UFC 70 - Nations Collide - LIVE & FREE on Spike TV TONIGHT
RuSsMaN
Posts: 17,987
8 central, 9 eastern.
http://70.ufc.com/
GREAT card tonight, and it's FREE.
Cheers,
Russ
UFC 70 match breakdowns and predictions
By Mike Chiappetta
NBCSports.com
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Mirko Cro Cop
After watching Couture beat down the bigger Sylvia and Serra KO the supposedly invincible GSP, I probably shouldn't be making any predictions, but above all else, I'm stupid. So here we go:
Obviously, Gonzaga wants the fight on the ground. His best chance of winning is probably pulling a submission off his back, but then he's got to deal with elbows and punches. Another issue is getting the fight to the ground. Cro Cop is excellent at sprawling to avoid takedowns, and a standing fight is a losing fight for Gonzaga. If he's able to take the fight to the ground, one thing he's got going for him is Cro Cop is not completely familiar with how to use the cage. The only submission loss of Cro Cop's career was to Antonio Nogueira, but that was pretty early in his MMA career, so his defense is better than most give him credit for.
Gonzaga supposedly has heavy hands, but Cro Cop's striking is on another level. I can't see him losing this fight.
David Heath vs. Lyoto Machida
Both of these fighters come into this bout with perfect 9-0 records, so someone's going home with a perfect 10, and another has to go back and start from scratch.
Machida has more impressive wins on his resume, including a TKO over Rich Franklin (who prefers standup) and a unanimous decision over B.J. Penn (a world-class submission fighter). So Machida has a pretty complete game. Heath hasn't fought any big names, but has been impressive in finishing seven of his nine pro fights. Heath also is naturally much bigger than Machida. While Machida weighed in at 199 pounds for this light-heavyweight bout, Heath hit the 205-mark, though he'll likely be in the 215-220 range by the time they step into the octagon. That's a huge size differential.
Still, it shouldn't matter. Machida is a complete fighter and will likely outlast Heath in a decision.
Michael Bisping vs. Elvis Sinosic
The UK native Bisping is considered a rising star in the sport while Sinosic has lost five UFC bouts in a row and is one of few fighters in the organization with a losing record (8-9-2 all-time). He is known, however, to have exciting matches, which is why he's still around. Sinosic is very experienced, having fought UFC stalwarts like Tito Ortiz, Renato "Babalu" Sobral and Forrest Griffin, though he hasn't beaten any of them. His best career win was trapping Jeremy Horn in a triangle, so he's dangerous, so carelessness will probably be Bisping's worst mistake.
The undefeated Brit (12-0) will be very excited for this match, and we'll see if he can handle the nerves of being a main attraction. Don't be surprised to see Sinosic last longer than the first round before succumbing to a second-round TKO.
Andrei Arlovski vs. Fabricio Werdum
Very rarely do you look at a heavyweight matchup as a potential show-stealer, but if any fight has the opportunity to steal the spotlight from hometown boy Bisping and international star Cro Cop, it's this one.
Andrei Arlovski is a former champion, and Dana White has already stated that a win would put him in line for a title shot after the Cro Cop-Gonzaga winner. That's a pretty good incentive for the native Belarussian. On the other hand, Werdum knows he can vault himself towards the front of the pack with a victory.
Here's what to look for: Werdum is a jiu-jitsu specialist, and Arlovski wants to keep the fight standing. Whichever one controls where the fight takes place will win. It's likely that simple. This is a very tough fight to predict, but I'll guess that more of the fight is spent vertically, so Arlovski pulls off the decision win.
Cheick Kongo vs. Assuerio Silva
Kongo came into the UFC with guns blazing, winning his first two fights (against Gilbert Aldana and Christian Wellisch) via first-round KO, and many wondered if it signified the arrival of the next great heavyweight. But then he fell flat in a split-decision loss to Carmelo Marrero at UFC 64, a match in which he struggled against Marrero's jiu-jitsu style.
Silva, meanwhile, is a Brazilian. Uh-oh. We're going to find out real quick how much Kongo's worked on his takedown defense and BJJ since his last match, because Silva had his gameplan mapped out for him in that bout.
This match is pretty much a coinflip, and since Silva's never been KO'd in a bout, I'll pick him by decision.
http://70.ufc.com/
GREAT card tonight, and it's FREE.
