Georges St. Pierre vs Jon Fitch – It is no secret that I am one of Georges St. Pierre’s biggest fans. I wait all year for the three or four times that GSP fights on PPV and those appearances keep me juiced all year long. That being said, I’m both excited and apprehensive about this fight with Jon Fitch in what will probably be GSP’s toughest fight since his match against B.J. Penn in 2006.
We all know GSP’s strengths – basically everything. St. Pierre is an excellent striker, has excellent kicks, is an excellent wrestler, has great takedown defense and top-notch submission skills. There isn’t much that “Rush” doesn’t excel at and when he is on his game there are very few people in the sport who can last a full round with him.
Jon Fitch might just be one of those fighters who can take GSP deep into a match. Fitch is riding a 15 fight winning streak and has defeated some of the top welterweights along the way. Fitch has an equally impressive submission game and excellent submission defense. If you remember his fight against Roan Carneiro, it’s uncanny to see some of the sumission attempts Fitch was able to escape.
I see this fight being a back-and-forth battle and a war of attrition. Fitch is not going to lay down to anyone, even against the high pace and pressure that GSP brings. St. Pierre has learned from his past mistakes and is a much smarter and more well-prepared fighter than he ever has been. We all just need to sit back and enjoy this fight for what it most likely will be – an instant classic. Winner: Georges St. Pierre
Brock Lesnar vs Heath Herring – While Brock Lesnar was hyped beyond belief for his UFC debut against Frank Mir at UFC 81, this fight against Heath Herring really will be Lesnar’s make-or-break, showcase fight. Lesnar has two professional fights under his belt, and ample time to train fully in MMA. If he has the skills it takes to compete in MMA long-term, we’ll find out in this match against Herring. Without a doubt, Lesnar has the size and power advantage and easily has the better wrestling skills.
Herring is a decent wrestler in his own right, but there really isn’t much of change at controlling someone like Lesnar on the ground. Herring needs to pick his spots and work a technical striking match against Lesnar to win this fight. Unfortunately, Lesnar should be able to bum rush Herring at will and take the fight to the mat and his comfort zone. Winner: Brock Lesnar
Kenny Florian vs Roger Huerta – Man, talk about a fight that has all the makings of a fight of the year candidate, this match between Kenny Florian and Roger Huerta may very well grab fight of the night honors. I’m really torn back-and-forth on who I think will win this fight as I see it being extremely close.
Huerta brings in momentum and an impressive winning streak having won his last 13 fights, 6 in the UFC. Huerta posseses excellent power for a lightweight and has a strong kicking game to match with his strikes. On the ground, “El Matador” has strong defense skills and can pull of a submission when the opportunity presents itself.
Most likely, however, that opportunity won’t present itself against Kenny Florian. Florian’s grappling and BJJ game easily outclass Huerta’s and will mostly be where Kenny looks to take the fight. Florian does have excellent stamina and quickness and loves to boast about his proficiency in finishing fights early. It will be interesting to see if and how long Florian stands and trades with Huerta to open the match. But once the fight does hit the ground, I think Florian controls position and works his way to a unanimous decision victory. Winner: Kenny Florian
Manny Gamburyan vs Rob Emerson – Not really sure what the UFC sees in Rob Emerson enough to keep him around other than the fact that he did win his last fight against Keita Nakamura. Emerson doesn’t really excel at anything and is a mid-level fighter on his best day as his 7-6 record can attest to. After his injury and loss to Nate Diaz at the TUF 5 finale, Manny Gamburyan has bounced back and quickly submitted both Nate Mohr and Jeff Cox. Gamburyan’s small frame will be tough for Emerson to match up against, and Manvel’s wrestling game and submission skills should easily win him this fight. Winner: Manny Gamburyan
Jason MacDonald vs Demian Maia – Jason MacDonald has enjoyed quite a bit of success since joining the UFC in 2006. “The Athele” is 4-2 in the UFC with his only losses coming against Yushin Okami and Rick Franklin. Still, at times MacDonald has not shown enough to be considered one of the top middleweights. Demian Maia brings his undefeated 7-0 record into this fight along with his excellent submission game. Maia should be able to take MacDonald down and control him easily on the ground. MacDonald will have the reach advantage and will need to use it to his advantage to avoid falling into Maia’s dangerous BJJ game. Winner: Demian Maia
Luke Cummo vs Tamdan McCrory – Winner: Luke Cummo
Cheick Kongo vs Dan Evensen – Winner: Cheick Kongo
Andre Gusmao vs Jon Jones – Winner: Andre Gusmao
Chris Wilson vs Steve Bruno – Winner: Chris Wilson
Ben Saunders vs Ryan Thomas – Winner: Ryan Thomas
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Caesar Gracie
John
Yael Grauer
Dale
Tyler Johnson
felo
Mike
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Shawn
Ben Cartlidge
wow mmaplayground has Herring as a big underdog AND Doc is picking Lesnar too. i just think this is a bad match up for Brock, Herring has great scrambles and is good at creating them too and as big and strong as Lesnar is i dont see him holding Heath down very long and Herrings stand up HAS to be better then Brocks.
I agree Herring’s striking probably is better from the technical aspect and he does have experience on his side but Lesnar is a freakin brute and in my opinion if he as utilized the training he has recieved since his loss to Mir then he will still come out on top of Herring.
as i stated a while back the UFC is perfect for Lesnar because wrestlers have always done well with the rule set and the cage, but i dont think this is a good match for him. if Herring can avoid being on his back for any extended period he can out point him with striking or catch him in a submission like a guillotine during an over zealous takedown attempt.
