DREAM 2: 1st Round Middleweight Grand Prix

Middleweight Tournament Bouts:
Kazushi Sakuraba toyed with "karate expert" Andrews Nakahara but when Sak got serious he locked in a neck crank of all things to tap the sacrificial lamb fed to him by DREAM to ensure the Japanese legend would continue into round 2 of the tournament.

Denis Kang controlled Gegard Mousasi taking him to the floor and basically having his way. Gegard did show some much improved ground defense but it was Kang's inexplicable mistake of basically kneeling into a triangle choke that ended the best matchup of the tourney so far. Just what the hell is wrong with Denis these days as a former Top 5 Middleweight just continues to freefall out of the Top 10 losing 3 of his last 4 bouts! Mousasi continues the "MMA On The Fringe" luck charm as after I feature him he excels against a great opponent and pulls the upset win.

Kiyoshi Tamura takes out Masakatsu Funaki in 57 seconds via TKO. Funaki is just too old and rusty to continue this ill fated "comeback" and needs to stop cashing the good checks of the DREAM staff.

Ronaldo Jacare Souza frightened Frank Trigg out of their scheduled fight and forced Ian Murphy to make his MMA debut against the ridiculously talented Ju-Jitsu blackbelt and force him to tapout. Souza could really be the dark horse (no pun intended) in this tournament.

Magomed "Furball" Sultanakhmadov took down "Lil Cro Cop" Zelg Galesik to avoid his great striking and got caught in an armbar. Magomed pulled and threw Zelg around but he wasn't about to release and got a quick win and advances.

Yoon Dong Sik continues his win streak by taking an easy decision over Shungo Oyama who did show a lot of heart. The Judo expert entered MMA and lost his 1st 4 bouts which would deter any man but has stuck to it and won his last 4 to even his record and show much improvement.

Taiei Kin gets the upset win over Ikuhisa Minowa by decision. What a battle of the mediocre and Kin moves on to lost in the next round.

Lightweight Tournament Rematch:
Shinya Aoki defeats Gesias "JZ" Calvancante by decision in their rematch though by defense only. The win is legit, don't get me wrong, but Aoki lost that 1st bout with those phantom illegal strikes by JZ. JZ should have just stood up and stopped trying to out work Aoki's submissions on the ground. Dude is slick but this whole rematch thing was a joke from the start.

So I didn't realize the date of the Grand Prix and thus didn't get my picks in time but I would've been 100% correct I swear. Mousasi has to be the tournament favorite now with Souza sneaking in to surprise some people. Still an interesting event.

MMA Melee: Chuck & Kimbo's War Of Words

So Shogun Rua had to pull out of UFC 85 due to a knee injury so Rashad Evans was tapped to fill in for the main event. Now, Chuck Liddell tears a hamstring and is out of the main event in which James Irvin now steps in to face Evans. Hardly Main Event worthy, the UFC matchmaker Joe Silva dialed up Matt Hughes who immediately accepted a bout in the 85 show against up and coming Thiago Alves in a Welterweight showdown. Also to add quality to the bout, a strikers war is set up between Michael Bisping to face Chris Leben. For all the knocks on the UFC, when things fall through, and in no way their fault, they fill back up quickly with their quality roster and guys always willing to step up and fight. UFC 85 in London has shaped up to be a better card than originally planned.

Speaking of one Chuck Liddell, the "Iceman" has had some disparaging remarks for the over-night sensation Kimbo Slice and his mega-popularity. Chuck said Kimbo only got popular "fighting a bunch of guys on the street." He went on to say, "The only guy he lost to in his street fight things came into the UFC and lost. Fight a guy who is real, and fight a guy who has a few wins in MMA, and then talk about it. Well Kimbo's response is in the video below and these guys can talk it up all they want because neither faction (Elite XC, UFC) will allow their guys to hook it up. With all the success and accomplishments Chuck has had in his MMA career, I just don't know why he even cares about Slice and what he is doing? An odd bit of jealousy perhaps?

Kenny Florian asked for it, and he's going to get it. At UFC 87 (headlined by Brock Lesnar vs Mark Coleman), Kenflo will face Roger Huerta in a Lightweight match that will propel one of the fighters to the top of the title scene. Kenny has won 4 in a row after his 1st title shot loss to Sean "Roided Out" Sherk while Huerta survived Clay Guida and has won an amazing 16 straight! Should be a good match up.

