Jones vs. Vera

The future is looking bright for the UFC as the depth they now have in their roster allows them to put together great match ups and props to UFC “matchmaker” Joe Silva for setting this one up. The Brandon Vera vs. Jon Jones showdown is set to take place in a couple weeks at the “Bank Center” in Broomfield, Colorado. It will also be airing live on the VERSUS network.

I’ve always been a Brandon Vera fan because he represents Muay Thai but he’s certainly not a “one trick pony”. He’s a multiple time “grapplers quest” champion and he’s earned a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Lloyd Irvin. On top of all that, he’s a talented Greco Roman wrestler as he used to train alongside Randy Couture at the US Olympic training center in Colorado Springs.

And speaking of Couture, Brandon Vera will be looking to rebound from a hard fought loss against him in a fight that many feel he deserved to win. However, picking up a legitimate over Jon Jones is far from an easy task (as indicated by the fact that nobody has defeated him). Sure, he “lost” on a technicality in his last fight against Matt Hamill but he was far from being defeated.

As a matter of fact, while watching his fight against Matt Hamill, I felt like I was watching a snuff film rather than a sanctioned sporting event - that’s how bad of a beat down it was. He literally tossed Matt Hamill around the ring with ease and then went to work on him with some of the most brutal ground and pound that you’ll ever see, ultimately leaving Matt Hamill a bloody mess.

Jon Jones is now officially 3-1 in the UFC and 9-1 in his career but let’s just say he’s undefeated because as mentioned above, he looked more impressive and dominant in his last fight than he has in his entire career (although the beating he put on Stephan Bonner was extremely impressive as well).

However, Brandon Vera will his toughest opponent to date. He has the Greco Roman wrestling skills that may neutralize Jones’s and if Jones does end up getting Vera in a favourable position, then Vera is fully capable of both improving his position and threatening with submission attempts.

If I’m right and these guys end up neutralizing each other in terms of wrestling ability, then we may be in for an incredible showcase of striking ability. Brandon Vera is a traditional Muay Thai style and while Jon Jones is also listed as a Muay Thai fighter, his style is a little more unorthodox. Any way you look at it, this fight has all the makings of being incredible.

Mir vs Carwin

In about two and a half weeks, we’re going to witness a couple of the UFC’s largest and most talented heavyweights clash in a match up that will determine the top contender in the division. The winner will of course get a shot at Brock Lesnar at the start of the summer (they’re saying July at the moment).

For years, the heavyweight division in the UFC was laughable. So laughable in fact, that Randy Couture came out of his initial retirement and dominated both Gabriel Gonzaga and then Tim Sylvia to become the champion and in turn, he had himself and millions of fans worldwide convinced that he was “the one” that was going to beat Fedor Emelianenko.

Well, that fight never transpired but it’s a pretty safe bet (judging by both Randy’s and Fedor’s recent performances) that Fedor would have been too much for him and Randy’s quick rise to the top was partly due to the lack of depth in the heavyweight division.

Today, things have certainly changed. Brock Lesnar reigns supreme and there’s a stable worthy challengers that are capable of beating him on any given night. Cain Velasquez, Shane Carwin, Junior Dos Santos and Frank Mir ALL possess skill sets that will enable them to get the job done.

The fight between Frank Mir and Shane Carwin is an interesting match up for a number of reasons. Since Shane Carwin is very similar to Brock Lesnar in the sense that he’s a big, strong and accomplished wrestler, I’m excited to see if the “new”, puffed-up and “improved” Frank Mir will be able to match the physical strength of Carwin and avoid the take down.

If Frank Mir - who doesn’t have much of an amateur wrestling background - can somehow use his newfound strength to neutralize Carwin’s takedown attempts and keep the fight on the feet, then it may give us an insight as to how he will be able to fare against Lesnar in a rematch.

However, in order to get that rematch with Lesnar that he’s been obsessing about, Frank Mir will have to get past Shane Carwin, and based on what we’ve seen thus far, “getting past” Shane Carwin is no easy task - especially considering that he’s currently undefeated and none of his opponents have made it out of the first round with him.

