SBNation.com User Blog: daniel worby

UFC 144: Frank Edgar vs Ben Henderson Prediction Thread

daniel worby — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:03:30 -0000

UFC 144 enters Saitama, Japan tomorrow evening (Saturday, February 25th) for the long awaited return. Dana White made sure to bring along a list of fighters ready to put on a show and please the Japanese crowd including Ryan Bader, Yushin Okami, Jake Shields, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Quinton Jackson, and of course the two headliners in Ben 'Smooth' Henderson who hopes to take the glory and gold in the Land of the Rising Sun, when he faces off against Lightweight champ Frankie Edgar.

This one promises to be a fantastic affair, so let's do a brief walk down memory lane to refresh our memories, then dive into what could be a fight of the year candidate:

via www.sluggerserie.com

This one promises to be a fantastic affair, so let's do a brief walk down memory lane to refresh our memories, then dive into what could be a fight of the year candidate:

Frank Edgar (14-1-1) has proven to be the 'little engine that could' in so many situations that it's getting nearly impossible to pick against the guy. He has been the underdog time in and time out. Fight after fight though, this fireball has shown us that counting him out is as silly a thing as any fan can do. Dating back to his first meeting with BJ Penn, there were extremely few fans that thought Edgar would get the job done. After he surprised us all, he made sure we knew it wasn't a fluke by turning in an even better fight next time around.

Controversy swirled as Edgar was able to overcome being almost killed in the first round against the only man to hand him a loss in his young career as Edgar and Gray Maynard battled a vigorous pace only to emerge both winners.. Or, both losers, as it was announced a draw. Of course that meant an instant rematch had to be booked to settle this one, and why not, as the 2nd battle between the two was extremely entertaining.

Edgar once again proved to be the bigger man as yet again he survived a vicious onslaught in the opening frame, only to come back in round 4 and actually knockout Gray Maynard, handing him his lone loss to date.

Ben Henderson (15-2) unleashed his fury on the world of the WEC as he quickly rised showing off a wide range of arsenal as he was able to force his muscle into almost any situation to gain the upper hand. It wasn't long before we saw Henderson win the interim title by beating Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone, then defeating Jamie Varner to unify the belt, and then following that up with yet another Cerrone victory to defend the title.

However, lest we forget the night of the flying ninja, as Anthony 'Showtime' Pettis edged a narrow victory in the very last bout the WEC held before being absorbed in to the UFC. Pettis secured the win with an unforgettable wall running kick that floored Henderson and burned it's image in to our craniums.

It also marked the only blemish on Henderson's record since back in 2007, as Henderson has stormed back going 3-0 in the UFC Lightweight division and will most certainly be Edgar's stiffest test to date.

Who takes this one?

With wins over Clay Guida, Mark Bocek, and Jim Miller, Henderson will be nothing short of ready for Frankie Edgar. The most interestin part of this battle is going to be if Henderson can utilize a successful gameplan to finish Edgar if he should find himself able to rock the champ. Edgar has been floored in his last few outings and has arguably been on the brink of being stopped. All the credit to the World to him though, as he's came back each time and finished the fight on top.

But, can 'Bendo' muster up a strong finish if he's able to put the champ on queer street?

Tough to say, but Edgar will definitely look to keep this on the feet and fight off the chiseled exterior as 'Smooth' looks to test Edgar's chin with heavy shots followed with takedowns where Henderson will certainly feel he has the distinct adavantage. Where I am fearful for Edgar is that Henderson presents another element that he didn't have to worry about nearly as much when facing Maynard, and that's fighting off submission attempts.

We've all seen how impossible it is to submit Henderson, so we don't have to even discuss an opportunity of Edgar completing that feat. Henderson however, could very well rock Edgar as Maynard has before, then lock in a submission to wrap this one up in front of a very pleased Japanese crowd.

That's exactly how I see it going down.

Unfortunately, this could result in a quick fight, in which I'm sure many of us are rooting for at least 3 rounds out of these two to make this a little more conclusive on who is the better man and allow us the opportunity to see some exchanges and fireworks. It is for that reason and the reason of Edgar's durability, that I will give the current champ his due by saying he'll survive the initial onslaught of Henderson, but come late round 2 or early round 3, Henderson will find his mark again, rock the champ to within an inch of his life, then follow it up with a submission to secure the deal.

Signed, sealed and delivered, the Lightweight title is yours Ben Henderson.

Ben Henderson, by way of submission via rear naked choke in the 3rd round.

Thoughts?

UFC 144: Quinton Jackson vs Ryan Bader Prediction Thread

daniel worby — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 19:14:17 -0000

via www.sluggerserie.com

Saitama, Japan will play host to UFC 144 tomorrow evening (Saturday, February 25th) and the Zuffa brass have brought in the big names to ensure this is one event the Japanese fans will not soon forget. The Main Event of the evening will pit Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar against number one contender Ben 'Smooth' Henderson. It's a highly anticipated fight for us fans, no doubt.

But, before the two lightweight cardio machines throw down to see who takes home the gold in the Land of the Rising Sun, we have a co-main event that will see Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson make his long anticipated return to Japan, as he takes on Ultimate Fighter 7 winner Ryan Bader.

Let's fill you in on a little history and then powerbomb this prediction:

via www.sluggerserie.com

Let's fill you in on a little history and then powerbomb this prediction:

Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson has a large following in Japan stemming back to his days with the now defunct Pride FC organization. Jackson amassed a record of 12-5 in the very arena he will face Ryan Bader tomorrow. His persona and down right intimidating style and demeanor in which he would carry himself come fight time, made him an instant large attraction to the Japanese fans. It's been 2006 since they saw Rampage live, and this is sure to please the crowd just seeing him back for the first time in about 6 years.

It should also, hopefully rile Jackson up.

Ryan Bader took the Ultimate Fighter season 7 by storm and proved once again that wrestling is just so important in today's mixed martial arts game. The 28 year old NCAA Division I wrestler has made his presence known at an early stage in his UFC career and was on his way to becoming a legit prospect for fellow Light Heavyweight contenders to watch out for. But after going 12-0 to start his MMA career, Bader fell victim to back to back losses. One to Jon Jones, to which no one can fault Bader for as it's not exactly a common thing to beat Jon Jones... The other, however, through a lot of people for a loop as Tito Ortiz was able to rock Bader and then proceed to secure a fight ending submission on 'Darth' in the very first round. Bader managed to rebound slightly and make people aware there is still some stock in his name by knocking out Jason Brilz in just a little over a minute in to the first frame of their bout at UFC 139.

So, how does this one end?

When Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson (32-9) is locked in the cage with Ryan Bader (13-2), Jackson will have to make damned certain to take the crowd that will undoubetedly be fighting back erections at the excitement of seeing one of 'their' stars return to Japan and ride that momentum like a bucking mechanical bull at a sleezy night club. It is extremely important for Jackson's cardio and confidence to be at an all time high as Bader is no push over, even with the slip up to Ortiz.

Jackson needs to have taken this fight and training camp very seriously as we all know Bader has. It is hard to keep Jackson down, but Bader I believe, can do just that. Evans showed us it is possible, and Jackson tends to be inconsistent with his training regime.

For Ryan Bader, he needs to utilize takedowns and top control. Make no mistake about this, Bader is well aware he is not going to be liked there regardless when facing 'Rampage'. This allows Bader to put aside the notion of being able to win over the crowd with flashiness. Besides, the Japanese fight fans are much more educated in terms of being impressed more by slams and the technicality of mixed martial arts, rather than just marveling at two rock em' sock em' fighters. So, Bader can still get some 'ooh's and 'ahh's' out of this one.

Look for Jackson to try to bait Bader into a stand up battle, but look for Bader to use his brain to make sure he keeps that very brain intact. I see 1 minute of 'mixing it up' on the feet in this one, then I see it all downhill for the fans of fisticuffs from there.

Ryan will haul this one to the mat, rinse, lather, and repeat. I see a unanimous decision for the American wrestler in which he is rocked multiple times, but sustains position, recovers, and more than makes up for his wobbily moments by maintaining top control and staying busy enough to secure the victory.

Ryan Bader by unanimous decision.

Thoughts?

UFC 144: Jake Shields vs Yoshihiro Akiyama Prediction Thread

daniel worby — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 02:48:07 -0000

via www.sluggerserie.com

Come this Saturday, February the 25th, the UFC will make it's long awaited return to Japan as Saitama plays host to UFC 144 'Edgar vs Henderson'. As long time followers, us UFC fans are getting a little something extra as the UFC brass has decided to throw in two extra fights on top of the standard five fights we are used to receiving on our Pay Per View cards. Needless to say, it sounds as if the UFC is definitely pulling out all the stops to ensure satisfactory viewing for all in attendance and us viewing from the warmth of our LCD and Plasma televisions perhaps with a few cold ones.

The main event will pit the extremely resilient Frankie Edgar against the workhorse that is Ben 'Smooth' Henderson. Edgar will look to have the belt clasped back firmly around his waist in front of thousads of enthused Japanese fights fans, if he is able to weather what certainly could be a ferocious thunder from the Mr. Smooth.

But before we can get to that, heck even before the co-main event between Japanese fan favorite Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson and Ultimate Fighter season 7 winner Ryan Bader clash heads, there is an interesting bout taking place in the 170lbs Welterweight division.

So, without further ado, let's talk Jake Shields (26-6-1) vs Yoshihiro Akiyama (13-4-2).

via www.sluggerserie.com

So, without further ado, let's talk Jake Shields (26-6-1) vs Yoshihiro Akiyama (13-4-2).

Jake Shields made waves in the past few years by going 15-0 since 2005 and amassing a who's who of body bags along the way, including Carlos Condit, Robbie Lawler, Dan Henderson, Martin Kampmann, Yushin Okami, and Jason Miller. Shields ran in to a problem once he made his way to the big stage of the UFC.

In his first outing he edged a split decision that many felt should have went the way of Martin Kampmann's. Follow that fight up with a loss to current UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre, who is sidelined currently with an injury, and a more recent loss to a new contender in Jake Ellenberger, in which Ellenberger clobbered his way to a knockout of Shields in just 53 seconds.

Shields is now in desperate need to prove he is indeed as dangerous as he had previously looked as he is now staring down the potential of falling entirely off the radar, or maybe even more so, being shifted back to Strikeforce of where he once came.

The man standing in his way will be the hard headed sex symbol from Japan in Yoshihiro Akiyama.

'Sexyama' finds himself in dire straits as well, as the 'Asian Brad Pitt' has just one close split decision win over Alan Belcher way back at UFC 100 when he made his debut in the UFC. Since that time Akiyama had lost 3 consecutive fights to a zombie like Chris Leben who surprised Akiyama with a triangle choke, Michael Bisping, who out pointed Akiyama rather handily, and most recently Vitor Belfort, who seperated Akiyama from consiousness at UFC 133 back in August, 2011.

Akiyama agreed to make the move to the Welterweight division at the request of UFC President Dana White. A picture circulated late last year showing what Yoshihiro had accomplished and what he will look like come fight night Saturday hopefully. It was a very impressive picture to say the least.

Now that we've had a quick history lesson let's break down the fight.

Come Saturday evening Shields will have to utilize his experience that garnered him a fifteen fight win streak in the first place. I mean c'mon, it's not as if the man was beating scrubs night in and out. He's took the punishment of Henderson and kept on ticking, avoided the flurries of Lawler, found his way around Condit, survived (by the bell) from 'Mayhem' and more. If Shields sticks to his gameplan and keeps calm, cool and collected, this should be a rather mundane walk in the park.

On the other hand, Akiyama is fighting in front of his home crowd and should be just as desperate, if not more, to show that he still has some fight left in him. I expect the cardio of Akiyama's to have slightly improved as I'm hoping he's taking this extremely large opportunity to the utmost seriousness. With his crowd backing him and his stubborn chin holding him on his feet, Shields will have to make certain to avoid as much stand up as possible and look to get this one over with quickly or survive the 1st round and a half hoping the cardio of Akiyama will decimate.

If Akiyama isn't able to 'Ellenberger' Shields early on in the opening frame when his gas tanks riding of 'F', he could be in for an extremely long night, and so could the eager Japanese crowd who will undoubtedly be dissapointed in their country's hero.

Ulitmately Shields will come out, test this one on the feet for a quick moment, suffer a couple of hasty jabs by Akiyama who has a three inch reach advantage, see that he is not to comfortable with the power he's facing, utilize an attempted takedown, though Akiyama will have enough strength to muster up a stand up. Once back on the feet look for Shields to press the action against the fence and keep tight to avoid damage. It will be at this point that Shields will work his jiu-jitsu and find an opening on the neck of Akiyama.

Jake Shields takes this one by standing rear naked choke in the opening frame.

Thoughts?

The Impact Of C.M Punk Entering UFC on FOX 2 Alongside Chael Sonnen

daniel worby — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 01:49:01 -0000

image via blogs.houstonpress.com

Many, many moons ago, there was a day when even the most wise and knowledgable of us Maniacs would wake up on Saturday mornings, crawl out of bed in our jam-jams and tune in to the tube tv to watch us some wrasslin'. Whether you were of the era including Dusty Rhodes, Hulk Hogan, Undertaker, Andre the Giant, or John Cena, you always made time to marvel at the spectacle of two men that were invincible at times and able to break free from a near 3 count after succumbing to beatings no mere mortal could recover from so quickly.

Life was simple then. Our laundry was done for us, our breakfast was sugared as much as one could get away with and childhood chums would call your home to ask not if you 'were home', but if you 'can come out to play'. Picking on your siblings for enjoyment was mandatory, even if you knew there was stiff repercussions to follow. But, all good things must come to an end.

