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UFC FIGHT NIGHT 26, August 17th, Boston, Massachusetts
Fight Card
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Mauricio Rua vs. Chael Sonnen
Travis Browne vs. Alistair Overeem
Yuri Alcantara vs. Urijah Faber
Matt Brown vs. Mike Pyle
Uriah Hall vs. John Howard
Michael Johnson vs. Joe Lauzon
Michael McDonald vs. Brad Pickett
Max Holloway vs. Conor McGregor
Mike Brown vs. Steven Siler
Diego Brandao vs. Daniel Pineda
Manny Gamburyan vs. Cole Miller
Cody Donovan vs. Ovince St. Preux
Ramsey Nijem vs. James Vick
What a massive card!!! Really looking forward to this card from top to bottom. Several FOTN candidates.
Ramsey vs Vick: Vick hasn't fought since TUF 13 and was not impressive in the house. His win over Daron Cruickshank was more of a fluke - a knee during a takedown attempt - and then his win over Joe Proctor was not anything to be excited about, though it was technically a barking dog.
Donovan vs OSP: Great to see OSP fighting again as his pure athleticism is now being put to the test in the UFC. His debut was rather lackluster (majority technical decision). OSP is a strong wrestler and has been working on his cardio (what he said was his flaw in last fight). In Donovan's debut, he had a sweet KO over Nick Penner. Like OSP here.
Manny vs Cole Miller: Both fighters have lingering injuries, and have alternated wins and losses lately. Manny's got an ankle and shoulder issue, and is fighting with an 8" height disadvantage. Miller's win over Bart Palaszewski got Bart cut, and may have saved his job... for now.
Brandao vs Pineda: both are finishers and boy has Brandao looked good. His loss to Elkins in his debut wasn't bad, but his wins over Joey Gambino and Pablo Garza were impressive. Cannot wait to see him roll over a better opponent. Pineda on the other hand is more of a technical striker, uses his kicks and likes to submit his opponent. Last fight vs Justin Lawrence (overrated) was impressive via quick kimura. However, Brandao is nuts and will probably blitz Pineda at some point, and we'll see how Pineda handles it. Normally in this kind of fight, I'm on Pineda for value, but I don't think it's there.
Mike Thomas Brown vs Steven Siler: Brown almost retired but has a "renewed" spirit of fighting... that usually means he's broke. Unfortunately he's running into a younger version of himself in Siler. Siler has proven himself in the UFC so far going 4-1 with loss to Elkins. But wins over Josh Clopton, Cole Miller, Joey Gambino, and Kurt Holobaugh - the UFC braass really like this guy, or they're just babying him. He's a fighter that just wins. Doesn't do anything great, but finds a way to win.
Conor McGregor vs Max Holloway - if this goes to the ground, I give Holloway a chance. But McGregor's quick dispatch of Marcus Brimage back in Sweden was impressive on short-notice... He's a guy who's got A+ cardio, A+ striking, and he's flashy and has just a better offensive arsenal than Holloway.
Michael McDonald vs Brad Pickett: McDonald is still very young, and still very hungry. I think a win here (with a Faber win) puts those two in line for a number one contender match for Barao. I like Pickett's chance in a brawl, but my thought is McDonald is going to use his speed and length to keep the shorter Pickett away. Brad likes to brawl and get inside, and I don't see McDonald allowing him to do that.
Joe Lauzon vs Michael Johnson: definitely a FOTN possibility with Louzon as Joe has collected over 500k in bonus winnings in his UFC career. I'm not going to analyze this one much, but just sit back and watch.
Uriah Hall vs John Howard: we've got a barking dog here. Hall is a headcase, though a talented one. He's in the public eye because of his flash KOs in TUF, and he's looking to rebound over a ridiculously disappointing fight over Kelvin Gastellum for the TUF title. The once-cut Howard has been itching to get back into the promotion after three consecutive losses back in 2010-11 to Ellenburger, Alves, Brown but then rebounded in other promotions going 6-1 in his last seven fights. Howard is a big time striker and will look to get inside and not allow Hall dictate the pace. I'll be on Howard, but I'll probably wait until fight-time to make the bet. I'd like to see the bet cash, but also if Hall can get his head straight, he's talented enough to make a name for himself in the division.
Mike Pyle vs Matt Brown: two guys who can take a punch, two guys who get bloody, two guys who bring it each time. Definitely another candidate for FOTN. Another one too close to call, but gun to my head - picking the dog.
