UFC 91: Couture vs Lesnar

[BruteSquad_BRODY 0]

UFC 91: Couture vs. Lesnar is an upcoming mixed martial arts event to be held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on November 15, 2008 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada [1]

 

The main event will feature the return of UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture versus Brock Lesnar in a title bout.

 

Wiki has this listed as the undercard, but I don't think the Rampage bout was announced anywhere:

 

 

 

Light Heavyweight bout: Quinton Jackson vs. Wanderlei Silva

Lightweight bout: Kenny Florian vs. Joe Stevenson

Lightweight bout: Jeremy Stephens vs. Rafael dos Anjos

Middleweight bout Nick Catone vs. Amir Sadollah

Heavyweight bout Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Josh Hendricks

 

-----

 

Randy is the favorite on Sportsbook at -125, Brock is listed at -105

[Lord of The Curry 0]

It's Rampage vs TBA as of right now. Dana said recently that he doesn't think Wanderlei will be fighting this year, I imaigne because they're saving him for the Superbowl show.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

Mik's boy Tamden McCrory is fighting Dustin Hazelett on this card...

 

WAR MCLOVIN~!

[Lord of The Curry 0]

Barn Cat's getting euthanized. Sorry Mik.

[KobashiFS 0]

Randy is the favorite on Sportsbook at -125, Brock is listed at -105

 

I'll be putting some money down on Lesnar. I've underestimated Couture in his last few fights, but with the layoff and his age I see him losing. Lesnar will be too physical and I expect his rate of improvement to continue and be showcased against Randy.

[Mik 0]

Mik's boy Tamden McCrory is fighting Dustin Hazelett on this card...

 

WAR MCLOVIN~!

 

Awesome fight. Battle of the 21-22 year old phenoms (?). I'd say Hazelett's the favorite but it's not open and shut. I think Tamden can do some work against Dustin on the feet... maybe not so much on the ground.

[HollywoodSpikeJenkins 0]

McLOVIN~!

[Lord of The Curry 0]

Mik's boy Tamden McCrory is fighting Dustin Hazelett on this card...

 

WAR MCLOVIN~!

 

Awesome fight. Battle of the 21-22 year old phenoms (?). I'd say Hazelett's the favorite but it's not open and shut. I think Tamden can do some work against Dustin on the feet... maybe not so much on the ground.

 

I haven't seen the Cummo fight but did Luke ever got for a takedown? And if so how did Tamdan fare? 'Cause with those long limbs of his if it hits the mat Hazlett's going to be like a kid in a candy store in terms of the variety of subs he can latch on.

[Mik 0]

Tamdan spent a little time on his back in the fight, IIRC, but was never even remotely close to being subbed. I can't remember how they ended up on the ground, though. He has a pretty decent guard, but like I said... he's no ground expert so he's probably going to want to stay standing.

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

He'll have problems standing with Hazelett to... Hazelett hits hard and will bust up a face. Did you guys see Burkman's face after their fight?

[Mik 0]

I know you guys are all high on McLovin but Tamdan isn't exactly chopped liver. He wasn't even 21 when he made his UFC debut and subbed Spratt (meaningless, I know) but he didn't wilt under the pressure of his debut against a veteran despite not even being old enough to go out drinking after the fight. He was clubbing Gono and in my opinion easily won round 1 before got got caught in the armbar (rookie mistake) and then he pretty much dominated Luke Cummo his last time out. He's doesn't turn 22 until a week or so after this fight against Hazelett.

 

Tamdan's main problem right now, in my opinion, is his camp. Team Bomb Squad isn't exactly the highest of caliber and I've mentioned this before but one of Tamdan's main instructors also was my boxing/muay thai coach while I took them as a gym class at college and I don't know... I never envisioned him as a successful trainer. He always sort of reminded me of Rex from Napoleon Dynamite.

 

I still like Hazelett but it's not like Tamdan is going to get embarrassed or anything. At least I don't see it shaking out that way.

[HollywoodSpikeJenkins 0]

Armbar off the Whizzer.

 

 

FTW.

[Lord of The Curry 0]

I know you guys are all high on McLovin but Tamdan isn't exactly chopped liver. He wasn't even 21 when he made his UFC debut and subbed Spratt (meaningless, I know) but he didn't wilt under the pressure of his debut against a veteran despite not even being old enough to go out drinking after the fight. He was clubbing Gono and in my opinion easily won round 1 before got got caught in the armbar (rookie mistake) and then he pretty much dominated Luke Cummo his last time out. He's doesn't turn 21 until a week or so after this fight against Hazelett.

 

Tamdan's main problem right now, in my opinion, is his camp. Team Bomb Squad isn't exactly the highest of caliber and I've mentioned this before but one of Tamdan's main instructors also was my boxing/muay thai coach while I took them as a gym class at college and I don't know... I never envisioned him as a successful trainer. He always sort of reminded me of Rex from Napoleon Dynamite.

 

I still like Hazelett but it's not like Tamdan is going to get embarrassed or anything. At least I don't see it shaking out that way.

 

"Clubbing Gono"

 

Somebody's been sippin' on the Rogan-Aid

[Lei Tong 0]

He'll have problems standing with Hazelett to... Hazelett hits hard and will bust up a face. Did you guys see Burkman's face after their fight?

 

IIRC, Burkman's cut was caused by an awkwardly landed high kick late in the fight, as I think Hazelett caught him with his toe-nails on the kick.

[Mik 0]

Maybe I am biasing the degree but not the point. Tamdan was more aggressive, controlled the pace of the fight and kept pushing Gono while they were on their feet.

