UFC 92:Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Vs. Frank Mir/Griffin Vs. Evans/Rampage Vs. Silva III
mookie blaylock 10
Posts: 4,042
well, it will be tough to top UFC 91, but this card looks pretty solid to round out the year. rampage and wanderlei will meet for the third time, mir and nogueira will decide who meets brock lesnar for the undisputed HW championship (that still sounds crazy!! 
), and forrest and rashad will face off for the LHW belt.
it's surprising to see okami vs. lister on the undercard, but i hope to see it if there's time.
go big nog!
UFC 92, December 27, 2008 - Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, Nevada - PPV
Main Card:
Forrest Griffin Vs. Rashad Evans - LHW Championship
Frank Mir Vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira - Interim HW Championship (Winner will meet Brock Lesnar for undisputed UFC HW Championship)
C.B. Dollaway Vs. Mike Massenzio
Quinton Jackson Vs. Wanderlei Silva III
Mustapha Al-Turk Vs. Cheick Kongo
Pre-lims:
Yushin Okami Vs. Dean Lister
Antoni Hardonk Vs. Mark Burch
Matt Hamill Vs. Reese Andy
Brad Blackburn Vs. Ryo Chonan
Pat Barry Vs. Dan Evensen
), and forrest and rashad will face off for the LHW belt.it's surprising to see okami vs. lister on the undercard, but i hope to see it if there's time.
go big nog!
UFC 92, December 27, 2008 - Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, Nevada - PPV
Main Card:
Forrest Griffin Vs. Rashad Evans - LHW Championship
Frank Mir Vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira - Interim HW Championship (Winner will meet Brock Lesnar for undisputed UFC HW Championship)
C.B. Dollaway Vs. Mike Massenzio
Quinton Jackson Vs. Wanderlei Silva III
Mustapha Al-Turk Vs. Cheick Kongo
Pre-lims:
Yushin Okami Vs. Dean Lister
Antoni Hardonk Vs. Mark Burch
Matt Hamill Vs. Reese Andy
Brad Blackburn Vs. Ryo Chonan
Pat Barry Vs. Dan Evensen
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UFC Fight Night 16 (Fight For The Troops), December 10, 2008 - Crown Coliseum, Fayetteville, North Carolina - Spike TV
Main Card:
Josh Koscheck Vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
Mick Swick Vs. Jonathan Goulet
Steve Cantwell Vs. Razak Al-Hassan (Brian Stann out due to injury)
Nate Loughran Vs. Tim Credeur
Matt Wiman Vs. Jim Miller (Frank Edgar out due to injury)
Pre-lims:
Luigi Fioravanti Vs. Brodie Farber
Steve Bruno Vs. Johnny Rees (Luke Cummo out due to injury)
Ben Saunders Vs. Brandon Wolff
Corey Hill Vs. Dale Hartt
Eddie Sanchez Vs. Justin McCully
The Ultimate Fighter 8: Team Nogueira Vs. Team Mir Finale, December 13, 2008 - The Palms, Las Vegas, Nevada - Spike TV
Main Card:
Phillipe Nover Vs. Efrain Escudero - LW Final
Vinny Malgalhaes Vs. Ryan Bader - LHW Final
Jason MacDonald Vs. Wilson Gouveia
Anthony Johnson Vs. Kevin Burns
Junie Browning Vs. Dave Kaplan
Pre-lims:
Krzysztof Soszynski Vs. Shane Primm
Eliot Marshall Vs. Jules Bruchez
Kyle Kingsbury Vs. Tom Lawlor
Shane Nelson Vs. George Roop
Rolando Delgado Vs. John Polakowski
UFC 93, January 17, 2009 - The O2, Dublin, Ireland - PPV
Main Card:
Rich Franklin Vs. Dan Henderson