Since Carwin has blown through his opponents so quickly, there’s a lot that we don’t know about him. For instance, how is his cardio? In his last fight against Gabriel Gonzaga, we demonstrated that he has a good chin and that he can take a hard shot and keep going. In addition to being able to take it, he can certainly dish it out too as he has devastating power in his hands.

Being an accomplished wrestler, his “top game” is solid as well, but we still haven’t seem him fight off his back yet and we don’t know what sort of submission defence he has yet either. Frank Mir is an incredible submission specialist as well.

Any way you like at it, this Frank Mir vs. Shane Carwin fight is quite interesting and regardless of who wins, the UFC hype machine will have a lot to work with when it comes time to promote a fight between the winner of this and Brock Lesnar.

If Frank Mir wins, the rematch between him and Lesnar will have the potential to be one of the most watched fights ever. They genuinely hate each other, the “series” between them is tied 1-1 and Frank Mir has made a lot of powerful statements regarding his dislike for Lesnar and how beating him up is all he thinks about. Plus, he’s packed on about 25 pounds of solid muscle in an attempt to avoid being bullied around again.

If Shane Carwin pulls out the victory, that makes for a very hype-able title fight between him and Lesnar as well. Shane has already voiced his displeasure regarding how Lesnar conducted himself after UFC 100 and basically how he’d like to treat him a lesson (not in those words). Both guys are absolute giants and very accomplished wrestlers. It’ll be interesting to see how they stack up.

GSP vs. Dan Hardy

Within the span of 2 weeks, the UFC is giving us 4 title fights. Well, technically 3 “official” title fights and another one between Mir and Carwin for the “interim” title due to Brock Lesnars inactivity due to illness. One of those title fights is a welterweight showdown between Georges St. Pierre and Dan Hardy. Without even looking at the odds in this one, I can tell you that “GSP” is going to be a heavy favorite, and for good reason.

GSP improves every single time he steps into the Octagon and in the fight hype videos for this, he states that he’s “bigger, stronger, more powerful and more skilled than I have ever been”. That’s certainly not good news for Hardy, who’s seriously undersized compared to GSP to begin with.

However, given all his advantages, GSP still isn’t taking the fight lightly (I think he learned his lesson against Matt Serra). Leading up to this fight, GSP has said that Dan Hardy is the most dangerous opponent that he’s had to face thus far in his career.

Now, it’s a good sign that he’s entering into this fight with that mentality - as he’ll likely be extremely prepared - but when you consider the calibre of opponents that GSP has dismantled so far (Hughes, Penn, Koscheck, Alves and Fitch), it’s hard to believe that Dan Hardy is going to throw something at GSP that he hasn’t already had to deal with.

Dan Hardy is a good striker, there’s no denying that. He trains his boxing with Freddie Roach, so it’s expected that he has good hands. His Muay Thai is pretty solid as well, as is Georges St. Pierre’s. This is nothing new for GSP. GSP has dealt with top notch strikers before, just look what he did to Thiago Alvez.

He fought a smart against Alvez as he realized the threat that he posed in the stand up and he used his superior wrestling ability to take him down, over and over. Thiago Alvez is much larger and more powerful than Dan Hardy is as well and GSP still took him down at will. As a matter of fact, GSP took BJ Penn down at will and BJ Penn has incredible takedown defence - perhaps the best in all of MMA due to the dexterity of his limbs.

GSP has been buzz-sawing through the best wrestlers in the welterweight division (Hughes, Koscheck, Fitch) so it seems unrealistic that he will be unable to take down and manhandle Dan Hardy, who is physically smaller and does not have an amateur wrestling background whatsoever. Dan Hardy is a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Eddie Bravo, but GSP has earned his black belt.

So, when GSP secures a takedown, it seems unlikely that Dan Hardy will somehow be able to slap on a submission from his back. BJ Penn - who’s a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu “phenom” - didn’t have an answer for Georges St. Pierre’s top game so I doubt Dan Hardy will either.

