July is a fantastic month for budget mma fans.
The main card for UFC Silva vs Irvin has been finalized. It'll feature 6 fights (including the main event). Its the 2nd best free MMA card ever (UFC 75: Champion vs Champion is the best free MMA card ever. Main Event: Jackson vs Henderson & main card fights included: Alexander vs Sakara and Congo vs Cro Crop).
Here's the UFC Silva vs Irvin main card:
Silva vs Irvin - Anderson Silva's fights are always worth watching. And, James Irvin's pretty good too.
Vera vs Andy - Vera finally fights at light heavyweight.
Franca vs Edgar - 2 top tier lightweights
Velasquez vs O'Brien - A highly touted heavyweight making his UFC main card debut (unfortunatly, O'Brien's an "I won't pay to watch" fighter, but its a free event).
Johnson vs Burns
Taylor vs Dollaway
Thank you Affliction for deciding to put on Affliction: Banned, and thank you UFC for trying to kill Affliction: Banned by putting on a free event.
The week after that, we get EliteXC: Unfinished Business on CBS which will feature a solid 4 fight main card.
Lawler vs Smith - Does this count as a rematch since the first fight ended in a "No contest"?
Shields vs Tompson
Denny vs Diaz
Baszler vs Cyborg
I'll buy that card for $0.
Additionally, the UFC folks are "nice" enough to provide counter programing once again (http://www.cagepotato.com/page/2/). The UFC's counter-programing isn't nearly as good this time around, but its still solid. The UFC will rebroadcast UFC Silva vs Irvin & UFC 84 on Spike that night. If you didn't buy UFC 84, its definitely worth DVR'ing (as long as your DVR allows you to record 2 shows at once so you don't miss the live event.
We get all of this for free in addition to the regular free MMA, IFL & Strikeforce's weekly shows.
Here's to Affliction, EliteXC, UFC, IFL, and Strikeforce for making July arguably the greatest month of free MMA ever.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Hey Gurgel, know what's exciting? Finishing a fight
After watching the Gurgel vs Miller fight on UFC.com (Thank you Bud Lite for sponsoring the fight so it'd be free to view on UFC.com. Bud Lite real men of genius) or maybe while watching the fight, Jorge Gurgel fell onto the "I won't pay to watch" list.
Gurgel's UFC fights haven't been boring in the traditional Cote vs Almeida/no action fight. Instead, his fights are maddening to watch because he's an idiot fighter. I'm not saying Gurgel is an idiot, just that he fights like one. He's a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, but he refuses to actually try for any submissions or even any take downs. His stand up isn't good enough to finish fights or dominate. But, he spends entire fights striking, and being struck a lot, because he thinks that's what it takes to make a fight entertaining. His stand up isn't good enough to finish fights or dominate.
Gurgel, taking a guy down, dominating him on the ground, and submitting him is entertaining. Very entertaining. And, fans love fighters who actually finish fights, not decision machines. Being able to finish fights is what got you into the UFC in the first place (Gurgel was 9-1 when he entered the UFC with all 9 wins coming by submission).
Gurgel isn't the only idiot fighter out there. We've all seen/heard submission guys talk about how they're going to stand with some striker to prove something or to be entertaining. Gurgel is the most consistent idiot fighter out there. So, I'm pulling for Gurgel to stop being an idiot and to start coming up with and executing fight plans that play to his strength (jui-jitsu) because if Gurgel can stop being an idiot fighter, there's hope for all idiot fighters.
Gurgel's UFC fights haven't been boring in the traditional Cote vs Almeida/no action fight. Instead, his fights are maddening to watch because he's an idiot fighter. I'm not saying Gurgel is an idiot, just that he fights like one. He's a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, but he refuses to actually try for any submissions or even any take downs. His stand up isn't good enough to finish fights or dominate. But, he spends entire fights striking, and being struck a lot, because he thinks that's what it takes to make a fight entertaining. His stand up isn't good enough to finish fights or dominate.