Mauricio Rua Vs. Mark Coleman
Denis Kang Vs. Alan Belcher
Marcus Davis Vs. Chris Lytle
Rosimar Palhares Vs. Jeremy Horn
Pre-lims:
Martin Kampmann Vs. Alexander Barros
Ivan Serati Vs. Tomasz Drwal
Antonio Mendes Vs. Andre Gusmao
Tom Egan Vs. John Hathaway
Nate Mohr Vs. Denis Siver
WEC 38, January 25, 2009 - San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, California - Versus / TSN2
Jamie Varner Vs. Donald Cerrone - WEC LW Championship
Urijah Faber Jens Pulver
Rob McCullough Vs. Marcus Hicks
Jeff Curran Vs. TBA
Jose Aldo Vs. TBA
Danillo Villefort Vs. TBA
UFC 94, January 31, 2009 - MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada - PPV
Main Card:
Georges St-Pierre Vs. BJ Penn - WW Championship
Lyoto Machida Vs. Thiago Silva
Jon Fitch Vs. Akihiro Gono
Karo Parisyan Vs. Dong Hyun Kim
Stephan Bonnar Vs. Jon Jones
Pre-lims:
Nate Diaz Vs. Clay Guida
Manny Gamburyan Vs. Thiago Tavares
Chris Wilson Vs. John Howard
Jake O'Brien Vs. Christian Wellisch
Dan Cramer Vs. Matt Arroyo
UFC Fight Night 17, February 7, 2009 - The Palms, Las Vegas, Nevada - Spike TV
Mac Danzig Vs. Josh Neer
Hermes Franca Vs. Joe Lauzon
Kurt Pellegrino Vs. Rob Emerson
Amir Sadollah Vs. Nick Catone
Jeremy Stephens Vs. TBA
UFC 95, February 21, 2009 - O2 Arena, London, England - PPV
Anderson Silva (LHW) Vs. Luiz Cane
Joe Stevenson Vs. Tyson Griffin
Paul Taylor Vs. TBA
Houston Alexander Vs. TBA
Dan Hardy Vs. Rory Markham
Terry Etim Vs. Justin Buchholz
Eric Schafer Vs. TBA
Paul Kelly Vs. TBA
UFC 96, March 7, 2009 - Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio - PPV
Roger Huerta Vs. TBA
UFC 97, April, 2009 - Bell Centre, Montréal, Québec - PPV
Denis Kang Vs. TBA
Jonathan Goulet Vs. TBA
UFC 98, May, 2009 - Las Vegas, Nevada - PPV
Brock Lesnar Vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira or Frank Mir - HW Championship
UFC 99, June 13, 2009 - Lanxess Arena, Cologne, Germany - PPV
Denis Siver Vs. TBA
Season 8 features LHW's and LW's.
Coaches : Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Cast:
LW's:
Allen Junie Browning (advances)
Brandon Garner (out)
Brian McLaughlin (advances) (out due to injury)
Charles Diaz (out)
Dave Kaplan (advances)
Efrain Escudero (advances)
Fernando Bernstein (out)
George Roop (advances)
Ido Pariente (out)
Joe Duarte (out)
John Polakowski (advances)
Jose Aguilar (out)
Phillipe Nover (advances)
Rolando Delgado (out) (replaces injured Brian McLaughlin)
Shane Nelson (advances)
Wesley Murch (out)
LHW's:
Antwain Britt (advances) (out due to injury)
Eric Magee (out)
Eliot Marshall (out) (replaces injured Antwain Britt)
Jason Guida (fails to make weight, replaced by Mike Stewart)
Jules Bruchez (advances)
Karn Grigoryan (advances) (out due to injury)
Krzysztof Soszynski (advances)
Kyle Kingsbury (out) (replaces injured Karn Grigoryan)
Lance Evans (out)
Mike Stewart (replaces Jason Guida) (out)
Ryan Bader (advances)
Ryan Jimmo (out)
Ryan Lopez (out)
Sean O'Connell (out)
Shane Primm (advances)
Tom Lawlor (advances)
Vinicius Magalhaes (advances)
Episode 1: Four LW matches & Four LHW matches to determine the competitors who will remain on the show.
