Thoughts? Predictions? I know I’ll be watching it since it’s free.
I have no clue who will win the main event, so I’ll just pick Dan Henderson using MMAth.
I think Cro Cop will shake off his knockout loss and whip on Cheik Congo, especially since he won’t have to defend against the takedown.
Yeah, I feel the same about the main. I picked Hendo because he has a better ground game. Both are pretty solid on their feet.
I’m betting on Mirko. Every time he comes back from a loss he looks unstopable.
I also expect Bisping to destroy Hamil.
I was wondering why Donut62 hasn’t done a write-up on this event.
Anyways, my picks are Dan Henderson, CroCop and Hammill.
I have a hard time betting against Hendo, especially with what he has done. I can’t wait to see CroCop fight again. I hope he comes back hungry and we see a repeat of last year’s OWGP.
With Bisping’s announcement about dropping to MW, it makes me think that he has his doubts in the LHW division. I don’t see that as being the right mindset coming into a fight.
Hammil, GNP 2nd.
Rampage had a lot of trouble when he fought Matt Lindland who is another MW olympic wrestler who also trains out of Team Quest. I still think that Lindland was robbed in that fight. With that said, I see a similar outcome in this fight. This, however, is surpassed by the fact that Hendo has awesome knockout power. He even KOed the guy that handed rampage two of the most brutal KO’s in MMA.
Rampage does have freakish strength and has knocked out one of the best strikers in MMA.
I still give the advantage to Hendo. Unanimous decision.
CroCop’s success in last year’s OWGP was amazing. I do think he should have waited a little longer before returning to the cage. That last KO was hideous. Let’s hope he doesn’t appear to be rattled after the last fight. Keep in mind that that is the first time we’ve seen him get KOed by one strike. After the Randleman fight, he came back a month later and cleaned house with 7 straight wins.
This fight will be determined by which Mirko shows up. If he comes in hungry like he did after the Randleman fight, he’ll win. If he comes in with the same mindset (not training with a cage and walking through the UFC’s competition) he’ll lose.
I pick him as coming back hungry and putting on an awesome show.
CroCop KO, 2nd.
OK, that’s enough for now. Anyone want to do the other fights?
I pick Alexander, Davis and Torres. I don’t know about the others.
Ha, I was going to do one tonight but have been busy at work 
Anyways, here goes.
-FIRST OF ALL, like UFC 70, this event will be shown on Spike TV in the USA AFTER the event has already finished in England. If you don’t want spoilers, stay away from the internet. Someone random guy on this website always manages to post a thread with the title like “OMFG RAMPAGE SLAMMED HENDO ASO HARD THE PORTAL TO HELL OPENED UP AND ENGLAND WAS SWALLOWED INTO UNSPEAKABLE DARKNESS”.
Hendo vs Rampage
No idea. I really don’t. Incredible match up, shame neither guy gets the hype here in America. Obviously these two are international superstars from their Pride days but relative newbies to the American scene, so it made sense to put them on the England card. Rampage is bigger, more technical on the feet, and has some nasty ground and pound. Hendo is one of the toughest bastards ever to walk the earth, packs a lot of boom in his fists, and is a world class wrestler. The interesting facet of this fight is that while Rampage is a great striker he likes to get down and wrestle with guys, and while Dan is a great wrestler he likes to bang it out on the feet. They both play into each others strengths. I don’t see this fight ending. I see Rampage winning the first three rounds outpointing Dan on the feet and mugging him up a bit on the cage and mat. Hendo steals the last two rounds by superior cardio. Either way, this is a classic destined for a sequel. Rampage UD.
Mirko vs Kongo
They didn’t do Cro Cop any favors. Any heavyweight with a ground game could make mince meat of Kongo, but Mirko likes to stand, and well so does Kongo. And Kongo is quite good at it, don’t be surprised if he wins. In his peak Mirko was a better striker than Kongo, I have no doubt, but the Frenchman is fresh off the European muay thai circuit while Mirko hasn’t laced up the boxing gloves since 2003. While Kongo holds a size advantage, I have not really seen Cheick use that size to gun jack guys around the ring. Kongo is a thai fighter, and Mirko and his Cikatic inspired rangy kick boxing style are like water to oil when it comes to clinch work. However, Kongo seems content to stand back and use his range. This will suit Mirko quite well on the feet. He has been training hard with Remy Bonjasky (holds a win over Kongo in muay thai), Gilbert Yvel (holds a win over Kongo in MMA), Dean Lister (Randy’s BJJ coach and grappler extraordinaire), and is now coached by Ivan Hippolyte.
