The UFC Results

Rory Markham def. Brodie Farber R1 via KO (Head Kick)
C.B Dalloway def. Jess Taylor R1 via Submission (Peruvian Necktie)
Kevin Burns def. Anthony Johnson R3 via TKO (possible eye poke)
Cain Velasquez def. Jake O’Brien R1 via TKO
Frank Edgar def. Hermes Franca R3 via Unanimous Decision
Brandon Vera def. Reese Andy R3 via Unanimous Decision
Anderson Silva def. James Irvin R1 via KO (Huge Punch to the face)

Jorge Gurgel def. John Halverson, unanimous decision
Diego Sanchez def. David Beilkheden, submission (strikes), 4:43 R1
Josh Koscheck def. Dustin Hazelett, TKO, 1:24 R2
Luigi Fioravanti def. Luke Cummo, unanimous decision
Andrei Arlovski def. Jake O’Brien, TKO, 4:17 R2
Jon Fitch def. Chris Wilson, unanimous decision
Yushin Okami def. Evan Tanner, KO (knee), 3:00 R2
Chris Leben def. Alessio Sakara, TKO, 3:16 R1
Heath Herring def. Cheick Kongo, split decision
UFC middleweight title: Anderson Silva def. Dan Henderson, submission (rear naked choke), 4:52 R2

Anderson Silva vs. Rich Franklin (Middle Weight Title Fight)

Who we want win: Anderson Silva
Who we think will win: Anderson Silva

We really like Rich Franklin but he is scared. Ever since his loss to Anderson Silva he hasn’t had the same air of confidence. I remember watching Rich Franklin and not having an ounce of doubt in his ability to win. That same feeling hasn’t been present since Rich Franklin v. Anderson Silva I. Rich is an incredibly strong, powerful fighter, but I don’t think he has an answer for Anderson Silva’s speed and pin point accuracy. Anderson Silva has proved himself in every area of MMA in each fight he has had in the UFC. He broke the iron chin of Chris Leben, he over powered the commanding former champ Franklin, he submitted the submission expert Lutter and over-whelmed the dominator in Nathan Marquardt. He finishes his fight and can end it with one strike. I have seen two of Silva’s losses in other organizations, one was a DQ the other was a freakish scissor kick submission at the end of a fight. The stars are going to have to align for Silva to lose.

Brandon Vera vs. Tim Sylvia

Who we want win: Brandon Vera
Who we think will win: Brandon Vera

Brandon Vera is going to chop down Tim Sylvia like a tree. Tim Sylvia is tall and huge and Brandon Vera has kicks that break legs. Vera will stand outside and throw leg kick after leg kick that Sylvia can’t check because he is slow and too tall to reach down and grab Vera’s legs. Once Vera has made him immobile let the Brandon Vera beat down begin. Tim Sylvia says Vera hasn’t been tested, but Sylvia hasn’t passed any of tests that have been put in front of him. The only reason he stayed around was because he was good at stalling for 5 excruciatingly boring rounds every fight to keep the belt around his waist. He is on par with Arlovski, who dominated the Heavy Weight division when it was weak. Sylvia can barely get past Arlovski, and can beat a guy that is three feet shorter than him, but when faced with a real challenge (Frank Mir? Randy Couture?) he gets dominated. Brandon Vera is legit and is going to pick apart Sylvia.

Unfortunately the only other guaranteed to be broadcast fights aren’t going to make much impact on the contender race. Here is a quick synopsis of those fights.

Eric Schafer vs. Stephan Bonnar

Who we want to win: Stephan Bonnar
Who we think will win: Stephan Bonnar

Schafer’s last fight was against Michael Bisping. Bisping and Bonnar have very similar styles. Bonnar can go the distance in a stand up war and if Schafer wasn’t able to go a round with Bisping he won’t go a fight with Bonnar as long as Stephan shows up to fight.

Alan Belcher vs. Kalib Starnes

Who we want to win: N/A
Who we think will win: Kalib Starnes

Both of these fighters have lost to Yushin Okami. So that should give you some idea of where they are on the contender list. These guys are fighting for about fifth in line for the title. I think Starnes is the greater fighter but neither fighter has posted a win streak of longer than one fight so it is still undecided whether they will ever be a true force in the UFC.

