-No idea what really happened in United Glory but I was 1-1 in picks.
-James Irvin showed up about 9 lbs over and gets beaten in seconds. Shocker.
-I had a nice conversation with Lee Casebolt on Friday about the UFC show. I told him then that Jon Jones not winning the title would rock the foundation of my worldview. I considered it that impossible that he would lose. I was right. Shogun had no gameplan, was gassed one round into the fight, and was overwhelmed by Jones physically from the get go. Forget the talk about knee injuries and what not. He was never a skilled enough fighter to challenge Jones ever. What was he gonna do, take Jones down? Rush him with punches and risk being in the clinch?
One thing Lee and I discussed that I now agree with - the best matchups are not Rampage but Machida and Evans. Rampage is, as Lee reminded me, too easily manhandled in the clinch. Maybe not easy to take down, but Matt Lindland and Dan Henderson were able to keep him against the fence when needed. Jones comes in wild, and when you are that wild, someone with great speed and movement can counter you and make you look foolish. Machida is very possibly such an individual. I would pay money for that fight. Evans will be tougher because of the gulf in size, but he does have an appreciable advantage in hand speed and technique. Horrendous game plan from Marshall. If he retires, well, OK. You weren't getting any further anyhow.
On Eliot Marshall/Luis Cane: That was my one wrong pick for the UFC card. Marshall looked terrified in there and Cane mugged him. He did nothing to set up takedowns and stayed square and against the fence almost the entire period of the fight until being KOed in the first. Luis Cane isn't back yet. Won't be official for awhile if ever.
Watched all of Bellator:
-Lee told me Eric Larkin was a beast. Well, he's a beast that can't set up the shot in MMA, got sprawled on, ate a knee that busted up his face, and he got choked out with a guillotine trying to press for the takedown.
-Daniel Straus looked good at 145 beating Malegarie. Its his best win in terms of performance and guy he beat. Didn't look good getting rode in the first round, but he outlasted the Argentine fighter, showed some grappling prowess, and clearly was much better on the feet (which was expected). With Larkin out, I think his one of his biggest worries in the tournament went with him.
-Wilson Reis looks like a star running over Zac George, dropping him, taking a dominant position, and then submitting him. But then again, how many times has Reis looked like a star, then disappointed? I've seen the story too many times. He needs to be at 135.
-Patricio Freire KOed Karakhanyan in the third with a big hook and followup GNP. He was a lot bigger physically and like his brother, you see him setting up punches and takedowns by timing them based on the opponent's movement and predictability. At 15-1, he is indisputably the best featherweight in Bellator outside of Joe Warren, based on the people beaten and skills shown. But that inability to wrestle with Warren is not something that will go away overnight.
Predictions for this weekend: 8-2
Predictions for 2011: 15-3
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