1. Dan Henderson KO’s Michael Bisping at UFC 100

Perhaps the most memorable moment from the biggest MMA card of the year is Henderson’s crushing KO of the Brit followed by a forearm to the head.

2. Fedor Emelianenko KO’s Andrei Arlovski at Affliction: Day of Recknoning

It wasn’t just the KO it was the visual of Arlovski lying on the ground with Fedor just calmly walking away.

3. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua KO’s Chuck Liddell at UFC 97

This was huge for Shogun’s career and really bad for Liddell’s career.

4. Lyoto Machida KO’s Rashad Evans at UFC 98

This was not a highlight reel one punch knockout, but the series of blows that led to Evans’ KO was amazing and it began the “Machida Era”.

5. Vitor Belfort KO’s Matt Lindland at Affliction: Day of Recknoning

This was brutal.  Maybe as far as highlight reel KO’s is number one.  I really thought Lindland was hurt from this one.

6. Brett Rogers KO’s  Andrei Arlovski

Glass jaw Arlovski went down quickly against the hard hitting Rogers.

7. Lyoto Machida KO’s Thiago Silva at UFC 94

This fight established Machida as an exciting fighter with KO power

8. Matt Hamill KO’s Mark Munoz at UFC 96

Hightlight reel headkick from a wrestler

9. Jose Aldo KO’s Cub Swanson at WEC 41

Double flying knee that opened a serious gash on Swanson and showed Aldo as serious striker.

10. Nate Marquardt KO’s Demian Maia at UFC 102

This fight never made it to the ground where Maia is a stud

Others: Fedor Emelianenko KO’s Brett Rogers at Strikeforce on CBS, Brian Bowles KO’s Miguel Torres at WEC 42, Dan Hornbuckle KO’s Akihiro Gono at Sengoku 9, Mariusz Zaromskis KO’s Jason High at DREAM 10, Anthony Johnson KO’s Yoshiyuki Yoshida at (UFC 104), Damacio Page KO’s Marcos Galvao at WEC 39

UFC Fighter Matt Hamill has officially released a statement about this last fight at the UFC Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale. At TUF 10 Finale Matt Hamill faced Jon Jones. Matt “The Hammer” Hamill got the victory, but only due to a DQ. Jon Jones was dominating his opponent when the match was stopped due to illegal elbows (12 to 6). Matt Hamill could not continue and was award the win.

The Hammer released this statement:

“I’d like to take a minute and thank everyone for their unbelievable support. The outpouring of concern has been overwhelming. I know it looked bad Saturday night but it looked a lot worse than it was. Aside from a few stitches in my nose and a sore shoulder I feel fine.

I give all the credit to Jon Jones. He caught me by surprise with an awesome trip and I dislocated my shoulder when we hit the ground. I knew it was probably over at that point but I will die before I tap so I did the best I could under the circumstances.

We train to wind up in bad positions and it paid off because I felt I was still able to defend even though I knew I couldn’t get up.

Jon’s young and full of so much talent. Aside from making a mistake he did his job and he did it well.

He definitely didn’t lose this fight and I definitely didn’t win, but I guess the rules are there for a reason. It is what it is.

I went into this fight feeling like my record was actually 9-1 so with this so called win I will now consider my record 9-2… LOL

I wish Jon all the best and I’d like to thank him for the professional and respectful way he has handled himself. I felt bad for him since a simple mistake caused him to loose a win bonus but as I know first hand, Dana, Lorenzo and the rest of the UFC take great care of their fighters. I’m sure Jon received a win bonus and more.

As for me, you know I’ll be back. Fighting in the UFC is my job and I’ll be back to work very soon. I feel my performance before I was taken down was going well. I was able to get to him, land some solid strikes and get my hands on him. More importantly I was able to avoid all of his crazy strikes which is something we worked very hard on. I was in the best shape ever for this fight and I was completely prepared. It’s always a disappointment when things don’t go your way but I will take all the positives that I can from this. I’m just waiting on MRI results so we can rule out any further damage and I plan to be back in the gym right after the holidays.

