Guest brian Posted January 14, 2006 Report Share Posted January 14, 2006 I figure from here on out, any shows we discuss should get their own threads. I think Spike moved the time back because they wanted to make sure they had the lkast hour sans competition, as they figured that the Unleashed shows drew better for the second hour. Here's the card: Melvin "The Young Assassin" Guillard vs Josh 'The Dentist' Neer Jonathan "The Road Warrior" Goulet vs Duane "Bang" Ludwig Jason "Live Wire" Von Flue vs. Alex "Assassin" Karalexis Chris "The Crippler" Leben vs Jorge "El Conquistador" Rivera Drew "The Master" Fickett vs Josh "The People's Warrior" Burkman Spencer "The King" Fisher vs Aaron Riley Stephan "American Psycho" Bonnar vs James "Sandman" Irvin Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia vs Assuerio Silva I'm picking all the guys on the left to win, and the match-ups all look good. Hopefully they can fit five match on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest brian Posted January 14, 2006 Report Share Posted January 14, 2006 Ultimate Fight Night 3 Monday, January 16, 2006 The Joint - Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, Nevada By Stephen Quadros, ?The Fight Professor? As I watched the 78th Scripps Annual Spelling Bee, I weepingly realized?that I was inspired. Not because of the $22,000.00 in grand prize money or the scholarship that was awarded to the teen who won (I forget his name?), but watching the look on his face; he knew deep down inside that not only had he given his very best effort but that he had also achieved that ever elusive goal, to BE the best at what one does. Which brings us to the third installment of the popular Ultimate Fight Night series. I don?t know how well each of these fine lads fighting on this show can spell but I will speak with authority on the fact that they all yearn for and are heading for a chance to prove (or re-prove in at least a few cases) that they are ?the best?. But realistically, that quest is a ways away for a good portion of them. Will some soon (prematurely?) face the fire as Nate Quarry did when he was squashed by UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin recently? I hope not. Only time will tell how these hopefuls fare as they careen towards that chance to carve a piece of the MMA pie for themselves. There ARE some bright prospects here. In a natural spin-off/sequel to any good UFC headliner, this ?When Undercards Ruled The Earth? show might surprise us all. In a way the UFN series could become this generation?s Tuesday Night Fights (the old USA boxing show that launch many a career into stardom and resuscitated many more from professional extinction). Tim Sylvia Vs. Assuerio Silva Of course WE won?t get confused?even though it?s SYLVIA versus SILVA! Heck no. Hahaha. Being a commentator myself, I know that this match will be a challenge to announce. We?re probably going to hear their first names quite a bit during the broadcast. How will the fight go? ?Wham, bam, thank you mam.? Those are actually lyrics sang by David Bowie way back in the early 1970s in the rock anthem ?Suffragette City?. But even though dapper David was singing about a different kind of ?smack up? than we have here with S versus S, the song could easily be reinterpreted to fit what will inevitably happen when former UFC heavyweight Tim Sylvia hopes to send Brazilian wrecking machine Assuerio Silva rolling out on the UFC welcome mat on Saturday night. These two have big time punching power accompanied with basic ground skills. If that isn?t a combination for a train wreck, I don?t know what is. No truth to the rumor that Allstate balked at insuring either gent for this one. Sylvia didn?t look too clunky when he head kicked stationary Tra Telligman into the next millennium (UFC 54). But if PRIDE veteran Silva is on his game he will be ON Sylvia quick. I really can?t see how this will go the distance, somebody is going to land a punch on somebody?s dome and somebody is going to sleep. Who will the recipient be of this honor? Hmm. If Assuerio is going to turn Tim into a falling tower (Silvia is 6? 8? tall) he will have to do it in panther-like fashion. He can?t wait on the outside and pick his shots. If The ?Maine-iac? (Sylvia) is going to prevail he needs to keep it standing and fire long range rockets. But the fight?s outcome may all depend what kind of shape Silva is in, if he still possesses his quickness and if he can turn this into a phone booth situation. Traditionally the former Chute Boxe tough man (Assuerio) is always in great condition so I am forecasting a rain of punches?by both guys. Long story short, I lean towards the Brazilian to be giving the winning post fight interview. Stephan Bonnar Vs. James Irvin Stephan Bonnar is really going to be tested in this one. WEC (World Extreme Cagefighting) heavyweight champion James Irving is a superb athlete with really quick hands. But most will remember him for his flying knee KO over Terry Martin (another WEC fighter) at UFC 54. And now that he has dropped down to light-heavyweight his confidence seemed to have grown. Bonnar will always be tied to one of 2005?s best MMA fights when he was eked out in the Ultimate Fighter Finals from TUF: Season 1 by Forrest Griffin. That match saw him slug with a slugger. Even Griffin commented in his interview after the match that he expected Bonnar to take him down and try to force a jiu-jitsu style match (Stephan is a disciple of Carlson Gracie). If Bonnar fights smart he will do just that, get Irvin on his back. There lies his not so secret plan to prevail. Fighting exclusively in a standing match with Irvin is a not