Watch UFC 77: Hostile Territory, Saturday October 20th 7pm PST.

Winner: Anderson Silva – TKO – Round 1

Both fighters come out feeling each other out. Marquardt throws an early leg kick. Marquardt tries to push and throws a jumping knee and Marquardt catches him and takes him to the ground. Marquardt moves him to half guard. Anderson Silva is guarding well from his back. Marquardt tried to pass but it let Anderson Silva get full guard. Silva gets high and almost gets a triangle. They separate and Anderson tries to hit Marquardt coming in with an up kick. Marquardt gets on top again. Andesron pushes him off and catches Marquardt with an up kick coming in again. Marquardt is all right and gets on top but the ref stands them up. Silva comes out with a head kick, Marquardt blocks, then Silva attacks with a hard straight left that forces Nathan Marquardt to try and take Silva down. Anderson Silva defends and then reverses beautifully. Anderson Silva stands above Marquardt and lands a huge right hand that dazes Marquardt. Anderson Silva lands four more punches and John Macarthy calls the fight. Anderson Silva wins by TKO.

UFC 73: Stacked is one of the best fight cards to date. There are going to be two title fights, the debut of one of the toughest and talented MMA fighters at Heavy Weight and one of the biggest loud mouths in the UFC could potentially be shut up.

It’s the Tito Ortiz show!
Some how this event has become all about Tito Ortiz. He doesn’t have much to speak for lately as far as his fighting quality but he has a personality that attracts attention and viewers. He is easily the most recognizable name and face on the card but it is still strange and amazing that he can headline an event with two title fights and a loss in his last fight. No matter what happens in the rest of the event most of the mainstream talk will about Tito Ortiz. If Rashad Evans does manage to beat Tito Ortiz nobody will be saying “Did you see Rashad Evans win?”, everyone will be saying “Did you see Tito lose?” I do think this is going to be a really great fight but it really shouldn’t over shadow the other amazing fights that are also going to be happening.

The Spider’s Web
The fight I am most looking forward to is Anderson Silva vs. Nate Marquardt. Anderson Silva has dismantled everyone that he has faced so far in the UFC. He punched out the puncher Chris Leben, he beat up the bruiser in Rich Franklin, he submitted the submission specialist in Travis Lutter, and will now have to face a fighter that is know to overwhelm opponents in Nate Marquardt. It will be interesting to see who will come out on top, check out the UFC 73: Stacked pre-fight picks for a fighter comparison.

The Muscle Shark’s first defense
The third fight I am most excited for is Hermes Franca vs. Sean Sherk. Hermes Franca is a really tough opponent. He is extremely skilled on the ground but also has an enormously heavy left hand that can put his opponent to sleep with one punch. This is also Sean Sherk’s first title defense. We all saw how well St. Pierre’s first title defense went, so it will be interesting to see if the nerves get to Sherk or if he will overcome and stay champ. Plus this also determines who is to face the next challenger at 155, BJ Penn!

Say hello to the “Big Nog”
The last fight that is really compelling is Antonio Noguiera vs. Heath Herring. I am pretty sure Noguiera is going to come out on top because he has already beat Herring and the only guy he can’t beat is Fedor Emelianenko. I haven’t seen Noguiera fight in a while and it is exciting to see new, world class talent come into the UFC. The heavy weight division just got more mixed up with his addition.

Anderson Silva vs. Nate Marquardt (Middle Weight Title Fight)

Who we want to win: Anderson Silva
Who we think will win: Anderson Silva

This is a very tough fight to call but I am going to give the edge to Anderson Silva. Nathan Marquardt is no stranger to pressure and high profile fights though. He is a 7 time Pancrase champion, but Anderson Silva has fought a guy just like Marquardt named Rich Franklin. Rich Franklin is enormous and incredibly strong but Anderson Silva took him down in under three minutes. I don’t believe that this is going to be the case with Marquardt but Anderson Silva has an amazing ability to pierce his opponent’s defense and pick them apart. Marquardt has said that he can beat Silva standing up, but I don’t see that happening. There are very few people that can match Silva’s striking and Marquardt is not one of those people. Marquardt’s best bet is to take Silva down and attempt to ground and pound him, but again Anderson Silva is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu so Marquardt has a lot to deal with on the ground as well. Marquardt is well rounded, but Anderson Silva is extremely well rounded, which is why he gets the edge. Here is a clip from the UFC on the fight.

