StillUnknown

http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=4828&zoneid=13

Since joining the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Clay Guida has put on some of the most exciting fights the lightweight division has ever seen. Now he gets a chance to ply his craft in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter Finale on Dec. 8, as he faces popular fighter Roger Huerta.

“I think it was more timing than anything,” said Guida of his sudden rise to main event status. “I was out at Ultimate Fight Night a couple weeks ago at the Palms and Joe Silva approached me and mentioned it. It sounded like a good fight for the both of us. This has fight of the year written all over it.”

Huerta's getting his first true test in the UFC in this fight. I think Guida will get a decision against him though.

I hope he was joking about fighting Forrest Griffin. Evans is one of the most mediocre fighters in the LHW division, just like Bisping actually. I don't see him taking this fight easy either, it will likely boil down to a split decision.

This fight is disappointing for several reasons.

One reason is because I just heard a rumor on the radio that Dana White was trying to set up a Bisping/Hamill rematch for UFC 78. And naturally I was expecting Tito/Rashad 2 to be Evans' next fight.

They could surprise me though and put up a good fight,I mean Bisping has been training with Rampage, but I still doubt it.

i don't understand why they are pushing Evans/Bisping as the main event though. that would probably be the weakest main-event for the ufc in a looooooong time.

Evans is the type that isn't dominant in anyone one area, but good enough in all to give any fighter trouble. I actually think Forrest and evans would be a damn good fight. I would give an edge to Forrest but it wouldn't surprise me at all if Evans beat Forrest. I don't like Evans much, but he is very explosive for 205 and has decent strength. His cardio is good enough to last 3 rounds with Forrest.

http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=4826&zoneid=2

Today the Ultimate Fighting Championship announced via their website the main event for UFC 78 in New Jersey as two Ultimate Fighter winners will square off when Rashad Evans takes on Michael Bisping on Nov. 17th.

MMAWeekly spoke with Rashad Evans just minutes after the announcement of the fight and he was just as surprised to hear about who is opponent would be.

“Joe Silva just called me and he was like ‘are you ready to fight in November?’ and I was like ‘Who Forrest (Griffin)?’ and he was like ‘no, Michael Bisping,” said Evans in his exclusive interview with MMAWeekly.

The bout comes as a surprise not only to Evans but many fans and journalists who believed the main event would be a rematch with Tito Ortiz. Evans was unsure of the reasons why Ortiz wasn’t in the fight.

“They didn’t really tell me anything but I’m thinking they probably wanted another match-up that made more sense,” Evans stated. “With Tito taking so long trying to renegotiate his contract or they’re just trying to find a better fight? I’m kind of disappointed because I wanted a rematch, but everything happens for a reason, so I’ll take this fight.”

Michael Bisping is coming off of one of the most controversial decisions in UFC history as he won a split decision over rival Matt Hamill in September. Evans doesn’t take Bisping lightly and understands the danger he presents in the fight.

“I think he’s a game opponent,” Evans said. “I think he’ll definitely be coming to fight. He’s coming off that controversial win so he definitely wants to go out there to prove himself. I’m looking to go out there and fight a very hungry opponent.”

Evans should win this easy.

Silva is technical, but he lacks power in that division.

Franklin has a good chance against Silva, but Silva is probably a 2 to 1 favorite.

Silva was loosing his last match with Ludder(I think that was his name) when he busted out that submission triangle.

If Franklin doesn't get Silva here, then Henderson will be the one to do it.

a couple of points:

Silvas last title defense was against Marquardt, the Lutter fight was before that. In the Lutter fight, Silva was coming off surgery on both knees which is why he got taken down as easily as he did.

Silva has alot of power at 185. Leben may not be a great fighter, but he has a great chin, and Silva broke it quickly. Silva also showed power in his strikes against Franklin with the knees to the body, and in his fight against Marquardt with a straight right hand that sent Marquardt backwards into the cage.

i would love to see henderson/silva fight. i think henderson could take Silva down at will and control him for a decision victory. Henderson's problem is that he thinks he's a better striker than he is and i think he would make the mistake of standing with Silva. Henderson while having a ton of power, is not a technical striker. I think Silva is too technical to get caught with Hendo's looping overhand right. I'm not sure if Silva would KO henderson, as he's never been KO'd before, but i think Silva would win a stand-up bout against him.

i really hope this fight is made.

Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez is headling a card at the Playboy mansion sat. night. lucky dude, he gets to kick some ass, then get some ass at the same place.

Touche, Still.

So do YOU think Rich even has a remote chance?

2007 has taught me to never assume anything in regards to an MMA match, that being said, i only give Franklin a slim puncher's chance to win this fight.

Silva has way better stand-up

Silva has better bjj

Silva proved he's just as, if not stronger than Franklin by dominating him the clench. Rich relies on the fact that he's a big MW in alot of his fights, if he can't over power people he's in trouble.

Franklin has good takedowns, but if Marquardt couldn't keep Silva on the ground, i really don't see Franklin being able too.

Franklin only has the slimmest of chances in this fight.

In response to the recent comments here about Rich Franklin vs. Anderson Silva:

I'm struggling to remember a more one-sided MMA bout in the last 5 years than Franklin-Silva 1. I actually felt pity for Franklin. I cannot in any way see him faring much better in the upcoming rematch. The only way I can imagine him lasting longer this time is by literally running from Silva for as long as he can. Does anyone here think Franklin can win this fight?

Anderson Silva vs. Chris Leben was pretty one sided as well :laugh:

I don't think it has to do with Pride fighters being overrated.

For one, the rules of UFC and Pride are different, and I think the rules of UFC hurt guys who have fought most of their career in Pride. Shogun for example, he has devastating knees and stomps, but those are illegal in UFC. In Pride, when he knocked an opponent down, he could knee them and stomp them, that was a big part of his game, and now he cannot do that. It takes time to adjust your fighting style.

Secondly, people forget, UFC, PRIDE, IFL, BODOG etc....these are ALL Profressional Fighters, and everyone has a fair chance at winning/losing. That is why UFC has such a hard time setting up long term "big fights" because too often Dana White counts on certain guys winning, which will set up a superfight in the future, but then the wrong guy wins and all his advertising dollars go wasted.

Also, this "UFC Fighter" vs. "Pride Fighter" comparison is garbage too, because as early as five years ago, so many MMA fighters went back and forth between promotions because the sport wasn't as big and fighters had to fight more often to make money.

Quinton Jackson is an elite fighter because of HIM and his trainers, not because he comes from Pride or because he is now in UFC.

A lot of casual/new fans to MMA don't understand the dynamics of the sport and they just want to jump on the bandwagon of the next big thing everytime they see a show.

thats a pretty good summation.

i never really looked at fighters as UFC or Pride specific fighters, i simply see them as fighters.

Rich didn't gas out from lack of training, he got tko'd, his face was smashed in.

Big difference.

You have a lot of pride fighters who haven't fought yet, including the 2 most successfull.

exactly, it wasn't so much Franklin gassing as Silva repeated knees to the midsection of Franklin that drained his energy.

wandy's reaction to chuck losing, check out Mayhem Miller in the background :laugh:

Stephens vs. Saravia

one of the underrcard fights of ufc 76

i just rewatched the Tyson Griffin/Thiago Tavares fight and i think Tavares should have gotten the decision. how one judge scored the fight 30-27 for Griffin is beyond me. there is no conceivable way that Griffin won the 2nd round of that fight

i had Griffin winning the 1st round due to his dominant position and ground and pound. not really a debate in this round for me

i had Tavares winning the 2nd, he had the flying knee that rocked Griffin, had his back on several occasions and was constantly lookin for submissions. Tavares was never in any danger in this round. not a hard round to score for Tavares to me.

the 3rd round was the closest of the fight. neither fighter did any significant damage to the other, but Tavares again was constantly goin for submission after submission. Yes Griffin did a great job of countering, but i'm under the impression that the points should go to the aggressor. I gave this round to Tavares.

if any one thing comes out of this ppv, it showed how badly UFC needs to change how they score fights. the fact that one judge had the fight 30-27 for Griffin tells me he knows nothing about the ground game in MMA. The fact that one judge had Diego beating Fitch is ridiculous and the fact that one judge had Liddell winning is inexcusable.

