Houston Alexander to Face Kimbo Slice at TUF 10 Finale?
According to Matt Erickson of the Northwest Indiana Times the fight between Kimbo Slice and Houston Alexander will be taking place at the Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale. The fight will take place at a catchweight limit of 215lbs which is ten pounds over the light heavyweight limt that Alexander usually fights at.
The Times has learned from a source close to the Alexander camp that the fight has indeed been agreed to and that it will be contested at a special heavyweight catch weight of 215 pounds on “The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale” on Dec. 5 at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas.
According to the source, the fight was originally going to take place at light heavyweight. But Ferguson, the source said, is not able to make the drop to 205 pounds, and the two fighters agreed to the bout at 215 pounds. Ferguson weighed in at 230 pounds for his fight with Nelson on the show, which was filmed over the summer. And on a media conference call two days before that episode aired, he said he was then just short of 235 pounds.
Lesnar out of UFC 106 Carwin Fight Moved to 2010
The fight was just under one month away. On November 21st at UFC 106 Shane Carwin was supposed to take on Brock Lesnar for the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Carwin will not get his shot at the champion until 2010 due to an illness that has sidelined Lesnar for over three weeks now as reported by Yahoo! Sports.
“He said he’s never been this sick in his life,” White said. “He said it’s been going on for a long time and he just hasn’t been able to shake it.”
As a result of the fight being postponed the UFC announced that they will move what was the co-main event between Forrest Griffin and Tito Ortiz to the main event spot. Problem is for the UFC they can now expect with the news that PPV buys will drop significantly. Lesnar is a big draw and would of brought in over 1.5 million buys for UFC 106 but it seems Zuffa will have to settle for something less than 750K now.
Here is the UFC 106 card as it now stands, stars represent fights that are not yet official:
Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin
Karo Parisyan vs. Dustin Hazelett
Amir Sadollah vs. Phil Baroni
Ben Saunders vs. Marcus Davis
Kendall Grove vs. Jake Rosholt
George Sotiropoulos vs. Jason Dent
Luiz Cane vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira*
Brian Foster vs. Brock Larson *
Fabricio Camoes vs. Caol Uno*
Paulo Thiago vs. Jacob Volkmann*
UFC 104 Official Results and Bonuses
UFC 104 Main Card Results
- Light Heavyweight Championship: Lyoto Machida (c) vs. Mauricio Rua
- Lyoto Machida defeated Mauricio Rua via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) to retain the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
- Cain Velasquez vs. Ben Rothwell
- Velasquez defeated Rothwell via TKO (punches) at 0:58 of round 2
- Gleison Tibau vs. Josh Neer
- Tibau defeated Neer via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).
- Joe Stevenson vs. Spencer Fisher
- Stevenson defeated Fisher via Submission (elbows) at 4:03 of round 2.
- Anthony Johnson vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
- Johnson defeated Yoshida via TKO (punches) at 0:41 of round 1.
UFC 104 Undercard Results
- Ryan Bader vs. Eric Schafer
- Bader defeated Schafer via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-26, 30-27).
- Antoni Hardonk vs. Patrick Barry
- Barry defeated Hardonk via TKO (strikes) at 2:30 of round 2.
- Middleweight bout: Yushin Okami vs. Chael Sonnen
- Sonnen defeated Okami via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
- Jorge Rivera vs. Rob Kimmons
- Rivera defeated Kimmons via TKO (strikes) at 1:53 of round 3.
- Kyle Kingsbury vs. Razak Al-Hassan
- Kingsbury defeated Al-Hassan via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
- Stefan Struve vs. Chase Gormley
- Struve defeated Gormley via submission (triangle choke) at 4:04 of round 1.
UFC 104 Fighter Bonuses
All fighers listed here were given an enxtra $60,000 dolars on top of their salaries that are not yet known. As soon as the salaries become avaliable we will post them here on MMA-Live.com
- Fight of the Night: Antoni Hardonk vs. Patrick Barry
- Knockout of the Night: Patrick Barry
- Submission of the Night: Stefan Struve
- Light Heavyweight Championship bout:
Lyoto Machida (c) vs. Mauricio Rua
- Machida defeated Rua via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) to retain the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Shogun was ROBBED in LA
Just a quick post to voice my opinion on the Lyoto Machida/Shogun Rua fight that just happened. The way I see it three rounds were taken by Shogun with his domination the other two could of gone either way. When I heard Buffer say the judges decision I could not believe what I had just heard, Machida won a fight he did not deserve to win.
