UFC 59: Make your picks!

[kumite]

Fights that may or may not be shown:

Evan Tanner vs. Justin Levens
Pick: Tanner. It's a shame that with Tanner Being a recent UFC champ. his fight is listed in the "may not be shown" part of the fight card on ufc.tv.

Thiago Alves vs. Derrick Noble
Pick: Toss up. I'm not sure I've ever seen either guy fight.

Jason Lambert vs. Terry Martin
Pick: Lambert. Martin is a very short LHW. He had some problems with a taller fighter the last time I saw him fight.

Karo Parisyan Vs. Nick Thompson
Pick: Parisyan. He's got Gokor Chivichyan and Gene Lebell teaching him. It's hard for me to pick against him. His no-gi Judo is probably the best out there. His standup has seemed improved.

David Terrell Vs. Scott Smith
Pick: Another Toss up. If I get more time, I'm going to visit Sherdog and try to do some research.

Fights that are scheduled to be shown.

Jeff Monson Vs. Marcio Cruz
Pick: I hope they KO each other. I think Monson has the skills to keep Cruz from subbing him. And has a ton more experience in MMA than Cruz. I thought Cruz's win against Frank Mir was overblown. It was Mir's first fight after the motorcycle wreck. And it was a very bad cut that stopped the fight. I really think Monson will brawl Cruz into a KO or referee stoppage.

Nick Diaz Vs. Sean Sherk
Pick: Diaz all the way. His ground game is too good. He's got good power in his punches to be so damn skinny. And he has a six inch height advantage.

Tito Ortiz Vs. Forrest Griffin
Pick: Griffin. This is what I want to happen. It could go either way. I don't count Tito out. But I think Forrest has the skills to stop Tito's GnP offense.

Andrei Arlovski Vs. Tim Sylvia
Pick: Arlovski. He's too well rounded for Tim to beat. And he has the coolest mouthpiece in MMA. :D I think Arlovski will stop or sub him before the third round.

[Jared Sutton]

All the others, I don't know enough about to make a guess, but...

Diaz
Griffin
Arlovski

[Luebbers]

I think Arlovksi will maul Sylvia again; I don't think Sylvia has improved an iota since the last time they met, so there's no reason for me to think that things will go any differently.

I pull for Forrest to upset Tito. But, I think Tito will probably grind out a victory. If he wins this fight, and beats Shamrock (which I'm sure he will), he might be in line for a title shot. I guess it depends on how things go with Babalu, as well.

I think Monson will cream Cruz. I think he could be the next big thing in the UFC HW division. He's on par with Pe de Pano in terms of grappling; they've both won Abu Dhabi. So, I think he will be able to hold his own on the ground, and punish Cruz everywhere else. But, I thought the same thing about Frank Mir, so we'll see what happens.

While I'd like to see Diaz get back on track, I think Sherk is going to take him down and pound him. But, this could be a good fight, because both guys are on the cusp of moving to the next level.

The Parisyan-Thompson fight could be a fun match and really starts to line up the hierarchy of the WW division. It's an especially imporant fight for Karo since he's had his title shot delayed since his injury. Could go either way.

Alves-Noble could be the fight of the night. Both of these guys can really throw down; should be exciting.

Dave Terrell could be the next big thing in MW, but sometimes he seems to flake out (ala' Vitor) so you never know who you're going to see fight.

[KRJMAA]

Evan Tanner vs. Justin Levens
Pick: Tanner by submission. He needs a win after his losses to Franklin and Loiseau.

Thiago Alves vs. Derrick Noble
Pick: Thiago Alves. He is 1-1 in UFC competition. Has better overall record and if nothing else he is part of American Top Team

Jason Lambert vs. Terry Martin
Pick: Lambert. Martin didn't impress me last time around.

