trypio Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 Damn, this card is stacked! There's like 3 fights that would've been a worthy main event on it in my opinion. My picks are Penn, Silva and Ortiz. I hope Ortiz beats Machida, he has a big mouth and all, yeah, but he deserves more respect by the UFC I think. He sold the most PPV's and has been the longest reigning champion I think. Your thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d_w_w Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 I'm picking Penn, Machida and Silva. But sadly, I'm not very confident of any my picks. It could be a very, very good night Or a very, very bad night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACCBiggz Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 [QUOTE]I hope Ortiz beats Machida, he has a big mouth and all, yeah, but he deserves more respect by the UFC I think.[/QUOTE] What do you mean more respect? Dana and company have consistently booked him in high profile ways throughout his career. His latest gripe is because they aren't willing to pay him huge dollars because they said, "He isn't worth that much anymore" and you know what.....they are right. When's the last time he has been dominant against ANYONE other than Shamrock? 2003, 2004, 2005? He won a very controversial decision over Forrest, he drew with Rashad, Chuck dominanted him for a third time, and the last time he even stopped someone not named Shamrock was 2001. Ortiz can win, but he'll need to take Machida down and use his ground and pound for a decision. Machida can still catch him with a submission, but Tito has an excellent top game. I think Machida wins a 30-27 decision, but wouldn't be surprised for a 29-28 Ortiz win if he gets on top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris caulfield Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 My picks are Sherk, Jardine and Machida. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSelfDestruct Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 [QUOTE=chris caulfield;425749]My picks are Sherk, Jardine and Machida.[/QUOTE] amen to that i dont know how people are choosing penn. look at sherk from the PRIDE Bushidos. INSANE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACCBiggz Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 [QUOTE=petecrimson00;426701]amen to that i dont know how people are choosing penn. look at sherk from the PRIDE Bushidos. INSANE![/QUOTE] A big reason people are picking Penn is how they have done against common opponents. Sherk got dominated by GSP & Hughes in those fights, was not even close. Meanwhile BJ was competitive in his fights against them, even beating Hughes in their first bout. The one thing Sherk has been able to do effectively is draw out decisions by taking his opponent down and staying on top, but GSP and Hughes had a hard time taking BJ down until later rounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocStevens Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 [QUOTE=ACCBiggz;426783]A big reason people are picking Penn is how they have done against common opponents. Sherk got dominated by GSP & Hughes in those fights, was not even close. Meanwhile BJ was competitive in his fights against them, even beating Hughes in their first bout. The one thing Sherk has been able to do effectively is draw out decisions by taking his opponent down and staying on top, but GSP and Hughes had a hard time taking BJ down until later rounds.[/QUOTE] Another factor for me is how will a "clean" Sherk do? I am concerned with how good his conditioning and strength will be without the steroids. Athletes using the drugs for an extended period of time often struggle when those aids are taken away as they do not have the ability to train with the same intensity and do the same work as before. I will never question Sherk's work ethic but his ability to do the same work as the same levels will not be there and so you have to wonder if he has what it takes without the drugs. This fight should really answer those questions and we will find out if Sherk really can fight or if he is the Sammy Sosa of MMA. Personally I hope he can fight to his usual level but I don't think it will happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocStevens Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 [QUOTE=petecrimson00;426701]i dont know how people are choosing penn. [/QUOTE] Because when Penn is in shape (which he has been and reports are that he is looking very conditioned for this fight) he may be one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. And I say that as someone who has never liked Penn and probably never will but greatness is still greatness. Penn is one of the very few fighters who can only be beaten by himself and his questionable work ethic. What the other guy in the ring is trying to do doesn't really matter which is a pretty awesome thing if you stop and think about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACCBiggz Posted May 24, 2008 Share Posted May 24, 2008 Watching the weigh-ins, NOTICABLE difference in Sherk's phsyique from previous fights. You can not get much more obvious imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pampero Firpo Posted May 24, 2008 Share Posted May 24, 2008 I'm really intrigued by the 3 big fights because they all could go either way. My thoughts.... Penn has much stronger jiu-jitsu and is amazingly flexible. I think he is a better technical fighter the Sherk (and just about anybody else, for that matter). Sherk is a better athlete and much stronger. He definitely has the wrestling and cardio edge. Of course without the 'roids both of those advantages could be diminished a bit. I could see Sherk grinding out a decision or getting a ground 'n pound TKO late in the fight if Penn gasses. But I could also see Penn tying Sherk into knots and either submitting him or just controlling the fight and getting the decision. Prediction: Penn via triangle choke late in the 2nd. I think people are underestimating Jardine -- I give him a good shot at winning. He's a very good striker and very awkward; his style really poses problems for people. Silva is a monster and tough as hell, but his striking tends to get a little wild. Given his strength and non-stop pressure, I can see Silva overwhelming Jardine and getting the KO. But I can just as easily see Jardine frustrating the aggressive Silva and picking him apart. And that's my prediction. Jardine doesn't land many big shots, but he frustrates Wandy with a bunch of countershots en route to a decision win. Ortiz vs. Machida is very interesting -- the classic young gun versus aging veteran. Ortiz is a good fighter, but is primarily a one-trick pony. He can take most anybody down and then pound them out -- but if someone can avoid the takedown or get up quickly then Tito is going to struggle. And that's the story of this match -- if Tito can get Machida down and control him, then he'll get the ground 'n pound TKO or pick up the decision. But I think he'll have a hard time taking Lyoto down and if he does I think Machida will be able to survive and get back to his feet. And when they're exchanging strikes, Machida has a big advantage. Prediction: Machida catches Tito in the 3rd and then picks up the TKO with a barrage of strikes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlizzardVeers Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 Oh MAN. Wanderlei vs Jardine was awesome. (If you're a Wanderlei fan.) :DDD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris caulfield Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 Being in the UK it won't be televised until tonight but It's on in about half an hour so I will be watching intently as I've heard it was easily the best card of the year so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlizzardVeers Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 Best UFC Card, yes. :) Best MMA card of the year is arguable though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trypio Posted May 26, 2008 Author Share Posted May 26, 2008 2/3 isn't bad. I was yelling at my screen when Tito had that armbar. Machida is a great fighter, but boring as hell. Also great performance by Wandy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris caulfield Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 Machida is not boring at all. I you were him would you go running in to get taken down. When there was an opening he went straight for it. In his last figth he did the same thing but he finished the fight and no one was complaining then. The thing with Machida isn't that he runs away it's just that he waits for an opening which is actually a really smart thing to do. He has a different gameplan every fight which is why he is so elusive. I'm sure if Tito gave him an opening to get finished Machida would of took it and then no one would be complaining but there wasn't an opening so he got the decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACCBiggz Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 I wouldn't call it "running away", he uses good footwork and circles away. I love watching Machida, not boring at all, just very smart and very technical. He was very impressive during the bout stuffing the takedowns, even taking Tito down and immediatly trapping his arm, had that been with 1 minute to go he would have finished Tito. The triangle/armbar wasn't a huge threat. I was glad to see Tito FINALLY use some of his good BJJ, but Machida was out almost immediatly and wasn't in danger of being submitted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlizzardVeers Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 I actually really thought Machida vs Ortiz was FotN myself. Just because of how impressed I was with Machida's technique more than anything else. Boring? To someone that wants to see nothing but slugfests, sure. He's not the most 'exciting', but he's really fun for me to watch. He made Tito look like an amateur Saturday night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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