Anything MMA, except thumb wrestling

[Chachie]

BJ has to be the biggest sore loser in the sport. Luckily for him Shinya Aoki and Eddie Alvarez are in other organizations because then he'd have a real threat at losing the 155 crown in the UFC. I just don't see Florian or anyone else really threatening to take it these days.

He and Nick Diaz. Two of my faves and they are the SOREST losers. And to think I DON'T like Brock Lesnar, the other sore loser!

[Sebowski]

He and Nick Diaz. Two of my faves and they are the SOREST losers. And to think I DON'T like Brock Lesnar, the other sore loser!

...and I love all three of those guys. lol

I don't see any fights with Anderson at 205 that will get me terribly excited since he will never fight Machida anyway. Machida could probably make 185 though. Maybe they flip divisions. I would much rather see Anderson fight: Hendo again, Marquardt again, Maia, and Belfort. I think he only has 3 fights left after this one under contract and is pretty adamant about boxing Roy Jones Jr after his contract runs out. He has even said that contracts for that fight have been signed (can't remember where I read it). Maybe he wants to keep his weight up in preperation for his last fight to be at HW.

Anderson-Brock. Who ya got?

[Chachie]

...and I love all three of those guys. lol

I don't see any fights with Anderson at 205 that will get me terribly excited since he will never fight Machida anyway. Machida could probably make 185 though. Maybe they flip divisions. I would much rather see Anderson fight: Hendo again, Marquardt again, Maia, and Belfort.

Hendo- Yes!

Belfort- Totally!!!

How about Rua?

[StillUnknown]

i'm starting think Forrest's size advantage may be overstated a bit

[lovetoaster]

So much for Dana and Scott Coker having a good relationship...

http://mmajunkie.com/news/15749/ufc-president-dana-white-dishes-insults-takes-aim-at-rival-strike-farce.mma

UFC president Dana White dishes insults, takes aim at rival "Strike-farce"

by Dann Stupp on Aug 06, 2009 at 4:30 pm ET

PHILADELPHIA - It appears the friendly rivalry between the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Strikeforce is no more.

Although Dana White previously had been complimentary of Strikeforce and its co-founder and president, Scott Coker, the UFC president today referred to the organization as "Strike-farce" and hinted that counter-programming and public criticism – often-used weapons with former rivals such as EliteXC and Affliction – could be on the way.

White discussed Strikeforce and the company's recent signing of Fedor Emelianenko following today's UFC 101 pre-event press conference at the Independence Visitor Center in Philadelphia.

The UFC and Emelianenko, the famed Russian heavyweight and longtime PRIDE title-holder who owns a 30-1 career record, held its most serious negotiations to date late last month following the collapse of the fighter's former home, Affliction.

However, Emelianenko ultimately turned down an offer from the UFC – "It was obvious they didn't want to do a deal; they weren't serious," White said – and instead accepted a one-year, three-fight deal with Strikeforce. Negotiations fell apart when UFC officials refused to co-promote with M-1 Global, an organization that boasts Emelianeno and his manager, Vadim Finkelchtein, among its ownership group.

White said Strikeforce's decision to sign Emelianenko and to agree to the co-promotion was a poor one and could cost the organization, one of the few financially viable fight promotions outside of the UFC, substantially.

"He'll put them out of business," White said of Emelianenko. "They have no money. They have no money, and they have no distribution. Four [expletive] people watch Showtime.

"You know how many people watch their fights? Their last fight, 245,000 people watched that fight (on Showtime). That's nothing. ... They should have stayed the way they were."

Full article at link above...

Dana is a fan of hyperbole, as usual, but I do not necessarily disagree with his points. Signing Fedor is good for the fans, but it might not be good for Strikeforce's business long-term. One year and three fights from now, they might be in the same place they were a month ago. Only with a lot less money and without Fedor.

Strikeforce has done a great job over the years building their brand and product slowly and cost-effectively. The Fedor signing is trying to fast-forward things, and I do not know how smart it is for them in a business sense.