Urijah Faber vs Iuri Alcantara: Faber has not even lost a non-title fight. The forgotten man in the division seemingly takes a step down in competition (not really), but has had consecutive wins in an impressive fashion. Submitting Ivan Menjivar (first time he was finished since 2002!) quickly by rear-naked and the winner over Scott Jorgensen. How does Faber fare in a non-title fight again, seemingly passed over? Does beating Alcantara propel him to another run in the division? Alcantara meanwhile is a quiet 28-4 MMA career with the loss over Hacran Dias more of a model of success for other opponents to follow. Look for Faber to fight smart, outwrestle and come away with the decision victory.
Alistair Overeem vs Travis Browne - Reem coming off loss and suspension and Brown coming off him only loss to Antonio Silva (torn hamstring) and rebounding to beat up Gabriel Gonzaga in the first round by elbows. This is an interesting fight and I'm not sure how this will go given the circumstances of each fighter. Overeem is definitely off the juice as he's much softer looking at the weigh-ins. Is Hapa back in the heavyweight title contender picture with a win here? It would be a big win for sure. Browne is more of an athlete who likes to push you up in the cage, release and strike - but he has to be careful with Reem's muay thai clinch - those knees will finish you. Reem has about 20 lbs on Hapa at weigh-in. Another one I'll be happy to sit back and watch.
Shogun vs Sonnen: perhaps a disappointing main event. I like Shogun here simply because Sonnen clearly has one step outside the door and into his job in television. I think he's a wonderful piece of the FOX broadcast, but he just has not been impressive since the Silva 1 loss. Under optimal conditions I would say it's Shogun's striking vs Sonnen's double-legs, but here I think Shogun simply finishes Sonnen in the first round by strikes. I guess Sonnen's gym closed down and he was forced to change camps late but his old coaches are here for the fight... it seems all weird. Coupled with the fact that Sonnen has talked a lot of smack about Brazilians and Shogun took it personally. He's fighting for his country and to get back in the 205 mix. A quick impressive finish is the first step toward that dream.
Picks in the morning, but leans as of now: Nijem -150, Brandao -280, Siler +160, McGregor -300, Howard +325, Browne +190, Rua -110
Fight Card
----------------------------------------------------------
Mauricio Rua vs. Chael Sonnen
Travis Browne vs. Alistair Overeem
Yuri Alcantara vs. Urijah Faber
Matt Brown vs. Mike Pyle
Uriah Hall vs. John Howard
Michael Johnson vs. Joe Lauzon
Michael McDonald vs. Brad Pickett
Max Holloway vs. Conor McGregor
Mike Brown vs. Steven Siler
Diego Brandao vs. Daniel Pineda
Manny Gamburyan vs. Cole Miller
Cody Donovan vs. Ovince St. Preux
Ramsey Nijem vs. James Vick
What a massive card!!! Really looking forward to this card from top to bottom. Several FOTN candidates.
Ramsey vs Vick: Vick hasn't fought since TUF 13 and was not impressive in the house. His win over Daron Cruickshank was more of a fluke - a knee during a takedown attempt - and then his win over Joe Proctor was not anything to be excited about, though it was technically a barking dog.
Donovan vs OSP: Great to see OSP fighting again as his pure athleticism is now being put to the test in the UFC. His debut was rather lackluster (majority technical decision). OSP is a strong wrestler and has been working on his cardio (what he said was his flaw in last fight). In Donovan's debut, he had a sweet KO over Nick Penner. Like OSP here.
Manny vs Cole Miller: Both fighters have lingering injuries, and have alternated wins and losses lately. Manny's got an ankle and shoulder issue, and is fighting with an 8" height disadvantage. Miller's win over Bart Palaszewski got Bart cut, and may have saved his job... for now.
Brandao vs Pineda: both are finishers and boy has Brandao looked good. His loss to Elkins in his debut wasn't bad, but his wins over Joey Gambino and Pablo Garza were impressive. Cannot wait to see him roll over a better opponent. Pineda on the other hand is more of a technical striker, uses his kicks and likes to submit his opponent. Last fight vs Justin Lawrence (overrated) was impressive via quick kimura. However, Brandao is nuts and will probably blitz Pineda at some point, and we'll see how Pineda handles it. Normally in this kind of fight, I'm on Pineda for value, but I don't think it's there.