Thank you and good night Travis Lutter. Lutter talked a lot of shit on Rich Franklin going into their fight at UFC 81, then gassed as he always does, and got shut down via TKO by the former Champ. Seems like just 2 years ago he was cut by the UFC for similar reasons. Oh wait, he was. Anywho, Travy takes his impressive 9-5 record back to the indie circuit where he will stay for a long boring time.

Speaking of bitches, Charles McCarthy has retired from MMA after also talking a lot to Mike Bisping at UFC 81, and then taking a brutal beatin' for his efforts. He leaves with a 10-5 record and a broken left arm saying he accomplished his goals and wants to focus on his business ventures. Mediocrity, what a goal indeed.

Gilbert Melendez (14-1) will be defending his Strikeforce Lightweight Title June 27th against Nick Thompson (14-2). This is going to be a beauty folks as these 2 fellas have trained together many many times and are both planning for war in a bout many have wanted to see for a long long time. Sometimes I like to repeat repeat.

Mirko Cro Cop will face Jerome LeBanner at DREAM 4. The 2 fought many years ago in K-1's kickboxing circuit where Cro Cop won by decision. Jerome isn't acclimated to MMA but has become a legendary kickboxer with many titles. Cro Cop is still claiming he will win 2 more fights (counting this one) and return to the UFC. Wouldn't it be interesting to see Mirko pulls some semblance of a ground game against the floor virgin LeBanner?

The Fedor vs Tim Sylvia Affliction card may also include (rumors here people) Matt Lindland vs David Terrell, Andrei Arlovski, Ben Rothwell, & Josh Barnett.

And finally because he deserves to come in last, Kalib "No Heart" Starnes was cut by the UFC after his "running man" performance against Nate Quarry. Starnes ran and ran scoring a UFC low of 24 on one judges scorecard and getting showered with boo's by his own countrymen of Canada who mid-fight began to cheer the American. Kalib was also dismissed by American Top Team though they tried to be "PC" about the situation calling it a "mutual parting" of ways. Leaked reports have said different citing embarrassment and Kalib's continued inability to work with his corner men. Starnes will now move on to the Tour De France where he skills could be put to better use. See ya bitch.

Kimbo Responds To Chuck Liddell

UFC 83 Results & What's Next

Pretty entertaining UFC 83 PPV considering the fighters who didn't show up and those that refused to fight. At the other end were great performances and a very vocal Canadian crowd who pulled a Rocky switch thought impossible in real life.

GSP just dominated and abused Matt Serra as thought, but he did it on the ground where Serra's Ju-Jitsu prowess was missing in inaction. GSP took him down and with elbows, perfect positioning, and devastating knees, forced the ref to step in and stop the deluge as Georges regained his Welterweight Title. Both men were, as always, class acts after the bout giving each other much respect. Serra had two black eyes and no offense in this bout and "Rush" in back in the best "Pound 4 Pound" in the world debate.

What's Next?- Matt Hughes is waiting patiently as he'll finally get his shot at Matt Serra as originally scheduled before the injury after their TUF show. The bad blood will build an interesting match as Hughes gets his win and probably retires after. Serra may head down to the Lightweight division after the loss. GSP has the tall task of Jon Fitch as the #1 contender for his crown after "Flabby" Karo Parisyan thought he could coast through Thiago Alves and instead got KO'd. Fitch vs St. Pierre will be a real war and either man could win in what could end up as "Fight Of The Year." High expectations for that bout for sure.

Travis Lutter came out (to the Nickelback music which should tell you something about the guy) sooo cocky in his fight with Rich Franklin, and to his credit, had Rich in an armbar few get out of but Franklin did the perfect move out and escaped to round 2. There Rich hurt Lutter with a high kick and some strikes as he now noticed that always missing cardio work for Travis was beginning to show up. Franklin stuffed the takedown attempts and took his time picking Lutter apart on the feet as he gassed in a pathetic fashion usually reserved for a Phil Baroni match. Finally the TKO and Rich gets a nice win.