The casual fan thinks UFC and not much else. Fedor is a great fighter, but is three fights a long enough time period to establish Strikeforce as a major player and competitor to UFC? Because if he has these three fights in SF and then goes to the UFC next year, I can't see how this would really be worth it for them.

And they have to strip the belts from some of these guys if they are not going to defend them.

Edited August 6, 2009 by lovetoaster

[StillUnknown]

its hard to talk about the business end of the fedor deal because they havent released the financial details (or if they have i've missed it)

i agree completely about the titles. cung le still being champ is a joke, either defend your belt or give it up. Thomson's is a bit more normal, he's just had the bad luck of injuries. Cung Le isn't injured, he's making movies. force him to defend or strip him of the title

[lovetoaster]

its hard to talk about the business end of the fedor deal because they havent released the financial details (or if they have i've missed it)

i agree completely about the titles. cung le still being champ is a joke, either defend your belt or give it up. Thomson's is a bit more normal, he's just had the bad luck of injuries. Cung Le isn't injured, he's making movies. force him to defend or strip him of the title

Good point about Fedor's financials, I don't know how much they are paying him, but I think it is fair to say is substantially more than they have ever paid anyone else. And Fedor deserves it, but a one year deal seems very risky for them. It could establish them as a name to the casual fan, but then their major drawing card jumps ship to the other promotion just as they are starting to draw more fans in.

As for the belts, Overeem too...I know he has had an injury or two, but it has been 20 months since he won the belt.

[#98QBKiller]

I would much rather see Anderson fight: Hendo again, Marquardt again, Maia, and Belfort.

I totally agree. I think after Forrest he needs to stay at 185 because those are all becoming very worthy contenders.

I'd like to see the loser of Belfort/Franklin fight Wanderlei too. I still think Wanderlei won the Franklin fight so that would be a good rematch IMO and obviously Wanderlei would love a crack at Belfort considering how things worked out the first time.

[NoCalMike]

Dana insulting Strikeforce & Scott Coker is Dana being Dana. Fedor didn't sign with UFC, so you except Dana to be on his douch-iest behavior we've seen in awhile.

Less people may watch Showtime then Spike, but what about CBS? Plenty of people watch CBS.

[StillUnknown]

http://sherdog.com/news/articles/pros-picks-penn-vs-florian-18950

Pros that picked Penn: 20

Pros that picked Florian: 6

Pros that could not decide: 4

Edited August 7, 2009 by StillUnknown

[Chachie]

i'm starting think Forrest's size advantage may be overstated a bit

Indeed! Now I can't see poor Forrest having anything to rely on. I've said this before but despite him being my favorite UFC fighter, I do think he's overrated because of his lack of defense and lack of precision hand striking. Spider's just got it all over him and now that the size factor looks eliminated, Griffin's in for a thumping.

[Chachie]

UFC 101: Declaration

Josh Neer v. Kurt Pellegrino: I gotta go with Neer because he's been on a run of good performances lately. Kurt has fallen off my radar a bit.

Neer by UD.

Kendall Grove v. Ricardo Almeida: I'm not a Grove fan. I don't know why but I just like seeing him lose. (Hater? I guess.) Anyway, I can see him landing some good strikes before he gets choked out on saturday night.

Almeida by RNC, round 2.

Anderson "The Spider" Silva v. Forrest "The Fly" Griffin: Oh how I'm hoping Forrest shocks the world. I just love the guy.

Silva by TKO, rd 2.

BJ "The Prodigy" Penn v. Ken "Flo" Florian: Nobody deserves a title more than KenFlo and he's beaten me in two sig bets, but I just can't see his success continuing thru saturday night.

My man Beej will K Flo TFO.

I really didn't go out on any limbs this time. No upset picks. I just think the matchups speak for themselves. The only underdog I'm rooting for is Forrest.

Bump to get the rest of you moving on your predictions.

Edited August 7, 2009 by Chachie

[KDawg]

Neer

Almeida

Silva (Forrest will fight with him, but int he end, Silva is too good for Griffin. Though hats off to Forrest, he's a tough son of a *****)

Kenny 'KenFlo' Florian. If Flo lasts more than a round, that's when BJ wears down. I think Kenny can take advantage of that. If this fight were a year or two ago I'd say BJ without a doubt. Penn could still very well take it... But I'm on the upset bandwagon.

