Saturday, July 26, 2008

UFC blog for latest news, videos, results, betting odds, fighter interviews and MMA rumors - UFCmania.com

UFC blog for latest news, videos, results, betting odds, fighter interviews and MMA rumors - UFCmania.com

It only takes one: MMAmania exclusive UFC 89 interview with Chris Leben

Posted: 25 Jul 2008 11:30 PM CDT

Chris Leben

Chris Leben falls into a very unique category in the world of mixed martial arts. He's one of the few fighters in the sport today who it seems every fan has an opinion of. Whether they love him or hate him, "The Crippler" always comes ready to scrap.

He's got brick fists, and he can take a punch like you're not even trying.

Leben holds notable wins over Patrick Cote, Luigi Fioravanti, Terry Martin and most recently Alessio Sakara, and he's the only man who's ever KO'd Mike Swick.

And now he's headlining a major UFC event against another solid striker: Michael "The Count" Bisping. Leben (18-4) and Bisping (16-1) will go toe-to-toe at UFC 89 on October 18 at the National Indoor Arena (NIA) in Birmingham, England.

We caught up with the always-candid Leben to see how his preparation for UFC 89 is going and to find out how his recent relocation to Hawaii (where he trains and teaches at the Icon Fitness and MMA Center) has provided him with a renewed focus on what it means to be a fighter on MMA's biggest stage.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): What are we going to see at UFC 89 from Chris Leben that we haven't seen before?

Chris Leben: I think you're going to see just more of a progression of the same road I've been on. You're going to see a little bit more controlled, more refined and more in shape Chris Leben than you've seen before.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): I've been watching these "Evolution of an Icon" videos (click here for episode one and here for episode two). The last one featured you carrying the heavy bag up Koko Head Mountain. That's pretty intense. It's also nice that we get to see you in the teacher mode. Can you comment a bit on how teaching is going for you?

Chris Leben: Teaching is great. It's kinda cool. Doing the shows we've been doing, people get a chance to actually see that about me. It's something I've done for years. I taught at Team Quest for years, and now I'm out here (in Hawaii) teaching full-time. It's the other half, that's what I do. I eat, I sleep, I coach, I train. That's it, man. That's what I love to do, and as far as right now, that's what I plan to do.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Clearly there is a lot of anticipation for your upcoming fight with Michael Bisping. It has a great deal of potential to be an all-out slugfest. How do you see your standup comparing to his?

Chris Leben: I was kinda making a joke the other day when asked about my impression of the fight. I said, "He'll probably hit me about 20 times, and then I'll hit him once." That might be how that fight goes.

In other words, he's got great foot movement, his hands … he's definitely faster than I am — I'll go ahead and say it. He's faster than I am; he's got good foot movement, good head movement. But I don't think he's got the big guns like I do. I don't think he's got that huge knockout power.

Bottom line is, everybody's hit me a lot of times in every fight I've ever been in. I think this fight against Michael Bisping, I'd be lying to you if I thought it was going to be any different. I'm going to go out there, he's going to land some shots, I'm sure, and then I'm going to land a big shot that's just going to crumble him.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): The UFC has put Bisping up against a lot of jiu-jitsu guys. But when I interviewed him before his fight with Charles McCarthy, he said he'd take any fight the UFC put in front of him, but that he was really really hoping for an opponent who wasn't afraid to stand and bang.

I tried to get him to call out names — and actually suggested that he fight you — but he wouldn't name names. I know he was thrilled when this fight was presented to him finally. How did you feel when you were offered this fight? How long have you wanted to fight him?

Chris Leben: Oh, for a while now, especially when I was supposed to fight him, and then obviously some things came up, and that didn't work out the way we wanted it to. But I think right now where we are, who we are as fighters, the way our styles match up, where we are in our careers … I think it's the fight that needs to happen.

