Lei Tong

I have no idea how Riddle got picked so high, nor why he'd choose to talk shit on a BJJ guy a dozen times better than the know-nothing he struggled to finish. EDIT: And picking Schultz instead of Byrnes further calls Rampage's assistant coaches' credibility into question.

Also, while the card is a bit weak, relevance-wise, only Bocek/Danzig has a decent chance of being un-entertaining.

Serra definitely has a grappling game that GSP is unfamiliar with, as GSP has mainly dominated wrestlers on the mat, and I think Serra has already exploited what I view as a large weakness in GSP's game: he doesn't handle adversity well (at least IMO). If Serra can use his aggressive style to keep GSP on the defensive standing and/or on the mat, he has a good chance of upsetting him again. What keeps Serra as a considerable underdog in this match-up is his lack of physicality, which adds to his inablity to decide the setting of this fight. GSP has the vastly superior wrestling, and short of getting knocked down again or Serra managing to pull guard, it's unlikely this fight will hit the mat at any point besides when St. Pierre chooses it to. That leaves Serra having to deal with either... A)...a taller, rangier striker with a good jab and the ability to keep Serra at a distance (a la Thomas), or... B) ...trying to submit a stronger grappler with agility and technical know-how to boot (a la Parisyan). So should GSP shit himself in either area (more likely standing), he can quickly change where the fight is taking place and take advantage of Serra's shortcomings in either area. I'd give Serra 3-1 odds or so.

The fight's outcome will largely depend on if Stephens can powerbomb out of Spencer's triangle.

Actually, I think Tanner knocked Franklin down, which is how Rich ended up on his back. I could be remembering incorrectly, though That said, Franklin' bottom game is a bit underrated, as he has good hip movement, avoids punishment and stands-up well. Of course, he's never had a grappler the caliber of Lutter on top of him, but Lutter is still a colossal underacheiver, and Rich has never been one to be easily taken down.

The order in which I'd draft the guys: 1) C.B. Dalloway 2) Dante Rivera 3) Paul Bradley 4) Gerald Harris 5) Tim Credeur 6) Luke Zachrich 7) Jesse Taylor 8) Nick Klein 9)Amir Sadollah 10) Matt Brown 11) Brandon Sene 12) Cale Yarborough 13) Mike Dolce 14) Matthew Riddle 15) Daniel Cramer 16) Jeremy May

And a lot of guys aren't given the dap Quadros is, being thought of as some sort of guru despite proving himself to be hilariously uninformed a good amount of the time.

Quadros is such a fucking hack. "Sidways neck crank?" EAD, Fight Professor.

You think Hill is ready for Maynard? While I'd make Gray a favorite, but I think Corey actually matches up well with him. Maynard lacks the well-rounded striking to give Hill many problems standing, and with his stature and wrestling background, Hill stands a decent chance of keeping the fight standing. Granted, Maynard is diffrent level of wrestler than Joe Veres, but even should he get the takedown, he hasn't particularly shown me any overly impressive offense on the ground. Of course, this could all just be a knee-jerk reaction to what I felt was a dissapointing fight.

Jeremy May punches like a white LaFarrell Bunting. Also, Rampage of all people getting BUTT-hurt at someone shit-talking is ironic.

Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't ask, but did anyone else think that Lauzon dropped momentarily from that body kick?

Rudo... you may proceed with shutting the fuck up with the Florian hate.

I gave the round to Florian, simply based no him being the only one to do any damage.

I disagree. To my eyes, Edgar landed much more foten than Grady standing.

The only thing that match proved about Maynard is that he could eat a punch decently, though part of that may be due to the size advantage. I'd like to see him against someone like Hill next.

It's actually used quite often to refer to the clasping front windpipe choke. It's also illegal in MMA, but whatever.

How did so many people not see that coming?

How did so many people not see that coming?

Going for a high-crotch on a guy like Diaz is among the dumbest things I've seen in a while. Regardless, good job on Diaz's part for surviving the first round, though I've previously said that Pellegrino simply cannot win a fight when he doesn't close the show quicky.

"Joe v. Angle doesn't count"

I'm pretty sure that Rudo had previously argued that trying to cross-polinate MMA with hip hop culture would be a good idea. *stares at Rudo judgingly*

Assuming Almeida can get Cote to the mat, I fully expect him to tap him pretty easily.

The term "gatekeeper" is always relative, though.

I put Riggs above Lytle because, despite having never been overly impressive at welterweight, he was an arguable Top 15 level fighter after he beat Lytle & Diaz. I think Lytle is a gatekeeper for the division because he fits one of the oldest definitions of one: If (he) beats you in convincing manner, you're likely not going to accomplish much. In any other division, a guy of Lytle's skill set might fair a little better, but with an average wrestling & guard game, he lacks the tools to win against the upper tier of the welterweight division. As for the improvement he's shown, it' also important to remember the type of guys it's been against. Alves is a good test (even though his boxing leaves a bit to be desired), but Gilliam & Bradley are strictly regional level fighters who most truly skilled welterweights would look like killers against.