Thank you to my team, family, friends and amazing fans.”

source: MattHamill.com

So we’ve come to the end of our three month MMA journey.  Roy Nelson will face Brendan Schaub for the title of “The Ultimate Fighter.”  We’ll also have Kimbo Slice in action, as well as Marcus Jones, Matt Mitrione, James McSweeney and Darrill Schoonover.

The show was three hours long, so there were some non TUF fights, including a disputed decision in the fight between Matt Hamill and Jon Jones.  Jones appeared to have won the fight, but the referee disqualified him for an illegal elbow.

Let’s take a look at our TUF related matches, shall we?

The opener was Marcus Jones against Matt Mitrione.  Mitrione was painted at the villain of the season and rightly so.  The crowd was solidly behind Jones.  Unfortunately for them, Mitrione took advantage of Jones’  in-progress stand up and laid him out with a knockout in the opening seconds of the second round.

Up next was the “catchweight” fight between Kimbo Slice and Houston Alexander.  I would have hated to be Alexander in this one.  Who would want to be the first guy Kimbo Slice beat in the UFC.  Alexander circled Kimbo for the first two minutes of the first round, trying to wear out Kimbo’s iffy knee.  The action picked up in the second round with Kimbo showing a much improved ground game.  Alexander was worn out in the third round, but still managed to put Slice on the mat with a hard leg kick.  To the surprise of everyoen in attendance, the fight went the distance with Kimbo Slice picking up the victory by unanimous decision.  Poor Houston Alexander.

A match from the undercard was shown before the main event.  It was James McSweeney, the British kickboxer, against Darrill “Titties” Schoonover.  Schoonover didn’t look nearly as sharp as he had on the show.  Despite hanging with McSweeney well into the third round, Schoonover took a KO loss after a series of hard strikes from McSweeney put him down.

And then it was on to the main event:  Nelson v. Schaub.

I found myself rooting for Schaub, mainly because I think he’d be a good ambassador for the UFC.  Nelson was the favorite, but he’s on the backside of his career at this point.

Schaub against showed good skills in the Octagon.  He stayed with Nelson and even rocked him a bit early on.  Unfortunatly, he left himself wide open and Nelson laid him out with a big right at 3:25 in the opening round.

Roy Nelson is the Ultimate Fighter for Season 10.

It was announced that Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz will be the coaches for the next season of the show and will face each other in the Octagon again after that. 

In closing, this was my first exposure to this show.  I enjoyed watching the progression of the tournament.  I could have done with a little less of the Rampage/Rashad drama.  Overall, it was time well spent and a good introduction to the workings of the UFC for a newbie like me.

On Saturday we marked the end of another season of The Ultimate Fighter, and while I was excited about the fights on the finale, I was left unimpressed with the season as a whole. If you remove Kimbo  and Rampage I think the season wouldn’t have been as successful . I experienced many emotions as I watched this season - many times it was anger, but it was only because of what was going on with Rampage and the UFC as well as the overall lack of connection with any of the heavyweights.

At the end of the day, the right guys won and lost and gave us some highlights which will be talked about for a long time. Moments like:

• Rampage calling Schoonover ”Titties” on national television the first time
• Kimbo and Rampage dancing
• Kimbo’s debut in the cage
• Justin Wren dominating
• The many verbal altercations between Rampage & Rashad
• The “power of the belly” getting Nelson to the finals
• Big Baby snapping

All of these moments and fights culminated with a great card that gave us a new heavyweight TUF winner and put Kimbo on the map in the octagon. Here is My Take On: The Ultimate Fighter Finale -

Marcus Jones vs. Matt Mitrione- After their heated exchange on the last episodes of TUF, I expected Marcus to come in there and kill Mitrione dead. Sadly, Marcus got knocked out by Matt. Marcus had very robotic standup and it showed in his performance. With a good camp behind him though I see Marcus being a major player in the heavyweight division.

Frankie Edgar vs. Matt Veach-Edgar and Veach gave us a great fight and Edgar continued to move up the rankings, capturing the submission victory. I see Edgar in the title picture in 2010 if he keeps having such solid performances.

