Jason Lambert
You are currently browsing the articles from MMA Factor matching the category Jason Lambert.
(”The Athlete” is ready to get back after it.)
- Jason “Dooms” Day has been forced to pull out of his UFC 88 bout with fattie-turned-middleweight Jason Lambert because of a biceps injury, but those of you who are fans of seeing Lambert’s man-boobs in the Octagon needn’t worry. Jason “The Athlete” MacDonald is stepping in as a replacement for Day, despite the fact that he just went three rounds in a losing effort against Demian Maia at UFC 87. Good move for MacDonald. If you can’t win ‘em all, the next best way to keep the UFC happy is to fight ‘em all, especially when called upon on short notice.
- Poor Nate Quarry just can’t catch a break. After coming back from a nearly career-ending back injury only to be forced to chase Kalib Starnes in circles, Quarry has now been sidelined with an eye injury that is strangely not related to fighting. Apparently Quarry was at a party where people were hitting golf balls into the woods — like you do, just for kicks — and he accidentally walked into someone’s backswing. Despite breaking the Orbital Floor bone in his eye, Quarry is not seriously hurt, though he will be kept out of action for at least a few more months.
- American Top Team coach Andrei Benkei is leaving the squad due to “ideological disagreements” with head coach Ricardo Liborio. Benkei told Tatame that he’ll still work with several high profile ATT fighters like Thiago Alves and “Bigfoot” Silva, among others, but it’s been reported that Benkei disapproved of the way Liborio was turning ATT into “a big McDonald’s” by selling its name to karate gyms. For shame, Ricardo. Karate gyms? That’s the MMA gym equivalent of giving hand jobs in the Wal-Mart parking lot. You never need money that badly.
- It’s not MMA news, but it’s worth mentioning: Sumo wrestling has been rocked by a drug scandal. A totally lame drug scandal. Russian Sumo wrestler (they exist?) Soslan Aleksandrovich Gagloev was arrested for possessing a third of a gram of weed. According to CNN, it’s “enough to land him in prison on a diet of forced labor for five years if he’s convicted.” Five years for a third of a gram in Japan? Nick Diaz should really be informed about that before returning to fight for Dream again.
Written by admin on August 19th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Japan and fight and General and UFC 88 and arrest and Sumo and Ricardo Liborio and Andrei Benkei and Jason Day and weed and Thiago Alves and News and UFC and Jason Lambert and Jason MacDonald and marijuana and Antonio Silva and american top team and MMA.
(“Boom! Another hit is landed…” The Pitbull mauls old-ass Matt Hughes. Photo courtesy of UFC.com.)
Now that the adrenaline has subsided, we can have a normal conversation. Here’s what I’ve been thinking about since Saturday afternoon…
— Matt Hughes carved out a legendary career without ever being a particularly dangerous striker. And good for him, but the young fighters coming up these days will not stand for that shit. There’s no way you can compete at an elite level anymore without a complete game. Hughes never had one, and it’s now been fully exposed. After Alves stuffed Hughes’s takedown attempts during their fight, the former champ had no more weapons left, and it was only a countdown until the inevitable. I’m interested in seeing Hughes settle his grudge match with Matt Serra; I’m not really interested in seeing Hughes continue to be tooled by other athletic and well-rounded members of the UFC’s welterweight division.
— Michael Bisping looked deadly once again. Obviously he’d be wrecked by Silva, Franklin, or Henderson (or Marquardt on a good day), but he’d have to be the favorite against any other middleweight in the UFC. I’d guess he’s two wins away from a title shot, and luckily for him, Anderson Silva might not be around by the time he gets there. (The chatter is that Silva may move up to light-heavyweight for a marquee fight, but it’s totally unsubstantiated at this point, so don’t get your hopes up.)
— I don’t care what Jason Lambert needs to do to get down to 185 — stomach stapling, breast reduction surgery, whatever — he just needs to get there. He also needs to understand that his boxing sucks; just like in his fight with Wilson Gouveia, Lambert’s wild and sloppy haymakers led to his own damn self getting knocked out against Luis Cane. I think the biggest lesson I learned from “Bedlam” was that if there’s a noticeably out-of-shape guy fighting a guy in great physical condition, don’t bet on the fatty. (See also: Eddie Sanchez.)