[Chachie]

Kenny 'KenFlo' Florian. If Flo lasts more than a round, that's when BJ wears down. I think Kenny can take advantage of that. If this fight were a year or two ago I'd say BJ without a doubt. Penn could still very well take it... But I'm on the upset bandwagon.

A lot of people are banking on BJ gassing. I agree with you but I say it'll have to go past 3 rounds for BJ to gas. If he does, what a shame. Talented man who just won't put the work in.

[StillUnknown]

weigh-ins starting now

http://mmajunkie.com/news/15758/mmajunkie-com-live-video-ufc-101-official-fighter-weigh-ins.mma

[KDawg]

A lot of people are banking on BJ gassing. I agree with you but I say it'll have to go past 3 rounds for BJ to gas. If he does, what a shame. Talented man who just won't put the work in.

I don't know that I'm banking on Penn gassing. I think he may go through his training this time with the intent to get more gas in the tank and make it through the fight... But I don't know if he can pace himself for that after fighting one particular way for so long. He comes out in fights in a flurry. Florian HAS to survive that. If he gets hurt or beat down he's in ALOT of trouble.

Like I said, I wouldn't be shocked if Penn won. But, for the record, I'm picking Florian, and I'll gladly stick by that choice. But it's not clear-cut by any means.

[Chachie]

I don't know that I'm banking on Penn gassing. I think he may go through his training this time with the intent to get more gas in the tank and make it through the fight... But I don't know if he can pace himself for that after fighting one particular way for so long. He comes out in fights in a flurry. Florian HAS to survive that. If he gets hurt or beat down he's in ALOT of trouble.

Like I said, I wouldn't be shocked if Penn won. But, for the record, I'm picking Florian, and I'll gladly stick by that choice. But it's not clear-cut by any means.

I'm the same way but picking Penn w/o being surprised if Flo wins by extending it.

[StillUnknown]

UFC 101: BJ killed Kenny............You ****!

Amir Sadollah vs. Johnny Hendricks: this could look alot like amir's fights with CB Dolloway. Hendrick's wrestling is as legit as they come, not sure how well he defends submissions though. if he can avoid the submissions, he wins. i'm thinkin he will

Hendricks by Unanimous Decision

Ricardo Almeida vs. Kendall Grove: if it goes to the ground, Groves limbs will be sitting ducks for Almeida. if Grove is smart, he uses his freakish height to maintain distance.

Almeida by Submission, Round 3

Kurt Pellegrino vs. Josh Neer: my pick for fight of the night. pellegrino has a nice game, but Neer is better almost everywhere, the exception being the ground. Neer is competent on the ground, just not as good as Pellegrino. Neer is a huge 155lbs though, and that will play a role

Josh Neer by TKO, Round 3

Forrest Griffin vs. Anderson Silva: Forrest's only shot in my opinion is to use his size advantage (although not as big as once though) to get anderson down and hold him there. problem is, forrest is allergic to lay n pray and it will be his downfall. forrest has heart & cardio, but he lacks punching power and a chin, two things needed most when fighting Anderson. Forrest will push the pace leading his fragile chin into a well time counter shot from Anderson that will lead to the end of the fight.

Anderson Silva by TKO, Round 2

BJ Penn vs. Kenny Florian: florians best shot is to use the razors he calls elbows to cut BJ. Florian doesnt have the wrestling technique or strength necessary to put BJ on the ground. florian has never shown one shot power, and BJ has a good chin. i still see BJ being better in all areas except cardio. me thinks kenny shows up, but ultimately will be outmatched simply by a better fighter.

BJ Penn by TKO, Round 2

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

UFC 101: I Want BJs

Josh Neer vs. Kurt Pellengrino: Neer should have the advantage standing up. Pellengrino will likely take this to the ground where it will get interesting. I think Neer is good enough on the ground to get back up and finish the fight late. Neer, TKO G&P, 3rd.

