Pre-Fight Weigh In
UFC 128: Shogun vs. Jones
Newark, New Jersey
March 19, 2011
Preliminary Card
Catchweight 195: Nick Catone vs. Costantinos Philipou
Manpreet Jhass: Nick Catone
Tony Kwatra: Nick Catone
Prab Jhass: Nick Catone
Consensus: 3-0 Catone
Featherweight: Erik Koch vs. Raphael Assuncao
Manpreet Jhass: Erik Koch
Tony Kwatra: Erik Koch
Prab Jhass: Erik Koch
Consensus: 3-0 Koch
Bantamweight: Joseph Benavidez vs. Ian Loveland
Manpreet Jhass: Joseph Benavidez
Tony Kwatra: Joseph Benavidez
Prab Jhass: Joseph Benavidez
Consensus: 3-0 Benavidez
Facebook.com Preliminary Card
Lightweight: Kurt Pellegrino vs. Gleison Tibau
Manpreet Jhass: Kurt Pellegrino
Tony Kwatra: Kurt Pellegrino
Prab Jhass: Kurt Pellegrino
Consensus: 3-0 Pellegrino
Welterweight: Ricardo Almeida vs. Mike Pyle
Manpreet Jhass: Ricardo Almeida
Tony Kwatra: Mike Pyle
Prab Jhass: Ricardo Almeida
Consensus: 2-1 Almeida
Spike TV Preliminary Card
Lightweight: Edson Barboza vs. Anthony Njokuani
Manpreet Jhass: Edson Barboza
Tony Kwatra: Edson Barboza
Prab Jhass: Edson Barboza
Consensus: 3-0 Barboza
Light Heavyweight: Luiz Cane vs. Eliot Marshall
Manpreet Jhass: Luiz Cane
Tony Kwatra: Eliot Marshall
Prab Jhass: Luiz Cane
Consensus: 2-1 Cane
Main Card
Heavyweight: Mirko Filipovic vs Brendan Schaub
Manpreet Jhass: Win or go home? That seems to be the motto everyone is throwing at Cro Cop every time he’s stepped into the ring after getting annihilated by Gonzaga with that kick from another galaxy. After defeating an undersized Anthony Perosh, an easily gassed Pat Barry, he seemed to show signs of slowing down and the inability to pull the trigger like his glorious Pride days in his UFC 119 headlining bout against Frank Mir. All it took was one knee (seemingly the only strike thrown the entire fight) to make the lights go out for Cro Cop. Brendan Schaub however is running through the people put in front of him since his loss against Roy Nelson. The run that Schaub is on is hard to vote against, especially if Cro Cop wants to continue to act like he can’t find the trigger on his left leg. It also seems that Cro Cop is somewhat underestimating Schaub with the interviews that I have seen, and I think that will be the ultimate demise, and hopefully last time we see Cro Cop in the octagon. I do not say that last statement out of hate towards Cro Cop, I really like him, so unless he pulls another mockery like he did at 119, I do not wish to see him in the cage any longer. It’s going to be a short night as I’m taking Brendan KO’ing Cro Cop within the first two rounds.
Pick: Brendan Schaub
Tony Kwatra: I was a huge fan of Brendan Schaub during his stint on the Ultimate Fighter 10 and I actually picked him to win it (although I hated him for a few minutes after he totally murdered Big Baby Marcus Jones in the semi-finals). He didn’t win and actually got KTFO by Roy Nelson on the Finale but man has he been on a tear since then with back to quick TKO finishes and an impressive decision victory over Gabriel Gonzaga. The guy looks better and better every time I see him fight and I expect nothing less when he faces Cro Cop this Saturday. Cro Cop is just a name nowadays and hasn’t had an impressive performance since Gonzaga took his head off. I see Schaub totally owning Cro Cop en route to a TKO victory.
Pick: Brendan Schaub
Prab Jhass: Mirko in his prime against Schaub right now would excite me more. Cro Cop at this age and condition he’s in makes me cringe at times. After adding a young and hungry, albeit inexperienced, Schaub into a Cro Cop bout does nothing to help that feeling. I saw Gonzaga get picked apart by Schaub live at UFC 121 and came away even more impressed with him than I already was. It’s a great chance for him to make a mark in the division by beating a legend and open some more eyes. I think we need to see an even better Mirko than we have in his last four fights for him to have a chance at taking Schaub out. At this point, I wouldn’t count on it.