I think me and Michael Bisping's paths are coming to a collision, and come October, we're going to run right into each other and see which one of us is going to be a top contender in the Middleweight division, and which one of us is just going to be another one in the pool of fighters that the UFC has at 185.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): I want to talk a bit about your ground game. Some of your critics don't think it exists, but the ones in the know understand that you're very underrated on the ground. Can you talk about who you work with in training and how you see your own progress on the ground?

Chris Leben: It's a never-ending story. I train grappling every single day, just like I train standup everyday — I train to fight everyday. I started wrestling and grappling before I started doing standup, and I continue to work on that everyday.

It's not my fault if (my opponents) don't want to grapple with me. If I knock 'em out first in a fight, that's not my fault.

If you look back at my record, most of my amateur fights and my first (professional) fights were all won by submission. But then as I got a little older, I got a little more power and my hands picked up, I just started getting more and more knockouts, more or less because I never ended up on the ground.

And the other thing is, when I fight, even though I like to grapple … my last fight, my coach Matt Hume was a little upset with me. He said, "I wish you would just take one of these guys down and finish him. Tapping him out is a little bit safer than fighting the way you do."

But hindsight's 20/20. It's a great idea, I know the skills are there, I just gotta get myself to shoot that shot in the fight and work my ground game. That's the only thing I gotta do.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): If the fight with Bisping does go to the ground, what do you see happening?

Chris Leben: Well if it goes to the ground and he's on top, I'm going to work to stand back up. He likes to be standing and punching and working to pass, which is a great skill, a great way to pass guard I think in MMA. He was doing that well in his last fight, so I think I'll work to stand back up.

If I take him down and I'm on top, I'll look to pass guard, beat on him, and if he gives me a submission, I'll take it; otherwise, I'll just continue to punch him in the face.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): What's it mean to fight over in England — and I believe you're the headliner, right?

Chris Leben: Yeah, that's my understanding. Main event, so … super cool.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Yeah, especially over there in England, where a lot of fans like to see standup wars.

Chris Leben: Absolutely. I think it's going to be a great fight for the crowd, an exciting fight. Obviously, he's the hometown hero, so it actually has the makings to be a really awesome main event. The flipside of that is, not one person over there is going to be cheering for me, but hey, I've been a bad guy before, you know, it doesn't bother me that much.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You had commented that the fight was supposed to happen before, but obviously was postponed when you had to clear up that issue in Oregon (for more information click here). I wanted to ask you how the food was (in jail) and if you had any opportunities to try and stay in shape while you were over there.

Chris Leben: While I was in there, you mean? (Laughs) Um … not so much. One place you don't really want to start training fighting or doing any sort of drilling is around a bunch of felons.

I think I did one interview where I told the story where … you know, there's nothing really to do but tell stories to all the other guys in there. So they got me talking, and I decided to demonstrate a rear naked choke on one of the guys, and I was showing them how you can do it with just one arm.

So I'm holding it, and I'm like, "See I barely have to put any pressure, but it's cuttin' off the blood. So if you watch, he'll start to feel a little light headed." And as I'm saying this and explaining it to him, I'm thinking, "Man, this guy is doing pretty good, he should be tapping out any second now."

Well, I guess I forgot to tell him to tap out. So next thing I know, he just falls down on the floor of the cell. So now I got 20, you know, gentlemen in jail staring at me, and I got this guy … and they think he's dead, you know what I mean, they don't train.

So anyway, I kind of caught him, lowered him down nice, kinda held onto him for a second, and I'm like, "Oh he'll wake up in a second, he'll wake up in a second." Well this guy, he was out for like 40 seconds — a lot longer than normally people stay out for. Normally it's just a couple seconds. So right about the time that I started to really sweat, he came to.

That was the beginning and the end of any training that I did while I was in there.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): (Laughs) So I'm guessing that was the craziest thing that happened while you were in there?

Chris Leben: Yeah, that was pretty crazy.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You consistently use a move that not a whole lot of fighters use — foot stomps. What's it feel like to be the recipient of a well-timed foot stomp?

