UFC FIGHT NIGHT: SEATTLE (Main Card Breakdown/Predictions)

UFC Fight Night 24 takes place in Seattle this Saturday. The main event features former Pride FC stand-out Antonio Rogerio Nogueira taking on undefeated light heavyweight prospect Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis. Davis stepped in as a replacement for former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz. The co-main event features former Welterweight contender Dan Hardy against slugger Anthony ''Rumble'' Johnson. Here`s a breakdown of the main card:

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Phil Davis
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Antonio Rogerio Nogueira will look to rebound off his loss to fellow Light Heavyweight Ryan Bader when he takes on “Mr. Wonderful” Phil Davis. The Team Nogueira/Black House fighter is 19-4 although he hasn’t exactly made his mark in the UFC. He only lost once in his past eight fights and did score a Knockout of the Night against Luiz Cane however he hasn’t had a performance where he has looked like a legitimate title contender. His split decision win against Jason Brilz at UFC 114 could have easily gone the other way (some suggest Brilz was robbed) and his loss to Ryan Bader shot him down the Light Heavyweight ranks. Nogueira will definitely want to put on a vintage performance against Davis and better yet, “Little Nog” does not want to lose to two in a row to the brightest prospects of the division. Phil Davis is an NCAA Division I wrestler and don’t be surprised if he wants to showcase his talent against Nogueira on the ground. Although it will be very tough to submit Nogueira, previous fights have shown that one could take down Nogueira using superior wrestling skills. The 8-0 Pennsylvania-born fighter has shown a lot of promise in the Octagon thus far and a win over Nogueira could easily bring on a Top Five opponent. For Nogueira, a win should lead him in the same direction. Many have suggested the winner of this fight faces the winner of Rampage-Hamill which makes sense. It also makes sense for Little Nog to face former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Mauricio Shogun Rua in a rematch of their epic Pride Critical Countdown 2005 fight. Davis might not want to strike with Nogueira because Little Nog is definitely the superior boxer. However Nogueira has also been outclassed on his feet and even knocked out. This fight might not all be glitz and glamour however the stylistic match-up makes this potentially gritty affair very interesting.
Winner: Davis

Dan Hardy vs. Anthony Johnson
In the co-main event, UK’s own Dan Hardy takes on Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in which both fighters promised to “stand and bang”. Often at times pre-fight quotes generate a lot of interest but do not always live up to a stand-up war like promised…but are both fighters interested to take this fight anywhere else? In his last outing Dan Hardy was viciously knocked out by Carlos Condit in his homeland of the UK at UFC 120. He isn’t necessarily on the chopping block but he does need a win or else a 0-2 record in his last two fights will bring him on shaky grounds. Anthony Johnson on the other hand has an interesting aura around him and perhaps not all for the right reasons. He hasn’t fought since UFC 106 where he was submitted by Josh Koscheck and rumour has it he started his camp for this fight at a whopping 230 pounds (60 pounds over the weight limit of 170). He has been notorious for missing weight before and it could be in his best interest to move up in weight. Although nobody can judge Johnson but himself and he still remains one of the most powerful strikers in the Welterweight division. Johnson can also fall to 0-2 and depending on what happens at the weigh-in, it could prompt the UFC to let him go if he loses. This fight should be a slugfest for all the right reasons considering both fighters don’t really hide their game plans or alter them for different fights. Keep in mind Johnson is an amateur wrestling champion so he could pull a few tricks and keep Hardy off his game with a few take-downs. Hardy hasn’t shown vast improvements on the ground which could be a significant advantage for “Rumble” entering this fight.
Winner: Johnson

Amir Sadollah vs. Damarques Johnson
The Ultimate Fighter veteran and Muay Thai practitioner Amir Sadollah faces double-replacement Demetrious Johnson in another Welterweight affair. Sadollah has been impressive in the UFC but fairly inconsistent as well. The 4-2 Richmond-based fighter is coming off a win over Peter Sobotta last November and is looking to keep his record in the win-column against Johnson. Damarques Johnson, another Ultimate Fighter alumni, has a professional record of 12-8 and is in the same boat as Sadollah. He finished Mike Guymon 2 months ago at UFC Fight for the Troops 2 and wants to keep his record rolling as well. Johnson specializes in boxing and jiu-jitsu while Sadollah has razor-sharp Muay Thai skills. The opponent changes might have thrown Sadollah slightly off guard. Johnson might want to exploit Sadollah`s ground skills which was done by Don Hyun Kim at UFC 114. Having 6 submission wins, Johnson proves a tough fight for Sadollah who is more than happy to keep a fight standing using his striking skills. Sadollah seems to be the superior striker; meanwhile Johnson could win the floor battle. This is a very interesting bout in terms of direction, to say the least.
Winner: Sadollah

Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung II
Their fight of the year, fight of the decade and potentially fight of the century at WEC 48 was exhausting to watch simply from a viewers perspective. They did not stop trading blows and “The Korean Zombie” name lived up to expectations. Tough as nails Leonard Garcia edged out the controversial decision, but it wasn’t as bad as the Nam Phan (who was forced out of this fight/rematch with Garcia due to injury) decision at The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale. With all due respect to Garcia, he needs a win over Jung in a decisive fashion. He has been on the fortunate end of some mind-boggling decisions however he is no push-over either. He’s faced some of the toughest Lightweights and Featherweights in the world and is willing to prove his win over Jung was no fluke. The Korean Zombie has apparently ditched his “zombie-style” fighting after the highlight reel KO he suffered from George Roop at WEC 51. He will definitely return to the cage a smarter fighter but there’s a feeling Garcia may want to lure him into a slugfest once more. Both fighters have good chins and Jung seems to have crisper striking than Garcia who throws bomb after bomb. With the changes surrounding this fight, it may not be a carbon copy of their first. Will it still deliver a stellar fight? It definitely should.
Winner: Jung

Here's the rest of the card:

Waylon Lowe vs. Nik Lentz
Mario Miranda vs. Aaron Simpson
Johny Hendricks vs. TJ Waldburger
Michael McDonald vs. Edwin Figueroa
Jon Madsen vs. Mike Russow
John Hathaway vs. Kris McCray
Sean McCorkle vs. Christian Morecraft
Alex Caceres vs. Mackens Semerzier

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March 24th, 2011 has been a date circled on the calendar for many habs faithful. It marks the night of a rematch with our beloved Boston Bruins. The horrific accident suffered by Max Pacioretty is surely on the minds of many players, but I believe they should be concentrating on the task at hand. Yes... everyone would love retribution. Many will be calling for revenge wanting to see Chara pay for his malicious act, but the truth of the matter is these two points are way more valuable then trying to fight a 7 foot monster. The habs currently sit 3 pts back and have played 2 more games then Boston, so tonight’s game can ultimately decide the winner of the North East division. It is no shock to know that Montreal are one of the better home teams. With a crowd of 21273 die hards chanting for their team would give anyone the drive to want to win. This passion is the driving force of the city and the flame that ignites our players. However tonight they will be entering hostile grounds and are facing a team that has no mercy. The audio clip of Mark Recchi resonates loud among habs faithful, insinuating that the Canadiens Organization embellished the hit of Max Pacioretty. These accusations are absurd only another reason to go out tonight and win the hockey game. This can’t be seen as a battle or revenge, this game will have the atmosphere and importance of a game 7. The Canadiens must be prepared and focused because everyone knows that the Bruins will come out hard and try and hit everything in sight. Jacques martin has implemented a system since his hiring and I believe last playoff and this year it has paid dividend. Our roster has been decimated with injuries yet the idea of winning the division is still a possibility. The Canadiens will have to rely on speed and quick puck movement and getting the first goal is crucial. The young kids must show their passion and play for logo on the sweater not for retribution. The biggest revenge in my opiniuon would be to be crowned division champs. Lets hope tonight's game is full of emotion and good hockey. hopefully they're is no incidents because the last thing the habs need is to lose another player. On this note, I hope the habs come out ready to play because it will be one hard battle.

yours truly,

Canolz

The Kills - Satellite

(props:YouTube.com/DominoRecords)

UFC 128: Jon Jones Defeats Rua To Become Youngest UFC Champion

(props: mmavids.net)

Jon Jones’ performance last Saturday at UFC 128 was nothing short of amazing. He finished Mauricio Shogun Rua in the 3^rd round via TKO. Referee Herb Dean stepped in after a liver shot and a knee to the head of a visibly hurt Shogun. It was perhaps one of the best performances in the Octagon by anyone and the fact that Jon Jones and his team took down a thief hours before the fight makes it that more spectacular. Rua never looked like he was threatening Jones in the fight and diehard Shogun fans will say it could have been a result of a long layoff and the knee surgeries. However it simply isn’t an excuse to cast a shadow over Jones or his performance. He beat Rua in every aspect of the game, whether it was in the stand-up department or on the ground (where Jones delivered those signature Bones Elbows). The most impressive thing about Jones isn’t that he’s 23 and still earning; it’s the fact that his win against Rua just made Anderson Silva vs. Georges St-Pierre totally irrelevant. Jones now meets Rashad Evans (who stepped into the cage afterwards in a very awkward moment) in his first title defense. This has caused a rift in the Team Jackson camp and let`s just say this fight definitely deserves UFC Prime Time treatment.

Here`s what else went down (from Wikipedia…I know, I know):

Featherweight bout: Raphael Assunção vs. Erik Koch

Koch defeated Assunção via KO (punch) at 2:32 of round 1.

Catchweight (195 lb) bout: Nick Catone vs. Constantinos Philippou

Catone defeated Philippou via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27).

Bantamweight bout: Joseph Benavidez vs. Ian Loveland

Benavidez defeated Loveland via unanimous decision (29–28, 30–27, 30–27).

Lightweight bout: Kurt Pellegrino vs. Gleison Tibau

Tibau defeated Pellegrino via split decision (29–28, 28–29, 29–28).

Welterweight bout: Ricardo Almeida vs. Mike Pyle

Pyle defeated Almeida via unanimous decision (29–28, 30–27, 30–27).

Lightweight bout: Edson Barboza vs. Anthony Njokuani

Barboza defeated Njokuani via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28).

Light Heavyweight bout: Eliot Marshall vs. Luiz Cane

Cane defeated Marshall via TKO (punches) at 2:15 of round 1.

Heavyweight bout: Brendan Schaub vs. Mirko Filipović

Schaub defeated Filipović via TKO (punch) at 3:44 of round 3.

Middleweight bout: Nate Marquardt vs. Dan Miller

Marquardt defeated Miller via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27).

Lightweight bout: Jim Miller vs. Kamal Shalorus

Miller defeated Shalorus via TKO (punches) at 2:15 of round 3.

Bantamweight bout: Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland

Faber defeated Wineland by unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28).

Light Heavyweight Championship bout: Maurício Rua (c) vs. Jon Jones

Jones defeated Rua by TKO (strikes) at 2:37 of round 3 to become the new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.

I went 12-2 and after 2 events, I am now 21-4. I don’t think I’m going to brag about my record anymore or even keep count (It`s not like I’m challenging anyone so it gets a little boring/cynical). I’ll just give my predictions from now on.