RuSsMaN
04-21-2007, 08:02 PM
8 central, 9 eastern.
http://70.ufc.com/
GREAT card tonight, and it's FREE.
Cheers,
Russ
UFC 70 match breakdowns and predictions
By Mike Chiappetta
NBCSports.com
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Mirko Cro Cop
After watching Couture beat down the bigger Sylvia and Serra KO the supposedly invincible GSP, I probably shouldn't be making any predictions, but above all else, I'm stupid. So here we go:
Obviously, Gonzaga wants the fight on the ground. His best chance of winning is probably pulling a submission off his back, but then he's got to deal with elbows and punches. Another issue is getting the fight to the ground. Cro Cop is excellent at sprawling to avoid takedowns, and a standing fight is a losing fight for Gonzaga. If he's able to take the fight to the ground, one thing he's got going for him is Cro Cop is not completely familiar with how to use the cage. The only submission loss of Cro Cop's career was to Antonio Nogueira, but that was pretty early in his MMA career, so his defense is better than most give him credit for.
Gonzaga supposedly has heavy hands, but Cro Cop's striking is on another level. I can't see him losing this fight.
David Heath vs. Lyoto Machida
Both of these fighters come into this bout with perfect 9-0 records, so someone's going home with a perfect 10, and another has to go back and start from scratch.
Machida has more impressive wins on his resume, including a TKO over Rich Franklin (who prefers standup) and a unanimous decision over B.J. Penn (a world-class submission fighter). So Machida has a pretty complete game. Heath hasn't fought any big names, but has been impressive in finishing seven of his nine pro fights. Heath also is naturally much bigger than Machida. While Machida weighed in at 199 pounds for this light-heavyweight bout, Heath hit the 205-mark, though he'll likely be in the 215-220 range by the time they step into the octagon. That's a huge size differential.
Still, it shouldn't matter. Machida is a complete fighter and will likely outlast Heath in a decision.
Michael Bisping vs. Elvis Sinosic
The UK native Bisping is considered a rising star in the sport while Sinosic has lost five UFC bouts in a row and is one of few fighters in the organization with a losing record (8-9-2 all-time). He is known, however, to have exciting matches, which is why he's still around. Sinosic is very experienced, having fought UFC stalwarts like Tito Ortiz, Renato "Babalu" Sobral and Forrest Griffin, though he hasn't beaten any of them. His best career win was trapping Jeremy Horn in a triangle, so he's dangerous, so carelessness will probably be Bisping's worst mistake.
The undefeated Brit (12-0) will be very excited for this match, and we'll see if he can handle the nerves of being a main attraction. Don't be surprised to see Sinosic last longer than the first round before succumbing to a second-round TKO.
Andrei Arlovski vs. Fabricio Werdum
Very rarely do you look at a heavyweight matchup as a potential show-stealer, but if any fight has the opportunity to steal the spotlight from hometown boy Bisping and international star Cro Cop, it's this one.
Andrei Arlovski is a former champion, and Dana White has already stated that a win would put him in line for a title shot after the Cro Cop-Gonzaga winner. That's a pretty good incentive for the native Belarussian. On the other hand, Werdum knows he can vault himself towards the front of the pack with a victory.
Here's what to look for: Werdum is a jiu-jitsu specialist, and Arlovski wants to keep the fight standing. Whichever one controls where the fight takes place will win. It's likely that simple. This is a very tough fight to predict, but I'll guess that more of the fight is spent vertically, so Arlovski pulls off the decision win.
Cheick Kongo vs. Assuerio Silva
Kongo came into the UFC with guns blazing, winning his first two fights (against Gilbert Aldana and Christian Wellisch) via first-round KO, and many wondered if it signified the arrival of the next great heavyweight. But then he fell flat in a split-decision loss to Carmelo Marrero at UFC 64, a match in which he struggled against Marrero's jiu-jitsu style.
Silva, meanwhile, is a Brazilian. Uh-oh. We're going to find out real quick how much Kongo's worked on his takedown defense and BJJ since his last match, because Silva had his gameplan mapped out for him in that bout.