Kongo has shown negative 10 skill points in wrestling up to this point, and Mirko was able to clown Mark Coleman’s shot, make Yoshida like a judo white belt, and give Fedor fits so I don’t think there is much of a surprise chance of Kongo trying to take this to the mat. Mirko does need to win this fight by being the superior MMA fighter though, and if things are dangerous on the feet he needs to put Kongo down and rough him up a little like he did Wanderlei. Mirko has superb ground and pound when he uses it.
If Mirko in top shape should win this fight, and he seems motivated to do so. Kicking out his long time coach and mentor Zvonomir Lucic is just a taste of the turn around he wants to make. Mirko by legs big, Round 2.
Bisping vs Hammil
Hammil doesn’t stand a goddamned chance. This isn’t wrestling, and Bisping will light him up like a Christmas tree. And no one will be there to make him some ‘sammiches’. Bisping TKO Round 1
Sakara vs Alexander
They really put together a crowd pleaser with this card. This is a stand out bang em up war between a guy who hasn’t really shown his potential, and a guy who uncorked his on the unfortunate Keith Jardine. Sakara can fucking box though, and if Houston wants to make this a boxing match I think Sakara will step up to the plate and smoke for three rounds. Sakara UD.
In other news, I’ll take:
Marcus Davis
Etim
Kotani
Torres
Rampage vs. Henderson is an interesting matchup. Henderson has balls of steel; the guy will fight anyone, anytime, regardless of how much weight he’s given up. His striking, like Couture’s, seems to improve with age. He’s always in great condition and does great work on the ground.
That said, I think Rampage wins the fight. The win over Liddell had to have done tons for his confidence. He’s training hard and really wants to be the undisputed LHW champ. He clearly has the advantage on the feet and he’s usually able to avoid trouble on the ground.
I see a 2nd round KO by Rampage.
As for Bisping vs. Hamill, that’s another toss-up. Bisping is more well-rounded, but Hamill is a stud wrestler, perhaps the best in the UFC (yes, including Mr. Koscheck). Hamill could easily win by lay-and-pray, and that’s what I’m going with here; Hamill by unanimous decision.
Cro Cop-Kongo will be an entertaining fight but should end with a Cro Cop KO victory.
Wow, Henderson looks good. I think I’m leaning towards a Hendo victory the more I think about it.
[quote]Donut62 wrote:
Ha, I was going to do one tonight but have been busy at work Anyways, here goes.
-FIRST OF ALL, like UFC 70, this event will be shown on Spike TV in the USA AFTER the event has already finished in England. If you don’t want spoilers, stay away from the internet. Someone random guy on this website always manages to post a thread with the title like “OMFG RAMPAGE SLAMMED HENDO ASO HARD THE PORTAL TO HELL OPENED UP AND ENGLAND WAS SWALLOWED INTO UNSPEAKABLE DARKNESS”.
Hendo vs Rampage
No idea. I really don’t. Incredible match up, shame neither guy gets the hype here in America. Obviously these two are international superstars from their Pride days but relative newbies to the American scene, so it made sense to put them on the England card. Rampage is bigger, more technical on the feet, and has some nasty ground and pound. Hendo is one of the toughest bastards ever to walk the earth, packs a lot of boom in his fists, and is a world class wrestler. The interesting facet of this fight is that while Rampage is a great striker he likes to get down and wrestle with guys, and while Dan is a great wrestler he likes to bang it out on the feet. They both play into each others strengths. I don’t see this fight ending. I see Rampage winning the first three rounds outpointing Dan on the feet and mugging him up a bit on the cage and mat. Hendo steals the last two rounds by superior cardio. Either way, this is a classic destined for a sequel. Rampage UD.
Mirko vs Kongo
They didn’t do Cro Cop any favors. Any heavyweight with a ground game could make mince meat of Kongo, but Mirko likes to stand, and well so does Kongo. And Kongo is quite good at it, don’t be surprised if he wins. In his peak Mirko was a better striker than Kongo, I have no doubt, but the Frenchman is fresh off the European muay thai circuit while Mirko hasn’t laced up the boxing gloves since 2003. While Kongo holds a size advantage, I have not really seen Cheick use that size to gun jack guys around the ring. Kongo is a thai fighter, and Mirko and his Cikatic inspired rangy kick boxing style are like water to oil when it comes to clinch work. However, Kongo seems content to stand back and use his range. This will suit Mirko quite well on the feet. He has been training hard with Remy Bonjasky (holds a win over Kongo in muay thai), Gilbert Yvel (holds a win over Kongo in MMA), Dean Lister (Randy’s BJJ coach and grappler extraordinaire), and is now coached by Ivan Hippolyte.