(more…)
Written by admin on June 9th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on UFC 85 and Fabricio Werdum and Commentary and Recap and Dan Miragliotta and Bedlam and ipecac and Michael Bisping and Jason Lambert and Matt Hughes and Anderson Silva and UFC and Brandon Vera and Marcus Davis and Thiago Alves and Mike Swick and MMA.
The official weigh-in results for UFC 85: “Bedlam” at the O2 Arena in London, England, are in.
And there’s some ridiculous news to report.
Thiago Alves came in super heavy at 174 pounds for his main event fight against Matt Hughes. He will not have to shed the extra poundage — he and Hughes have agreed to fight at a catchweight.
He’ll more than likely have to pay Hughes a percentage of his salary for the massive blunder and pay in the court of public opinion for the lack of professionalism.
Here are the official results:
170 lbs.: Matt Hughes (170) vs. Thiago Alves (174)
185 lbs.: Michael Bisping (184) vs. Jason Day (184)
185 lbs.: Nate Marquardt (185) vs. Thales Leites (185)
170 lbs.: Mike Swick (170) vs. Marcus Davis (170)
265 lbs.: Brandon Vera (228) vs. Fabricio Werdum (247)
185 lbs.: Martin Kampmann (186) vs. Jorge Rivera (185)
155 lbs.: Thiago Tavares (154.5) vs. Matt Wiman (155)
170 lbs.: Roan Carneiro (171) vs. Kevin Burns (170)
205 lbs.: Jason Lambert (205) vs. Luis Arthur Cane (204)
170 lbs.: Jess Liaudin (169) vs. Paul Taylor (169)
265 lbs.: Eddie Sanchez (244) vs. Antoni Hardonk (247)
*Note: Fighters are allowed to weigh one pound more than the division limit in non-title fights.
Remember that MMAmania.com will also provide LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action on fight afternoon, which is slated to air at 3 p.m. ET on pay-per-view (PPV) from the O2 Arena on Saturday, June 7.
Of course, the latest quick updates of the prelim bouts will begin to flow earlier than that at around 1:30 p.m. ET.
It’s going to be an entertaining afternoon of mixed martial arts action … check us out for all the pre, during and post-fight coverage you can handle.
Note that the UFC 85 PPV will re-air at 10 p.m. ET.
Written by admin on June 6th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Jess Liaudin and Fabricio Werdum and Thiago Tavares and Antoni Hardonk and Jorge Rivera and Martin Kampmann and Roan Carneiro and Kevin Burns and Jason Day and Luis Cane and Eddie Sanchez and Michael Bisping and Jason Lambert and Nate Marquardt and Matt Wiman and Thales Leites and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Matt Hughes and Brandon Vera and Thiago Alves and Mike Swick and Marcus Davis and Paul Taylor and MMA.
(Seriously, click it.)
A new link on UFC.com (shown above) is soliciting applicants for the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter, which will apparently focus on the big boys and the wee ones. The link takes you to TUF’s standard application; the deadline is just two weeks from now, so if you’re actually thinking about giving it a shot, get movin’. Or just sit on your ass and let life pass you by, either way.
In other Octagon news…
— Jason “The Punisher” Lambert will likely be returning to the cage at UFC 85 (June 7th, London) against Luis Arthur Cane. Both men are coming off of losses — Lambert due to an out-of-nowhere comeback knockout at the fists of Wilson Gouveia at UFC 80, and Cane due to an illegal-knee disqualification loss against James Irvin at UFC 79.
— Lanky TUF 6 weirdo Ben Saunders may be returning to the Octagon at UFC 86 (July 5th, Las Vegas, headlined by Rampage vs. Forrest). Saunders is 5-0-2 professionally, and has been training with the murderer’s row at American Top Team.
— Speaking of ATT fighters, Marcus Aurelio may actually be facing UFC newbie Ryan Roberts at UFN 13 rather than Jim Miller. Spencer Fisher is definitely still injured.
(Props: MMA Junkie)
Written by admin on March 20th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Ben Saunders and Luis Arthur Cane and TUF 8 and Jason Lambert and Marcus Aurelio and UFC and News and MMA.
Jason Lambert (23-7) and Luis Arthur Cane (7-1) will clash in a light heavyweight bout at UFC 85 in London, England, at the O2 Arena on June 7, according to Sherdog.com.
“The Punisher” was knocked out in his most recent bout against Wilson Gouveia at UFC 80: “Rapid Fire” back in January. It was a fight that he appeared to control for most part, but got a little loosey-goosey in round two and paid the price.
