Bernard Oliver Producer/Host:
So since I’m pressed for time this is going to be very short! I’m headed to the Haye v.Klitschko boxing match.
My Prelim bout must see: Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard vs Shane Roller
Guillard has one of the most magnificent records in the UFC. It may not be filled with what you would call star power but you know it is filled with? 45 wins and 9 losses according to UFC.com Since I began watching him in my first days as an MMA fan he’s done nothing short of dismantle opponents one by one. On the other hand we have Shane Roller, fighting out of Dallas, TX. Boy is it hard to go against someone in my place of residence! Roller is a WEC legend and has gone toe to toe with the best. BUT, the best being Ben Henderson & Anthony Pettis both of which beat him one by KO the other by third round submission. Both fighters NEED to win this match Guillard for his long awaited title shot, and Roller for much of the same but also say that he can roll with the big dogs. I’ve got Guillard by KO.
Siver v. Wiman
This is going to be a straight up brawl. Two guys with KO power standing! My favorite kind of match! I’m excited. As I said on the show to me this is Siver’s fight. His takedown defense spoke volumes in his fight with world renowned wrestler George Sotiropoulos. Ol’ Sotiro never did take Siver down at least not that I can remember. That is the difference maker if Wiman can’t take Siver down and use that awesome jiu jitsu, then the fight stays on the feet. And on the feet I’ve got Siver in either a KO or decison.
Carlos Condit vs Dong Hyun Kim
Again here I reference the record. Condit’s record is 26-5 with wins over Jake Ellenberger Dan Hardy and a slew of others. This former WEC champion has been on my radar for quite some time. Then we have Stun Gun Kim to speak on. One of the top three fighters from the eastern world of MMA. This man never ceases to amze and he promises that this fight will be much more entertaining than his last where he cranked out a win over one of my favorite fighters Nate Diaz. I’m going against my head here and taking Kim by submission.
Ryan Bader vs Tito Ortiz
Ryan Bader….I’m not even detailing this one. Ryan Bader by KO
Wanderlei Silva vs Chris Leben
The return of a legend in MMA is finally here. Wandy “The Axe Murderer” makes his comeback against Chris “The Crippler” Leben. That just sends chills up your spine right? Sounds like an old cheesy 60’s horror film. But nonetheless this fight is a MUST SEE! Leben is coming off of a loss to the rising star Brian Stann and Wandy is coming off of a year and five month break. This should prove to be a very exciting fight or a very boring one. There is bad blood between the two already and that usually brings about an emotion filled fight which can hurt or make the event. Wanderlei’s atom bomb hand versus Leben’s historic landmark chin. History doesn’t stand up too well to bombs but this landmark packs some great submissions in his basement. I have to take Wandy by KO
Main Even Bantamweight Championship Dominick Cruz (WEC/UFC Champion) vs. Urijah Faber
The Champion and former champion face off for their second meeting! Dom has gone on file as saying that Urijah handed him his only loss in his career and he wants that blemish rectified. Faber is looking for the belt one more time in this go around. Good thing Jose Aldo isn’t in the same class anymore…low blow I know. Dominick Cruz has some of the most elusive movements I’ve ever seen. When I saw him against Jorgenson in his last WEC fight ever I thought for sure Jorgenson was going to take his head off with all that crazy movement. But the man has much method to his madness. Pinpoint striking and great takedown defense coupled with his very unorthodox stand up stance make him near unstoppable. Urijah needs this battle to go to the ground, unfortunately the champ won’t get there easily. It may go to decision but I’ve got Cruz by KO no wait decision….yes decision.
Keith Helm AP/GFX/Sound: Keith decided to write an essay….yeah no bro lol (and this has deleted stuff lol)
For my prelim fight I’ve picked Anthony Njokuani vs Andre Winner. Why? No reason I know nothing about these men, was it a good choice or are you judging me now for picking a lame fight because I don’t care. For this I pick Njokuani, he’s got some pretty sweet tats and while I don’t know if Andre Winner’s last name is pronounced “winner” I do know it’s spelled “winner” and that’s pretty presumptuous to me so get off your high horse Winner I’m choosing Njokuani. What if Njokuani is Nigerian for “winner” though? Too late doesn’t matter I’ve made my decision on to the future.
The first fight of the main card is Dennis Siver and Matt Wiman, Siver looks like the older less famous brother of Daniel Craig, who’s mother finally said “Dennis you get out and you get a job.” And so he decided to punch people for a living, which doesn’t seem to be a very sound career choice. Matt Wiman kinda looks like a guy I went to high school with so he’s my choice over James Bond’s older past his prime brother.
Carlos Condit and Dong Hyun Kim is an easy pick even for me. I looked at his fight record and he’s undefeated professionally also outside of one fight in the ATL Kim has had every one of his fights on American soil in Las Vegas so no contest right I don’t even have to wiki Carlos Condit because unless it says something like he’s killed people with his eyes then he’s not going to win this one.