On paper, this should be an easy win for GSP. That being said, it’s a fight and as we’ve seen time after time, ANYTHING can happen in a fight. Dan Hardy has already demonstrated that he has knockout power in his hands so if he’s able to land a clean shot, it could be lights out for GSP. It’s unlikely, but it’s certainly possible. There’s always a “punchers chance” and Dan Hardy can certainly throw hands - just ask Marcus Davis. The “fight hype” is below..

Cain Velasquez vs “Big Nog”

Not only do we get to see what will most likely be an epic showdown between Wanderlei Silva and Michael Bisping, but at UFC 110, we also get to witness a heavyweight clash between Cain Velasquez and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

It’s already been stated that the winner of the fight between Frank Mir and Shane Carwin will end up getting the first shot at Brock Lesnar at the start of the summer but the fight between Cain Velasquez and “Big Nog” seems like a contender match in its own right. The winner of this fight will clearly get a shot at the title in the very near future.

Since he’s entered the UFC, Cain Velasquez has looked nothing short of dominant in all 5 of his victories inside the Octagon. Despite being a relatively small heavyweight, Cain Velasquez has been utilizing his superior wrestling skills to literally manhandle his competition.

Everybody who trains with Cain Velasquez seems to be touting him as being the “next big thing” - a catchphrase that ironically, was used to build up the character of Brock Lesnar back in his “pro wrestling” days. While Cain Velasquez’s strength is clear (that being his wrestling), his weaknesses are equally as apparent as he was clearly out-struck in his fight with Cheick Kongo.

Luckily for Velasquez, Nogueira has only ended 2 of his 39 fights with a knockout. He showcased much improved boxing in his most recent fight with Randy Couture but it doesn’t seem like Nogueira has the power in his hands to KO Velasquez - especially considering the fact that kickboxing sensation Cheick Kongo couldn’t put him out with the perfectly placed shots that he landed.

If Cain Velasquez is getting picked apart on his feet, I don’t believe he will have any trouble getting the fight to the round. However, how he will fare on the ground against the best grappler in the heavyweight division is what makes this fight interesting.

When the fight hits the mat, it will be a classic wrestling vs. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu showdown. Both of these guys are around the same size as well so the strength factor won’t come into play as it did in the fight between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir - which is the last time we witnessed a heavyweight grappling match between a pure wrestler and a Jiu Jitsu fighter.

As for how this fight plays out, well, I see Cain Velasquez being able to take Nogueira down at will. He has never had difficulty getting the fight to the ground in any of his fights and I don’t think he will in this one either. However, how things play out once the fight hits the ground is a different story. Wrestler vs. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner, who you got?

Then again, I left out a few other things; experience a heart. The experience factor definitely goes to Nogueira and as for heart, Nogueira never ceases to amaze me. He seems to always come back and pull out victories from the brink of defeat. Cain Velasquez seems to have a fighters heart as well, but we just haven’t had much of an opportunity to see him perform under adversity - aside from the few big shots that he took in the Kongo fight. I guess we’ll get to see what he’s made of this Saturday.

Wanderlei Silva vs. Michael Bisping

So this is a fight that has been in the making for a while now. In his fight versus Denis Kang, Joe Rogan mentioned that Michael Bisping originally wanted to fight Wanderlei Silva because he wanted to get a win against a top 10 opponent to bounce back against his devastating knockout loss at the hands of Dan Henderson.

Well, at the time, he was unable to get the fight with Silva but instead, he put on an incredible performance against the always game Denis Kang. Kang is a highly ranked Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner (black belt) and Bisping had the opportunity to showcase his much improved ground game as he did a great job and maintaining his composure and re-gaining his guard when he was in some potentially threatening positions in the first round.

While Michael Bisping has gotten back to his winning ways, the same can’t be said for Wanderlei Silva, who has lost 5 of his last 6 fights. In all fairness though, that’s not a good indicator of his performances because in the 3 of those losses that occurred in the UFC, he won “fight of the night” honours for 2 of them - both of which were razor thin decision losses to Rich Franklin and Chuck Liddell respectively.