RJ im with you 100% bro, i say Herring all the way. Heres why..
Lesnar has wrestling and NOTHING else, hes strong, but his strength only applys to wrestling, it doesnt translate into a heavy handed striker. From the kind of GnP he displayed against Mir, its obvious he still has a LOOONG way to go. So he can get a takedown and essentially try and pin Herring, but i dont think theres any way he can win the fight except for a decision.
Herring has striking skills man and Lesnar still hasnt fought a striker. On top of that, he already KNOWS that all Lesnar is gonna do is shoot for a takedown and its alot easier to defend something when you know whats coming. Will he out-wrestle Lesnar? ofcourse not, but i think he will eventually connect on Lesnars face, possibly a knee or a short hook.
We havent seen Lesnar get hit in the face and i believe were going to see it in this fight. LESNAR WILL GET THE JITTERS!! no not because of the cameras or the people, but because hes in a FIGHT. I see Lesnar getting clocked and panicking, getting stunned for a few seconds allowing Herring to rain blows on him and get the stoppage. Then Lesnar will get up saying hes not hurt (which he probably wont be) but he still loses because of inexperience..
yeah man thats pretty well the way i see it going to. Lesnar vs. Kongo would be a good match for Brock, McCully or Coleman would be ok for Lesnar. but i think Heath has a great ground defense and is to well rounded and thats why i think we’ll see Lesnar spending more time tying to defend him self as opposed to him imposing him self, and i fully see Lesnar taking a hard one in the lips and having a little freak out moment and going for the desperation shot and getting cough in a choke.
I have to say I’m not really all that hyped to order this PPV. I think the GSP fight is going to be an extremely boring chess game of wrestling, which will end in a decision. Fitch’s striking has not proven to deliver KOs, lately, neither has GSP’s.
I think the Lesner/Herring fight will be very sloppy and look more like a “tough man” competition, than a techinical MMA bout. All I can see is Lesner continously taking Herring down and not doing much else.
Like many, I am looking forward to the lightweights showdown, but overall, I don’t think this is a PPV caliber fight.
So, overall, for the price…I don’t feel this is these are the best fights we could and should be watching.
Well Amir, sounds like you arent really sure what you want. You dont want the one because it will be technical and a “chess match”, you dont want the other because it will be “sloppy” and “toughman competition”, so what do you want?
Did you also know that Huerta and Florian are fighting?
I think the GSP fight looks good. Im also anxious to see if Lesnar can show some good improvements. And the Florian/Huerta fight has the ability to be a fight of the year.
You can sit this one out Amir, let the real fans buy this PPV.
Nah Mallot, i agree with Amir, it IS a sub par fightcard. Ofcourse ill be watching it, but theres really only 3 fights that are even remotely interesting. What im looking forward to here is Kenny vs Huerta and i believe that Kenny will get the submission victory, hes just been so amazing lately.
can someone please define “real fan” for me, i just need to know if im faking it or not lol. if you watch fights and enjoy them and hope to watch more fights i would call you a fan. if you like football and the Cowboys are your favorite team your not expected to buy tickets to a Steelers vs. Colts game and it doesnt make you any less of a fan, but a lot of hardcore MMA fans act all snobby if you dont watch every fight and know every fighter, and that sucks. lets just build the sport up and not rip on everyone who didnt see UFC 1 in 1993. i urge you all to buy every MMA card that you can, why? because it helps build the sport i love, am i going to treat you like sh*t if you dont? nope, but i will try and let you know you missed a good one.
Alright there “Newbie”,
So I suppose your a “real” fight fan, huh? based on your condesending tone, I prefer to call you a chump rather than a real fan, but hey…some people like wasting their money. BTW, I didn’t say I wasn’t going to watch it, I just said I was not going to pay for it.
The way I see it is, the more success a crappy PPV like this gets from a knucklehead like you, the more crappy PPVs we all have to deal with in the future. (Ex. Bisping/Leben)
based on Bisping/Evans
*And if you actually chose to READ what I wrote, you would see that I did make mention of the lightweights, but I just don’t think it’s a PPV caliber fight…so do us all a favor and pay attention next time before you make asenine accusations of anyone here.
Yes Amir, they put crappy PPV shows together on purpose, and its all because of me! How did you know?!?! What a d-bag you are. “Experts” call this card one of the best in a while, and so do people who make a living talking, writing, and analyzing this stuff. Not to mention the people who are involved in the UFC. Just because you didnt know who Fitch was before this, or think that Huerta is overhyped just because he was on the cover of SI, doesnt mean you have to try to sound smart by picking it apart. I will pay for this, and i wont regret it.
So its Sherk vs Tyson Griffin at UFC 90.. DAM.. theyre really throwing him to the wolves man. Hes been climbing the division fighting tough guys so he deserves a big name fight, but what a bad matchup for Tyson.
Sherk is just better than Tyson at every one of Tysons main strengths. He cant outwrestle Sherk, he sure as hell cant out cardio Sherk, especially in a 3 round fight. I dont see how Tyson can win this fight..
Sucks bigtime, he would have done so much better against someone like Huerta, or even Kenny or BJ, atleast he might get lucky, but i think Sherk is the WORST possible matchup for Tyson..
you know how it is some fighters dont get any breaks, ill bet even if Tyson whoops Sherk bad there still be a few guys get a shot a the title first.
Ya i was watching this Interview with Wandy and he was talking about how Tyson needs to get a title shot. Wandy has also been training Demian Maia for his fight this weekend.