UFC 73: Anderson Silva vs. Nathan Marquardt Fight Video

UFC 73 Silva vs Marquardt preview
Uploaded by bawzz

Sean Sherk vs. Hermes Franca (Light Weight Title Fight)

Who we want to win: Sean Sherk
Who we think will win: Hermes Franca

It may be a controversial to pick Hermes Franca in this fight, but I see Sherk getting caught. Hermes Franca could knock him out with his left hand coming in, or once Franca has been taken down, Franca could submit Sherk. There is no doubt in my mind that Sean Sherk could beat Hermes Franca, but I think Franca has more technical MMA skills than Sherk. Sean Sherk is ridiculously powerful at 155 and is a great wrestler. If he can utilize those skills to avoid Hermes punching power and submissions then he can take the victory. But if you look to Sherk’s only two losses against Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre you can see that he could have trouble with a fighter like Hermes Franca that packs the strengths of both those mentioned fighters into one. If this fight goes to decision then Franca is going to lose, he probably knows that since he has only won 1 out 5 decisions that he has had. But I don’t think it is going to go to a decision, I believe that Hermes Franca is going to finish the fight with a submission.

Tito Ortiz vs. Rashad Evans

Who we want to win: Tito Ortiz
Who we think will win: Tito Ortiz

This is going to be a great fight. Rashad Evans is out to prove that he is legit and deserves to see a title shot, and Ortiz is out to prove that he has returned for real and is on his way back to dominating the 205 division. We want Ortiz to win because it will help keep his popularity up, which is great for the sport. Rashad Evans being undefeated can take a loss on his record and still make a strong comeback and get his title shot again, and Ortiz needs a solid victory over someone other than Ken Shamrock right now.

Despite my wants, I really do believe that Ortiz is going to win this fight. He is emotionally and mentally on fire, even despite his last fight being a loss to Chuck Liddell. Ortiz may have realized that he will never beat Chuck Liddell, but now that the Ice Man has been dethroned the fighting desire is also back in Ortiz. Rashad Evans has been counted out a lot and proved everyone wrong up to this point. If Rashad Evans is going to win this fight then he is going to need to finish. Tito is not easy to finish unless you are Chuck Liddell and that is a problem for Rashad, who has only recently learned how to finish. Although finishing Sean Salmon isn’t huge, Jason Lambert is, but it will be really interesting to see if he can bring his finishing game to the octagon. If he does he will have a title shot waiting, but his time isn’t now, Ortiz will beat Evans.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Heath Herring

Who we want to win: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Who we think will win: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

This fight is going to awesome only because Noguiera is fighting. He is an incredibly dominate fighter. He used to be the Pride Heavy Weight title holder and has only been soundly beaten by Fedor Emelianenko, which happens to everyone who fights Fedor. Noguiera has already beaten Herring and will do so again. He can punch hard and submit anyone. Herring is not a bad fighter despite how crappy he looked in his last fight, but he is not on the same level as Noguiera.

Alvin Robinson vs. Kenny Florian

Who we want to win: Alvin Robinson
Who we think will win: Kenny Florian

Alvin Robinson is going to have a tough time with this fight. He is making his debut against a very strong UFC veteran that has already fought for the light weight title. I really don’t like Kenny Florian after his fight against Sean Sherk where he held onto the fence everytime Sherk was going to slam him to the mat, hence the name Kenny “Let Go” Florian. Despite my dislike for Florian I believe he is a superior fighter and if all else fails he’ll resort to his cheap tactic of cutting his opponent with his bony elbows.