Prior to the loss, Lambert was riding high on his own surprise stoppage of Renato “Babalu” Sobral at UFC 68: “Uprising” in March 2007.
Cane is out to redeem himself after his Octagon debut — a fight he lost to James Irvin because of an illegal knee to the head. “The Sandman” was apparently shaken up pretty bad, saying in recent interview that he couldn’t remember his address or telephone number following the fight.
The Brazilian, however, claimed that Irvin was just looking for a way out of the fight, calling him a “mediocre actor,” according to the report.
Both guys are out to prove themselves and are very dangerous. It’ll be interesting to see what Cane can do sans controversy — he was a highly touted prospect upon his arrival with the organization.
To check out the latest UFC 85 rumored fight card click here.
Written by admin on March 19th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Jason Lambert and Luis Cane and UFC Light Heavyweight Division and UFC UK and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and MMA.
On a night (or afternoon) where many fans complained of a lack of “exciting” match ups for UFC 80, we were graced with several exciting finishes.
In fact, out of the nine fights on the card only two ended in decision. There were SIX knockouts/technical knockout and one thrilling, blood-soaked submission.
Former welterweight champion BJ Penn solidified his place in history with a dominant win over Joe Stevenson in the main event to earn the vacant lightweight title, becoming just the second person ever to hold a belt in two different divisions (Randy Couture is the other).
It’s an achievement he has been chasing since a loss to then 155-pound champion, Jens Pulver, in 2002 and a disappointing draw with Caol Uno in 2003.
Last night it’s safe to say Penn looked better than he has ever looked in his career. Clearly, he needs to be mentioned with George St. Pierre, Anderson Silva and Rampage Jackson as the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
There is a lot in store for Penn in the future. First and foremost, however, we now know that he will defend his belt against former champion Sean Sherk most likely in May.
That match up should be exciting and filled with animosity, especially if the scene inside the Octagon immediately following the championship fight is any indication.
Fireworks.
Looking even farther ahead if Penn beats Sherk then he might be on a b-line for a rematch with St. Pierre. He wants that fight bad. With a win he’d also be the first man to hold two belts in two separate UFC weight classes at the same time.
Clearly, the 170-pound division is stacked. But UFC president Dana White is a shrewd businessman and he knows a big score when he sees one.
Of course, if Penn defeats Sherk he can then fight Kenny Florian (if he can beat Joe Lauzon on April 19). However, if Lauzon wins it’s doubtful that Penn would take on his young student.
St. Pierre vs. Penn II would be one for the ages and I am one of the fans who believe Penn deserved the decision victory in their first encounter.
I for one think this fight NEEDS to happen if all the cards can fall into place.
For now we’ll just all enjoy the ride. “The Prodigy” is at the top of his game and he has declared that Sherk is a “dead man.”
That’s a showdown that can’t come soon enough.
The rest of UFC 80 was extremely interesting and exciting.
In the co feature of the evening Fabricio Werdum weathered the early storm of vicious leg kicks by Gabriel Gonzaga to knockout “Napao” in round two. Gonzaga looked great in the first round, but once again his conditioning was his downfall as he came out in the second stanza looking sloppy and gassed.
Werdum capitalized and put on a much more exciting fight than his previous scrap with Andrei Arlovski to earn some respect in the heavyweight division. Werdum now needs to be considered a top five heavyweight.
Gonzaga needs to re-evaluate his career so that we don’t begin to think he is the man who got lucky with a head kick against Mirko Cro Cop and thats it. I wouldnt mind seeing Gonzaga and Cro Cop tangle again. It’s a rematch that could sell tickets and be extremely interesting.
The rest of the main card action was quick and fast.
Jorge Rivera took his career off life support with a devastating knockout of up-and-comer Kendall Grove. It’s good to see a guy like Rivera get a victory to save his career. How can you not respect a man who is fighting to support his family and not to become a millionaire?
Grove, on the other hand, seems to have let his head become way too big. This latest result is back-to-back devastating losses for Grove. And you have to wonder if he’s training hard enough or if he’s trying to live the superstar life before he’s a superstar.
Usually I wouldnt question a fighters desire, but seeing Grove’s undeniable talent in his three straight victories over Ed Herman, Chris Price and Alan Belcher makes you wonder where his hunger and drive went. The talent is still there, yet hes been knocked out in two straight versus fighters with less talent but more heart.