Pick: Brendan Schaub
Consensus: 3-0 Schaub
Middleweight: Nate Marquardt vs. Dan Miller
Manpreet Jhass: I was pretty bummed out when I heard Akiyama had to pull out of this fight, but with all that stuff going on in Japan, I do not blame him whatsoever. I give some big props to Dan Miller in taking a huge step up in competition from Nick Catone to Nate the Great. There’s really not much to say about this fight, but I think Nate is going to come into this fight with a vengeance. After the comments Dana and the large portion of the MMA community, scrutinizing Nate and his choking ways, he’ll have a boat load to prove. Though Akiyama would have been a better opponent to prove it on, Dan Millers grit and toughness will still be there and not allow Nate to just walk over him. Either way, Nate will take this and just wait for another shot to fight Akiyama, which in my opinion is the perfect opponent for Nate at this point in his career. Not taking anything away from Dan, but I think he has just caught the chance to fight Nate at the wrong time.
Pick: Nate Marquardt
Tony Kwatra: Dan Miller can’t seem to hang with the top guys in the middleweight division and although Marquardt seems to choke in big fights, he’s still one of the top guys in the division nonetheless. Marquardt should be able to easily pick apart Miller and finish him in this fight. It doesn’t help that Miller took this fight on short notice replacing Yoshihiro Akiyama who had to pull out of the fight after the crisis over in Japan. This might be a fun fight but it would be a big upset if Miller won and I just don’t see that happening. Besides, Marquardt will be on a man on a mission in this fight as he needs to make a statement.
Pick: Nate Marquardt
Prab Jhass: Very disappointed in hearing that Akiyama had to withdraw, but obviously understandable. Good on Dan Miller for taking this fight on extremely short notice and I expect him to bring it. This is a “go big or go home” type of fight for Marquardt when it comes to the Middleweight title picture. Losses to Sonnen and Okami (heartbreaking for him both times) sandwiched a win over Rousimar Palhares for Nate, but he looked lackluster in all three contests. You could argue had Palhares not looked to the referee for that split second, it would be a different fight. He NEEDS to show up and take care of business. He’s been saying all the right things and has apparently had a good camp. How many times has it been when a fighter promises fireworks only to LnP and grind it out. Maybe that’s what Nate needs to do to get a much needed victory.
Pick: Nate Marquardt
Consensus: 3-0 Marquardt
Lightweight: Jim Miller vs. Kamal Shalorus
Manpreet Jhass: Maybe seeing Dan lose will motivate Jim to perform even better. They are also fighting on home court if that’s what you want to call it, so I doubt Jim needs to look any further for motivation. In my opinion, I believe Jim will dominate this fight. He is on a ridiculous streak with his only two loses coming to the individuals that will be slugging it out for the title again in May. I believe that the lack of attention that Jim gets will continue to motivate him to achieve more success. Shalorus is coming off three straight decision victories, but I think that streak will end with Jim submitting him. I would’ve loved to see Jim take on Siver since Siver took all the hype away from Sotiropolous, though the UFC has already booked Siver against Wiman, so maybe after that fight. After all, if Jim does win, he still has quite a wait for the title as the winner of Pettis/Guida will most likely get the next shot.
Pick: Jim Miller
Tony Kwatra: I can’t say I’ve seen much of Kamal Shalorus but he’s never lost a pro fight and has beaten some decent WEC competition. That being said, Jim Miller is much better than decent WEC competition. Jim Miller has been quietly tearing through the UFC’s lightweight division and if he were in any other division, he would probably have gotten a title shot by now. Miller has everything to lose and Shalorus has everything to gain which sucks for Miller here. However, I still think Miller is just too much for Shalorus and should be able to take this fight.
Pick: Jim Miller
Prab Jhass: Jim Miller is one of those fighters that has been under the radar for me and just kind of “there” in the UFC. His surprising kneebar submission victory over the much hyped Charles Oliveira made me take notice of him. Only then did I realize how much of a tear Miller has been on. His win-loss record of 19-2 is impressive, especially considering both losses coming to guys who both have a legitimate case to being the Lightweight champion. Kamal Shalorus is a relative unknown to the casual MMA fan, but that doesn’t mean we should already be counting him out. He beat Bart Palaszewski in his last bout after coming off of 0a draw against Jamie Varner when he was deducted a point for accidental groin strikes. His wrestling skills are scary, as he was a representative of Great Britain in Olympic qualifying. There’s a good chance if Shalorus can use his wrestling to keep on Miller, he might just be able to grind out a victory. In the end though, the roll that Miller is on and his ever-improving fight game is going to come through.
Pick: Jim Miller
Consensus: 3-0 Miller
Bantamweight: Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland
Manpreet Jhass: I’ll stick to the cliché that Wineland has a punchers chance against Faber. This is simply a fight to introduce Faber to the fans and Wineland is the exciting opponent for Faber to take out. Once this hits the mat, Urijah has got this wrapped up like its Christmas. One specific thing I realized in the build up to this fight is that they are heavily sugaring Wineland with his striking ability. Not saying it’s not good or anything, but I see a small similarity in how they were pushing Manhoef and his striking against Kennedy. Wineland is obviously not as good a striker as Manhoef, but we saw in that fight that once it hit the mat Manhoef is in a world of lost, just as I believe it’ll be against Faber because I believe that Fabers ground game is too much for Wineland.
