MMA
Breakdown of UFC 114: Rampage vs Evans, Recap of Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery, Dream 14, Upcoming Events, and More
By Kevin Wallace
May 28, 2010 - 1:38 PM

Two weeks ago on Showtime, Strikeforce put on a show available  with a heavyweight title fight and a couple other decent fights.   Let's take a look at what went on.

Recap of Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery

"The Demolition Man" Alistair Overeem retained his Strikeforce Heavyweight Title with a TKO victory of Brett "Grimm" Rogers at 3:40 of the first round in a very one sided beat down.   Rogers looked nervous when the fight started and Alistair wasn't going to give him much respect as Overeem quickly got Rogers to the ground and pummeled him with shots.   Finally the referee stepped in to stop the fight when Rogers was no longer able to protect himself.   Rogers held his own and even had Fedor in trouble in his fight with him several months ago and if his fight with Overeem is any indication, Fedor may very well be in a lot of trouble if he were to face Overeem.   This fight was not the most exciting as it was too one sided but the fact that Overeem was so dominant shows that Strikeforce may indeed have someone in their roster who may be able to take Fedor, not too mention a big money fight, which is hard to come by in Strikeforce it seems.

Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva defeated Andrei Arlovski by unanimous decision in a fight that showed Arlovski's past his prime, although still able to take some heavy punches which was a knock on him considering his knockout losses in his previous two fights.   Silva used his reach advantage and a few takedowns to keep Arlovski on the defense for the majority of the fight.   Arlovski was the quicker fighter but was never really able to find his range as Silva fought a pretty smart fight, albeit not as interesting as some had expected.   There are rumors circulating that Arlovski may rematch Brett Rogers in the next few months but I wouldn't be surprised to see Silva face Brett Rogers in the next couple of months.

Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza won a unanimous decision over Joey Villasenor in a fight which was mainly controlled by Jacare, both on the ground and surprisingly on the feet as well.   I don’t think anyone watched this fight and was completely blown away but I do know that Jacare looked good, as did Villasenor although he was outclassed for the better part of 15 minutes.   Jacare has some serious power in his hands and with more training in that category, may become one of the most well rounded middleweight's not signed to the UFC.   With the win, I think this puts Jacare in line for a title shot at Jake Shields, which probably won’t happen as Shields has a little over a month left on his contract and it’s assumed he will be leaving for the UFC.   Regardless of what happens with Shields, Jacare will most likely face someone such as "Mayhem" Miller for the interim championship if Shields leaves for the UFC.

Roger Gracie tapped out Kevin Randleman to a rear naked choke at 4:10 of the second round in a fight where Roger showed just how limited he is when it comes to the striking game.   Gracie was the much taller fighter and waited until the second round to get Randleman to the ground and work his magic.   Randleman instinctively attempted a couple of takedowns while in the clinch but each time Kevin tried, he realizes he'd be in trouble if he got there and stopped shooting.   Safe to say that this is most likely the last time we see Randleman in Strikeforce and what's next for Gracie is unclear although with a still evolving MMA game, it's probably better to keep developing him with beatable opponents until a showdown with a top level heavyweight such as Antonio Silva, Alistair Overeem or Fedor.

Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante TKO’d Antwain "Juggernaut" Britt at 3:45 of the first round in the closest fight on the card.   Both men have a majority of their wins due to knockouts or TKO’s and both were looking to add another to their win column.   Both men committed to standing as Britt was landing more punches but Feijao the more powerful ones, often times landing when Britt was finishing his combinations.   Finally, Feijao landed a perfect punch, when Britt left his hands down, that dropped Britt and followed it up with a couple more until the referee stepped in to stop this one.   Good opener and perhaps the best fight on the card.

Other Fights

Jesse Finney defeated Justin DeMoney by guillotine choke at 3:22 of the first round

Lyle "Fancy Pants" Beerbohm defeated Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro by split decision

Francisco France submitted Lee Brousseau to a rear naked choke at 1:27 of the first round

Mike Chandler submitted Sal Woods to a rear naked choke at 0:59 of the first round

Tom Aaron submitted Erik Steenberg to a rear naked choke at 0:56 of the first round

Matt Ricehouse submitted Greg Wilson to a rear naked choke at 0:45 of the third round

Darryl Cobb won a split decision over Booker DeRousse

No, that is not a typo.   Four fights took place in a row where the winner won by submission to a rear naked choke in the first round.

