UFC 117:

So now what?

Welcome to the Followup to UFC 117: USA vs Brazil. First off, I want to thank www.squabbles.com for giving the links to the pre-lims, and Robert, for giving me a format to steal. Sadly I was unable to watch the fights live, but that situation allowed me to spend the day watching the entire show while most of you were working. NOTE: I have Shane Bowen’s picks in here as well, as I do have then pre-show.

The card itself was BY FAR the best of the year- and might be the best card I can think of in recent memory. While not might have the re-watchability of say UFC 100, but still an excellent show. I would also like to thank my phone for not exploding with the over 200 Tweets I had that night, I got to see the PPV mainly live, but watching on twitter is a pain. We will have a main-card preview of Strikeforce: Whatever this week, and then back to UFC 118: Old Boxer vs Older Wrestler next week. Great things to come in MMA.

Enough talking- Who’s a Smuck?

Note: all records are pre-event

The Fight:
Welterweight bout:
Dennis Hallman (41-13-2) vs. Ben Saunders (8-2-2)

Result: Hallman defeated Saunders via unanimous decision

Picks:
Shane: Hallman Rd 3 Sub (1 right)
David: Saunders DEC
Joseph: Saunders, TKO, R2.

Hallman just stunned me here, I mean Ben Saunders is not going to be keeping GSP up late at night, unless he is delivering pizza at a showing of “Inception” at his house, but he should have been good enough to beat Hallman. Saunders better hope Joe Silva doesn’t ask for his playbook this week, and I think Hallman may get that 3rd matchup with Matt Hughes on a fight night in 2011.

The Fight
Heavyweight bout:
Stefan Struve (19-4) vs. Christian Morecraft (6-0)

Result: Struve defeated Morecraft via TKO (punches) at 0:21 of round 2

Picks:
Shane: Struve Rd 2 SUB (2)
David: Morecraft, TKO R2
Joseph: Struve, submission, R1. (1)

Struve got just his but whupped for 5 minutes, I scored it a 10-8, but I didn’t think he was ever really in danger of getting stopped. I think Morecraft has earned another shot in the UFC but I was really impressed by Stuve here, I have no idea who to match him with, Cro-Cop in a Euro-UFc event would be interesting, but Pat Barry? Yvel? Who really is not going to dump him on his head and give us a K-1 UFC bout? I think Morecraft is a more intesting prospect to needs to learn HEAD MOVEMENT.

Welterweight bout:
Johny Hendricks (8-0) vs. Charlie Brenneman (12-1)

Result: Hendricks defeated Brenneman via TKO (punches) at 0:40 of round 2.

Winner:
Shane: Hendricks Rd 2 TKO (3)
David: Hendricks, DEC (1)
Joseph: Hendricks, UD. (2)

Interesting fight, I think Hendricks could see the main card next or at least a Spike show- I still don’t know if he has lived up to that gaudy record, but Brenneman has some GLARING holes in his game. I think a good training gym, and a return in 2011 could make him scary as he has some flashes of Pretty Dayum Good.

Light Heavyweight bout:
Todd Brown (15-1) vs. Tim Boetsch (11-3)

Result: Boetsch defeated Brown by unanimous decision

Exposed much? Brown had problems getting going and Tim just kept the pressure up. I wonder just how far Tim can go in the UFC, but I think a rematch with Vladimir Matyushenko could be in order. Cyrille Diabaté might be a good one to see as well.

Winner:
Shane: Boetsch Rd 3 DEC (4)
David: Brown DEC
Joseph: Boetsch by TKO, R1. (3)

Light Heavyweight bout:
Rodney Wallace (9-2) vs. Phil Davis (6-0)

Result: Davis defeated Wallace via unanimous decision

Picks:
Shane: Davis Rd 3 TKO (5)
David: Davis TKO R2 (2)
Joseph: Davis, UD. (4)

Phil Davis needs to works on some things, but just DOMINATED this bout- The hardest thing about this fight was not figuring out who took the round, but if it was 10-9 or 10-8. Phil Davis might actually move up to that 3rd spot behind Jon Jones and Ryan Bader as the undefeated next to come- I think he could get someone like Bonner or Soszinski depending on how Joe Silva thinks of him.

Welterweight bout:
Dustin Hazelett (14-5) vs. Rick Story (10-3)

Result: Story defeated Hazelett via TKO (punches) at 1:15 of round 2

Picks:
Shane: Hazelett Rd 3 SUB
David: Story KO round 2 (3)
Joseph: Hazelett, sub (probably an arm bar), R2.

Pretty simple story here, Hazelett got caught, and Story jumped him, and Dustin had no idea on how to get out of it. Rick just had to punch until the ref came in and not gas. he didn’t the ref did and Rick took the win. I got this one perfect, by the way. I have no idea how far Rick is going to go, but I do know that Dustin is in a serious win or go home situation. Rick could be looking at Mike Swick who needs a credible win to get back into the title chase.