Karo Parisyan Vs. Nick Thompson
Pick: Parisyan in another Decision. He's training with Chivichyan and Gene Lebell but he has a hard time finishing so this goes to the judges

David Terrell Vs. Scott Smith
Pick: Smith T/KO. If I'm right this is Smith's UFC debut. But he has 7 T/KO and most of his fights end in the first round. Plus he knocked out Levens. If Terrell decides to keep this fight standing he is in for a tough night.

Fights that are scheduled to be shown.

Jeff Monson Vs. Marcio Cruz
Pick: Monson is the 2005 ADCC heavyweight Champion and Cruz is a JJ black belt. I think Monson by decision

Nick Diaz Vs. Sean Sherk
Pick: This the one I have hard time with. Diaz is coming off two loses and Sherk was dominated by St. Pierre and will drop lightweight after this fight. Diaz may have more to prove so Diaz by T/KO

Tito Ortiz Vs. Forrest Griffin
Pick: Griffin. This one goes to a decision.

Andrei Arlovski Vs. Tim Sylvia
Pick: Arlovski. Submission. Come on Sylvia has tapped to Mir and Andrei. If at any point it goes to the ground Arlovski has the clear advantage.

[jchargrave]

There is no way Griffin is beating Ortiz...!

[Dennis Monk]

I am so happy that I am actually off for a UFC event that I will only make one prediction.
Arlovski by brutal beatdown, (ref stoppage)

[Cliff Hargrave]

I am really bad at predictions so I will just list the way I want them to turn out:

Evan Tanner vs. Justin Levens

Thiago Alves vs. Derrick Noble

Jason Lambert vs. Terry Martin ??

Karo Parisyan Vs. Nick Thompson

David Terrell Vs. Scott Smith

Jeff Monson Vs. Marcio Cruz - I hope they both lose but I will take the ***hole over the communist.

Nick Diaz Vs. Sean Sherk

Tito Ortiz Vs. Forrest Griffin - I really hate this fight right now. I want Tito to make a good comeback and then pound on Shamrock again. But I really like Forrest and want him to do well.

Andrei Arlovski Vs. Tim Sylvia

[rgoad]

Rather that relist everything I will go with Cliff on all but the Griffin fight. I would LIKE griffin to win and he has heart and a hard head, but Tito is really tough and experienced. Ironically, it may be conditioning that makes the difference there. I pick Ortiz.

[DungeonWorks]

I think Arlovksi will maul Sylvia again; I don't think Sylvia has improved an iota since the last time they met, so there's no reason for me to think that things will go any differently.

I pull for Forrest to upset Tito. But, I think Tito will probably grind out a victory. If he wins this fight, and beats Shamrock (which I'm sure he will), he might be in line for a title shot. I guess it depends on how things go with Babalu, as well.

I think Monson will cream Cruz. I think he could be the next big thing in the UFC HW division. He's on par with Pe de Pano in terms of grappling; they've both won Abu Dhabi. So, I think he will be able to hold his own on the ground, and punish Cruz everywhere else. But, I thought the same thing about Frank Mir, so we'll see what happens.

While I'd like to see Diaz get back on track, I think Sherk is going to take him down and pound him. But, this could be a good fight, because both guys are on the cusp of moving to the next level.

The Parisyan-Thompson fight could be a fun match and really starts to line up the hierarchy of the WW division. It's an especially imporant fight for Karo since he's had his title shot delayed since his injury. Could go either way.

Alves-Noble could be the fight of the night. Both of these guys can really throw down; should be exciting.

Dave Terrell could be the next big thing in MW, but sometimes he seems to flake out (ala' Vitor) so you never know who you're going to see fight.

Thanks for saving me some typing Luebbers! ;) :D

The only places I disagree is on the Diaz vs Sherk fight. I think Diaz will sub or ko Sherk. Sherk is just too small for his weight and Diaz knows he's at a "make it or break it" point in his UFC career, and I believe his heart will pull him through...and he is younger WITH experience.