LW's:
Allen Junie Browning Vs. Jose Aguilar - Allen Junie Browning wins by TKO, Round 1.
Fernando Bernstein Vs. Dave Kaplan - Dave Kaplan wins by submission (rear naked choke), Round 1.
Joe Duarte Vs. Phillipe Nover - Phillipe Nover wins by submission (rear naked choke), Round 2.
Brian McLaughlin Vs. Brandon Garner - No Contest (Brian McLaughlin advances due to illegal knee strike from Brandon Garner)
LHW's:
Krzysztof Soszynski Vs. Mike Stewart - Krzysztof Soszynski wins by TKO, Round 1.
Eric Magee Vs. Jules Bruchez - Jules Bruchez wins by submission (rear naked choke), Round 1.
Vinicius Magalhaes Vs. Lance Evans - Vinicius Magalhaes wins by TKO, Round 1.
Antwain Britt Vs. Ryan Jimmo - Antwain Britt wins by majority decision.
Episode 2: Four LW matches & Four LHW matches to determine the competitors who will remain on the show.
LW's:
Wesley Murch Vs. John Polakowski - John Polakowski wins by TKO, Round 2.
Ido Pariente Vs. Efrain Escudero - Efrain Escudero wins by submission (neck crank), Round 1.
Rolando Delgado Vs. George Roop - George Roop wins by decision.
Charles Diaz Vs. Shane Nelson - Shane Nelson wins by decision.
LHW's:
Shane Primm Vs. Sean O'Connell - Shane Primm wins by submission (rear naked choke), Round 1.
Ryan Lopez Vs. Tom Lawlor - Tom Lawlor wins by submission (rear naked choke), Round 1.
Ryan Bader Vs. Kyle Kingsbury - Ryan Bader wins by submission (arm triangle), Round 2.
Eliot Marshall Vs. Karn Grigoryan - Karn Grigoryan wins by split decision.
Episode 3: Teams are selected.
Team Mir:
LW's:
Allen Junie Browning (advances)
Dave Kaplan (out)
George Roop (advances)
Shane Nelson (out)
LHW's:
Eliot Marshall (advances)
Krzysztof Soszynski (advances)
Tom Lawlor (out)
Vinicius Magalhaes (advances)
Team Nogueira:
LW's:
Efrain Escudero (advances)
John Polakowski (out)
Phillipe Nover (advances)
Rolando Delgado (out)
LHW's:
Jules Bruchez (out)
Kyle Kingsbury (out)
Ryan Bader (advances)
Shane Primm (out)
Ryan Bader Vs. Tom Lawlor - Ryan Bader wins by KO, Round 1.
Episode 4 : Efrain Escudero Vs. Shane Nelson - Efrain Escudero wins by submission (triangle choke), Round 2.
Episdoe 5 : Eliot Marshall Vs. Shane Primm - Eliot Marshall wins by submission (rear naked choke), Round 1.
Episode 6 : Allen Junie Browning Vs. Rolando Delgado - Junie Browning wins by split decision, Round 3.
Episode 7 : Jules Bruchez Vs. Vinicius Magalhaes - Vinicius Magalhaes wins by submission (armbar), Round 1.
Episode 8 : Phillipe Nover Vs. David Kaplan - Phillipe Nover wins by submission (rear naked choke), Round 1.
Episode 9 : Krzysztof Soszynski Vs. Kyle Kingsbury - Krzysztof Soszynski wins by submission (armbar), Round 1.
Episode 10: John Polakowski Vs. George Roop - George Roop wins by decision.
Smei-final matches:
LHW:
Eliot Marshall Vs. Ryan Bader
Krzysztof Soszynski Vs. Vinicius Magalhaes
LW:
George Roop Vs. Phillipe Nover
Allen Junie Browning Vs. Efrain Escudero
Episode 11: Eliot Marshall Vs. Ryan Bader - Ryan Bader wins by decision. / George Roop Vs. Phillipe Nover - Phillipe Nover wins by submission (kimura), Round 1.
