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| Jens Pulver: Urijah Faber ‘has no idea’ what’s coming at WEC 34 Posted: 22 May 2008 08:45 AM CDT x x x Urijah Faber has some comments of his own after the jump.
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| Matt Lindland wins Republican nomination for Oregon House of Representatives Posted: 22 May 2008 08:37 AM CDT Mixed martial arts (MMA) veteran and Olympic silver medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling (2000), Matt Lindland, defeated Phyllis Thiemann in the preliminary political race to capture the Republic nomination for the Oregon House of Representatives in District 52. "The Law" earned 59 percent of the vote –- a wide margin that can be attributed to the baseless smear campaign of his opposition who attempted to brand him a convicted felon (he isn't). He will now advance to the next stage of the process and lock horns with the democratic nominee, Suzanne VanOrman. The general election on November 4 will determine the winner. Prior to that, however, Lindland will have to take care of some MMA business. He's slated to fight Fabio Negao at Affliction: "Banned" from the Honda Center in Sacramento, Calif., on July 19. Interesting dichotomy. |
| The Ultimate Fighter 7: Episode 8 recap and discussion Posted: 21 May 2008 10:47 PM CDT
Episode 8 begins with a lowlight of Schultz vs. Yarbrough from last week's episode. Afterwards Dana calls Schultz "phenomenal" in the first round. I was immediately convinced that Dana had confused him with David Schultz (who went E. Honda on John Stossel for being called a fake). Since we get a recap of that fight we also get a recap of the hard feelings that resulted from it between Forrest and Rampage. Forrest is jumping around and trashing the gym which now prohibits him from scolding any of the guys for trashing the house. A still-bitter Rampage accuses the judges of either being on Team Brown's payroll or just plain asleep at the wheel. Schultz mans up afterwards and apologizes to Forrest for his unwelcome remarks when the fight was called after two rounds. Back at the house Matt Riddle gives CB Dolloway his seal of approval. Nick Klein sees himself as the weakest link. Nothing like a surge of self-confidence before your big fight. Forrest shows up at the gym with a net gun and of course the team decides the best idea is to shoot Rampage. They come up with an even better idea and suggest running after the shot. Our first commercial break is for Spike's new show called 1,000 ways to die. The SpikeTV website describes it as a show that "Combines the science of living and the randomness of death with a dash of Darwinism." Unfortunately they left out the infringement of Troma's War from their description. So Forrest likes the idea of going Spiderman on an unsuspecting Rampage and nets him like a Maryland crab. An embarrassed Rampage suggests that Forrest instead net his "Chicken faced assistant coach who needs to go sit on some eggs" before promising revenge. Dolloway gets his camera time and actually refers to himself in the third person. Rampage thinks he has a big head and wants to put his 12-inch foot straight into Dolloway's butt. I lost count, but this show has to have set some kind of record for consecutive references to penetrating the anus. Rampage then gets tapped by the former All-American while sparring and grudgingly admits that he has some skills. Nick Klein tells the world he became a man pitching cow-crap and working on the farm for his dad. Somewhere in TV land Matt Hughes is smiling. Coach Beecher advises Klein to put Dolloway on his back where all wrestlers hate to be. At the weigh-ins, both fighters make weight without incident. Dana leans towards CB in his fight assessment. We get our second third-person reference of the night. Some of the guys from Team Brown think that Dolloway is overrated and Klein is underrated. Team Blue's CB Dolloway (6-0) vs Team Brown's Nick Klein (4-0) Round 1: A Klein kick is caught by Dolloway who immediately goes for the guillotine like the one that tapped Rampage in training. Klein gets out but gets pummeled in the process. Klein locks in a nice kneebar but the Dolloway kicks out. Dolloway on top now landing punches. Klein rolls and looks for a kimura. Big swing and a miss for Dolloway but Klein still on the defensive. Dana compliments Dolloway who drops into top position and Klein goes to guard. Another armlock but Dolloway is too strong to stay trapped. Dana likes what he sees and compliments Dolloway again. Klein getting outwrestled but doing a nice job of staying out of danger. Dolloway back to the top and lands a few punches. Klein starting to take punishment. Dolloway firing at will and Klein manages to roll out of it but Dolloway is right back on top. Klein is bleeding and ties up an arm as time expires. Round one is all Dolloway. Between rounds Dolloway is warned by Mazzagatti for being too close to the back of the head on his punches. Rampage begs him not to give up any points and takes a shot at the judges by saying: "I wouldn't be surprised if they gave him that round." Round 