Gurgel, taking a guy down, dominating him on the ground, and submitting him is entertaining. Very entertaining. And, fans love fighters who actually finish fights, not decision machines. Being able to finish fights is what got you into the UFC in the first place (Gurgel was 9-1 when he entered the UFC with all 9 wins coming by submission).
Gurgel isn't the only idiot fighter out there. We've all seen/heard submission guys talk about how they're going to stand with some striker to prove something or to be entertaining. Gurgel is the most consistent idiot fighter out there. So, I'm pulling for Gurgel to stop being an idiot and to start coming up with and executing fight plans that play to his strength (jui-jitsu) because if Gurgel can stop being an idiot fighter, there's hope for all idiot fighters.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
UFC 86 Main Card: I was wrong
Let's recap those fights that I thought would be exciting (& Koscheck vs Lytle)
http://budgetmmafan.blogspot.com/2008/06/july-ppv-battle-main-card-ufc-86-vs.html
Griffin vs Aurelio
While this was a decent fight that featured all aspects of MMA (striking, wrestling, & jui-jitsu), it didn't live up to my expectations. I expected it to be a lot faster paced with a lot more on the ground. Didn't live up to expectations, but still decent.
Koscheck vs Lytle
I should be saying that this fight was better than expected because it shouldn't have gone the distance, but the end of the 2nd round & entire 3rd painful to watch. From about the 3 minute mark in the 2nd round until the end of the fight, I was waiting for the ref or ringside doctor to step in stop the fight. Lytle had a cut right above his eye that Rogan informed us was the size of a "goat's vagina." He was a bloody tired mess. I give Lytle a lot of credit for staying in the fight, but it should have been stopped. Seriously, was the ringside physician in line at the bar during this fight?
Stevenson vs Tibau
Best main card fight, and coincidentally the only one that didn't go to a decision. A lot a solid ground work and submission skills. Solid fight.
Cote vs Almeida
This fight felt longer than Jackson vs Griffin. A lot longer.
Despite what the UFC says, this fight wasn't tactical, it was uneventful.
Cote looked like the guy that started his UFC career 0-4, and Almeida looked like someone coming off a 4 year layoff.
Let's look at this round-by-round:
First round - Decent action, Almeida shows off some solid ground skill. Cote manages to escape.
Second round - Cote moves forward & Almeida backs up for 5 straight minutes.
Third round - I didn't know 5 minutes could feel so long. Cote wins this round by landing 2 leg kicks. Those 2 leg kicks are the only action in the entire round. It was like watching the wood-cutter's tale of the sword fight in "Rashomon" or the 2 gangs squaring off while Mifune watches from the tower in "Yojimbo."
How bad was it? Even Almeida, one of the guys in the fight, was bored
http://www.cagepotato.com/2008/07/08/ricardo-almeida-blames-boredom-for-loss/
It was bad enough that Almeida fell onto my "I won't pay to watch" list & Cote is now really close to making the list. I'm sparing Cote because of his fight history.
Heck, even Dana White called it a boring fight. He also said that Cote will get a title shot. Which begs the question, what the hell does White have against Okami? Did Okami run over White's dog, repeatedly? Okami doesn't get a title shot because he's seen as boring fighter, but Cote gets a title shot after putting together a snooze-fest for the ages? That's messed up.
Guillard vs Siver
That was quick. Fast explosive striking by Guillard and a solid guillotine attempt by Siver. Solid, entertaining fight. Fast, but entertaining.
Not the entertaining card, I'd expected. At least, the UFC is giving us some free MMA later this month in UFC: Silva vs Irvin (aka "Fuck Affliction").
Good luck to the people that didn't take my advice and decided to buy Affliction: Banned instead of UFC 86.
http://budgetmmafan.blogspot.com/2008/06/july-ppv-battle-main-card-ufc-86-vs.html
Griffin vs Aurelio
While this was a decent fight that featured all aspects of MMA (striking, wrestling, & jui-jitsu), it didn't live up to my expectations. I expected it to be a lot faster paced with a lot more on the ground. Didn't live up to expectations, but still decent.