Episode 12: Krzysztof Soszynski Vs. Vinicius Magalhaes - Vinicius Magalhaes wins by submission (armbar), Round 1. / Allen Junie Browning Vs. Efrain Escudero - Efrain Escudero wins by submission (d'arce choke), Round 2.
Finals:
LW: Phillipe Nover Vs. Efrain Escudero
LHW: Vinicius Magalhaes Vs. Ryan Bader
Strikeforce: Destruction, November 21, 2008 - HP Pavilion, San Jose, California - HDNet
Main Card:
Bobby Southworth Vs. Renato "Babalu" Sobral - Strikeforce LHW Championship
Terry Martin Vs. Scott Smith
Yves Edwards Vs. Duane Ludwig
Luke Stewart Vs. Joe Riggs
Kim Couture Vs. Lina Kvokov
Darren Uyenoyama Vs. Brad Royster
Pre-lims:
Lemont Davis Vs. Brian Schwartz
Tony Johnson Vs. Eric Lawson
Alvin Cacdac Vs. Jose Palacios
Cyrillo Padilha Vs. Bobby Stack
Zakary Bucia Vs. Jaime Rodriguez
Raul Castillo Vs. Kurt Osiander
Nik Theotikos Vs. Luke Rockhold
Dana White willing to try Gina Carano, women's MMA in the WEC
MMAjunkie.com
Nov 19, 2008
UFC President Dana White, who until only recently gave a bleak outlet for the possibility of women's MMA in the UFC, may be softening his stance.
And EliteXC star Gina Carano is to thank.
During the UFC's recent stop in Toronto on the UFC 94 press tour, White said he's willing to put Carano in the WEC to "test the waters" of women's MMA.
"Gina Carano is a star, and I think she's talented," White said. "I think she has all the tools, so what I'm willing to do is bring Gina into the WEC. We could do fights whenever there's a challenge for Gina. That's how I'll test the waters and see how it goes."
The most obvious challenge for Carano (7-0) is currently Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos (6-1). In fact, the two fighters, who are currently tied up in a mess created when ProElite Inc. claimed it was ceasing operations (only to deny the statement weeks later), had been on a collision course for a future EliteXC card. As MMAjunkie.com previously reported, EliteXC officials were even considering the bout for the company's pay-per-view debut.
While a recent guest on ESPN's "MMA Live!," White said he'd consider the Carano-Santos fight for the UFC's sister promotion.
"I wouldn't be opposed to [the fight]," White said. "And if I did do it, I'd probably do it in the WEC."
The UFC will first have to wait to see how ProElite's legal situation shakes out. The company, which canceled its Nov. 8 show and ceased promotional operations at the end of October, until recently was attempting to thwart Showtime's plan to sell ProElite's remaining assets at public auction.
Showtime has claimed rights to ProElite's "tangible and intangible" assets after the company defaulted on two promissory notes of $4 million that it lent to the company in June and September. The premium cable company notified the public markets earlier this month of its intentions to auction off those assets, which include fighter contracts, on Nov. 17.
However, when a group of agents led by the likes of Ken Pavia and Monte Cox banded together for a united front and threatened to challenge the legality of any sale, Showtime postponed the auction.
The fighters, including Carano and Santos, now remain in a state of limbo.
In any manner, White's current comments are a far departure from his past feelings.
In early 2007, the UFC head said, "I'm not a huge fan of women fighting. Period."
Since then his reasons not to get involved in women's MMA have been plentiful. He's cited everything from the lack of talent in the women's ranks to the lack of quality with their fights to the social stigma attached with women fighting.
Carano, though, has proven to be the exception to the norm. With solid skills, good looks, a strong following and a track record of drawing solid TV ratings, she could certainly boost the WEC's efforts on Versus.
http://mmajunkie.com/news/13285/dana-white-willing-to-try-gina-carano-womens-mma-in-the-wec.mma
Or, with a massive build, great reach and wrestling background can he simply dominate?