Kimbo Slice vs. Houston Alexander-The fight I was most excited to see of course was this one. While I have always liked Kimbo Slice, I admired how he carried himself in the house as well as the humbleness he displayed at having this once in a lifetime opportunity. Honestly, I expected someone getting knocked the fuck out but sadly that did not happen. In the 1st round, Alexander danced around the cage being elusive and trying to bait Slice for the KO. In the 2nd though it was all Kimbo and he was showing some of the new tools in his arsenal such as this :

In the end, Kimbo got the decison win and showed us some of the things we fans can look forward to in future fights. Well done Mr. Slice.

Brendan Schaub vs. Roy Nelson- I fully had Schaub taking this given my dislike for Nelson, but I have to admit I was wrong in my assessment of Roy Nelson. I considered Roy an honest to goodness tub o’ shit that used his girth to squeak by, but I have shame in admitting that the big man has power and knows how to use his size not only to smother opponents, but to aid in his punching power. These tools are what got him the KO victory. While Roy Nelson is by no means a wonderful physical specimen, he, my friends is an Ultimate Fighter! I was surprised at his subdued demeanor upon being awarded his trophy and during his post fight speech.  As someone who hates to be underestimated, I really felt bad that I failed to look beyond Roy Nelson’s physique  to see an athlete that is a student of the game. I owe Roy Nelson an apology.

Matt Hamill vs. Jon “Bones” Jones – Matt Hamill has been a favorite fighter of mine since his stint on TUF. As someone who is raising handicapped children,  it is inspirational to watch him fight with only four senses at the ready and be successful at it. Jon Jones came in to this fight ready to make a statement - and boy did he do so by dismantling the fan favorite with his unique offense . Sadly, the hunger for the victory ended up getting Jones disqualified due to an illegal elbow strike from the 12-6 position. In addition, Hamill suffered a dislocated shoulder. Jon Jones impressed me with his unique moves and strikes. The DQ was unfortunate for sure, but the sky is the limit for the 22-year old Jon “Bones” Jones. As for Hamill I wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him fight again soon.

Awesome takedown by "Bones"

As always these are my opinions and if you agree or disagree by all means leave your comments below.

December 6, 2009 by James Gideon

Last night, The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale aired on Spike TV. In the past, TUF finales have produced exciting fights. Last night was an exception to the rule.

Marcus “Big Baby” Jones vs. Matt Mitrione

Because of his personality and positive attitude, Marcus “Big Baby” Jones has become a fan favorite among The Ultimate Fighter 10 contestants. Jones began his fight with Matt Mitrione well with a takedown, and he was able to maintain positions of control. But – as he was stopped by knockout on TUF 10, he was stopped by knockout last night. Because Jones is a fan favorite, he may get another opportunity in the UFC – likely on a future Spike TV event. With his victory, Mitrione will get another shot in the UFC, but at this point he is not a serious title contender.

Frankie Edgar vs. Matt Veach

This fight was to keep Frankie Edgar busy against a legitimate opponent, so that Edgar could maintain his status as a serious contender for BJ Penn’s UFC lightweight title. Veach was game, but he was eventually stunned by a strike and Edgar was able to take his back and choke him out. Frankie Edgar stopped Matt Veach by submission and maintained his contender status in the UFC lightweight division.

Kimbo Slice vs. Houston Alexander

A fight that promised to be one of the most exciting stand-up wars in the history of mixed martial arts turned out to be terribly boring. Houston Alexander’s gameplan was apparently to hypnotize Kimbo by circling around him over and over again. The highlight of the fight came in the second round when Kimbo demonstrated his newly acquired ground game. Kimbo was able to take Alexander down and maintain dominate positions on the mat. Although it came against Alexander, who has the worst ground game in the history of the light heavyweight division, Kimbo’s display of jiu-jitsu is a positive. Beside the short spurt of action in the second round, the fight was as boring as it could have been. Kimbo did what he had to do, which was win the fight (by unanimous decision), so we will see Kimbo in the octagon again. As for Houston Alexander – he will likely never set foot in a UFC octagon again.

