Invicta FC 1: Coenen vs. Ruyssen

Dave’s Picks

MainCard

Marloes Coenen vs. Romy Ruyssen: Coenen by submission in round 2.

Jessica Penne vs. Lisa Ellis-Ward: Penne by submission in round 3.

Liz Carmouche vs. Ashleigh Curry: Carmouche by TKO in round 2.

Kaitlin Young vs. Leslie Smith: Young by TKO in round 3.

Sarah D’Alelio vs. Vanessa Mariscal: D’Alelio by unanimous decision.

Sally Krumdiack vs. Sarah Schneider: Krumdiack by unanimous decision.

Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc vs. Amy Davis = Nicdali by unanimous decision.

Sam's Picks

Main Card

Marloes Coenen v. Romy Ruyssen = Coenen by 2nd round submission.
Liz Carmouche vs. Ashleigh Curry = Carmouche by unanimous decision.
Jessica Penne vs. Lisa Ellis = Penne by 2nd round TKO.
Kaitlin Young vs. Leslie Smith = Young by 1st round TKO.
Sarah D'Alelio vs. Vanessa Mariscal = D'Alelio by 3rd round submission.
Sally Krumdiack vs. Sarah Schneider = Krumdiack by split decision.
Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc vs. Amy Davis = Nicdali by unanimous decision.

UFC 145 Recap from Rashad’s Hometown of Niagara Falls!

Dave’s Recap:

So I arrived very early to Buffalo Wild Wings in Niagara Falls, New York, Saturday night. I reserved a table of ten for myself and some close friends. It was only 7pm but you could feel the atmosphere shifting already. I was able to watch my beloved Yankees stomp the life out of the horrid Red Sox and then starting watching the prelims on FX at 8pm. People were already filing in and it was almost at capacity already. In every conversation you could hear the words “Rashad, Jones, UFC, win and lose”. Then my friends started to show up. My friend and occasional contributor Stephen DeRose, from the beautiful Ontario, Canada, showed up and said he could feel the tense vibe in the building as well.

Rashad was born and raised only minutes from where we were. Most fight nights have cheering and booing but nothing too emotional. But Saturday night’s atmosphere was electric and filled with emotion. Real emotion. Now I was rooting for Jones**. I would say the building was 75% for Rashad and 25% for Jones. Maybe a little more for Jones but around there. After each fight the noise was getting louder. More people bouncing in their chairs. My brother-in-law sat in Rashad’s exact chair in college and my other brother-in-law held the exact job only a few years after Rashad left it and moved to Michicagn. Rashad’s impact was felt in the community. So, when Rashad made his entrance the building shook. I was actually very impressed with the noise level. People were pumped. Then Jones came out and he received cheers but some boos too. So, the fight started and the whole building went dead silent. When Rashad landed that good head kick everyone went nuts but when Rashad was hurt badly by that sharp elbow everyone gasped. This fight was pulling everybody’s heartstrings. But in the end everyone was somewhat disappointed in Rashad. You could tell he pretty much gave up after the third round. He kept trying to do the same thing which was swing wild punches in from far away and decided not to change up his approach at all. I feel he did not change it up because he knew that what he was doing was safe and that he would most likely not be KOed. If Rashad really wanted that belt he should have rushed Jones like a crazy person, go for endless takedowns or something else to ensure he did all he could do to win. But he chose to coast to a decision loss because he didn’t want to end up unconscious in the end. I understand it but the people in Niagara Falls did not like it.

But the night came to a closer and everyone, rather silently, went home. The talk was mostly about Rory MacDonald and how amazing he was. But in the end everyone came away with more respect for Jones’ abilities. That’s the one thing everybody had in common.

But as for the rest of the card. Rory needs to fight top level competition. He should fight winner or loser or Koscheck vs. Hendricks. Or he could fight Martin Kampmann if Martin wins against Jake Ellenberger or Ellenberger if Jake loses to Kampmann. In my mind that’s what is next. No one else poses a threat.

Big Ben looked ok but will never reach near the top ever. Schaub’s chin is sadly not good at all. However, he is super athletic and pretty well rounded. If he can come up with a style and game plan that protects his chin at all costs then he could be elite but sadly due to only his lack of being able to handle heavyweight punches he won’t be able to achieve greatness.