As for how this fight plays out, it’s fairly unpredictable. Wanderlei Silva is a legend and he’s got to where he’s at for a reason. You can never count him out, even despite his recent losses and Michael Bisping, he seems hungrier and more motivated than ever. After watching his performance at UFC 105 (which Joe Rogan referred too as the “best performance of his career”), it seems as though that the loss to Dan Henderson may have actually been a good thing for him. He needed to be humbled anyway.

Both of these guys leave it all in the Octagon every time they fight so I wouldn’t be surprised if this one ends up going to a decision and gets put into the hands of the judges. I also wouldn’t be surprised if this ends up taking “fight of the night” honours as well. However, anytime you’re on the same card with “Big Nog”, there’s going to be some serious competition for that bonus.

Josh Koscheck vs Paulo Thiago

Josh Koscheck will finally get the chance to redeem himself for what I personally feel was a fluke loss to Paulo Thiago back at UFC 95. I think it was a fluke not because Paulo Thiago isn’t a good fighter, that’s clearly not the case. I mean, the guy has a black belt in both Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu - both of which are extremely applicable to mixed martial arts.

I think it was a fluke because Josh Koscheck lost that fight on the feet, which is an aspect of fighting where he certainly has an advantage. Even as the fight was transpiring, Joe Rogan was praising Josh’s crisp striking while criticizing the sloppy, reckless, “chin up in the air” style striking of Paulo Thiago.

They say everyone has a “punchers chance” and I guess it was just Paulo Thiago’s lucky night that night - he should have stopped off at 7 eleven on the way home and bought some lottery tickets. But then again, he won a mini-lottery anyway because that knockout won him “knockout of the night” honors and the $65,000 dollar bonus that comes with it.

Since then, Josh Koscheck - who is now the most active fighter in the UFC stating that he would like to fight every month - has knocked off 2 very impressive victories over Frank Trigg and Anthony Johnson. Paulo Thiago has since been defeated at the hands of Jon Fitch, but let’s be honest, most people lose to Jon Fitch. However, in his next bout, Paulo Thiago shut down the previously undefeated UFC newcomer, Jacob Volkmann.

As for how these 2 guys match up stylistically, I think that Josh Koscheck has the edge. He’s a lot stronger and he’s much more explosive than Paulo Thiago. He’s one of the most accomplished wrestlers in the entire organization having gone 43-0 in his junior year at college and then going on to becoming a 4 time NCAA Division 1 All-American.

His striking has improved leaps and bounds due to his time spent training at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California. And on the slim chance that anyone will be able to outwrestle him and put him on his back, he’s been working on his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and has now earned his brown belt.

Granted, Paulo Thiago is an accomplished Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt but it really seems unlikely that he’s going to be able to out-due Josh Koscheck’s superior wrestling ability and get the fight to the mat. The better wrestler always has the option to dictate where the fight will take place and in this particular instance, I feel as though Koscheck will steer the fight away from Paulo Thiago’s strength and keep the fight standing.

I doubt that lightening is going to strike twice and Koscheck - being the more technical striker - will likely show the world that his previous loss was a fluke. The betting lines for this fight will be interesting considering the outcome of their previous fight so if the odds are anywhere near even (I highly doubt they will be), then the smart money will be on Josh Koscheck.

Randy Couture vs Mark Coleman

THIS SITE USUALLY HAS THE FIGHTS (There’s an annoying survey though).

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Randy Couture vs. Mark Coleman; as irrelevant as this fight may be to the light heavyweight title picture, we’re still going to get to see 2 legends of the sport square off at UFC 109. Neither fighter is at the top of their game at the moment, but considering that their combined age is 90, that’s to be expected.

However, that being said, both fighters are actually coming off wins, and wins against noteworthy opponents I might add. Randy Couture recently edged out Brandon Vera for a decision victory at UFC 105 and the last time Mark Coleman fought - which was at UFC 100 - he outwrestled and out pointed Stephan Bonnar.

And that’s what makes this particular fight so intriguing - the wrestling ability of these two fighters. Randy Couture, as we all know, is a very accomplished wrestler (three time Olympic team alternate and three time division 1 all American) and he uses those skills perfectly in the octagon. As a matter of fact, he oftentimes uses the octagon cage to his advantage - as we saw against Gabriel Gonzaga back at UFC 74.