Chris Leben: Well a number of years ago I fought James Fanshier at Gladiator Challenge 20 (back in November 2003), and I stomped his feet really bad. After the fight, he came up to me and said, "Hey man, check this out." He showed me his feet, and both of them were just swollen and black. So I know it works well.

I've been stomped, and it sucks. It's going to deter you to kick if the little bones in your feet are broken, as well. And the other thing, for me, is anyway you can score points possible, right? You know what I mean? So if this guy's got my arms tied up and he's not letting me knee him, I'm going to stomp his feet.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): It wasn't so long ago that some of your critics were ready to write you off. You had lost 3 of 4 fights, but have since bounced back to win two in a row in exciting fashion. What changed? Was it more mental, or was it you going out to Hawaii?

Chris Leben: There's actually a lot of factors, a lot of factors. I wasn't ready to fight Anderson Silva when I fought him the first time. I was kinda the guy that got thrown to the wolves there.

As far as with (Jason) MacDonald, I probably could have trained a little bit better. I made a mistake. I made a mistake on the ground. I was beating him up on the ground, I was on top and I made a mistake. And at this level in the game, you cannot make a mistake. That was my fault.

And against Kalib (Starnes), what you saw was kind of the beginning of my transformation. After my loss to Anderson, I realized that my gung-ho charging-forward style of fighting wasn't going to beat Anderson Silva. So what do you do? I'm a martial artist, I want to be world champ. I don't just want to be a really good fighter.

So when I fought Kalib, I knew I could have gone straight forward and charged at him, but I said, "You know what, I'm going to try and fight him more technically. Work my footwork and stuff." I thought I won that fight, I still think I won that fight. I think the judges are stupid on that fight.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): I agree with you.

Chris Leben: But the only reason I didn't knock him out and I didn't win that fight in a more dominating fashion was because I wasn't focusing on winning in a dominating fashion. I was focusing on making myself a better fighter. And because of that, and sticking with that, and like I told you in this fight you're going to see a progression of that shift in my style — that's what's got me where I'm at now, and you'll see it in the fight against Michael Bisping.

Everything happens in life for a reason. And that to me is my reason. That's why I lost those fights and that's what happened.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): A lot of fans like to talk about their favorite fights from the past year — that's always a hot topic. Your fight with Terry Martin (at UFC Fight Night 11) certainly makes my top five. Late in the third round, Martin looked like he had you rocked, and he started taunting you a bit. That's when, of course, you rushed in and the finished him off, which was highly dangerous to rush in like that. But it worked. What the hell were you thinking? What was going on in your head at that moment?

Chris Leben: I'd be lying if I said I was on anything more than autopilot. There wasn't any in-depth thought involved at that exact moment in time. I wasn't like, "Oh, he just rocked me, maybe I should do this—" No. I was on autopilot.

But what I will say is I've got probably like four knockouts that I've won like that. I've had a few fights where I was definitely losing the fight bad and been raw, and then … you know, people tend to let their guard down when they think they gotcha.

That's one thing in this sport: never let your guard down. I hope Terry Martin learned from that mistake.

He came pretty close to having me. I'm not going to lie. And if he wouldn't have taunted me and he wouldn't have let his guard down for a second, he might have had his hand raised and not me. But I'll take it! You know what I'm saying? I'm not complaining about it, I'll take it.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Chris, I really appreciate you taking the time to talk to us. You're a hard guy to track down, and I know you got a lot of fans who visit MMAmania.com who can't wait to see what you have to say this go around. Do you want to thank any sponsors, or do you have any messages for your fans?

Chris Leben: Yeah, just that I really appreciate everybody sticking by me through the thick and through the thin. And I promise to deliver another exciting performance come October.

EliteXC DVD ‘Street Certified’

Posted: 25 Jul 2008 11:20 PM CDT

CAGE TESTED. STREET CERTIFIED. Forged from the streets come two of mixed martial arts’ most infamous warriors … from Huntington Beach, California, the original street fighter and “Huntington Beach Bad Boy,” David “Tank” Abbott … from the streets of Miami, Florida, and rising to epic fame on the Internet, Kimbo Slice … Will it be old-school or new-school as the new king of the streets?