Miguel Torres’ chin is also nearing its end. The dude has had an amazing career and if his chin was better I could see him challenging for the title but that just doesn’t look possible anymore. Michael McDonald has endless potential. Last night proved to me that he is only a few years away from being either champ or #2 for years to come. The kid is only 21….are you kidding me?!! Very exciting.

And yet another great fighter with a chin issue. I love Mark Hominick. Every time I met him the guy was a complete gentleman. He put on one of the best fights I have ever seen and proved he has the ebst ehart in the sport right in front of me at UFC 129 against Jose Aldo. Then I mourned for him when he lost his best friend in Shawn Tompkins. And sadly saw him lose in 6.6 seconds to Jung. And now this loss against Yagin. It’s truly gut wrenching. It’s just so sad. I feel for him so much. I hope he realizes that his chin just is not up to handling the big dogs anymore and he can either fight smaller guys or just be a trainer. He has nothing left to prove.

Bocek looked like a stud against Alessio. That fight went exactly how I said it would. Bocek is one of the top 5 mst underrated fighters in the UFC. He looks just like a normal person, he is quiet and reserved and his striking isn’t flashy. But his ground game is topnotch. I could see him trying to fight Mac Danzig again.

Travis Brown looked great and in my mind makes a case that he could be close to upper echelon status. Matt Brown looked adequate and is a tough match for anyone with he heart and grit. But I promise you that this loss was great for Stephen Thompson and he will use this to become even better. I still see him being a possible title challenger one day.

Over all great night of fights. I all hoped you enjoyed them as much as I did. Thanks for reading guys!

**Side Note:  I personally do not dislike Rashad but I am also not really a fan. I appreciate his abilities and how amazing he is at fighting but I never made that connection with him that would make me a big fan. But I am a huge Jones fan. I am originally from outside Rochester, NY. I knew guys who knew him when he first started training and fighting in smaller promotions and they all talked about how amazing he is at fighting but also how they hoped he succeeded “because he is such a nice kid”. I have met Jon Jones 3 times and he was an incredibly sweet and genuine person. He is the same guy you see in the Primetime series or during interviews. He is a nice 24 year old kid who is now the best in the world at what he does. That is crazy and probably difficult to comprehend. People who say he is cocky must sit back and think about that. He is only 24. When Anderson Silva was his age he was only 2-1 in MMA. Jones has almost done what he has already! By the time Jones is Silva’s age (37) think of what he might have accomplished. It’s crazy but remember All athletes that go through college and apply to their sports pro draft take courses and seminars on how to talk to press and handle the spotlight. And they have a coach who has walked the same road and can give advice but none of this was the case for Jon Jones. He has handled his crazy life very well in my eyes. I am a huge Bones fan and look forward to his next 10-15 years of kicking butt.

UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans Predictions

Dave’s Picks

Main Card

Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans: I have been waiting for this fight for what seems like an eternity. This fight is a huge deal here where I live. I will actually be watching this in Rashad’s hometown of Niagara Falls! Because both these guys are from Western New York the area is split and there is a lot of tension between the two sides. Should be a crazy night regardless of who wins. (I’ll let you know in the recap how crazy it got!) But I could go on forever but I will break this down quickly. Jones is much bigger and his reach will be almost 1 foot longer. That is crazy. If Rashad wants to win he has to get in close for either his punches to land or to get a takedown. In doing that he puts himself into great danger. Jones has amazing clinch grappling, with his Greco-Roman, and sick clinch striking with his incredible elbow strikes. If Thiago Silva, Rampage and Lyoto can rock Rashad then Jones should be able to knock his block off. But Rashad is a great fighter in his own right. The guy is a winner, plain and simple. He has put together a great formula that has become very effective for him. He gets in close, puts pressure on his opponent, takes him down and then ground and pounds. It works. However, Jones adapts to each fighter and has the coaches that taught Rashad almost everything he knows. There is too much going right for Jones. = Jones by submission in round 3. My Pick for Submission of the Night! (And Fight of the Night #2)

Rory MacDonald vs. Che Mills: This fight will most likely be a one-sided beat down. I say this not because Mills is a bad fighter but because Rory, in my opinion, is on an elite level. Rory has great wrestling, submissions and even his striking is good. His main advantages lie in his speed and strength. I see Rory pushing Mills around and eventually getting in to the ground and locking in a choke. = Rory by TKO in round 2. My Pick for KO of the Night!