Kendall Grove vs. Ricardo Almeida: I was ready to write-off Grove if Jason Day gave him any trouble, but he looked revitalized and light on his feet. That said, Jason Day isn't exactly elite. Jury is still out on Almeida after that layoff. The ground is where this fight gets interesting. Almeida isn't the grappling juggernaut he once was and Grove has a formidable guard. From what we saw against Jason Day, it's apparent that Grove could easily pick Almeida apart on the feet. Grove, TKO G&P, round 2.

Amir Sadollah vs. Johnny Hendrix: Amir has a crafty ground game and solid striking, so Hendrix is in for a challenge wherever he decides to have the fight take place. Hendrix is a bull, if he doesn't get caught in a submission I think he wins on points. UD, Hendrix

Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin: Forrest has good leg kicks and he should stick to them. Don't body kick at all, because Anderson will definitely "James Irvin" him. Stick to the leg kicks and play it smart (wait I forgot he's Forrest). Trying to win on points is his best bet. If Forrest can get it to the ground, that just burns time that Silva has to put him away. One mistake on the feet, and he's getting popped. Rooting for Forrest, gotta take Silva, UD

BJ Penn vs. Kenny Florian: Wow, BJ's getting in shape for this fight? Doesn't matter. BJ will never be the workhorse in fights, he'll almost always be the more talented fighter. He relies on his talent and refining his skills, not his tank. Besides, it's seemingly impossible to transform your gas tank from what his 'was' to one of the best in MMA in a 7 month span. Florian should take the same approach that Forrest should be taking, be patient. Don't mix it up too much. Clinch, make BJ work. Get in to the later rounds. I think Kenny is capable of doing that tomorrow night, but again, one mistake and it could spell disaster. Kenny is very good on the ground, BJ is a world champion down there. No offense to Kenny, but it would be a jaw-dropping stunner if he FINISHES THIS FIGHT! BJ, RNC, round 2.

Edited August 8, 2009 by d0ublestr0ker0ll

[StillUnknown]

Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin: Forrest has good leg kicks and he should stick to them. Don't body kick at all, because Anderson will definitely "James Irvin" him. Stick to the leg kicks and play it smart (wait I forgot he's Forrest). Trying to win on points is his best bet. If Forrest can get it to the ground, that just burns time that Silva has to put him away. One mistake on the feet, and he's getting popped. Rooting for Forrest, gotta take Silva, TKO G&P, round 4.

i got 5mil that says this fight will not go into the 4th round

Edited August 8, 2009 by StillUnknown

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

i got 5mil that says this fight will not go into the 4th round

Seem to recall many people saying the same thing about the Cote and Leites fights. We ARE talking about Forrest Griffin, who has been known to push the action. But he has to know his best bet is to out-point Silva. Anderson, who knows? He might pull a third consecutive Don Flamenco performance.

"I won't do **** unless you throw a punch first."

Edited August 8, 2009 by d0ublestr0ker0ll

[StillUnknown]

Seem to recall many people saying the same thing about the Cote and Leites fights. We ARE talking about Forrest Griffin, who has been known to push the action. But he has to know his best bet is to out-point Silva. Anderson, who knows? He might pull a third consecutive Don Flamenco performance.

"I won't do **** unless you throw a punch first."

:secret: its a non-title fight, 3 round maximum

Edited August 8, 2009 by StillUnknown

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

:secret: its a non-title fight, 3 round maximum

Mother effer.

Hard not to associate Anderson with Championship fights. Perhaps betting 5 million is too little, SU.

Edited August 8, 2009 by d0ublestr0ker0ll

[Chachie]

Anybody watch the weigh-ins? I think Forrest was a tad intimidated and Ken Florian is not backing off his "kill the master" stance.

[#98QBKiller]

I don't know how else to say this but I've had a gut feeling about Forrest all week. He's becoming the king of upsets as of lately and he's 1-0 against Chute Boxe alumni.

Put me down as taking Forrest. I may regret this pick but if anyone wants an easy sig bet win, this may be it.