That's where growing up comes in.

image via blogs.houstonpress.com

That's where growing up comes in.

Older, wiser and slightly more mature, we had to realize that just as Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy were made to help us cope with our childhood lives and leave a sense of magic in our daily adventures, so to was it time to understand that our beloved wrestling was nothing more than a very physical play being put on. A play in which the actors were reinacting a grueling, choreographed fight scene. Yes, some of us cried once we found out about the long lived lie we were included in, while others pouted or pleaded their case angrily to no avail. A last, the damage was done.

Fast forward to today some of us 'hardcore' mixed martial arts fans still watch the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), while others were long done with an 'entertainment' sport when the real deal was readily available. I for one, fall in to the latter. For the life of me I see no reason to watch something fake when the real version of it is available. My only true thought I could ever get behind is that people may still watch as they find it funny, and it could pass the time if nothing else is on. It can be impressive to see a 225lb man doing backflips from 4 feet off the ground from a turnbuckle only to find his mark had incredibly found the once non existent energy to roll out of the way. Or, to poke fun at the fact that wrestler's still haven't figured out that the science rule we learned (an object in motion must stay in motion) doesn't mean you cannot stop running once thrown to the ropes unless you meet a 'clothesline'.

In any event we are now finally facing a time where the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is starting to be more and more recognized. With the recent signing to have FOX continue to show UFC events, the public eye is getting larger. Due to this, it is very unsettling to me that with such a critical time for the UFC to be noticed and respected as a legit sport we are seemingly going to sit back and watch idly while the likes of one Chael Sonnen makes mixed martial arts look no more than a gimmick at times.

The UFC on FOX 2 will take place on January 29th and will be broadcast in millions of homes. When the cameras are rolling UFC middleweight Chael Sonnen, will apparently be making his entrance to the cage accompanied by WWE wrestler C.M Punk. Now I admittedly have no idea who that individual is, nor do I know if he will enter alongside Chael all decked out in WWE attire acting loud and flamboyantly. I do, however, assume the worst knowing Sonnen.

Chael Sonnen has established a huge following in a short period of time by working the media. Sonnen is brilliant in this aspect and I have not come here to negate that. It is clear that what he is doing is working wonders as he is perhaps the most talked about fighter to not be currently holding a belt in the UFC. That still doesn't mean I have to like it. Though I can admire what Sonnen is doing, it still resignates the fact that we have to reach a larger audience to allow the sport to continue to grow, but does that need to be done by adding a sense of acting in to the sport, or can it simply grow by staying true and simply being available for viewing on a bigger television network?

My fear, is that with the success Chael Sonnen is experiencing by acting and preparing dialogue for the media and viewers at home, it will result in more up and comers to not truly be themselves when the camera's are focused on them. With Chael Sonnen's success at milking his outlets to turn them into revenue for himself though, can you really blame other fighters for wanting the same? How long before Dana White is telling these gents to milk it for the camera? Is he already? It's of no secret that Dana White has met with the owner of the WWE and marketing wizard Vince MacMahon. It's also no secret that he very much enjoyed the following former WWE star Brock Lesnar's mouth and recognition brought to the table.

Dana White is a lot of things (which I won't get in to right here and now), but he is certainly not an idiot and he definitely is well aware what guys are bringing in the benjamins.

As a fan of the UFC and wanting to see it succeed on the big stage, I am scared to death what cost may come with the success. If guys like Sonnen continue to prove to be extremely profitable from their acting antics, it is only a matter of time before others follow suit and ham it up for the people at home. When that happens it takes away a ton of legitimacy for me and changes the way I view the sport. If we can keep the circus down to one individual/ring leader, I can bare with it. If we soon see other WWE faces entering with other fighters or anything of the sort, the true sports fans that follow the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB will quickly take notice and question if this is something they want to invest time in. Dispute that if you wish, but I firmly believe that the idea of getting on board with FOX is to gain the viewership of 'real sports fans', and this could prove vital to some fickle new viewers who will see antics like a fake wrestler entering with a real trained mixed martial artist as a 'joke'.

What do you guys think? I'm sure this could be viewed as making a mountain out of a mole hill, but be it as it may, I for one am beginning to me more and more concerned with one of the paths that may be chosen to proceed for the marketing of the UFC.

Let's hear it fellers... And Sarah..

Worbs Predicts 'Jon Jones vs Quinton Jackson'

daniel worby — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 17:40:53 -0000

Tomorrow night (Saturday September 24th) from Denver, Colorado, the UFC Light Heavyweight strap will be on the line at UFC 135 as contender Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson looks to reclaim the belt he had taken from him as he meets up with the dynamic youth of Jon 'Bones' Jones.

Quinton Jackson has stamped his name on the sport so many times the rubber is fall off as he goes back for more ink. An impressive career that's seen much more highs than lows. Unfortunately for him, tomorrow will be a low.

Hailed as the future of Mixed Martial Arts, Jon Jones is just about as explosive and fun to watch as porn. The man has to be the most entertaining figure for the sport aside from Anderson Silva, and he's even catching up to 'The Spider'. At the ripe young age of 24 years old the sky is the limits, and adding the likes of Quinton Jackson to his resume after abolishing Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua to stake claim to the 205 crown is just the way to keep proving his worth.

How is goes down: I expect 1 minute of the 'feeling each other out' process. No longer will be necessary. Jones will utilize the reach and everytime Jackson looks to flurry, Jones will be able to nullify this with a faster back peddle and stiff long jab.

I don't feel this one will require any ground work as Jones will prove to be the better striker. So, it all comes down to confidence. Is Jones ready to exploit another veterans standup like he did with Shogun? Or is he ready to take this to the mat where he has the distinct advantage and pound Jackson into oblivion with reckless abandonment due to elbows?

Well I see a little of both. Jones won't shy away from Jackson's striking on the feet, which is exactly what Rampage wants. That would normally help a man like Rampage who loves to exchange fisticuffs. However Bones Jones is just too far ahead of Jackson in the manner and angles he can use his arsenal from.

When they square off look for Jones to play Quinton's game for a couple of minutes, show just how easy it is for him to keep his chin out of any relative harm, then dismantle the fading star with a flush combo that presses Rampage up against the fence on his retreat. From there its a quick sweep with Jones on top to let his relentless elbows do the dirty work.

I'd be absolutely shocked if this one saw the Championships rounds folks. So parlay away as Koscheck and Ben Rothwell also got their respective bouts in the bag.

Jon Jones via knockout in the 2nd round unless he toys with him. Then its going to be a long 3 rounds for Rampage, cause he can't last to 4 with the assault Jones is about to bring.

Thoughts?

For more articles like these please visit MondayMorningBlackBelt.com or click here to comment on this particular article.

Thanks for your time guys, and thanks to MMAMania for allowing us to do this.

I'd be absolutely shocked if this one saw the Championships rounds folks. So parlay away as Koscheck and Ben Rothwell also got their respective bouts in the bag.

Jon Jones via knockout in the 2nd round unless he toys with him. Then its going to be a long 3 rounds for Rampage, cause he can't last to 4 with the assault Jones is about to bring.

Thoughts?

For more articles like these please visit MondayMorningBlackBelt.com or click here to comment on this particular article.

Thanks for your time guys, and thanks to MMAMania for allowing us to do this.

Poll

Who takes this one when the smoke settles?

Jon Jones

42 votes

Quinton Jackson

28 votes

70 votes | Poll has closed

Worby Reviews 'Warrior' The Movie

daniel worby — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 00:46:07 -0000

A little different path then what you may have become accustom to reading on MondayMorningBlackBelt.com, but having seen Warrior this past Sunday evening, and the fact that the movie is based around the sport of Mixed Martial Arts, and add to the fact it was full of familiar faces from the fight world, and I figured it was more than acceptable to give out a review for fellow fight fans that may be considering forking out 10-15 dollars to plop their asses down in the sticky floored theater nearest you.

(No I will not spoil the movie).

The movie is based around two brothers that have taken total opposite paths. One a High School teacher with a family and is forced back into the fight business to avoid foreclosure on his house, the other had chose a life of booze and has his reasons for doing so which I won't get into in order to let the movie reveal it to you as it does very well.

Tapout has organized a tournament called "Sparta" in which they have organized an event allowing the 16 best Middleweights from around the World compete if they choose to sign up. Why sign up? Well aside from proving you're the best, the winner gets a five million dollar purse.

The movie does do a rather great job of avoiding too much of the cheesy over the top knockout's etc that one would perhaps expect to see in a fight movie. Which is why this movie worked so well. Now, I'm not going to say there were no moments like this, but the director kept them to a minimum, and it worked very well.

The background stories on the two brothers (Tom Hardy & Joel Edgerton) and their father was a perfect display of a family falling apart, and showcased brilliant acting by the father who was played by Nick Nolte. The relationship the three have (or lackthereof) is brought to the light of the big screen in a dramtically realistic manner that certainly draws you the viewer in deeper to the feelings of the characters and their well being.

Familiar faces were around every corner with the likes of Nate Marquardt, Stephen Bonner, Rashad Evans, the Tapout crew, and Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson who has an important fight with one of the brothers and gets some good face time as 'Midnight'. But the man who makes a lasting impression as the most feared striker on the planet is 'Koba' who was based around that of one Fedor Emelianenko. The Russian is a wrecking ball in the movie, and played by none other than a 200lb Kurt Angle. Angle does very well, but doesn't resemble the style of Fedor much, but nonetheless it worked.

If there's ever actually a great fight movie to go see, it's Warrior. Look passed the little cheese it has and you'll enjoy this movie immensely. Good look at the sport and did a relatively decent job in not making it look like a barabaric sport with little to no honor. The fighters acknowledge their opponents in times of victory or defeat, just as the case is in reality. Nice to see this play out on the big screen. I also wouldn't be surprised to see Nick Nolte and/or Tom Hardy get a couple of nominations for their roles.

Definitely worth checking out.

Enjoy, and thanks for reading. Also for more articles like these visit MondayMorningBlackBelt.com or click here.

(No I will not spoil the movie).

Definitely worth checking out.

Enjoy, and thanks for reading. Also for more articles like these visit MondayMorningBlackBelt.com or click here.

Poll

Yes, I will be checking out The Warrior in theaters.

No, because I don't like theaters.

2 votes

I'll wait for the DVD.

12 votes

14 votes | Poll has closed

Should Nick Diaz Be Fired? And What Did Cesar Gracie Have to Say On All This?

daniel worby — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 22:55:53 -0000

Two ways to look at this; One being the obvious side of as an MMA fan wanting to see the biggest fights, the other than being that of from the point of view as a man trying to run a business.

Let’s layout the facts as we know them so far:

Dana White had been saying numerous times we would take Nick Diaz back to the UFC if Nick Diaz ‘can play the game’, meaning follow along with the obligations that come with the job. As such, Nick Diaz failed to show up to a press conference in Toronto, Canada on Tuesday, and then failed to make an appearance Wednesday (today) as well. Dana White said they scheduled and re-scheduled flights for the ‘badboy’ from Stockton on numerous accounts.

Not only did he not fly in, or make the conferences, but Nick Diaz’ coach and mentor, Cesar Gracie called Dana White and as CagePotato.com (thanks to JP a poster and mondaymorningblackbelt follower) Gracie said to Dana White he completely agrees with the decision to take his disrespectful fighter out and apologized for the lack of professionalism.

This is where it really gets weird…

Apparently Gracie explained that he had, had Nick Diaz cornered in his house this Monday, and when he had turned his back for a moment Diaz bolted off running out of the house and has yet to be seen since.

Yeah… Umm.. That’s normal.

In any event, here we are now with Carlos Condit being taken off the Co Main Event and stepping in for Nick Diaz. Good looking replacement fight, but let’s stick to the situation at task. I mean I don’t wanna be running all over the place on this article like…Like.. Like Nick Diaz from Cesar Gracie…

Diaz was warned by Dana White to ship up or ship out if he were to return. From a mixed martial arts fans point of view, I wanted nothing more than to see this fight occur and put all the speculation to rest. It was going to be a great fight and was highly talked about and sought after by us fans.

As Dana White though, what do I do? I could wait, see what’s up when the dust settles and maybe fine Diaz and allow the fight to remain intact. But what good is this since Dana has apparently been stood up by the fighter twice in as many days and seemingly Dana was doing what he could to help keep the fight afloat? At first I was hoping Dana wouldn’t overreact, but now as more and more details become released to us, it’s clear to see Dana is doing what he can, but cannot sit around idly while his Main Event combatant isn’t showing to help promote the fight that occurs in less than 60 days, and not only that, but has apparently Chris Angel ‘MindFreaked’ and flat out disappeared.

In short, White has every right to fire the troubled Diaz. Unless he wants to put the fighter through some sort of rehabilitation course as this may end up being a result of some sort of drug abuse. I say that entirely as speculation as Diaz has had problems with marijuana and suspensions in the past. That, and a reaction like the one we’ve now come to find out isn’t that of a normal and sane person. I think we will come to find him being fired shortly, but hey who knows what Dana White is thinking right now?

Did Georges St. Pierre really scare him that bad?

Thoughts?

For more articles like this one or to comment on this article please visit mondaymorningblackbelt.com

Truly appracite it guys.

