Dana White approached the podium in a jolly mood, waiting for the celebrity death that was sure to drop within the next week, thought back on Lance Hanh dying with no medical coverage while working at Vulcan Video, punched his absentee ballot for John McCain and shed a small tear for his departed soul.
Some good fights on this card. Hard to call fights. Fighters I like. Tough. I think I have ringworm.
Burkman vs. Sell- With absolutely no basis in anything, Sell is one of my favorite fighters of all time. This largely, well, entirely, has to do with his UFC debut vs. Baroni, which remains one of my favorite fights of all time. Since then, he has been KOd twice by Nate Quarry. Brukman is the safe pick in this fight. If you are betting money, bet on Burkman. I, however, cannot go against Sell. I see him hanging in, getting taken down, trading some good shots and slipping in a guillotine in the 3rd. I'm sticking to my folly.
Franca vs. Aurellio- If you have never seen Franca fight, do yourself a favor and watch. His strategy is basically fight like you are in junior high. Only, he is really talented. He is also 5'6" and comes out throwing haymaker bombs that he backs up with a BJJ black belt. I really like Franca, which isn't uncommon as he is one of the most likable people in the sport. Unless you are his former instructor, turned opponent, Marcus Aurellio. With a name like a Roman emperor, Aurellio sports a hefty reputation. As I have said before, I just don't see it. I am not alleging that he isn't good, but lately, his record hasn't reflected it. Both of these guys are great on the ground, and will probably be unable to submit each other. Aurellio kicks well. Franca is unorthodox, but with crazy power. I see Franca winning on a decision here, after knocking Aurellio silly a few times, and preventing any subs on the ground.
Miller vs. Horwich- Horwich loves him some Jesus Christ and make no mistake about it. He also is a Seattle street punk/ upper middle class enough to get involved in MMA through his mom buying him private lessons with Bas Rutten for his birthday/ Seemingly really nice guy/ talented fighter. I enjoy the Horwich. Nevertheless, Dan Miller, like his brother, is cut from the tough, athletic, wrestling cloth, that often rolls right over solid technicians, even if they are blessed with the spirit. I think Horwich will put up a good fight, but that Miller is far to physical and strong and will submit him in the 2nd.
Fisher vs Gugerty- Spencer Fisher is a very talented fighter. The end. I can't believe Spencer Fisher used to weigh 300 pounds. Anyway, he wins this fight however he wants in the 1st. Let's just say TKO.
Leites vs. McFedries- I have talked on here before about liking McFedries. How he has power in both of his hands. Power enough to knock-out anyone. Know what he doesn't have? Any semblance of take down defense. Leites takes him down and submits him in the 1st. This come with the caution that guys like McFedries only need one punch to land to win, so take that for what it is worth.
Sherk vs. Griffin- A lot of people claim this fight will be boring. I don't think so. Griffin's badonkadonk vs. Sherk's caveman training. Both are extremely good fighters. Extremely. I think that Sherk has very solid boxing but possesses the arms of a dinosaur. Not the long, lanky kind of dinosaur. Fortunately for him, Griffin is in the same genetic boat. There should be some exciting striking setting up explosive takedowns. I think Sherk will take Griffin down and pass his guard, but that Griffin will stay in the fight long enough to make Sherk fight for his decsion victory. Should be a grappling expo.
Werdum vs. Santos- I initially laughed this one off as an easy pick before I found out that Santos trains out of Black House with Nog and Silva. Even so Werdum is the real deal top 10/top 5 heavyweight. Werdum will strike with him, take him down from the clinch, get on top of him and TKO him in the 1st.
Maynard vs. Clementi- This is another fight I am going out on a limb on. Maynard is a very good wrestler who trains out of Extreme Couture. Clementi lives in Slidell. Actually Clementi has been on a career resurrecting run of late. He is very crafty and a solid fighter. Maynard is all kinds of strong and a better wrestler than Clementi. I would not be surprised at all if he grinds out a decision. He also hits very hard, if wild. I think that Clementi will hang with him, catch the worst of it and sub him in the 3rd, probably a guillotine.
Koscheck vs. Alves- This is the hardest fight for me to call. I have always been a Koscheck backer. I thought his battle to get Bobby Southworth to make weight on TUF 1 was the most compelling portion of the show. I believe in his athletic talent and his imporving game, but a new shiny object has obscured my view. The lightning flash that is Thiago Alves has temporarily blinded me. For Koscheck to win, he has to take Alves down for 3 rounds and hold him there, while being active and make no mistakes. All Alves has to do is neutralize top control, wait for the mistake and explode. He has the kind of freaky power in his strikes, especially his knees and kicks, to make the fight all about that one moment. I see Alves getting a KO by knee in the 3rd. It should be an exciting fight.
Silva vs. Cote- I like Cote. He has hard punches and a good chin. May they get him to the 2nd where he loses by TKO or sub, or whatever Silva feels like. We are watching a once in a generation fighter steamroll competition now. Enjoy.
That's it. Neutralize your ringworm with bleach, neutralize Arash Markazi with...whatever. Enjoy the fights.
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