Koscheck vs Lytle
I should be saying that this fight was better than expected because it shouldn't have gone the distance, but the end of the 2nd round & entire 3rd painful to watch. From about the 3 minute mark in the 2nd round until the end of the fight, I was waiting for the ref or ringside doctor to step in stop the fight. Lytle had a cut right above his eye that Rogan informed us was the size of a "goat's vagina." He was a bloody tired mess. I give Lytle a lot of credit for staying in the fight, but it should have been stopped. Seriously, was the ringside physician in line at the bar during this fight?
Stevenson vs Tibau
Best main card fight, and coincidentally the only one that didn't go to a decision. A lot a solid ground work and submission skills. Solid fight.
Cote vs Almeida
This fight felt longer than Jackson vs Griffin. A lot longer.
Despite what the UFC says, this fight wasn't tactical, it was uneventful.
Cote looked like the guy that started his UFC career 0-4, and Almeida looked like someone coming off a 4 year layoff.
Let's look at this round-by-round:
First round - Decent action, Almeida shows off some solid ground skill. Cote manages to escape.
Second round - Cote moves forward & Almeida backs up for 5 straight minutes.
Third round - I didn't know 5 minutes could feel so long. Cote wins this round by landing 2 leg kicks. Those 2 leg kicks are the only action in the entire round. It was like watching the wood-cutter's tale of the sword fight in "Rashomon" or the 2 gangs squaring off while Mifune watches from the tower in "Yojimbo."
How bad was it? Even Almeida, one of the guys in the fight, was bored
http://www.cagepotato.com/2008/07/08/ricardo-almeida-blames-boredom-for-loss/
It was bad enough that Almeida fell onto my "I won't pay to watch" list & Cote is now really close to making the list. I'm sparing Cote because of his fight history.
Heck, even Dana White called it a boring fight. He also said that Cote will get a title shot. Which begs the question, what the hell does White have against Okami? Did Okami run over White's dog, repeatedly? Okami doesn't get a title shot because he's seen as boring fighter, but Cote gets a title shot after putting together a snooze-fest for the ages? That's messed up.
Guillard vs Siver
That was quick. Fast explosive striking by Guillard and a solid guillotine attempt by Siver. Solid, entertaining fight. Fast, but entertaining.
Not the entertaining card, I'd expected. At least, the UFC is giving us some free MMA later this month in UFC: Silva vs Irvin (aka "Fuck Affliction").
Good luck to the people that didn't take my advice and decided to buy Affliction: Banned instead of UFC 86.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Jackson vs Griffin: I was right
Jackson vs Griffin definitely lived up to expectations as a very entertaining fight.
Griffin showed that while he doesn't have knock-out power, he is more than just a good interview. He had a fantastic game plan of staying outside of Jackson's range and peppering the champ with shots. And, jacking up Jackson's leg to limit his mobility & ability to put power behind his punches.
But, I think credit goes to Jackson for keeping the fight so entertaining. His one-punch knock-out ability kept he fight interesting. After Griffin hurt Jackson's leg in round 2, Jackson wasn't really able to go after Griffin the way he did in round 1. He stayed in even with limited mobility and seemed ready to win the fight the second Griffin made a mistake.
The result? I thought Griffin won round 2 10-8 & round 5 10-9, but I had Jackson winning the other 3 rounds 10-9 for a draw. That said, one can easily & rationally argue that Griffin won round 4 because he briefly looked in a triangle. It was a perfectly defensible decision and shouldn't generate any controversy, I just didn't see it that way.
Coming soon: "UFC 86 Main Card: I was wrong"
Griffin showed that while he doesn't have knock-out power, he is more than just a good interview. He had a fantastic game plan of staying outside of Jackson's range and peppering the champ with shots. And, jacking up Jackson's leg to limit his mobility & ability to put power behind his punches.