2: Low kick by Dolloway. Three more. Klein jabs and they tie up. Klein jumps into guard - much to Forrest's dismay. Klein against the cage punching upward. Dolloway looks like he's taking a breather as he rests on top. They squirm back to the center and it's a repeat of round one: Klein looks for an armbar and Dolloway lands punches. Dolloway looking tired but spins out and when Klein tries to recover position gets trapped in a guillotine. Klein taps and Dolloway gives Team Blue its second win. Afterwards at the house Yarbrough calls out Riddle and Dolloway for wearing specs that look like 3-D glasses from a 1950's drive-in. Dolloway is tired of the cracks and wants him in the quarterfinals. Forrest turns out to be a man of his word and lets Amir Sadollah shave his head for winning his fight (and their bet) from last week. To add insult to injury, Rampage is waiting outside and gets his revenge on Forrest with a super-soaker. Time for the quarterfinal picks and the round table calls in the fighters to get their input. They all have their reasons for calling out who they think are the best match-up. For some it's about winning, others it's about punishment. The quarterfinal matches are: Jesse Taylor vs. Dante Rivera Amir Sadollah vs. Matt Brown Daniel Cramer vs. Tim Credeur CB Dolloway vs. Cal Yarbrough Stay tuned next week as Dana breaks out the coin toss (and reassigns teams), Jesse Taylor battles Dante Rivera, and Matt Brown tries to eliminate Amir Sadollah. See you then! |
| UFC 84 videos: Shane Carwin-Christian Wellisch fight talk and more Posted: 21 May 2008 10:32 PM CDT |
| UFC Quick Quotes: BJ Penn vs Sean Sherk 84 fight talk Posted: 21 May 2008 09:33 PM CDT
– UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn on the epiphany that turned his career around
– Former lightweight champion Sean Sherk on the turn if fan reaction It’s time to just do this thing already, right? UFC 84: “Ill Will” from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 24 is still 72 hours away. Fast forward, please. Thanks to MMARated.com for the great interviews … as usual. |
| Phil Baroni is ‘going to make Joey Villasenor pay’ during May 31 Elite XC fight (Video) Posted: 21 May 2008 09:12 PM CDT “The New York Bad Ass” also makes a point to assure fans that conditioning and training will not be a factor in this bout — he is undefeated when he prepares for a bout at American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in San Jose, Calif.: |
| MMA DVD Contest: Who Am I? And the winner is… Posted: 21 May 2008 08:41 PM CDT
Congratulations on winning your FREE copy of UFC 84: Ill Will when it becomes available for release on August 26. Mark correctly guessed none other than “Gumby” himself, Jeremy Horn as the mystery fighter. And kudos to the MMAmaniacs for an impressive showing. I knew we had some savvy readers but the 500+ correct responses in such a short time was positively baffling. Except of course for the reader who submitted “Takanori Gomi” as their answer. I ask that you please hang your head in shame. Mark was not the first correct response, but unfortunately the ones that beat him to the punch failed to include a link from our DVD store that featured Mr. Horn in action! Again, great job to all of those who responded correctly. But having said that, you can only blame yourselves for the level of difficulty in tomorrow’s contest. You heard correctly. Since this contest was over so quickly, I have no choice but to crank out another giveaway to help us get psyched up for this Saturday’s stacked lineup of fights. Only this time there will be no free rides. Get your thinking caps on Maniacs and check back with us tomorrow morning for a second crack at winning your free copy of UFC 84: Ill Will from our DVD store. I can promise you it won’t be so easy the second time around. See you then! |
| UFC 84 odds, betting lines and tips for Penn vs Sherk Las Vegas event Posted: 21 May 2008 03:53 PM CDT Desert Dog back again with tips and "Smart Bets" for UFC 84: "Ill Will" this Saturday, May 24, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It's a fight card that has volatile match up between UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn and former 155-pound skipper, Sean Sherk, going at it in the main event of the evening. In addition, two sensational light heavyweight showdowns — Tito Ortiz vs. Lyoto Machida and Wanderlei Silva vs. Keith Jardine — will be featured on the televised portion of the pay-per-view (PPV) main card. Sportsbooks have been slow to roll out odds for this one; therefore, right now we’re just going to focus on the three aforementioned fights. It's clearly solid card in terms of fantastic match ups — all the brouhaha outside the Octagon only makes it all that much better. Now it's time to see if it's a solid card in terms on money-making betting possibilities. Let's get to it. Here are the "Smart Bets" for UFC 84:
Main card picks: BJ Penn -280 (Bet $100 to win $36) NOTE: MMAmania.com recommends BetUS.com to place wagers (FREE $60 play with sign up). However, Bodog.com is also a good place to bet and compare odds.)
