Recap of UFC 130: Rampage vs Hamill

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (32-8) defeated Matt Hamill (10-2) by unanimous decision in a one sided fight that saw Hamill unable to take Jackson down and all or stay competitive on his feet.   Jackson rocked Hamill a few times throughout the fight but never came too close to finishing him.   The fight really wasn't as entertaining of a fight as you would hope for in a main event but there was no questioning who won here.   It's unclear as to whether or not Rampage will get a title shot at Jon Jones' UFC Light heavyweight championship with the victory but having not finished Hamill with an explosive knockout as Dana White had hoped for; Rampage may need another win to earn himself the title shot.

Frank Mir (15-5) defeated Roy "Big Country" Nelson (15-6) by unanimous decision in another one sided fight although more entertaining than the main event.   Both men gassed themselves by the second round and Mir was able to get Nelson to the ground several times throughout the 15 minutes of action.   Mir was able to land several big knees to Nelson in the fight but Nelson is a tough and durable guy who is not easy to knock out.   Nelson is going to need to cut some weight to remain a tope level UFC Heavyweight because this is two fights in a row for him where he did little more than just "survive".   For Mir, the win sees him stay in the upper ranks of the heavyweight division and only a win or two more away from another UFC Championship fight.

Travis "Hapa" Browne (11-0-1) knocked out Stefan "Skyscrapper" Struve (21-5) at 4: 11 of the first round in a fun fight that saw Browne knock out Struve with a brutal punch as Struve was diving into Browne.   Struve's body bent backwards and Browne followed him to the mat where he hammered him with hammer fists until the referee stepped in to stop this one.   A win over Struve sends Browne into the top ten of the UFC's heavyweights and his fists are going to prove to be really difficult for fighters to overcome.   Browne won a knockout of the night bonus for the win.

Brian "All American" Stann (11-3) knocked out Jorge Santiago (23-9) at 4:29 of the second round when he dropped Santiago with several unanswered punches and the referee had to step in to stop this one.   Stann took some punches throughout the fight and some kicks but fired back with some of his own and had Santiago in trouble with punches throughout the scrap.   This is two big wins for Stann and he now finds himself grouped in with the top level UFC middleweights.   This fight was given fight of the night honours.

Rick "Horror" Story (13-3) defeated Thiago "Pitbull "Alves (18-8) by unanimous decision in a fun fight that saw Story attempt to get Alves to the ground for the entire fight and keep Alves against the cage.   Story had a real good chin that Alves tested but was able to actually land some solid shots on Alves as well.   The third round was the most competitive with Alves losing the first two and in need of a finish and having Story hurt a few times with punches but unfortunately for Alves, he was unable to finish this one before the 15 minutes came to an end.   This is a big victory for Story and catapults him in with the Fitch's, BJ's and GSP's of the welterweight division while Alves needs to regroup and make some adjustments to his style having lost 3 of his last 4 fights.

Spike Fights

Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson (9-1) defeated Miguel Torres (39-4) by unanimous decision in a real good fight that saw these two fight all over the place.   Both guys are extremely quick and this one made for some great competitive action.   Johnson was able to get down Torres repeatedly and although Torres was very active from his back, Johnson controlled where the majority of the fight was contested and to most would look to have been the aggressor.   A win for Johnson puts him in contention for the UFC's Bantamweight championship currently held by Dominick Cruz.

"The Barbarian" Tim Boetsch (13-4) defeated Kendall "Da Spyda" Grove (12-9) by unanimous decision in a one sided fight that saw Boetsch take down Grove at will and reign down punches while in control.   Boetsch looked similar in size to the 6'6 Grove and seems to have found a home in the new division.   Grove may be on his way out of the UFC with this loss.

Facebook Fights

Michael McDonald (13-1) defeated Chris Cariaso (11-3) by unanimous decision

Gleison Tibau (23-7) submitted Rafaello Oliveira (14-4) at 3:28 of the 2^nd round to a rear naked choke

Renan Barao (26-1) defeated Cole "Apache Kid" Escovedo (17-7) by unanimous decision

Recap of the TUF 13 Finale

Tony Ferguson (11-2) defeated Ramsey Njiem (4-2) by knockout at 3:54 of the first round to become the new TUF winner in an impressive performance.   Tony was able to get Ramsey to the mat quickly but decided to let the fight return to the feet where he was able to drop Ramsey with a punch and followed him to the mat when he hammered him with another right for good measure until the referee stepped in to call a stop to this one.   Tony Ferguson was also awarded the knockout of the night bonus for the finish.

Clay Guida (29-11) defeated Anthony "Showtime" Pettis (13-2) by unanimous decision in a pretty entertaining fight that should have been given the real main event billing.   Clay was able to take down Pettis at will throughout the three rounds but Pettis was able to stay active on the ground, tying up Clay's arm and attempting several triangle chokes and armbars.   There's no disputing the decision here but it was still a fun and fast paced fight that see's Pettis' future UFC lightweight title shot disappear and Clay get himself a step closer to earning himself one.   Clay never gave Pettis any space to get much off although Pettis was able to graze Clay with a couple of highlight reel kicks.  

Ed Herman (22-9) defeated Tim Credeur (12-4) by tko at 0:48 of the first round in a quick fight that saw Herman hurt Credeur early with punches and drop him then finish him with punches on the ground.  

Kyle Kingsbury (11-2) defeated Fabio Maldanado (18-4) by unanimous decision in a fight that saw Kingsbury win the first two rounds with knees and some good stand up until the third round came and Maldanado was able to close Kingsbury's eye with some good punches.   Pretty close fight with Kingsbury getting the victory with all three judges seeing him winning the first two rounds.

Chris "C-Murder" Cope (5-1) defeated Chuck O'Neil (8-4) by unanimous decision in a pretty boring opener.   O'Neil did little more then look for a counter knockout throughout the fight and Chuck was able to control the pace and pick apart Chuck with body shots and punches to the face.   Cope got several "Woo" chants throughout the fight as that's what he was known for yelling while in the TUF house.

Facebook Fights

Jeremy "Lil Heathen" Stephens (20-6) defeated Danny Downes (8-2) by unanimous decision

George Roop (12-7-1) defeated Josh "The Fluke" Grispi (14-3) by tko at 3:14 of the third round

Shamar Bailey (12-3) defeated Ryan McGillivray (11-5-1) by unanimous decision

Clay Harvison (7-1) defeated Justin Edwards (6-1) by split decision

Scott Jorgensen (12-4) defeated Ken Stone (9-3) by tko at 4:01 of the first round

Reuben Duran (8-3-1) submitted Francisco "Cisco" Rivera (5-2) to a rear naked choke at 1:57 of the third round

Preview of UFC 131: Carwin vs Dos Santos

This Saturday the UFC returns to Vancouver for a card that on paper may not be the most appealing show I've ever glanced at.  

Shane Carwin (12-1) vs Junior Dos Santos (12-1)- This one will most likely end in some kind of brutal knockout as this is both men's strong suit.   Carwin has the legit one punch knockout power while Junior puts together some beautiful combinations and also has great power in his hands.   It's been close to a year since Carwin last stepped into the cage in a fight against Brock Lesnar that saw him pummel Brock for several minutes with punches but gas himself out and leave himself vulnerable for a submission from Brock in the second round.   JDS has remained active having defeated Roy Nelson in his most recent fight.   Carwin has some good takedowns and is coming into the fight with a new diet plan that sees him slimmer and seemingly with better cardio.   JDS has a terrific ground game from what his coaches say but he hasn't showed it in the UFC as he hasn't been in a position to use his tools.   I like JDS's chances in this one; I think he has better movement and is the quicker fighter and should be able to test that gas tank of Carwin's by stretching this one out to the second or third round and probably ending it with an uppercut, like how he finished Stefan Struve and Fabricio Werdum.   A Carwin win is also very possible as stated earlier when I mentioned his powerful hands but Carwin has taken some big punches by lower calibre talent and they were able to hurt him, Gabriel Gonzaga and Neil Wain come to mind and if and when JDS lands a couple good shots to Carwin, I think the big man goes down.

Prediction: Junior Dos Santos by knockout

Kenny "Ken-Flo" Florian (13-5) vs Diego Nunes (16-1)- This is Florian's first fight at Featherweight and the UFC didn't give him an easy one.   Florian is a good fighter who only ever loses to top level fighters with good wrestling and although Nunes is no slouch, he wouldn't fit into that category.   Nunes is a submission machine finishing six opponents with the help of his Nogueira purple belt and coming off his biggest win to date over Mike Thomas Brown at UFC 125.   Florian should enjoy a reach advantage and most likely takes the fight when the rocks Nunes with an overhand right and submits him on the ground but a win for Nunes is still a possibility.

Prediction: Florian by submission

Mark "The Phillipine Wrecking Machine" Munoz (10-2) vs Demian Maia (14-2)- In this fight, we have a guy who is looking to get the fight to the ground and work off his back in Maia and in Munoz we have someone who wants to get on top of his downed opponent and utilize one of the most dominant ground and pounds in MMA.   That being said, both men are quite capable of stopping their opponent with their skills on the ground but are respectful of the finishing rate of their opposition and this should leave this fight at a stalemate to be contested on the feet, where Munoz holds the edge.   This fight could be very frustrating to pick if you are overanalyzing it so I have to say that Munoz should be able to pick apart Maia on the feet and perhaps even knock him out but will most likely fight a smart fight that sees him stay away from any danger in the clinch or on the ground and win convincingly after 15 minutes

Prediction: Munoz by unanimous decision

Jon-Olav Einemo (6-1) vs Dave "Pee Wee" Herman (20-2)- For a main card fight, not much is known of either guy as both men are making their UFC debuts in the UFC's stacked heavyweight division.   Einemo hasnt fought since Pride still existed which would be 2007 and lost that fight to Fabricio Werdum while Herman has looked impressive over low level competition on the smaller shows.   Einemo was supposed to face Shane Carwin on this show but with the Brock Lesnar injury the cards been reshuffled and he now takes on Herman who was pulled from his fight with Joey Beltran.   I only bring this up as I think a lot of people are wondering why two "newbies" are being showcased on the main card as I think this may be the UFC's way of compensating for it.   Herman should have a big edge standing here and should be able to pick Einemo apart for 15 minutes or even finish him with punches.   I think Einemo has a better chance of winning if the fight goes to the ground but even with that I think Herman takes this one.

Predictions: Herman by tko

Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone (14-3) vs Vagner Rocha- Rocha is a late replacement when Mac Danzig had to pull out due to an injury and a different fighter than Danzig all together.   Cerrone is a slow starter with great submissions but rather incomplete striking game while Rocha has some nice takedowns and excellent submissions and Jui Jitsu game.   This fight should be pretty entertaining as I don't think Cerrone would even be able to have a boring fight if he tried.   Cerrone should be able to take this one wherever it goes but I've been wrong before.

Prediction: Cerrone by unanimous decision

Spike TV Fights

Sam "Hands of Stone" Stout (16-6-1) vs Yves Edwards (40-16-1)- Both men should be looking to keep this one standing but if it does go to the ground, I believe Edwards' holds the edge with his submissions.   This one has all the makings of the fight of the night.

Prediction: Stout by unanimous decision

Jesse Bongfeldt (15-4-1) vs Chris Weidman (5-0) - Weidman has some top level wrestling and evolving striking game while Bongfeldt is coming off an unimpressive draw in his UFC debut.

Prediction: Weidman by unanimous decision

Facebook Fights

Darren Elkins (11-2) vs Michihiro Omigawa (12-9-1) Prediction: Omigawa by unanimous decision

"The Polish Experiment" Krzysztof Soszynski (25-11-1) vs Mike Massenzio (12-4) Prediction: Soszynski by tko

Nick "The Promise" Ring (11-0) vs James Head (7-1) Prediction: Ring by unanimous decision

Dustin Poirier (9-1) vs Jason Young (8-3) Prediction: Poirier by tko

Aaron Rosa (16-3) vs Joey "The Mexicutioner" Beltran (12-5) Prediction: Rosa by unanimous decision

Breakdown of Strikeforce: Overeem vs Werdum

"The Demolition Man" Alistair Overeem (34-11) vs Fabricio Werdum (14-4-1)- This is easily my most anticipated Strikeforce fight for me in the last year.   Werdum is coming off a BIG victory, handing Fedor Emelianenko his first legitimate loss in his career and having already defeated Alistair in the past, could cement his spot as one of the top Heavyweights in the world with a victory.   The current Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, Alistair Overeem is still relatively new to the American scene but is an absolute beast at 260+ of pure muscle.   Overeem has looked absolutely indestructible in the last couple years and is currently enjoying a win streak that has seen him go 9-0-1 in his last ten fights.   Overeem is an elite level striker that goes unmatched in both Strikeforce and the UFC's heavyweight divisions and will look to knock out Fabricio right from the opening bell.   For Werdum to win this he's going to need to get this fight to the ground where he submitted Alistair in their first fight.   Werdum has some decent striking but he does have a chin that has looked fragile and Overeem will definitely test it.   As great as Werdum`s ground game is, his takedowns aren't all that great and if he gets this fight to the ground it'll probably be by pulling guard which may not be a good idea with Overeem on top of you.   Overeem is quite a different and much larger opponent than the first meeting and I like his chances here.   The winner of this fight will face Antonio Silva in the next round of the Strikeforce Heavyweight tournament.

Prediction: Alistair Overeem by knockout

"The Babyfaced Assassin" Josh Barnett (29-5) vs Brett "Grimm" Rogers (11-2) - Brett Rogers has some vicious power in his hands and is a pretty large and tough guy to get to the ground and that's probably where Josh Barnett wants this fight to go.   Barnett was once a top calibre heavyweight but with suspensions due to positive drug tests and years of fighting lower calibre opposition, Barnett is looking to find his way back into the limelight and an impressive victory over Rogers will see him advance to the next round of the Strikeforce heavyweight tournament.   Barnett has some good hands and great submission game and probably holds the technical edge in striking but Rogers is a hard hitter with good accuracy and for Barnett to utilize his game plan he's going to need to stay away from the power Rogers brings.   I like Barnett's chances on the ground after Rogers tires and is easily taken down.

Prediction: Josh Barnett by submission

Gina Carrano (7-1) vs Sarah D'Alelio (4-1) - Sarah is being thrown in here as a "gimme" fight for Gina but if Gina takes her lightly or doesn't train for this one, she may be in for a long night.   Gina should be able to end this one on her feet working kicks and punches and I'm also willing to bet that she doesn't make weight for this one.

Prediction: Gina Carano by tko

Daniel Cormier (7-0) vs Jeff "The Snowman" Monson (42-11) - Monson is an over sized light heavyweight, fighting in the heavyweight division while Daniel Cormier is one of the true prospects in the MMA game today.   Cormier trains with elite level fighters such as Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck and Cain Velasquez and iron sharpen iron as Cormier's wrestling is on par with all three.   Monson is years removed from being a contender for the UFC's heavyweight championship and is on an 8 fight win streak but I think the young prospect takes the wily veteran in this one.

Prediction: Cormier by unanimous decision

Valentin Overeem (29-25) vs Chad Griggs (10-1)- Overeem is the type of fighter who crumbles when he's tested and Griggs will certainly come out the aggressor and look for the knockout quick which I think he should be able to get, and quick.

Prediction: Chad Griggs by knockout in the first round

Preliminary Fights

KJ Noons (10-3) vs Jorge Masvidal (21-6)

Justin Wilcox (11-3) vs Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante (15-4-1)

Upcoming Events

UFC on VERSUS 4- June 26^th, 2011

Rick Story (13-3) vs Nate "The Great" Marquardt (31-10-2)

Cheick Kongo (15-6-2) vs Pat Barry (6-2)

Charles " Do Bronx" Oliviera (14-1) vs Nik "The Carnie" Lentz (21-3-2)

Rich Attonito (9-4) vs Daniel Roberts (12-2)

Martin "Hitman" Kampmann (17-5) vs "The Immortal" Matt Brown (11-10)

Javier "Showtime" Vazquez (15-5) vs Joe "Daddy" Stevenson (31-13)

Tyson Griffin (14-5) vs Manny "The Anvil" Gamburyan (11-5)

Christian Morecraft (7-1) vs Matt Mitrione (4-0)

Edward Faaloloto (2-1) vs Michael Johnson (8-5)

Joe "J-Lau" Lauzon (19-6) vs Curt Warburton (7-2)

Ricardo Lamas (9-2) vs Matt "The Wolverine" Grice (13-3)

Charlie "The Spaniard" Brenneman (13-2) vs TJ Grant (16-5)

UFC 132 from Las Vegas, Nevada- July 2^nd, 2011

UFC Bantamweight Championship - "The California Kid" Urijah Faber (25-4) vs Dominick Cruz (17-1)

Shane Roller (10-3) vs Melvin "The Young Assassin" Guillard (27-8-2)

Matt Wiman (13-5) vs Dennis Siver (18-7)

Ryan Bader (12-1) vs "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Tito Ortiz (15-8-1)

"Crippler" Chris Leben (25-7) vs "The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1)

Erik Koch (12-1) vs Cub Swanson (15-4)

Dong "Stun Gun" Hyun Kim (14-0) vs "The Natural Born Killer" Carlos Condit (26-5)

Anthony Njokuani (13-5) vs Andre Winner (11-5-1)

Brian Bowles (9-1) vs Takeya Mizugaki (14-5-2)

Rafael Dos Anjos (14-5) vs George Sotiropolous (14-3)

Aaron "A-Train" Simpson (9-2) vs Brad Tavares (7-0)

UFC 133 from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania- August 6^th, 2011

"Sugar" Rashad Evans (15-1-1) vs Phil "Mr. Wonderful" Davis (9-0)

Alessio "Legionarius" Sakara (15-8) vs Jorge "El Conquistador" Rivera (19-8)

Riki Fukuda (17-5) vs Rafael Natal (11-3-1)

Yoshiro "Sexyama" Akiyama (13-3) vs Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort (19-9)

Dennis "Superman" Halman (50-13-2) vs Brian Ebersole (47-14-1)

Antonio Rogerio Noguiera (19-5) vs Rich "Ace" Franklin (28-6)

Mike Pierce (12-3) vs Johnny Hendricks (10-1)

Nam Phan (16-8) vs Mike Thomas Brown (24-8)

Alexander "The Mauler" Gustafsson (11-1) vs Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko (26-5)

Ivan Menjivar (22-8) vs Nick Pace (6-1)

Rory "The Waterboy" MacDonald (11-1) vs Mike "Quicksand" Pyle (21-7-1)

Chad "Money" Mendes (10-0) vs Rani Yahya (16-6)

UFC on Versus 5 from Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Amir Sadollah (5-2) vs Duane "Bang" Ludwig (20-11)

Cole Miller (17-5) vs TJ "The Spider" O'Brien (16-4)

Karlos Vemola (8-1) vs "American Psycho" Stephan Bonnar (13-7)

Jim Miller (20-2) vs Ben Henderson (13-2)

Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy (23-9) vs Chris "Lights Out" Lytle (30-18-5)

Danny "Last Call" Castillo (11-3) vs Jacob "Christmas" Volkman (12-2)

Edwin Figueroa (7-1) vs Jason Reinhardt (20-2)

Jared Hamman (12-3) vs "The Doberman" C.B Dollaway (11-3)

Joseph Benavidez (14-2) vs Eddie Wineland (18-7-1)

Leonard "Bad Boy" Garcia (15-7-1) vs Alex "Bruce Leroy" Caceres (4-3)

Kyle "KO" Noke (19-4-1) vs "Filthy" Tom Lawlor (7-3)

UFC 134 from Rio de Janiero, Brazil- August 27^th, 2011

UFC Middleweight Championship- Anderson "The Spider" Silva (28-4) vs Yushin "Lionheart" Okami (26-5)

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (19-5) vs Forrest Griffin (18-6)

Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira (32-6-1) vs Brendan Schaub (8-1)

Stanislav Nedkov (11-0) vs Luiz "Banha" Cane (11-3)

Thiago Tavares (15-4-1) vs Spencer "The King" Fisher (24-7)

Edson Barboza (8-0) vs Ross Pearson (12-4)

Mackens Semerzier (6-3) vs Yuri "Alcantra" Marajo (25-3)

David Mitchell (11-1) vs Paulo Thiago (13-3)

Alexandre Ferreira (18-6) vs Rousimar Palhares (12-3)

Mike "Quick" Swick (14-4) vs Erick Silva (12-1)

UFC Fight Night 25 from New Orleans, Louisiana- September 17^th, 2011

Alan "The Talent" Belcher (16-6) vs Jason "The Athlete" MacDonald (25-14)

Court "Crusher" McGee (13-1) vs Dong Yi "The Hammer" Yang (10-1)

UFC 137 from Las Vegas, Nevada- October 29^th, 2011

UFC Welterweight Championship- Georges St. Pierre (22-2) vs Nick Diaz (25-7)

That's all for this column, I'll be back in two weeks with a review of UFC 131, Strikeforce and Breakdown of the UFC on Versus 4 and UFC 132 cards.