Jon Jones vs. Matt Hamill

Jon “Bones” Jones controlled every moment of his fight with Matt “The Hammer” Hamill. Jones got the better of the striking exchanges; when the two fighters clinched, Jones was able to take Hamill down with a Greco throw. Jones moved to the mount and began to reign down strikes, and Hamill had no answer. After coming straight down with two or three illegal “12 to 6″ elbows, Steve Mazagatti took a point away from Jones and went on to stop the fight – giving it to Hamill by disqualification after Hamill could not continue due to an injured shoulder. The ridiculous stoppage gives Dana White another reason to say Steve Mazagatti has no business refereeing mixed martial arts fights. A point should have been taken away; Matt Hamill should have been given 5 minutes to recover; and once Hamill could not continue due to an injured shoulder, the fight should have been given to “Bones” by way of technical knockout. Jon “Bones” Jones handled the situation perfectly by accepting the loss and saying he’ll learn from it. Jones was able to control one of the best wrestlers in the light heavyweight division last night. The UFC should leave this fight in the past (no rematch), and allow Jon Jones to move on to bigger and better things – a fight against a serious contender in the light heavyweight division.

Roy “Big Country” Nelson vs. Brendan “The Hybrid” Schaub

Schaub came to fight, but “Big Country” was able to take the fight to the mat and control the action in the first round. Schaub was able to get back to his feet, which is no easy task when Big Country has his enormous belly holding you down. Once on his feet though, Roy Nelson was able to land a right hand that put Schaub’s lights out. Schaub’s performance was solid enough to warrant another opportunity in the octagon, although he is far from being a serious contender. Roy “Big Country” Nelson earned the distinction of Ultimate Fighter 10 champion and a six-figure UFC contract. Because Roy Nelson is a more seasoned fighter than previous Ultimate Fighters, he will likely not be handed any easy fights.

IM BACK . My life has finally slowed down with the holidays and amount of work I’ve had to get done for College.B

REAKING NEWS !!!!! TITO ORTIZ will Coach TUF 11 against Chuck Liddell  

Mark ” Big Baby” Jones v Matt Mitrione

Jones showed to the would Mitrione has no ground game at the moment. Unfortunately Mitrione showed the world Jones’s chin sucks . I was really hoping Jones would come off with a nice sub here since he was in my top 3 fav fighters on the show. We don’t always get what we want. Maybe he is right in thinking of retiring he is 36 he looked good though.

Mitrione KO RD 2Frankie Edgar v Matt Veach

Not a bad fight Edgar had a lot to lose in this fight if he lost. He didn’t so that’s good. Veach didn’t look to bad either. Not that much to write home about really . I do want see Edgar fight again against a bigger name opponent.

Frankie Edgar  Sub Matt Veach RNC RD 2KIMBO SLICE(aka Kevin Ferguson ) v Huston “Assasin” Alexander

RD has to be the worst rd of fighting I’ve EVER seen. Alexander was extremely cautious when it came to engaging KIMBO,with good reason though KIMBO was indeed the bigger of the two by my estimation at least 10-15 pounds. All rd 1 was Houston circling maybe trying to prove that leg kicks win fights. Houston is not a Shogun his kicks were not that strong , he did mange to knock KIMBO down in the 3rd . Round 2 was MUCH more entertaining  not that it would be hard to beat round 1 since i think there was a total of 3 punches thrown. KIMBO hits a great German suplex like slam and even went for a choke he didn’t get and it was executed bad. His ground game though did look PHEONOMONALLY improved. Id say it has gone from about a 1 to a 3 maybe a 4. This is against a opponent who has 0 ground game though . Think his Ray Mercer fight.  Round 3 both guys had gassed KIMBO still got the better in the striking. The Crowd was booing after the fight KIMBO calmed them down. He is indeed very humble and wants to learn . I want to see him fight again. Love him or hate him he is entertaining.