The Ortiz fight is tough to call because “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” is such a great self promoter. However, it’s important to try and tune that out and focus on his most recent performances compared against those of “The Dragon.” And it that department Machida clearly gets the nod. However, there are intangibles such as the feud with Dana White, looming free agency and desire to get back on top that could all benefit Ortiz and propel him to victory. Let’s also remember pressure: This is the biggest fight to date for Machida and his boss is counting on him to win. Therefore, I wouldn’t blame anyone who takes a flier on Ortiz, considering also that it is more than likely his last fight in the Octagon. It could be sentimental pick … just not one I’m prepared to make. Whatever your bets are for UFC 84, make sure you look at the realistic outcomes and use solid bets to cover your bigger risks. You don't have to bet on them all, just stick to the fighters you know and match ups that give that best probability on a return. Now onto a more detailed breakdown of the fights for those bettors who require a little more reassurance. Main card bouts (abbreviated): BJ Penn (-180) vs. Sean Sherk (+210) BJ Penn is the man and Sean Sherk, well, in my opinion, isn’t! The match up definitely makes this fight. BJ has accumulated a retarded amount of skill and now he’s decided to start training some of that cardio stuff. Training with Uriah Faber and others who visit his camp in Hilo, Hawaii, will really give BJ the feel for someone who fights with a very fast pace. It can only help his cardio. In my opinion, BJ Penn in shape has more options to win a fight than anyone else in the game (except maybe Anderson Silva). It’s that simple. BJ has a nice reach advantage, and at 155 pounds, he has a size advantage in terms of leverage and mobility. He has a strength advantage in this fight, too. You may think whatever, but watch his fights with muscle strong guys like Joe Stevenson and Matt Hughes — and even back in the day against Machida — and you’ll see how much of an advantage he can have. Meanwhile, let’s go back to Sherk’s last fight, which was a long time ago. Can you really picture Sherk wrestling BJ down and maintaining his lay and pray for five rounds? Because that’s his only option for a win. Sherk’s reach is so ridiculously short the only way he’s ever scored a real technical knockout was via ground and pound. It takes the crazy athleticism of someone like Georges St. Pierre to get BJ down and punish him there (BJ being gassed helps as well). Yes, I know Hughes beat him with ground and pound, too, but I give the injury more credit for that than Hughes. This is a bit more of a rant than a straight analysis for this fight — sorry, but sometimes you just have to let a little out. Here’s the short and sweet version: BJ is feeling it right now and he’s not going to be denied by the likes of Sherk. With the current odds I’ll be laying down a max bet on BJ with a smile on my face. Prediction: BJ Penn via submission BET NOW!
Lyoto Machida (-210) vs. Tito Ortiz (+165) Machida may not have an endless highlight reel of knockouts, but while training out of the Black House camp with UFC champions Anderson Silva and Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira, he has developed his own unique style. One that has kept him undefeated against some very stiff competition. He has manage to combine his karate background with Muay Thai, wrestling, and Jiu Jitsu techniques (starting at 15) into a calm counter fighting style. “The Dragon” has an efficient style that may never be a fan favorite, but it works by forcing opponents to stray from their gameplans. Lyoto’s gameplan in this fight should look much like it has in other UFC fights. He will stay outside counter punching and throwing the occasional back kick. It is very likey that he will be taken down in the first round and see the same sort of barrage that Forrest Griffin experienced in his fight with Ortiz. Lyoto has both the chin and the skill from his back, however, to avoid serious damage. In the second round Tito will likely taste Lyoto’s power and speed. We all know what happens when Tito gets hit — it gets in his head. This has happened in his fights with Forrest, Liddell and Evans. You can see his style and confidence change. His shots come from too far outside and his standup becomes indecisive. If this happens early in the second round Tito will get soundly out worked and drop a decision. Although Machida has an excellent submission game it’s unlikely he’ll be able to put away Tito. Tito’s strengths and gameplan are the same as they’ve always been: get the takedown, push the guy to the fence, and rain down a barrage of brutal elbows and fists. His style has worked well except with strong counter strikers or people who could avoid his takedowns. Tito claims (again) to be totaly healthy, and while I don’t doubt that he’s in great shape, I haven’t trusted the mental side of his game for years now. If Tito could put Machida down for the first two rounds and control him with out taking any big shots he could pull off the win, but I just don’t trust him. Tito’s plan is to simply over power a more technically skilled fighter and it’s the perfect scenario to see Tito fall apart. Prediction: Lyoto Machida via decision BET NOW!