This match is pretty much a coinflip, and since Silva's never been KO'd in a bout, I'll pick him by decision.
http://70.ufc.com/
GREAT card tonight, and it's FREE.
Cheers,
Russ
UFC 70 match breakdowns and predictions
By Mike Chiappetta
NBCSports.com
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Mirko Cro Cop
After watching Couture beat down the bigger Sylvia and Serra KO the supposedly invincible GSP, I probably shouldn't be making any predictions, but above all else, I'm stupid. So here we go:
Obviously, Gonzaga wants the fight on the ground. His best chance of winning is probably pulling a submission off his back, but then he's got to deal with elbows and punches. Another issue is getting the fight to the ground. Cro Cop is excellent at sprawling to avoid takedowns, and a standing fight is a losing fight for Gonzaga. If he's able to take the fight to the ground, one thing he's got going for him is Cro Cop is not completely familiar with how to use the cage. The only submission loss of Cro Cop's career was to Antonio Nogueira, but that was pretty early in his MMA career, so his defense is better than most give him credit for.
Gonzaga supposedly has heavy hands, but Cro Cop's striking is on another level. I can't see him losing this fight.
David Heath vs. Lyoto Machida
Both of these fighters come into this bout with perfect 9-0 records, so someone's going home with a perfect 10, and another has to go back and start from scratch.
Machida has more impressive wins on his resume, including a TKO over Rich Franklin (who prefers standup) and a unanimous decision over B.J. Penn (a world-class submission fighter). So Machida has a pretty complete game. Heath hasn't fought any big names, but has been impressive in finishing seven of his nine pro fights. Heath also is naturally much bigger than Machida. While Machida weighed in at 199 pounds for this light-heavyweight bout, Heath hit the 205-mark, though he'll likely be in the 215-220 range by the time they step into the octagon. That's a huge size differential.
Still, it shouldn't matter. Machida is a complete fighter and will likely outlast Heath in a decision.
Michael Bisping vs. Elvis Sinosic
The UK native Bisping is considered a rising star in the sport while Sinosic has lost five UFC bouts in a row and is one of few fighters in the organization with a losing record (8-9-2 all-time). He is known, however, to have exciting matches, which is why he's still around. Sinosic is very experienced, having fought UFC stalwarts like Tito Ortiz, Renato "Babalu" Sobral and Forrest Griffin, though he hasn't beaten any of them. His best career win was trapping Jeremy Horn in a triangle, so he's dangerous, so carelessness will probably be Bisping's worst mistake.
The undefeated Brit (12-0) will be very excited for this match, and we'll see if he can handle the nerves of being a main attraction. Don't be surprised to see Sinosic last longer than the first round before succumbing to a second-round TKO.
Andrei Arlovski vs. Fabricio Werdum
Very rarely do you look at a heavyweight matchup as a potential show-stealer, but if any fight has the opportunity to steal the spotlight from hometown boy Bisping and international star Cro Cop, it's this one.
Andrei Arlovski is a former champion, and Dana White has already stated that a win would put him in line for a title shot after the Cro Cop-Gonzaga winner. That's a pretty good incentive for the native Belarussian. On the other hand, Werdum knows he can vault himself towards the front of the pack with a victory.
Here's what to look for: Werdum is a jiu-jitsu specialist, and Arlovski wants to keep the fight standing. Whichever one controls where the fight takes place will win. It's likely that simple. This is a very tough fight to predict, but I'll guess that more of the fight is spent vertically, so Arlovski pulls off the decision win.
Cheick Kongo vs. Assuerio Silva
Kongo came into the UFC with guns blazing, winning his first two fights (against Gilbert Aldana and Christian Wellisch) via first-round KO, and many wondered if it signified the arrival of the next great heavyweight. But then he fell flat in a split-decision loss to Carmelo Marrero at UFC 64, a match in which he struggled against Marrero's jiu-jitsu style.
Silva, meanwhile, is a Brazilian. Uh-oh. We're going to find out real quick how much Kongo's worked on his takedown defense and BJJ since his last match, because Silva had his gameplan mapped out for him in that bout.
This match is pretty much a coinflip, and since Silva's never been KO'd in a bout, I'll pick him by decision.