The Sprawl 11.14.09: Volume 36 - Strikeforce, UFC 105 and More!

Posted by Alex Mattis on 11.14.2009

We're down to the wire! On this edition of The Sprawl we'll take a last minute rundown of UFC 105. The UK is in for a bad night and I'll tell you why! Also a look back to the Strikeforce 'Fedor Vs. Rogers' event. All that and more! Come on in!

Hello all and welcome back to "The Sprawl!" Hope all is well with everyone. We're fresh off the heels of Strikeforce's CBS show and it set the pace for the crazy MMA month of November. On this edition of "The Sprawl" we'll look back to the Strikeforce show and rundown UFC 105! LET'S GET DOWN TO IT!!!



Ross Pearson Vs. Aaron Riley
Things aren't going to start well for the UK boys on Spike this Saturday night. Surprising pick for the UFC to put against one of their TUF boys as Aaron Riley is one of the most game and toughest fighters on Zuffa's payroll. Pearson is a scrappy, durable little spitfire, but Riley will prove to be too much for him. On the feet Pearson will have serious problems with Riley. Riley has solid wrestling and we haven't seen how effective Ross can be off his back. Pearson's key to winning this fight would be to take Aaron down and ride out a decision... but that ain't gonna happen. Riley via UD.

James Wilks Vs. Matt Brown
Things are going to get worse for the UK... James Wilks shocked nearly everybody when he won the TUF competition but his ride stops here. While he is very slick with his submissions and has a decent standup game, he isn't ready for someone like Matt Brown. Both the standing and ground game of Brown are devastating and the competition he has faced is top-notch. Wilks has a promising future, but this is just too much for him too soon. While James has great submission skills, Brown had Stun Gun on top of him and pulled through... he'll be ok. The striking game will prove to be too much for Wilks as Brown will take over early in the fight and finish it about half-way through. Brown via Rd 2 TKO.

Michael Bisping Vs. Denis Kang
I was surprised to find that Kang was the betting favorite (listed at -117) as I feel this one is dead even. This is the biggest opportunity of Kang's career, and if he shows up mentally and physically ready there is no way he will lose. One still has to wonder what kind of mental shape Bisping will be in coming into this fight; when that cage door closes will he feel comfortable or will memories of a big right hand haunt him and render him weakened? In top shape, Kang is one of the best 185 lb. fighters in the world but he has been know to blow the big ones. Bisping it tough guy who is always is great shape and is going to be looking for redemption. This is anyone's fight, so flip a coin people! I got heads. I'm apparently picking Kang. Unanimous decision? Sure.

Dan Hardy Vs. Mike Swick
It's quite simple - if Dan Hardy keeps coming forward and does not back up, he has a very good chance of winning this fight. If Swick gets Hardy back peddling he'll be able to shoot in, take him down and use his heavy top-game for a grinding decision. But if Hardy keeps coming forward it will force Michael Q. Swick to throw some shots, leaving Hardy able to land his well-known counter strikes. Both men have great chins, and that will come in handy in this scrap. Hardy will come in ready and if you're looking for the "upset of the night" look no further than this one. Hardy via UD.


UNITED!!!

Randy Couture Vs. Brandon Vera
We all know which Randy Couture is going to show up to the octagon at UFC 105; the real question is "Which Brandon Vera is showing up?" We've seen Randy bring it time and time again, and we've seen Vera blow it over and over. Vera seems like he is finally in the right place and this is his biggest opportunity to make a statement. For Couture this is just another chance to keep the dream alive and keep rollin' with the "competition" he loves so much. Vera is coming into this fight ready, however, and Randy can't compete with that. While Couture will be looking to close the distance, he is going to eat shot after shot and one can only take so much from a striker like Truth. It's been years since Randy has faced a striker as effective as Vera. Expect Brandon to make a statement, like he did in his fight with Frank Mir. Vera via Rd 1 KO.


Will the map to dry land finally pay off?

Prelim Picks!
Paul Taylor Vs. John Hathaway
Terry Etim Vs. Shannon Gugerty
Nick Osipczak Vs. Matthew Riddle
Paul Kelly Vs. Dennis Siver
Alexander Gustafsson Vs. Jared Hamman
Andre Winner Vs. Rolando Delgado



Fabricio Werdum def. Antonio Silva
If there was ever any questions of how tough Werdum is, this fight surely answered them. I thought it was over early in the 1st as Big Foot was bringing the heat, but Werdum showed tremendous heart and got through the trouble. From there, Werdum clearly won a fight - putting away a top opponent and once again assertign himself as one of the world's top heavyweights. Apparently he wants Fedor next… Have fun.

Gegard Mousasi def. Sokoudjou
Much tougher fight than 99% of people expected. Soko came to this fight in the best shape I've seen him in and worked well on his gameplan. It only got him so far however, as when the switch finally turned on in Mousasi head... shit got real. We all know Soko has never been imposing off his back and as most predicted Mousasi was able to pound out the finish. It just too longer than expect. So what is next for Mousasi? Well Strikeforce doesn't have the deepest LHW division right now, but the possible acquisition of Dan Henderson could make for an incredibly interesting fight.

Jake Shields def. Jason Mayhem Miller
Mayhem provided the sizzle, as was expected, with his entrance that was aimed at "pissing off middle-American" according to a patron I watched the event with. Shields showed early that he wanted nothing to do with the standup game of Miller and did the best wet blanket impression he could. I think Shields is incredibly talented but this fight did not show it; Shields was as conservative as he could be. In fact, the most exciting part of the fight came with Miller's near submission of Shield late in the fight (his attempted German suplexes were awesome as well). It was a decisive and impressive victory regardless and once again proved that Jake is a top-tier MMA fighter. A potential MW fight with Dan Henderson, if they were to snatch him, would be excellent.

Fedor murders Brett Rogers
This fight couldn't have worked out any better for Strikeforce and CBS. Strikeforce has "their guy" look good. CBS got a great fight. And America finally saw Fedor. The fight drew nearly five and a half million viewers, which was way more than I expected, and those who tuned in were not disappointed. Fedor keeps his legend going, and Brett proves himself. From bell to bell it was a heart-pounding fight with an ending that will not be forgotten. Frank Shamrock, Mauro, and Gus Johnson losing their fucking minds pretty much summed up everyone's sentiments on the finish.

Closing Thoughts



-Seeing Fedor fight on CBS this past week was an experience like no other MMA has seen. It's been said over and over that Fedor is the "Jordan, Gretzky, Ruth, Ali, Woods, etc." of the sport, but he has never truly highlighted to a mainstream audience... until last Saturday. The world has now seen Fedor. Being a fan of the sport, someone who follows it religiously, I've known of Fedor, how important he's been to the sport of mixed martial arts and how big a part of its history he is. But now that he has been received by the "public," his legend achieved an even higher level of legitimacy.

-The Pacquiao-Cotto boxing match set for the 14th of November promises to be one of best boxing fights of the year. Turning in my real quick prediction: As much as I would like to see Cotto pull out the victory over the P4P king, I just don't see it happening. Pac Man is going to batter Miguel - Look for the end to come in the 7th.

Well that's all for me this week. Have a good weekend and I'll see you right back here next time.

This Week's Top 5: 2009 Fall TV Shows
5. The Office
4. Modern Family
3. The League
2. Community
1. Parks & Recreation
(NBC is running my Thursday nights)

Remember feedback, as always, is welcome at [e-mail] or directly below!

Take care.
-Alex