Kongo has shown negative 10 skill points in wrestling up to this point, and Mirko was able to clown Mark Coleman’s shot, make Yoshida like a judo white belt, and give Fedor fits so I don’t think there is much of a surprise chance of Kongo trying to take this to the mat. Mirko does need to win this fight by being the superior MMA fighter though, and if things are dangerous on the feet he needs to put Kongo down and rough him up a little like he did Wanderlei. Mirko has superb ground and pound when he uses it.
If Mirko in top shape should win this fight, and he seems motivated to do so. Kicking out his long time coach and mentor Zvonomir Lucic is just a taste of the turn around he wants to make. Mirko by legs big, Round 2.
Bisping vs Hammil
Hammil doesn’t stand a goddamned chance. This isn’t wrestling, and Bisping will light him up like a Christmas tree. And no one will be there to make him some ‘sammiches’. Bisping TKO Round 1
Sakara vs Alexander
They really put together a crowd pleaser with this card. This is a stand out bang em up war between a guy who hasn’t really shown his potential, and a guy who uncorked his on the unfortunate Keith Jardine. Sakara can fucking box though, and if Houston wants to make this a boxing match I think Sakara will step up to the plate and smoke for three rounds. Sakara UD.
In other news, I’ll take:
Marcus Davis
Etim
Kotani
Torres[/quote]
On a side note: Remy Bonjasky is one of my favorite fighters of all time. Double side note: My old kickboxing coach was supposed to fight K-1 but he got injured (Derek Panza).
Anyway, predictions? Just like every other soul roaming the free world, I have no idea who will win the main event. I can’t pick. I seem to John Kerry this one; I’ll think Rampage hands down one minute, then Hendo the next. I’m just looking forward to a fantastic fight.
Mirko by TKO in round 2. It’ll take a round for him to feel Kongo out, then he’ll lay the smack down early in the second round.
Bisping vs. Hammil. I don’t know why everyone thinks this is going to be a slaughter. If Matt wants to try to prove something and stand up with that British S.O.B., then yeah, he’ll probably have his career ended, but he won’t. Unless Bisping has Olympic quality takedown defense, or seriously improved his ground game, then I think Hammil has a fighting chance. The kis is strong like bull and has the heart of a lion. I’m not sticking with this predicition, but I’ll still say KO in round 1 for bisping.
-dizzle
[quote]A-Dizz wrote:
On a side note: Remy Bonjasky is one of my favorite fighters of all time. Double side note: My old kickboxing coach was supposed to fight K-1 but he got injured (Derek Panza).
[/quote]
Remy is a stud. I wonder what his vertical jump is, because it always looks like he is going to fly out of the damn ring when he throws those knees. And Panza was the SHW USKBA champ if I’m thinking of the same Panza. He was no slouch at all.
[quote]Djwlfpack wrote:
That said, I think Rampage wins the fight. The win over Liddell had to have done tons for his confidence. He’s training hard and really wants to be the undisputed LHW champ. He clearly has the advantage on the feet and he’s usually able to avoid trouble on the ground.
[/quote]
That’s interesting, I gave Hendo the nod on the feet(and ground but who’s counting). Rampage is amazing to watch when you put him in front of a striker, he’s ahead of those punches 99.99% of the time. So I’ll give him the edge when it comes to defense.
I’d also say Rampage is more accurate than Dan. He throws some beautiful, crisp punches. However, Dan has hands like sledgehammers. If Rampage is a little late reacting to one of those, it’s over.
As for confidence? Rampage has beaten Chuck twice, fairly handley both times. I think he had a lot more confidence going into his title match with Chuck versus what he is facing now, a guy who knocked out Silva, who shit-stomped his ass twice in Pride.
Well, I guess I’ll throw my pick in as being Hendo. I was in vegas a month and a half ago, and I got +130 odds, so I put down $50 to win $65. I wish I could give sound logic for it, but truthfully, I just figured that most american MMA fans would’ve never heard of him since he isnt UFC, so I reasoned that Vegas would have to sweeten the odds in order to spread the risk evenly between henderson and rampage
[quote]analog_kid wrote:
Djwlfpack wrote:
That said, I think Rampage wins the fight. The win over Liddell had to have done tons for his confidence. He’s training hard and really wants to be the undisputed LHW champ. He clearly has the advantage on the feet and he’s usually able to avoid trouble on the ground.