a good game plan in my opinion. I believe that there is strong possibility that this fight will go the distance and because I have a high opinion of both men, I foresee the winner AND the loser to be (relatively) secure in a future inside the Octagon. But I am not ruling out a KO (most likely by Irvin) or a submission (by Bonnar) either. My pick to win? Yikes, the pressure! James has a knockout punch but needs work on his ground game. Stephan represents the reverse of that coin. My heart tells me Bonnar but my gut tells me Irvin so my brain will be the tiebreaker: I pick Bonnar to win a really hard fight in a breakout performance. Chris Leben Vs. Jorge Rivera Chris Leben really impressed me when he out scrapped tough Canadian Patrick Cote. I really imagined that Leben would end up getting short circuited in the advent that they stayed on their feet for long. He not only hung tough with the Canadian but he controlled the fight with his natural propensity for getting directly in his opponents face. Jorge Rivera poses an even greater test for Chris because the Bostonian is a superb Muay Thai fighter (under the tutelage of Mark Dellagrotte) with and ever-improving ground game. After losing a hellacious battle to Rich Franklin in UFC 50 he snuck off to England?s top notch Cage Rage organization and gained a great reputation by beating Alex Reid in one of those highlight clip KOs and weathering the grappling onslaught and then decisioning Gracie Barra?s Marcelo Azeredo. The speed bump he hit while traipsing in the land of teatime and Wembley was in a guy who is in most people?s top ten (let alone top five) in Anderson Silva. Rivera fell to the Brazilian after a spirited effort. Which bring us to Leben versus Rivera. If Chris can continue his mind over matter routine he can take this one. It all depends on what mental artillery each guy brings to the cage. If Jorge isn?t completely focused and doesn?t come out on fire, Chris Leben will ad him to his belt notches. Melvin Guillard Vs. Josh Neer ?Do you know who I am?? Those words set New Orleans survivor Melvin ?The Young Assassin? Guillard apart from the rest of the pack on The Ultimate Fighter 2. Cocky? Do ya think? I say, so what. The kid?s a warrior (not to mention a New Orleans resident who survived 23 hurricanes last year!). And who could forget when he went into Dana White?s office and put forth the proposition that he was going to drop out of the show because he couldn?t handle it?only to turn around and tell the UFC president he was joking. I like this guy?s persona/energy and even though he is/was a diamond in the rough, when it comes to the technical aspects of the game, he could rise very high in the sport because of what goes on in his head. Melvin?s opponent, Josh Neer, AKA ?The Dentist?, is a man who just loves to throw down with whoever is in front of him. He seems to have gotten better on the ground too but has lost there too. I think Melvin will win this by ground and pound. Duane "Bang" Ludwig Vs. Jonathan Goulet It?s good to see Duane Ludwig back on American TV. But he is in against a tough fighter in Jonathan Goulet (Canada). Goulet has beaten some good fighters like Jeff Joslin (decision), Shonie Carter (Submission/choke), Tony Fryklund (TKO, Avenging an earlier loss) and John Alessio (decision). The only ?potential? problem he faces going into this one is that all five of his losses have come by way of KO or TKO. Technically speaking that?s not good when you face a slick striker like Ludwig. Duane has had his shares of woes however, coming off two losses back-to-back in his last two fights. Everyone was shocked when Sam Morgan KO?d him but not surprised when BJ Penn submitted Ludwig. So because I believe that momentum is always a factor, I would say that Goulet has a solid chance here. Alex Karalexis Vs. Jason Von Flue Ooh, this is going to be good. I pick Jason in a dogfight. And his post-fight interview should be interesting too. Drew Fickett Vs. Josh Burkman Drew Fickett can?t hang back in this one. If he does he will fall prey to the hustle of Josh Burkman. But if Drew dictates he could/should win by submission. Spencer Fisher Vs. Aaron Riley Everyone knows Aaron Riley as the man who can take a punch. But he has other tools too, like the ability to GIVE one. He is also is very sound at escaping submissions. Fisher is well rounded and has an impressive record of 15-1 but he is going to lose this particular match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cam Chaos Posted January 14, 2006 Report Share Posted January 14, 2006 I'd be very surprised if Rivera doesn't smash Leben. Could be match of the night IMO if Bonnar vs Irvin isn't. I'd like to see Assuerio ruins Sylvia's shit something fierce, his MT is very entertaining once he gets a rhythm going and I hope we get at least two rounds out of him. I don't think anything Sylvia has in him will be equal to that of his old buddies at Chute Boxe and new buddies at the Muay Thai Dream Team. A jumping roundhouse KO would be nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest brian Posted January 17, 2006 Report Share Posted January 17, 2006 This is tongiht for those who don't know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Dog Posted January 17, 2006 Report Share Posted January 17, 2006 I'll catch it in the morning so I can skip the commercials. Then hopefully if the matches are good I'll record it onto DVD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Dog Posted January 17, 2006 Report Share Posted January 17, 2006 Wow. 4 seconds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted January 17, 2006 Report Share Posted January 17, 