The other disagreement is with Tim Sylvia. He hasn't showed much in his fight with Silva, but I do believe he had done more fine tuning. He is quite a bit lighter than normal, which leads me to believe that his conditioning is going to be phenominal for a giant man. Arlovski's chin ain't the best, although it rarely gets tested due to his immense physical ability and sharp technique. If Tim can slip one through near the button, I think the title is gonna change hands. If Andre takes Tim to the mat, Tim is done. No way he can hang on the mat with Andre.

....and I hope Forest just ROCKS that big headed (physically and egotistically BIG! :D ) Tito Ortiz!!! :D

[Brian R. VanCise]

I think that everyone would like to see Forrest win but I will not
be holding my breath on that one. Forrest is good but not as
experienced or as athletic as Tito. However Forrest has heart and
that cannot be measured. :cool:

Brian R. VanCise
www.instinctiveresponsetraining.com

[Iron Monkey]

Just want to see some good fights.

[KRJMAA]

Jeff Monson Vs. Marcio Cruz - I hope they both lose but I will take the ***hole over the communist.


Technically he's an Anarchist. I don't like either one but personally feelings aside I have to go with Monson.

[Cliff Hargrave]

Technically he's an Anarchist. I don't like either one but personally feelings aside I have to go with Monson.

I think he don't know what he is. He has a big hammer and sickle tat in addition to the anarchy one.

I give him props for his skill though, he is a bad dude.

[Jared Sutton]

All the others, I don't know enough about to make a guess, but...

Diaz
Griffin
Arlovski

Oh well. So much for my picks. :rolleyes:

It was a fantastic showing though in all of the fights.

Griffin is still my favorite in the light-heavyweight. He makes great fights, period.
New Heavyweight champion.

[Dennis Monk]

Griffin got screwed PERIOD. Tito pounded on him for the first round and then had nothing to offer after that.
If Arlovski had argued about the ref stoppage, I would say the ref jumped the gun. He didn't so I won't.
Say what you want about all of the other fights but it was very clear that Evan Tanner is back on his game. That was my favorite fight of the night.

Also: The Houston Astros won 10-0. Go 'Stros! :D

[QuiKujoJin]

I would agree with Dennis. Griffin won that fight. Sure Ortiz got the takedown in the third, but he didn't do anything with it.

And Arlovski looked like he was just waiting, he wasn't out. But he didn't seem to want to push the issue. That'll just make the re-match all the sweeter.

[Jared Sutton]

1 Thiago Alves Derrick Noble - TKO (Strikes) Rd1 2:54
2 Jason Lambert Terry Martin - TKO (Strikes) Rd2 2:37
3 David Terrell Scott Smith - Submission (Rear Naked Choke) Rd1 3:08
4 Karo Parisyan Nick Thompson - Submission (Strikes) Rd1 4:44
5 Jeff Monson Marcio Cruz - Decision (Split) Rd3 5:00
6 Evan Tanner Justin Levens - Submision (Triangle Choke) Rd1 3:14
7 Tito Ortiz Forrest Griffin - Decision (Split) Rd3 5:00
8 Sean Sherk Nick Diaz - Decision (Unaminous) Rd3 5:00
9 Tim Sylvia Andrei Arlovski - KO (Punch) Rd1 2:43

[QuiKujoJin]

1 Thiago Alves Derrick Noble - TKO (Strikes) Rd1 2:54
2 Jason Lambert Terry Martin - TKO (Strikes) Rd2 2:37
3 David Terrell Scott Smith - Submission (Rear Naked Choke) Rd1 3:08

Did you get to see these? My PPV didn't show them. :(

[Jared Sutton]

1 Thiago Alves Derrick Noble - TKO (Strikes) Rd1 2:54
2 Jason Lambert Terry Martin - TKO (Strikes) Rd2 2:37
3 David Terrell Scott Smith - Submission (Rear Naked Choke) Rd1 3:08

Did you get to see these? My PPV didn't show them. :(

Nope. Those results are courtesy of sherdog.

