StillUnknown

i'm watching the early broadcast as well, theres a few boxing fights tonight that i also want to watch, so it actually works out pretty well for me.

the live event starts at 3pm(est) and will replay at 10pm(est) my UFC 85 picks: Thiago Alves vs. Matt Hughes: Alves not making weight will impact this match. i say Alves has to try and end the fight asap because about mid-way through the 2nd i expect him to start gassing. this match really comes down to Alves' takedown defense. if he can keep the fight standing, he should KO Hughes. that being said, i think Hughes will drag him into deep waters and get a stoppage in the 3rd round. Hughes by TKO, 3rd Round (i hope i'm wrong though) Brandon Vera vs. Fabricio Werdum: i have gone back and forth on this one. pretty even match-up all things considered. Vera will have a nice edge standing, and even though Vera is good on the ground, he's not in Werdum's league on the ground. Verdum showed some much improved striking against Gonzaga, so its obvious his training with Chute Box is improving his game. Vera needs to have an impressive showing, so i look for him to keep it standing. if Werdum gets it to the ground, he could submit Vera. i'm thinking this will actually be a good fight and Vera will catch Werdum with a knee in the 2nd round that leads to a stoppage. Vera by TKO, 2nd Round Nate Marquardt vs. Thales Leites: another even match-up. both are great on the ground, both have good to decent stand up. this has the potential to be a boring fight as both are pretty technical, especially if it ends up on the ground. Leites by Split Decision Michael Bisping vs. Jason Day: Day won't just sit back and eat a million knees like McCarthy did. Day has some good striking and will test Bisping, but Bisping will outlast him over 3 rounds. Bisping by Unanimous Decision Marcus Davis vs. Mike Swick: i'm not completely sold on Davis just yet. Swick looked pretty bad against Burkman even though he got the win. the striking edge goes to Davis with the dynamite he has in his hands, although Swick's length could present a problem. Davis by TKO, 2nd Round Thiago Tavares vs. Matt Wiman: Tavares had a boring performance his last time out and will look to finish this fight early. Tavares in my opinion should've gotten the decision against Tyson Griffin in their fight, and should still be undefeated. He's a young star who could be contending for the LW title in the future, and he's now training with Big Nog and Anderson Silva so that can only help him. Tavares by Submission, 1st Round

Alves missed weight, bout is now being fought at a catchweight of 174: http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=6435&zoneid=13 i'm disappointed in Alves, i realize the fight was kind of short notice, but making weight is crucial. its not the first time he's had trouble making weight. now even if he smashes Hughes (which i sincerely hope he does), i doubt he gets a title shot until he proves he can make 170. the last think Dana will want is another Travis Lutter moment. UFC 85: Not Important Enough To Make Weight

you can add Rampage to the list, he was pretty timid in a couple of his fights after Silva knee'd him into christianity :laugh:

any boxer at 205 is more likely to fight at Cruiserweight (the limit is 200lbs). you are dead on about heavyweights being slower. nowadays in boxing most heavyweights are around the 235-250lb range

i agree with this. Cro Cop was a complete flop in the UFC (i watched alot of his old fights recently and could only shake my head how different he looked in the UFC) Herring also came over and was less than expected. on the other hand, Big Nog has been exactly what they expected when they signed him. the HW division kinda had a snowball effect starting with the UFC not signing Fedor, which lead to Randy retiring and the snowball hasn't stopped rolling yet.

don't forget about Mir, who was destroyed by Vera, but beat Hardonk & Lesnar, so he's worthy of a title shot now :doh:

EliteXC is MMA's most watched event ever: http://www.sherdog.com/news/news.asp?n_id=13036 and here is Bas Rutten's take on the Kimbo fight (says he thinks the fight could've been stopped in the 2nd): http://www.fightline.com/news/2008/63/bas_rutten_325603.shtml

another former WWE star set to make MMA debut: http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=6399&zoneid=13 he was a great wrestler in college, if he does well with the small AFL promotion, maybe we see move up some day.

its live from London, so it comes on at 2 or 3pm(est) Sat. although i think they'll replay it at 10pm(est) as well

UFC 85: At Least It Ain't Kimbo

eventually Gina gonna either have to commit to making weight or have EliteXC raise the women's weight class up a few pounds. her coming in 4.5lbs over is inexcusable and not fair at all to her opponents.

this is too funny not to post:

Faber better be lucky Mazzagatti wasn't reffing that match :laugh:

he does the exact same thing with his boxers. immediately after the fight, he'll tell them what he wants them to say in the post-fight interview.

i'm hoping Alves lands one of those trademark leg kicks clean to the head of Hughes. i'll be rooting hard for Alves, but my mind is telling me Hughes will lay on him for a decision

UFC 85: Save Your Money for 86

apparently CBS really liked the ratings they got for the Primetime showing and they are planning another show for Late Summer or Early Fall

did Pulver piss on your lawn or something? i can understand if you don't like the dude, but there's no reason to disrespect him

he's a brown belt under carlson gracie which holds more weight than most black belts. his guard is so good because not only does it allow him to go for constant submissions, he takes very little damage. he length allows him to do those kicks to the thighs and hip from the guard that can open up things as well. tonight he got a chance to showcase his standup. he's got some really good muay thai and he uses 76" reach very well. he also showed he can take a good shot and keep coming forward. carlson gracie said in a magazine a while back that he doesn't see anyone beating him @ 135lbs. i got a chance to download some of his pre-WEC fights and he is the real deal. one of my 3 favorite fighters that was reason #2 on my list of why i thought that fight was fixed. that camera going away from the action was way too shady

good fight, but Torres & Maeda stole the show in my opinion i must search the internets so i can add that fight to my collection. lol

looks like Jens is just tryin to make it to the judges and get the old moral victory

that was ton of shots to the back of the head, i could've sworn there was a rule against that

that was a classic fight both guys went full bore for 3 rounds. unfortunately Maeda's eye is completely shut so the fight is stopped

Miguel Torres and Maeda are putting on one of the best MMA fights i've seen