Two ways to look at this; One being the obvious side of as an MMA fan wanting to see the biggest fights, the other than being that of from the point of view as a man trying to run a business. Let’s layout the facts as we know them so far: Dana White had been saying numerous times we would take Nick Diaz back to the UFC if Nick Diaz ‘can play the game’, meaning follow along with the obligations that come with the job. As such, Nick Diaz failed to show up to a press conference in Toronto, Canada on Tuesday, and then failed to make an appearance Wednesday (today) as well. Dana White said they scheduled and re-scheduled flights for the ‘badboy’ from Stockton on numerous accounts. Not only did he not fly in, or make the conferences, but Nick Diaz’ coach and mentor, Cesar Gracie called Dana White and as CagePotato.com (thanks to JP a poster and mondaymorningblackbelt follower) Gracie said to Dana White he completely agrees with the decision to take his disrespectful fighter out and apologized for the lack of professionalism. This is where it really gets weird… Apparently Gracie explained that he had, had Nick Diaz cornered in his house this Monday, and when he had turned his back for a moment Diaz bolted off running out of the house and has yet to be seen since. Yeah… Umm.. That’s normal. In any event, here we are now with Carlos Condit being taken off the Co Main Event and stepping in for Nick Diaz. Good looking replacement fight, but let’s stick to the situation at task. I mean I don’t wanna be running all over the place on this article like…Like.. Like Nick Diaz from Cesar Gracie… Diaz was warned by Dana White to ship up or ship out if he were to return. From a mixed martial arts fans point of view, I wanted nothing more than to see this fight occur and put all the speculation to rest. It was going to be a great fight and was highly talked about and sought after by us fans. As Dana White though, what do I do? I could wait, see what’s up when the dust settles and maybe fine Diaz and allow the fight to remain intact. But what good is this since Dana has apparently been stood up by the fighter twice in as many days and seemingly Dana was doing what he could to help keep the fight afloat? At first I was hoping Dana wouldn’t overreact, but now as more and more details become released to us, it’s clear to see Dana is doing what he can, but cannot sit around idly while his Main Event combatant isn’t showing to help promote the fight that occurs in less than 60 days, and not only that, but has apparently Chris Angel ‘MindFreaked’ and flat out disappeared. In short, White has every right to fire the troubled Diaz. Unless he wants to put the fighter through some sort of rehabilitation course as this may end up being a result of some sort of drug abuse. I say that entirely as speculation as Diaz has had problems with marijuana and suspensions in the past. That, and a reaction like the one we’ve now come to find out isn’t that of a normal and sane person. I think we will come to find him being fired shortly, but hey who knows what Dana White is thinking right now? Did Georges St. Pierre really scare him that bad? Thoughts? For more articles like this one or to comment on this article please visit mondaymorningblackbelt.com Truly appracite it guys.

Poll

Would you fire Nick Diaz IF you were Dana White?

Yes, as a boss running an organizaton I would have to

44 votes

No, I would allow more time then just two missed press conferences

27 votes

I would fine Diaz and keep the fight intact

34 votes

105 votes | Poll has closed

MMBB

daniel worby — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 13:27:44 -0000

Pretty strange to see good ole MMBB pick the wrong winners again wasn’t it? I know, for a guy who (supposedly) knows so much about MMA, he sure doesn’t now how to pick a winner. You know you’re bad at picking fights when your wife is constantly making fun of your picks!

OK, now that I’ve made fun of myself more than you guys have made fun of me over the last two days, lets have at it. Overall, UFC 128 was a good card. I wouldn’t rate it as great, just good, but that’s a whole lot better than bad! I’m not going to break down the card, I’m going to break down the buzz surrounding a potential matchup between Jon Jones and Anderson Silva.

Lorenzo Fertitta tweeted, not too long after Jone’s win, "Bones vs. Silva? Who wants it?" I thought it was kind of funny considering from what I have heard is that Silva has no plans to move up to light heavyweight. My thoughts were later confirmed by Dana White who had this to say: "About 75 people" have already suggested an Anderson-Bones super-fight… "Anderson is clear that he doesn’t want to fight at 205, but maybe now that Jones is champ, we’ll see."

Of course Anderson will stay at middleweight, have you seen the size of Jones and the way he takes guys down? Silva is the best pound for pound fighter in the world, and he got there by not only being great, but by being smart and having good management. His achilles heal has always been good wrestlers. Chael Sonnen took him down at will for five straight rounds. Only problem their is that Sonnen is notoriously one of the easiest guys to submit. Jones on the other hand has some vicious ground and pound, and seems to have enough knowledge of submission defense to stay out of them. In a straight kickboxing matchup, Silva beats Jones fairly easily, but in an MMA matchup, I almost give the advantage to Jones.

I for one don’t have much interest in this fight, and it’s a lose/lose for the UFC. The most obvious loss for the UFC is the "mystique" of one of their champions. Simple terms, one of these guys has to lose, and that’s not good for the UFC. Geno Mroksko of mmamania.com had this to say: In pondering this bout, there are no solid arguments against it occurring. Competitiveness? Better than any fight either of the two have had to date. The size difference? Negligible. Box office? Potential record breaker.

I kinda laughed at this for a few reasons. One, Anderson Silva has beaten long time champions and fan favorites (Rich Franklin and Forrest Griffin). Silva has also beaten a who’s who list of challengers from legends Dan Henderson and Vitor Belfort (who Mrosko picked to win) as well as every number one contender the UFC has put in front of him. So "no better fighter to date?" Silva has done this while amassing modest PPV buy rates.

You have to remember, Silva doesn’t speak english (in interviews or to hype a fight), and is thought to be arrogant by many fans. Chael Sonnen was the main reason people bought UFC 117. That show was predicted to get 300k buys before Sonnen started talking, (it was later reported to get 750k-1 million buys). UFC 101 did about the same…due to the fact that a big draw in BJ Penn was on the card as well.

The numbers for UFC 128 aren’t out yet, but no matter how they are, it’s the first PPV headlined by Jones, who was losing fans rapidly as fight night came closer, and hasn’t yet proven to be a draw! Lastly, "competitiveness"… really? Jones has beaten who? There are plenty legit light heavyweights out there for him to fight, and beating an injury riddled, pudgy, former pride (which means nothing at this point) champion, doesn’t mean you’ve cleaned out anything! If anything, at this point, it makes the most sense for the UFC to let Jones try and defend his title a few times, and Silva to either fight Okami or GSP (at a catchweight). No need to ruin the mystique of either fighter at this point.

Oh, and it would smash records…if they put Brock Lesnar on the card…against the Rock (thought I’d appease those of you with a pro wrestling background, whatever that means). What are your thoughts on a potential Silva/Jones matchup?

Why Gsp vs Anderson Silva won't happen

daniel worby — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 00:18:31 -0000

Time to rain on some parades.

Georges St. Pierre is now the only name coming out of Dana White’s mouth as he stated he is ready to piss off Yushin Okami, to whom of which was supposedly the next in line to face off against Anderson Silva for the Middleweight title. It would seem however that the dollar signs of putting on the biggest fight of all time are simply too tempting to pass up.

Dana White at the UFC 126 Post Fight Press Conference:

“Yeah, if St. Pierre beats Shields in Toronto, I think we’ll do that fight… GSP is up next for Anderson Silva… It’s looking like we’re going to do this GSP fight. I gotta figure out this (Yushin) Okami thing. So yeah, he’s going to be pissed. The big piece in making this fight (Silva vs. GSP) is where is it going to happen. I don’t know… GSP has to beat … We’re going to do that fight at 185 pounds.”

By now you’re probably thinking to yourself “Okay, yeah, so where is the problem here? Dana White said we’ll see this Superfight moron.”

Well it takes more than just Dana White to make a fight happen. Let’s take a look at why this fight is anything but guaranteed.

Anderson Silva has been being pressed to move up to 205 at recent times since he has seemingly cleaned out the Middleweight division. There is a ton of great matchups for Andy at 205. Question, who wouldn’t want to see Silva vs Evans, Silva vs Rampage, Silva vs Jones, Silva vs Shogun? Exactly. It’s not as if there isn’t any interesting matchups that would sell at Light Heavyweight for Anderson.

On to point number two. Georges St. Pierre is no dummy. As the best Welterweight to grace the sport, Georges St. Pierre (GSP) didn’t get the by making poor decisions. In fact GSP rarely makes mistakes, and it has been so long since he has made one (See Serra vs Gsp 1) that it is hard to picture him making one at all anymore as the 170lb ruler just seems to get more and more aware of his surroundings and continues to make the right choices.

So, would Georges St. Pierre move up to 185lbs and fight the best pound for pound fighter on the Earth, and perhaps of all time, in his (Silva’s) realm in his (Gsp’s) first fight at Middleweight?

Perhaps, but I feel Pierre is much too wise for this. And who could blame him? It’s Gsp’s job to defeat the best Welterweight the UFC can throw at him. It’s not his job to fight at whatever weight the fans and Dana White want to see him at. If Georges St. Pierre wants to fight at 170lbs that’s where Georges St. Pierre will fight. What’s Dana White going to do, fire him?

Let’s attack this from another angle as well, you know, just to drive the point home. Georges St. Pierre was heard saying that he would want up to a year off to properly make the 185lb weight he would need to compete in. When he said this he had said he would need the time so he could comfortably weigh upwards of 205lbs when not fighting and cut to 185, as to make certain that he isn’t undersized in the weight class.

Another smart move by the smartest man in the sport today.

Now let’s talk age. Anderson Silva is 35, going on 36 in April. THe man has already accomplished all the things necessary to retire as the best Middleweight, perhaps the best fighter of all time. So Georges St. Pierre fights Jake Shields at the end of April, right? Add a year minimum on to that for recovery time, and for his time to properly bulk up. Anderson Silva is now 37, and we are slowly coming to a realization that ‘Daniel Worby pointed out to us way back yonder in the good ole days of 2011.’

Now remember how smart I keep claiming St. Pierre is? Well consider the fact he would most certainly ask for a warmup fight at Middleweight before testing his hands at Anderson Silva. Hell, he may ask for two or 3. By this time Anderson Silva will have had to take at least another fight or two. He would also be pushing 38-39 years old, and no doubt having the thought flow through his head often that he can simply walk away the best there ever was at any time.

All this and we still haven’t taken into account a possible injury shelving one of the two for a year’s time in a blink of an eye. You know, something like the groin injury that Gsp suffered in his UFC 100 bout against Thiago Alves, that saw the Champ sidelined for approximately a year. Or the surgery Anderson required that saw him out of action for month’s and month’s at a time, and had originally delayed the Vitor Belfort/Chael Sonnen as his next opponent conundrum.

Starting to see the picture?

Oh, and in case you were wondering if I think Georges St. Pierre has what it takes to dethrone the Middleweight King… I do. It’s funny to me that one fight can always make people forget what happened just month’s prior as it isn’t the most recent fight that happened to make a person say “Wow”. Gsp ran through everyone put in his way. Sonnen owned Anderson for 4 and a half rounds. Vitor got embarrassed with a Steven Segal inspired front kick knockout to the face. Am I to believe Georges would suffer the same consequence? Of course not. Gsp’s style more matches that of Sonnen’s. The bright side of that is, that St. Pierre is not accustom to being caught in silly submissions from allowing his confidence to get in the way of what’s the right move to make. If Georges St. Pierre is fighting at a healthy 185lbs, I truly think we would see him emerge victorious.

But for that to happen we would first need to see all of the above go off without a hitch. I hope it happens fight fans, but don’t hold your breath.

To comment on this article click here or visit mondaymorningblackbelt

Thanks to BloodyElbow for allowing us to do post articles like this here

Here's a link to what my partner in crime (Kevjack) has to say about this exact situation

Time to rain on some parades.

Dana White at the UFC 126 Post Fight Press Conference:

“Yeah, if St. Pierre beats Shields in Toronto, I think we’ll do that fight… GSP is up next for Anderson Silva… It’s looking like we’re going to do this GSP fight. I gotta figure out this (Yushin) Okami thing. So yeah, he’s going to be pissed. The big piece in making this fight (Silva vs. GSP) is where is it going to happen. I don’t know… GSP has to beat … We’re going to do that fight at 185 pounds.”

By now you’re probably thinking to yourself “Okay, yeah, so where is the problem here? Dana White said we’ll see this Superfight moron.”

Well it takes more than just Dana White to make a fight happen. Let’s take a look at why this fight is anything but guaranteed.

So, would Georges St. Pierre move up to 185lbs and fight the best pound for pound fighter on the Earth, and perhaps of all time, in his (Silva’s) realm in his (Gsp’s) first fight at Middleweight?

Another smart move by the smartest man in the sport today.

Starting to see the picture?

But for that to happen we would first need to see all of the above go off without a hitch. I hope it happens fight fans, but don’t hold your breath.

To comment on this article click here or visit mondaymorningblackbelt

Thanks to BloodyElbow for allowing us to do post articles like this here

Here's a link to what my partner in crime (Kevjack) has to say about this exact situation

Why Gsp vs Anderson Silva won't happen

daniel worby — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 22:36:52 -0000

Time to rain on some parades.

Georges St. Pierre is now the only name coming out of Dana White’s mouth as he stated he is ready to piss off Yushin Okami, to whom of which was supposedly the next in line to face off against Anderson Silva for the Middleweight title. It would seem however that the dollar signs of putting on the biggest fight of all time are simply too tempting to pass up.

Dana White at the UFC 126 Post Fight Press Conference:

“Yeah, if St. Pierre beats Shields in Toronto, I think we’ll do that fight… GSP is up next for Anderson Silva… It’s looking like we’re going to do this GSP fight. I gotta figure out this (Yushin) Okami thing. So yeah, he’s going to be pissed. The big piece in making this fight (Silva vs. GSP) is where is it going to happen. I don’t know… GSP has to beat … We’re going to do that fight at 185 pounds.”