Cheers,
Russ
UFC 70 match breakdowns and predictions
By Mike Chiappetta
NBCSports.com
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Mirko Cro Cop
After watching Couture beat down the bigger Sylvia and Serra KO the supposedly invincible GSP, I probably shouldn't be making any predictions, but above all else, I'm stupid. So here we go:
Obviously, Gonzaga wants the fight on the ground. His best chance of winning is probably pulling a submission off his back, but then he's got to deal with elbows and punches. Another issue is getting the fight to the ground. Cro Cop is excellent at sprawling to avoid takedowns, and a standing fight is a losing fight for Gonzaga. If he's able to take the fight to the ground, one thing he's got going for him is Cro Cop is not completely familiar with how to use the cage. The only submission loss of Cro Cop's career was to Antonio Nogueira, but that was pretty early in his MMA career, so his defense is better than most give him credit for.
Gonzaga supposedly has heavy hands, but Cro Cop's striking is on another level. I can't see him losing this fight.
David Heath vs. Lyoto Machida
Both of these fighters come into this bout with perfect 9-0 records, so someone's going home with a perfect 10, and another has to go back and start from scratch.
Machida has more impressive wins on his resume, including a TKO over Rich Franklin (who prefers standup) and a unanimous decision over B.J. Penn (a world-class submission fighter). So Machida has a pretty complete game. Heath hasn't fought any big names, but has been impressive in finishing seven of his nine pro fights. Heath also is naturally much bigger than Machida. While Machida weighed in at 199 pounds for this light-heavyweight bout, Heath hit the 205-mark, though he'll likely be in the 215-220 range by the time they step into the octagon. That's a huge size differential.
Still, it shouldn't matter. Machida is a complete fighter and will likely outlast Heath in a decision.
Michael Bisping vs. Elvis Sinosic
The UK native Bisping is considered a rising star in the sport while Sinosic has lost five UFC bouts in a row and is one of few fighters in the organization with a losing record (8-9-2 all-time). He is known, however, to have exciting matches, which is why he's still around. Sinosic is very experienced, having fought UFC stalwarts like Tito Ortiz, Renato "Babalu" Sobral and Forrest Griffin, though he hasn't beaten any of them. His best career win was trapping Jeremy Horn in a triangle, so he's dangerous, so carelessness will probably be Bisping's worst mistake.
The undefeated Brit (12-0) will be very excited for this match, and we'll see if he can handle the nerves of being a main attraction. Don't be surprised to see Sinosic last longer than the first round before succumbing to a second-round TKO.
Andrei Arlovski vs. Fabricio Werdum
Very rarely do you look at a heavyweight matchup as a potential show-stealer, but if any fight has the opportunity to steal the spotlight from hometown boy Bisping and international star Cro Cop, it's this one.
Andrei Arlovski is a former champion, and Dana White has already stated that a win would put him in line for a title shot after the Cro Cop-Gonzaga winner. That's a pretty good incentive for the native Belarussian. On the other hand, Werdum knows he can vault himself towards the front of the pack with a victory.
Here's what to look for: Werdum is a jiu-jitsu specialist, and Arlovski wants to keep the fight standing. Whichever one controls where the fight takes place will win. It's likely that simple. This is a very tough fight to predict, but I'll guess that more of the fight is spent vertically, so Arlovski pulls off the decision win.
Cheick Kongo vs. Assuerio Silva
Kongo came into the UFC with guns blazing, winning his first two fights (against Gilbert Aldana and Christian Wellisch) via first-round KO, and many wondered if it signified the arrival of the next great heavyweight. But then he fell flat in a split-decision loss to Carmelo Marrero at UFC 64, a match in which he struggled against Marrero's jiu-jitsu style.
Silva, meanwhile, is a Brazilian. Uh-oh. We're going to find out real quick how much Kongo's worked on his takedown defense and BJJ since his last match, because Silva had his gameplan mapped out for him in that bout.
This match is pretty much a coinflip, and since Silva's never been KO'd in a bout, I'll pick him by decision.
Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
Post edited by RuSsMaN on
Comments
-
Fifteen minutes and counting....Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
-
The word is already out...
Cro-Cop got his rear handed to him tonight. -
What do you mean the word is out? It's live, it hasn't happened yet, has it?Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
-
What do you mean the word is out? It's live, it hasn't happened yet, has it?
Sorry, didn't mean to ruin it:o . They are like 8hrs ahead of us Russ...
My father called and spilled it, I forgot about the time change myself. I'm really disapointed, I'm actually Croation.:) -
How in the hell do they call it live then?Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
-
How in the hell do they call it live then?