But, I think credit goes to Jackson for keeping the fight so entertaining. His one-punch knock-out ability kept he fight interesting. After Griffin hurt Jackson's leg in round 2, Jackson wasn't really able to go after Griffin the way he did in round 1. He stayed in even with limited mobility and seemed ready to win the fight the second Griffin made a mistake.
The result? I thought Griffin won round 2 10-8 & round 5 10-9, but I had Jackson winning the other 3 rounds 10-9 for a draw. That said, one can easily & rationally argue that Griffin won round 4 because he briefly looked in a triangle. It was a perfectly defensible decision and shouldn't generate any controversy, I just didn't see it that way.
Coming soon: "UFC 86 Main Card: I was wrong"
I've never wanted a Bud Lite so badly in my life...
Thank you Bud Lite for sponsoring both Silva vs. Franklin 1 (yeah, we've all seen it before, but its still fun to watch) and Gurgel vs Miller on UFC.com. In exchange for you giving me those fights for free, I promise to order a Bud Lite next time I'm at a bar.
On a related note: UFC thanks for advertising that the Gurgel vs Miller fight was available for free on UFC.com. But, did you have to follow that announcement by showing Miller's triangle as the submission of the fight?
On a related note: UFC thanks for advertising that the Gurgel vs Miller fight was available for free on UFC.com. But, did you have to follow that announcement by showing Miller's triangle as the submission of the fight?
Thursday, July 3, 2008
UFC 86 By the Lines
Is there anyway to recoup our ppv costs for UFC 86 by wagering on the outcome (of course, I'm only talking about placing bets inside a casino sportsbook due to online gambling now being illegal because adults can't be trusted with their money)? Note: THIS IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. THIS POST IN NO WAY IS MEANT TO ENCOURAGE ILLEGAL GAMBLING. DON'T TAKE ANY ADVICE I GIVE SERIOUSLY.
Let's look at the odds:
Jackson -280 vs Griffin +210 - I like Jackson to win the fight, but I don't like him enough for that payout. Griffin on the other hand is tempting. His line has been creeping up (it was +180 yesterday). I don't know if he's worth it a +210, but if he were to hit +240...
Cote +120 vs Almeida -150 - I'm honestly surprised by this line. I expected it to be a -115 vs -115. I give a slight edge in this fight to Almeida, but I don't think he's enough of a favorite for -150. Cote at +120
Stevenson -220 vs Tibau +180 - I like Stevenson in this fight, but not at those odds.
Koscheck -325 vs Lytle +250 - I don't make rationale decisions about fighters on my "I won't pay to watch" list. So, let's just keep going.
Undercard fights - I only bet to add intrigue to whatever I'm watching. There's no guarantee I'll see these fights (& if I do they won't be live). So, I'm passing.
What do you think?
Let's look at the odds:
Jackson -280 vs Griffin +210 - I like Jackson to win the fight, but I don't like him enough for that payout. Griffin on the other hand is tempting. His line has been creeping up (it was +180 yesterday). I don't know if he's worth it a +210, but if he were to hit +240...
Cote +120 vs Almeida -150 - I'm honestly surprised by this line. I expected it to be a -115 vs -115. I give a slight edge in this fight to Almeida, but I don't think he's enough of a favorite for -150. Cote at +120
Stevenson -220 vs Tibau +180 - I like Stevenson in this fight, but not at those odds.
Koscheck -325 vs Lytle +250 - I don't make rationale decisions about fighters on my "I won't pay to watch" list. So, let's just keep going.
Undercard fights - I only bet to add intrigue to whatever I'm watching. There's no guarantee I'll see these fights (& if I do they won't be live). So, I'm passing.
What do you think?
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
July Dream Card
What's your dream card based on the guys fighting this week?
