The Ground and Pound 03.30.06: Ultimate Fight Night
Posted by S. Hernandez on 03.30.2006
For fans of UFC's The Ultimate Fighter reality show, there are a lot of familiar faces on April 6's Ultimate Fight Night card. I'll take a look at the card and give my predictions!
It's time for the latest installment of UFC's Ultimate Fight Night. It will take place live from Las Vegas on Thursday, April 6. This is UFC's fourth live fight card on Spike TV with the prior three being big successes. UFN catches a lot of flack from MMA fans for having too many commercials, too many The Ultimate Fighter competitors, and overall lackluster cards. I, on the other hand, am ecstatic that my favorite sport, mixed martial arts, is on basic cable with the same rules it had five years ago. As much crap as the UFC and Dana White get, the strides Zuffa has made since taking the company over with UFC 30 have been phenomenal.
So let's take a look at this TUF-friendly card:
Undercard Event
Chael Sonnen vs Trevor Prangley
Ansar Chalangov vs Josh Koscheck
Gabriel Gonzaga vs Brad Imes
Jon Fitch vs Josh Burkman
Jason Von Flue vs Luke Cummo
Main Event Card
Luigi Fioravanti vs Chris Leben
Josh Neer vs Joe Stevenson
Sam Hoger vs Rashad Evans
Keith Jardine vs Stephan Bonnar
Now let's pick this bad boy apart!
Chael Sonnen vs Trevor Prangley – I'm really surprised this is not on the main card. I think Prangley will take this one easily. Not only because he has beaten Sonnen before back in 2003 but because I think he's the better fighter. Both are coming off of losses from top competitors but I see Prangley bouncing back easier than Sonnen and taking this one by unanimous decision.
Ansar Chalangov vs Josh Koscheck – Chalangov makes his second UFC appearance after failing to pick up a win at UFC 56. Koscheck, a standout from the first season of TUF, is also coming off a loss. Koscheck, despite his inexperience in the cage, will take this one. He is too strong and too good of a wrestler not to keep Chalangov down. He made the mistake of standing with Drew Fickett in the closing minute of his last fight and got choked out. Koscheck will fight conservatively this time around, which means a lot of lay and pray. Don't get me wrong, Koscheck won't simply blanket Chalangov but he'll stay busy enough to avoid the stand-up. He hasn't proven to me he can finish a fight on the ground. Koscheck gets the dub by unanimous decision.
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Brad Imes – You might remember Gonzaga from his snooze fest with Kevin Jordan followed by a decent knockout. Unfortunately, a week before that fight, his son passed away which can explain his lack of intensity. Gonzaga is actually a decent fighter with the potential for much more. Brad Imes is the same way. He made it to the finals of the second season of TUF but fell to the small Rashad Evans. I just don't think Imes has the experience to be competing at the UFC level yet. Gonzaga takes this one by R2 TKO.
Jon Fitch vs Josh Burkman – This one is really a toss up. Both these guys are young, talented and hungry. They get better everyday. Burkman first impressed me with his fight during the second season of TUF against Melvin Guillard. He fought his fight and won but ended up breaking him arm. Fitch won a tough decision at UFN 2 against Brock Larson. I'll end up calling this one for Burkman. Hopefully via awesome slam like he did against Sam Morgan at TUF 2 Finale.
Jason Von Flue vs Luke Cummo – If I said I couldn't believe Prangley/Sonnen wasn't on the main card, I REALLY can't believe this isn't scheduled to be televised. Von Flue was a mid-season replacement in TUF 2 and had the best fight of the season with Jorge Gurgel where each guy gave their all. Cummo was the "Diego" of season 2, the weirdo no one gave a chance. Well, the weirdo got to the finals where he lost, in my opinion, a close decision to Joe Stevenson. Expect this one to be a banger and expect a knockout. I'm calling it Cummo by KO in R3.
Chris Leben vs Luigi Fioravanti – Leben continues his rise to stardom (albeit a very carefully planned road with carefully picked opponents) against UFC newcomer Fioravanti. Fioravanti is coming in labeled as a BJJ specialist but the guy likes to stand up. Unfortunately, Leben is the guy who ate a clean shot from Patrick Cote and simply smiled back. Leben takes this one by TKO in R1.
Joe Stevenson vs Josh Neer – Neer got his skull cracked open and had his brain almost fall out at UFN 3 but still managed to tap Melvin Guillard out. Joe Stevenson is the Ultimate Fighter Season 2 Welterweight winner. It's definitely a tough test for Stevenson but he's way too strong for Neer. Stevenson has more experience under his belt and while Neer may be a worth challenge, he's simply going to be outpowered this time around. Stevenson via ground and pound TKO in R2.
Rashad Evans vs Sam Hoger – Yeah, I know Evans is the Heavyweight winner of season 2. But how upsetting is it for UFC to go through all that trouble to find a great heavyweight only to have him drop to a more comfortable 205? Hoger has never impressed that, coupled with what I've seen of Evans' conditioning, I really expect this fight to be a three round snooze fest. I think Evans will win a decision but he won't win any fans.
Stephan Bonnar vs Keith Jardine – How must Bonnar feel? Seriously?! He's headlining UFN cards on Spike TV while fellow TUF Season 1 finalist Forrest Griffin is taking on Tito Ortiz and is helping sell out the Arrowhead Pond. Well, this is the chance Bonner needs to really cement himself as the more well-rounded fighter. Yes, Bonnar/Griffin was a classic (love it or hate it, that fight epitomized two fighters giving it their all and not refusing to give up) but Bonnar could have easily won that fight on the ground. Bonnar's only other loss came at the hands of highly respected Japanese fighter Ryoto Machida. Keith Jardine is no slouch though. He took out Kerry Schall, a favorite to win in season two, at TUF 2 Finale. Jardine likes to stand but can work on the ground. Bonnar definitely has the grappling advantage though. If he gets the fight on the ground, which I think he will, Jardine will get himself caught. Bonnar takes this one by R2 Submission.
Recap:
Trevor Prangley over Chael Sonnen
Josh Koscheck over Ansar Chalangov
Gabriel Gonzaga over Brad Imes
Josh Burkman over Jon Fitch
Luke Cummo over Jason Von Flue
Main Event Card
Chris Leben over Luigi Fioravanti
Joe Stevenson over Josh Neer
Rashad Evans over Sam Hoger
Stephan Bonnar over Keith Jardine
Once again, check out Ultimate Fight Night 4 on Thursday April 6 at 8 PM EST on Spike TV! Also stay tuned for the premiere of The Ultimate Fighter 3 immediately following UFN 4.