KIMBO SLICE via UD 29-28 29-28 30-27

Matt “The Hammer” Hamill v Jon “Bones” Jones

Good bit of striking here between the two .  Jones dominated Hamill though on the ground. I was afraid when it went to the ground since Mazagati was the ref and Jonse was doing a flurry of punches and elbows , only problem here THEY WEREN’T really landing . Mazagati did good here in not stopping it till the illigal elbows happened. There is a reason THAT form of elbows aren’t allowed just look at Hamills nose.  Hamill apparently separated his shoulder two which sucks for him. Hamill got the win via DQ due to those elbow strikes. If he hadn’t he would of been pounded out eventually . You fire enough bullets you hit something eventually.

Matt Hamill via DQ illigal strikes

TUF Tournament Final : Roy”Big Country” Nelson v Brendoon SchuabRoy is indeed very good on the ground . His stand up though needs some work. If he hooked up with a good camp and dropped just a little weight he would be 10000x better . Schuab though did have a mega 5 in reach advantage and defiantly had the better striking former Golden Gloves champ. Roy got a KO in the first at 3:45. That KO was really out of no

ROY NELSON : TUF 10 Winner now official UFC fighter

man you got to love Roy’s demeanor after the fight it will most likely rub a lot of people the wrong way but fuckem.”I’m a little  tired I really want some Burger King”Dana found his Burger King Spokesperson man how can he be mad?

December 5, 2009 by Ares-mma.com staff

Marcus Jones vs. Matt Mitrione

Matt Mitrione stops Marcus Jones by knockout at the :20 mark of round two.

Frankie Edgar vs. Matt Veach

Frankie Edgar stops Matt Veach by submission (rear naked choke) at 2:22 of round two.

Kimbo Slice vs. Houston Alexander

Kimbo Slice defeats Houston Alexander by unanimous decision.

Jon Jones vs. Matt Hamill

Jon Jones is disqualified for an illegal strike at 4:14 of the first round. Whether or not Hamill could have continued is debatable.

Roy Nelson vs. Brendan Schaub

Roy Nelson stops Brendan Schaub by knockout at 3:45 of the first round. Roy Nelson is crowned the winner of season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter.

Roy Nelson vs. Brendan Schaub

Roy is the favorite.  He is more experienced.  He is probably a better grappler.  However, I think Schaub wins this one.  I think Brendan will will by unanimous decision.

Matt Hamill vs. Jon Jones

Hamill is a solid fighter and very likeable, but Jon Jones by decision

Kimbo Slice vs. Houston Alexander

I have no reason to pick Kimbo.  Houston is a better striker and he is more experienced.  With that said I pick Kimbo by TKO in round 1.

Frankie Edgar vs. Matt Veach

Edgar vs. Pellegrino was a better match-up.  Veach could shock some here, but I don’t expect it.  Edgar by decision.

Marcus Jones vs. Matt Mitrione

Early takedown and armbar for Marcus Jones.

Darrill Schoonover vs. James McSweeney

Schoonover by Split decision.

Justin Wren vs. Jon Madsen

Wren is a promising talent.  Madsen could be really good too.  Wren by decision.

Brian Stann vs. Rodney Wallace

Stann by TKO is round 2

John Howard vs. Dennis Hallman

Howard picks up the U.D. and spoils the hopes of Hallman vs. Hughes.

Mark Bocek vs. Joe Brammer

Bocek picks up a first round submission

December 5, 2009 by Ares-mma.com staff

Tonight, the tenth edition of The Ultimate Fighter Finale will air on Spike TV. It’s time for predictions. Below are the predictions for the biggest three fights on the card.

Kimbo Slice vs. Houston “The Assassin” Alexander

The finals of the reality show is overshadowed by a fight involving a competitor of TUF 10 who lost in the first round – Kimbo Slice. The UFC found the ideal opponent for Kimbo – Houston Alexander. Kimbo Slice is the most famous (infamous really) street fighter in history. Kimbo demonstrated an outstanding attitude and work ethic in his stint in The Ultimate Fighter house; he also demonstrated his complete lack of ground skills. That is why Houston Alexander is the perfect opponent. Alexander has arguably the worst ground game in the history of the light heavyweight division. The fight between the two this evening may be the best street fight ever – probably not though. Both fighters have demonstrated a relatively weak chin and big punching power. The first fighter to be caught on the chin is likely to kiss the canvas early. Prediction – Houston Alexander will defeat Kimbo Slice by knockout in the first round.

