used to being stifled by veteran opponents. I have Chonan via decision after he frustrates the crap out of the UFC virgin.

Mark Bocek vs. David Bielkheden.

Bocek went ahead and did something I didn't think he was going to do at UFC 91... impress me. After hearing about his vaunted grappling skills he looked pretty close to impotent in the majority of his fights in the UFC. He was good in patches against Danzig and sure he defeated Doug Evans but this highly regarded Canadian black belt of his wasn't really setting off fireworks in my brain. His fight against Robinson saw him a lot more active though and he looked tight in submitting the BJJ black belt. Bielkheden on the other foot is good at stifling people with less than adequate wrestling and bottom games but against anyone else. Bocek via arm triangle choke in the 2nd round.

Eliot Marshall vs. Vinny Magalhaes

Dude, TUF just follows some guys like a bad smell. Surely there was another fight that could have been set up for either guys. Mike Ciesnolevi...wisz was a great opponent for Marshall but now we have Magalhaes. Provided Magalhaes has moved away from the origami teachings and no longer folds under pressure I think he control Marshall on his ground with his crazy high guard and possibly finish him. But this I doubt as I see Marshall's superior stand-up do naughty things to Magalhaes before Marshall finally finishes Vinny from half guard with punches in the second round. Marshall via TKO.

Ed Herman vs. David Loiseau

Welcome back David. Loiseau's fight with Charles MacCarthy was my introduction to MMA and so he will always have a place in one of my ventricles. However, I think Loiseau is still suffering from the immense beatdown Franklin gave him and even though he has looked good in patches recently it doesn't take much offense from the opposition to make him sad. Herman is in a do or die situation with the UFC axe looming above his head. Herman can win this if his takedowns are on song but otherwise his stand-up shouldn't be a match for Loiseau's sharp muay thai. Loiseau via decision.

Jason MacDonald vs. Nate Quarry

If MacDonald can;t get this fight to the ground, with him on top, then he's going to be in for a long night... or one he potentially can't remember. Quarry will have his dirty dirty way with him on the feet and MacDonald clearly does not respond well to being hit. I'm not sure how good MacDonald's wrestling actually is so I will take Quarry via TKO in round 2.

Denis Kang vs. Xavier Foupa Pokam

Yes well I've told myself I will never pick Kang to win a fight again as long as I live so I'm just going to go ahead and assume that he will find some way to lose this fight. Besides, Professor X is one of the coolest nickanmes ever... next to Girlfight monster. Professor X via KO in round 1.

MAIN CARD

Steve Cantwell vs. Luiz Cane

I think this fight is the best match-up on the whole card. It's a very even bout and I have absolutely no clue as to what's going to happen. Cantwell is as well rounded as they come, his striking is as good as his wrestling which is as good as his jiu jitsu. Cane has some violent striking and I'm just going to go ahead and assume he has serviceable jiu jitsu and some lacklustre wrestling that mainly just includes an inside leg trip. I'm still not sure if Cane's strategy against Sokoudjou was to play the waiting game or if he was simply getting overwhelmed but if I assume the former then I think Cantwell can keep Cane backpedalling for the majority of the fight if he keeps pressing forward. But if you play with Brazilian matches you can get bitchslapped or something so I believe Cantwell's best chance would be to test out Cane's ground skills. I'll take Cantwell via decision but I am none too confident

Cheick Kongo vs. Antoni Hardonk

Leland Rolling had an interesting piece on Hardonk yesterday which highlighted Hardonk's focus on getting the other parts of his game up to snuff and how far he has come. Which is true to a degree as I no longer question his place in the UFC heavyweight division as I once did which is a sign he has evolved. However, the way I see this fight is that they are both similar fighters style wise and then I imagine how Kongo would have gone against Mike Wessel compared to Hardonk and all I can imagine is Wessel's mother not being able to recognize him after Kongo fought him where as Hardonk was struggling to stay ahead of the curve. I know that is probably MMAth or some sort of MMAth tangent butI just think Kongo is a superior fighter in every way and barring some serious mistakes on his part he should take this fight handidly. Kongo via TKO in round 1.