I think he's too green, but if he decides to really dedicate himself to the sport, it will be interested to say the least.
PBM
Wishlist Foundation: http://wishlistfoundation.org
PBM
Wishlist Foundation: http://wishlistfoundation.org
This card looks awesome, can't wait to see it... is there any word on the big japanese show for new years??? doesn't fedor usually fight on that card?
Pissbottleman... do i think lesnar needs to be more well rounded in order to compete in UFC, no i don't. Will it help him keep his belt... YES!
He has an advantage that not many people have in this world, his size, power and speed, plus he's an insane wrestler, that will go along way in this sport. I think lesnar is dedicated to the sport and will give it his all in training and when he reaches his top potential, i don't see anybody that could beat him. Even right now there are not many people out there that will beat him mainly due to the advantages that i listed above, but there are some that can compete with that and will use his lack of experience against him (see his fight against frank mir). Needless to say, i'm a fan of brock and hope he does continue on the right path (work hardcore on bjj) and get some crazy subs mixed in with his wrestling (if not just major sub defence).
Does Lesnar deserve the title? I honestly don't think he does until he beats the winner the of the Mir/Big Nog fight. If he wins that fight then i don't see how anybody can say he doesn't deserve the title. There is an argument that he beat the champ so he's the champ but really randy was out for a year and i consider Big Nog the true champ.
09/19/05, 05/09/06, 05/10/06
Brock vs. Nogueira
...or the ultimate rematch against Mir.
It will be interesting.
PBM
Wishlist Foundation: http://wishlistfoundation.org
ya that's a good question... I know a lot of people want to see both fights. Many people figure Nog will destroy brock, so they really want to see that. And a lot of people also want to see the rematch to see what brock has learned over the year.
Personally i'd rather see Nog/Lesnar to see brock really be tested. I just think he has come a long way since the Mir fight and would destroy Mir this time around. Kind of like he was doing until he got caught
09/19/05, 05/09/06, 05/10/06
well said, leafs. you bring a tear to my eye when you say Big Nog is the true champ.
the k-1 dynamite show for new year's only has a few fights so far...joachim hansen vs. jz calvancante, kazushi sakuraba vs. kiyoshi tamura, and the rematch between mirko cro cop and alistair overeem. there's a boatload of rumoured participants, but the matches probably won't get finalized until the weeks leading up to the show. i haven't heard or read much about DREAM, so i fear that maybe they are done :( and k-1 is going back to their hero's format.
fedor is still going ahead with the fight vs. arlovski in january, so i think someone involved probably put a stop to fedor's annual new year's tradition in japan, at least for this year. i'd heard quite a while ago that he'd planned to do both, but i'm sure someone had enough sense to see that plan wasn't going to work out.
Jon Fitch, who went five rounds with UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre in August, received notice Wednesday that he had been released from the UFC.
MMAMania.com was the first to report Fitch’s dismissal. A source close to the situation told Sherdog.com that Fitch had refused to sign an agreement that would have relinquished his likeness rights for video games.
Christian Wellisch, an American Kickboxing Academy teammate of Fitch, was also released. The source suggested that other AKA fighters could be cut if they lose their next bouts.
Fitch had won eight straight fights before dropping a gutsy decision to St. Pierre. His undefeated run tied Royce Gracie’s for the most consecutive wins in the UFC.
Jeff Sherwood contributed to this report.
http://sherdog.com/news/news/ufc-cuts-fitch-15235
i'm a big fan of fitch so i hate this move... how do you cut a guy that had 8 wins in a row and lost a decision to a guy who is mentioned in the debate of P4P best in the world.
09/19/05, 05/09/06, 05/10/06
i'm steaming....
That is complete and utter bullshit. Big mistake by the UFC there. I think it's time for another letter/email writing campaign.
Yes, that should be a good fight. Silva is a fuckin pit bull.