Good question? I'm sure that's why it's free tonight. -
that really sucks, I wish I hadn't signed in here tonight
-
i think it's being broadcast live in europe. 5-8hr delay to hit the states.
-
**** man, figures that I logged on right before the main event. Delete the spoilers next time man, ****!
-
Wow, that was amazing!
-
Wow!!! Talk about an upset!!
Gonzaga was supposed to be cannon fodder for Cro-Cop so he could fight Coture. This was definitely unexpected.
If I were Gonzaga I wouldnt get too happy. He wont last too long. All these guys are the best fighters in the world and any of them can win on any given night, however, Cro-Cop is the best of the best and just got caught with a lucky shot. I predict Garbaza wont be around long.
P.S.
Ive been drinking fairly heavily tonight and it took me 10 minutes to type this post so I appologize for any spelling errors.polkaudio sound quality competitor since 2005
MECA SQ Rookie of the Year 06 ~ MECA State Champ 06,07,08,11 ~ MECA World Finals 2nd place 06,07,08,09
08 Car Audio Nationals 1st ~ 07 N Georgia Nationals 1st ~ 06 Carl Casper Nationals 1st ~ USACi 05 Southeast AutumnFest 1st
polkaudio SR6500 --- polkaudio MM1040 x2 -- Pioneer P99 -- Rockford Fosgate P1000X5D -
Gonzaga's foot FTW! Did you see how Cro Cop's leg twisted up under him, I thought for sure it broke.
-
Lucky shot?? Gonzaga dominated the fight from the start! Mirko likely would have been fished by cuts/gnp after eating all those elbows, if Herb Dean hadn't stood them up (which was ****).
-
Out of all the fights on, the one I thought would be most interesting was Andrei Arlovski vs. Fabricio Werdum and it wasn't. Two guys with tremedous potential. Arlovski with a ton of experience and stamina and Werdum with raw power and wicked submission holds and they barely went at it. I thought it was going to be good when Arlovski laid that shorty upper cut right on Werdum's jaw about 2/3rds of the way through the first round but that quickly dies when Werdum laid on his back for a minute like a pansy and begged Arlovski to come after him. What, did he think Arlovski was stupid or something?
Overall, it was a pretty good show. I missed the first fight but from the highlights, I didn't miss much.Expert Moron Extraordinaire
You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you! -
Yeah, the Arlovski fight was a major yawn.
That standup was a load of crap! Like I said, Cro-Cop was supposed to win that fight and Dean was just helping that along. There was NO reason to stand them up.polkaudio sound quality competitor since 2005
MECA SQ Rookie of the Year 06 ~ MECA State Champ 06,07,08,11 ~ MECA World Finals 2nd place 06,07,08,09
08 Car Audio Nationals 1st ~ 07 N Georgia Nationals 1st ~ 06 Carl Casper Nationals 1st ~ USACi 05 Southeast AutumnFest 1st
polkaudio SR6500 --- polkaudio MM1040 x2 -- Pioneer P99 -- Rockford Fosgate P1000X5D -
I'm stunned......cant hink of another way to say it.
Cro Cop looked off from jump street. wouldnt call it a lucky shot per say, Gonzaga threw a viscious rt roundhouse to the head, which apparently cro cop though was going to the body, because you see him drop his left arm (inexplicably)
anyone catch cro cops leg when he hit the ground......effing OUCHIEEEEE!!!!!Living Room 2 Channel -
Schiit SYS Passive Pre. Jolida CD player. Songbird streamer. California Audio Labs Sigma II DAC, DIY 300as1/a1 Ice modules Class D amp. LSi15 with MM842 woofer upgrade, Nordost Blue Heaven and Unity interconnects.
Upstairs 2 Channel Rig -
Prometheus Ref. TVC passive pre, SAE A-205 Amp, Wiim pro streamer and Topping E50 DAC, California Audio Labs DX1 CD player, Von Schweikert VR3.5 speakers.
Studio Rig - Scarlett 18i20(Gen3) DAW, Mac Mini, Aiyma A07 Max (BridgedX2), Totem Mites -
At the end it appeared he was standing on it. Before that, I thought it was definitely broken.anyone catch cro cops leg when he hit the ground......effing OUCHIEEEEE!!!!!
Did you notice Herb Dean's reaction when he noticed Cop's leg under him? It was pretty funny."He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