The fans in attendance boo’d at the decision, at the end of the fight Rogan and Goldberg said that Shogun had probably won the fight, multiple fighters and other news sites on Twitter also use the word “Robbed.” Shogun should get a rematch right away so he can mess Machida up once again.
UFC 104 Live Results and Recap
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (Light Heavyweight)
Round one:The main event fight is underway with some nice knees from Machida. The crowd begins chanting Machida’s name but it quickly dies out. Shogun gets in close and pushes Machida into the cage. Rua is throwing knees to the body while in the clinch against the cage. Machida gets a nice knee in with three minutes reamining and Shogun goes for the takedown which he nearly gets. Shogun is working to sweep Machida against the cage but then the two seperate and Shogun seems to be pushing the action. Shogun lands a nice body kick on Machida. Shogun is making sure not to rush into the fight with Machida he is holding back and looking for the counter attack. One minute remains and Shogun gets a nice leg kick and Machida returns with a leg kick of his own. Shogun puts in another nice leg kick and then tries to land punches. I think this may have been the first round Machida has ever lost was a close one.
Round two:Shogun connects right out of the gate with a good kick. He seems to focus only on the body kicks, Machida retaliates though and catches Shogun cleanly. A knee from Machida connects as Shogun shoots for the takedown. He doesn’t get Machida down though and he separates going back to standing. Shogun ends up landing another solid kick to the midsection.
Lost some with site issues sorry for inconvenience… Shogun won round 10-9 though
Round three: Shoguns tactic is clearly to hang back and go for the body kicks. Machida is also connecting with some good kicks as well but no where near the amount of Shogun.
Round four: see above
Round five: This is desperation mode now for Machida. I am liking this fight a lot looking like Machida will be getting this first loss with two minutes remaining in the fight. A massive elbow while in the clinch from Shogun is looking like it will seal the deal and now the crowd is chanting Shogun’s name, there is just no loyalty in LA. One minute remaining and Shogun is still applying the pressure. Ten seconds left and the two of them go at it. Both raise their arms at the sound of the horn this was a close fight I am saying 3 rounds to 2 for Shogun though.
Final result: Shogun was ROBBED in a 48-47 unanimous decision victory for Machida
Cain Velasquez vs. Ben Rothwell (Heavyweight)
Round one:First round of the co-main event gets underway and Velasquez is putting in some leg kicks. Velasquez gets the takedown in theough pretty quick at only thirty seconds in. Rothwell begins looking for a kimura on the cage. Rothwell then stands up and hits Velasquez with a nice right hand. Cain gets another single leg takedown right to side control with three minutes remaining. Velasquez throws some elbows while on the ground and Rothwell gets back to his feet but is then put right back down. Velasquez continues to control the fight on the ground and gets mount. Rothwell manages to get Velasquez off of him but Velasquez gets mount back a few seconds later. Velasquez comes close to finishing it but Rothwell escapes and Velasquez takes his back. Rothwell has took such a huge beating in this opening round I just can’t believe it.
Round two:Rothwell attempts a kick right out of the gate and then gets took down by Velasquez. Velasquez has Rothwells back as he moves to the fence Rothwell turns round and takes four huge shots to the face and the fight gets stopped. Rothwell is not happy with the stoppage due to the fact that he is standing up at the time of the stoppage. I don’t think I have ever seen anyone take this much of a beating!
Final result: Cain Velasquez defeats Ben Rothwell via TKO round 2 :58
Gleison Tibau vs. Josh Neer (Lightweight)
Round one:First round gets underway and both fighters are getting a fair share of hits in. Crowd starts chanting “Let’s go Josh.” Tibau gets a great takedown with around two minutes remaining but Neer is right back to his feet. Neer connects with a head kick but not clean enough to do any real damage. A nice exchange from both fighters with a minute left and then Tibau puts in another takedown this time keeping him down. Thirty seconds left and Neer is back to his feet. Round ends and I think it will be 10-9 Tibau due to four successful take-downs.
Round two:Round two begins and Tibau gets another takedown. A few seconds later another takedown this is getting bad now for Neer. Back to standing and a decent leg kick from Neer but then sure enough Tibau sticks in another takedown I think that makes him up to seven on the night, must be going for a record or something. Tibau then took the back of Neer with hooks in, Neer escapes then Tibau transitions to armbar but Neer escapes from that as well. Another 10-9 for Tibau.