I thought i remembered them fighting has well but Jardine did'nt fight at heavy on the show i was confused with Bonner?

they both fought at HW on that show, and then dropped down after the show. rashad won the hw ultimate fighter that year, but dropped to 205 right after.

and bonnar did fight Jardine and won even though most feel as though Jardine was robbed in that fight (myself included)

WTF are you serious?

WTF again...when did Rashad beat Jardine? Rashad would get torn up by Forrest Griffin, not a good match up for Rashad this early in his career.

Machida was fighting at middleweight and Rashad is fighting Tito again next. Alexander is the only one in that group that needs a serious step-up in competition.

Rashad beat Jardine in the semi-finals of The Ultimate fighter clearly 2 rounds to 1.

and i think Rashad would give Forrest problems. i don't particularly like Rashad but he is extremely explosive and has good takedowns. i think he would decision Forrest

How Dana sorts out the 205lb division will be interesting.

Who deserves the title shot??

Lyota Machidi-undefeated

Forest-big win over Shogun but KO'D by Jardine this year.

Jardine-Big win over Chuck but destroyed by Houston Alexander.

Rashad- draw againest Tito still undefeated and has beaten Jardine

Tito-????

Wanderlei- coming off 2 loses

Houston Alexander-Only 2 fights in the UFC but both were devasting KO's in under a min 1 being Jardine. This guy looks like the real deal. I'd like to see him get the shot honestly.

I think Lyota,Alexander and Rashad should be ahead of Forest and Jardine.

machida will be the last to get a shot with his style of fighting :laugh:

:applause:

I'm liking that. The LHW division is cluttered with tough questions after tonight. Most anything Dana puts together will probably work out. Houston needs a few more fights to get his name out there before he starts hanging around the top tier of the ladder. He's 35, and basically a prospect. How about he fights Dan Henderson?

I want to see hendo drop to 185 and boost up the mw division, because after Anderson Silva completes Franklins facial reconstruction next month, he will need a legitimate contender for the belt. 205 has enough depth, hendo in 185 will be better for all parties.

That's true, it's pretty obvious Jardine deserves to fight Wanderlei now. He has earned a fight with a legend, if nothing else. Rampage won't be fighting for a while. He's done in 2007. Forrest likes to fight as much as possible, this might rust him up a little if he expects to go directly to Rampage.

if Jardine deserves that, then what does Houston Alexander deserve? lhw division can go alot of different ways.

i say let Silva face Houston Alexander in dec.

Forrest vs. Wanderlei...winner fights Rampage?

i actually think Forrest will get the shot now, probably early next year after Rampage heals some nagging injuries

Sure he'll be sore tomorrow, again if those kicks were as powerful as rogan kept suggesting he would have dropped on one of them, reminds me of a fight back in I think it was 95, this lil brazilian guy vs this huge guy(before the weight divisions), lil guy threw about 12 solid leg kicks and the guy finally collapsed, jumped on him and finished the fight.

they may not have dropped Chuck, but i definitely think they took away Chucks power in the fight.

Jardine hit chuck with about 20 leg kicks and he was still standing, either chuck has unbelievable leg muscles or jardines kicks were more noise than power

Chucks leg will be twice as big and a different color tomorrow because of those kicks. during the fight adrenaline will keep you standing but tomorrow morning he'll be in some pain.

****, now we probably won't see Silva/Liddell in dec.

jardine takes round 2 in my opinion, to me chuck needs a KO to win.

close first round, i gave it jardine slightly

up is down

left is right

the world is flat

oj really didn't kill them two people

that cut is nasty on forrest, but shogun looks gassed

i wanna see a rematch between Shogun and Rampage.