The world of mixed martial arts looks to regroup itself after the Kimbo Slice Elite XC debacle two weeks ago. UFC president Dana White has blasted Elite XC in a hilarious interview. He has called them “scumbags” for financially encouraging an opponent to keep the fight off the ground. Where was Dana when they sent James Thompson in the ring to face Kimbo a few months ago, with his ear set up to explode upon contact? What a crock that was.
The UFC is the cream of the crop, and such shenanigans would not be allowed here. Yet I can’t shake the memory of Michael Bisping’s ridiculous split decision victory over Matt Hamill a year ago. That fight also took place in England, and the judges were so wrong in their decision, that one has to wonder if they feared that the soccer hooligans made their way to the fight.
Michael Bisping is overrated. He brings a boring fight to the cage. He looks like Bullet Tooth Tony in ‘Snatch’ and sounds like SBR poster English Mike. The books have him as a strong favorite at -230. After his split decision loss to Rashad Evans, he has faced two creampuffs in beating Charles McCarthy and Jason Day.
Bullet Tooth Bisping
The UFC is loving their growing worldwide popularity, and Bisping is the poster child in his homeland. The next Ultimate Fighter show is slated to have a USA vs England type theme, with Bisping coaching against Dan Henderson. Did I mention that the UFC is really high on Bisping?
His opponent Chris Leben will be in hostile territory for this main event fight. “The Crippler” finally sobered up and stayed out of jail long enough to make this fight happen. Leben is a heavy hitter with a thick skull. He is one of the few fighters to utilize foot stomps when locked up with his opponent. He might not look too smart, but this is a brilliant tactic to help wear down your opponent.
Speaking of wearing down, Leben’s conditioning has been questionable in some of his fights. He was completely gassed and getting smacked around by Terry Martin last year. As Martin came in for the kill with about a minute left in the match, Leben swung blindly and connected, knocking Martin out. It was classic Leben. He can take a beating and end a fight with any given punch. He doesn’t want to make a habit out of getting winded too soon though.
I’m taking Leben at +190, under the assumption that it doesn’t go to the judges, who will only be thinking about getting home safely. Were this fight in Birmingham, Alabama, instead of Birmingham, England, I would triple my wager.
In what could be a must-win for both fighters, Brandon Vera will take on Keith Jardine. “The Truth” vs “The Dean of Mean”. I wonder if Jardine high-fived himself when he came up with that nickname. Unbelievable.
I actually thought that Vera was on a three-fight losing streak. His last fight was a forgettable, sloppy unanimous decision victory over Reese Andy. Let’s not kid ourselves here. Andy was put there for Vera to steamroll and get back on track after consecutive losses to Tim Sylvia and Fabricio Werdum. It didn’t quite work out that way.
The best looking man on the card, Jardine, is coming off a brutal 36 second choke out loss to Wanderlei Silva. He is probably best known for turning Chuck Liddell’s left side into raw beef. Liddell’s superstar status took a beating from Jardine’s punishing legs.
Disrespect
I see potential for a very entertaining fight. I’m going to take Vera at -185. And no, I’m not taking him because he lists his hero as The Incredible Hulk, or because he has one of the coolest victory dances in the game. I just see Vera doing some damage of his own with his nasty knees and elbows, and taking the victory. Maybe one day, Brandon’s hot kickboxing wife Kerry will make a card. That would be pleasant.
I will always remember where I was on the night of December 29, 2007. I didn’t know who Rameau Sokoudjou was. Then he came into my life, as he entered the ring wearing a Predator mask. It’s not just wonderful enough that he is dubbed “The African Assassin”, but he even wears a Predator mask?! He was then promptly choked out by Lyoto Machida. I guess Lyota wasn’t impressed.
Since then, Sokoudjou has a victory against the hilariously useless Kazuhiro Nakamura. I have watched old PRIDE highlights, and Sokoudjou is a pretty nasty fighter. I’ll be taking him at -120 to defeat his challenger, Luiz Cane.
Seriously…
Could two Brits lose at home in the same night? Yes they can. Paul Taylor will hope to thrill his countrymen in the audience when he faces Chris Lytle.