Pick: Urijah Faber
Tony Kwatra: Eddie Wineland is an exciting stand up fighter and so is Faber. However, Faber is also dangerous in other aspects of MMA while Wineland is not. This fight should be exciting and I, personally, think it will be the fight of the night. I see Faber standing with Wineland for a bit before using his wrestling to take it to the ground and outclass Wineland en route to a submission victory.
Pick: Urijah Faber
Prab Jhass: Many people consider this a “feeder fight” for Faber. Win or lose, I believe Wineland will bring the fight and make the UFC take notice of who he is. Let’s not forget that Wineland has held a championship before, as he was the first Bantamweight champion of the WEC. He has some heavy and quick hands that could put Urijah out cold if he’s not careful. With all the talk of this being Faber’s welcoming party to the UFC, and a potential TUF coaching spot on the horizon, Wineland is being drowned out by the pro-Cali Kid voices. It has to be frustrating for him to be overlooked the way he is, but it just means he needs to have his focus completely honed in on Faber and not worry about pre-fight talk. Urijah is already being penciled in as the next TUF coach across Dominick Cruz, but don’t be so quick to set it in stone. Wineland will bring it and give Faber a run for his money, but in the end Urijah will pull this one out.
Pick: Urijah Faber
Consensus: 3-0 Faber
Light Heavyweight Championship: (c) Mauricio Rua vs. Jon Jones
Manpreet Jhass: Let me start off by saying Jon Jones is an amazing athlete, a great guy (got the opportunity to meet him in Anaheim before UFC 121) and is probably going to go down as one of the best fighters ever. The one thing that the advertising and anything that has to do with UFC 128 that seems to be hammered into our head is that Jones is 23, the same age Rua was when he won the Pride GP. The fact of the matter is though, Jon Jones is not Rua, and Rua is not Jon Jones. It is simply a coincidence. With that said, no Jones will not follow Ruas’ path by winning a championship at the age of 23. I really believe that the step up from Bader to Rua is too big of a gap for Jones no matter how skilled he is. I was really enjoying the path as to how they were building up Jones by giving him a better opponent slowly (with the exception of Matyushenko). Though I know the circumstances were the reason as to why Jones got this fight, thought if Evans did not get injured I would’ve loved if he got Forrest next. Unfortunately, that’s not the case, so now we have Jones/Rua. Jones has never been tested against a ruthless striker like Rua before, let alone someone as experienced as Rua. I highly doubt the reach will play a factor as Rua has already taken care of a much bigger Alistair Overeem not once, but twice. We’ve never really seen how Jones has reacted to being hit either, I think we will see it this time around and it won’t be the result most people are hoping for. Right now it will remain the Shogun era, the Jones era is upon us, but not the champion version. I would love if Shogun holds the title for a little longer to continue a decorated career, but I think that’s just my biased side speaking.
Pick: Mauricio Shogun Rua
Tony Kwatra: Now, I know I had Shogun winning this fight during the MMA Weigh In radio preview this past Sunday but after watching the UFC 128 countdown show, I can’t pick against Jones. The man is just a monster. I think on the feet this fight will be close but Jones’ dynamic style coupled with his reach may give Shogun problems. Shogun has faced and defeated fighters with similar size and reach in the past (Alistair Overeem TWICE) but I think Jones is far and beyond superior to that competition. Shogun doesn’t seem to have the greatest takedown defense and has been taken down by fighters with nowhere near the wrestling ability of Jones. Jones should be able to take this fight to the ground and control Shogun and have his way. His reach and dynamic style should also give Shogun some trouble on the feet. I love both fighters and I really hate to see either one of these guys lose but I believe we are about to enter the era of Jon Jones.
Pick: Jon Jones
Prab Jhass: Do I really have to pick a winner? Can’t I just sit back in my seat at the Prudential Center (or stand in anticipation) and watch perhaps the best fighter on the planet take on a rising star who seems unstoppable at the moment? I can’t remember a fight where I’m having this much trouble picking a winner. When I pick one fighter, the other one is in my mind playing some of the highlights from throughout their career and it reminds me that I might be wrong. There is obviously the experience factor that Shogun has over Jones and the amount of battles he’s been in. Then you factor in the time away from the octagon, how his rehabilitation went, the absolute tear that Jones has been on and the momentum he has built and it just emphasizes how uncertain the outcome really is! Jones’ star has been rising rapidly and his confidence along with it. Dominant performances in his past bouts have made people take notice and caused a growing hype unlike anything we’ve ever seen. I think this is the only fight where I wouldn’t be upset with a Draw so at least there wasn’t a “loser”, but obviously we can’t have another main event draw. I’m going to have to give the nod to Rua walking out as champ, but it will not be easy.
Pick: Mauricio Shogun Rua
Consensus: 2-1 Rua
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