Breakdown of UFC 114

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs "Sugar" Rashad Evans-   This fight was originally scheduled for eight month ago in Quinton's hometown of Memphis but due to filming a movie, the A-Team, Jackson had to postpone the fight until now.   With a whole season of TUF as opposing coaches, the heat between these two is incredible and this is easily one of the most anticipated fights of the year.   Rampage is coming off two wins in a row, most recently having defeated Keith Jardine, Rashad's training partner by unanimous decision.   Jackson is one of the most entertaining fighters out there and can talk you into wanting to see him fight and put on a terrific fight to keep you entertained.   Rashad Evans was victorious in his last contest which was against Thiago Silva.   Rashad used his superior wrestling to keep Silva on his back for most of the fight but in the third round he was rocked repeatedly with punches from an exhausted Silva.   I think Rashad holds the edge here in terms of wrestling but I don’t think its going to be easy for him to get Quinton there and Rampage, no doubt, holds the edge in the standup category.   This fight could go either way but I think Rampage should be able to keep this one standing and knockout Rashad in the later rounds.   Rampage has been off for over a year and mostly this is a bad thing when it comes to returning to the cage but I don't see Rampage having any problems getting motivated for this fight or in shape for it although he began his camp weighing around 250lbs.   The Primetime specials have been a great build up for this as well with Rampage claiming to be training harder then ever before and Rashad trying to get under Rampage's skin with smack talk. This is a true Main Event fight that deserves top billing.

Prediction: Quinton "Rampage" Jackson by knockout

Michael "The Count" Bisping vs Dan Miller-   The constantly evolving Bisping has looked pretty good in his last two fights, a win over Denis Kang and a close decision loss to Wanderlei while Dan Miller seems to be sliding in the rankings.   Miller is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Demian Maia in his last contest but one of the main things to look at here is that Miller was defeated soundly on the feet even though Maia has no real standup.    Bisping's striking is world better then that.   Miller has some great takedowns in his arsenal and even some slick submission but I don't think any of the will really come in to play here.   Bisping seems more and more confident with taking his fights wherever they need to go to get the victory as of late and smart money would be on Bisping swinging for the fences and hoping for a knockout. I do believe that both men may fight fairly cautious as a loss for Bisping will not help his climb to the top any and a loss by Miller may find him out of the UFC.

Prediction:   Michael "The Count" Bisping by decision

Antonio Rogerio "Lil Nog" Nogueira vs Jason Brilz-   Poor Brilz, the guy has a great set of tools on the ground and is definitely what some would consider a "gatekeeper" of the division, unfortunately for him, Lil Nog needed an opponent and he was the only one available.   Lil Nog is one of the best light heavyweights in the world and with this only being his second fight in the UFC, it’s another opportunity to show the fans what he's got as well as try to add another knockout to his highlight reel.   Unless some unforeseen injury or fluke accident happens between now and Saturday, it’s safe to say Noguiera takes this one decisively.

Prediction: Antonio Rogerio "Lil Nog" Nogueira by TKO

Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez vs John Hathaway-   Hathaway has looked terrific in all three of his UFC fights defeating Tom Egan, Rick Story and Paul Taylor and with a record of 12-0, this is the biggest fight of his career.   Diego is making a return to the welterweight division after a fairly successful run in the lightweight division, defeating Joe Stevenson and Clay Guida but losing in a title challenge to BJ Penn.   As much as Hathaway is a legit hot prospect in MMA, I think it's still a little early in his career to take on someone the caliber of Diego who should be able to to finish Hathaway, something Diego hasn't done for several fights.   I think regardless of where this fight goes, Diego holds the advantage and will be looking to climb back into the top ten in the welterweight division with a victory.

Prediction:   Sanchez by submission

"The Stun gun" Dong Hyun Kim vs Amir Sadollah- The Stungun hasn't competed since UFC 100, almost a year ago, while Amir has won his last two fights since entering the UFC with a controversial loss.   This fight should be a war as both men like to stand and incorporate kicks and elbows into their offense.   This one could easily be a toss up as both are talented and have showed few weaknesses in previous performances.   If Amir comes in and stays the aggressor he may be able to keep Kim on defense and away from throwing heavy bombs but any way I look at this one, I see Kim taking it while mixing up takedowns with good strikes in the clinch.

Prediction:   Dong Hyun Kim by decision

Dan "The Upgrade" Lauzon vs Efrain Escudero-   A couple of weeks ago word spread that Dan Lauzon was abandoned by his camp and most importantly his brother due to what his camp claims was lazy training from Dan.   Regardless of if it's true or not, I think it matters very little since Efrain is a beast.   Efrain brings the fight to his opponent while Dan is the type of competitor who likes to feel out his opponents and look for an opening to capitalize on.   Efrain's submission game and submission defense is also a fair bit better then Dan's and in this fight, something like that matters greatly.   Both men are coming off losses in their previous fights and there's a good chance that if Lauzon loses he is done in the UFC while even with a loss here, Efrain will probably have another fight or two left on his contract.  