Lytle is only 4-8 in the UFC. He has lost to some of the UFC’s biggest names – Jeff Koscheck, Thiago Alves, Matt Hughes, Matt Serra, Karo Parisyan. He gets his few victories in between the big boys. Unfortunately for Taylor, he is not a big name fighter. He is merely patriotic candy. Lytle at -350 for the winner.
The UFC is the cream of the crop, and such shenanigans would not be allowed here. Yet I can’t shake the memory of Michael Bisping’s ridiculous split decision victory over Matt Hamill a year ago. That fight also took place in England, and the judges were so wrong in their decision, that one has to wonder if they feared that the soccer hooligans made their way to the fight.
Michael Bisping is overrated. He brings a boring fight to the cage. He looks like Bullet Tooth Tony in ‘Snatch’ and sounds like SBR poster English Mike. The books have him as a strong favorite at -230. After his split decision loss to Rashad Evans, he has faced two creampuffs in beating Charles McCarthy and Jason Day.
Bullet Tooth Bisping
The UFC is loving their growing worldwide popularity, and Bisping is the poster child in his homeland. The next Ultimate Fighter show is slated to have a USA vs England type theme, with Bisping coaching against Dan Henderson. Did I mention that the UFC is really high on Bisping?
His opponent Chris Leben will be in hostile territory for this main event fight. “The Crippler” finally sobered up and stayed out of jail long enough to make this fight happen. Leben is a heavy hitter with a thick skull. He is one of the few fighters to utilize foot stomps when locked up with his opponent. He might not look too smart, but this is a brilliant tactic to help wear down your opponent.
Speaking of wearing down, Leben’s conditioning has been questionable in some of his fights. He was completely gassed and getting smacked around by Terry Martin last year. As Martin came in for the kill with about a minute left in the match, Leben swung blindly and connected, knocking Martin out. It was classic Leben. He can take a beating and end a fight with any given punch. He doesn’t want to make a habit out of getting winded too soon though.
I’m taking Leben at +190, under the assumption that it doesn’t go to the judges, who will only be thinking about getting home safely. Were this fight in Birmingham, Alabama, instead of Birmingham, England, I would triple my wager.
In what could be a must-win for both fighters, Brandon Vera will take on Keith Jardine. “The Truth” vs “The Dean of Mean”. I wonder if Jardine high-fived himself when he came up with that nickname. Unbelievable.
I actually thought that Vera was on a three-fight losing streak. His last fight was a forgettable, sloppy unanimous decision victory over Reese Andy. Let’s not kid ourselves here. Andy was put there for Vera to steamroll and get back on track after consecutive losses to Tim Sylvia and Fabricio Werdum. It didn’t quite work out that way.
The best looking man on the card, Jardine, is coming off a brutal 36 second choke out loss to Wanderlei Silva. He is probably best known for turning Chuck Liddell’s left side into raw beef. Liddell’s superstar status took a beating from Jardine’s punishing legs.
Disrespect
I see potential for a very entertaining fight. I’m going to take Vera at -185. And no, I’m not taking him because he lists his hero as The Incredible Hulk, or because he has one of the coolest victory dances in the game. I just see Vera doing some damage of his own with his nasty knees and elbows, and taking the victory. Maybe one day, Brandon’s hot kickboxing wife Kerry will make a card. That would be pleasant.
Vera-fiably hot
I will always remember where I was on the night of December 29, 2007. I didn’t know who Rameau Sokoudjou was. Then he came into my life, as he entered the ring wearing a Predator mask. It’s not just wonderful enough that he is dubbed “The African Assassin”, but he even wears a Predator mask?! He was then promptly choked out by Lyoto Machida. I guess Lyota wasn’t impressed.
Since then, Sokoudjou has a victory against the hilariously useless Kazuhiro Nakamura. I have watched old PRIDE highlights, and Sokoudjou is a pretty nasty fighter. I’ll be taking him at -120 to defeat his challenger, Luiz Cane.
Seriously…
Could two Brits lose at home in the same night? Yes they can. Paul Taylor will hope to thrill his countrymen in the audience when he faces Chris Lytle.
Lytle is only 4-8 in the UFC. He has lost to some of the UFC’s biggest names – Jeff Koscheck, Thiago Alves, Matt Hughes, Matt Serra, Karo Parisyan. He gets his few victories in between the big boys. Unfortunately for Taylor, he is not a big name fighter. He is merely patriotic candy. Lytle at -350 for the winner.
