cameron chaos 0 Report post Posted December 10, 2005 Light Heavyweight Championship rematch Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell vs Randy "The Natural" Couture Heavyweight match Jeff "Snowman" Monson vs Branden Lee Hinkle Light Heavyweight match Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs Mike Van Arsdale Middleweight Championship match Rich "Ace" Franklin vs David "The Crow" Loiseau Heavyweight match Paul "Headhunter" Buentello vs TBA Heavyweight match Frank Mir vs Marcia "Pe de Pano" Cruz Heavyweight match Justin Eilers vs Brandon Vera Heavyweight match Keith Jardine vs Mike Whitehead Your thoughts please. Yes, I noticed there is another thread but that's got all the offical announcements so far, I figure it can't hurt to have another here for rumoured matches. I think Monson/Lee Hinkle could be a snore if Monson doesn't finish it quick. He's got good sweeps and takedowns and is a lot more of a finisher in MMA than in grappling so it could be a short fight... hopefully. If it becomes a wrestling contest it could be boring. I don't see either wanting to strike standing. Ace vs The Crow. This could be very interesting. Loiseau has good sub defense, better kicks and elbows but Ace has better hands, good submissions and a solid guard. However a Loiseau TKO can come very easily with just one elbow. I personally think this will be a war but Franklin will find a way to win. Eilers vs Vera should not last too long and I expect Vera to win. He's a got good submissions and grappling thanks to Lloyd Irvin and regular sparring partner Dean Lister, good striking that's improving under Rob Kaman and always comes in with a gameplan. Eilers is coming back from surgery on his quad and hamstring so I expect Vera to kills his legs, get him off balance and then finish him either standing or on the ground. Mike Whitehead is a tough fighter but not top class at 7-4 losing last to Brandon Vera. Keith Jardine is 8-1-1 and has very nice striking with a solid if simple ground game. This could go to decision however hopefully Jardine can finish it sooner to avoid the judges. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lord of The Curry 0 Report post Posted December 10, 2005 Why all the heavyweight love? I mean, I realize that they have zero depth in that division but you'd think a PPV headlined by the one of the biggest fights in company history would warrant.....well........better fighters. No Diaz, Sanchez, Penn, Hughes, GSP, Stevenson or Karo? Weak. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cameron chaos 0 Report post Posted December 10, 2005 Penn vs GSP for a title shot is being talked about for UFC 58 with Hughes vs Karo possibly on the same card. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lei Tong 0 Report post Posted December 10, 2005 Jardine's stand-up is decent, but nothing special. Assuming Whitehead has his head screwed on straight, there's no reason he shouldn't smother Jardine to death en route to a JD. Also, me and Blue agreed that PDP v. Monson would've been a much better use of both guys, as the legitmiate hatred between them could've been built up, and Monson's relatively boring game would've at least played into PDP's hands to some extent. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lord of The Curry 0 Report post Posted December 10, 2005 Legit hate? Elabortion, please. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cameron chaos 0 Report post Posted December 10, 2005 Legit hate? Elabortion, please. At the Arnold Classic 2004 grappling competition, Monson was in Pe De Pano's guard. According to the rules, neck cranks were allowed as part of a guard pass but not as submissions. Monson was up on points and in Cruz's guard. Aware of the rules, Pe De Pano tapped out to a neck crank as Monson was setting up a guard pass. Monson was ruled to have broken the rules and Pe De Pano won by disqualificiation. Monson has said if he got the chance again he'd rip Pe De Pano's head clean off for fucking him over like that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Brian Report post Posted December 10, 2005 Pe de Pano is an awesome heel. The more I read about this guy, the more I'm supposed to hate him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RavishingRickRudo 0 Report post Posted December 10, 2005 ...and the more you CAN'T. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Your Paragon of Virtue 0 Report post Posted December 10, 2005 I wonder if Pa De Pano will pull a Traven and totally freeze up while getting struck and just give up an arm? Probably not, if his last fight is any indication. We'll see for sure how well he made the adjustment from submission grappling to MMA in this fight. It's weird that a great BJJ guy will have an attitude like that. You'd think he'd remember getting humbled like crazy when he was coming up through the ranks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