Ben Rothwell vs. Brendan Schaub: Ben Rothwell never really impressed me throughout his career. His size and durability seemed to get him this far. Schaub is a very well rounded fighter and if he can avoid Big Ben’s bombs he should easily take this. I see Schaub wearing down Rothwell who has very mediocre cardio with superior striking and grappling. = Schaub by unanimous decision.

Michael McDonald vs. Miguel Torres: Although McDonald has the ability to one day be a title challenger I just think this was too much too fast. Torres is just too seasoned and smart at this point. Torres should use his jab to keep the distance and should be able to outbox McDonald. And if it goes to the ground Torres has the advantage there as well. It stinks to see a top prospect get derailed like this but Torres should take this. = Torres by unanimous decision. My Pick for Fight of the Night!

Mark Hominick vs. Eddie Yagin: No offense to Eddie Yagin but the UFC obviously setup this fight so Hominick could get an easy win and have him fight a big name in September in Toronto. I think Yagin is better suited for bantamweight and is not UFC worthy talent. If Hominick comes out and smart then he should win this easily. = Hominick by TKO in round 2. 

John Alessio vs. Mark Bocek: First off let me start by saying Bocek is a very underrated fighter. His grappling is top-notch. Bocek just came off of a very solid win over Nik Lentz; which we saw live at UFC 140. Alessio is taking this fight on short notice and I just don’t see how he will be able to handle Bocek’s ground game. If Alessio can keep it standing he has somewhat of a chance but Alessio has proven he is just not UFC quality with his overall UFC record being 0-3. I see Bocek getting this to the ground and keeping it there. = Bocek by unanimous decision.

Prelims

Travis Browne vs. Chad Griggs: Browne by unanimous decision.

Matt Brown vs. Stephen Thompson: Thompson by unanimous decision.

John Makdessi vs. Anthony Njokuani: Njokuani by unanimous decision.

Mac Danzig vs. Efrain Escudero: Danzig by unanimous decision.

Chris Clements vs. Keith Wisniewski: Clements by split decision.

Maximo Blanco vs. Marcus Brimage: Blanco by unanimous decision.

Sam’s Picks

Main Card

Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans: Finally, the wait is over for the rivalry to end! I am so excited for this fight! People keep saying that this fight is going to be Jones’ hardest test to date but I completely disagree with that. Machida was his hardest test and will be his hardest test for some time. Machida controlled the pace of the first round and the beginning of the second but Jones showed that he has adaption skills of a champion and overcame Machida’s unorthodox style. Rashad is nothing even close to the type of fighter that Machida is. Rashad is also way too small for 205 while Jones is almost too big for the weight cut, giving him the size advantage. Jones has the longest reach in the UFC while Rashad’s reach is nearly a foot shorter than Jones, giving Jones a huge reach advantage. Jones is also much more mature than and isn’t going to fight angry, giving him the mentality advantage. Jones is way more technical on the feet along with power and speed while Rashad only has power, good power though. The submission game definitely goes to Jones who has very good Jiu Jitsu so that leaves wrestling. That is the only toss up and I would probably give it to Rashad based on his takedown defense recently along with some nasty takedowns of his own. The only advantages that go to Rashad are power and a slight upper hand in wrestling, so what does that mean? Jones is going to win handily = Jones by 2nd round TKO. My pick for KOOTN!

Rory MacDonald vs. Che Mills: This fight confuses me. MacDonald is being considered the future of the UFC and Che Mills is a virtual nobody. Sure Mills had an impressive debut but it was only against Chris Cope. Mills doesn’t stand a chance against MacDonald = MacDonald by 1st round TKO.