What's Next?-Well certainly not a title shot with Anderson Silva (that should go to Yushin Okami) after two mirror image losses. Rich will fight another high level Middleweight like perhaps a Nate Marquart while everyone who has already lost to Silva waits for someone to stop the Champ. Lutter falls waaay down the ladder yet another poor performance and may even be sent packing from the UFC.

Nate Quarry chased, and I mean chased Kalib Starnes around the Octagon for 3 rounds as the Canadian refused to engage in the fight he was paid for. Quarry would hurt him with leg kicks and punch combo's as Kalib just ran as his home country boo'd. Nate disgusted with this by the end was mockingly running after Starnes and even hiding his face while punching. The crowd laughed and Kalib still ran away as the heartless bitch he has become known as. As they awaited the decision the crowd actually cheered Quarry and boo'd Starnes. It was beautiful! To top it all off, Nate used the hilarious and well known Rocky lines to the crow, "If you can change, and I can change, we can all change!" Nate made a lot of fans tonight and that's a Joe guarantee.

What's Next?-Kalib pick up your paycheck on your way out the door because you won't be back. Nate Quarry still takes steps forward in his career but is well away from title contention.

Charles McCarthy talked shit to Michael Bisping, mocked him in their fight, and just got torn apart by beautiful knee's as he just covered up and eventually fell to the floor like the pussy he has always been. If he fought Starnes it would be 3 rounds of nobody making a offensive move. Pathetic and Bisping looks absolutely fine at Middleweight.

What's Next?-McCarthy can follow Kalib out the door to the unemployment line and Bisping should fight a Jason MacDonald or someone of that level.

Speaking of Mr. Jason MacDonald, he got his 2nd career win over Joe Doerkson by TKO in round 2. 3 losses in a row for Doerkson ends his UFC career and Mac moves on to try and get a more consistent record.

What's Next?-Stuff and things.

Mac "Vegan" Danzig had trouble early on with Mark Bocek but then turned it on swelling and opening up his left eye which has still not stopped bleeding today at post. Mark showed so much heart in this contest as he was just getting wrecked but never gave up and kept coming. Applause for Mark and Mac moves onward and upward so no "What's Next?" for these two as they both keep their jobs and continue.

Jason "Dooms" Day honors my Upset Pick as he gets the TKO win over the wreckless Alan Belcher in 1 round of his UFC debut. Jason could be a nice edition to the Middleweight division and Alan will have to rethink thinks things as he is now 3-3 in the UFC.

Demian Maia put a triangle on Ed Herman and beat him until his was unconscious in what may not be an upset but impressive none the less. Maia the Ju-Jitsu blackbelt extends his undefeated record to 7-0 and looks like trouble for everyone.

What's Next?-Both coming off losses, we will see Ed Herman vs Kendall Grove 2 in a loser leaves town match.

Rich Clementi pulled an upset win over Sam Stout in a split decision I have yet to see so have nothing to comment upon. Cain Velasquez got the TKO over Brad Morris in the double Heavyweight debuts. Jon Goulet pulled one out of his ass as he was knocked down by Hironaka and almost stopped as the bell saved him. In the 2nd he got in the brutal shot that KO'd Kuniyoshi pulling victory from near defeat. Stop renting space on your head Jon, win a few fights, and I might pay attention to you again.

9 correct and 2 wrong on my fight picks including a correct "upset" pick you can all suck on. Interesting fights though many were really odd in nature and DREAM's 2nd show will be next weekend staring Sakuraba, Denis Kang, Aoki, JZ, Frank Trigg, and many more good fights as their Middleweight Grand Prix kicks off.

UFC 83 In Canada, Filled With Canadians

Rain clouds may be overhead but I don't give a shit, its time for UFC 83 Canada vs America 2 and I am pumped! Watching the weigh-ins it was so impressive to see a crowd absolutely jacked to finally have the UFC come to their country and they were out in force and loud. This is going to be a raucous crowd and an exciting event! To the action..........

PPV Card
Welterweight Champion Matt "The Terra" Serra vs. Georges "Rush" St. Pierre Oh my god. These two have been so geeked up for this fight it just has to end in 1 round again. Matt has had a lot of strong language for GSP while the French Canadian says his mind is right and we will see the best Rush of all time. I for one have never seen lightning strike twice and as much as Serra likes the underdog/bad guy role, he is going down. One of the best pound 4 pound in the world has the size, reach, skill, and speed to take him apart and he will. GSP becomes the champ again and no doubt!