Also featured: One of the world’s elite heavyweights, Antonio “Big Foot” Silva vs. former UFC champion and Celebrity Rehab participant Ricco Rodriguez, KO artist Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith takes on former “Crocodile Hunter” bodyguard Kyle Noke, the pride of the UK, James “The Colossus” Thompson takes on hard-hitting Brett “Grim” Rogers, and UFC & Bushido veteran Yves Edwards goes head-to-head with rising lightweight, Edson Berto.

Let the battle begin!

FIGHT CARD:
Kimbo Slice vs. David “Tank” Abbott
Antonio “Big Foot” Silva vs. Ricco “Suave” Rodriguez
Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith vs. Kyle “The Ozzie” Noke
James “The Colossus” Thompson vs. Brett “Grim” Rogers
Yves Edwards vs. Edson Berto

BONUS FIGHTS (Not seen on TV):
Rafael Feijao vs. John Doyle
Moyses Gabin vs. Jirka Hilvati
Lorenzo Borgameo vs. Mike Bernhard
Eric Bradley vs. Mikey Gomez
Mario “The Big Hurt” Rinaldi vs. Dave “Pee Wee” Herman
Jon Kirk vs. Yosmany Cabezas

Running Time: 175 minutes

EliteXC 'Street Certified' is now available for purchase in our DVD store for $19.99 by clicking here.

To check out our massive library of MMA DVD titles, including PRIDE DVD and UFC DVD click here. We also have Elite XC, WEC, Cage Rage, IFL, King of the Cage and other products for sale in our store. Looking for a title but don't see it in our store? Email us and we'll be happy to check its availability. Please keep in mind that we are only able to ship within the continental United States at this time.

Nick Thompson has got nothing on Howard Stern

Posted: 25 Jul 2008 10:55 PM CDT

Elite XC weigh-in pic

For more Elite XC: “Unfinished Business” weigh-in pics head over to CombatLifestyle.com … if you dare.

Jake Shields plans to finish Nick Thompson at Elite XC on CBS (Video)

Posted: 25 Jul 2008 10:43 PM CDT

jake shields elitexc video

Props: CBS5.com

Special announcement: UFC 89 to air on Spike TV October 18

Posted: 25 Jul 2008 07:39 PM CDT

ufc 89 fight card

Props: WrestlingObserver.com

Quoteworthy:

“Dana White is expected to officially announce tomorrow that UFC 89, headlined by Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben, will air for free on Spike TV. Show takes place October 18th from the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England.”

During recent commercials that aired on Spike TV, UFC President Dana White teased that a “special announcement” would be made during the replay of UFC 84: “Ill Will” tomorrow night, which will air on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET to counter the Elite XC: “Unfinished Business” show that will be telecast live on CBS at the same time. It’s news that has been batted around for sometime; however, the promotion and the network have apparently finalized their plans. To check out the latest UFC 89 card and rumors click here.

Elite XC weigh-in results for ‘Unfinished Business’ on CBS

Posted: 25 Jul 2008 06:00 PM CDT

EliteXC unfinished business
The official weigh-in results are in for Elite XC: “Unfinished Business,” and everything appears to have gone smoothly. All 22 fighters made weight and been medically cleared by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) to compete.

Some folks were interested to see if Nick Diaz would make the cut to 160 pounds successfully for this fight because he missed the lightweight limit for his fight against Muhsin Corbbrey in June by nine pounds.

He didn’t appear to have a problem with the cut this time around.