Round three:Third round begins and Tibau continues going for the takedowns. Neer begins to push forward looking for that one big shot to put Tibau out but Tibau gets another takedown. Tibau is taking Neer down but doing nothing. Fight gets stopped for Neers tape to be fixed up, only a few seconds though. Neer through a leg kick and limped away after landing it. A minute left and Tibau puts in another takedown. Another 10-9 for Tibau and crowd boo’s. Rogan calls them “LA douche bags.”
Final result: Tibau wins via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Joe Stevenson vs. Spencer Fisher (Lightweight)
Round one: Not much happened in the firt minute, both fighters kept it standing throwing light shows at each other. About two minutes in and Stevenson is looking for the take-down but just can’t seem to get it as Fisher backs into the cage. After thirty seconds of trying the take-down Stevenson just lifted Fisher clean off the floor but still could not execute. A minute thirty remain and the crowd is booing so referee Herb Dean seperates both the fighters. Blood is pouring into Fishers right eye by this stage and Stevenson begins to target it with elbows. Thirty seconds remain and Stevenson takes Fisher down with back control (no hooks). Thats the end of the first 10-9 Stevenson.
Round two:Second round begins and Fisher comes out fast presuring Stevenson. After a minute passes not much has happened but Fisher is getting the better of the striking. Stevenson ends up getting a takedown in and puts Fisher on his back. Later in the round Fisher taps due to strikes at 4:03
Final result: Joe Stevenson wins via Submission (Strikes) 4:03 R2
Anthony Johnson vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida (Welterweight)
Round one:It was a fast fight Johnson came out quick and just knocked Yoshida out. I have nothing else to say, this guy is too quick.
Final result: Anthony Johnson defeats Yoshiyuki Yoshida via KO Round one :41
UFC 104 – Machida vs Rua Prediction
This bout was set a long time ago and when I first heard who Machida would be fighting it was a big WTF… Here we are on the day of the fight though and I believe that Rua may actually provide for a good fight, at least I hope he does.
There is no doubting that Machida is one of the best fighters to step foot in the Octagon. In his early fights fans did not like his backing off style, avoiding everything that was thrown at him and then retaliating with some powerful shots of his own. Then out of nowhere he changed, maybe it was for the fans but when it happened you could see that Machida was a force to be reckoned with. Going into the fight Machida is 15-0 with amazing knockouts in his last two fights.
Machida’s opponent Mauricio “Shogun” Rua is another amazing Brazilian fighter, if you were to look at his PRIDE fights. Now though it seems as though he is a lot slower and with less skill. Since entering the UFC Shogun has lost to Forrest Griffin, beat Mark Coleman and KO’d Chuck Liddell. I don’t really think he is worthy of the title shot after winning two fights but then again I am not paid a six figure salary to figure these things out. Maybe the UFC sees something in him that I don’t
As I said in the intro to the article, I think Shogun will provide for a good fight. Haha yeah maybe for the first minute or so. The way I see it going is a nice little exchange in the first few minutes and when they come out for the second round… Good night Shogun. I’m thinking we will see Shogun go out, probably not in the fashion that Rashad did but it should be good.
Final Prediction: Lyoto Machida via TKO round 2
UFC 104 Main Card Predictions
Here we go with part two of three, the main card predictions. Still to come is the main event, a full look at everything each fighter has going for himself and a prediction so make sure you come back to check it out.
Anthony Johnson vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
What a way to get the PPV started. Two great and exciting welterweight fighters each looking to put on a show. This fight will be an ultimate clash of styles and it will be good to see who gets the better of the other. On the one hand you have Anthony Johnson who has a solid set of hands and is probably one of the best kick-boxers amongst the welterweights of the UFC. On the other hand you have Yoshida who is a black belt in Judo.
It is hard to see where this fight will end up. Both fighters are good standing and on the ground but each has their advantages. I think if Johnson can keep his distance from Yoshida and stay away from the clinch he will dominate the stand-up game. If Yoshida is able to get into the clinch though and pull off a few big throws to put Johnson on the ground then we could end up seeing UFC 104’s opening fight going to a decision.
The keys to victory for Johnson are to keep the fight standing and to keep distance from Yoshida. Johnson should look to be throwing jabs in order to set up for some nice head kicks or big overhands.
The keys to victory for Yoshida are to get in close. Yoshida needs to keep it close to stop Johnson from throwing those huge kicks. Also when the time is right Yoshida should be looking to get the take-down on Johnson therefor scoring points with the judeges and stopping the standing attack of Rumble.
I believe this fight will go the distance and that the extreme underdog Yoshiyuki Yoshida will come out with the win.