WINNER-GSP in round 1

Travis Lutter vs. Rich "Ace" Franklin Both are coming off Anderson Silva defeats (but really who isn't these days?) and ready to square themselves in the Middleweight division. Nice to hear the crowd chanting "make your weight" at the weigh-ins but Lutter did just that. Travis wants to fight on the floor, and Rich wants nothing to do with it. Sprawl and brawl as Rich takes his time picking apart Lutter in route to a victory over a guy that besides an overrated TV show is average at best.

WINNER-Rich Franklin by TKO

Nate "Rock" Quarry vs. Kalib "I'm From Canada Too" Starnes The applause meter went high for this kid but Starnes always lacks the heart when put to the test, and Quarry likes a war. As long as he keeps the fight standing, Nate should run away with this one but it will take some time.

WINNER-Quarry by decision

Charles McCarthy vs. Michael "The Count" Bisping Ooooh well, looks like Charlie doesn't like his reputation as a wimpy bitch from the TUF show as he talks shit to Mike who is always ready to return the favor. The two had the best verbal exchange at the weigh-in. Bisping had no trouble making the weight and it really looks like this is the division in which he belongs (as he debuts at Middleweight 185 lbs.). Watch the Count tear apart the wimpy, even if he does grow in the dirty beard, McCarthy, with his amazing sprawl and extremely superior striking.

WINNER-Mike Bisping by TKO via the 2nd

Mac "The Vegan Venom" Danzig vs. Mark Bocek Yes, I did make up the nickname, and yes its meant to be a joke. Now, Danzig is at his proper weight (Lightweight 155 lbs.) even after winning the TUF Welterweight (170 lbs.) show and has no weakness in his well rounded game. Mark has a decent all around game as well, but with just 6 pro fights he lacks experience, and I doubt can outdo Mac in any aspect of the game.

WINNER-Danzig by submission

PRELIMS
Jason MacDonald vs. Joe Doerksen Strange to see these two quiet humble men talking smack and having to be held back at the weigh-ins, but that's what happens when you have fought before. Jason won back in 2005 and neither fighter has forgotten. Expect a nice war here between 2 Canadians and the scales tipping ever so slightly in favor of the Mac.

WINNER-by decision Jason MacDonald

Jason "Dooms" Day vs. Alan "The Talent" Belcher Dooms is the Canadian who is coming off big wins over Jon Goulet and David Loiseau. If you haven't seen Belcher fight you are missing out on one exciting never cautious fighter. Of course, that's the problem. The guy fights recklessly which could get him into trouble against a real solid fighter in Day. I feels me an upset.

UPSET WINNER-Dooms Day by submission

Ed Herman vs. Demian Maia Holy crap this is gonna be a close one. Maia is undefeated and a brilliant Ju-Jitsu blackbelt. Herman is the Team Quest member with a lot of grit and skill. We've all got a 50/50 shot on this one so good luck.

WINNER- Mia

Sam "Hands Of Stone" Stout vs. Rich "No Love" Clementi Rich also embraces the role of the bad guy against the uber-popular Canadian and these 2 will do nothing but throw bombs.........maybe. Rich says thats his game but he surprised Melvin Guillard with his Ju-Jitsu a very weak point for Stout. A smart Clementi takes it to the floor but I gots ta pick more Canadians in their home country so I here is some rational thinking.

WINNER-Sam Stout by home crowd

Cain Velasquez vs. Brad Morris A couple of new Heavyweights debut tonight and nobody is going to pay attention because they aren't big names and neither hail from the great white north. Both have limited experience, but the name Cain is so cool and he comes from AKA, while Brad comes from decision wins so I'm saying who knows?

WINNER-Cain by proxy

Kuniyoshi Hironaka vs. Jonathan "Mr. Inconsistent" Goulet I win I lose I win I lose, which turn is it this time Jonny boy? Home crowd or not, I like the Shooto vet to pull the upset because you just can't rely on Goulet. That is unless its Robert Goulet. Now there's a legend (R.I.P.).