Matt “The Hammer” Hamill vs. Jon “Bones” Jones

Jon Jones may be a future light heavyweight champion. This will be his first test against a fighter who can match his wrestling skills – Matt Hamill, a former NCAA Division III National Champion. Prediction – Jon Jones will defeat Matt Hamill by technical knockout in the third round.

Roy “Big Country” Nelson vs. Brendan “The Hybrid” Schaub – for the distinction of Ultimate Fighter Champion and a six-figure UFC contract.

Roy Nelson may be the most seasoned veteran in the history of The Ultimate Fighter. Nelson is a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu black belt and a former IFL heavyweight champion. Nelson also has the worst physique of any top-level mixed martial artist in the world. Schaub has serious atheltic ability; he was once on the practice squad of the Buffalo Bills. Prediction – Roy Nelson will defeat Brendan Schaub by unanimous decision.

Welcome to my 13^th week of NFL picks. I went 12-4 with my picks, bringing my total for the season 119-57 (not counting Thursday’s game). Here is a recap of last week (the X stands for the picks I got wrong):

The Jets kept their playoff hopes alive, but Mark Sanchez sprained his right knee and is questionable for Dec. 13 at Tampa Bay. Plus, Matt Ryan (toe, will not play), Eli Manning (foot, will play), Kurt Warner (concussion, doubtful), and Ben Roethlisberger (concussion, probable) are all banged up since Week 5. The offensive line must protect their QBs better. Here are all of my picks for Week 13. The teams that are NOT crossed out are my picks. The s.o. stands for shutout, and the * stand for upset. Both logos will be next to the TV stations:

Now comes the game that is on everyone’s minds.

Game of the Week:

NBC features a Sunday Night battle between the Minnesota Vikings and the Arizona Cardinals. It was supposed to be a battle of old quarterbacks in an offensive fury. Cardinals QB Kurt Warner might not play, which means Matt Leinart will take on a Vikings defense that can shut down anyone. Brett Favre is having an MVP-caliber season, while Adrian Peterson is running up the field “all day” as he says. The Cardinals will provide the Vikings a huge test. They always show up to play. However, the Vikings will be too much at Arizona.

Prediction: Vikings 27-14

We also have a huge fight night in mixed martial arts. Time for the magic man to take over!

Pure Magic:

The Ultimate Fighter will end their 10^th season tomorrow at 9PM EST on Spike TV (check local listings). Four marquee fights will be on display for everyone to see.

1. Marcus “The Darkness” Jones vs. Matt Mitrone (Heavyweight bout)- Jones and Mitrone have had problems stating back to the show. Mitrone was not the easiest guy to get along with, and it didn’t help when he injured one of Jones’ teammates. Jones waited long enough to get his chance against Mitrone, and he won’t disappoint.
   

   Prediction: Jones in 1 via submission (armbar)
   

2. Kimbo Slice vs. Houston “The Assassin” Alexander (catch weight: 215 lbs.)- Kimbo Slice gets his first live opportunity in the UFC. He must beat Alexander or at least show Dana White he can hang with the big boys. Alexander needs the victory to move up in title contention. This will not be the fight of the year, but it will surprise some people.
   

   Prediction: Alexander in 3 via TKO
   

3. Ultimate Fighter Contract: Roy “Big Country” Nelson vs. Brendan “The Hybrid” Schaub (Heavyweight bout)- these two men have earned this fight opportunity. Nelson finished his opponents by overpowering them. Schaub upset Marcus Jones to get to the finals. Schaub must NOT take it on the ground. Otherwise, Nelson becomes the next ultimate fighter.
   

   Prediction: Schaub in 3 via unanimous decision
   

4. Matt “The Hammer” Hamill vs. Jon “Bones” Jones (Light-Heavyweight Bout)- our main event of the evening is a light-heavyweight fight between two similar fighters. Both like to throw hands and can wrestle if need to. Hamill has the heavier hands, but Jones is quicker. It depends who gets that last shot in, because this one is too tough to call. Let’s hope this fight does not go into a decision.
   