By now you’re probably thinking to yourself “Okay, yeah, so where is the problem here? Dana White said we’ll see this Superfight moron.”

Well it takes more than just Dana White to make a fight happen. Let’s take a look at why this fight is anything but guaranteed.

So, would Georges St. Pierre move up to 185lbs and fight the best pound for pound fighter on the Earth, and perhaps of all time, in his (Silva’s) realm in his (Gsp’s) first fight at Middleweight?

Another smart move by the smartest man in the sport today.

Now let’s talk age. Anderson Silva is 35, going on 36 in April. THe man has already accomplished all the things necessary to retire as the best Middleweight, perhaps the best fighter of all time. So Georges St. Pierre fights Jake Shields at the end of April, right? Add a year minimum on to that for recovery time, and for his time to properly bulk up. Anderson Silva is now 37, and we are slowly coming to a realization that ‘Daniel Worby pointed out to us way back yonder in the good ole days of 2011.’

All this and we still haven’t taken into account a possible injury shelving one of the two for a year’s time in a blink of an eye. You know, something like the groin injury that Gsp suffered in his UFC 100 bout against Thiago Alves, that saw the Champ sidelined for approximately a year. Or the surgery Anderson required that saw him out of action for month’s and month’s at a time, and had originally delayed the Vitor Belfort/Chael Sonnen as his next opponent conundrum.

Starting to see the picture?

But for that to happen we would first need to see all of the above go off without a hitch. I hope it happens fight fans, but don’t hold your breath.

To comment on this article click here or visit mondaymorningblackbelt

Thanks to MMAmania for allowing us to do post articles like this here.

Time to rain on some parades.

Dana White at the UFC 126 Post Fight Press Conference:

“Yeah, if St. Pierre beats Shields in Toronto, I think we’ll do that fight… GSP is up next for Anderson Silva… It’s looking like we’re going to do this GSP fight. I gotta figure out this (Yushin) Okami thing. So yeah, he’s going to be pissed. The big piece in making this fight (Silva vs. GSP) is where is it going to happen. I don’t know… GSP has to beat … We’re going to do that fight at 185 pounds.”

By now you’re probably thinking to yourself “Okay, yeah, so where is the problem here? Dana White said we’ll see this Superfight moron.”

Well it takes more than just Dana White to make a fight happen. Let’s take a look at why this fight is anything but guaranteed.

So, would Georges St. Pierre move up to 185lbs and fight the best pound for pound fighter on the Earth, and perhaps of all time, in his (Silva’s) realm in his (Gsp’s) first fight at Middleweight?

Another smart move by the smartest man in the sport today.

Now let’s talk age. Anderson Silva is 35, going on 36 in April. THe man has already accomplished all the things necessary to retire as the best Middleweight, perhaps the best fighter of all time. So Georges St. Pierre fights Jake Shields at the end of April, right? Add a year minimum on to that for recovery time, and for his time to properly bulk up. Anderson Silva is now 37, and we are slowly coming to a realization that ‘Daniel Worby pointed out to us way back yonder in the good ole days of 2011.’

All this and we still haven’t taken into account a possible injury shelving one of the two for a year’s time in a blink of an eye. You know, something like the groin injury that Gsp suffered in his UFC 100 bout against Thiago Alves, that saw the Champ sidelined for approximately a year. Or the surgery Anderson required that saw him out of action for month’s and month’s at a time, and had originally delayed the Vitor Belfort/Chael Sonnen as his next opponent conundrum.

Starting to see the picture?

But for that to happen we would first need to see all of the above go off without a hitch. I hope it happens fight fans, but don’t hold your breath.

To comment on this article click here or visit mondaymorningblackbelt

Thanks to MMAmania for allowing us to do post articles like this here.

MMBB interview exclusive with Mike "The Voice"

daniel worby — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 16:36:57 -0000

Michael “The Voice” Schiavello is the veteran voice for Dream, KOTC, TFC, and will be commentating the preliminary match ups for the next Strikeforce card as well as many others. He was gracious enough to sit down and answer a few questions for us here at MMBB, so enjoy!
MMBB: Your Wiki page says you scored your first commentator gig at age 16, was commentating something you always wanted to do or did it just so happen you tried it and were good at it, and the rest as they say is history? Schiavello: By the time I did my first commentary, which was at the 1991 APS High School Athletic Championships at Melbourne’s Olympic Park, I was already hosting my own Sunday morning sports show on radio. It had never interested me to commentate really but I thought it’d be something fun to try which also gave me a chance to wag school! To think that initially and for the first 15 years of my life all I wanted to be was an architect. It is strange how destiny plays out in your life. I did the APS Championships and it turned out I had a talent for calling live action. After that I was super keen to do more commentary work and would go on to commentate live soccer on radio, some Aussie rules football and more athletics before eventually commentating fight sports at age 21. MMBB: Obviously you get to see the stars of Japanese MMA more than the average fan, do you think that many of those “stars” could compete in the states (UFC or Strikeforce) or do you see them as not quite as well rounded as those fighters fighting in the top organizations?

Schiavello: I think there are a lot of guys who could fare well in the United States, guys who are more geared towards knockouts and a harder striking style, like Kid Yamamoto who is now signed with UFC; Kawajiri who has good wrestling and vicious striking; and Takaya who is heavy handed. The more technical guys may have problems with the size and strength of the US fighters, particularly the stature and awesome power of US wrestlers. But you know, it’s hard to generalise. It depends on each and every fighter and who he is matched against.

MMBB: How do you think Kid Yamamoto will fair in the UFC? Obviously the Japanese fighters (Gomi, Aoki) coming to the States haven’t faired very well in the past, why will “Kid” be different? Schiavello: His style is made for UFC. He is a big striker who knocks out with crazy flurries with his hands. He is also a world class wrestler so he will be able to match the US power wrestlers. I think he will do well. I hope so. He has always been a favourite of mine. MMBB: Rumor has it Scott Coker wants to bring part of the HW tourney to Japan, do you see it being feasible or are the reports that organized crime, namely the Yakuza, wouldn’t allow it? Schiavello: That would certainly be interesting and Japan could use the hype of having Fedor back over there in top competition alongside Overeem and Sergei and Werdum and Arlovski and Barnett, etc. As for the Yakuza, well, I don’t want to comment on that. I know that there has always been a connection between the fight game and organized crime and not just in Japan but in the United States as well for a long time. I’m not going to talk on things I don’t know about and will not speculate them. All I can say that if a US promoter was going to head to Japan, Scott with his close connection to FEG would be the one to do it. He is the one who knows the Japanese way of thinking and way of business the best. MMBB: Speaking of Strikeforce and their HW tournament, what are your thoughts on this tournament and who do you see winning it? Schiavello: I think it is great. I will be there for the Opening Round as we are broadcasting the prelim fights live on HDNET. I think Fedor and Overeem will be the ones to beat obviously. Fedor will come back really strong after his loss to Werdum. It may be the best thing to happen to his career as perhaps he was resting on laurels and needed a wake up call not to become complacent or sloppy. I hear he has been absolutely thrashing sparring partners in Russia in preparation for the GP. Let’s see what he brings in New Jersey. MMBB: What makes Overeem that much better than most of the competition? Is it him staying so active or something else? Schiavello: This will be a great test for Overeem. I love the guy. I love him as a fighter and I love him as a friend in the fight game. His style is awesome and the most exciting no-nonsense style in the world. If he goes through this Grand Prix and wins it all you can’t argue his status as the best heavyweight on the planet. I mean the guy is K-1 champion as well as MMA champion in two separate organizations. That’s pretty amazing. MMBB: The only thing that people have complained about when talking about the Tournament is the way the brackets are set up. Do you think Strikeforce made a mistake by putting Fedor, Overeem/Werdum in the same bracket rather than having them on opposite sides and possibly meeting in the finals? Schiavello: I would have liked to have seen them first up. What’s the difference where they fall in the tournament? I just want to see them fight each other! At least if they were matched first up there would have been MORE of a chance of them finally fighting one another, what with Alistair’s claims that Fedor has been ducking him. First fight up would equal no ducking and no chance of withdrawal due to injury and no chance of loss in the quarter finals. MMBB: At the fields dynamite YE show, you referenced dead WWE wrestlers on 2 or 3 occasions, I got to admit, I laughed. Do you have things you want to say already in your head or are all these off the cuff remarks spur of the moment? Schiavello: Most of it is spur of the moment, especially my wrestling references. Most of them are old school references as I’m a big old school wrestling fan when it was still WWF before the tree-huggers got the rights to the name! MMBB: Have you ever been approached by the UFC or Strikeforce to commentate in the United States, if so how do you think you’d be perceieved by the casual fans that watch these organizations, but probably don’t watch the shows from Asia that are live in the middle of the night? Schiavello: I commentate plenty of shows in the US such as MFC, King of the Cage, XFC, Adrenaline, am now doing Titan FC and will do the Strikeforce prelims. I have never been approached by UFC but I do really enjoy their product and am a huge fan of Goldie and Rogan, they’re my favourite commentary combination. As for my style, I think it goes down extra well with casual fans. It grips you, it excites you, it entertains you. If fights are boring casual fans will switch off unless the commentary can rivet them somehow, which is where I come in very handy! MMBB: What fights and fighters are you most looking forward to in the coming year (2011) and why? Schiavello: More Overeem, more Gokhan Saki, more Giorgio Petrosyan and definitely more Hatsu Hioki. Hioki’s fight against Sandro and the way he won it was one of my highlights of 2010. Also a few fighters from 2010 who impressed that I want to see more of in 2011 include Quinn Mulhern, Daniel Cormier, Mike Kyle, Nick Gaston and Marianna Kheyfets.

Thanks for your time guys. To comment on this story at MondayMorningBlackBelt click HERE.

Thanks to BloodyElbow for allowing us to do this.

Thanks for your time guys. To comment on this story at MondayMorningBlackBelt click HERE.

Thanks to BloodyElbow for allowing us to do this.

'Phil Baroni vs Shonie Carter' Mar. 25th (rumor), Titan FIghting Championship

daniel worby — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 03:14:59 -0000

I guess it's hard to leave the game forever.

According to sources close to both fighters, MMA veterans Shonie Carter and Phil Baroni will both be returning to the cage to try and jump start their respective careers on March 25 for Titan Fighting Championships.

Carter (49-26-7-1) is coming off of five straight losses, most recently dropping a decision in Israel to Jeremy Knafo on Nov. 9 2010. Ironically, after the fight was over, Carter took the mic and announced his retirement from MMA. I guess once a fighter always a fighter.

Baroni (13-13) is coming off of three straight losses, most recently at UFC 125. At UFC 125, Baroni looked really strong in the opening minutes of the fight before getting rocked by a Brad Tavares head kick and subsequently TKO’d. When Baroni was asked about fighting for Titan, he had this to say:

“I’m very happy and excited to re-start my career with Titan Fighting in Kansas City. I have another chapter to write and it starts March 25. The best NYBA ‘eva is fighting for Titan… People love a comeback.”

more on this rumor as announcements are made.

thanks for your time, and thanks to Bloody Elbow for allowing us to do this. For more articles like this please frequent Monday Morning Black Belt.

I guess it's hard to leave the game forever.

“I’m very happy and excited to re-start my career with Titan Fighting in Kansas City. I have another chapter to write and it starts March 25. The best NYBA ‘eva is fighting for Titan… People love a comeback.”

more on this rumor as announcements are made.

thanks for your time, and thanks to Bloody Elbow for allowing us to do this. For more articles like this please frequent Monday Morning Black Belt.

Strikeforce Media Conference Call Recap/Highlights

daniel worby — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 19:47:31 -0000

Strikeforce hosted their media conference call at 2PM Eastern time today, and we here at Monday Morning BlackBelt were fortunate enough to get to take part, and listen in live as the questions were being directed to Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva, and his opponent on February 12th Fedor Emelianenko, as well as Scott Coker.

Unfortunately, due to a large number of questions already in queue, and not being familiar with the operation system in which was used, I was not able to get any questions off myself. I have fixed that though for the future, and it certainly will not happen again.

In any event, I still did get some decent answers to some of the questions that were asked to the two combatants, so here they are.

When asked if Fedor would prefer to meet Alistair Overeem or Fabricio Werdum in the next round, should he make it there, Fedor said ‘It is not correct to predict or guess, because I have Antonio Silva in the way first, and he is a great and skillful competitor. I don’t look ahead.’

When asked about Antonio Silva claiming that Fabricio Werdum has show the blueprint on how to defeat him, Fedor said ‘If they think they have tried and found my biggest weakness, let them try and prove it.’

Fedor was asked about how excited he was for the Heavyweight tournament and he replied ‘I always fight with a high level of excitement, but am more excited for this tournament because every round I will have the chance to fight against a top competitor in the world.’

M1 Global frontman, and Manager of Fedor Emelianenko, Vadim Finkelstein pipes up to say how proud he is that Fedor has signed on with 4 more fights with Strikeforce, and M1 Global is happy to be a part of this, etc. Same thing, different day.

Fedor was also asked about the fact we rarely see any Sambo, or mention of it in MMA, yet he has made such a living fighting by that exact art, and what does it mean to him, and why is it the best? Fedor replied by saying ‘Every fighter will say this, but I believe it is the best all around skill, and will help with strength, speed, stand up, ground, and explosiveness the best. I am strongly confident, it is the best skill to have.’

‘That is something the commentators and professionals should decide’, was Emelianenko’s response to the question of if the winner of the tournament would then be ranked the number one Heavyweight on the planet.

