HL's Picks MacDonald by Decision Patrick by submission 3rd round Menjivar by T(KO) 3rd round Jabouin by split decision Ellenberger by Submission 3rd round Makdessi by Strikes 2nd round Diaz by Submission 3rd round Matyushenko by Strikes 2nd round Henderson by Strikes 2nd round Machida by decision Aldo by T(KO) 3rd round Pierre by Decision
SW's Picks Couture by Decision Aldo by T(KO) 2nd round Pierre by Decision
If you have been hiding under a rock. May 7th is quickly approaching.
Fight camp 360 is trying to be 24/7 a bit to hard in my opinion. Just do your own thing Showtime! It's your time to shine! Any ways here are episodes 1 and 2 for your viewing pleasure.
UFC 129 middleweight showdown will be the fight to start off the night. Both fighters are coming off a loss. Notably Ryan Jensen’s loss comes from Ultimate Fighter contender Court McGee from Ogden, Utah. Both fighters are strong on the ground. MacDonald’s 24 wins, 18 came by submission, contrast similarly Jensen’s 15 wins, 10 were by submission.
Claude Patrick vs, Daniel Roberts A welterweight’s streak will come to an end. Nick named “The Prince”, Claude Patrick is going into the octagon with 12 straight wins with a record of 13-1-0. With a similar record of 12-1-0, Daniel Roberts is entering the fight with 3 straight victories. Patrick will mostly likely push the action with his style ( BJJ & Muay Thai) but Roberts southpaw stance (BJJ & Wrestling) could play a factor with counters.
Ivan Menjivar vs. Charlie Valencia Bantamweight journeymen clash in the third bout both fighters are coming into UFC 129 with a loss. Ivan Menjivar with a record of 21-8-0 will be taking on the challenger Charlie Valencia with a record of 12-6-0. Bantamweight yields high energy fighters, Menjivar’s 21 wins, 8 were (T)Kos, Valenica will have his hands full.
Pablo Garza vs. Yves Jabouin On paper this Flyweight fight looks to be action packed. Pablo Garza and Yves Jabouin are hungry for their second win. Impressively Garza’s last fight with Fredson Paixao ended in round 1 with :51 seconds left in the round with a flying knee. Jabouin will most likely want to go toe to toe with Garza. Jabouin’s 15 wins, 11 came by (T)KOs.
Sean Pierson vs. Jake Ellenberger Welterweight ground warfare in the 5th match. Sean Pierson is an all-around fighter, 11 wins only one came to a decision. Pierson is a Greco-Roman wrestler and a purple belt in BJJ. Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger the more experience fighter with 24 wins and 15 of those were (T)KOs. Ellenberger is a wrestler and a blue belt in BJJ.
Kyle Watson vs. John Makdessi Lightweight pursuits. Kyle Watson, 10 of his 13 wins were by submissions who is now going for his 6th straight win. His last win was by unanimous decision. John Makdessi is going for his undefeated 9th straight victory, who is also coming off a unanimous decision.
Rory MacDonald vs. Nate Diaz Welterweights matched up. Both Rory MacDonald and Nate Diaz are coming off a loss. And both MacDonald and Diaz are BJJ and Boxers. Diaz is known to have heart and excellent BJJ. With only 8 fight difference between them MacDonald only has one loss, the two young fighters will bang.
Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Jason Brilz Light heavyweight Janitor and Hitman fight in the 8th bout. Valdimire “The Janitor” Matyushenko at 40 years old is coming off a win to battle Jason “The Hitman” Brilz (35 years old) who is coming off a loss. Both fighters are wrestling emphasized but don’t be surprised if the match ends with strikes especially from Matyushenko (his last win coming from (T)KO strikes) but Brilz learned a lot from Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, the split decision loss.
Benson Henderson vs. Mark Bocek Lightweight mixed martial arts contest. Black Korean American fighter Benson Henderson (12-2) coming off a loss is a black belt in Taekwondo and brown belt in BJJ. Representing Canada Mark Bocek (9-3) is coming off a win (by submission) is a black belt in BJJ and a black belt in Kempo.
Randy Couture vs. Lyoto Machida Light heavyweight spectacle. Age 47 Randy Couture (19-10) will fight his last fight at UFC 129 going for his 4th straight victory to finish out his legendary career, but his opponent Lyoto Machida (age 32 record 16-2) who is coming off 2 straight controversial losses (Mauricio Rua & Quinton Jackson) looks to get back on the title track. Machida is currently ranked #4 light heavyweight fighter in the world by Sherdog & Yahoo Sports. Couture is ranked at #10 by Yahoo Sports.