   Prediction: Jones in 2 via TKO
   

Well, that’s all the time I have for today. If you disagree with anything I say, leave a comment below or email me at spidey23us@yahoo.com. You can also contact me via Facebook. Thanks for reading and good luck with your teams.

Yours Truly,

Sebastian Maldonado

Copyright @ 2007

The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale

Nebraska is definitely going to be in the building.

The tenth season of the ultimate fighter’s second to last episode aired last night and it made for easily the most exciting moments of an unfortunately lackluster season.  It also gave MMA fans a pretty decent card for the finale on Saturday night.  Most of all, Elite-XC MMA star Kimbo Slice gets to make his UFC debut.  A lot of hardcore MMA fans have really ripped into him but I’m a huge fan of Kimbo.  I think he’s an exciting presence and his attitude in no way endangers the credibility of this sport.  The way he was initially presented however, did.  In the end, Kimbo is a big lovable thug that won over my heart on this season’s Ultimate Fighter.  But I’m already too excited for the UFC 107 card so let’s get right to the predictions, starting with the preliminary fights that have really only one fight I want to definitely see aired.

Kimbo Slice

Preliminary Card

• Heavyweight bout: Darrill Schoonover vs. James McSweeney: I’m inclined to say that neither of these two guys proved enough to deserve a shot at being on this card, but on the other hand who doesn’t want to see James McSweeney get beat up again?  The show really made him out to be an arrogant ass, but he does have some really solid kickboxing stand-up.  If McSweeney can stay disciplined and focus on his footwork to stay elusive, he could be pretty good.  He can really move for a big guy and his leg kicks are very strong.  However, when it came to the ground he proved he is one-dimensional when he was dispatched by Roy Nelson, in really the same way Kimbo went out.  To McSweeney’s credit, and despite having a losing record in the cage, he has faced some decent competition in his losses.  The same cannot be said for Schoonover but something tells me this humble hard working guy has the right mind set to get things done and rebound from his loss to Marcus Jones.  My Prediction is Schoonover by TKO in the second round.
• Heavyweight bout: Jon Madsen vs. Justin Wren: Wren got kind of a raw deal in his fight with Roy Nelson, arguably the best fighter in the house (more on that later).  He seems durable and very strong, while at the same time very composed.  Madsen seems like a similar fighter but just not at the same level.  I’m really hoping we see these guys stand and bang but it might just go to the ground and stay there.  My prediction is Wren by unanimous decision.
• Light Heavyweight bout: Brian Stann vs. Rodney Wallace: Former college football star Rodney Wallace is undefeated and making his UFC debut.  This is another level for him but he seems to be a very well-rounded potential star.  This is the fight I want to see because Wallace could be something special down the line, but Stann has faced much tougher competition and has been losing too many fights lately to come in underestimating a young prospect looking to make his mark.  Stann did that with Krzysztof Soszynski (obviously a cut and paste) and he won’t do it again, but it’s still going to be a good fight.  My prediction is Stann by split decision.
• Welterweight bout: John Howard vs. Dennis Hallman: Hallman is a very experienced fighter, but also a controversial one.  He hasn’t fought any top guys in a very long time and he hasn’t been in the UFC in over four years.  John Howard has beaten guys who I think are pretty damn good fighters (Chris Wilson and Tamdan McCrory) and at the time it didn’t seem like he could, so he’s resourceful.  He’s got decent stand-up but Hallman might have an advantage on the ground.  My prediction is Howard by split decision.
• Lightweight bout: Mark Bocek vs. Joe Brammer: Very little is known about Joe Brammer but he is undefeated and likes to grapple.  Bocek has only two losses in his career, where he has fought some pretty decent guys.  This is a hard fight to call for a lot of reasons but I’m betting Brammer proves ready for this level.  My prediction is Brammer by submission in the second round.