He is but Lyoto is so elusive.
ya man, it's disgusting... over a freaking game...
what makes me laugh is that Gretzky isn't in hockey games, Jordon isn't in basketball games and those 2 are considered the gods of their respective sports. Dana is a f*cking idiot.
I love how dana said “We’re looking for guys who want to work with us and not against us, and frankly I’m just so [expletive] sick of this [expletive] it’s not even funny,” White told Yahoo Sports. “Affliction is still out there trying to build its company. Let [Fitch] go work with them. Let him see what he thinks of those [expletives]. [Expletive] him. These guys aren’t partners with us. [Expletive] them. All of them, every last [expletive] one of them.” Ya man, you really are looking for people to WORK WITH YOU... f*ck that, you don't want people to work WITH you, you want slaves, people that bow down at your feet. Dumb f*ck
09/19/05, 05/09/06, 05/10/06
thiago is awesome, but i don't think he'll beat machida... how do you beat somebody that you can't hit
09/19/05, 05/09/06, 05/10/06
I was watching his fight against Tito Ortiz last night and for most of the fight Ortiz was just swinging at empty space because Lyoto was so damn quick. Now granted Ortiz was past his prime and slower than Silva so I would love to see how someone as quick and aggressive as Silva matches up to Lyoto.
Report: Jon Fitch will sign videogame agreement, returns to UFC
by MMAjunkie.com
Nov 20, 2008
Just 24 hours after Jon Fitch was kicked out of the UFC and scratched from a scheduled UFC 94 bout with Akihiro Gono, the top welterweight contender is now back with the organization, according to MMARated.com.
Saying he no longer wanted to work with the American Kickboxing Academy or the fighter's management team at Zinkin Entertainment, UFC President Dana White said he dismissed Fitch, who initially refused to sign a deal that would give the UFC the exclusive right to use his likeness in an upcoming videogame.
Fitch today agreed to sign the deal after speaking with UFC Chief Executive Officer Lorenzo Fertitta, according to the report.
The fighter, who said he was disappointed by White's strong-arm tactics in trying to get him to sign the agreement, is now again scheduled to fight Gono at the Jan. 31 event in Las Vegas.
Fitch initially told Yahoo! Sports he simply didn't understand the need to sign over his rights with a lifetime contract, particularly since it would not pay his family in the event of his death, and that White balked at his management team's willingness to compromise with a five- or 10-year deal.
"It was all or nothing," Fitch said. "[White] wanted our lifetime. He wanted our souls forever."
In addition to Fitch, White on Wednesday also said he dropped Christian Wellisch from the organization and that fellow UFC fighters Josh Koscheck and Cain Velasquez were also in jeopardy of being cut from the UFC. There's no word if those fighters now plan to sign the agreement, as well.
The videogame in question, "UFC 2009 Undisputed," which is set for a mid-2009 release, is being produced by THQ.
Fitch (17-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC), who is currently ranked a world top-five welterweight, most recently fought in August and dropped a unanimous decision to UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. It was his first loss in nearly six years and snapped his record eight-fight win streak in the UFC.
http://mmajunkie.com/news/13299/report-jon-fitch-will-sign-videogame-agreement-returns-to-ufc.mma
+1
thanks for the good news mookie... i still think it's stupid that dana is pretty much demanding that he has ownership for life. This is the exact reason why unions are still needed today, so that the employer is not taking advantage of the employee.