Ben Rothwell vs. Brendan Schaub: Ben Rothwell has been one of the more underwhelming fighters that has ever entered the octagon. Rothwell came into the UFC with big name and has looked really bad in all of his fights including the one win. Schaub’s key to victory is keeping his chin tucked and pick him apart on the feet. Schuab will hand Rothwell a defeat along with the pink slip = Schaub by unanimous decision.

Michael McDonald vs. Miguel Torres: This is an awesome fight! A young phenom against a very seasoned veteran. McDonald is one of those kids who has such a bright future, it’s insane and Torres is just such a well rounded fighter and has been fighting for a very long time, his record is 40-4 for God’s sake, that looks like a boxing record. This one is a really hard one to call but McDonald just isn’t on Torres’ level yet, but he will be, just give him time. Remember McDonald is only 21 years old = Torres by split decision. My 3rd pick for FOTN!

Mark Hominick vs. Eddie Yagin: This fight clearly seems to be a fight just to get the Canadian star back on track after his devastating loss to The Korean Zombie. Yagin’s debut was against Junior Assuncao and Assuncao easily beat him. If Assuncao and Hominick fought, I would pick Hominick to easily win. Hominick will easily dispose of Eddie Yagin = Hominick by 1st round submission (choke). My pick for SOTN!

John Alessio vs. Mark Bocek: People are most likely going to disagree with my choice on this fight but hear me out. Sure Alessio is 0-3 in the UFC but you have to look at who those are to. Pat Miletich by submission, (A prime) Diego Sanchez by decision, and (A prime) Thiago Alves by decision. Those are some hard opponents along with the fact that he was fighting at welterweight instead of lightweight, his natural weight class. Now let’s take a look at Bocek. Bocek has only lost 4 times in his career and they are to Benson Henderson, Jim Miller, Mac Danzig, and Frankie Edgar. Along with Alessio, these are some tough opponents but you also have to look at their performances. Bocek looked absolutely terrible against all of those guys while Alessio looked underwhelming at best. The best thing that Bocek did in any of those was that he mounted Ben Henderson, which is extremely impressive. Another factor we have to take in is the fact that Bocek has a lot of trouble against well rounded guys. Alessio is an extremely well rounded guy with dynamic stand up and slick submissions. Bocek is a purely submission based fighter. Bocek also has trouble against guys that are larger than him and Alessio is going to be much larger than him. Alessio is going to win this fight, despite his underdog status and late fight replacement = Alessio by unanimous decision.

Prelims
Travis Browne vs. Chad Griggs = Browne by split decision.
Matt Brown vs. Stephen Thompson = Thompson by 1st round TKO.
John Makdessi vs. Anthony Njokuani = Njokuani by unanimous decision. My 1st pick for FOTN!
Mac Danzig vs. Efrain Escudero = Danzig by 3rd round submission (choke).
Chris Clements vs. Keith Wisniewski = Wisniewski by split decision.
Maximo Blanco vs. Marcus Brimage = Blanco by unanimous decision. My 2nd pick for FOTN!

Dave: Catch the Prelims on Facebook and FX and the Main Card is found only on PPV. Make sure you tune in to our Tweeter feed for live results. This card is loaded and the main event will define the UFC for many years to come. If Rashad loses then he joins the ranks of the many foes Jones has defeated. However, if Rashad wins then I believe the feud will continue and Jones will eventually get a rematch. Remember Jones is only 24 and Rashad is 32. If Rashad falls it could hurt him ever getting a shot again. But if Jones loses then he could easily work his way back to tile contention before he retires. I cannot wait for this fight! Make sure you tune in Saturday!

Bellator 66 Predictions

Make sure you tune into Spike.com for the prelims and MTV2 for the Main Card!! Great fights lined up!

Dave’s Picks

Main Card

Eddie Alvarez vs. Shinya Aoki: Aoki by split decision.

Rick Hawn vs. Lloyd Woodard: Hawn by unanimous decision.

Thiago Michel vs. Brent Weedman: Weedman by unanimous decision.

Brian Rogers vs. Andreas Spang: Brian Rogers by unanimous decision.

Maiquel Falcao vs. Vyacheslav Vasilevsky: Falcao by TKO in round 2.

Prelim

Jessica Eye vs. Anita Rodriguez: Jessica Eye by unanimous decision.