Main Card

• Lightweight bout: Frank Edgar vs. Matt Veach: Matt Veach is absolutely no joke.  He can stand and he can grapple very well.  In fact, he might be stronger than Edgar.  On the surface this might look like a showcase fight for Edgar but I think he’s a little too good to let that get to his head.  This really is a lose-lose situation for Edgar because he might soon be deserving of a title shot and if he comes out and wins in exciting fashion he might get one sooner than later.  The problem is, I’m not so sure that’s possible.  If Edgar proves his stand-up is as good as it was against Sean Sherk, he should win.  My prediction is Edgar by unanimous decision.
• Heavyweight bout: Marcus Jones vs. Matt Mitrione: Obviously there are some guilty pleasures on this card and who doesn’t want to see Marcus Jones throw Matt Mitrione on his back and then punch the shit out of him?  I do, and that is exactly what will happen.  My prediction is Jones by TKO in the first round.
• Heavyweight bout: Roy Nelson vs. Brendan Schaub: Let me preface this by saying that I’m a fan of Big Country. This is actually a really exciting fight.  Roy Nelson has fought, and beaten, some top level competition throughout his career, and his game plan is entirely indifferent to what anyone else thinks.  He does what he needs to do to win.  Schaub looks terrific for the most part but hasn’t faced anyone at this level yet.  He could come out and prove he’s ready for the big leagues making the UFC’s heavyweight division even deeper.  Then again, he could get thrown on his back and find Nelson’s big fat belly on his face.  My prediction is Roy Nelson by TKO in the second round.
• Light Heavyweight bout: Matt Hamill vs. Jon Jones: Kind of the main event I suppose.  Matt Hamill is a major roadblock for Jon Jones on his way to MMA stardom.  Jones is so young and so well-rounded.  He has these little flickers of unique greatness and it is all coming together.  Hamill could stuff him though and teach him some lessons that every good young fighter needs to learn.  But let’s not forget that Hamill is not really much more experienced than Jones and he tends to think he can stand.  I can see him getting eaten up on his feet if Jones continues his evolution as a mixed martial artist, but if Jones doesn’t finish him quickly Hamill should adjust his game plan and win a decision.  This could be a really good fight.  My prediction is Matt Hamill by unanimous decision.
• Catchweight (215 lb) bout: Kimbo Slice vs. Houston Alexander: This is going to be the reason a lot of people watch this card.  Toss a coin here.   MMA purists will say that Alexander will use his Mauy Thai and take out Kimbo’s legs.  If he dares to come out with a conservative game plan like that, Kimbo will knock his block off.  Alexander needs to come out like he did against Keith Jardine and just pummel Kimbo at full speed until he’s out.  The problem is he might not have that kind of instinct anymore.  No matter what happens here, this is an absolute guaranteed awesome finish.  My prediction is Kimbo by KO in the first round.

November 30, 2009 by Eric Jarrod

With much anticipation surrounding the fight between Kimbo Slice and Houston Alexander at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale this weekend, the main event of the TUF 10 Finale seems to have been forgotten. The main event is between UFC light heavyweight contenders Matt “The Hammer” Hamill and Jon “Bones” Jones. Matt Hamill is best remembered for being the deaf competitor on The Ultimate Fighter 3; he has a record of 8-2, with his only two losses coming to Michael Bisping (controversial decision) and former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin (3rd round TKO). Jon Jones is undefeated (8-0; 3-0 in UFC) and is considered by many as a future UFC light heavyweight champion. Jones’ first significant victory came against Stephan Bonnar at UFC 94. Jones demonstrated superior wrestling skills and dynamic striking in his unanimous decision victory over Bonnar. Jones went on to defeat Jake O’Brien by submission (choke) at UFC 100. At only 22 years of age, Jones has been controlling his opponents with his elite Greco-Roman wrestling skills. Those skills will be put to the test against Hamill, who was a three-time NCAA Division III National Champion in wrestling. Matt Hamill is the first opponent Jones will have faced in the octagon that can match wrestling skills with Jones. With a win against Matt Hamill, Bones Jones would take a significant step toward a UFC light heavyweight title shot.

(bleacherreport.com) by Mitch Ciccarelli