Hopefully, this will be a wake up call for Grove and his career because he has the talent to be a top caliber fighter in his division.
Wilson Gouveia threw a left hook out of nowhere for a stunning victory over Jason Lambert.
Before the blow Lambert dominated the entire fight from start to finish and had Gouveia on his heels. But he got sloppy and took one on the chin.
This is real tough tough loss for Lambert and an escape for Gouveia. I wouldn’t mind seeing these two fight again.
Marcus Davis showed he should be considered a top five 170-pound fighter. With his dominant knockout over Jess Liaudin, Davis now needs to be mentioned with the big boys after a string of impressive victories.
I for one wouldn’t mind seeing him tangle with Jon Fitch.
Alessio Sakara picked up a much-needed and solid victory over a well respected James Lee. Sakara was being dominated with the ground game; however, he found a way to unload a barrage of right hands and he took the win.
Sakara now should have his career back on track and some momentum heading into his middleweight debut in his next contest. With a few convincing victories there he could work his way towards the top the talent shallow division.
Paul Kelly and Paul Taylor put on a Liddell/Silva-type exchange to start off the fight and set the tone for what was a great fight.
Taylor was sharp on his feet and won the stand up exchanges, but Kelly was also game and never backed down. In the end Kelly’s dominance on the ground proved to be the difference.
Both these fighters should see some more days in the UFC and deservedly so they put on a great fight.
Antoni Hardonk made quick work of Colin Robinson with a vicious leg kick and cross that put Robinson to the ground.
Hardonk was finally able to show his stand up skills that made him a feared heavyweight. However, if he cant develop something that resembles a ground game he will end up being nothing more than a gatekeeper for the heavyweight division.
Sam Stout won a lackluster decision over Per Eklund. And although his standup still looked crisp as usual you have to wonder if Stout will also ever be more than a gatekeeper who’s capable on putting on a great standup show when the match up is right.
All in all it was a great night for MMA.
Tonight’s fights cleared up some of the muddy waters in the heavyweight and welterweight divisions with Werdum and Davis’ wins.
In addition, Penn cemented his legacy as one of the greatest fighters of all time, but I think this is just the beginning of the peak of his career great things are still to come.
Take note Sean Sherk. You’re a dead man!
For detailed UFC 80: “Rapid Fire” results hit up or blow-by-blow commentary post right here.
Written by admin on January 20th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Fabricio Werdum and Jess Liaudin and Joe Stevenson and Antoni Hardonk and Alessio Sakara and UFC 80 and James Lee and Colin Robinson and Paul Kelly and Per Eklund and Jorge Rivera and Wilson Gouveia and Gabriel Gonzaga and Sam Stout and BJ Penn and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Kendall Grove and UFC Results and Jason Lambert and Marcus Davis and Paul Taylor and MMA.
Click the banner above or right here for up-to-the-minute results and blow-by-blow coverage of UFC 80: “Rapid Fire.”
Quick results of the prelim fights will begin to flow around 1:30 p.m. ET and LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of the main card action will start at 3 p.m. ET sharp!
If you’re going to leave comments and discuss the fights with all the other MMAmania.com readers be sure to do it on the main UFC 80 results post and not this one.
Spoiler Alert: UFC 80 will also air via tape delay at 10 p.m. ET. Therefore, don’t click through to see the results if you don’t want to see them!
Written by admin on January 19th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Fabricio Werdum and Jess Liaudin and Joe Stevenson and Antoni Hardonk and Alessio Sakara and UFC 80 and James Lee and Colin Robinson and Paul Kelly and Per Eklund and Jorge Rivera and Wilson Gouveia and Gabriel Gonzaga and Sam Stout and BJ Penn and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Kendall Grove and UFC Pay Per View (PPV) Events and Jason Lambert and Marcus Davis and Paul Taylor and UFC Results and MMA.
The field of 18 fighters for UFC 80: “Rapid Fire” all tipped the scales earlier today at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, England, for the pay-per-view (PPV) event that is set to go off tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m. ET.
All fighters made weight without incident.
