UFC 82 Picks and Preview

I think the UFC made a mistake by calling their July‭ ‬2007‭ ‬event‭ “‬Stacked.‭” ‬With Deigo Sanchez,‭ ‬Josh Koscheck and Andrei Arlovski on the UNDERCARD of this event‭, the title would be more accurate here.

Last PPV marked the comeback of one,‭ ‬Brett‭ “‬The Conqueror‭” ‬Beverly and fall of one over-cocky Jason‭ ‬”Fight Stalker‭” ‬Taylor.‭ ‬The dominance should continue to shift to the east coast‭ (‬Conqueror‭) ‬and see a stunning display of fight picking domination.‭ ‬One more note,‭ ‬‭ ‬I WILL DOMINATE‭!

MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

CHAMPION:‭ ‬Anderson Silva‭ (‬20-4‭) (‬5-0‭) ‬3TD vs.‭ ‬#1‭ ‬Dan Henderson‭ (‬22-6‭) (‬2-1‭)
Conqueror:‭ ‬Silva by TKO in‭ ‬2.‭ ‬It’s hard to think of a more exciting fight.‭ ‬The two great champions will make this a very fast-paced and downright thrilling fight.‭ ‬The outcome is depended on how much Henderson falls in love with his right hand.‭ ‬If he comes out throwing haymakers,‭ ‬he’ll hit the canvas reminiscent of Tank Abbott-Kimbo Slice‭; ‬if he takes the fight to the ground,‭ ‬we could have a new champion.‭ ‬Henderson’s got one hell of a chin, but Silva’s got one hell of an everything else.‭
Stalker: Silva by submission in 2. Exiting is right, this fight has potential to be explosive. As my nemesis mentioned above, you have Henderson’s iron chin & right hand, plus his world-class wrestling ability, going against quite possibly the most well-rounded fighter in MMA. I think Henderson will feel Silva’s strength and insane striking ability taking its toll and get back to his wrestling roots by taking Silva down in the second. Big mistake, people often forget that Silva is a ju-jitsu submission animal (just ask Travis Lutter). Silva’s long ‘Spider’ legs are going to end this one in a triangle.

Heath Herring‭ (‬27-13‭) (‬1-2‭) ‬vs.‭ ‬#1‭ ‬Cheick Kongo‭ (‬11-3‭) (‬4-1‭)
Conqueror:‭ ‬Kongo by TKO in‭ ‬2.‭ ‬Let’s just say the sprawl won’t be in affect for this fight.‭ ‬Kongo’s dominating striking and overall power should easily overcome the wild Herring.‭ ‬Indeed,‭ ‬the Texas Crazy Horse has a slugger’s chance and a hard head,‭ ‬but it’s doubtful that he’ll be standing at the end of the fight.‭
Stalker: Herring by TKO in 2. I still believe Kongo is way too uncomfortable on the ground for an experienced fighter like Herring. Yes, Herring has dropped the ball more than once regarding his training and potential, but I think we will see a different Herring in this fight. I think he will be in great shape, both physically and mentally enough to get the job done. Ground and pound will be his way to victory.

#6‭ ‬Chris Leben‭ (‬17-4‭) (‬7-3‭)‬ vs.‭ ‬Alessio Sakara‭ (‬12-6‭) (‬3-3‭)
Conqueror:‭ ‬Leben by TKO in‭ ‬3.‭ ‬I’m going with my gut on this one.‭ ‬Sakara generally goes down faster than Lindsay Lohan,‭ ‬but the Italian picked up an impressive,‭ ‬albeit somewhat fluky,‭ ‬victory over James Lee in his last fight.‭ ‬From a talent standpoint,‭ ‬Sakara should destroy Leben,‭ ‬but the Crippler will be tough enough to survive an early barrage and capitalize on Legionarius‭’ ‬weak chin.‭
Stalker: Leban by TKO in 2. Leban’s hard head will keep him alive long enough to connect with one of his unorthodox strikes. Look for a couple of stiff jabs to make Sakara’s knees buckle, followed by a haymaker that will drop him to the canvas.