2006 Wow, there's sure a lot of talking on this show. Makes RAW look fast paced by comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheShawshankRudotion Posted January 17, 2006 Report Share Posted January 17, 2006 It's hard to schedule time for live tv and live fights because you have to assume all the fights are going to go the distance when you book the show (otherwise, if all the fights DO go the distance, you're scrambling and you're going to go over), so they did it a fight every half-hour, with 4 fights over a 2 hour time period. They obviously hope for the fights to go longer than a few minutes, but they have contingencies just in case they are short. In all honesty, this was one of the better jobs they've done managing for time. This show did what it was supposed to do, which is make stars. Tell me you don't want to see Josh Burkman, Stephan Bonnar, Bang Ludwig, Chris Leben, and even Silva and Sylvia again. And most of them, next time, will be on PPV. I was disappointed that we didn't get any great matches like the TUF finales, but overall I thought it was a good show. Not a great show, but a good one. I thought the Heavyweight match was tremendous for a heavyweight match, I would have liked to see either guy really GO for it, though, rather than throw one-two combos and singular shots. I think Silva was robbed in regards to 2 judges scoring the fight 30-27, because he won that third round. Infact, I think Big John should have taken away a point from Tim for the excessive fence grabbing, which would have made the fight 28-28. Overall, Tim won that match, but when it comes to the UFC scoring, I think it was a draw. I liked the way Tim was using his kicks and knees (WOW, flying knees) and Silva really should have been working the body from the first round, rather than discovering "hey, this guy is wide open in the mid-section" in the 3rd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rob Posted January 17, 2006 Report Share Posted January 17, 2006 I was also thinking that there was way too much talking, but I came to the conclusion like Rudo that they had to assume that the matches would last 10-15 minutes, to ensure that nothing would be cut due to time constraints. Personally, I like watching some longer fights, especially when following a 11 second knockout you are subjected to 30 minutes of chatting and promo videos, that kinda pissed me off. Overall though, definitely more enjoyable than anything else that was on TV from 10:00-12:00. The Best of '05 show was awesome from what I saw, and the rest of it is on my DV-R. Relatively recently I started watching UFC and I have never bought a PPV, so I hadn't seen any of those matches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted January 17, 2006 Report Share Posted January 17, 2006 I understand its hard to schedule real fights for live TV, but as a lifelong wrestling fan who really wants to give UFC a fair shake it was just too much for my channel changing reflex. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rob Posted January 17, 2006 Report Share Posted January 17, 2006 I actually came into the show 30 minutes late and was able to FF through a lot of the filler and commercials, but then before I knew it, I was up to the live portion. The DV-R is perfect for shows like this. I haven't watched an entire WWE program in ages, but I'm sure it would be more enjoyable if you just waited an hour and then started watching it. You'd probably be done in 45 minutes tops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheShawshankRudotion Posted January 17, 2006 Report Share Posted January 17, 2006 Oh shit, I understand that, especially for pro wrestling fans who essentially have ADD when it comes to action. I can't watch any other sports than wrestling and fighting because of this, because the lags in between periods or downs or whatever just sorta take my attention away from the action. But I like MMA enough to stand it. I would have liked to have seen the other fights on the card, but I can understand why they kept them off (they want to air them on Unleashed), I don't like it, but I won't really complain because it's not necessarily the wrong move for them to do and I will eventually see those fights, and I would prefer to see those fights on Unleashed than see Sylvia vs. Rodriguez for the dozenth time.. It's a tough situation. I don't mind talk as long as its talk that gets me hyped. Why not have GSP and Penn on there, why not have Loiseau and Franklin, why not have Mir, or anyone else fighting at the next PPV? They seemed to just focus on Couture/Liddell. Maybe if they did fighter profiles instead, take a camera crew and follow the guys who are fighting, and air them if you have time, and if you don't, then it's no big deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rob Posted January 17, 2006 Report Share Posted January 17, 2006 It's a tough situation. I don't mind talk as long as its talk that gets me hyped. Why not have GSP and Penn on there, why not have Loiseau and Franklin, why not have Mir, or anyone else fighting at the next PPV? They seemed to just focus on Couture/Liddell. Maybe if they did fighter profiles instead, take a camera crew and follow the guys who are fighting, and air them if you have time, and if you don't, then it's no big deal. Yeah, as opposed to that fucking douche who is the host of that King of Vegas game show that's starting. His most retarded line was saying how the UFC "characters" are just like his gambling "characters". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheShawshankRudotion Posted January 17, 2006 Report Share Posted January 17, 2006 I was actually kinda happy they had that. I mean, it sucked, but it shows SPIKE has enough faith in the UFC to start piggybacking other shows on top of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Local Jobber R Posted January 17, 2006 Report Share Posted January 17, 2006 His most retarded line was saying how the UFC "characters" are just like his gambling "characters".The man speaks the truth, character development is the driving force for everything that is on tv without it tv would be boring. The way he went on to say it maybe retarded but he does have a point.....oh and the look on Joe Rogan's face was classic. It was like Joe was thinking "WTF is this idiot doing stealing my best lines". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted January 17, 2006 Report Share Posted January 17, 2006 I think he was just pissed that UFC has been hammering the point home in their commercials that what they do is REALLY REALLY REAL and that chucklehead referred to them as "characters" which puts you in the mind of pro wrestling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rob Posted January 18, 2006 Report Share Posted January 18, 2006 His most retarded line was saying how the UFC "characters" are just like his gambling "characters".The man speaks the truth, character development is the driving force for everything that is on tv without it tv would be boring. The way he went on to say it maybe retarded but he does have a point.....oh and the look on Joe Rogan's face was classic. It was like Joe was thinking "WTF is this idiot doing stealing my best lines". What Sek said. I agree with you that interesting characters is ONE of the reasons why people might watch the UFC, but I highly doubt that's the driving force. It was basically a slap in the face to those guys that are trying to establish themselves as legitimate fighters, comparing them to that fat dude from King of Vegas that was dressed like a pimp and screaming at the top of his lungs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted January 18, 2006 Report Share Posted January 18, 2006 "HE CUTS THE TABLE IN HALF! WITH AN INVISIBLE CHAINSAW!" I dislike Joe Rogan, but that made me cringe in embarrassment for him having to be next to that clown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Dog Posted January 18, 2006 Report Share Posted January 18, 2006 So where does Leben sit as far as title shot now? I'm glad he won as maybe it'll shut up some of the morons on the net claiming the TUF guys are talentless losers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dangerous A Posted January 18, 2006 Report Share Posted January 18, 2006 Ok, I'm not up to speed or date with my MMA game. Haven't seen hardly any Matt Hughes. I've seen Royce Gracie back in the day. Recently Royce had a draw with some 150 lb. dude that he should've defeated. On F4Daily, Mike Coughlin and Bryan Alvarez are saying Royce has little chance here. My question... Is Matt Hughes really, really good or has Royce fallen off really, really badly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Dog Posted January 18, 2006 Report Share Posted January 18, 2006 It's a combination of the two. Hughes is probably the best welterweight in the world right now and Gracie's fallen off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest brian Posted January 19, 2006 Report Share Posted January 19, 2006 I think Leben's on the brink of being a top ten or twelve at his weight class, though the gap between top five and the next grouping of guys is probably pretty big Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheShawshankRudotion Posted January 19, 2006 Report Share Posted January 19, 2006 People using the Tokoro fight as evidence that Royce has fallen off don't know what they're talking about. Tokoro a few months earlier beat someone people widely considered one of the top P4P fighters in Lil Nog and escaped his infamous guillotine choke. People put so much importance on wins and losses and weight difference and tend to put that over styles and skill level. Tokoro is someone that is hard to submit and Royce relies primarily on submissions, and it's not like Royce is known for his power so it's not like he's going to outmuscle Tokoro, despite being about 30 lbs heavier. So people who say that are just looking at the fight on paper and ignoring everything else. Royce can beat Hughes. Hughes has gotten caught in submissions in several fights (vs. Trigg, vs. BJ, vs. Verissimo, vs. Newton, vs. Hallman) by guys with lesser submission skill than Gracie and Royce has the ability to catch him. The chances of Hughes beating Royce are far greater than Gracie winning, but I'd give Royce maybe a 1 in 7 chance of winning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Dog Posted January 19, 2006 Report Share Posted January 19, 2006 I'm not basing Gracie's decline on any fights. Just age mostly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheShawshankRudotion Posted January 19, 2006 Report Share Posted January 19, 2006 But what does age have to do with it? Did Royce win his fights before on youth? Was Matt Hughes beaten because his opponents simply were younger than him? Royce wasn't known for strength, speed, cardio, reflexes or anything that would typically go with age. Royce was a skill-based fighter, and you don't lose skill if you've been continually training since childhood. I forgot to say that Brian Alvarezes MMA opinion is the equivalent of his opinions on the Nikkei index, and Mike Coughlins aren't that far behind. WO.com is the last place anyone should go for MMA thoughts and analysis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts