UFC 106 - thoughts & results

These are probably the worst picks I've made, going 4 out of 9, with 1 draw. terrilble.

Griffin def. Tito Ortiz by decision (split) - I was hoping Tito wins only because I don't like Forrest but as the fight went on I realized that I really don't care for either guy. In the third round Tito completely gassed & was basically a punching bag. We really learned nothing from this fight, except that no matter how healthy Tito says he is he will still come up with a lame excuse when he loses.

Josh Koscheck def. Anthony Johnson by submission (rear-naked choke), rd. 2 - Kos fought a good fight & a smart one. Johnson needs to work a ton on his ground game if he plans to be a complete fighter. Rumble has a ton of potential & is very young but he always looks absolutely lost on the ground.

I liked when Koscheck called out Hardy & said he hasn't fought anyone good, even though he just beat his AKA teammate the week before. Thumbs up to Koscheck for trying to get a title shot by running his mouth. It worked for Carwin.Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Louis Arthur Cane by TKO, rd. 1. - wow! I really underestimated Lil' Nog. I picked Cane to win because I thought he had the advantage in striking & Rogerio hasn't looked that impressive lately. I was wrong, Nog was lean and fast with very crisp boxing. I am excited to see Nogueira makes some waves in UFC's stacked light-heavyweight division.Amir Sadollah def. Phil Baroni by decision (unanimous) - Baroni is Baroni, he fought exactly how we thought he would, he got the crap kicked out of him but he's tough as hell. Sadollah was not that impressive in his 3 round beating of Baroni. We'll see what happens with Sadollah but I remain unconvinced that he is a quality welterweight. I did find that Baroni's blood all over Sadollah was very aesthetically pleasing. Paulo Thiago def. Jacob Volkmann by decision (unanimous) - There was a lot of great technical grappling in this fight. Volkmann clearly needs to work on his striking. I like Thiago, I think he's earned his spot among the top 10 welterweights.Ben Saunders def. Marcus Davis by KO, rd. 1 - I was blown away by Saunders knocking out Davis. Saunders looked more mature then in his fight against Swick, but what will he be able to do when he can't knee his opponent from the clinch?Kendall Grove def. Jake Rosholt by submission (triangle choke), rd. 1 - Jake was all over Grove, throwing him around like a ragdoll. Rosholt needs to work on his submission defense & not tap the second he gets caught. Caol Uno & Fabricio Camoes Draw (majority) - I didn't get to see this fight. They say Camoes would've won if he didn't hit Uno with an illegal strike in round 2.

Brian Foster def. Brock Larson by submission (strikes), rd. 2 - Brock didn't look like he'd ever trained anything but top position grappling. I thought Foster wasn't ready for the UFC yet but he looked good. I am excited for Fosters next fight.

George Sotiropopulos def. Jason Dent by submission (armbar), rd. 2 - Both guys looked pretty good. Dent showed some quality striking but it was Sotiropoulos' more rounded game that proved too much for him.

UFC 106 : Ortiz vs Griffin

UFC 106 - Ortiz vs. Griffin 2 , November 21, 2009 , Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas

Main Bouts:

Forrest Griffin (205) vs. Tito Ortiz (204) - I know that Griffin has improved leaps & bounds since their first meeting 3 years ago. I can't say that for Ortiz. Tito has said repeatedly that his back is healthier than it's been in a long time, & that's what was holding him back. I think his injured back may have been a factor but it seems that more than anything Ortiz is a limited fighter who's style stop being so effective once the sport began to evolve. I know that Tito has been working on his striking at Wild Card's with Freddie Roach, but I really can't say for sure how much improved his stand-up will be.

On the other hand, Griffin seems to be taking his first round loss to Anderson Silva terribly. I think Griffin should be doing what GSP did after the Matt Serra loss, & use that as the ultimate motivation to improve as a fighter, but the word out of Xtreme Couture is that he doesn't want to talk about it & is basically ignoring the embarrassing loss.

I would like to see Ortiz get the win here, because he's a great personality, he's a good guy, & I really don't like what a sore loser Forrest has turned into. I hope Tito proves us all wrong, but until then I have to pick Griffin by Decision.

Josh Koscheck (171) vs. Anthony Johnson (170) - Koscheck should win this fight. Anthony Johnson isn't great when guys can take him down & Koschecks wrestling can take Johnson down all day. My problem with picking Koscheck is that he seems to have the 'Jorge Gurgel Syndrome', where he is in love with his stand-up skills, & refuses to take it to the ground where he has the advantage. I don't trust Kos to try to wrestle with Johnson. He didn't do it with Thiago Alves (lost), Yoshiyuki Yoshida (won), Paulo Thiago (lost), Frank Trigg (won). Kos is gonna get hit & hit hard by 'Rumble'. Johnson by KO, rd 2.

Paulo Thiago (169) vs. Jacob Volkmann (170) - I was pissed that we aren't getting the Dustin Hazelett/Karo Parisyan fight, due to Karo pulling out last minute. I really wanted to see Hazelett back in action & I thought the Parisyan fight was a great match up. On the plus side, Thiago vs Volkmann has been moved to the main card. Everyone seems to be on the Volkmann bandwagon. He's 9-0 coming into this fight & can apparently take anyone down. To be honest, I've never seen Volkmann fight before but it doesn't seem he's fought anyone at Thiago's level. I've been very impressed with Paulo in his 2 fights in the UFC, I am gonna take Thiago by Decision. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (205) vs. Luis Cane (205) - This fight has to be the saving grace of this card. With all the changes UFC 106 has gone through, I wouldn't be as excited as I am if not for this match up. I like Lil' Nog but I have to go with Cane (pronounced Con-eh, not Cane). I don't think Rogerio is the fighter his brother is & I see Cane getting the better of him on the feet, & being able to stay out of trouble if it does go to the ground. Cane by TKO, rd 3.
Amir Sadollah (170) vs. Phil Baroni (170) - Baroni is a joke. If Sadollah loses to him then he's an even bigger bigger joke. Sadollah by armbar, rd 2. On Spike:

Marcus Davis (170) vs. Ben Saunders (170) - I like Saunders & I think he is a great prospect, but he showed he was out of his league against Mike Swick in June, & I think the experience of Davis will also be too much for him. Davis by Decision.

Jake Rosholt (185.5) vs. Kendall Grove (186) - Grove has a weak chin & Rosholt has shown very improved striking, so even if Grove is almost a foot taller than Rosholt, it's still a recipe for deisaster for 'Da Spyda'. Grove was letting a gassed Ricardo Almeida take him down, so I don't see why Rosholt can't get takedowns & top position all day long. I think Rosholt will ground & pound Grove into a rd. 2 TKO.

Preliminary Bouts:

Brock Larson (171) vs. Brian Foster (171) - Larson will prove too much for Foster. Larson by sub, rd 1.

Caol Uno (155.5) vs. Fabricio Camoes (155.5) - I'm taking the up & coming Camoes to get points for 3 rounds against veteran Uno. Camoes by Decision.

George Sotiropoulos (155) vs. Jason Dent (155) - Sotiropoulos by sub, rd 3.