When asked about his distinct size advantage, Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva replied ‘I have take a good approach, and brought guys from Brazil. I’ll use my advantage on my weight in certain positions. He’ll feel my weight for sure.’

Fedor was the asked about the advantages of training in isolation, and using his training in mountains as an example. Fedor had this to say ‘When I do train, it is cold there, and much more difficult to breathe, and finish the training. Getting through all of it is very difficult. Also no one bothers me, so I can train, eat, and sleep with no distractions. This allows me to be in maximum shape.’

Fedor was asked who he beleived was the favorite in the other bracket, to which he responded ‘I don’t make any predictions. I don’t do that. They’re all world class fighters.’

I saved my personal favorite response to a question for the last, as Fedor Emelianenko was asked if he still believed he was the best fighter in the world despite his loss to Fabricio Werdum. Fedor’s direct quote, and only response was

“I never believed I was the best fighter in the world.”

Maybe not so impactful to just read, but it was a small moment of silence that followed the reply, and the fact that Fedor took no time to put it out there or think it through. Almost as if to say ‘I don’t claim to be the best, everyone else claims I am.’ Really stuck when he said that quote. Stern.

The two fighters then thanked Showtime, and Strikeforce for the opportunities, and both stated that they and their opponent will put on an artful and exciting match up for the fans, and that they are both coming in, in great shape. Fedor addeed that he will work hard not to disappoint all those who believe in him, and of course thanked M-1 Global.

Thoughts guys?

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Thanks to MMAMania for allowing me the opportunity to get our name out there

In any event, I still did get some decent answers to some of the questions that were asked to the two combatants, so here they are.

Fedor was asked who he beleived was the favorite in the other bracket, to which he responded ‘I don’t make any predictions. I don’t do that. They’re all world class fighters.’

“I never believed I was the best fighter in the world.”

Thoughts guys?

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Thanks to MMAMania for allowing me the opportunity to get our name out there

Worbs UFC 125 Predictions Pt.3: Edgar vs Maynard

daniel worby — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 16:44:32 -0000

Las Vegas, Nevada will be invaded by the World's largest Mixed Martial Arts organization as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) brings it's big dogs, and Lightweight strap to the MGM Grand Garden Arena on January 1st, 2011. To help you get into the mood I have once again decided to do the predictions column in a slightly different then normal fashion as I have broke down 2 fights a day from the PPV card leading to Friday(today), in which I will now break down how I feel the Main Event between Lightweight Champion Frankie 'The Answer Edgar, and the only man to beat him thus far, Gray 'The Bully' Maynard will play out.

FRANK EDGAR vs GRAY MAYNARD
Gray Maynard needs to repeat his win over Frank Edgar on Saturday to become the Lightweight Champion of the UFC, but it's not that cut and dry. Even after a win over Edgar, Maynard will still have to get passed Anthony Pettis to unite the WEC Lightweight gold with that of the UFC's. And that's a whole other ball game. Or can Edgar exact the long awaited revenge he is desperately seeking on the man who is responsible for his only blemish to date? Let's find out.

Well it's not too often that a Champion comes in as the underdog, and it's even less often to be the underdog as the reigning champ after dethroning the former man though unbeatable at 155 in BJ Penn. But Frank Edgar is facing this exact conundrum, as he comes in as the underdog on the Vegas lines once again, leaving me wondering just when the day may come that Edgar doesn't register as an underdog headed in to a fight as champion. Or better yet, if he'll get that chance.

Gray Maynard is everything he needs to be to beat Frank Edgar again, and so long as he sticks to what he's good at, I see no reason this won't happen. Edgar may have what it takes to beat Penn back to back, but he's fighting a man that has extremely dominating top control, and doesn't require any real stand up threat in Maynard. Gray Maynard will boast a favorable size advantage as well as power advantage as he 'bullies' Edgar around the cage. Edgar will really have to look to keep this one standing and look for a 25 minute decision by out pointing Gray, exactly like he did Penn twice. But Gray won't stand for that. In fact quite the opposite. Gray will take Edgar to the floor and use his brute strength to suck the life out of the smaller Edgar. Gray will stay busy enough to avoid the standup en route to getting the judges to score this one 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46 for the winner, and NEW Lightweight Champion of the World, Gray 'The Bully' Maynard.

***Gray Maynard by way of Unanimous Decision***

So that's that. We have a new UFC Lightweight Champion, and Frankie Edgar left debating a drop to 145 where he's more fitted. Then the eventual meeting of Maynard vs Pettis to decide who is the true UFC Lightweight Champion.

But first things first. Let me know how I did here. You tend to agree? You putting up what I'm throwing down? You catch my drift? You like the cut of my jib? Or am I asking more questions then Jim Carey as the Riddler? Can I stop?

Yes I can. Let's hear it blackbelts.

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Thanks guys.

***Gray Maynard by way of Unanimous Decision***

Yes I can. Let's hear it blackbelts.

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Thanks guys.

Worbs UFC 125 Predictions Pt.3: Edgar vs Maynard

daniel worby — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 16:38:21 -0000

FRANK EDGAR vs GRAY MAYNARD
Gray Maynard needs to repeat his win over Frank Edgar on Saturday to become the Lightweight Champion of the UFC, but it's not that cut and dry. Even after a win over Edgar, Maynard will still have to get passed Anthony Pettis to unite the WEC Lightweight gold with that of the UFC's. And that's a whole other ball game. Or can Edgar exact the long awaited revenge he is desperately seeking on the man who is responsible for his only blemish to date? Let's find out.

***Gray Maynard by way of Unanimous Decision***

So that's that. We have a new UFC Lightweight Champion, and Frankie Edgar left debating a drop to 145 where he's more fitted. Then the eventual meeting of Maynard vs Pettis to decide who is the true UFC Lightweight Champion.

Yes I can. Let's hear it blackbelts.

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Thanks guys.

***Gray Maynard by way of Unanimous Decision***

Yes I can. Let's hear it blackbelts.

For more stories like these please visit mondaymorningblackbelt.com

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Thanks guys.

Worbs UFC 125 Predictions Pt.2: Vera vs Silva, Leben vs Stann

daniel worby — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 23:07:54 -0000

Las Vegas, Nevada will be invaded by the World's largest Mixed Martial Arts organization as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) brings it's big dogs, and Lightweight strap to the MGM Grand Garden Arena on January 1st, 2011. To help you get into the mood I have once again decided to do the predictions column in a slightly different then normal fashion as I will break down 2 fights a day from the PPV card leading to Friday in which I will break down how I feel the Main Event between Lightweight Champion Frankie 'The Answer Edgar, and the only man to beat him thus far, Gray 'The Bully' Maynard will play out.

Today is the second installment, therefore we will be focusing on Chris Leben as he looks to get his name back in to the Middleweight contention category with a win over Greg Jackson camp member Brian Stann. Also we'll dive in to a match that could have severe consequences for the loser, as Brandon Vera tries to avoid getting clobbered by Thiago Silva, and keep his job as a poor perfomance resulting in a loss could get one of these two their walking papers.

THIAGO SILVA vs BRANDON VERA

Brandon Vera has lost 5 of his last 8, and 6 of his last 9 should he fall short come Saturday. Not exactly a record to boast about come contract renewal time. Especially when you take into consideration that his only 3 wins in this stint are over Krzysztof Soszynski, Mike Patt, and Reese Andy. In fact, I'd go so far as to say keeping his job after a loss Saturday, would be nothing short of miraculous.

Thiago Silva on the other hand should have a much better chance staying employed with the UFC following a loss because he's lost 2 of his last 3, but they were to Light Heavyweights that are still ranked in the top 5. Thiago Silva is also known to have a much more crowd pleasing style then that of Brandon Vera, whom of which started off string, but has seemingly lost his spontaneity more and more each fight.
As the saying goes though 'you don't get fired for a win'. So I still see this coming down to Thiago Silva swinging wildly looking to end it, while Brandon Vera looks for sweeps and tie ups to slow and wear both the patience and gas tank of Thiago Silva. I usually do give the upper hand to the pace controller in these types of match ups, as counting on the 'one punch ends it all' plan is often counter productive. Pun intended. But in this particular fight I do see Thiago Silva still being able to get the better of Vera. Thiago is still showing that he can grow as he learns from defeat, while Vera has shown he may have plateaued as of late.

Look for Thiago's flurries to land their mark early, but a game Vera will slow this considerably early on. A lot of scrambling will be done by Brandon as he tries to adjust to different levels to avoid 'the big kabosh' from a thunderous overhand right on the chin. Vera's leg kicks will have run their course early on as Silva braves them, and pushes forward landing stiff jabs that will stun Vera enough that his last ditch efforts will be to take it to the mat. Vera will be too overwhelmed from the terminator like presence of a fresh first round Thiago Silva, and won't be able to survive the onslaught as he takes this to the floor. From his back Vera will be looking for the wildly flying arms of a bent over Thiago as Silva rains down shots. Vera will not find the submission from the bottom, and if a referee isn't on the ball to intervene, Vera will sleep.

***Thiago Silva by way of Knockout in Rd. 1***

CHRIS LEBEN vs BRIAN STANN

Chris Leben has shown the want to grow and become more then a walking zombie who can absorb shots. He still has a lot of the old traits that make him a fan favorite to watch. The thing is, now he's added a little more control. And if anyone on here says they had Leben taking Akiyama by triangle choke, I'd love to hear it. That was really one of the more entertaining fights I've witnessed, and showed a real presence of mind that up until that point, I wasn't so sure Leben possessed. Accompany that with the concrete head Chris has, and you got a man who can continue to keep getting better. The problem is Brian Stann is in his way.

Now I'm not saying that Stann is some sort of lock here in any way. Just that he is a member of Greg Jackson's camp, and he is a strong wrestler with a fantastic physique. And even though Leben found that triangle from the bottom, I don't feel he'd do the same against Stann, should Stann use his physical advantage and wrestling pedigree to put Leben where he's weakest... The bottom.

I simply do not see any possible way that Stann isn't able to take top control at least momentarily, and early on. If this is the case, how will Leben react to scrambling back to his feet? Will he be able to? Can he whether the storm long enough? The answer is yes. Leben's problem isn't being pounded out from the top, but its usually being submitted, or ridden out for 15 minutes. Stann has one submission to his record, and he lacks the professional experience to keep a growing fighter in Leben down for too long.

Look for Stann to control the majority of the first round from the top while looking for openings to finish Leben with punches and have the referee step in after seeing enough. But when this option diminishes as the round ticks away, the perspiration from the two will enhance, and play in to Leben's favor. In the 2nd the stand up will favor Leben more heavily now, and allow some stuffs, and may even allow Leben to pull his leg out of the odd single leg from Stann. Should Stann be able to tackle Leben, I feel it will be against the cage, and Leben will slip away by keeping his back on the fence and struggling to his feet. As this happens and the fight ages, look for that jaw rattling combo that will see less then 50% of 'The Cripplers' shots land, but still have plenty enough damage in the ones that do, to end this one later on.

***Chris Leben by way of Technical Knockout in Rd.2***

Be sure to head back again Friday (tomorrow) to see the fight breakdown as I see it, when Gray Maynard looks to repeat his win over current Lightweight Champion Frank Edgar this Saturday night (January 1st).

But first, let me know how you see these bouts playing out? Am I out of my mind, or am I on par? Let's hear it blackbelts. Cause these two fights should be great. You're darn tootin.

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Thanks for your time guys.

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or to comment on this article click here

Thanks for your time guys.

Worbs UFC 125 Predictions Pt.2: Vera vs Silva, Leben vs Stann

daniel worby — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 23:04:12 -0000

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Thanks for your time guys.

For more stories like these visit mondaymorningblackbelt.com

or to comment on this article click here

Thanks for your time guys.

Worbs UFC 125 Predictions Pt.1: Hyun Kim vs Diaz, Gomi vs Guida

daniel worby — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 01:29:15 -0000

Las Vegas, Nevada will be invaded by the World's largest Mixed Martial Arts organization as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) brings it's big dogs, and Lightweight strap to the MGM Grand Garden Arena on January 1st, 2011. To help you get into the mood I have once again decided to do the predictions column in a slightly different then normal fashion as I will break down 2 fights a day from the PPV card leading to Friday in which I will break down how I feel the Main Event between Lightweight Champion Frankie 'The Answer Edgar, and the only man to beat him thus far, Gray 'The Bully' Maynard will play out.

Today is the first installment, therefore we will be focusing on Clay Guida as he looks to get his name in the Lightweight belt picture with a win over Takanori Gomi, who is also ready to start thinking UFC gold, should he be able to get passed the thick headed Geico look-a-like. Also Nate Diaz meets up with Dong Hyun Kim. Without further ado, let's get to talking the 'whats' and 'ifs' of these two matchups.

NATE DIAZ vs DONG HYUN KIM

And so it begins. Although many readers will know some of the fighters I dislike, and the ones I am a huge fan of, I try not to let it be known too much in my picks, and on the site in general when writing articles. But I find it okay here since I simply cannot pretend, and since my counterpart (MMBB) is a Diaz Bros fan. I cannot stand either of them, and that's why I'm glad to boast a 3-3 record for Nate, in his last 6 outings. Now this isn't to say he should be mortified of this on his resume, as his losses were to Clay Guida by split decision, Joe Stevenson, and the current unblemished Lightweight #1 contender Gray Maynard. But that's also not going to allow me to see his wins as large relevance to the division (Rory Markham, Marcus Davis, and Melvin Guillard).