Here are the official results from UFC.com:
155 lbs.: BJ Penn (154) vs. Joe Stevenson (154)
Hvywt.: Gabriel Gonzaga (255) vs. Fabricio Werdum (247)
170 lbs.: Marcus Davis (169) vs. Jess Liaudin (170)
205 lbs.: Jason Lambert (204) vs. Wilson Gouveia (205)
185 lbs.: Kendall Grove (186) vs. Jorge Rivera (185)
Hvywt.: Antoni Hardonk (244) vs. Colin Robinson (238)
170 lbs.: Paul Taylor (170) vs. Paul Kelly (170)
205 lbs.: Alessio Sakara (206) vs. James Lee (206)
155 lbs.: Sam Stout (155) vs. Per Eklund (155)
*Note: Fighters are allowed to be over the division weight limit by one pound in non-title fights.
There check out the video highlight package of the UFC 80 weigh-in click here.
Reminder: The televised portion of the pay-per-view (PPV) event begins Saturday, January 19, at 3 p.m. ET. We will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of the main card action at this time.
UFC 80 quick results, however, will begin to flow earlier than that here at MMAmania.com at about 1:30 p.m. ET with the prelim fights.
Remember that the PPV will also air via tape delay at 10 p.m. ET. Therefore, please be aware that if you plan to watch the recorded version that there will be spoilers located on this site. We’ll do our best to hide them, of course, but just please keep that in mind.
See you all tomorrow.
Written by admin on January 18th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Fabricio Werdum and Joe Stevenson and Antoni Hardonk and Jorge Rivera and Alessio Sakara and UFC 80 and James Lee and Colin Robinson and Paul Kelly and Per Eklund and Wilson Gouveia and Jason Lambert and Gabriel Gonzaga and Sam Stout and BJ Penn and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Kendall Grove and UFC Pay Per View (PPV) Events and Paul Taylor and UFC Weigh in Results and UFC UK and MMA.
UFC 80: “Rapid Fire” is set for tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon on January 19 from the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, England. The pay-per-view (PPV) event airs LIVE at 3 p.m. ET and via tape delay at 10 p.m. ET.
Remember: MMAmania.com will provide LIVE updates and blow-by-blow, round-by-round commentary of the main card action throughout the telecast. As usual, it promises to be a great discussion during a solid line up of fights.
To get us pumped for the festivities MMAmania.com contributor Jesse Holland and site veteran “PhilQNY” went toe-to-toe below to try and predict the fighters who will leave the Octagon with their hands raised tomorrow during the featured fights of the day.
It’s important to note for the predictions that while someone may be lauding a certain fighter, he isn’t necessarily the guy who he thinks is going to win. Basically, we never want this to come out sounding repetitive. At the end of each analysis, therefore, you will see the individual picks.
Let’s get to it:
Wilson Gouveia (9-4) vs. Jason Lambert (23-6)
Jesse Holland: Jason Lambert is 9-1 in his last 10 fights and is fresh off an upset victory over Renato “Babalu” Sobral at UFC 68. Aside from riding that momentum, Lambert needs to do two key things to win this fight: He must avoid the leg kicks of Gouveia and keep the fight standing. Lambert has decent submission skills but I think Gouveia is a little too wily to be fooling around with on the mat. Lambert is a better striker than most people give him credit for and continues to improve. Knowing that three of Gouveia’s four losses are by (T)KO, I’m sure “The Punisher” is refining his striking and hopefully improving his cardio. Lambert also has the edge in experience with more than double the fights of Gouveia. Stay off the mat and this one is all Lambert.
MMAmania.com reader “PhilQNY:” This fight was supposed to go down UFC 76, but Wilson had to withdraw because of a broken nose. Now it’s finally time will bang it out — don’t be surprised if both fighters have some cage rust from time spent away from fighting. Wilson is another version of Babalu with heavy hands and some nasty leg kicks. Wilson has five submissions and three knockouts to his credit. He is also a member of the American Top Team, which is a well rounded and respected camp. Wilson does not want to fight off his back with Punisher`s top game — a vicious ground and pound attack. Wilson will look to stay standing and not force the fight to the ground. Both will bring something different into the Octagon. Jason is a game fighter and will try to come out aggressive with striking to set up his takedowns to straight up ground and pound. Wilson will maintain his distance and touch him up with his hands, as well as soften him up with some leg kicks. And if Jason gets the takedown he is still in the danger zone with Wilson`s Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills. If Jason thinks his fight with Wilson will be like his fight with Babalu, he is in for a bad night. I expect to see highly aggressive up tempo first round maybe a second round if needed.