Sam’s Picks

Main Card

Eddie Alvarez vs. Shinya Aoki: Aoki by 2^nd round submission.

Rick Hawn vs. Lloyd Woodard: Hawn by split decision.

Thiago Michel vs. Brent Weedman: Weedman by unanimous decision.

Brian Rogers vs. Andreas Spang: Brian Rogers by 3^rd round TKO.

Maiquel Falcao vs. Vyacheslav Vasilevsky: Falcao by split decision.

Prelim

Jessica Eye vs. Anita Rodriguez: Jessica Eye by unanimous decision.

Interview with BJJ Champion Fredson Paixão

                                                                                     Photo by MMAjunkie.com

Fredson Paixão is one of the world’s best grapplers. He is a 9 time BJJ Brazilian National Champion and a 4 time BJJ World Jiu-Jitsu Champion!!! He also skipped from purple belt to black belt; which has only happened one other time ever. He is also an amazing MMA fighter. He is a former WEC and UFC fighter. We have been huge fans of his for a long time and were very blessed to be able to have a short interview with the grappling master.

CR: “Thank you so much for agreeing to do this interview for us! We have been huge fans of yours for some time. Your BJJ accomplishments are amazing and we have loved watching you compete.”

CR:  “The rumor is you will be competing at the World Jiu-Jitsu Championships again this year. Is that true? “

Fredson: “When I was watching the pans Bjj I was re-motivated to compete. So yes, I am competing in the Worlds Jiu-jitsu Championships this year, and will be looking forward to the tough competition as well as having fun.”

CR: “After the World Jiu-Jitsu Championships are you going to fight MMA again? And if yes, when?”

Fredson: “Right now I am constantly training, working on new things to strengthen my all around fight game. I do plan on fighting after the worlds but, no dates have been established.”

CR: “You have many great accomplishments but which one means the most and why?”

Fredson: “Though I am very proud of all my accomplishments, my greatest one was becoming a new father. It has truly changed my world and outlook on life.”

CR: “What young fighter do you see coming up in MMA that has amazing BJJ skills that everyone should pay attention too?”

Fredson: “MMA requires you to have multiple skill sets in both the stand up as well in the ground game. This is where I made my mistake taking for granted my striking. Now I have learned from my mistake and I am making the necessary changes to grow as a complete MMA fighter.”

CR: “Who is the one guy you would love to compete against in BJJ?”

Fredson: “I don't have any one person I would like to compete against. I just come for War!”

CR: “Thank you so much for your time! And we hope to meet you one day!”

Fredson Paixão was very gracious and we loved communicating with him. His answers were very honest and you can tell he loves his family very much. We wish him the best in all of his future endeavors.Make sure you follow him and show him support throughout his career!!

Amer Abdallah vs. T.J. Gibson Recap

I (Dave) live in Lockport, NY and on Saturday April 14^th we went and watched Amer Abdallah defend his AKA light heavyweight title. Sam and I went with my wife and our mother. It was the first time that both our mom and my wife ever went to a live fight. It was a great night of fights with some very good technical striking. Fighters from all over New York and Ontario, Canada came out and battled in either Full Contact or Muay Thai. The main event was held by champion Amer Abdallah vs. former champ T.J. Gibson. Amer was 11-0 going into the fight and Gibson was 14-2. Amer owns and runs the local gym that my wife and I attend. I have spoken to him several times and he is a great guy and a very serious competitor. The fight was a grueling 10 rounder that went the distance with Amer winning 9 out of 10 rounds on two of the judge’s cards while he won 8 out of 10 on the third judge’s card. Amer used his superior reach and kicks to ward off the good clinch work of Gibson. Amer’s footwork and angles gave Gibson fits and it was the jab and head kicks that sealed the win for Amer. Amer is a great guy who has helped some great fighters (like Mark Hominick and Sam Stout) through his Lace Up Promotions and I have enjoyed watching him fight on several occasions and will continue to do so.

Make sure you support your local fighters! This is the core of what makes combat sports great!

