UFC 76

[Poacher]

Didn't see another thread for it so...

Chuck v. Jardine
Forrest v. Shogun

Looking forward to the Shogun fight the most. Can Forrest pull it off?

Not sure what the rest of the card looks like.

 

[Guest]

Liddell knocks out Jardine.
Rua knocks out Griffin.

 

[guest301]

I love Forrest Griffin but him beating Rua would arguably be the biggest MMA upset of all time. But like Forrest said last night,"this sport is made for upsets".

 

[Poacher]

And how about Sanchez v. Fitch?

 

[White Shogun]

I don't think Shogun is going to beat Forrest that easily. Go ahead and call me a newb, nevada. I'm not the only one saying it anyway. Nor do I think it would be the 'greatest upset in MMA history.' There have been several bigger upsets in just the past couple of years, without even going all the way back to the early days. Anyway, there's just something about this fight, but I don't know how Forrest could win. He isn't that great a puncher, his subs are ok but I doubt he will submit Shogun, and I don't think he'll outwork him to win a decision, either. I guess what I'm sayin' is I just don't think it's gonna be an easy win for Rua.

Liddell should beat Jardine, but these days, who knows? Liddell is gonna get old sooner or later. He is no Randy Couture, that's for sure. Liddell won't be fighting for titles when he is 44.

I think Diego falls to 19-2. Fitch wins by either TKO or sub. Edited by: White Shogun

 

[dkr77]

I agree W/S. I have never been a big fan of Jardine ( I find him too mechanical in his movement ) but he has power, so he's certainly a threat. Liddell by KO within 2 rounds.

I'll also go with Fitch over Diego in a decision win. Fitch is a big strong wrestler, with good overall skills, who should be able to dictate where the fight goes. I'm sure Crazy Bob Cook has an effective game plan for Fitch and I'm convinced Fitch will play it out.

I know I'm going against the current in my next pick but I'll take Griffin over Shogun in a back and forth war. Shogun is making his cage debut against a tough as nails Griffin who looks to have been training his a$$ off. Griffin has the reach advantage, and probably the size advantage, but most importantly - he needs this fight tothrow him in the top ten mix. I'll take Griffin by sheer will and determination.

Should be another great night of fights!

 

[guest301]

I agree W/S. I have never been a big fan of Jardine ( I find him too mechanical in his movement ) but he has power, so he's certainly a threat. Liddell by KO within 2 rounds.

I'll also go with Fitch over Diego in a decision win. Fitch is a big strong wrestler, with good overall skills, who should be able to dictate where the fight goes. I'm sure Crazy Bob Cook has an effective game plan for Fitch and I'm convinced Fitch will play it out.

I know I'm going against the current in my next pick but I'll take Griffin over Shogun in a back and forth war. Shogun is making his cage debut against a tough as nails Griffin who looks to have been training his a$$ off. Griffin has the reach advantage, and probably the size advantage, but most importantly - he needs this fight tothrow him in the top ten mix. I'll take Griffin by sheer will and determination.

Should be another great night of fights!

I hope your right in your Griffin upset prediction. There would be alot of irony in something like that happening. The last Pride legend that came over to the UFC(Cro-Cop) loses his first fight(and second) and wouldn't it be something if Shogun Rua lost his first fight. Does anybody know who Wanderlei Silva will be fighting. Who will be the sacrificial lamb, Stephen Bonnar?

 

[Guest]

The last Pride legend that came over to the UFC(Cro-Cop) loses his first fight(and second) and wouldn't it be something if Shogun Rua lost his first fight.

Filipovic won his first match in UFC. He also came to UFC at the same time as Jackson, another PRIDE fighter.

Am I reading this correctly that all the white guys here are rooting for Rua to lose? The same Rua that has a brutal win over Jackson?Edited by: nevada

 

[White Shogun]

Am I reading this correctly that all the white guys here are rooting for Rua to lose? The same Rua that has a brutal win over Jackson?

Should I root for Jackson in his next fight because he once beat Kevin Randleman?

Predictions are different than rooting for someone, although I do find myself rooting for Griffin in this one anyway. He is the underdog, and of Irish descent rather than Brazilian.

I did predict a Terry Martin win over Leben the other night, much to my chagrin.

By the way, Couture is picking Griffin over Shogun, but that might have something to do with the fact Forrest is training with Couture now.

 

[guest301]

The last Pride legend that came over to the UFC(Cro-Cop) loses his first fight(and second) and wouldn't it be something if Shogun Rua lost his first fight.

Filipovic won his first match in UFC. He also came to UFC at the same time as Jackson, another PRIDE fighter.

Am I reading this correctly that all the white guys here are rooting for Rua to lose? The same Rua that has a brutal win over Jackson?

I had forgotten that Cro-Cop had won his first fight in the UFC...somebody named Sanchez..right? Why should we be rooting for Rua unless he was facing Rampage again? Griffin is a likeable dude anyway and hard to root against, color not withstanding.Edited by: guest301

 

[jared]

I also like Griffin but he really stands to lose nothing in this fight. Shogun is the top ranked fighter in his weight class and a true treat to watch in the ring. His aggression, athleticism, and creativity are awesome. It would break my heart to see another Pride legend humbled. Nobody will lose any respect for Forrest if he gets demolished. And nobody right now is better poised to destroy Rampage than Shogun. Edited by: jared

 

[PitBull]

Rua is almost pure Portuguese.