Not to be outdone, Mark Coleman has a pretty serious amateur wrestling background himself as he also wrestled in the Olympics, placing 7th overall back in 1992 in Barcelona, Spain. Randy Couture has been inducted into the UFC hall of fame and well, so has Mark Coleman. As a matter of fact, there are only 6 fighters that have been inducted into the prestigious hall of fame and now, we get to see two of them (the only 2 that are currently active by the way) square off in the main event.

As for how I see this fight playing out, well, there’s a good chance that their wrestling ability, being as high calibre as it is, will cancel each other out. In which case, it’ll come down to who’s sharper in the other areas of the game. I believe that of the two, Randy Couture has aged a little bit better as he’s kept himself in phenomenal shape.

His cardio and fight preparation is never to be questioned and with Mark Coleman, the same thing can’t be said - as we watched him gas in his fight with shogun. Coleman trains out of team hammer house, which is a great stable of wrestlers, but it’s not a well versed team like Randy Couture has at his Xtreme Couture facility in Vegas.

Since they may neutralize each other in the wrestling department, there’s a good chance that this fight may be decided on the feet, in which case, I can certainly see Randy Couture getting the better of the stand up. Randy is an excellent boxer and he seems to be a little quicker than Coleman. And while Coleman has some knockouts on his resume, most of those have come by way of ground and pound - which is a technique that he “godfathered” by the way.

So, all things considered, I’d say that Randy Couture certainly has the edge in this one. He’s a little bit quicker, little bit sharper with his striking and when the odds come out, if they’re anywhere near even, then the smart money should be on Randy Couture.

Grey Maynard vs. Nate Diaz

On January 11th, we’ll get to see a rematch between Grey Maynard and Nate Diaz for free on Spike TV. Recall that these two have squared off once before in the semi-finals of the Ultimate Fighter Season 5 reality show. In that particular fight, Nate Diaz was victorious as he used his superior Brazilian Jiu Jitsu skills to submit “the bully” with a guillotine choke in the second round.

Since then however, Grey Maynard has been on a tear and he’s yet to be defeated in his professional MMA career. Maynard, who wrestled alongside Rashad Evans at Michigan State University, has been using his amateur wrestling background to literally “bully” his opponents around the Octagon. As a matter of fact, he is perhaps the most accomplished wrestler in the UFC’s lightweight division at the moment.

If Grey Maynard is able to get past Nate Diaz, the victory will put him in contention for a shot at BJ Penn’s lightweight title. Although I don’t believe that any lightweight in the UFC at the moment has what it takes to dethrone the seemingly unstoppable BJ Penn, Grey Maynard, if anyone, poses the greatest threat.

He’s big, strong, aggressive and he has a legit wrestling background. GSP revealed the key to beating BJ Penn in their last fight and if there’s anyone in the lightweight division that can duplicate that strategy, it’s Grey Maynard. BJ Penn and Grey Maynard also used to train together so I imagine he’ll be able to put together a great game plan.

That being said, in order to get that title shot, Grey Maynard has to first get past Nate Diaz - which is no easy task. Like his brother Nick, Nate is often overlooked and underestimated and because of that, he oftentimes shocks the world with his performances. He’s cocky, but for good reason, and he can certainly back up all the trash talking he does.

Having beat Grey Maynard before, he’ll certainly be entering this fight with the mental edge. And having been submitted via guillotine choke, Grey Maynard will have to be extra cautious when he shoots in for those takedowns.

In terms of how these guys match up, it’s fairly even. Grey Maynard is obviously the more powerful of the two and he’s the better wrestler but Nate Diaz - being a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Cesar Gracie - is excellent at fighting off his back. He always stays active and always threatens from the bottom and if an opening presents itself, he’s quick to slap on that triangle choke - as Kurt Pellegrino experienced first hand when Nate Diaz submitted him and won “submission of the night” honors at his expense.

This is one of those fights that could go either way and it’s got “fight of the night” written all over it. But that’s not a very bold prediction considering that Nate Diaz has won either “fight of the night” or “submission of then night” honours in his last 5 fights. Job security in the UFC is terrible but with the performances that Diaz is putting on, regardless of whether he wins or loses, his job is pretty safe.