UFC on Fuel TV 2 Recap

Great night of free fights! I’ll quickly run through the main card. First off Brad Pickett is a phenomenal talent. We all already knew it but he looked to reach a new level. He even seemed to have much more power in his punches than normal. We were very impressed. Damacio Page is a great fighter but he has firmly established that he cannot hang with the big dogs anymore. I think he is a perfect gatekeeper for 135.

John Maguire looked pretty good against DaMarques Johnson. I would not agree with everyone else saying he is the future of 170 but he could have a lot of success in the UFC. Johnson at this point should be cut. I have enjoyed watching him fight but at this point he cannot contend with the mid-tier guys.

Dennis Siver looked great against Diego Nunes. They both did a good job but Siver was just more effective and dictated the pace. From here I see Siver fighting another very high level fighter at 145. Nunes stays relatively in the same spot. Featherweight is not a super deep division and he is a top talent.

Siyar Bahadurzada looked great by KOing Paulo Thiago in about half a minute. Thiago has never been KOed or even rocked and Siyar put him out as bad as we have ever seen. The good thing for Siyar is that other fighters can’t really use this fight to help prepare for him because it was so short but it’s bad for us who predict fights for the same reason.  Not sure Siyar’s ceiling but he looked great. Thiago is struggling bad these days and might need a few tune-up fights to earn a spot up top again.

Brain Stann…what can you say? The dude is a monster on the feet. His ground and pound looked scary strong and he was never in trouble for a second. Sakara is one of the fighters with great skills that just can’t seem to put together for a long winning streak. Stann has the potential to beat anyone however his lack of skills on the ground limits him from ever winning a title; like we saw when he fought against Sonnen. But he should fight Michael Bisping next. Sakara should stick around because he always has exciting fights but he will never achieve greatness.

Gustafsson looked great against Thiago Silva. He pretty much won 90% of that fight. However, he did not look at dominant later on in the fight. He seemed to be hesitant to finish since he was up on the judge’s scorecards. Gustafsson has the potential to be a champion but he is not ready to handle either Rashad or Jones yet. But can he in the future? Yes, but not yet. Thiago Silva needs to be lowered down a peg. He can handle any mid-tier guy but falls short against elite level fighters. I think his style is just to sloppy to be able to handle the more technical fighters.

Overall, good card of free fights featuring some very promising young talent.

UFC on Fuel TV 2 Predictions

Sam’s Picks

Main Card

Alexander Gustafsson vs. Thiago Silva: A lot of people would probably disagree with me, but this fight is much easier for Gustafsson than Nogueira would have been. Silva’s standup is really sloppy, but powerful, but Nogueira’s standup is crisp. Gustafsson has a significant ground and standup advantage, along with technique. The only real advantage that Silva has is power, and that’s it. Not only are these all positive factors toward Gustafsson, but he is also fighting in his home country, just adding fuel to the fire. All these factors just play perfectly with Gustafsson, and he will be fighting for the title very soon = Gustafsson by 1st round submission (RNC). My pick for SOTN!

Alessio Sakara vs. Brian Stann: This fight is probably the easiest fight to pick on the whole card. Sakara’s chin has proven to be suspect in the past with KO losses to the likes of Chris Leben, Houston Alexander, and Drew McFedries. Stann is one of those guys that can KO anybody in his division. A KO artist plus a suspect chin equals a likely KO = Brian Stann by 2nd round KO. My pick for KOOTN!

Siyar Bahadurzada vs. Paulo Thiago: This is a hard one to pick. Bahadurzada is one of those guys who is super well rounded and likes to make quick work of his opponents and Thiago is really hard to bet against. Thiago has been looking really bad lately and Siyar is in an upswing = Bahadurzada by split decision. My pick for FOTN!

Diego Nunes vs. Dennis Siver: These guys are both beasts. This has all the makes to be fight of the night. Nunes has looked very impressive in his recent outings but Siver hasn’t. This is also Siver’s first fight at 145, meaning he might have trouble dropping down. That usually leads to bad cardio. Nunes has cardio for days, along with more speed = Nunes by unanimous decision. My pick for FOTN!

DaMarques Johnson vs. John Maguire: No offense to Johnson but his ground game is not that great and Maguire is a ground fighter I believe Johnson will be submitted = Maguire by 1st round submission (RNC).