[Dennis Monk]

Those were undercard fights that Zuffa is notorious for not showing. They are usually pretty good fights.

[rgoad]

Thougth the Griffin Otriz fight was called correctly. Griffin showed in inexperience the first round, but his heart got him out of what very few could have survived. He was amazing in that round for living through it. He showed that he needs a ground game and better striking coach, although he managed to shake Oritz with some elbows while trying on his back. Amazing. It think four or five rounds would have found Griffin winning. But he waited too long. I came away liking Tito more, too.

Monson does not fight well. He has virtually no combinations and was unable to convert his grappling to his favour. Not sure why, but he has a way to go, yet.

Diaz disappointed me. He is a better fighter than he showed, but he had a flawed strategy first two rounds. He does not look hungry.

Arlovski didn't respect his opponent. He is always aggressive and that got him. If he had a better ground game, (I thought he knew Sambo?) he could have gone to the ground when he knocked Sylvia down. He gound game always seems like an after thought. Even when he submitted Sylvia with the ankle, it was really sloppy. May be new humility will give him motivation to work on this.

Good fights all around.

[Dennis Monk]

If you want to see class, as well as being respectfull in defeat, watch this video.
It gives me even more reason to have Forrest Griffin as one of my favorite competitors in the UFC today.
http://www.sherdogvideos.com/events/ufc59/ufc59_post_forrest.wmv

[Jared Sutton]

Thougth the Griffin Otriz fight was called correctly. Griffin showed in inexperience the first round, but his heart got him out of what very few could have survived. He was amazing in that round for living through it. He showed that he needs a ground game and better striking coach, although he managed to shake Oritz with some elbows while trying on his back. Amazing. It think four or five rounds would have found Griffin winning. But he waited too long. I came away liking Tito more, too.

I would have to agree with you, though he does deserve credit for the job he did of protecting himself in the 3rd round deflecting the elbows that beat him down in the 1st. Though he did own the standing game, in my opinion he didn't do quite enough with it. Plenty of nice blows, but nothing truly significant. Again, he makes the fights and you definitely have to give him credit for that.

[Brian R. VanCise]

Forrest definately makes for a good fight! That is one of
his special skills. However, he needs to keep on improving
if he is ever going to be among the best.

Brian R. VanCise
www.instinctiveresponsetraining.com

[Cliff Hargrave]

The problem I see with Forrest is he takes alot of shots. He hasn't matched up against anyone yet that has good knockout power. Plus he doesn't have knockout power himself. If he matched up against someone like Chuck he would be toasted pretty quick.

I think Tito's knee played a big part in Forrest stuffing those shoots after round one.

[QuiKujoJin]

Yeah, it didn't look very good when the Doc was moving it around afterward. Knees really aren't suppose to have that much slack in them.

[Dennis Monk]

Knees really aren't suppose to have that much slack in them.
Yeah, that looked somewhat painful.

[KRJMAA]

I still think Forrest got screwed. Tito clearly won the first round but he lost the next two even with the takedown in the third. UFC uses a scoring system similar to boxing so you score rounds not the entire fight (which by the way is how Pride does it) based on that I had the score card at 29-28 for Forrest. But then again if you leave it in the hands of the judges who knows what happens. Personally I think it was handed tot Tito because of the now pending fight with Shamrock. If Tito loses even with the grudge that fight is basically a fight between guys who have been less than impressive as of late. You see it happen in boxing all the time and since you see betting lines in MMA now it was inevitably going to happen in the UFC... IMHO

[Dennis Monk]

Rene I am with you on your post there. It could be a good thing that Forrest took this loss though. Unlike some others we have seen, he will come back as good as ever. His post fight interview with Sherdog was a good sign of this. He is humble but upbeat in defeat and refuses to complain about the decision.