Final Prediction: Yoshiyuki Yoshida via unanimous decision
Joe Stevenson vs. Spencer Fisher
Here we go with another fight I see going the distance. Joe Stevenson has seen the judges score cards both times in his last two fights, winning one and losing the other. Fisher has seen his score cards four times in his last five fights. In the fight that never went to decision Fisher still found himself in the third round.
Once again though I see this fight as being a clash of styles. Stevenson will be looking to dominate Fisher with his wrestling whereas Fisher will be looking to stay away from the ground against the stronger opponent.
Keys to victory for Joe Stevenson are clear he will have to take the fight to the ground and use his superior wrestling to dominate his opponent and work his way towards a decision or try to finish it earlier.
Keys to victory for Fisher are to keep the fight standing and try not to let Stevenson get any take-downs. If Fisher is able to keep the fight standing he should come away with the victory.
I myself can’t see Fisher being able to stay away from the ground so for that reason I am going to pick Joe Stevenson to win the fight by a unanimous decision.
Final Prediction: Joe Stevenson via unanimous decision
Gleison Tibau vs. Josh Neer
Once again we have another set of fighters who like to finish it off late in the fight. I don’t expect this one to be in the judges hands though. I think we will see a submission victory. The question is who will get it because both fighters are well versed on the ground.
The keys to victory are the same for both fighters. They should both be looking for the submission victory or maybe if one wants to be tricky try for the KO. Either way I see this fight going to the Brazilian fighter Tibau via rear naked choke in the third round.
Final Prediction: Gleison Tibau via rear naked choke in round three.
Cain Velasquez vs. Ben Rothwell
This is the c0-main event of the evening and it features Ben Rothwell’s UFC debut against the undefeated Cain Velasquez.
Since his first fight in the UFC many people believed that Velasquez could go on to become a top contender. Here we are well over a year into his UFC career and he is fighting to be the man who will have the next title shot. It wont be easy for Velasquez though, he will have to face a mixed martial arts veteran in Ben Rothwell.
Rothwell a former IFL champion got the fight against Velasquez after Affliction Entertainment cancelled their third show. Both Rothwell and his scheduled opponent at the event, Gormley, were picked up and will compete at UFC 104. For Rothwell this will be his UFC debut. It has been a long time coming as well, Rothwell is 30-6.
I think this fight will be a good one to watch. You have two heavyweight fighters who are within most peoples top 10’s going at it for the chance to face the champion, whoever that might be when the time comes.
The keys to victory for Velasquez are to use his wrestling. He needs to get Rothwell on the ground and beat him up down there. One thing he must watch out for though… don’t let Rothwell get on top of you or it might be game over. That’s a lot of weight if Rothwell gets the ground advantage.
The keys to victory for Rothwell are obviously to use his weight advantage. If he is taken down he needs to gain control and pin Velasquez down which will be no easy feat to achieve. If Rothwell is however able to avoid the take-down he should start throwing them gloves right at Velasquez, if one hits clean it will be goodnight Velasquez.
My prediction for this fight is a TKO win for Velasquez. I think Rothwell is past his prime and Velasquez is just too good of a fighter. If Rothwell goes down to the ground Velasquez will waste no time in putting him out.
Final Prediction: Cain Velasquez via TKO round one
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UFC 104 Preliminary Predictions
MMA-Live has returned!
UFC 104 is this weekend and for me it seems like a lifetime since the last UFC event. This is the first part of three articles that will be released to showcase the UFC 104 event on Saturday night. This first part will be on the undercard, the second part will be on the main card and the final part will cover the main event.
Stefan Struve vs. Chase Gormley
The first fight of the night at UFC 104 is a heavyweight bout between Dutch fighter Stefan Struve and American Chase Gormley. Struve enters the fight having only lost three of his twenty fight career. One of those losses was in his UFC debut back at UFC 95. Struve’s opponent Chase Gormley will be making his debut this Saturday in UFC 104 coming in with a perfect 6-0 record.
I am going to have to go with Chase for this fight. For one Struve showed us in his last fight that a significantly smaller man can knock him around quite a bit and my second reason, Chase has yet to lose a fight. I expect Struve to be TKO’d in this fight early on. Who knows? Maybe even a doctors stoppage if that scar tissue opens up like it did at UFC 99.