 

[White Shogun]

And nobody right now is better poised to destroy Rampage than Shogun.

Well, look at this way, if Shogun comes to the UFC and can't beat Forrest Griffin, why should we be certain he'd beat Rampage again?

Rua is almost pure Portuguese.

Just in case you guys are getting the wrong idea, I'm not rooting against Rua for racial reasons. Of all the people on this board, I'm one of the few who would consider him white, even when facing another white fighter like Forrest. My earlier post about Forrest's Irish ancestry v the Brazilian Rua was tongue in cheek. I like both of these guys, but sometimes I just like the underdogs better.

 

[Liverlips]

Fitch decisions Sanchez. This kid is on a roll and I can certainly see him fighting for a championship soon.

 

[White Shogun]

Wow... just wow.

Forrest Griffin chokes out Shogun Rua at 4:45 of the third round.

Wow.
Edited by: White Shogun

 

[Liverlips]

Griffin beats Rua by submission.

 

[White Shogun]

All that has to happen now is for Jardine to KO Chuck Liddell, and the transition to the TUF fighters will be complete.

 

[Liverlips]

Lidell should take it unless he has grown old overnight.

 

[White Shogun]

That's why they fight, instead of just letting everyone vote on it.

Jardine wins by split decision over Chuck Liddell. In my opinion, it shouldn't have even been a split decision. Jardine won round two 10-8, and round three 10-9. No way Chuck won either of those two rounds.

Let's hear it for Cecil Peeples. He has a bad reputation for scoring fights incorrectly, but he has been on the money recently.

Edited by: White Shogun

 

[Poacher]

What did I just see?

WAR JON FITCH! He had Diego on his back the whole fight. Diego had a couple of really nice sub attempts but like they say, you can't get a little bit pregnant. You either sub the guy or you don't. I got tired of Rogan whining about the scoring. Fitch won easily from where I was sitting. Diego handled his defeat with dignity. It was good to see.

WAR FORREST! I thought Rua's offense would be too much for Forrest to handle. But it's hard to mount offense when you can't catch your breath. Shogun's cardio was awful. Man, PRIDE guys getting dumped left and right. Huge upset.

As far as Jardine/ Liddell is concerned: maybe it's time for Chuck to retire. Yes he landed some good shots that bloodied up Jardine but come on. Chuck mounted little if any offense in the third.

Tyson Griffin looked good as did Machida although that Nakamura can take a beating.

You know Wanderlei Silva is pissed. He just lost the biggest payday of his life. Dana shouldn't have announced the Chuck/ Wandy fight before Chuck's fight like that.

Good night of fights.

Edited by: Poacher

 

[Guest]

Griffin with the win!

I think drug testing is having a big effect on some PRIDE fighters. Jackson, Silva, Okami, and Henderson have all looked the same, but Filipovic, Nogueira, and Rua have looked bad. The difference between their performance in PRIDE and UFC is pretty stark. The same kind of night and day difference you see in other sports when athletes get on or off drugs.

 

[Poacher]

I think drug testing is having a big effect on some PRIDE fighters. Jackson, Silva, Okami, and Henderson have all looked the same, but Filipovic, Nogueira, and Rua have looked bad. The difference between their performance in PRIDE and UFC is pretty stark. The same kind of night and day difference you see in other sports when athletes get on or off drugs.

Lots of people are saying that now. And I can't really blame them but I don't share that opinion...yet. They look (and weigh) like they did in PRIDE. I know there are many types of PEDs but I'm not buying it yet.

Until it's proven I'm going to say that their lack of collective success has to do with the new venue they find themselves in and the fact that each one of them probably has received the biggest payday ever. Maybe they've gotten a little complacent because of it. I'm not sure.

Either way, their performances (outside of Jackson ironically) have been thoroughly disappointing.

Of course there is still one PRIDE fighter out there who can redeem PRIDE'S honor but I don't think we'll ever get to see him in the UFC.

 

[JD074]

Amazing stuff. Obviously this is the most unpredictable sport on the planet.

Yeah, Pride fans must be so pissed right now. Shogun was clearly one of their top two guys (along with Fedor,) and considered the best LHW in the world. Sure, A. Silva and Jackson have done well, but the Pride mystique has worn off. It won't be too surprising if Fedor gets upset (if he ever finds his way to the Octagon.)

By the way, Couture is picking Griffin over Shogun, but that might have something to do with the fact Forrest is training with Couture now.

This guy's a freaking psychic! That's like 4 for 4, I think. Edited by: JD074

 

[guest301]

Forrest is amazing and I just love this most unpredictable of all sports. I would have bet two paychecks on Rua and Chuck winning last night, glad I didn't!

 

[Poacher]

The unpredictability of MMA renders any rankings virtually useless.

The Forrest/ Shogun fight is a fight of the year candidate imo.