Dustin Hazelett vs. Paul Daley

This clash between Dustin Hazelett and Paul Daley is a classic pure striker vs. pure grappler showdown. Set to take place at UFC 108 in Las Vegas Nevada, this fight is sure to end with either a devastating knockout or an incredible submission. After all, Dustin Hazelett’s last 4 wins in the octagon have come by way of submission and the last 2 have won him the “submission of the night” bonus.

On the other end of the spectrum, Paul Daley’s last 11 victories have come via strikes. Paul Daley doesn’t go to decision very often and although he’s relatively unknown to the American audience, he’s been bouncing around from organization to organization and knocking dudes out left and right.

Paul Daley splits his time between Team Roughhouse (where he trains alongside welterweight standout, Dan Hardy) and Vos Gym, where he trains with some of the best heavyweight Muay Thai practitioners in the world. His training partner Gilbert Yvel also happens to be fighting on the same card so they’ll be looking to head back to Amsterdam with a pair of victories under their belt.

However, in order to get that victory, Paul Daley is going to have to fight off Dustin Hazelett’s takedown attempts. Dustin Hazelett was recently awarded his black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from Jorge Gurgel so it’s no secret what his game plan in this fight will be; takedown, control and then submit. Hopefully Gurgel - who’s known to slug it out despite his superior skills on the ground - will instruct him to fight smart.

As for how this fight will likely play out, it’s pretty clear cut. If Hazelett gets Daley to the ground, which might be easier said then done considering that Daley has a wrestling background, then he’ll end up getting a submission victory and becoming 1 step closer to a title shot. If however, he gets clipped in the process of trying to get the fight to the ground, he’ll be waking up, confused about his whereabouts, and hearing the sounds of Daley giving his post-fight victory speech.

Junior Dos Santos vs. Gilbert Yvel

UFC 108 is stacked with knockout artists and this fight is no exception. Junior Dos Santos has been on a tear since he entered the UFC and shocked the world - well, he shocked the hardcore MMA enthusiasts who actually know about Fabricio Werdum’s background - when he knocked the former PRIDE star out cold in the very first round back at UFC 90.

During the broadcast (prior to the fight), they showed Dos Santos warming up on the pads in the locker room and although I had never heard of him, I was amazed at his hand speed. The dude was fast, and from what I could tell, he had a lot of power behind those punches as well so I instantly bet my buddy - who was watching the fights with me - 20 bucks against his 40 (2:1 odds) that Dos Santos was going to take it.

Since then, I’ve been betting on Dos Santos in each of his fights and I plan to do the same in this one. Gilbert Yvel, for those who haven’t seem him fight before, is certainly the more experienced of the two. He has over 50 fights under his belt, 31 of which have ended with a knockout - but what else would you expect from a guy nicked named “the hurricane” and training out of the “Vos Gym” alongside the likes of Ernesto Hoost, Remy Bonjasky, Antoni Hardonk and Paul Daley - who’s also on the card.

However, while Yvel is the more experienced of the two and there’s no question that he’s a vicious striker, what is to be questioned is his non-existent ground game. He’s great at what he does, and that’s swinging for the fences and putting people to sleep, but once the fight hit’s the ground, I have a feeling that he may be in some trouble.

Although we have yet to see what Junior Dos Santos can do on the ground, he trains out of black house with the Nogueira brothers and Anderson Silva - all 3 of which are black belts in BJJ - and he himself has his brown belt. So, on the off chance that this fight ends up on the ground, I’d have to give the edge to Junior Dos Santos strictly based on his grappling credentials - although we haven’t seen him place that knowledge into action yet.

As for who I think will come out on top, I’m going to have to go with my cut and put my money on Jumior Dos Santos. He’s far less experienced, but he’s been impressive thus far and hopefully, he’ll be smart enough to take the fight to the ground if he’s not getting the better of the exchanges on the feet. Either way though, this fight is sure to be fireworks as both fighters are known for their aggression and knockout power.

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