Here are the official results:

185 lbs.: Elite XC Middleweight Champion "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler (184.5) vs Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith (185)
170 lbs.: Jake Shields (169.5) vs Nick "The Goat" Thompson (169.5) for vacant Elite XC welterweight championship
160 lbs.: Nick Diaz (159.5) vs Thomas "Wildman" Denny (159)
140 lbs.: Shayna Baszler (139) vs Cristiane "Cris" Cyborg (140)
265 lbs.: Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva (257.5) vs Justin Eilers (218) for vacant Elite XC heavyweight championship
140 lbs.: Wilson Reis (139.5) vs Brian Caraway (140.5)
205 lbs.: Rafael Feijao (203.5) vs Travis Galbraith (202)
160 lbs.: Marlon Mathias (161) vs. David Douglas (157)
205 lbs.: Jeremy Freitag (205) vs. Anthony Ruiz (206)
265 lbs.: Mike Cook (232.5) vs. Carl Seumantafa (255.5)
265 lbs.: Brandon Tarn (252) vs. Drew Montgomery (224)

*Note: Fighters are allowed to weigh one pound more than the division limit in non-title fights.

Remember that MMAmania.com will also provide LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action on fight night, which is slated to air tomorrow night (Saturday, July 26) from the Stockton Arena in Stockton, Calif., on Showtime beginning at 8 p.m. ET and on CBS beginning at 9 p.m. ET.

It's going to be a solid night of mixed martial arts action … check us out for all the pre, during and post-fight Elite XC: “Unfinished Business” coverage you can handle.

Elite XC predictions and preview for ‘Unfinished Business’ on CBS

Posted: 25 Jul 2008 01:29 PM CDT

elitexc predictions
This Saturday (July 26) Stockton, Calif., will host its first major mixed martial arts (MMA) event — Elite XC: “Unfinished Business” — live at the Stockton Arena.

This card not only has major significance as the second ever MMA event to be aired live on network television (CBS), but also for the people of Stockton — fans there get a chance to finally see in person the reason their city has long been known as a hotbed for MMA talent.

The Stockton area has produced some tops stars in today’s fight game, two of which will be in action Saturday (Jake Shields and Nick Diaz). Shields, in fact, will vie for the vacant Elite XC welterweight championship against Nick “The Goat” Thompson.

Diaz, on the other hand, is fighting what many people believe to be nothing more than a filler fight before an inevitable rematch with division champion, KJ Noons.

The main event of the night is a rematch between middleweight kingpin “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler and Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith from the first “Saturday Night Fights” event that aired on CBS on May 31. Their first encounter was memorable for good and bad reasons.

Good, because it was an all out war — a back-and-forth slugfest of epic proportions. Bad, because it ended prematurely on and inadvertent eye poke. The final result was a disappointing no contest.

The rematch will hopefully keep the good stuff and leave the bad in Newark.

Another interesting item about this event is that it will be a co-telecast between the premium cable channel, Showtime, and the network powerhouse, CBS. Showtime will kick off the event at 8 p.m. ET with three fights and that will lead right into the main card on CBS at 9 p.m.

This looks to be a fun night of MMA with three world titles on the line. To get you ready for the action, we’ve detailed each of the seven main card fights and have provided some predictions as well.

And away we go:

Elite XC middleweight champion “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler vs. Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith

Scott Smith is a slow starter, he always has been. In his fight against Kyle Noke, he was even getting booed by the crowd for lack of action, before coming out in the second round and scoring a highlight reel knockout right away. Even in the first fight with Lawler he came out sluggish. In fact, he almost got stopped in that first round. Had there been another 30 seconds, I’m convinced we wouldn’t even be seeing this rematch.

The point is, he needs to correct this problem if he wants to have a chance against Lawler this time around, or he’s going to get put down early. Lawler is a super quiet, laid back kind of guy until he gets in the cage. In the cage, he busts heads, and knocks guys out.

Scott Smith has power too, big power, but is it just me, or does Lawler seem like the meaner guy? Take that for what it’s worth, but if anybody is coming into this fight intimdated, it’s not Robbie Lawler.

In all the interviews leading up to the fight, all Smith has talked about is trying not to get hit as many times in this fight. He’s been talking about having better head movement and defense. Lawler just keeps saying he’s not worried about what happened in the first fight, and he’s coming to do what he does.