Take the fighters competing this month in any of the 4 size able MMA events this month (UFC 86, Affliction: Banned, UFC Silva vs Irvin (aka Fuck Affliction), & Elite XC Unfinished Business), and put together a 5 fight card (1 main event and 4 main card fights). You have to keep the fighters at whatever weight they're fighting at this month.
My card:
Main Event: Quinton Jackson vs Anderson Silva
I was tempted to keep Jackson vs Griffin, but I can't pass on the chance to see Silva fight. For my money, Silva's the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world right now. Also, he's the one and only guy who's PPV's I'll definitely buy. It doesn't matter what the rest of the card is, I'm buying the event if Silva's in it (yes, this is hyperbole because I'm sure the UFC could come up with an event, I'd pass on, but you get the point).
Anyway, best light heavyweight in the world vs best pound-for-pound, oh yeah.
Main Card:
Fedor Emelianenko vs Josh Barnett
I want to see Emelianenko, and Barnett's the 2nd best heavyweight fighting this month (Emelianenko being the best).
Renato Sobral vs Forest Griffin
Is Griffin really as good as his last fight suggests? Also, both guys typical have very entertaining fights.
Brandon Vera vs Ben Rothwell
2 upcoming heavyweights. Both are highly regarded & a win in this one would be huge for their careers. And we get to find out how Rothwell does against better competition & whether or not Vera can get by in the heavyweight division or if he really needs to drop to light heavyweight.
Correction: Vera is finally dropping down to lightweight for his fight this month. While that's probably a good career move, it disqualifies him from fighting Rothwell. I'll change this one to Gabriel Gonzaga vs Ben Rothwell
Joe Stevenson vs Hermes Franca
2 very good lightweights coming off losses in title fights. Did Franca benefit from being a lightweight when the division wasn't very deep & had just been reformed?
Fights that just didn't make it:
Rothwell vs Gonzaga
Any combination of Stevenson, Griffin, Aurelio, Franca, & Edgar
Lytle vs Johnson
Take the fighters competing this month in any of the 4 size able MMA events this month (UFC 86, Affliction: Banned, UFC Silva vs Irvin (aka Fuck Affliction), & Elite XC Unfinished Business), and put together a 5 fight card (1 main event and 4 main card fights). You have to keep the fighters at whatever weight they're fighting at this month.
My card:
Main Event: Quinton Jackson vs Anderson Silva
I was tempted to keep Jackson vs Griffin, but I can't pass on the chance to see Silva fight. For my money, Silva's the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world right now. Also, he's the one and only guy who's PPV's I'll definitely buy. It doesn't matter what the rest of the card is, I'm buying the event if Silva's in it (yes, this is hyperbole because I'm sure the UFC could come up with an event, I'd pass on, but you get the point).
Anyway, best light heavyweight in the world vs best pound-for-pound, oh yeah.
Main Card:
Fedor Emelianenko vs Josh Barnett
I want to see Emelianenko, and Barnett's the 2nd best heavyweight fighting this month (Emelianenko being the best).
Renato Sobral vs Forest Griffin
Is Griffin really as good as his last fight suggests? Also, both guys typical have very entertaining fights.
Brandon Vera vs Ben Rothwell
2 upcoming heavyweights. Both are highly regarded & a win in this one would be huge for their careers. And we get to find out how Rothwell does against better competition & whether or not Vera can get by in the heavyweight division or if he really needs to drop to light heavyweight.
Correction: Vera is finally dropping down to lightweight for his fight this month. While that's probably a good career move, it disqualifies him from fighting Rothwell. I'll change this one to Gabriel Gonzaga vs Ben Rothwell
Joe Stevenson vs Hermes Franca
2 very good lightweights coming off losses in title fights. Did Franca benefit from being a lightweight when the division wasn't very deep & had just been reformed?
Fights that just didn't make it:
Rothwell vs Gonzaga
Any combination of Stevenson, Griffin, Aurelio, Franca, & Edgar
Lytle vs Johnson
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