Final predictions:
Jesse Holland — Lambert via technical knockout
PhilQNY — Gouveia via technical knockout
Jorge Rivera (14- 6) vs. Kendall Grove (8-4-1)
Jesse Holland: Jorge Rivera has been around the block long enough to know how to prepare for a fighter like Kendall Grove. “Da Spyder” is coming off a huge loss to Patrick Cote at UFC 74 and for a young and inexperienced fighter that kind of loss can still linger. Rivera would be wise to put the pressure on early and often. If Rivera can make Grove fear the knockout, he can control the fight and possibly end it early. If Grove does show up, like the fighter we saw dismantle Alan Belcher, then Rivera needs to swing for the fences. Jorge does not do well against accurate strikers as indicated in his losses to guys like Rich Franklin, Anderson Silva and Chris Leben, but can weather the storm if he fights intelligently like he did against David Loiseau. The deciding factor will be which fighter has learned the most from their last loss.
MMAmania.com reader “PhilQNY:” Kendall Grove is 6′ 6″, athletic and boasts a crazy reach. He also has good Muay Thai skills and brings some nasty elbows to the fight. This will be size and quickness against experience and power. Kendall got knocked out by Patrick Cote in his last outing in the UFC. He will have a fight plan that will not keep him in the pocket trading blows with Jorge. He will use his reach to stay on the outside, punch to set up a takedown where his long lengthy frame puts Jorge in numerous danger zones. Both fighters are coming off losses and want to move back in the right direction toward the title in another ultimate fighter inter-class reunion. Jorge by all means wants to stand and strike while Kendall will strike till he sees an opening to takes this fight to the deck.
Final predictions:
Jesse Holland — Grove via technical knockout
PhilQNY — Grove via submission
Jess Liaudin (12-8) vs. Marcus Davis (13-3)
Jesse Holland: Jess Liaudin is probably a much better fighter than his 12-8 record suggests. He was hot out of the gate winning his first five fights before losing his way and going 2-8. Since then he’s won five straight and hasn’t been defeated since 2005. He’s got great submissions but has also shown knockout power in three of his last five fights. Marcus Davis has transformed himself into a tremendous fighter but “Joker” can use that momentum against him with a well-timed submission. Davis has a tendency to get over-anxious and that mistake could be all Liaudin needs. Liaudin does not want this to turn into a stand-up war where he has a distinct disadvantage against the boxing background of Davis. Patience is what Liaudin needs as well as the ability to endure some punishment.
MMAmania.com reader “PhilQNY:” I smell Fight of the Night written all over this one. Both fighters are coming into UFC 80 on fire. Jess “Joker” Liaudin — with three knockouts and eight submissions to his credit — is riding a five-fight win streak (2-0 UFC). Against Davis, he would be better off taking this fight to the ground against. The “Irish Hand Grenade,” on the other hand, is on a 10-fight win streak (7-0 UFC) of his own. The former pro boxer is looking to screw up the Joker`s game plan if he wants to stand and bang with him. Even though Jess is fighting out of London, Marcus is no stranger in England. He has fought twice before in Europe in 2007. In fact, the Brit`s probably remember his last fight with Paul Taylor during which Marcus was on the brink of losing after Paul connected with a head kick from hell`s kitchen with a fight- ending type flurry (thanks Yves Lavigne for not stopping it). Marcus composed himself and broke Paul down into his guard flipped the script to tapout Paul with a nice back mount arm bar transition. This will be an exciting, high-paced and explosive bout with crazy strikes, and entertaining ground work. Overall, this should be one hell of fight to watch.
Final predictions:
Jesse Holland — Davis via technical knockout
PhilQNY — Davis via technical knockout
Gabriel Gonzaga (9-2) vs. Fabricio Werdum (9-3)
Jesse Holland: Gabriel Gonzaga will tell you he’s not the same fighter that lost to Fabricio Werdum back at Jungle Fight in 2003 but I’m not sure I believe him. Gonzaga is a hulking menace that does best when he’s pouring it on but like we saw against Couture and originally Werdum, can get easily overwhelmed. Werdum is no slouch himself having never been knocked out or submitted in thirteen fights. He knows how to stay out of submissions and can avoid the big strikes. While his snoozer against Arlovski was nothing to write home about, he’s gone toe-to-toe against some of the sport’s best including Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Sergei Kharitonov. More importantly, he’s already faced Gonzaga — and won. Look for history to repeat itself on Saturday.