09/19/05, 05/09/06, 05/10/06
indeed. in an ideal world, they wouldn't follow the model of other sports, there wouldn't be so many managers involved to create confusion, and the fighters would get together and help each other out to better their overall situation. that is my "DREAM"
here is the link to make a donation. i'm hoping to make one in the name of Evan Tanner.
http://fallenheroesfund.ufc.com/
UFC Fight Night 16 (Fight For The Troops), December 10, 2008 - Crown Coliseum, Fayetteville, North Carolina - Spike TV
Main Card:
Josh Koscheck Vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
Mick Swick Vs. Jonathan Goulet
Steve Cantwell Vs. Razak Al-Hussan (Brian Stann out due to injury)
Nate Loughran Vs. Tim Credeur
Frank Edgar Vs. Matt Wiman
Pre-lims:
Luigi Fioravanti Vs. Brodie Farber
Steve Bruno Vs. Johnny Rees (Luke Cummo out due to injury)
Ben Saunders Vs. Brandon Wolff
Corey Hill Vs. Dale Hartt
Eddie Sanchez Vs. Justin McCully
not that great of a card but a couple interesting fights
looking forward to the Koscheck/Yoshida, Swick/Goulet, and Edgar/Winman matches the most
09/19/05, 05/09/06, 05/10/06
yeah, i know what you're saying. i don't celebrate christmas, but i rarely have money anyway.
those are the ones i'm excited about too. i think people will be very surpirsed by yoshida. most thoughts on the fight that i have read have koscheck winning this one easily, but i'm going with yoshida. same with goulet vs. swick. if swick can handle the 170 cut easier this time, he may take it, but goulet is very strong for 170 and he may surprise some people as well.
...and those that haven't seen matt wiman's last few fights are in for a BIG surprise. he's a completely different fighter and he's been fighting like a maniac.
so, i guess i am predicting a night of surprises!
change away, no worries! we can talk all MMA in here, hubmann.
with fedor vs. andrei, i'm going with andrei for sure. i'm biased, though, because i'm an andrei fan and i'm not a fan of fedor.
i agree with you, andrei has looked so good recently. his fight against ben rothwell was one of the best performances i have seen in a while, especially from a HW. his kickboxing is looking sharper than it ever has. the only knock on him that i could see in the last few fights is that he's not bringing his hands back properly when he's throwing certain punches. that's not an opening you want to leave for fedor. hands down, and one of those looping shots from fedor and the fight could be over.
in this match, i don't think that fedor will have the luxury of choosing where the fight will happen like he usually does. andrei's takedown defense is outstanding. if it does go to the ground they both have sambo backgrounds (fedor being more decorated, of course), and andrei's jiu-jitsu is good enough defensively to probably prevent an armbar. he could be the victim of some nasty ground and pound if he finds himself on his back, though, as fedor has some of the best. i just don't see too much action on the ground in this one.
fedor's speed and power are tough to deal with and very deceiving, but andrei is quick and agile for a HW too. i see andrei using his more technical kickboxing to win this match. like you said, if he plays his cards right, and has a good gameplan (keep those hands up on the return, andrei!
it should be an excellent match and probably the best test fedor has had since cro cop in 2005. i thought tim sylvia would pose a problem, but we all saw what happened there. tim got dropped with the first punch for the umpteenth time in his career! and fedor finished him quickly. i'm hoping not to be wrong again this time...go pitbull!
edit: i'll put the rumours up now and cross my fingers the show goes on....
i don't understand why they switched lindland vs. belfort to lindland vs. babalu...maybe lindland wants to fight at LHW?
matyushenko vs. lil' nog should be a good one, and horodecki vs. lauzon should also be very entertaining. the main event, of course, is a dream match!
Affliction II, January 24, 2009 - Honda Center, Anaheim, California - PPV, HDNet
Main Card:
Fedor Emelianenko Vs. Andrei Arlovski
Matt Lindland Vs. Vitor Belfort (Matt Lindland Vs. Renato Sobral 195 pound catch weight match cancelled)
Josh Barnett Vs. Gilbert Yvel
Antontio Rogerio Nogueira Vs. Vladamir Matyushenko
Chris Horodecki Vs. Dan Lauzon
Pre-lims: (HDNet)
Jay Hieron Vs. Jason High
Mark Hominick Vs. L.C. Davis
Paul Buentello Vs. Kiril Sidelnikov
Antonio Duarte Vs. Albert Rios
Brett Cooper Vs. TBA