And if I thought the Condit/Kim fight was an easy decision then the Tito Ortiz Ryan Bader fight is like playing Final Fight II for the Super NES on easy with a game genie, I mean look at Tito Ortiz he’s like a 50 year old man or something with dyed hair looking like a silly old man the kind of guy at a bar everyone would be whispering and talking about behind his back. Speaking of bars, Ryan Bader seems like a guy I could have some brews with and we’d chill out probably talk about some cool stuff and then make fun of the old guy in the corner trying to keep his youth alive while hitting on a sad looking ex-pornstar. Now who am I to judge, maybe they’re happy together and that’s great, but they can go be walking billboards of “Hey, don’t abuse your body during your youth because you will be old one day and still have to walk around in public with it,” so for this I’m choosing Ryan Bader.
Silva vs Leben, Wanderlai Silva’s birthday is July 3rd so obviously he’s not going to want to have a loser birthday and rub his sores while blowing out his candles which means he has to win this one.
The main event, Dominick Cruz vs Urijah Faber, what can be said about them – a lot more than I will be able to that’s for sure – Cruz is younger and the current UFC Bantamweight Champion, though Cruz and Faber have faced each other once before and Faber defeated. Faber handled him quickly with something called a Guillotine Choke and guillotine is one of my favorite words – I mean just say it out loud right now geh-ya-teen, now are you smiling, the answer is yes because you just said an awesome word. Another interesting note, their last match was also in Las Vegas as this one is and Faber defeated Cruz in the first round to defend the WEC Featherweight Championship – which could be cool but the WEC doesn’t even exist any more so who cares. That was in 2007 though and think about how different the world was four years ago. Bush was still in the White House, the final Harry Potter book was released, and the Writer’s Guild of America strike happened. That was also when the whole Chris Benoit rampage on his family occurred, bringing this little article full circle. Could that have been a worse year, Jerry Falwell died too so I guess silver-lining and all that, but I digress.
So Faber carries that baggage with him, the baggage of a victory in a bad year, which means another victory this Saturday would act as a validation of the horrors of 2007 – not really, but what else am I going to write about, their fighting styles – so even though before I did any research – did you like that strange wikiholic form of research, real in-depth analysis I know – I decided I was going to go for Urijah Faber. Now I’ve changed my mind Dominick Cruz must defend his belt, defend his honor in this rematch and fight to banish the injustice that was 2007 from our memories.
There it is, Njokuani over Winner for my prelim choice; Wiman over Siver, Kim over Condit, Bader over Ortiz, Silva over Leben and Cruz over Faber. There that wasn’t so hard.
Jon Urcuyo Analyst/Feared Beard:
Siver V Wilman
After returning to the UFC in 2009 Dennis Siver has shown the MMA world that he’s not messing up his second chance. With two KO’s in his last two fights Siver is poised to continue the comeback he was destined for. Dennis Siver has his work cut out for him with Matt Wilman who is currently on a 3 fight winning streak, but Siver takes this fight but decision.
Condit V Kim
Kim is one of the top 3 Eastern Fighters in the UFC and is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to ground grappling. Although Condit is a legit fighter with definite ground capabilities I’m giving Dong Hyun Kim the victory via submission.
Ortiz V Bader
What can I say Ortiz hasn’t truly won a notable fight since Ken Shamrock in 06’( Forrest fight was a robbery) Bader is too much for Tito, Bader will dominate KO victory.
Silva V Leben
Silva is a legend in MMA this will be his first ring appearance in over a year, Silva has a chance to add another notch to his legendary career. I think Silva ends Leben in dramatic fashion. KO!
Cruz V Faber
Definitely one of the toughest fights of the night two great athletes two great fighters. I think the age factor is going be a big reason Cruz will be able to control this fight. Cruz is a fast unorthodox fighter that will pepper Faber and retreat until time to capitalize. Faber won’t be able to take down Cruz enough to be effective so I believe that Cruz will take down Faber by decision.
Sotiropoulos V Anjos
This is a setup fight for Sotiropoulos after his last loss at an Australia event but he has more on his plate than he realized. This should be a great fight tough to pick a solid winner but when I’m unsure I realize that this is a setup fight for a reason, trust in Dana White and your usually fine. I’m taking Sotiropoulos in this fight, definitely the prelim fight of the night.
Jeremy Hurtt – Analyst, Genius
Let’s do this.
Siver – Wiman
Wiman has an outstanding ground game, but he’s going to have to solve with the superior stand-up of Dennis Siver to have any chance of getting the fight into his world. I’ll take Siver by decision.
Condit – Kim
Condit is an experienced and rounded fighter, but I like athleticism and the ability to control and punish from top, and Kim has all of that. I got Kim by decision.
Ortiz – Bader
Lather, rinse, repeat. Bader is stronger, more explosive, and better at being Tito than Tito is. Bader by third round TKO.
Silva – Leben
Leben has to figure out a way to deal with a dynamic striker with power to burn – which hasn’t been his best matchup to date. I think we see Leben close the distance and work for a take-down and use his underrated guard to submit Wandy in the second, something that has never happened in Silva’s 45 fights. Either that, or Leben gets murdered in the first round.
Cruz – Faber
I expect an older and wiser Cruz to stand on the outside and use angles to punish Uriah’s legs, a la Aldo. I like Cruz by unanimous decision.
Simpson – Tavares
Simpson has fallen from grace after a great start, and I expect him to get back on track here with brutal groundwork on the way to a stoppage in the second.
That’s it for us here at Off the Mat