MMAmania.com reader “PhilQNY:” Gabriel Gonzaga is heavy-handed, has sick ground and pound, crazy leg kicks and world class jiu jitsu. He blew up on the MMA scene in 2007 with a Cro Cop-type kick that knocked out, well, Cro Cop himself. The win earned a title shot against Randy Couture, which turned out to be tough loss via technical knockout. That loss and experience in the title match will pay off big time against Werdum because he now knows what it takes to be a UFC champion. He faced Fabricio five years ago and lost via strikes (at the time Gonzaga was 2-0 and Werdum 3-0). Today that fight will not give Fabricio an edge coming into the rematch at UFC 80. Both have evolved, but Gonzaga has caught the attention of mainstream MMA America and Werdum has not done so yet. Both are coming off loses (Fabricio`s being a very boring UFC debut fight against Andrei Arlovski) and need to win this fight to get back on track. Werdum, before moving to Curitiba to train with ChuteBoxe, was training with Cro Cop. Therefore, he should know how to properly defend Gonzaga`s leg kicks. Gonzaga is looking for the knockout, but Werdum has never been submitted or knocked out in his career. With the storyline, history and what this fight means to them, it should be a recipe for a good fight. The flip side is if this turns into a NAGA fight and their Brazilian jiu-jitsu cancels each other out, which is a very good possibility.
Final predictions:
Jesse Holland — Werdum via technical knockout
PhilQNY — Gonzaga via unanimous decision
BJ Penn (12-4-1) vs. Joe Stevenson (28-7)
Jesse Holland: It’s hard to believe that Joe Stevenson has 35 fights or that he’s 18-2 since 2001. But that’s a testament to the kind of fighter “Daddy” is. He may be an underdog, but he certainly can’t be overlooked. Since moving to lightweight he’s never looked better and his strength and conditioning will give BJ plenty of problems. It’s not unheard of for Penn to lose or go to a decision and if his conditioning is not 100 percent he could end up in a similar situation like Penn/Hughes II. Stevenson will have to be absolutely perfect to win it and keep his sub defense at the forefront of his strategy. BJ is not the best at stuffing the takedowns so Joe can easily rack up points. Takedown, a little ground and pound, rinse and repeat. I don’t have any money on this one so you heard it here first — Stevenson with the upset.
MMAmania.com reader “PhilQNY:” BJ “The Prodigy” Penn will step into the Octagon in the best shape ever to claim his lightweight UFC title once and for all at UFC 80. He failed twice before, and Penn has gained MMA knowledge throughout the years that will slingshot him further into the ranks of the MMA legends. BJ has for many years not focused in dieting, training and cardio when preparing to fight, relying just on talent alone. The question is, which BJ Penn will show up? The out of shape BJ or the BJ who can go all five rounds going for submissions non stop? “The Prodigy” has grown up in the world of MMA and I believe this is his time. He should and will not underestimate his opponent, Joe Stevenson. Joe is a the season two winner of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) at 170 pounds. He owns a strong ass guillotine and masterful leglocks. Joe will try to attack BJ`s weakness: Cardio and takedown defense. Now if Joe gets BJ down to the mat he has to be 100 percent accurate with no mistakes, avoiding BJ`s flexibility and All-World jiu jitsu skill. This is the biggest fight of his MMA career, on the biggest stage that for the UFC lightweight title. The question I have on Joe is: Will he crack under the pressure? Penn fighting Stevenson is the reason this will be a great fight that no one should miss out on watching. Penn is cut from a different cloth and is one of the best pound-per-pound fighters in the world. Come time for UFC 80 and BJ will be in predator mode as he stalks down Joe. He will end up putting and locking Joe in a dead zone that will either set up a technical knockout or submission. BJ will then be one of only two men to hold UFC belts in two different weight classes as of Saturday January 19, 2008.
Final predictions:
Jesse Holland — Stevenson via technical knockout
PhilQNY — Penn via technical knockout
That’s a wrap, folks. For the complete UFC 80: “Rapid Fire” fight card click here. Remember to come check us out this weekend for the latest results, recaps and thoughts on the first major UFC event of 2008.
What do you think? Now it’s your turn … let us have it in the comments section and share your thoughts and picks for UFC 80.
Written by admin on January 18th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Jorge Rivera and Wilson Gouveia and Joe Stevenson and Jess Liaudin and UFC 80 and Fabricio Werdum and Jason Lambert and UFCmania event preview analysis and predictions and BJ Penn and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Gabriel Gonzaga and Kendall Grove and Marcus Davis and MMA.
« Older articles
No newer articles