I actually think both guys might be a little over confident. Lawler, because he knows he almost had Scott finished at the end of that first round. Smith even said after the fight, had it continued, he probably would have got knocked out. Still, I think Smith knows he took everything Lawler had in that first round and was still able to weather the storm and mount a comeback, even winning the second round on two of the judges scorecards.

To me, confidence favors talent, and I say Robbie Lawler is the more talented fighter. I don’t see this fight making it out of the second round. I think Lawler’s coming to destroy Smith, while Smith’s coming to try and survive. I got Robbie Lawler in this one.

Final prediction: Lawler via second round technical knockout

Jake Shields vs. Nick “The Goat” Thompson for Elite XC welterweight title

This fight is going to be the show stealer, much like Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith was in Newark on May 31. Both guys are on ridiculous winning streaks. Shields has won nine in a row and Thompson has notched off twelve consecutive.

Something has to give.

Jake has been banged up over the last few months, but finally is back to 100 percent and has had a great training camp, training with other world class welterweights like Jon Fitch. He has world class jiu jitsu under the tutelage of Cesar Gracie and has shown significant improvements in his all around game during his win streak.

Nick Thompson’s training is of a top notch caliber as well. He trains at the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy with guys like Brock Lesnar and Sean Sherk. Those guys up there are known for great cardio, and with this being a five round title fight, cardio could be a huge factor in the outcome.

This fight is so difficult to predict because they both fight at such a high level and both seem close to unbeatable right now.

This fight is in Jake’s backyard, which could be a good or bad thing; however, having a screaming crowd on your side is perhaps much better than having them against you. I’m not sure if that will make much of a difference, but in a close fight like this, the little things are going to become important.

“The Goat” has also been studying to take the Bar exam to become a lawyer. He’s scheduled to take the test two days after this fight. From what I’ve heard, the Bar is not exactly a walk in the park. Is it possible he’s been neglecting some time in the gym for his school work? I’m just saying, this is a big fight. I know Jake Shields has dedicated himself to it 100 percent. The same obviously can’t be said for Thompson.

I can see this one going deep into the fourth or even the fifth round. We might possibly even see a decision, but this is Jake Shield’s belt. He’s always been the uncrowned champ in Elite XC, and I don’t see him losing his first chance to make that official. I’m going with Jake.

Final prediction: Jake Shields via unanimous decision

Nick Diaz vs. Thomas “Wildman” Denny

Nick Diaz is pissed.

He loves to fight in Japan where he feels the art of mixed martial arts is better appreciated. And he had a welterweight title fight against “Mach” Sakurai in DREAM taken away from him by Elite XC so he could compete on this card. He was alright with that since it’s taking place in his home town, plus he had a score to settle with KJ Noons anyway. With the card being titled “Unfinished Business,” it seemed like a foregone conclusion that would be the fight, but to Diaz and most fan’s disliking, that was not the case.

For one reason or another, KJ Noons didn’t take the fight and Diaz got stuck with option number three: Thomas “Wildman” Denny — not exactly Sakurai or Noons … and not a title fight either.

Is it just me or does anyone else fear for Thomas Denny’s safety?

“Wildman” will tell you he loves the fact that he’s the underdog and blah blah blah. I’m not buying it. I see a mismatch between a pissed off Nick Diaz in his hometown against a less than stellar journeyman type.

My money’s on the kid from Stockton.

Final prediction: Nick Diaz via second round technical knockout

Shayna Baszler vs. Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos

Santos seems like she’s the more aggressive, meaner fighter, but I almost always go with a technician over a brawler. It’s no secret “Cyborg” is looking for a knockout and Baszler is looking for a submission.

Baszler will have a great gameplan for the Chute Box trained wife of Evangelista Santos. As long as she’s able to avoid the power stuff from “Cyborg” on the feet and she can get the fight to the mat where she wants it, I see her notching her tenth win by submission.