Dong Hyun Kim is still relatively untested in terms of big name power, but he is also still undefeated... Sorta. Karo Parisyan was able to defeat Kim, but it was reversed after Karo couldn't keep clean on his post-fight drug test. So a 5-0 record in the UFC (with an asterisk) is the way it stands. The problem is, as low as the name power of wins Diaz has in his last 3 are, Dong's are even lower. Much, much lower. Amir Sodollah is his biggest win to date, as TJ Grant and Matt Brown trail behind.

When this one starts it should resemble that of a frantic frenzy from one man who is considered to have 'a lot of potential' in the eyes of some, and the other will stay relatively robotic, and patient. Diaz will sell the idea that the fight is busier then it is, and this may lead him right into a mistake, but it may also be what he needs to do if he is to be successful, as Kim is very capable of riding out a comfortable decision on this one from staying at bay and beating Diaz to the jab. Kim must avoid all types of sloppy swinging on his way in, and he will then stay out of harms way from a guillotine. If Dong is able to utilize his gameplan properly he should walk away still undefeated with an asterisk, and move on to bigger and better things.

***Dong Hyun Kim via Unanimous Decision***

TAKANORI GOMI vs CLAY GUIDA

This fight poses as a very interesting match up in terms of rewards to the winner, and repercussions to the loser, as both men have tasted recent defeat at the hands of Kenny Florian. Whoever loses on Saturday night will be sent tumbling down the most crowded division ladder in the UFC. A win in dramatic fashion, or pure dominance can give either of these two some legs to stand on when asking the UFC brass just how far he would then be from a shot at gold.

Though neither man has ever been put to sleep by knockout, Gomi does boast 12 KO's to his record, and in his last outing he needed just over a minute to hand Tyson Griffin his very first knockout. So, is Clay Guida in danger of meeting the sandman as well? Most likely not, as Guida is very durable, and would be more likely to be submitted after Gomi landed the big one, rather then be clean out from a shot. This one really could shape up as a Fight of the Night candidate quite easily. Both combatants are sustainable to being submitted, and have never been knocked out. They also are able to go the distance with gas left in the tank (Clay more so then Gomi). Since neither will have the distinct reach Florian had on them, I see this one as a rather wild swinging bonanza, with a lot of ground game sprinkled throughout when Gomi out performs on the feet. Guida will be put in a bad spot numerous times, but will find a way to shake the cobwebs and survive the 15 minutes, while controlling the majority of the fight, and staying busier on the ground.

***Clay Guida via Split Decision***

Although I hate to do this, I do gotta start the bubble bursting right here, as I call 2 decisions, and "may" have more to come in parts 2 and 3 as we explore Brian Stann vs Chris Leben, and Brandon Vera vs Thiago Silva as Vera and Thiago will look desperately to find a big win, and get back in the right direction and good graces of the company President Dana White, who would be undoubtedly considering handing out a pink slip to a lackluster loss from either fighter.

Then head back again Friday to see the fight breakdown as I see it when Gray Maynard looks to repeat his win over current Lightweight Champion Frank Edgar this Saturday night (January 1st).

But first, let me know how you see these bouts playing out? Am I off my rocker, or am I on target? Let's hear it blackbelts.

For more stories like these visit mondaymorningblackbelt.com or to comment on this article click here

Thanks for your time guys.

Las Vegas, Nevada will be invaded by the World's largest Mixed Martial Arts organization as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) brings it's big dogs, and Lightweight strap to the MGM Grand Garden Arena on January 1st, 2011. To help you get into the mood I have once again decided to do the predictions column in a slightly different then normal fashion as I will break down 2 fights a day from the PPV card leading to Friday in which I will break down how I feel the Main Event between Lightweight Champion Frankie 'The Answer Edgar, and the only man to beat him thus far, Gray 'The Bully' Maynard will play out.

NATE DIAZ vs DONG HYUN KIM

***Dong Hyun Kim via Unanimous Decision***

TAKANORI GOMI vs CLAY GUIDA

***Clay Guida via Split Decision***

Then head back again Friday to see the fight breakdown as I see it when Gray Maynard looks to repeat his win over current Lightweight Champion Frank Edgar this Saturday night (January 1st).

But first, let me know how you see these bouts playing out? Am I off my rocker, or am I on target? Let's hear it blackbelts.

For more stories like these visit mondaymorningblackbelt.com or to comment on this article click here

Thanks for your time guys.

Worbs UFC 125 Predictions Pt.1: Hyun Kim vs Diaz, Gomi vs Guida

daniel worby — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 01:23:59 -0000

NATE DIAZ vs DONG HYUN KIM

And so it begins. Although many readers will know some of the fighters I dislike, and the ones I am a huge fan of, I try not to let it be known too much in my picks, and on the site in general when writing articles. But I find it okay here since I simply cannot pretend, and since my counterpart (MMBB) is a Diaz Bros fan. I cannot stand either of them, and that's why I'm glad to boast a 3-3 record for Nate, in his last 6 outings. Now this isn't to say he should be mortified of this on his resume, as his losses were to Clay Guida by split decision, Joe Stevenson, and the current unblemished Lightweight #1 contender Gray Maynard. But that's also not going to allow me to see his wins as large relevance to the division (Rory Markham, Marcus Davis, and Melvin Guillard).

***Dong Hyun Kim via Unanimous Decision***

TAKANORI GOMI vs CLAY GUIDA

This fight poses as a very interesting match up in terms of rewards to the winner, and repercussions to the loser, as both men have tasted recent defeat at the hands of Kenny Florian. Whoever loses on Saturday night will be sent tumbling down the most crowded division ladder in the UFC. A win in dramatic fashion, or pure dominance can give either of these two some legs to stand on when asking the UFC brass just how far he would then be from a shot at gold.

Though neither man has ever been put to sleep by knockout, Gomi does boast 12 KO's to his record, and in his last outing he needed just over a minute to hand Tyson Griffin his very first knockout. So, is Clay Guida in danger of meeting the sandman as well? Most likely not, as Guida is very durable, and would be more likely to be submitted after Gomi landed the big one, rather then be clean out from a shot. This one really could shape up as a Fight of the Night candidate quite easily. Both combatants are sustainable to being submitted, and have never been knocked out. They also are able to go the distance with gas left in the tank (Clay more so then Gomi). Since neither will have the distinct reach Florian had on them, I see this one as a rather wild swinging bonanza, with a lot of ground game sprinkled throughout when Gomi out performs on the feet. Guida will be put in a bad spot numerous times, but will find a way to shake the cobwebs and survive the 15 minutes, while controlling the majority of the fight, and staying busier on the ground.

***Clay Guida via Split Decision***

Then head back again Friday to see the fight breakdown as I see it when Gray Maynard looks to repeat his win over current Lightweight Champion Frank Edgar this Saturday night (January 1st).

But first, let me know how you see these bouts playing out? Am I off my rocker, or am I on target? Let's hear it blackbelts.

For more stories like these visit mondaymorningblackbelt.com or to comment on this article click here

Thanks for your time guys.

NATE DIAZ vs DONG HYUN KIM

And so it begins. Although many readers will know some of the fighters I dislike, and the ones I am a huge fan of, I try not to let it be known too much in my picks, and on the site in general when writing articles. But I find it okay here since I simply cannot pretend, and since my counterpart (MMBB) is a Diaz Bros fan. I cannot stand either of them, and that's why I'm glad to boast a 3-3 record for Nate, in his last 6 outings. Now this isn't to say he should be mortified of this on his resume, as his losses were to Clay Guida by split decision, Joe Stevenson, and the current unblemished Lightweight #1 contender Gray Maynard. But that's also not going to allow me to see his wins as large relevance to the division (Rory Markham, Marcus Davis, and Melvin Guillard).

***Dong Hyun Kim via Unanimous Decision***

TAKANORI GOMI vs CLAY GUIDA

***Clay Guida via Split Decision***

Then head back again Friday to see the fight breakdown as I see it when Gray Maynard looks to repeat his win over current Lightweight Champion Frank Edgar this Saturday night (January 1st).

But first, let me know how you see these bouts playing out? Am I off my rocker, or am I on target? Let's hear it blackbelts.

For more stories like these visit mondaymorningblackbelt.com or to comment on this article click here

Thanks for your time guys.

Very special moment witnessed live (Cain gets his brown belt)

daniel worby — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 21:36:32 -0000

I've been to UFC and Strikeforce events. I've been to a few gyms and met numerous fighters. I've been to press conferences as well as weigh ins. The thing is, anyone can go to these things. Anyone can ask for an autograph or a picture, and you'd be surprised how quickly a professional fighter will oblige. They are just as happy to have fans that appreciate them as you are to have them to cheer for.Monday, something different happened for me. Me and my son were at AKA in San Jose to meet with a couple fighters for interviews and to watch the end of the professional training session. After the training was done, 30 or so professional fighters were having their end of session talk when Dave Camarillo said he had an announcement. It was tough to hear, so I'll paraphrase, he said some nice words as to the dedication and willingness to learn and get better, and that this particular fighter was a great example as to what a professional fighter should strive to be like. He the called Cain Velasquez up to the ring and presented him with his guerilla jiu jitsu brown belt (equivalent to a BJJ brown belt).

I know to some of you this may not seem like much, but let me put it into perspective for you. Those of you that don't train or have never been to a gym, what are the odds you'll ever see the Heavyweight champion of the world receive a belt promotion? Now think about all the people that do train and hang out in gyms. How many of them get to witness such a special and candid moment in a fighters career? To me, it was an amazing moment, one I won't soon forget. Here are some of the many reasons this was so special, I'm a huge fan of Cain, my son was with me and thought it was the coolest thing , because it was a moment that very few people got to witness, and most of all because it confirmed to me just how much I love this sport.

I couldn't figure out how to post the picture on here, it's up on my website, sorry guys, I tried!

Share with us some moments you may have had that solidifies how much you love mma!

For more stories like this hit up MondayMorningBlackBelt

I couldn't figure out how to post the picture on here, it's up on my website, sorry guys, I tried!

Share with us some moments you may have had that solidifies how much you love mma!

For more stories like this hit up MondayMorningBlackBelt

Phil Baroni on his cardio: "I’m not worried about it, I’m sick of the f*cking question"

daniel worby — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 17:14:27 -0000

Recently my partner in crime was able to have a sit down with UFC 125 competitor Phil Baroni, who will meet up with The Ultimate Fighter 11 combatant Brad Tavares on New Years Day. 'The New York Badass' has always been unbderfire due to his questionable cardio he has in his bouts, and his work ethic when it comes to training. Now training with AKA for his upcoming bout, Baroni really seems to be absorbing some skills from the camp that could benefit him heading into next Saturdays (Jan 1st) fight.Here's what Phil had to say when asked:

MMBB: That’s probably been the biggest issue you’ve had is the gas tank previously, you don’t see that being an issue this time around?

Baroni: Whatever man, I didn’t have a problem in Pride with my gas tank, and those were 10 minute rounds. I’m sick of hearing about it, I’m sick of being asked about it, you’ll just have to wait and see. I hope he’s counting on it, I’m not worried about it, I’m sick of the fucking question to be honest with you!

We here at MondayMorningBlackBelt aren't going to be the ones to tell him he's wrong. Perhaps you would? Or do you tend to believe Baroni this time around as he may not be able to afford another loss. Let's hear it blackbelts.

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Thanks for your time guys

MMBB: That’s probably been the biggest issue you’ve had is the gas tank previously, you don’t see that being an issue this time around?

Baroni: Whatever man, I didn’t have a problem in Pride with my gas tank, and those were 10 minute rounds. I’m sick of hearing about it, I’m sick of being asked about it, you’ll just have to wait and see. I hope he’s counting on it, I’m not worried about it, I’m sick of the fucking question to be honest with you!

For more articles like this one visit MondayMorningBlackBelt.com, or to comment on this article click here

Thanks for your time guys

Phil Baroni on his cardio: "I’m not worried about it, I’m sick of the f*cking question"

daniel worby — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 17:06:55 -0000

Recently my partner in crime was able to have a sit down with UFC 125 competitor Phil Baroni, who will meet up with The Ultimate Fighter 11 combatant Brad Tavares on New Years Day. 'The New York Badass' has always been unbderfire due to his questionable cardio he has in his bouts, and his work ethic when it comes to training. Now training with AKA for his upcoming bout, Baroni really seems to be absorbing some skills from the camp that could benefit him heading into next Saturdays (Jan 1st) fight.Here's what Phil had to say when asked:

MMBB: That’s probably been the biggest issue you’ve had is the gas tank previously, you don’t see that being an issue this time around?

Baroni: Whatever man, I didn’t have a problem in Pride with my gas tank, and those were 10 minute rounds. I’m sick of hearing about it, I’m sick of being asked about it, you’ll just have to wait and see. I hope he’s counting on it, I’m not worried about it, I’m sick of the fucking question to be honest with you!

For more articles like this one visit MondayMorningBlackBelt.com, or to comment on this article click here

Thanks for your time guys.

MMBB: That’s probably been the biggest issue you’ve had is the gas tank previously, you don’t see that being an issue this time around?

Baroni: Whatever man, I didn’t have a problem in Pride with my gas tank, and those were 10 minute rounds. I’m sick of hearing about it, I’m sick of being asked about it, you’ll just have to wait and see. I hope he’s counting on it, I’m not worried about it, I’m sick of the fucking question to be honest with you!

For more articles like this one visit MondayMorningBlackBelt.com, or to comment on this article click here

Thanks for your time guys.

