Less than a week out, and no posts on this. Oh well. The big news is that it's coming to Atlanta! Yeah, baby! And where will I be? Well, like most broke college students, probably watching it at a friend's house that night or on the 'net the next day. Anyway, it does look like there's some potential for some close matches, and for new fighters to get introduced. Chuck Liddell vs. Rashad Evans: At first glance this looks like a very easy fight for Liddell, who's made a career out of beating wrestlers. Rashad's striking has always been solid, though, and conventional boxing seems to be Chuck's kryptonite. That said, Chuck knocks people out, and Rashad never has. Not with his boxing, anyway. Evans has the potential to outscore Chuck on the feet, but I don't think he's got the patience and experience to actually make that happen. I see Chuck winning by KO or TKO in the second. Rich Franklin vs. Matt Hamill: This is the first time Franklin's fought at LHW in a few years, so that ought to be interesting. These guys are both great athletes, and I expect this will probably go all three rounds. Franklin's main strength is that he's well-rounded and athletic; meanwhile, what stands out about Hamill is that he's got excellent takedowns, bull-like strength, and hand skills that are improving. I think Franklin's best chance is to look for a KO on the feet, which I think is a small possibility. However, I'll go out on a limb here and say that Hamill's too tough to be knocked out. I think his strength and takedowns will rack up the points needed for a decission, but this one could honestly go either way. Karo Parisyan vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida: Karo's saying he asked for this fight 'cause he wants to fight another Judoka. I honestly don't know that much about Yoshida, but apparently he was a national-level Judoka in Japan. As far as Judo goes, Japan > USA, so I would guess that his throws are better. Both guys have sub skills, but I don't see the fight ending by submission. That means it's up to striking. Karo's isn't that great, and since I haven't bothered to look up any of Yoshida's other fights, I can't judge his. I'll be pulling for Karo, but I don't have enough info to call the match. Dan Henderson vs. Rousimar Palhares: This could be really good. I think the experience level of Henderson, plus his big right hand, will give him the win by TKO due to ground-and-pound. However, we've seen some sick BJJ out of Palhares, and the only time Henderson is stopped it's by sub. Again, I'm picking Hendo, but unless he blasts Palhares early, it won't be a walk in the park. Martin Kampmann vs. Nate Marquardt: Marquardt will take this, he's too well-rounded. Thiago Tavares vs. Kurt Pellegrino: "Batman" needs a win. Kurt by UD. Tim Boetsch vs. Michael Pratt: Pratt's an unknown factor, Boetsch a barely-known factor. Going with Tim because I liked his first win. Dong Hyung Kim vs. Matt Brown: Kim by sub. Jason Lambert vs. Jason McDonald: I pick Jason I'll give McDonald the edge here. Roan Carneiro vs. Ryo Chonan: Smart money's on Carneiro. He'll probably win, but I'll be rooting for Chonan. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo_5knhgNvs[/ame] [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6I6f2U6am4&feature=related"]YouTube[/ame]
Dont you guys have a communal screen or something. If i had a UFC showing near me and couldnt go for some reason, id try and soak up at much atmosphere as possible....and you aint gonna do that at your mates house. Just lurk around outside the stadium until it finishes then walk out like youd just been and had an amazing time. Heh:whistle: A bit more on topic, Evans is obviously the underdog, and i dont think he will make a dent on Liddels game plan, but ive been wrong before.
Looks like Karo's out with a back injury: http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/parisyan-sidelined-yoshida-bout-off-14297 It's a shame, I was looking forward to that fight.
Spoiler Kim vs. Brown was first. Nice fight, actually. Brown's got some resilience. Kim countered his clinch attempts with Ouchigari attempts and was persistant about taking Brown's back, but Brown was good at getting to his feet and had much better striking than Kim. Kim won a split decission. Kampmann and Marquardt were up next. Marquardt out-kickboxed him, causing the ref to step in after Kampmann, rocked by punches, slumped down against the fence about halfway through the first. Hendo and Palhares went the distance. Man, Palhares is big for a middleweight. Hendo fought a smart if cautious fight, setting up his right pretty well and staying off the ground as much as he could. Most of the time Palhares shot from so far out that Hendo was able to sprawl, though he got a nice double-leg slam in what I think was the second round. Palhares was trying all sorts of unorthodox kicks, perhaps from Capoeira? If they made mention of it in the broadcast I couldn't hear it, I was in a restaurant and there was too much noise. Anyway, Hendo dropped Palhares a couple of times and avoided some bad situations, and earned the UD, though Palhares, in the few moments he was on the ground, showed a very aggressive, submission-heavy style that I think I like. Boesch vs. Patt was up next. Boesch dropped his opponent with a punch and laid in some GNP before the ref stopped it in the first. Franklin vs. Hamill was on after that. I swear, Franklin has got to be one of the nicest guys in MMA. Anyway, he was able to use footwork and leg kicks to avoid Hamill's takedowns in the first, except for the closing minutes of the round, but Hamill didn't have time to capitalize on the one takedown he scored. The second saw more of the same, except Hamill couldn't really get Franklin to the matt for any length of time. In the third, Franklin dropped Hamill with a body shot and barely got some GNP before the ref pulled him off. In hindsight, it might have been a bit early, but I still think Franklin would have taken it. Of course, between all the beatings, it was a classy love-fest between the two guys. That's what I love about this sport. Break your opponent's ribs and hug five minutes later. As for the main event? Well, you guys remembered what happened when Crocop fought Gonzaga? Same-same. After a Liddell-dominated first round, Chuck decided he'd engage more. Rashad ended up throwing an overhand right just as Chuck threw a right uppercut. Wow. Liddell was out cold. And now I have to go change religions 'cause nothing makes sense any more. So much for that second run at the title. My jaw actually dropped and hung open for a second. It's still got me a little discombobulated, as demonstrated by my use of the word, "discombobulated". Overall, a few good fights. No real stinkers, actually. Kim-Brown was surprisingly good, Hendo-Palhares had some surprising moments, Franklin showed very good kicking skills, and we got to see some knockouts.
UFC 88 - SPOILER UFC 88: BREAKTHROUGH - Saturday, September 6 Results Spoiler Chuck Liddell Vs. Rashad Evans - Rashad Evans Wins by Knock Out at 1:51 in the 2nd. Rich Franklin Vs. Matt Hamill - Rich Franklin Wins by TKO at 0:39 in the 3rd. Dan Henderson Vs. Rousimar Palhares - Hendo by Unanimous Decision. Martin Kampmann Vs. Nate Marquardt - Nate Marquardt Wins by TKO at 1:22 in the 1st. Dong Hyun Kim Vs. Matt Brown - Kim Wins by Split Decision at 5:00 in the 3rd round . Thiago Tavares Vs. Kurt Pellegrino - Pellegrino Wins by Unanimous Decision. Tim Boetsch Vs. Michael Patt - Tim Boetsch Wins by TKO at 2:03 in the 1st. Jason Lambert Vs. Jason MacDonald - MacDonald Wins by Submission in the 2nd. Rashad beat Chuck to the punch when Chuck tried an upper-cut Rashad hit him with his own overhand, swinging right hand. That’s twice Chuck got caught. Thanks, Tom