Mike Thomas Brown vs Steven Siler: Brown almost retired but has a "renewed" spirit of fighting... that usually means he's broke. Unfortunately he's running into a younger version of himself in Siler. Siler has proven himself in the UFC so far going 4-1 with loss to Elkins. But wins over Josh Clopton, Cole Miller, Joey Gambino, and Kurt Holobaugh - the UFC braass really like this guy, or they're just babying him. He's a fighter that just wins. Doesn't do anything great, but finds a way to win.
Conor McGregor vs Max Holloway - if this goes to the ground, I give Holloway a chance. But McGregor's quick dispatch of Marcus Brimage back in Sweden was impressive on short-notice... He's a guy who's got A+ cardio, A+ striking, and he's flashy and has just a better offensive arsenal than Holloway.
Michael McDonald vs Brad Pickett: McDonald is still very young, and still very hungry. I think a win here (with a Faber win) puts those two in line for a number one contender match for Barao. I like Pickett's chance in a brawl, but my thought is McDonald is going to use his speed and length to keep the shorter Pickett away. Brad likes to brawl and get inside, and I don't see McDonald allowing him to do that.
Joe Lauzon vs Michael Johnson: definitely a FOTN possibility with Louzon as Joe has collected over 500k in bonus winnings in his UFC career. I'm not going to analyze this one much, but just sit back and watch.
Uriah Hall vs John Howard: we've got a barking dog here. Hall is a headcase, though a talented one. He's in the public eye because of his flash KOs in TUF, and he's looking to rebound over a ridiculously disappointing fight over Kelvin Gastellum for the TUF title. The once-cut Howard has been itching to get back into the promotion after three consecutive losses back in 2010-11 to Ellenburger, Alves, Brown but then rebounded in other promotions going 6-1 in his last seven fights. Howard is a big time striker and will look to get inside and not allow Hall dictate the pace. I'll be on Howard, but I'll probably wait until fight-time to make the bet. I'd like to see the bet cash, but also if Hall can get his head straight, he's talented enough to make a name for himself in the division.
Mike Pyle vs Matt Brown: two guys who can take a punch, two guys who get bloody, two guys who bring it each time. Definitely another candidate for FOTN. Another one too close to call, but gun to my head - picking the dog.
Urijah Faber vs Iuri Alcantara: Faber has not even lost a non-title fight. The forgotten man in the division seemingly takes a step down in competition (not really), but has had consecutive wins in an impressive fashion. Submitting Ivan Menjivar (first time he was finished since 2002!) quickly by rear-naked and the winner over Scott Jorgensen. How does Faber fare in a non-title fight again, seemingly passed over? Does beating Alcantara propel him to another run in the division? Alcantara meanwhile is a quiet 28-4 MMA career with the loss over Hacran Dias more of a model of success for other opponents to follow. Look for Faber to fight smart, outwrestle and come away with the decision victory.
Alistair Overeem vs Travis Browne - Reem coming off loss and suspension and Brown coming off him only loss to Antonio Silva (torn hamstring) and rebounding to beat up Gabriel Gonzaga in the first round by elbows. This is an interesting fight and I'm not sure how this will go given the circumstances of each fighter. Overeem is definitely off the juice as he's much softer looking at the weigh-ins. Is Hapa back in the heavyweight title contender picture with a win here? It would be a big win for sure. Browne is more of an athlete who likes to push you up in the cage, release and strike - but he has to be careful with Reem's muay thai clinch - those knees will finish you. Reem has about 20 lbs on Hapa at weigh-in. Another one I'll be happy to sit back and watch.
Shogun vs Sonnen: perhaps a disappointing main event. I like Shogun here simply because Sonnen clearly has one step outside the door and into his job in television. I think he's a wonderful piece of the FOX broadcast, but he just has not been impressive since the Silva 1 loss. Under optimal conditions I would say it's Shogun's striking vs Sonnen's double-legs, but here I think Shogun simply finishes Sonnen in the first round by strikes. I guess Sonnen's gym closed down and he was forced to change camps late but his old coaches are here for the fight... it seems all weird. Coupled with the fact that Sonnen has talked a lot of smack about Brazilians and Shogun took it personally. He's fighting for his country and to get back in the 205 mix. A quick impressive finish is the first step toward that dream.
Picks in the morning, but leans as of now: Nijem -150, Brandao -280, Siler +160, McGregor -300, Howard +325, Browne +190, Rua -110
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