WINNER-Hironaka by decision

Gegard Mousasi vs. Tsuyoshi Kurihara

MMA On The Fringe #2 Gegard Mousasi

In our 2nd installment of "MMA On The Fringe" which takes a look at up and coming fighters who may someday be major players, we take a closer look at Gegard Mousasi. Gegard's record is currently 20-2-1 with 13 coming by way of (T)KO ( his specialty) and coming off a KO win at the most recent M-1 Slamm show in Russia. Though he has yet to face any real top tier opponents, Gegard has been destroying people with his devastating kickboxing style a la Cro Cop only at Middleweight (185 lbs.) Mousasi is Armenian but has trained with crews in Holland which esplains his love of the stand up. A very humble and respectful fighter, he lists Fedor Emelianenko and Ikuhisa "Punk" Minowa as his heroes for their respectfulness and generosity.

The soft spoken fighter would like to move up in weight to at least Light Heavyweight, but his next at bat will be with DREAM 2 Middleweight Grand Prix April 29th against Denis Kang. A tough draw for sure as Kang can floor battle and probably submit Gegard, but this young prospect is learning the ground game (with 6 submission wins) and has the power to knock anyone out before the fight goes very far. Even if he fails against Kang, this young fighter has a very bright future and is already enjoying a cult following of his exciting and brutal fights. DREAM will now provide him his biggest exposure to date, and his toughest opponent. The future is bright for this improving striker to make an impact on the MMA scene.

Fedor Emelianenko vs Tim Sylvia July 19th!!!!!!!

Holy crap, write it down and take a picture. Fedor Emelianenko (27-1) vs Tim Sylvia (24-4) is official! Fedor himself was the one to report the news as he is slated to fight big Tim July 19th on HDNet (Mark Cuban's Network). Probably under the name Affliction, the popular clothing line that endorses Fedor and Randy Couture, will be the huge fight and inaugural event for the fledgling company.

Fedor signed with M-1 Global, after the demise of Pride FC where he dominated for 5 years, who could not put together a fight card causing Emelianenko to become a free agent yet again. Now Fedor finally gets back to action since New Year's Eve 2007. This time it is a real opponent and not Hong Man Choi. Tim Sylvia is a 2-time UFC Heavyweight Champion with power striking and has always been a hard worker who comes to fight. Sylvia was doing well in his last fight, an Interim Heavyweight Title fight with Antonio Nogueira, until he got taken down and succumbed to a guillotine choke.

Tim is given a legit shot at the greatest Heavyweight of all time, while Fedor looks to prove he is still the #1 man after being in and out of action in recent years. Though the only bout announced, it is still enough to sell a PPV and in 3 months we'll find out if Emelianenko can take down the 6'8 Sylvia, or if Tim will be able to stop or even just upset the "Last Emperor!"

Some MMA Stuff

Sit down and shut up Frank Shamrock. Ole Frankie got his belt taken away by Cung Le at the last Strikeforce event and was given a broken arm. Six screws and a metal plate will hopefully check the ego of Shamrock as he is now on the bench for at least 8 months! This could be worse than we think, because by then it would be December and when the original planned bout with stepbrother Ken Shamrock was to take place. It might actually happen now as a tune-up for Frank trying to return to action. Oy gevalt!

The IFL held an event,............crickets...............crickets, as Vladimir Matyshenko successfully defended his Light Heavyweight Title against a very game James Patterson. Jay Hieron also kept his Welterweight title beating Mark Miller by TKO in a 1 round 1 sided affair. Chris Horodecki got a unanimous decision win but didn't look great like he had before his 1st loss in December to champion Ryan Schultz. Other people fought and no one cared.

M-1 Challenge held an event in Russia which saw Aleksander Emelianenko get a TKO win in the 1st as Red Devil Brothers Roman Zentsov and Amar Suloev also earned victories. Aleks is now at 13-3 and has spoken to Elite XC about fighting with them over here in the states! Sweet. Big brother still wants too much money.

A final couple of notes:

• Ravishing Kim Couture got her 1st MMA (amateur) victory recently over Jessica Cruz.


• Gesias “JZ” Calvancante and Shinya Aoki will rematch in March at DREAM 2 because the Japanese felt JZ's elbows were illegal, which they were not, in the 1st bout that injured Aoki to the point he could not continue (wink wink nod nod, he was faking). The winner rejoins the Lightweight Grand Prix in the 2nd round at DREAM 3 just 2 weeks later! Quick turn around there.