Main card

Heavyweight bout:
Junior dos Santos (11-1) vs. Roy Nelson (15-4)

Result: dos Santos defeated Nelson via unanimous decision

Picks:
Shane: Cigano Rd 1 KO/TKO (6)
David: Roy Nelson TKO 3
Joseph: JDS, KO, R1. (5)

I think this is a bout that actually HELPS both fighters, JDS most of course, but any questions of him having a Carwin-like cardio issues is null and void now. JDS simply beat on Roy for 15 minutes, never really got predictable, and ate a MONSTER shot at the beginning of the second round that would have dropped most guys. Roy Nelson took the loss- but anyone who thinks he is not a top 7 heavyweight fighter at LEAST is a nut. I’d like to see Roy face Mir or even Cro-Cop for the name next.

Welterweight bout:
Ricardo Almeida (12-3)5 vs. Matt Hughes (44-7)

Result: Hughes defeated Almeida via submission at 3:15 of round 1.

Picks:
Shane: Hughes Rd 3 DEC (7)
David: Hughes, Sub 2 (4)
Joseph: Almeida, UD.

Damn you Shane, NO ONE picked Hughes- he was a -160 in Vegas, several sites I frequent ALL picked against him, Thought I was a GENIUS, Then Shane has to come screw it up. Oh Well. Matt Hughes has standup? WTF? Almeida is getting dropped from the UFC, or at least he should. WW is getting WAY too deep to let a guy this limited play around. Love the Ref job here as well, Matt Hughes is telling him repeatly- hey, ref check an arm or something! I know I havn’t ever seen someone go out to a FRONT HEADLOCK, other than maybe the Brooklyn Brawler, but I’ll wait to see if Joao can find one where someone went to sleep with this. Matt wants to go hunt until 2011, I think that is a stupid decision. He’s getting older, and the UFC is not looking to sign anymore Gracies as far as I know (of course, there is that one in Strikeforce. . . )

Lightweight bout:
Clay Guida (26-11) vs. Rafael dos Anjos (14-4)

Result: Guida defeated dos Anjos via submission R3

Picks:
Shane: Guida Rd 3 SUB (8)
David: Guida TKO Rd 3 (5)
Joseph: Guida, UD. (6)

The POWAH OF JACKSON!! unlike Melvin Guillard and others, Guida really didn’t improve, I honestly don’t know where Guida goes from here, I want to see him in the WEC, to be honest- he could replace Jens Pulver as a go-to guy and maybe even get to the Faber level. I just don’t see him doing anything to a top 7 guy at 155. dos Anjos showed a TON of heart- and that should keep him on the main, or at least a Spike event. Lightweight is just stacked and dos Anjos slips WAY down the ladder, Guida stays where he was, 3rd or 4th from the top.

Welterweight bout:
Thiago Alves (16-6) vs. Jon Fitch (22-3)

Result: Fitch defeated Alves via unanimous decision

Picks:
Shane: Fitch Rd 3 TKO (9)
David: Alves DES
Joseph: Alves, KO, R3.

Everything said Fitch here, I picked Alves with my heart not with my brain, my error, that I will repeat, I’m sure. But Fitch did what he needed to do, and as much as I love ground game, he bored me for 15 minutes, never seemed to be close to a 10-8 round, let alone a finish. Alves gave up 20% of his purse, but i don’t think the cut hurt him too much. He needs to go to 185 and slam some muscle on him. I think Alves is in serious trouble if he wants to stay at 170, I think he is close to getting passed by the more well rounded fighters in the UFC championship chase. IF Alves can cut to 170 and has to stay there, then DHK or even John Hathaway could be a heckuva fight.

Middleweight Championship bout:
Anderson Silva (26-4) vs. Chael Sonnen (24-10-1)

Result: Silva defeated Sonnen via submission (triangle choke) at 3:10 of round 5

Picks:
Shane: Sonnen Rd 5 TKO
David: Silva TKO R3 (6)
Joseph: Silva via triangle, R2. (7)

HOLY CRAP, Do I really need to break down this fight? Sonnen did better than anyone else has EVER done. Anderson hit Chael 16 times, SIXTEEN TIMES. Per fightmetric, Anderson was hit EIGHTY-ONE times MORE than in his ENTIRE UFC CAREER so far! Look who Anderson has beaten, one of the best Middleweights in the world. . .TWICE, a former light-heavyweight champion, the only Dual Champion in Major-level MMA history, and so on and so forth, and Sonnen blew them ALL away. Sadly, I knew he was gonna get caught- Joseph even called the triangle. Just unreal. The problem is, this fight isn’t really rewatchable, I’m not throwing this fight in my DVD player this time next year- same as Rashad/Rampage- I’ve seen it already. Brock/Carwin? I’ll watch that again, Roy/JDS? I’ll watch that again. A rematch is in order, we might get Vitor Belfort to have to make 185 in a fight with Bisping or Wandy before he gets a shot, if he wants to fight in 2010.

Final -

Shane with 9 correct, 3 perfect
Joseph with 6 correct, 1 perfect
David with 6 correct, 1 perfect

Overall, we all got over half right, and Shane carried top prize, but this was an EXCELLENT show, as I have said before. I think if Anderson was getting bored before, he has got some MAJOR problems coming up, and every wrestler with good submission defense wants the next shot. I bet Hendo is hating life right now.