Damacio Page vs. Brad Pickett: Fight of the year candidate right here! Both these guys love to put on barnburners for the fans. Page has the power while Pickett has the speed and technique. Speed and technique wins a majority of the time = Pickett by unanimous decision. My pick for FOTN (yes, 3 FOTN)!

Prelims
Papy Abedi vs. James Head = Abedi by unanimous decision.
Cyrille Diabate vs. Tom DeBlass = DeBlass by 2^nd round submission.
Francis Carmont vs. Magnus Cedenblad = Carmont by unanimous decision.
Yoislandy Izquierdo vs. Reza Madadi = Madadi by split decision.
Simeon Thoresen vs. Besam Yousef = Thoresen by unanimous decision
Jason Young vs. Eric Wisely = Young by split decision

Dave’s Picks

Main Card

Alexander Gustafsson vs. Thiago Silva: I think this fight would have been hard to pick is Silva had fought recently but due to testing positive for PEDs Silva missed over a year of competition. Gustafsson continues to improve every time he enters the cage and his technique, reach and all-round skills make him a threat to everyone at 205, including the champ. Silva is a very good fighter with well rounded skills but he will be picked apart and eventually finished by Gustafsson. = Gustafsson by submission in round 2. My Pick for Submission of the Night!

Alessio Sakara vs. Brian Stann: Brain Stann has really transformed himself into an elite level fighter…at least with his standup. His ground game will never be that good but Sakaras ground game isn’t that great either. This will be a great standup battle with someone most likely getting KOed. Sakara hasn’t fought in over a year and his chin lets him down at times. = Stann by TKO in round 2. My Pick for KO of the Night!

Siyar Bahadurzada vs. Paulo Thiago: Paulo is a legit solid fighter. He can compete at a very high level but sometimes he looks tired and sloppy. Siyar has not fought a lot of great competition except against a few but he lost those fights. Siyar has also not fought in the UFC yet and Paulo is a veteran against some of the best in the world. Siyar hasn’t fought in almost a year and Paulo should be able to handle this. = Paulo by unanimous decision.

Diego Nunes vs. Dennis Siver: This is a very tough fight to pick. Siver was looking so good for awhile beating some very elite fighters but then got wrecked by Donald Cerrone. Both these guys have pretty crisp striking with great kicks. I just don’t feel confident in this pick because Siver is dropping to 145 for the first time in his career. = Siver by split decision.

DaMarques Johnson vs. John Maguire: This fight will be interesting. You never know how DaMarques will perform. He is very inconsistent and Maguire has not fought a lot of tough competition. Maguire is a grappler with most of his wins coming by way of submission and most of Johnson’s losses are by submission…= Maguire by 3^rd round submission.

Damacio Page vs. Brad Pickett: This Fight will be fantastic! Page hasn’t fought in over a year and has lost two in a row by submission. He fights so infrequently is must be hard for him to find a rhythm. Pickett is a great scrappy fighter but he looked awful in his last fight. This fight could go anywhere and anything can happen. Page’s cardio might not be great and Pickett’s cardio is always great. I think Pickett can outlast Page’s initial onslaught and end up pulling it out. = Pickett by unanimous decision. My Pick for Fight of the Night!

Prelims

Papy Abedi vs. James Head = Abedi by unanimous decision.
Cyrille Diabate vs. Tom DeBlass = DeBlass by 1^st round submission.
Francis Carmont vs. Magnus Cedenblad = Carmont by unanimous decision.
Yoislandy Izquierdo vs. Reza Madadi = Madadi by unanimous decision.
Simeon Thoresen vs. Besam Yousef = Thoresen by unanimous decision
Jason Young vs. Eric Wisely = Young by unanimous decision

Great free card! Make sure you catch it on Fuel at 3pm. Prelims are on Facebook at 12:30pm.

Bellator 65 Predictions

Dave’s Picks

Main Card

Champ Zach Makovsky vs. Eduardo Dantas: Makovsky by unanimous decision.

Mike Corey vs. Daniel Straus: Straus by unanimous decision.

Marcos Galvao vs. Ed West: Marcos by split decision.

Luis Nogueira vs. Alexis Vila: Alexis unanimous decision.