Baszler is just more experienced and better prepared for a high profile fight like this. She’s been in the cage with the best in the world. She won’t be intimidated by Santos and should be able to execute and do what she has to do.

Final prediction: Baszler via first round submission

Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva vs. Justin Eilers for Elite XC heavyweight title

Elite XC Live Events President Gary Shaw has referred to Silva as the best heavyweight fighter in the world. Silva has even said himself that Fedor Emelianenko turned down a fight against him.

Take all of that for what it’s worth.

Now, I don’t think Silva’s that good. He’s not the best in the world, but is he the best in Elite XC? Yes, he is. And this title — like with Jake Shields — has basically always been his anyway. I don’t see Justin Eilers — a guy who has always been somewhat of a letdown on the big stage — getting in his way.

He’s not called “Bigfoot” and “Giant” for nothing. The guy is huge and has ridiculous agility and speed for a man his size. He has top notch jiu jitsu, so he can finish you standing or on the ground. He’s basically almost impossible to gameplan for.

Therefore, it doesn’t appear that Eilers has too many outs in this one.

Final Prediction: Silva via first round technical knockout

Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante vs. Travis Galbraith

We all know about Feijao’s training partners — UFC champions Anderson Silva and Antonio Nogueira. We know he’s destroyed the competition so far in his two Elite XC fights. And we know he speaks of a quality jiu jitsu game he has not yet been able to display in his fights.

What we don’t know is how good is Galbraith? He has a (15-5) record and likes to finish his opponents (10 submissions, four technical knockouts). He’s faced some decent competition, but some of those at lower weight classes. And he’s lost to most of the top guys he’s faced.

While he’ll be somewhat small for 205, Feijao has been talking about how he still has to cut weight for this fight as recently as yesterday. He is after all an ex-heavyweight. He’s going to be huge coming into this fight. And if he’s as good on the ground as he claims to be, he’ll be able to control this fight regardless of where it goes because of that size.

The whole team Feijao trains with is competing at such a high level these days. The way these guys keep winning builds collective confidence and swagger, but keeps them hungry to try to keep up with each other and keep getting better.

Put simply, the light heavyweight division in Elite XC is Rafael Feijao’s. I can’t see him losing this fight.

Final prediction: Feijao via first round knockout

Wilson Reis vs. Bryan Caraway

Both fighters are coming off relatively easy first round submission victories. I had the chance to see Reis compete live at the first “Saturday Night Fights” event and came away more than impressed. I also had the chance to cover Caraway’s last fight in Strikeforce and felt close to as impressed with him.

At first look, I was convinced Reis was going to dominate this fight, but I can’t let myself count out Caraway that easily. He’s way too good for that.

Caraway will definitely be the taller fighter, but I don’t think he’ll be bigger or stronger. Reis is a little wrecking ball. He’s as monster-like as a 140 pounder can be. Plus he’s lightning fast (which is weird since Caraway’s nickname is “Kid Lightning”) and he has excellent, excellent jiu jitsu.

But Caraway has a very good submission game himself. He has twice as many submission victories (9) as Reis has wins (4). I still have to stick with my gut feeling after seeing Reis in person in Newark. He was just way too relentless for me to pick against him.

Final Prediction: Reis via second round submission

That's a wrap, folks.

For the complete Elite XC: “Unfinished Business” fight card click here. Remember to come check us out this weekend for the latest results, recaps and thoughts on Saturday's fights with our LIVE coverage!

What do you think? Now it's your turn … let us have it in the comments section and share your thoughts and picks for Elite XC: “Unfinished Business.”

Brian Stann video on Steve Cantwell WEC fight August 3

Posted: 25 Jul 2008 10:48 AM CDT

UFC 84 free tomorrow night on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET

Posted: 25 Jul 2008 08:59 AM CDT

UFC 84 free on spike

This is just a counter-programming reminder. For more background on the free “Ill Will” broadcast on Spike TV Saturday, July 26 click here. It was a dandy.

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