Final Prediction: Chase Gormley via TKO in first round
Kyle Kingsbury vs. Razak Al-Hassan
Kyle Kingsbury has really been on a shocking run in his time with the UFC. He lost the entrance fight for The Ultimate Fighter to the man who ended up winning the competition, Ryan Bader. It wasn’t all over for him there though he got another chance after fighters were forced to drop out due to injury. Kingsbury ended up losing again second time around. Kinsbury then went on to lose his debut UFC fight at The Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale against Tom Lawlor via a unanimous decision. Despite all of this the UFC has surprisingly kept him around for another shot and this weekend Kingsbury will face Razak Al-Hassan.
Al-Hassan has only had one fight previously in the UFC and it was a memorable one. Live on Spike TV Al-Hassan decided not to tap out to an arm-bar that was inescapable but rather have his arm bend in a fashion that probably made many cringe. At that point it was obviously over for Al-Hassan. That was only his first loss in professional mixed martial arts.
Obviously this is a do or die for Kingsbury, if he loses this he is done with the UFC and he knows it. That may also be the same for Al-Hassan so they both really want the win which will make this a good fight to watch, unfortunately it wont air. I think I will have to go with Al-Hassan for the win though, as long as the dislocation doesn’t act up much which it shouldn’t being over nine months ago now but the human body is a weird thing. Due to the nature of the fight with both fighters desperately needing a win it will either be a flash KO or a decision.
Final Prediction: Razak Al-Hassan via unanimous decision
Jorge Rivera vs. Rob Kimmons
Jorge Rivera’s time in the UFC has been a roller coaster of wins and losses. His record of 16-7 is fairly good but it seems that every time he gets off the ground he comes crashing back down and has to restart. Rivera’s opponent, Rob Kimmons, has a professional record of 22-4 with one of those losses in the UFC against Dan Miller. In that fight Kimmons lost in the first round via rear naked choke. Kimmons got himself back on the winning track in April of 2009 against Joe Vedepo after he choked him unconscious.
This one is really a tough one to pick. You have two pretty equally matched opponents of similar fighting backgrounds. Both fighters have also never gone the distance in a win so I will be going with a technical knockout victory for Rob Kimmons in the first round.
Final Prediction: Rob Kimmons via technical knockout in round two
Yushin Okami vs Chael Sonnen
This fight should be a good one. Two middleweight fighters who are about equal in talent looking to get that one big win they need in order to step back into the top ranks. Okami is 23-4 and has himself a nice little streak which includes wins over Jason MacDonald and the late Evan Tanner. A win against Sonnen at UFC 104 is all he needs to be up there at the top.
Sonnen has not had the success of Okami but mainly because he has been facing off against tougher competition. He recently fought and lost to Demain Maia but then came right back to winning when he fought Dan Miller at UFC 98.
I think this fight will be a true test of skill but when it is all said and done Okami’s hand will be raised in a submission victory.
Final Prediction: Yushin Okami via submission round three
Antoni Hardonk vs. Patrick Barry
This fight is the return of Pat Barry to the Octagon after his devastating loss to Tim Hague at UFC 98, the night Machida first won the title. Barry was dominating the entire fight against Hague until out of nowhere he got caught in a guillotine choke. Barry is 4-1 in mixed martial arts.
Antoni Hardonk will be on the opposite side of the Octagon at UFC 104 from Pat Barry and he will also be looking to get back to winning form. Hardonk’s last fight was at UFC 97 where he faced, and lost to, Cheick Kongo. Kongo put Hardonk out of the fight in the second round with a TKO victory.
I think it is clear that this fight will be a standing one as both fighters have kickboxing backgrounds. Pat Barry had a better kickboxing career than Hardonk though so that could prove to be the deciding factor in the fight. It will be a close fight and probably will come down to one quick punch. I will however pick Pat Barry to win the fight by a TKO in the first round.
Final Prediction: Patrick Barry via TKO round one
Ryan Bader vs. Eric Schafer
The 9-0 undefeated Ryan Bader will be making his third appearance in the Octagon and his first appearance on a numbered UFC event. If he can get the win against Schafer he will find himself propelled into main card status. Bader was the winner of season eight of the Ultimate Fighter and since then he has defeated Carmelo Marrero via unanimous decision on the main card of the Condit vs. Kampmann Fight Night.
Baders opponent Schafer could be considered a veteran of the UFC. He has been hanging around since UFC 62 and has had five fights with two of them ending up as losses on his record. For Schafer to win this fight he will have to keep it standing. He may have a black belt in BJJ but Bader is just too powerful of a wrestler and he will pin him to the mat unleashing some GnP.
I think if Schafer does keep the fight standing he may have an upper hand but really that wont happen. Bader will control this fight using his wrestling and will come out with the victory via a unanimous decision.
Final Prediction: Ryan Bader via unanimous decision