[Luebbers]

T

The other disagreement is with Tim Sylvia. He hasn't showed much in his fight with Silva, but I do believe he had done more fine tuning. He is quite a bit lighter than normal, which leads me to believe that his conditioning is going to be phenominal for a giant man. Arlovski's chin ain't the best, although it rarely gets tested due to his immense physical ability and sharp technique. If Tim can slip one through near the button, I think the title is gonna change hands. If Andre takes Tim to the mat, Tim is done. No way he can hang on the mat with Andre.



Nice call. I was stunned when Arlovski went down. I have to admit, it didn't look like a lucky shot either. He got a little overagressive, Tim thew a combination that he wan't ready for and that was it. I don't blame the ref at all, Sylvia got in three or four solid shots to his head, when he was face down to the mat, on his belly. If you aren't even squirming to avoid the punishment, you aren't defending yourself. This is also the best thing the UFC could have hoped for for the HW division. If Arlovski had chain-sawed Sylva again, the division would be dead for about a year and a half while the UFC develops it. Now, we've got a title rubbermatch, an excuse to give Mir the title shot for the grudge match, and an Arlovski-Mir match whenever they feel like it. Or Mir-Monson for a shot at Arlovski, winner gets title shot.

I thought the Tito-Griffin fight could have gone either way. I saw Forrest winning, but that third round could have really gone to either fighter. The fact that Forrest made it a game fight makes it a victory for him anyway. Now people will start taking him seriously. I don't know how that one judge scorred in 30-27. I don't know how you give Tito a round where he gets about a half-dozen takedowns stuffed and doesn't lay a glove on his opponent.

I think Diaz might still be able to hang around in the UFC. On the one hand, he's lost three in a row in arguable the most stacked division in the world. On the other hand, all three losses have been by very close decision and were entertaining fights. He's a crowd pleaser, and I must admit his takedown defense was absolutely incredible in this last fight. I thought that was where he was most lacking in his fights against Sanchez and Riggs, so hopefully this can turn his game around.

[kumite]

One of the judges in the Ortiz vs Griffin scored it 30-27 Tito. He needs to be slapped! I had Forrest winning 29-98.
I did expect Arlovski to go for the sub when he knocked Sylvia down. But I thought he showed class in taking the loss. Can't wait for Arlovski vs. Sylvia III.
Diaz was disappointing. He should have routed Sherk. His fight plan was screwed up from the begining. Bending down till he was right in front of Sherk. What was he thinking. He had six inches in height on him. He didn't use his reach at all.
Glad to see Tanner got back to winning. I really like him as a fighter.

[HanDragon]

Diaz, looked like he wanted to play the stand-up game, which I don't think is his strongest ability. He seemed to lack his normal intensity. He should've taken that fight to the ground and taken the win with a submission.

Griffin should've taken the win over Ortiz. Clearly he lost the first round, but after that he had much more aggressiveness. After the first round Tito got a taste of Forrest's leather and seemed to back out.

In all I think this was one of the most "uneventful" PPVs of the UFC that I've seen. By uneventful, I mean that the fights just seemed rather boring....no KOs...only one submission...and I could've went the rest of my life without seeing that 1st bout,(ZZzzz)..

[KRJMAA]

His post fight interview with Sherdog was a good sign of this. He is humble but upbeat in defeat and refuses to complain about the decision.

By the way thanks for the link. I agree. Forrest has my respect. He made no excuses. He'll be back and ready to fight.
That one judge that had it 30-27 or 30-26 must be insane. I can kind of see where Tito gets the 1st and 3rd but the second also come on.
Tim Sylvia could use a lesson in humility. He came off in my mind anyway as a little arrogant after the fight. Sure he won the title and I won't say he got the KO out of luck because it was a nice combination but after that knock down he had to come up with something or we were bout to see a repeat of the last fight. I am glad though that he gave props to Andrei and acknowledged a rubber match was in order.