Gsp 'not finishing fights': The Stats and the Story

daniel worby — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:48:55 -0000

Georges St. Pierre is often criticized for not finishing his opponents. This criticism doesn't seem to halt or even slow down when we take into consideration the high level of talent of his opponents he is flawlessly defeating. And coming off another ridiculously impressive performance win over number one contender Josh Koscheck at UFC 123 this past Saturday in Montreal, Georges St. Pierre has now went from a 'boring wrestler who lay n prays to win' to a 'boring striker who can't finish'. Baffled by these outlandish labels I decided instead of simply arguing why Georges St. Pierre isn't all the bad things people call him, I instead decided to provide the cold hard facts. I kept it rather easy to follow, so my average reader that undoubtedly only has his grade 4 math can even follow. Let's dig into the stats.
Georges St. Pierre's last 5 wins/opponents:

Jon Fitch: 13-1*
BJ Penn: 16-7 (finished 2x)*
Thiago Alves: 12-4 (finished 2x)*
Dan Hardy: 4-2 (finished 1x)*
Josh Koscheck: 13-5 (finished 2x)*

*The above are only UFC records, and do not include No Contests.

That's a total of 58 wins and 19 losses, combined for a total of 77 fights. In 77 fights those 5 fighter have been finished a total of 7 times. One of those finishes was BJ Penn losing by way of Technical Knockout to Georges St. Pierre himself, when he wasn't able to make the start of the 5th round, and claimed to be walking unconscious since the 2nd. So essentially that makes 6 times that these 5 fighters have been finished by submission or knockout in 77 fights.

Now let's attack that number from a different angle. Georges St. Pierre has approximately 39% finishes at 8 in 21 wins. Take away his last 5 wins in a row (4 by decision, on by (T)KO) and he's amassed 7 finishes in 16 fights. Almost 50%. So again, that's a current finishing record of about 40%, and of about 50% before his last 5 fights. And of those 5 fighters he defeated, they have only been finished 6 times in almost 80 fights (12.6% of the time). Sinking in?

So with numbers like this, I find it extremely hard to understand why mixed martial arts fans cannot see what is right in front of them. Is it lack of education? A case of 'livin in the now', and they don't seem to reminisce on the fights passed one or two years ago? Or simply they are drinking too much Haterade?

Whatever the case may be, it seems quite obvious that we can be sure of one thing:

"Women lie, Men lie, numbers don't lie"
-Lil Wayne

Thoughts?

To comment, and for more stories like these hit up mondaymorningblackbelt.com

Or click here for this article in particular.

Thanks for your time guys.

To comment, and for more stories like these hit up mondaymorningblackbelt.com

Or click here for this article in particular.

Thanks for your time guys.

MMBB.com interview exclusive with Gray Maynard

daniel worby — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:34:02 -0000

I was recently lucky enough to get a little time with LW #1 contender Gray Maynard. With all the media requests and training for his January first title fight, the interview was very short, so I got the questions out that I thought the fans would want the answers to. Enjoy:

MMBB: Gray thanks for your time, how is training going for the title fight against Frankie Edgar?

Maynard: Going great! Making some small adjustments and getting geared up for Jan. 1st

MMBB: Do you go into this fight with a different mind set knowing you've already beaten Frankie?

Maynard: No different mindset than any other fight. I prepare to be the best fighter I am and him bringing his best game. I always expect a tough fight and coming out of there with a win.

MMBB: You were on BJ Penn's team for TUF, have you asked him for any info on Frankie now as opposed to when you fought him?

Maynard: No, the tapes show everything. I feel confident with the game plans we come up with.

MMBB: Some fans wanted me to ask, where does the nickname "Bully" come from?

Maynard: In college I knew a guy that had a couple pit-bulls and a bull terrier. I ended up stealing the bull terrier because they were stuck in the back yard and he would fight them and shit like that. So I stole him. I didn’t know what the fuck I was gonna do with a dog in college. Obviously he had no manners whatsoever. He was a backyard brawler dog, muscle, testosterone, you know. I had a lot of incidents but I learned how to train the dog, and he was always “the bully.” So I just got the nickname “The Bully” because I had a dog that was a bully and I’d go so hard when I trained. It’s more a joke. I’m not really a bully, but if we fight, you better believe I’ll be a bully. I like to think of it now, that I “Bully” my way to my goals!

MMBB: Obviously Greg Jackson has been defending his camp about being boring, I've spoken to him and Jon Fitch about this and basically got the same answer, how do you react or what do you think when people say Gray Maynard is a boring fighter?

Maynard: I feel I’ve gone up against all the top competition in the UFC. I had to put together a good game plan and implement it. The competition is getting closer and closer. It’s the small details that will win the big fights!

MMBB: Will you be able to make the 145 pound weight class now that it'll be in the UFC?

Maynard: I’m a pretty big 155er, that hasnt even crossed my mind.

MMBB: Thanks for your time, anyone you want to acknowledge or thank?

Maynard: Dethrone, HiTech Pharmaceuticals, Xtreme Couture, Xcap, my family, friends, and fans! Also check out www.graymaynard.com the only place to buy the new “Bully Brand” T shirt!

For this story and more just like it, hit mondaymorningblackbelt.com

MMBB: Gray thanks for your time, how is training going for the title fight against Frankie Edgar?

Maynard: Going great! Making some small adjustments and getting geared up for Jan. 1st

MMBB: Do you go into this fight with a different mind set knowing you've already beaten Frankie?

Maynard: No, the tapes show everything. I feel confident with the game plans we come up with.

MMBB: Some fans wanted me to ask, where does the nickname "Bully" come from?

Maynard: I’m a pretty big 155er, that hasnt even crossed my mind.

MMBB: Thanks for your time, anyone you want to acknowledge or thank?

Maynard: Dethrone, HiTech Pharmaceuticals, Xtreme Couture, Xcap, my family, friends, and fans! Also check out www.graymaynard.com the only place to buy the new “Bully Brand” T shirt!

For this story and more just like it, hit mondaymorningblackbelt.com

Worb's UFC 124 Predictions Pt.3 'St. Pierre vs Koscheck'

daniel worby — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 17:12:46 -0000

Montreal Quebec, Canada will be invaded by the World's largest Mixed Martial Arts organization as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) brings it's big dogs, and most popular Canadian athlete since Wayne Gretzky to the Bell Centre in Montreal on December 11th. To help you get into the mood I have once again decided to do the predictions column in a slightly different then normal fashion, as I broke down 2 fights a day from the PPV card leading to Friday (today), in which I will now break down how I feel the Main Event between Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre, and the very vocal challenger Josh Koscheck will play out.

Today is the final installment, therefore we will be focusing on the fight that we've all been talking about for almost a year since we found out Josh Koscheck would coach opposite Georges St. Pierre on season 12 of The Ultimate Fighter. So let's jump right in to this one shall we?

GEORGES ST. PIERRE vs JOSH KOSCHECK

Josh Koscheck has done a great job at trying to get people to believe he is less of an underdog then one may have first thought. He did this by using one of his biggest tools (other then himself) which is his mouth. Dan Hardy also had great success using the same tactics to make believers out of some. We all know how that one went. Koscheck is better then Hardy, so my intentions are not to compare the two on a fight style level. The problem lies in the fact that this is a 'Been there, done that' type of fight for Georges, who is yet to lose a rematch, winning back to back bouts over Hughes in incredible fashion, and avenging the loss that Pierre haters still point to on a daily basis against Matt Serra.

Is there reason to believe that Josh will take Georges' 20-2 record and make it slightly less impressive after tomorrow night? Of course there is reason, but that chance is low. Many, including Koscheck himself point to Josh as 'coming a long way' since the first bout between the two. This is true. Koscheck now seems a lot more comfortable on the feet, and one could argue what little time he spent on the feet with Anthony Johnson and Paulo Thiago (pre KO), that Koscheck was in fact getting the better of the exchanges. So he has certainly evolved. No denying that.

But hold on a minute.

Georges St. Pierre would probably tend to think he too has evolved since then. And who are we to argue? He has looked absolutely flawless for quite some time now. In fact St. Pierre's style is slightly reminiscent of that of his opponent Josh's when Josh is fighting at his smartest. Think about it. Josh knew better then to stand with 'Rumble' and 'Semtex' since the two are heavy handed, and he had just been KO'd by Thiago before that. So what does Koscheck do? He wins the quick jab game, and takes it to the mat where he knows he has the advantage. Sound familiar? Well it should because Georges St. Pierre not only uses a similar gameplan, he perfected it.

I feel you can look at Josh as a slightly lesser version of Georges St. Pierre. And the majority of that comes from the mental aspect. Pierre simply has no shame in learning, and never stops. He seems to take all his weaknesses from one fight, and diminish them the next. When Pierre says 'You'll see a new and improved Georges St. Pierre the next time', he means it. Georges really wanted those sub attempts against Hardy, and you could tell he was disappointed to not get the win by submission. He won't let that happen again. It's not, in his mind, acceptable.

So, how will this fight go you're asking? Shut up and get to the fight break down you say? Fine, fine.

I feel Georges is really fired up, and I think Koscheck did truly get to Pierre. With most fighters you could argue that getting in their heads can throw them off. With Pierre however, we have seen no evidence of this being true. Look for Koscheck to keep a smile on his face in the midst of inner fear, as Pierre smiles back while quickly taking control. Don't be surprised to see Pierre looking comfortable on his feet, and getting to the punch faster then Koscheck is able to.

Will this one go to the mat? Of course. And it will be when Georges wants it to. The thighs of Pierre's resemble that of one Mirko Crocop's welded on to a Welterweight. When Koscheck shoots and we see that single leg fail due to the hopping sprawl of the large piston like leg below Pierre's frame cease the forward movement of Josh, we will fast see a new gameplan from Koscheck. Survival. As we have seen many a time, Georges sets a miraculous pace, and quickly takes opponents mindsets from trying to win, to trying to survive.

Once Georges gets Josh out of his element, look for the impossible to stop double leg takedown from Pierre. From there it's a matter of rinse, cycle, repeat. That is, until Pierre spots an opening. It takes a lot to get to Pierre, but the fans, and Koscheck seem to have done just that with the 'not finishing' part of Georges fight game. Pierre will be a lot more ruthless on the ground as he pounds away at Josh forcing the limbs of Koscheck upward in defense. It is then that Mr. Pierre will seek out a limb or look to make Josh force to give his back. Once this occurs the long reigning Welterweight Champion will make certain to put Koscheck away with a fight ending submission.

***Georges St. Pierre by way of that armbar he wanted on Hardy so bad***

Well that does it for me. Hope you enjoyed my take on this fight, and the priors from the past few days that will also be on tomorrow's card. Make sure to let me know how you see this fight playing out, and I'd love to see some comments here as well as on the Mania fanpost page.

Thanks for your time boys. Looking forward to your response, and tomorrow's night of hopefully great fights.

GEORGES ST. PIERRE vs JOSH KOSCHECK

But hold on a minute.

So, how will this fight go you're asking? Shut up and get to the fight break down you say? Fine, fine.

***Georges St. Pierre by way of that armbar he wanted on Hardy so bad***

Thanks for your time boys. Looking forward to your response, and tomorrow's night of hopefully great fights.

Worb's UFC 124 Predictions Pt.3 'St. Pierre vs Koscheck'

daniel worby — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 17:08:31 -0000

Montreal Quebec, Canada will be invaded by the World's largest Mixed Martial Arts organization as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) brings it's big dogs, and most popular Canadian athlete since Wayne Gretzky to the Bell Centre in Montreal on December 11th. To help you get into the mood I have once again decided to do the predictions column in a slightly different then normal fashion, as I broke down 2 fights a day from the PPV card leading to Friday (today), in which I will now break down how I feel the Main Event between Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre, and the very vocal challenger Josh Koscheck will play out.

GEORGES ST. PIERRE vs JOSH KOSCHECK

Josh Koscheck has done a great job at trying to get people to believe he is less of an underdog then one may have first thought. He did this by using one of his biggest tools (other then himself) which is his mouth. Dan Hardy also had great success using the same tactics to make believers out of some. We all know how that one went. Koscheck is better then Hardy, so my intentions are not to compare the two on a fight style level. The problem lies in the fact that this is a 'Been there, done that' type of fight for Georges, who is yet to lose a rematch, winning back to back bouts over Hughes in incredible fashion, and avenging the loss that Pierre haters still point to on a daily basis against Matt Serra.

Is there reason to believe that Josh will take Georges' 20-2 record and make it slightly less impressive after tomorrow night? Of course there is reason, but that chance is low. Many, including Koscheck himself point to Josh as 'coming a long way' since the first bout between the two. This is true. Koscheck now seems a lot more comfortable on the feet, and one could argue what little time he spent on the feet with Anthony Johnson and Paulo Thiago (pre KO), that Koscheck was in fact getting the better of the exchanges. So he has certainly evolved. No denying that.

But hold on a minute.

So, how will this fight go you're asking? Shut up and get to the fight break down you say? Fine, fine.

***Georges St. Pierre by way of that armbar he wanted on Hardy so bad***

Well that does it for me. Hope you enjoyed my take on this fight, and the priors from the past few days that will also be on tomorrow's card. Make sure to let me know how you see this fight playing out, and I'd love to see some comments here as well as on the Mania fanpost page.

Thanks for your time boys. Looking forward to your response, and tomorrow's night of hopefully great fights.