Prediction: Efrain Escudero by submission

Mike Russow vs Todd Duffee- Both guys are big dudes with Duffee winning his only previous UFC contest against Tim Hague by knockout in only six seconds.   Being that the fight was so quick, a lot of questions remain as to just how well rounded this young prospect really is.   His opponent is Mike Russow who with a record of 12-, has been in the cage with some experienced competitors such as Jason Guida, Roman Zentsov, Sergei Kharitonov and Justin McCully.   Russow has a good submission game and even though Duffee is undefeated, he has yet to be brought into later rounds and I believe Russow will be the one to due it and either get a decision victory or submit Duffee when he becomes gassed.

Prediction:   Russow by submission

In Other Fights

Cyrille "Snake" Diabate vs Luiz Arthur Cane- Prediction- Cane by TKO

Melvin "The Young Assassin" Guillard vs Waylon Lowe- Melvin Guillard by TKO

Aaron Riley vs Joe Brammer- Aaron Riley by decision

Ryan Jensen vs Jesse Forbes- Prediction: Ryan Jensen by decision

Breakdown of Dream 14

Nick Diaz vs Hayoto "Mach" Sakurai- These are two of the most entertaining competitors in MMA and this should be a pretty darn good main event.   Despite the fact that Sakurai has lost his previous two fights, the man has wins over stiff competition in Shinya Aoki (2), Joachim Hansen, Jens Pulver, Dave Menne and Caol Uno.   As great as these victories are, they were all early on in his career and he has dropped off in terms of competition as of late and been unsuccessful while doing it.   Sakurai lost to Marius Zaromskis around a year ago due to a head kick and Diaz walked through Marius just a few months ago.   Diaz is one of the toughest competitors to finish in MMA and although Mach likes to stand and bang, there is a significant reach advantage here and Diaz won’t have any problems picking Mach apart.   If Mach wants to take this to the ground he may find some success but it's very doubtful as Diaz's ground game is terrific.   The last I heard, this fight will be in a cage and not a ring which is most common in Dream.   Due to Diaz being more familiar with a cage and his superior ground skills, I have to go with Diaz in a one sided main event.

Prediction: Nick Diaz by submission

Joachim" Hellboy" Hansen vs Hiroyuki "Streetfight Bancho" Takaya- This should easily be the Fight of the Night!   Both men are incredible performers who primarily look for the knockout when available and both men need wins as they have both been defeated in their two previous contests.   Hansen has faced tougher competition throughout his career and should be able to beat Takaya wherever the fight goes but Takaya fights with tons of emotion and heart and that’s one thing that’s hard to take away from someone.   Safe money is on Hansen getting the fight to the ground and pounding Takaya out but an upset would not surprise me entirely.

Prediction:   Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen by TKO

Ralek Gracie vs Kazushi Sakuraba- Despite many saying that Sakuraba is washed up and his best days are behind him, Sakuraba has always fared well against the Gracie's be it Renzo, Royler, Ryan or Royce.   Sakuraba's only loss to a Gracie was to Royce in their second meeting however, after the fight it was revealed that Gracie had tested positive to a banned substance when he had faced him.   Ralek Gracie is 2-0 in MMA competition having been inactive for two years.   Sakuraba has some crazy flexibility and is not easy to submit and Ralek hasn't been to the second round in his career so I think Sakuraba takes this to later rounds where he grinds out a decision.

Prediction: Sakuraba by unanimous decision

Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto vs Federico Lopez- Both men are coming off two losses in a row and this has to be another must win fight.   "Kid" Yamamoto is one of the biggest Japanese MMA stars in the world and with two losses, an opponent needed to be found that was beatable for Kid and that's where Lopez comes into play.   Lopes has yet to face any credible competition and Kid will make him think twice about moving up against higher caliber opponents.   Yamamoto hits hard and has finished some of the best in Rani Yahya, Genki Sudo, Royler Gracie and Caol Uno and Lopez should be added to that list come Saturday.

Prediction: Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto by TKO

Ikuhisa "The Punk" Minowa vs Imani Lee- Another beatable heavyweight for Minowa.   Lee is 1-2 in his MMA career, having lost to former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez.   Minowa has faced bigger and limited fighters his entire career and this fight here is no exception.   Minowa should be able to get this one to the ground and pull off a heel hook or armbar for the victory.

Prediction: Ikuhisa "The Punk" Minowa by submission

In Other Fights:

Kenji Osawa vs Yoshiro Maeda- Prediction: Maeda by decision

Kazuyuki Miyata vs Takafumi Otsuka- Prediction: Otsuka by decision

Hideo Tokoro vs Akiyo "Wicky Akiyo" Nishiura- Prediction: Tokoro by decision

Upcoming Fights

UFC 115 from General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada- June 12th, 2010

Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell vs Rich "Ace" Franklin

Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic vs Pat Barry

Tyson Griffin vs Evan Dunham

Paulo Thiago vs Martin "Hitman" Kampman

Carlos Condit vs Rory MacDonald

"Big" Ben Rothwell vs Gilbert "The Hurricane" Yvel

Mac Danzig vs Matt Wiman

James Wilks vs Peter Sobotta

Jesse Lennox vs Mike "Quicksand" Pyle

Mario Miranda vs David "The Crow" Loiseau

Claude Patrick vs Ricardo Funch

Strikeforce from Nokia Theater in Los Angeles- June 16th, 2010

"Ruthless" Robbie Lawler vs Renato "Babalu" Sobral

Trevor Prangley vs Tim Kennedy

Marius Zaromskis vs Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos

Shane Del Rosario vs Lolohea Mahe

TUF 11 Finale from Las Vegas, Nevada- June 19th, 2010

"The Dean of Mean" Keith Jardine vs Matt "The Hammer" Hammill

Aaron Simpson vs "Crippler" Chris Leben

James McSweeney vs Travis Browne

Spencer "The King" Fisher vs Dennis Siver

John Gunderson vs Mark "Boots" Holst

Darren Elkins vs Charles Oliveira

WEC 49 from Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada- June 20th, 2010

Jamie "The Worm" Varner vs Kamal Shalorus

Josh Grispi vs LC Davis

Chris Horodecki vs Ed Ratcliff

Mark "The Machine" Hominick vs Yves Jabouin

Will Campuzano vs Eddie Wineland

Wagnney Fabiano vs Frank Gomez

Karen Darabedyan vs Will Kerr

Diego Nunes vs Rafael Assuncao

Will Campuzano

Erik Koch vs Bendy Casimir

Strikeforce from HP Pavillion in San Jose, California- June 26th, 2010

Fedor Emelianenko vs Fabricio Werdum

Cung Le vs Scott Smith

Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos vs Jan "Cuddles" Finney

Josh "The Punk" Thomson vs Lyle "Fancy Pants" Beerbolm

KJ Noons vs Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett

UFC 116 from MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada- July 3rd, 2010

UFC Heavyweight Title Fight- Brock Lesnar vs Shane Carwin

"The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva vs Yoshiro "Sexyama" Akiyama

Cheick Kongo vs "Big Country" Roy Nelson

Stephan Bonnar vs Krzysztof Soszynski

Kurt "Batman" Pellegrino vs George Sotiropoulous

Chris "Lights Out" Lytle vs "The Immortal" Matt Brown

Goran Reljic vs Kendall "Da Spyda" Grove

Brendan Schaub vs Chris Tuchscherer

Karlos "The Terminator" Vemola vs Jon Madsen

Jacob "Christmas" Volkman vs Paul Kelly

Daniel Roberts vs Julio Paulino

UFC on Versus 2 from Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah- August 1st, 2010

Jon Jones vs Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko

Joe "Daddy" Stevenson vs Takanori Gomi

Jim Miller vs Gleison Tibau

Jake Ellenberger vs John "Doomsday" Howard

Yushin Okami vs Mark Munoz

Matt Riddle vs Damarques Johnson

James Irvin vs Igor Pokrajac

Brian Stann vs Mike Massenzio

Rob Kimmons vs Steve "The Hooligan" Steinbeiss

UFC 117 from Oracle Arena in Oakland, California- August 7th, 2010

UFC Middleweight Title Fight- Anderson "The Spider" Silva vs Chael Sonnen

"Big Country" Roy Nelson vs Junior Dos Santos

Jon Fitch vs Thiago "Pitbull" Alves

Ricardo Almeida vs Matt Hughes

Thiago Silva vs Tim Boetsch

Clay "The Carpenter" Guida vs Raphael Dos Anjos

"Killa B" Ben Saunders vs Dennis "Superman" Hallman

UFC 118 from Boston, Mass.- August 28th, 2010

UFC Lightweight Title Fight- Frank "The Answer" Edgar vs BJ Penn

Kenny "Ken Flo" Florian vs Gray Maynard

Joe "J-Lau" Lauzon vs Terry Etim

Marcus Davis vs Nate Diaz

Alessio Sakara vs Jorge "El Conquistador" Rivera

Andre Winner vs Nick "The Carnie" Lentz

Greg Soto vs Nick Osipczak

Fight Night- September 15th, 2010

Gleison Tibau vs Jim Miller

That's all for this week everyone, I'll be back in two weeks with recaps of Dream 14, UFC 114 and a breakdown of UFC 115 from Vancouver.