Wanderlei Silva (-185) vs. Keith Jardine (+145) Oh yeah baby … this should be a helluva fight — these two love to bang and put on a great show. Wanderlei is surprisingly still the favorite in this fight. I say surprisingly because looking at their recent records and the fact that Jardine holds wins over Griffin and Liddell, it’s not a stretch to say that he has some serious momentum. And we all know that Wandi has been on a very rough downswing. Silva has only won four of his last eight fights and he’s suffered a couple of wicked knockouts in his last two fights under the Pride FC banner. His last fight with Liddell showed why he’s such a popular fighter and that he has endless heart, but that may not hold up to the reach and power of the awkward Jardine. While Silva is still using every method in the books to improve his cardio, he has also rededicated himself to solid sparring in all aspects of the game. The one aspect that could serve him best in this fight is his Muay Thai clinch of death. The clinch is where the “Axe Murderer” really earned his name. To put his gameplan into full effect he’ll have to wade through Jardine’s leg kicks, off angles, and power. The one place this fight will probably not go is to the ground. Look for more of the same from Jardine. His awkward, learchy style, thundering leg kicks and huge right hands can be the real difference makers in this one. The one loss that really seams to weigh on everyone's mind is the knockout he suffered at the hands of Alexander. Well, I think it’s safe to say that nobody, including Keith, was ready for Alexander's style and power at that time. That fight aside Keith’s weakness has been fighters with better reach and speed. Wandi will present a new style and challenge to Jardine and should be entertaining the whole way through. In the end I have to look at which fighter has three straight losses and which won just beat Forrest Griffin and Chuck Liddell. This fight could go either way and to that is to say bet the odds. With Jardine still sitting as the underdog I have to throw a small bet his way. Prediction: Keith Jardine via technical knockout BET NOW!
That about does it for this abbreviated installment of betting tips and advice. Remember to bet smart. Betting is not for everyone. But if you want to take a stab at it head over to BetUs.com (Sign up today and get a FREE $60 play) or to compare competitive MMA lines visit Bodog.com. Enjoy the fights and good luck. Feel free to leave predictions and other thoughts in the comments section below.
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| Wanderlei Silva just wants an exciting UFC 84 fight with Keith Jardine (Video) Posted: 21 May 2008 01:34 PM CDT |
| MMA DVD Contest: Who Am I? Part 1 Posted: 21 May 2008 10:18 AM CDT
That’s right, a copy of UFC 84: “Ill Will” will be yours to keep when it’s released on August 26 — but before you start breaking out the party hats, keep in mind this is a contest. You’re going to have to earn it! To that end, I present to you the MMAmania.com Who am I? contest that requires you, the reader, to identify a prominent MMA fighter based on a series of clues provided by yours truly. The first correct submission Emailed to contest@mmamania.com will be declared the winner. All submissions must include a link to a DVD featuring the fighter from our DVD store. Part 1 will provide you with the first three clues. Tomorrow (Part 2) will reveal the remaining three clues. Who am I? -I have fought in both PRIDE and the UFC. -I have competed against fighters in three different weight classes, including two current and two former UFC champions. -Not only have I appeared on The Ultimate Fighter, I’ve also defeated one of the series winners. Who Am I? Not too much to go on, but don’t worry, come back tomorrow for the remaining clues! In the meantime, if you think you’ve got it, Email your submission to contest@mmamania.com. Remember, all submissions MUST include a link to a DVD featuring the fighter from our DVD store. Good luck! |
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