That’s interesting, I gave Hendo the nod on the feet(and ground but who’s counting). Rampage is amazing to watch when you put him in front of a striker, he’s ahead of those punches 99.99% of the time. So I’ll give him the edge when it comes to defense.
I’d also say Rampage is more accurate than Dan. He throws some beautiful, crisp punches. However, Dan has hands like sledgehammers. If Rampage is a little late reacting to one of those, it’s over.
As for confidence? Rampage has beaten Chuck twice, fairly handley both times. I think he had a lot more confidence going into his title match with Chuck versus what he is facing now, a guy who knocked out Silva, who shit-stomped his ass twice in Pride. [/quote]
True, Jackson did have confidence going into the Liddell fight since he won the first encounter, but, he also was in a bit of slump career-wise leading up to that fight. I think winning the title boosted him and he realized he still had what it took to hang with the top guys.
[quote]Donut62 wrote:
A-Dizz wrote:
On a side note: Remy Bonjasky is one of my favorite fighters of all time. Double side note: My old kickboxing coach was supposed to fight K-1 but he got injured (Derek Panza).
Remy is a stud. I wonder what his vertical jump is, because it always looks like he is going to fly out of the damn ring when he throws those knees. And Panza was the SHW USKBA champ if I’m thinking of the same Panza. He was no slouch at all.
[/quote]
Yeah that’s him. He held 4 different titles in all the major kickboxing associations at one time. He was supposed to have a contract with K-1 but had some sort of inner ear problem due to a kick in the head. He would have been in the video game if he signed.
-dizzle
Was I the only one disappointed in the Countdown show last night? I don’t feel as though they did a good enough job building up Dan Henderson as something special. Yeah they showed him training, but there was no talk (I did miss the first 5 min.) about what he had done in PRIDE.
It also would’ve been nice to have seen Couture on this show talking about Henderson since the two used to train together at Team Quest. Henderson was in the corner for Couture during his wins over Liddell and Ortiz and they could’ve shown footage of that, too.
I’ll have to make a point to check out Hamill’s gym when I go back home in October. Looked like a good set-up, especially for a small town like Utica. He looks to be in great shape and I still think his wrestling and ground-and-pound will be enough to get past Bisping.
Anyone see the Countdown show? It was excellent, having the Pride footage has really increased their production values.
“As they say, shit happens.” Hilarious.
[quote]Donut62 wrote:
Anyone see the Countdown show? It was excellent, having the Pride footage has really increased their production values.
“As they say, shit happens.” Hilarious.[/quote]
Got it on the Tivo. I’m planning to watch it tonight.
I for one hope they bring some of that stuff to the UFC. The Pride intros were amazing.
[quote]Donut62 wrote:
Anyone see the Countdown show? It was excellent, having the Pride footage has really increased their production values.
“As they say, shit happens.” Hilarious.[/quote]
See my comment above. I actually thought this was one of the weakest Countdown shows they’ve done. I do agree that having the PRIDE footage is great for production values.
Really? I thought it was pretty damn good. Rampage is super quote worthy as usual.
“What motivates me is…I don’t want to get my ass whupped.”
“…it’s bananas…it’s bonkers!”
I still prefer pre-Jesus Ramapge quotes. Some of my favs:
“Knock him out with ya breath Wanderlei!”
“Is that one of Heath’s balls hanging out?”
“You know what it feel like to get yo ass whoop by a black man? That shit hurt!”
“tey made a Tito bobblehead but that shit wouldn�??t bobble, it would just fall down to one side and stay there.”
“That’s alright, all black folks look alike. Just call me Gary Goodridge.”
[quote]Donut62 wrote:
Really? I thought it was pretty damn good. Rampage is super quote worthy as usual.
“What motivates me is…I don’t want to get my ass whupped.”[/quote]
That is some funny stuff.
[quote]Donut62 wrote:
Really? I thought it was pretty damn good. Rampage is super quote worthy as usual.
“What motivates me is…I don’t want to get my ass whupped.”[/quote]
You can’t help but smile when Rampage speaks, the guy’s a quote machine.
Still, I wanted to see more talk about Henderson (quotes from other fighters, more detailed history). I mean, there was no mention of the KO of Silva (again I did miss the first 5 min. but from what I saw there was nothing). I know Wand signed with the UFC, but still, that was a HUGE win for Henderson and I felt like that was swept under the rug.
Henderson’s training looked sick. He’s going to be in great shape for the fight. Rampage has had good guys to train with, which he needs b/c he doesn’t like training, so this is a definite pick-em.