UFC FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP Jose Aldo vs. Mark Hominick Contender Mark Hominck (20-8) is going for his 6th straight victory to retain his featherweight title. His 20 wins, 9 were (T)KOs, 7 by submission and 4 went to decisions. And 8 of his losses came by submission. Young Champion Jose Aldo (18-1) is starting to top more and more best of lists, defending his championship belt with 11 straight victories. Aldo’s 18 wins, 12 were (T)KOs, 2 by submission and 4 came by decision. Aldo’s only loss was by submission. Ranked by Sherdog Aldo is #1 in the featherweight division and #3 Pound-For-Pound fighter. This fight looks to be high octane with toe to toe action.
UFC WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP George St. Pierre vs. Jake Shields These welterweights need no introduction. Five times defending champion George St. Pierre’s (21-2) belt is on the line again. Jake Shields’ (26-4-1) title shot comes following 15 straight wins. Shields is either tough or fight opponents that aren’t tough enough. Shields’ 26 wins, 3 were (T)KOs. 10 by submission and 13 came by decisions. Coming off an 8 victory streak, GSP should expose Shields’ weakness in finishing an opponent. GSP has great wrestling that grinds fighters leaving them very tired. And recently, GSP showcased his ability to strike versus Josh Koscheck courtesy of new hands trainer Freddy Roach.
ESPN is reporting that Jon Jones has a torn ligament in his hand and has withdrawn form his match against Rashard Evans in UFC 133. This is another in what may be an alarming recent injury streak that has hurt the UFC cards. Recently Jon Fitch (UFC 132), BJ Penn (UFC 132), Court McGee (UFC 131), Brad Picket (UFC 130), Thiago Silva (UFC 130) have all pulled out of their matches citing injury.
Rashard Evans will be fighting replacement Phil Davis. Davis (9-0-0) defeated Antonio Rogerio Nogueira by unanimous decision during his most recent bout in March.
No answers yet to the time table of the freshly minted light heavyweight champion's return. However, Evans plans for a title shot may be derailed if not by a loss, by injury and scheduling.
"Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson are on board to square off in a proposed late July bout on Showtime, sources from both fighters' camps told SI.com on Saturday. Strikeforce officials said discussions for the summer blockbuster bout are under way, but that many details, including what weight the headliner will be contested at, as well as the date and venue, still need to be ironed out before the deal can be signed. Talks are expected to pick up next week, according to sources."
Is this for real? This sounds like a blockbuster that Strikeforce has been trying to land. Now that they are bought out by Zuffa, it seems as though they are taking steps continuing to make a name for themselves.
Keep the in mind the Strikeforce Grand-Prix is still ongoing and is a good revenue and viewer ship stream already.
Random Thoughts: So much hockey, so much basketball, and so many fights! = so much for baseball for a few months.
BERTO VS ORTIZ and KHAN V McCLOSKEY this weekend!!! Read my preview here. Prediction Ortiz KO 10. Khan KO 6.
JUAN MANUEL LOPEZ VS ORLANDO SALIDO AS WELL! Should be a good night for JML. Everyone will be talking about how Salido gave Gamboa a tough time when they fought. Juan Manuel Lopez should have no such problem. I think he is so much more technically sound than Gamboa it should be a relatively easy fight.
Props to Roy Jones Jr. for taking on a tough fight at a bigger weight. He is scheduled to take on the Russian Denis Lebedev (26-1 160KOS) in his home country, AND at the highest weight since he won his HW belt from John Ruiz. At least he's not fighting nobodies. Props and the best of luck to him.
The Klitscko brothers have decided that Wladimir V Haye and Vitali V Adamek. Wait.. they get to choose who each of them fight? That's a bit ridiculous.
They are replaying the Amir Khan V Maidana in HD streaming for free on youtube. It was voted by the BWAA (Boxing Writers Association of America) as their Fight of the Year. Now you have officially no reason NOT to watch this fight. Here it is:
Erik Morales is one of the most decorated fighters in the sport. He is a living legend, a shoo-in to the boxing hall of fame.
Perhaps it was foolish pride that made him decide to step in the ring with one of the most avoided punchers in the deepest weight class in boxing. But it was heart and guts that allowed him to stay in the pocket and fight one of the greatest losing performances in recent memory.
Morales told anyone who would listen before this match that he had a gameplan. That he knew how to beat Marcos Maidana. It was clear that Morales wasn't going to use a hit and run tactic like Amir Khan. Instead he was going to stay in the pocket and beat Maidana to the punch with straighter shots down the middle.
In the first few rounds you could see the signs of Morales lacking a quality opponent for a number of years as Maidana, with his aggression mostly, jumped all over him. However, as the fight wore on, Morales was able to weather the storm and counter Maidana.
All in all. Great fight. Great heart shown by Morales. I don't see him rematching Maidana. I think the outcome will be similar if not worse off for El Terible.
I love the fact that Golden Boy is putting on great cards like the one they did on Saturday. This is a step that they need to take in order to hang with other fight sports like UFC.
Here's some pictures from the action filled night. I will be the first to stand up and say. I was wrong about Erik Morales. I still worry about his health, but no one can question his heart. He already had his Hall of Fame credentials wrapped up. Now he is moving up the lists of many in the all time category.