[Lord of The Curry 0]

Oh yeah, no doubt he won the 1st due to agressiveness but Gono's a slow starter and once he found his range....well....you know the rest.

[The Niggardly King 0]

Yup, Barn Cat got Gonownd.

 

 

[Lord of The Curry 0]

It's Rampage vs TBA as of right now. Dana said recently that he doesn't think Wanderlei will be fighting this year, I imaigne because they're saving him for the Superbowl show.

 

So it looks like this fight is in fact going down at this show as MMAJunkie is reporting sources from wthin Jackson's new training camp The Wolfslair Academy in the UK that he's begun a training camp and his expected opponent is none other then Mr. Axe Murderer himself.

[Mik 0]

Rampage has strongly hinted in some interviews that the result will be different this time around due to lack of certain juices.

 

I might be inclined to agree. I don't know. Plus Wand is getting old and Rampage is still in his prime.

 

Fuck...what a co-main event though.

[Hawkius Maximus 0]

If those fights had been that close, maybe. But Rampage got MURDERED both times.

 

Since coming to UFC, no one has really been a striker of the style of Silva against him. Rampage has fought Marvin Eastman, Liddell, Dan Henderson, and was beaten by Forrest Griffin.

 

Silva lost to Liddell in his UFC debut, but then came right back and murdered an up and coming Keith Jardine.

 

Plus, the whole "There won't be doping this time!" thing is a fallacy. Just about everyone in UFC dopes to some degree. That's really just *sports*. The key is, most people are pretty smart about getting off the stuff in time to test clean. Rampage would be correct if he means Silva won't come in roided out of his gourd though.

 

The only thing Rampage has in his favor this time around, would be Silva can't draw the yellow card. That was his prime defense against ground work. There is no such thing in UFC, and if you are a big star (IE Rampage), they'll give you extra long time to work on the ground. So in theory, he'll have a much easier time winning a decision just by holding Silva down.

[Lord of The Curry 0]

I'd love to know what 'roids Silva was on that somehow made Rampage completeley brain-dead when it came to clich defense.

[Hawkius Maximus 0]

I've never bought Rampage's claims. Every "gaijin" in PRIDE was doped out of their mind. I bet Rampage was as well. So him claiming that about Silva and Shogun doesn't lend any credence. If anything, it's more likely that Silva just bought better stuff.

 

And Curry's right. Rampage still says he hates the clinch. He never displayed any improvement from Silva 1 to Shogun. He was defenseless in the clinch, and we still don't know if he is any better.

 

It isn't like Silva and Shogun overpowered Rampage in any of those fights. They just slowly and methodically murdered him. That's not doping there. That's skill and a bad style match up.

[Lord of The Curry 0]

Correction: Silva slowly murdered him. Shogun merked him quickfast.

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

If those fights had been that close, maybe. But Rampage got MURDERED both times.

 

Since coming to UFC, no one has really been a striker of the style of Silva against him. Rampage has fought Marvin Eastman, Liddell, Dan Henderson, and was beaten by Forrest Griffin.

 

Silva lost to Liddell in his UFC debut, but then came right back and murdered an up and coming Keith Jardine.

 

Plus, the whole "There won't be doping this time!" thing is a fallacy. Just about everyone in UFC dopes to some degree. That's really just *sports*. The key is, most people are pretty smart about getting off the stuff in time to test clean. Rampage would be correct if he means Silva won't come in roided out of his gourd though.

 

The only thing Rampage has in his favor this time around, would be Silva can't draw the yellow card. That was his prime defense against ground work. There is no such thing in UFC, and if you are a big star (IE Rampage), they'll give you extra long time to work on the ground. So in theory, he'll have a much easier time winning a decision just by holding Silva down.

 

C'mon dude, what fights were you watching? Rampage was winning both fights until he got caught in the clinch. In the 1st fight, he took down Wanderlei, and wasn't just "holding him down"... But blooding him and constantly throwing strikes, until the referee stood them up which was bullshit. Rampage was being active on the ground.

 

In the 2nd fight, Rampage stunned and floored Wanderlei, and was beating on Wanderlei until the 2nd round, when Wanderlei found a way up and caught Rampage in the clinch. I take nothing away from Wandy's wins, but don't act like it was a complete blowout, because it wasn't.

 

Either way, the fact is Rampage HAS to be better in the clinch, regardless of the controversey surrounding those fights, either it's "doping" or bullshit refing.

 

I still think he will win this time around... He will be able to do more on the ground without having a stupid referee standing them up when it's not needed. Plus he's a lot more smarter fighter nowadays, he's alot more improved defensive minded fighter.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

Rampage is still ducking his head down when in close and he's still throwing those big hooks that cause him to leave himself open for some wild swinging which Wanderlei seems to be, well, okay at I guess. I saw plenty of the same old in the Griffin fight, and he obviously is still not really thinking about leg kicks so much. Unless he gets some serious muay thai training at Wolfslair, and it's hard to correct something like that after so long, he's gonna make the same mistakes and probably get brutally KO'ed again.

[Mik 0]

It's looking like Spike is going to film a three part mini-series in the 24/7 style for the main event. About friggin' time. They need one for GSP/Penn 2 as well.

[Lord of The Curry 0]

Nate Quarry vs Demian Maia.

 

I don't like this fight. Rock feels like a step back for Maia after MacDonald and if he loses he'll fall down the ladder a fair bit. I would've liked to see somebody like Marquardt, Franklin or Hendo.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

Those guys are far too experienced for him at this point and all would probably murder him, style matchups alone. A guy like Quarry is well-rounded enough to test him while giving him a chance to choke out another Team Quest fighter.

[The Niggardly King 0]

Maia Triangle Second