• Jason "Mayhem" Miller slapped the shit outta Danny BonnaDouche er Bonnaduche outside of his training center this evening after a prior altercation on the radio. Mayhem is posting this on a website while bragging and begging for a lawsuit.


• If you listen very closely, you can still hear Karo Parisyan crying.
• Kimbo Slice will face Josh Thompson May 31st for Elite XC's 1st ever show on CBS. Watch for Josh's glass jaw to shatter into your living room.
• Fedor Emelianenko helped carry the Olympic torch in St. Petersburg, Russia and nobody was dumb enough to fuck with him.

UFC Fight Night 13 Late Results

So we all saw Ultimate Fight Night 13, but what didn't we see?

For starters, Clay Guida fought the #1 ranked Lightweight in France, Samy Schiavo, and took him to the woodshed. Clay came out unable to get past the reach and strikes of Samy, but we all know the "Wildman" is relentless and once he finally took him to the floor, the beating ensued. Clay gets a big win after owning Roger Huerta in his last fight until he got caught in the final round by RNC and lost two close decisions to top ranked Tyson Griffin & Din Thomas. The big upset win over Marcus Aurelio is his best UFC win to date and he now stands at 3-3. Clay may never own the title but the guy is exciting and lovable as the crowd roared louder for him than about any other fighter that night in Colorado. Clay said, "This is the year of the W." and I think it could be. Clay is the man and much loved here at MMAFO. Here's a link to the fight.... http://www.mmatko.com/clay-guida-vs-samy-schiavo-fight-video-ufc-fight-night-13/

George Sotiropoulos continues to be the man to watch from the Matt Serra camp as he had a great ground war with ultra-tough Roman Mitichyan. Roman had great defense but his Judo couldn't stop the highly touted prospect who is looking for redemption after failing on the TUF show he was favored to win. The fight is here
http://mixedmartialartvideos.com/

Speaking a moment ago of Marcus Aurelio, he stormed back into the UFC with one of the most beautiful transitions to an armbar for a win I have seen in a looong time! Amazing stuff and Ryan Roberts didn't have a prayer. The fight is also at the above link and ATT has "Maximus" beginning to roll in the UFC.

Houston Alexander decided it would be good to keep his hands far apart as he walked right into a superman one-punch KO from James Irvin. Houston claimed he was fine but the video and his eyes in the back of his dome tell a different story. I have a sneaking suspicion we are going to see a rematch anyway. Houston was embarrassed by a lackluster fighter and Nebraska was not in the house.

Anthony "Rumble" Johnson straight annihilated Tommy Speer (TUF runner-up) and showed his striking was to be feared, and Tommy needs more training with sensei Matt Hughes. Nate Diaz survived and early beatin' by Kurt Pelligrino to slap on a triangle in the 2nd round that he knew would end the fight as he immediately raised his arms in the air with the famous Diaz two finger salute. Impressive performance for sure. Manny Gamburyan returned from injury suffered against Nate Diaz to get a win over an old nobody while Josh Neer snored out a win over Din Thomas (what's wrong with this guy?) and Gray Maynard won the "Clone War" with mirror image Frankie Edgar by being everything we thought Frank was. Gray has a very promising future under the watchful eyes of Randy Couture. Matt Hamill actually fought a good fight and Tim Boetsch couldn't handle the younger fighter who showed much improved stand up and the standard incoherent winners interview.

Karo, Karo, Karo. Sometimes sidestepping a rightful opponent (Jon Fitch) leads to bad luck. Karo Parisyan looked just awful. He was out of shape, was obviously trying to coast for a win, and got caught. A knee sent him tumbling to the floor and as Thiago Alves followed it up, the ref stepped in without even looking at Parisyan. This is notable because though initially hurt, Karo was obviously fine as Thiago went for the finish and the stoppage was obscenely early. After climbing back so close to the top after losing his title shot due to injury in 2003, Parisyan comes up short again as the gods continue to hate Armenians. ATT's Alves just smiles as he has been given a gift twice in a row (he was losing but got a Cut win over Chris Lytle last time out) and apparently the MMA gods have no qualms about steroid use.