Evan Tanner‭ (‬32-6‭) (‬11-4‭) ‬vs.‭ ‬#5‭ ‬Yoshin Okami‭ (‬21-4‭) (‬5-1‭)
Conqueror:‭ ‬Tanner by decision.‭ ‬I’m going to be honest‭; ‬I’m picking Tanner because I want him to win.‭ ‬Okami’s game is extremely neutralizing,‭ ‬just ask Mike Swick,‭ ‬but I’m betting on Tanner’s renewed focus on MMA as a reason for his victory.‭
Stalker: Tanner by TKO. Although it makes me ill to say this, I’m on the same wave length as ‘The Conqueror’. Everyone (except Okami)wants Tanner to win, he’s MMA’s first cult hero. This will be no small feat of course, Okami is no joke, that’s for sure, but Tanner, when he is on, is a bad ass. Yes, Tanner has had a long layoff from the cage, but he is not an idiot, he is very cerebral, he knows what he needs to do to be the champ again, and if he stays clean and focused, he will be.

#1‭ ‬Jon Fitch‭ (‬15-2‭) (‬7-0‭) ‬vs.‭ ‬Chris‭ ‬Wilson‭ (‬13-3‭) (‬0-0‭)
Conqueror:‭ ‬Fitch by TKO in‭ ‬1.‭ ‬Make no mistake about it,‭ ‬Chris Wilson is no chump.‭ ‬A knockout of Rory Markham in the IFL put the man with the boring nickname on the map.‭ ‬Still,‭ ‬Rory Markham is no Jon Fitch.‭ ‬The ground game will come into play early and often in this one.‭ ‬In the end,‭ ‬it’s hard to see anyone this side of Georges St.Pierre beating Fitch.‭
Stalker: Fitch by TKO in 2. Damn, why don’t I just have ‘The Conqueror’ write my picks for me. Yes, again, Brett is right on here. Fitch will be fighting for the title in the near future. Although Wilson has a great camp (he trains with Henderson for God’s sake), he will be outclassed in this fight. Fitch will hold him down and pound him out in the 2nd.

#7‭ ‬Andrei‭ ‬Arlovski‭ (‬11-5‭) (‬9-4‭) ‬vs.‭ ‬Jake‭ ‬O’Brien‭ (‬10-0‭) (‬3-0‭)
Conqueror:‭ ‬Arlovski by TKO in‭ ‬2.‭ ‬Why is this fight on the undercard‭? ‬I agree that Andrei Arlovski hasn’t looked like his former self,‭ ‬but the undercard‭? ‬Even worse,‭ ‬his opponent,‭ ‬Jake O’Brien,‭ ‬is coming off of a victory over Heath Herring‭ (‬and a knee injury‭) ‬that put him on the map.‭ ‬This may or may not be an exciting fight,‭ ‬but it’s damn sure intriguing.‭ ‬Either way,‭ ‬Arlovski’s ability to avoid the  takedown,‭ ‬which is somewhat questionable,‭ ‬should be the key to this fight.‭ ‬If he can avoid it,‭ ‬he should be victorious, ‭ ‬if not,‭ ‬look for‭ ‬15‭ ‬minutes of boos and O’Brien’s hand being raised.
Stalker: Arlovski by TKO in 1. The reason this fight is on the undercard is simple, Dana White hates Arlovski. The guy had a couple of bad showings, and the UFC couldn’t forget about him out fast enough. The reason he will win in this fight is simple, he is fighting for his life. If he loses, you will never see the name Arlovski and the UFC in the same sentence again.

Luke‭ “‬The Silent Assassin‭” ‬Cummo‭ (‬6-4‭) (‬3-2‭) ‬vs.‭ ‬Luigi Fioravanti‭ (‬10-3‭) (‬2-3‭)
Conqueror:‭ ‬Fioravanti by TKO in‭ ‬1.‭ ‬Somebody has to win.‭ ‬It amazes me that both of these fighters are still in the UFC,‭ ‬but that’s only because of match ups like this.‭ ‬When I say “like this,” I mean a slug-fest.‭ ‬To pick a winner,‭ ‬I went the highly scientific route and consulted a magic‭ ‬8‭ ‬ball.‭ ‬Apparently the‭ ‬8‭ ‬ball is not a vegetarian.‭
Stalker: Cummo by decision. They should call this one “Yawn Fest 08″. Don’t get me wrong, I like Cummo, he’s got potential, but to be effective he needs to eat some red meat for a change. No, no, no, I’m serious, he is way too weak for this level of fighting. He needs a powerlifting routine and some steak if he is going to las in the UFC. Weaker fighters need crazy skills (see Kenflo), Cummo just doesn’t have it. If he gained some size and strength, he would be a force to be reckoned with.