Brian Stann vs. K-Sos

Yeah I've spelt K-Sos' name so many times and every time I've needed to check the spelling so he will now forever be known as K-Sos. For this fight I simply see K-Sos's variety of attack on the feet being superior to the one combination we saw from Stann in his third fight with Cantwell. Provided K-Sos doesn't get clipped with something I see him dropping Stann with an accumulation of blows midfight. K-Sos via TKO in round 2.

Chuck Liddell vs. Shogun Rua

My argument favors Mike Rome's argument that he posed yesterday. Liddell's superior hands and wrestling will cancel out all of the weapon's Shogun needs to win this fight. I also remember saying this before the Liddell/Evans fight but that was different in that Evans had not ever really showed us anything beforehand so there was that unknown, but with Shogun we know that his hands aren't that good its mainly the pace he keeps and clinch and kicks he uses to wreck bitches. Getting to the clinch has always been difficult with Chuck and the pace Shogun used to fight at just hasn't been there of late due to his balsa wood knees. A tired Shogun gets put away violently by Liddell I think. Liddell via KO early round 2.

Anderson Silva vs. Thales Leites

I have a funny feeling about this fight, but I'm pretty sure its the easter eggs I had with the beer. Terrible combo. There's been much said about Leites' ground game but even if he does score a takedown its not like Silva is McFedries level jiu jitsu. Silva's jiu jitsu is about as serviceable as Martin Kampmann's and Leites had issues with that. Besides, the ground game won't even come into it as I think Silva has already decided that this fight will end early as a sign that the Cote fight was just him having a laugh. Silva via Leben like KO in like 40 seconds.

I'm going to bed.

Leites.

Notable Quotes From UFN 18 Post-Fight Interviews

SamCupitt — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 11:23:46 -0000

Promoted from the FanPosts by Kid Nate.

From the post-fight interviews on UFC.com.

Martin Kampmann's happy but slightly worried about his eye:

I've got a couple of bumps, he got me with some good elbows on the top of the head. My lip's all busted up, obviously I've got the cut, but I am more concerned, actually, over here he got me with a finger in the eye. I think he got me with the nail. After that, my eye, my sight was blurry. The doctor said there's a little scratch on the eye but it'll heal.

Carlos Condit thought he won but blames himself:

It was a tough fight. Kampmann did good stuff, he did well. I felt like I won the first and second rounds, second was pretty close but then I left it to a judges' decision and that's always risky. You know in this game, I know as anyone else, that the guy who stays on top gets the nod. If that would have been me on top, I possibly would have finished or probably have gotten the judge's nod. Hats off to Martin, he did a helluva job.

Ryan Bader was not impressed with his performance:

I thought I fought like crap but I got the win against a tough opponent. I felt like I could have been a little tighter on my feet, transitioned a little better. I had him in positions I really should have finished.

Tyson Griffin is a-ok:

As far as serious injuries, it's fine, there was no popping in there or nothing crazy like that. I've been put in a knee splicer or whatever you wanna call it before so it crushed the calf and the quad got stretched a bit. After a few seconds of being on the feet it was alright again.

Cole Miller explains bad blood with Junie:

This started before the interviews on the internet. Months ago he was a special guest at a fight show in Atlanta and when they announced him, he said I was going to be an easy fight and walk-through for him.

Junie Browning thinks he's cut from the UFC:

Sucks to lose but it happens. With as many lightweights as there are in the UFC, that was probably my last fight. I'd like to keep fighting but it's pretty hard to stay in the UFC now, especially in the lightweight division. You get one loss and you're worried about being cut.

Ricardo Almeida wants to drop to 170 lbs.:

I would like to let it be known, on the UFC website, that I plan to drop to 170 lbs. My team has been saying I am too small to be fighting these big guys at 185 lbs. You know I'm really considering it, I just have to talk with Joe, Dana and the UFC to see if I have their blessing, but I plan to drop to 170.