Kenny Florian brutalized Joe Lauzon in the 2nd round unloading his uber-powerful punches while in full mount. Ok, he hits like a girl but was relentless and Joe did nothing to defend himself. Good win for Kenflo who has now called out Lightweight star Roger Huerta for a bout. Careful what you wish for old chap, "El Matador" would whip your overrated ass.

Interesting evening of bouts and I dominated with my picks going 7 correct & 5 wrong. Sheesh, that was ugly. What is it about UFN's that I always pick so badly? Probably because they are full of the inconsistent TUF alumni. At any rate a pretty damn good show with some real barn burning fights. Next and just around the corner for the UFC is 83 "Ill Will" (worst PPV name eva) featuring Welterweight Champion Matt Serra giving the rematch to Georges St. Pierre on April 19th and for hte 1st time in Canada eh. Interesting how fighting for a living can cause rifts in friendships. The shit talking has already begun for these former training pals. TTafin, ta ta for now.

UFC Fight Night: Kenflo vs J-Lau

Spike TV Bouts:
Kenny "Kenflo" Florian 9-3 vs. Joe "J-Lau" Lauzon 15-3 "Creepy" Joe loves to play the spoiler and is again given the chance here. He's got the reach advantage but Ken is a better striker and has those razor blade elbows. Joe is a Ju-Jitsu expert but hello Florian dominates the jits game. So all signs including heart and experience facing high caliber fighters goes to Kenflo but Lau isn't one to lay down and I think will give it a hell of a fight with a possible upset looming. However, after Kenny proved me wrong too many times I swore I would pick him until he lost so I'm locked in. I still think Kenny gets the W, but expect a good throwdown between to good lightweights.

WINNER-Kenflo by TKO (cut)

Karo "The Heat" Parisyan 25-4 vs. Thiago Alves 18-4 Karo denied a fight with Jon Fitch because he felt he was "owed" the title shot from the UFC (which really he's right) but accepted a bout with ATT's leg kick destroying and sometimes steroid user Alves. Thiago definitely loves the stand up game where he would dominate Karo, but the Heat is so close to a title shot he can taste it. We also have never seen Alves go up against a Judo expert which seems to throw (sometimes literally) people off their game. He may go conservative to get the win, but one way or the other Karo is taking this one and whining for a title shot.

WINNER-Karo by decision

Matt "What?" Hamill 5-1 vs. Tim "Conan" Boetsch 7-1 I would like the barbarian in this one except for after he hurts Matt early on in this fight with striking, I see Hamill using his superior wrestling to take down Tim for the lay & pray victory. Its boring and it sucks but it works for UFC's resident deaf man. Boe is a powerful dude though and might just explode through the kid but I doubt it.

WINNER-Hamill by a loooong decision

Kurt "Batman" Pellegrino 17-3 vs. Nate Diaz 8-2 Nate has a ton of reach on this one and that bodes well for his lanky limbs securing one of his submissions that he never quits looking for. Kurt is A Hermes Franca disciple and can run the Ju-Jitsu as well. Pelle is the better striker but he has a lot of ground to make up before he can get to Nate and the young Diaz can take the hits like he did against Gray Maynard (who clocked him silly & still lost). This is yet another damn close fight but Kurt ran tight with Joe Stevenson and has been close to the very top. I see him possibly breaking Nate down or catching a mistake from the relatively inexperienced kid leading to some punishing strikes.

UPSET WINNER-And here, and here, is the Batman

Gray Maynard 5-0-1 vs. Frank "The Answer (though we all know Allen Iverson is the only true "Answer")" Edgar 7-0 Frankie has stormed on the UFC scene beating unbelievably tough Tyson Griffin and personal favorite Spencer Fisher. Sure the guy will lay on you for some boring moments, but his transitions are rapid and flawless to anyone who knows what they are looking at. His striking is suspect which is where Gray has the advantage. He has 1 punch KO power which he used in a whole 9 seconds against Joe Veres. Grey Gray is also a vaunted wrestler but Edgar is much quicker though maybe not stronger. Its a "Clone War" here but if Frank can beat Tyson, he can beat the green Gray.

WINNER-Edgar by tough decision

James "Sandman" Irvin 13-4-1 vs. "The Planet" Houston Alexander 8-1 Two bomb throwers here on a card of wrestlers ready to duke it out. Neither has a ground game to speak of and when Irvin wins he's lucky at best and usually takes a beating with his horrible defense. Houston is thunder in bunches delivering more powerful punches (though Irvin's are not love taps) and those vicious Thai knees (ask Keith Jardine). This stays on the feet for 1 round until one falls down. Call the stretcher for James now.