#3‭ ‬Josh‭ “‬Kos‭” ‬Koscheck‭ (‬9-2‭) (‬6-2‭) ‬vs.‭ ‬Dustin Hazelett‭ (‬10-3‭) (‬3-1‭)
Conqueror:‭ ‬Koscheck by unanimous.‭ ‬This is a better fight than meets the eye.‭ ‬Hazelett is an instructor for Jorge Gurgel’s jujitsu school and will need to use his skills to make this close.‭ ‬Koscheck will likely use his improved hands to take this fight where he wants it,‭ ‬the ground.‭ ‬Minus a sick submission,‭ ‬which is certainly possible,‭ ‬it’s hard to see Kos losing this one.‭
Stalker: Hazelett by submission. Koscheck hasn’t recovered from getting his huge ego crushed by GSP, he got embarrassed. Look for the old cocky Kos to resurface and try to overcompensate for his embarrassment. He will make a mistake and Hazelett will slip in a submission.

#8‭ ‬Diego‭ “‬Nightmare‭” ‬Sanchez‭ (‬17-2‭) (‬6-2‭) ‬vs.‭ ‬David Bielkheden‭ (‬12-5‭) (‬0-0‭)
Conqueror:‭ ‬Sanchez by TKO in1.‭ ‬When the announce team calls Bielkheden “a Pride veteran”‭ ‬don’t be fooled‭; ‬so is Butterbean.‭ ‬Sanchez is desperately in need in of a win and if he wasn’t, this match would not be taking place.‭ ‬No,‭ ‬Bielkheden isn’t a walk over but Sanchez is a top welterweight with his back against the wall.‭ ‬Something tells me this shouldn’t take too long.‭
Stalker: Sanchez by TKO in 2. Sanchez has to impress here. He will be focused and determined, and Bielkheden will pay the price. The Sanchez that lost against Kos wasn’t the real Sanchez. The real one will show up, and we will see why they call him ‘Nightmare’.

Jorge Gurgel‭ (‬11-3‭) (‬2-2‭) ‬vs.‭ ‬Jon Halverson‭ (‬16-5‭) (‬0-1‭)
Conqueror:‭ ‬Gurgel by unanimous.‭ ‬Since making his UFC debut,‭ ‬Gurgel has been nothing short of mediocre.‭ ‬A black belt in jujitsu has‭ (‬oddly‭) ‬done nothing to increase Rich Franklin’s BFF’s‭ (‬4LIFE‭) ‬win total.‭ ‬Still,‭ ‬the man is very tough and very strong.‭ ‬One problem,‭ ‬Gurgel thinks he’s Chuck Liddell.‭ ‬While this made his fight with Diego Saraiva exciting,‭ ‬that was only because someone of the same striking ilk was across the cage from him.‭ ‬The only thing I know about Halverson is that he’s a member of Roger Huerta’s highlight reel.‭ ‬If you have‭ ‬19‭ ‬seconds to burn,‭ ‬you ought to watch the fight.‭ ‬This fight could go either way,‭ ‬but I tend to favor the established Gurgel.
Stalker: Halverson by decision. Look for Gurgel to try and keep this fight standing up to prove he can hang with Halverson’s striking, but this will make for a boring fight from these two. Gurgel is an MMA trainer, trying to make the leap to MMA champion. History has shown that this is no small task (Serra being the exception), fighters fight, trainers train. I’m not saying that Gurgel is not a good fighter, I just haven’t seen enough from him to impress me.

RECORDS:‭ ‬Overall‭ ‬VS‭ ‬Last Event

Brett‭ “‬The Conqueror‭” ‬Beverly‭ (‬21-17‭) (‬1-2-1‭) (‬5-4‭)
Jason‭ “‬FightStalker‭” ‬Taylor‭ (‬22-16‭) (‬2-1-1‭) (‬2-7‭)

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