GEORGES ST. PIERRE vs JOSH KOSCHECK

Josh Koscheck has done a great job at trying to get people to believe he is less of an underdog then one may have first thought. He did this by using one of his biggest tools (other then himself) which is his mouth. Dan Hardy also had great success using the same tactics to make believers out of some. We all know how that one went. Koscheck is better then Hardy, so my intentions are not to compare the two on a fight style level. The problem lies in the fact that this is a 'Been there, done that' type of fight for Georges, who is yet to lose a rematch, winning back to back bouts over Hughes in incredible fashion, and avenging the loss that Pierre haters still point to on a daily basis against Matt Serra.

Is there reason to believe that Josh will take Georges' 20-2 record and make it slightly less impressive after tomorrow night? Of course there is reason, but that chance is low. Many, including Koscheck himself point to Josh as 'coming a long way' since the first bout between the two. This is true. Koscheck now seems a lot more comfortable on the feet, and one could argue what little time he spent on the feet with Anthony Johnson and Paulo Thiago (pre KO), that Koscheck was in fact getting the better of the exchanges. So he has certainly evolved. No denying that.

But hold on a minute.

So, how will this fight go you're asking? Shut up and get to the fight break down you say? Fine, fine.

***Georges St. Pierre by way of that armbar he wanted on Hardy so bad***

Well that does it for me. Hope you enjoyed my take on this fight, and the priors from the past few days that will also be on tomorrow's card. Make sure to let me know how you see this fight playing out, and I'd love to see some comments here as well as on the Mania fanpost page.

Thanks for your time boys. Looking forward to your response, and tomorrow's night of hopefully great fights.

Worb's UFC 124 Predictions Pt.2: 'Struve vs McCorkle & Miller vs Oliveira'

daniel worby — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 16:44:06 -0000

Today is the second of three installments, therefore we will be focusing on rising star Charles Oliveira as he looks to catapult his name close to the top of the list if he is able to get passed Jim Miller. Also two of the tallest in the Heavyweight division will square off, as the 6'11" Stefan Struve meets up with the 6'7" Sean McCorkle. Without further ado, let's get to talking the 'whats' and 'ifs' of these two matchups.

CHARLES OLIVEIRA vs JIM MILLER

What an incredibly tough match up to call. You almost hate to see either of these two lose, as the potential is almost overflowing out of these two fighters. Miller is 18-2, with his only losses coming by way of decision losses to current Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar, and current number one contender Gray Maynard. If that's the worst that happens to you in 20 pro fights (7-1 UFC), then you're in decent shape. A very crafty submission specialist is Jim Miller, so it makes it all the more interesting when taking into consideration, the style of his opponent.

Charles Oliveira is a sneaky submission fighter himself, and has another great asset, which is the fact that in his 14 fight undefeated career, he has 6 wins by way of knockout, 7 by way of submission, and only one going the distance. It's really a record that had it consisted of more then 2 UFC fights, it would make picking Oliveira a lot easier. I have high hopes for Charles, and do think that he has what it takes to compete with the best of the best, and potentially hold the gold someday, but I fear that it may be a tad too soon to pit him against a 7-1 UFC fighter on the rise like Miller. I truly hope I get this one wrong, as I'm a big fan of Charles, but I have learned many a time not to bet with your heart. This one has Submission of the Night bonus written all over it, as I marginally, and sadly lean towards the more 'big stage' experienced Jim Miller.

Look for Miller to be surprisingly game on his feet early on, but as Charles starts to find his range we'll start to see reversal, after roll, after guard pass, etc, until one player of the ground game makes a mistake.

***Jim Miller by submission due to armbar***

STEFAN STRUVE vs SEAN MCCORKLE

'Big Sexy', 'The Hater', 'The Alpha Male', 'Curtain Jerker'. Whatever you or Sean want to call him, Mr. McCorkle is a loud, and entertaining piece of work. Fighting normally at around 320lbs, McCorkle had to make 265lbs to make the limit in his UFC debut against Mark Hunt. A weight that Sean himself, claims to have never seen since the age of 18. McCorkle made that almost 20 year weight hiatus and disposed of former K-1 and Pride fighter Mark Hunt in just over a minute, while placing Hunt on the injured indefinitely list.

Standing opposite McCorkle will be the towering 6'11" Stefan Struve, who at just 22 years old has already competed in 24 mixed martial arts fights, and 4 kickboxing fights. Struve has only seen the judges scorecards once in his career, and has an impressive 14 submissions. So the question then becomes can he take the onslaught from a Heavyweight that will undoubtedly be pushing 285lbs by fight time, and avoid the submission game that McCorkle as well possesses?
The weird thing about this fight is that no matter where it ends up I don't see either man having a distinct advantage. Why is that weird you ask? Well at Heavyweight it's rare to see two well rounded fighters compete. Struve may not have the striking power that McCorkle has, but he does have a surprisingly durable chin, and an even more game heart. This one again has me flipping back and forth on who could emerge the victor. But since we haven't seen much of McCorkle, and we know a lot more about Struve I suppose one should go with what he knows... Unfortunately I'm not so easily sold. I see holes in young Struve's stand up that are just too large to overlook. I feel that just as Junior dos Santos, and Roy Nelson were able to do, Sean McCorkle too will find a way to land the clean shot. The thing Sean will capitalize on that some of Stefan's opponents weren't able to, is Sean knows how to lock in a quick submission. Look for Sean to follow a rocked Struve to the ground and lock in a fight ending submission.

***Sean McCorkle by submisson by way of rear naked choke***

So that about does it for today's installment of predictions. Tune in to tomorrow for the possible play out of the Main Event everyone has been looking forward to since the announcement that the two would coach opposite each other on the Ultimate Fighter, as current reigning Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre takes on Canada's favorite villain in Josh Koscheck.

And don't forget to let me know how you see today's predicted fights going in your eyes. Let's hear it blackbelts.

FOR THIS ARTICLE, AND MORE LIKE IT MAKE SURE TO VISIT www.mondaymorningblackbelt.com and if you'd like to comment on this particular article on mmbb.comclick here

Thanks for your time boys.

CHARLES OLIVEIRA vs JIM MILLER

***Jim Miller by submission due to armbar***

STEFAN STRUVE vs SEAN MCCORKLE

***Sean McCorkle by submisson by way of rear naked choke***

And don't forget to let me know how you see today's predicted fights going in your eyes. Let's hear it blackbelts.

FOR THIS ARTICLE, AND MORE LIKE IT MAKE SURE TO VISIT www.mondaymorningblackbelt.com and if you'd like to comment on this particular article on mmbb.comclick here

Thanks for your time boys.

Worb's UFC 124 Predictions: 'Struve vs McCorkle & Miller vs Oliveira'

daniel worby — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 16:40:52 -0000

Montreal Quebec, Canada will be invaded by the World's largest Mixed Martial Arts organization as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) brings it's big dogs, and two time winner of Canadian Athlete of the year to the Bell Centre in Montreal on December 11th. To help you get into the mood I have once again decided to do the predictions column in a slightly different then normal fashion as I will break down 2 fights a day from the PPV card leading to Friday in which I will break down how I feel the Main Event between Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre, and mouthpiece challenger Josh Koscheck will play out.

Today is the second of three installments, therefore we will be focusing on rising star Charles Oliveira as he looks to catapult his name close to the top of the list if he is able to get passed Jim Miller. Also two of the tallest in the Heavyweight division will square off, as the 6'11" Stefan Struve meets up with the 6'7" Sean McCorkle. Without further ado, let's get to talking the 'whats' and 'ifs' of these two matchups.

This is a preview, for full story click here

Worb's Predictions Pt.1 'Alves vs Howard & Danzig vs Stevenson'

daniel worby — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 16:33:54 -0000

Montreal Quebec, Canada will be invaded by the World's largest Mixed Martial Arts organization as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) brings it's big dogs, and most popular Canadian athlete since Wayne Gretzky to the Bell Centre in Montreal on December 11th. To help you get into the mood I have once again decided to do the predictions column in a slightly different then normal fashion as I will break down 2 fights a day from the PPV card leading to Friday in which I will break down how I feel the Main Event between Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre, and mouthpiece challenger Josh Koscheck will play out.

Today is the first installment, therefore we will be focusing on John Howard as he looks to get the largest win of his career if he is able to avoid being bitten by 'The Pitbull' Thiago Alves. Also Mac Danzig meets up with Joe 'Daddy' Stevenson. Without further ado, let's get to talking the 'whats' and 'ifs' of these two matchups.

THIAGO ALVES vs JOHN HOWARD

Although John Howard has won 7 of his last 8 (4-1 UFC) the problem lies in not only the quality of his opponents, but also how narrowly he won, as John Howard lost his last bout to Jake Ellenberger after Jake used his elbows to surgically place a tennis ball in Howard's left eye. The doctor eventually had seen enough (Howard couldn't see enough) and stopped the fight. Before that Howard was on a 7 fight win streak, but his UFC wins were over the likes of Chris Wilson and Tambdan McCrory by split decision and then two more by way of (T)KO over Dennis Hallman and Daniel Roberts. Now he must ride a loss, and wins over half credible opponents into his largest fight of his career and win? Well....

Thiago Alves has had his fair share of ups and downs in recent months and years, both record wise, and weight wise. Alves has came into the UFC as an absolutely feared individual, as he kicked ass and took names. Now however he has found himself in a tight spot. Had it not been for his constant weight issues, he probably wouldn't be looking at the dire situation he is now. Losing to Georges St. Pierre for the belt, and Jon Fitch (for the second time) aren't grounds to be fired. But constantly missing weights, and fights are accompanying him into Dana's decision. Alves must look not only good, but down right impressive against Howard if he is to make a statement that he is still in the elite.

If this doesn't fuel Alves to show up in the old 'Pitbull' fashion when he looked as if he were cut out of marble I don't know what will. And so it is with that in mind that I will give him the benefit of the doubt, as he must prove to Dana White who wanted him at 185 after missing weight and looking sluggish against Fitch at UFC 117, that he is indeed what he had shown to be in the past. Look for Alves to swarm a game Howard on the feet, and get the better of the heavy handed war en route to a referee stoppage.

***Thiago Alves via technical knockout***

MAC DANZIG vs JOE STEVENSON

Again we face the thought that two men are fighting for their jobs, as has become common in the forever crowding UFC Lightweight division. Mac Danzig has gone 1-4 in his last 5 times at bat, while Joe Stevenson is only slightly better at 2-3 in his last 5 outings. The problem lies in the fact Danzig's losses weren't of near the caliber of Stevenson's. Diego Sanchez, Kenny Florian, and George Sotiropoulos are the 3 men who were able to hand defeats to Joe in his last 3 losses, and that isn't something to hang your head about. But in the case of Danzig, his only win in 5 fights is over Justin Buchholz. Also Mac's last win by finish was the same night Pierre exacted revenge on Serra.

Not a good look for Mac Danzig as he'll have a durable and game Stevenson looking to make an impression at the cost of Mac's job.

It's due to these factors that picking against Joe Stevenson just isn't a good gamble. Stevenson will in all likelihood win both the stand up, and ground aspects of this fight with better striking, and controlled ground game from the top. Look for Stevenson to win a lopsided decision. That is if he isn't able to put Danzig away in the latter half of the fight.

***Joe Stevenson by way of unanimous decision***

So that about does it for today's installment of predictions. Tune in to tomorrow for the possible play out of Charles Oliveira's bout with Jim Miller, as well as a Heavyweight tilt between the cocky Sean McCorkle, and skyscraper Stefan Struve. Then come back Friday for the breakdown of the Main Event.

And don't forget to let me know how you see the today's predicted fights going in your eyes. Let's hear it blackbelts.

For more articles like this, and to weigh in and comment on this article, please click here. Thanks for your time guys.

Montreal Quebec, Canada will be invaded by the World's largest Mixed Martial Arts organization as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) brings it's big dogs, and most popular Canadian athlete since Wayne Gretzky to the Bell Centre in Montreal on December 11th. To help you get into the mood I have once again decided to do the predictions column in a slightly different then normal fashion as I will break down 2 fights a day from the PPV card leading to Friday in which I will break down how I feel the Main Event between Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre, and mouthpiece challenger Josh Koscheck will play out.

THIAGO ALVES vs JOHN HOWARD

***Thiago Alves via technical knockout***

MAC DANZIG vs JOE STEVENSON

Not a good look for Mac Danzig as he'll have a durable and game Stevenson looking to make an impression at the cost of Mac's job.

***Joe Stevenson by way of unanimous decision***

And don't forget to let me know how you see the today's predicted fights going in your eyes. Let's hear it blackbelts.

For more articles like this, and to weigh in and comment on this article, please click here. Thanks for your time guys.

Worb's Predictions Pt.1 'Alves vs Howard & Danzig vs Stevenson'

daniel worby — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 16:28:19 -0000

Montreal Quebec, Canada will be invaded by the World's largest Mixed Martial Arts organization as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) brings it's big dogs, and most popular Canadian athlete since Wayne Gretzky to the Bell Centre in Montreal on December 11th. To help you get into the mood I have once again decided to do the predictions column in a slightly different then normal fashion as I will break down 2 fights a day from the PPV card leading to Friday in which I will break down how I feel the Main Event between Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre, and mouthpiece challenger Josh Koscheck will play out.

This is a preview. For full story
click here

Montreal Quebec, Canada will be invaded by the World's largest Mixed Martial Arts organization as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) brings it's big dogs, and most popular Canadian athlete since Wayne Gretzky to the Bell Centre in Montreal on December 11th. To help you get into the mood I have once again decided to do the predictions column in a slightly different then normal fashion as I will break down 2 fights a day from the PPV card leading to Friday in which I will break down how I feel the Main Event between Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre, and mouthpiece challenger Josh Koscheck will play out.

This is a preview. For full story
click here