At first sight when I saw the Morales vs Maidana matchup made I was, like the rest of the media, unhappy. Erik Morales has been a favorite to any fight fan because of his participation in some of the historical action fights. His famous trilogies with Manny Pacqiaou and Marco Antonio Barrera will always be seared in the memories of fight fans anywhere. The trilogy between him and Barrera may rank amount the greatest of fight trilogies of all time. However, because of his long layoff and punishment he has received over the last years of his career is worrisome. From 2005-2007 he lost 4 straight (5 of 6) all coming to a dramatic end against David Diaz, a clear step below Morales usual caliber. After taking a few years off he has come back to win 3 in a row against pedestrian competition and eventually signed up to fight Maidana.
However, Golden Boy, and everyone else knows, that El Terrible sells. He sells well with the Mexican community and this fight will do very good PPV numbers. Even with the betting odds stacked against Morales (Maidana is a -650 and Morales is a +425 the same odds as Andre Ward and Arthur Abraham currently stand) he will be the crowd favorite. Whether that can propel him to victory is a different story. I think someone who is as hungry and dangerous as Maidana, who BARELY, lost to Amir Khan, is a scary predicament for Morales. I expect a 9th round stoppage with El Terrible eventually wiltering under the unorthodox pressure that Maidana applies.
ROBERT GUERRERO VS MICHEAL KATSIDIS
What really gets my boxing juices going is the undercard is also stacked with good action fights. The main fight undercard will be Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero (28-1 18Kos) against Micheal Katsidis (27-3 22 Kos) for the interim WBA and WBO lightweight belt. This fight is sure to have fireworks as both men love to come forward and throw. Guerrero is coming off of a good win against a tough opponent in Vincente Escobedo. While Escobedo has good technical boxing skills, you can see from the fight that Guerrero just had him outskilled in too many categories. He was a better boxer, put more pressure, cleaner and harder shots. Micheal Katsidis is trying to return from a loss in a war between him and Juan Manuel Marquez (little tidbit later on). He looked good early, pressuring in his usual style, and even knocking JMM down but eventually succumbing to Marquez clean counterpunching. This may be a dark horse candidate for fight of the year.
JAMES KIRKLAND V NOBUHIRA ISHIDA
Also, I also going to enjoy watching James Kirkland (27-0 24kos) fight as he frantically tries to kickstart his career after his recent incarceration. He fights Japanese fighter Nobuhiro Ishida (22 – 6 7 Kos) who is coming off of a close split decision loss for a interim belt. He is aging but has never been stopped in his career. It looks like James Kirkland’s handlers are going to keep him very busy (he already fought twice in March). While I expect a win from James Kirkland, a big KO victory would really propel his name into the Junior Middleweight and Middleweight upper echelon again. I expect big fights in the future for an entertaining fighter.
PAULIE MALIGNAGGI VS JOSE MIGUEL COTTO
We have a treat watching Paulie Malignaggi (28-4 6Kos)square off against Jose Miguel Cotto (32-2-124kos-). Paulie has just racked up his 6th KO of his career against journeyman Michael Lozada (although it was a referee stoppage), his first fight since breaking off from Lou DiBella. I didn’t like the things that he said after he “retired” then signed with Golden Boy, but I see another payday in his future. He should be able to outbox Cotto easily and win a 12 round decision.
DANNY GARCIA VS NATE CAMPBELL
Finally recently added to the card is Danny Garcia (20-0, 14 KOs) fighting Nate “Galaxy Warrior” Campbell(33-7-1, 25 KOs). Danny Garcia is clearly one of Golden Boy’s top prospects and they are banking on the fact that Nate Campbell is shot and is coming out of retirement only for the money. However, it has been shown in the past that the Galaxy Warrior can beat anyone at anytime (and the ability to lose to anyone at anytime). This is a big step up for Danny Garcia and will be a very interesting test.
All in all a very interesting fight card. I am glad that Golden Boy decided to stack the undercard with good fights knowing that non Mexican fight fans would need a bit more than Erik Morales to plop down the PPV fee.
Other thoughts
Ivan Calderon tries to regain his title against Giovanni Segura on Saturday. Segura is an all pressure fighter that wore out “Iron” Calderon eventually stopping him in the 8th round the last time they met. Will he be able to do the same? Should be a damn good fight
Juan Manuel Marquez and Zab Judah in talks? This could get interesting. Seems like a fight I would definitely be excited about.
MMA note: Jon Fitch has pulled out of his BJ Penn match with an injury (UFC 132). Who will be his replacement? Carlos Condit is an obvious choice but, how about Nick Diaz now that Strikeforce has been bought?
Opening day in baseball has come and gone. I love baseball. But once again I remembered why I love fights so much more. Losing in baseball (or almost every other sport) doesn’t compare to losing in fighting. That’s what makes fight sports great. Losing sucks. Losing a fight? Fucking hurts AND sucks…