Sam’s Picks

Main Card

Champ Zach Makovsky vs. Eduardo Dantas: Makovsky by split decision.

Mike Corey vs. Daniel Straus: Straus by 1^st round submission.

Marcos Galvao vs. Ed West: Galvao by unanimous decision.

Luis Nogueira vs. Alexis Vila: 2^nd round TKO.

You can catch the main card on MTV2 and the under card on Spike.com! Should be a great night of fights!

XFC 17: Apocalypse Predictions and Interview with Rising Star Nick Newell!

XFC 17: Apocalypse 

Is Friday April 13^th at the Oman Arena in Jackson, Tennessee. Everyone can watch it on HDNet.

It is a card filled with amazing young talent looking to make a name for themselves. It will be a great night of fights and you should all watch it.

                                                                                           Photo by MMAjunkie.com

We were very blessed to be able to get time with XFC 17 fighter Nick Newell. He has made headlines around the world because he only has one full functioning arm and is 6-0 with all of his wins ending in the very first round! He is an incredible talent and he is taking on a serious opponent in Chris Coggins Friday night in Jackson, Tennessee.  

He was incredibly gracious to take time out of his grueling weight cut to talk to us on the phone. He was a great interview and a very interesting guy. Check it out!

Sam: “Hey Nick thanks so much for doing this! So you said before the weight cut was intense how are you feeling right now?”

Nick Newell: “Feel fine…I just have to make weight. It’s a normal (state of) health for me. But I feel fine”

Sam: “So your upcoming opponent is Chris Coggins, what do you believe are his strengths and weaknesses?”

Nick Newell: “He’s a well rounded, explosive and athletic guy. But I’m better than him anywhere the fight goes.”

Sam: “And what have you done in your training camp to prepare for him?”

Nick Newell: “Same thing I do every time I work really hard to get ready. Sometimes it is different from one fighter to the next. Anything that happens will be something I have done a thousand times before.”

Sam: “Do you believe that public opinion has changed about you since you first started to now that you are 6-0 with all of your wins coming in the first round?”

Nick Newell: “Some people support it, some don’t but the fact of the matter is I am 6-0. I have to just keep winning, keep working hard, keep doing what got me to where I am right now.”

Sam: “What is the one thing that really motivates you to get in the cage?”

Nick Newell: “I like it. It is just fun for me. That is why I fight. If it wasn’t fun I wouldn’t do it. No one is making me fight. It is something I choose to do. I train hard and I’m good at it because I train hard and love it.”

Sam: “What is one of the main goals you plan on accomplishing in your MMA career?”

Nick Newell: “You do this sport and you give it everything you’ve got and you need to believe in yourself. If you do, you can be the best in the world. That’s my goal. That should be everyone’s goal.”

We thank you again Nick for taking the time to talk to us. We have been and will continue to root for you in the future. Everyone should keep their eye on this young and very promising fighter.

Now for our predictions!

(The main card can be watched on HDNet)

Sam’s Picks

Main Card

Luciano Dos Santos vs. Eric Reynolds: Eric Reynolds by unanimous decision.

Charles Blanchard vs. Johnny Davis: Blanchard by split decision.

Chris Coggins vs. Nick Newell: Newell by 2^nd round heel hook.

Felice Herrig vs. Patricia Vidonic: Herrig by 2^nd round TKO.

Jarrod Card vs. Marlon Moraes: Marlon by 3^rd round TKO.

Joel Cooper vs. Amaechi Oselukwue: Amaechi by unanimous decision.

Dave’s Picks

Main Card

Luciano Dos Santos vs. Eric Reynolds: Eric Reynolds by unanimous decision.

Charles Blanchard vs. Johnny Davis: Blanchard by unanimous decision.

Chris Coggins vs. Nick Newell: Newell by submission in the 3^rd round.

Felice Herrig vs. Patricia Vidonic: Herrig by split decision.

Jarrod Card vs. Marlon Moraes: Marlon by 1^st round submission.

Joel Cooper vs. Amaechi Oselukwue: Amaechi by TKO in round 2.

Make sure you tune into HDNet to see this great card! And thanks to XFC and Nick Newell for their participation!!!