WINNER-Houston Alexander by highlight KO

Undercard:
Marcus "Maximus" Aurelio 14-5 vs. Ryan "Are You Ready" Roberts 14-2-1 Seriously, is your nickname "Are You Ready." That is some stupid shit. I don't know who you are (except he is a short brick house of a guy) but I'm not picking you with that name and Maximus has faced some of the best in the world. Change "A.Y.R." to "ASS."

WINNER-Aurelio by whatever nobody is going to see this fight anyway

Josh Neer 23-6-1 vs. Din Thomas 23-7 Josh has had a bad run of luck recently and is going against a guy much more athletic with better striking and faster ATT styled ground offense. Din is also coming off an injury loss to Kenflo who beat his ass silly. Din's just a better fighter and will tell you the same.

WINNER-Din by TKO

Jeff "The Grinder" Cox 13-3 vs. Manny "Manvil" Gamburyan 9-3 Everyone's favorite fire hydrant is back and going to pummel, or perhaps grind, out a win against Cocks. By the by the Jeff guy is 40. Old guys named Jeff never win.

WINNER-Manvil by brutality

Samy Schiavo 10-4 vs. Clay "The Carpenter" Guida 22-6 Terry Schiavo's long lost brother (oh that was a bit offsides) comes in against our favorite wild caveman and the ultra-exciting Clay Guida! Clay cuts a blistering pace few can keep up with and was rocking and rolling all over top Lightweight Roger Huerta before getting caught in a submission at the last moment. Clay unplugs the career of misspelled Samy before he gets going and makes it look so easy a caveman could do it. Watch for the Guida pre-fight ritual, its hilarity!

WINNER-Clay by judicial order

Roman "Ain't No Pussy" Mitichyan 9-1 vs. George Sotiropoulos 8-2 Roman is kinda the unknown guy from the last TUF show while George was a top prospect who fell short. Both are coming off their 1st wins in the UFC and looking for more. Everyone says George is going to be the shit so that's good enough for me as I'm getting tired here.

WINNER-Sotirupoluousleiros

Anthony Johnson 4-1 vs. Tommy Speer 9-2 "Me Tommy punch hard on farm and train with Matt Hughes. Me to crush striker Johnson who don't know how to ground wrestle. I smash then go drive tractor. Matt say I go now." said Tommy Speer in the pre-fight presser. I can't really argue with that.

WINNER-Hulk Smasher Tom Tom

This is the best UFC Fight Night card ever with some really close matches. Wish and hope Clay makes it on to TV & Hamill doesn't.

Tim Sylvia Signs With Adrenaline MMA

Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia, multi-time UFC Heavyweight Champion, asked for, and was granted his release from the UFC after 6 strong years with the company. The split was amicable and gives Tim (24-4 overall & 11-4 in the UFC) the chance at a fresh start as he immediately signed with Adrenaline MMA, the company ran by Monte Cox, a longtime promoter and manager of Tim Sylvia and many fighters. Adrenaline MMA has their 1st scheduled even June 14th, with UFC veteran Jeff Monson facing Pride FC veteran Mike Russow. Adrenaline is birthed from M-1 Global's almost instant death, also allows their fighters to "represent" their brand and fight in other organizations. Tim Sylvia has already stated he would like to fight 6 or 7 times in a year, and also (of course) wants a shot at Fedor Emelianenko wherever he lands.

Tim Sylvia will also be followed to Adrenaline MMA with Miletich Teammate Ben Rothwell (29-5). Ben has been dominating in the IFL but could not come to terms with them and a new contract. Cox also manages Ben who is another top Heavyweight who is on a 13 fight winning streak.

Adrenaline comes on the heels of Oscar De La Hoya's new MMA promotion which is teamed with Affliction/Golden Boy Promotions. So we lost Pride FC & K-1 Hero's, lost M-1 Global before it began, and gained Elite XC (& all its children KOTC, ICON, Strikeforce, etc.), DREAM, Sengoku, and BodogFight & the IFL are still out there giving it the old college try. Lots of homes for wayward fighters.