Thoughts on UFC 84 and EliteXC’s fights on Saturday.

If you read my predictions, UFC 84 didn’t come as much of a surprise to you.  If you were annoyed with my accuracy, other than Tito losing by descision instead of winning, you shouldn’t look at my page until after the fights are over.

If I helped you win some money in Vegas…. well then, share the love.

As for Elite XC’s fightnight on Saturday.  People in alot of forums are wondering if this is the start to the end of the UFC or Wec or any payperview program.  My thoughts, HELL NO.

While the EliteXC fights were good, especially Gina Curano’s ass whoopin she laid down, it was kind of like watching a high school basketball game compared to the NBA finals.  People who were intrigued by last nights fights are going to wonder if there is more out there and when they get a taste of the talent pool the UFC has, the UFC’s ppv revenue will skyrocket.  Hopefully this means more money for fighters. 

Kieth Jardine was given ten grand to fight Silva, ten grand!  That is small price to pay for the ass beating he took.

How is UFC 84 Penn vs Sherk going to go down?

Two words, Hawaiian domination. 

BJ Penn is a fighter.  Sean Sherk is an athlete.  This is a physical sport, but at the end of the day it is a fight and the fighter will win this fight.  Penn isn’t worried about hanging with Sherk for five rounds, he wont need more than two, maybe three. 

My UFC 85 prediction for BJ Penn and Sean Sherk’s main event showdown: In typical BJ Penn fashion he’ll show a slow jab that finds its target 90% of the time and will have sherks face bleeding by the end of round 1.  Also in round 1 Penn will show his inability to be taken down.  Sherk’s frustration with Penn will resemble Matt Hughes frustration after two rounds.  If Penn can stay injury free for this fight he should be able to submit Sherk by the end of round two or early into round three.  If it goes past three Sherk will be lucky to leave the cage with both arms still attached.

As the equally exciting undercard: Wlanderlei Silva will KTFO Keith Jardine.  Silva has had a slow comeback in the UFC but will make the most of this fight.  Silva will have knockout power when he’s an 80 year old saggy man.

Tito Ortiz better bring it cuz Machida will.  Lloyoto Machida is a machine, a karate machine, but non-the-less a machine.  Machida is in great shape but doesn’t seem to have the ‘it’ something that a champion has.  My prediction for this fight is a Round 1 sumbission by Machida or a three round descion for Tito.  I love Tito, he is in a three way tie for my favorite fighter ever, but I just don’t know if he has the same fire he used to have.

Anderson Silva dismantles Henderson, calls out Roy Jones Jr

After Anderson Silva lost the first round of his title defense to Dan Henderson, he lit a fire inside.  Silva came out for the second round on fire and aggressively pursued Henderson till he rocked him and dropped him.  He won on the ground, again. In days following the fight Silva announced that he’d like to try his hand at boxing the greatest boxer of our generation, Roy Jones Jr.  Jones is going to consider it when he returns from a vacation.

Is this a sign that Anderson Silva is bored with MMA or that he doesn’t think there is any competition out there for him?

In a rare call-to-action by Dana White, he said post fight that Anderson Silva is the best pound for pound fighter in the world, not just the UFC.  That is a big bounty to be placed on Mr. Silva’s head.  He is definitely the best 185lb middleweight.

But is he better than GSP?  Georges lost last year to a big underdog.

Is he better than Quinton Jackson? Quinton dominated the UFC Light Heavyweight division, but struggeled before leaving PrideFC.

The lightweight division might just be the deepest talent pool of all.  Sean Sherk, Kenny Florian, Hermes Franca, and who could forget BJ “The Prodigy” Penn.  BJ Penn has been on and off the top of my list for a long time now.  The man can fight.  But he’s shown lack of desire on more than one occasion.  The last two fights have been BJ of old, if he keeps it up I think these two would be a watercooler brawl to talk about for the next decade.

Then we get to the heavyweights.  How can you say Anderson Silva is better than Fedor?  Fedor is easily the baddest man on the planet.  No one wants to fight him.  The only person I see attempting to challenge him is Brock Lesnar after 20 experience fights.  Lesnar is the only athlete capable of competing with a fighter on Fedor’s level.

Maybe Anderson should put on a few pounds and fight Quinton Jackson?  That would be entertaining, but not as entertaining as Georges St. Pierre gaining fifteen pounds and fighting at 185lb.  George St. Pierre has a walking weight of around 190lbs and would look great at 185.  The only problem I see here is that BJ Penn has a potiential dance date set with GSP….. if he can beat Sherk in the summer.

My geeky little brain is bouncing inside my skull with excitement.  Oh the possibilities.

Matt Serra and Georges St. Pierre round 2

Matt Serra is preparing for a second fight with Georges St. Pierre. George St. Pierre once again has to make his first title defense against the stocky ‘mouth’ from New York. Serra knocked out GSP in the first round of a surprising fight last year. Serra was supposed to defend his title against a motivated Matt Hughes but herniated a disc in his back while training. He’s recovering nicely.

Georges St. Pierre came back from his second loss with a fury of brimstone and fire. He out hustled Josh Koscheck and then submitted Matt Hughes for the open title. He is not going to take Serra as lightly as he did last time. I’m looking forward to a knockout win again, this time from the champ GSP.

I hope GSP doesn’t look past Serra, but I’m going to. BJ Penn will defend his new lightweight title against the convicted steriod user Sean Sherk. After Penn dismantles the Muscle Shark Sherk we’re all hoping for a BJ Penn GSP round 2 with the welterweight title on the line. I’m getting butterflies just thinking of the possibilities.