Brock Larson feels at home:

The pressure was all on Jesse (Sanders) I think. I mean to me it was a lot like fighting in the WEC. Everything was pretty much the same.

Tim Credeur will fight the devil:

I think I'm still a journeyman. They've got a lot of tough, tough fighters in the UFC, especially in the middleweight division. I'll fight whoever the UFC wants me to fight. If they put the devil in front of me, I'll be willing to fight him.

Zuffa To Build Stadium in Russia... or you know... not.

SamCupitt — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 11:27:15 -0000

In some very interesting news on the UFC's official website, UFC.com, it has been announced that Zuffa has organized to have a Zuffa controlled stadium built in Russia.

From UFC.com:

UFC President Dana White today greenlighted work to begin on the construction of a new Zuffa-owned stadium in Russia that will be able to hold a number of different sporting events, including soccer, boxing, and of course, mixed martial arts.

“This is a big moment for the company and I couldn’t have picked a better day to announce this monumental event,” said White. “I can’t wait for this Stadium to be finished and we’re even including the fans in the process by holding a contest on the internet for people to choose the name of it.”

Construction is tentatively scheduled to be done in time for UFC 115 on April 1st, 2010.

...Fedor.

Update: April Fools Day is a cruel, cruel time and the UFC are mean, mean people.

Lyoto Machida just can't get no love... For those that can't read that it says under it "May Not...

SamCupitt — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:11:22 -0000

Lyoto Machida just can't get no love...

For those that can't read that it says under it "May Not Be Broadcast, Check for details".

Come on, it won't be that bad.

Goldberg: I think he's going for the courtesy reach around, Joe. Rogan: No Mike, he's just fucking...

SamCupitt — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:02:02 -0000

Goldberg: I think he's going for the courtesy reach around, Joe.
Rogan: No Mike, he's just fucking your ass.

Cro Cop vs. Tito Ortiz or Lyoto Machida Being Floated Around for UFC: Germany

SamCupitt — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 01:43:32 -0000

Sherdog's Tim Leidecker has floated the rumor that for UFC 99, the first UFC event ever to be held in Germany, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic could very well return to the UFC in the main event to face either Tito Ortiz or Lyoto Machida.

From Sherdog:

The main event has changed completely as well: With both Couture (recently underwent surgery on his elbow) and Liddell (will fight Shogun in April) out, the UFC is floating the idea of putting Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, who is possibly returning, into the main event against either Tito Ortiz or Lyoto Machida. The problem, sources say, is that Ortiz does not want to move up to heavyweight, while Cro Cop does not want to go down to 205 pounds.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Cheick Kongo, a bout that was previously negotiated a little more than a year ago, may become the co-headliner. A possible lightweight title defense by B.J. Penn depends on the outcome of his Jan. 31 superfight against Georges St. Pierre. Otherwise Kenny Florian may be held off from his second title shot with a clash against Diego Sanchez should the “Nightmare” defeat Joe Stevenson at UFC 95.

It's doubtful that this will plan out for a number of reasons, a few of them actually mentioned in the above quote, but wouldn't that be something if a Cro Cop vs. Ortiz fight actually headlined UFC 99.

If I told you that in May of last year you would have been utterly confused and then I would have to explain it and then you still wouldn't understand and it would have been a long drawn out conversation that had a very unfulfilling ending with you just have going "Okay... what a stupid a conversation."

Kongo vs. Nogueira is also a pretty cool match-up, I fear for Nog's safety if he is as placid as he was against Mir.

Rumored UFC 96 Card (Updated)

SamCupitt — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 07:37:04 -0000

Here's what UFC 96, scheduled to be held in Columbus, OH on March 7th, currently looks like if we are to believe the rumors.

Originally Chuck Liddell was scheduled for this card but decided he didn't want to fight in March hence the UFC's scramble to create this light heavyweight title fight earlier than expected.

Cards a bit weaker now...