411 MMA Preview: UFC 59 - Reality Check

Posted by Michael Huckaby on 04.14.2006

Headlines, the #1 contender, and a couple of bad boys.

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Baroni Embraces "Brazilian" Language

Wanting to trash talk the Chute Box team in the future using their own native language, Phil Baroni has told close friends he is on a mission to learn Brazilian.

"People say I'm stupid," Baroni stated to us in a recent interview, "and my willingfullness to learn the Brazilian language should say a lot to the *bleeping* haters out there."

Starting with an incident at the Pride 31 card, Baroni's team, Hammerhouse, has been at a war of words with Wanderlei Silva's team, Chute Box.

"They just speak Brazilian all the time," said Baroni, "and I don't want to need no *bleeping* interpreter so they can hear what I gotta say from my *bleeping* mouth."

Baroni admits, however, that it's been difficult to start his quest.

"I looked in the phone book and couldn't find no Brazilian instructors. I even got on *bleeping* Google and asked people on my Myspace, nothing. I'm startin' to think these *bleeps* just made this *bleep* up."

Rashad Evans Angered by Realization

"That's *bleeped* up."

Strong words from the mouth of UFC TUF2 heavyweight winner Rashad Evans. These words came as he laid comfortably in a Las Vegas hospital bed watching the premiere of The Ultimate Fighter 3 on Spike TV following his win over fellow TUF veteran Sam Hoger.

"What's wrong Rashad?", responded his best friend Daryl, close by his side following his long time pal's 15 minute battle.

"They're paying people to finish fights this season," said Rashad, "I can't believe this."

Upon being confronted by the fact the rules were the same last year, Rashad had a fit. "I thought you got five grand for winning a decision! I just thought Dana didn't want anyone to get hurt. Why the *bleep* else would I just lay on guys round after round? I was just bein' a team player! I can't believe this."

Evans, now growing ever more famous for not finishing his fights, then knocked out or submitted the six security officers that approached him in almost a homicidal rage.

Future opponents should beware, the bear is out of hibernation.

Diaz Prepared for Sherk

Nick Diaz looks to be emotionally and physically psyched for his bout on Saturday with Sean Sherk. "It won't be like my last fight, this time I'll have everything ready and we'll get it on like two men."

Diaz, publicly scorned for his post-fight fight with Joe Riggs at a Las Vegas hospital, has reserved room #251 for after this Saturday's bout.

"No excuses this time, no name calling for being immature, I have everything planned out and doctors and nurses will be here to make sure it's a fair fight. If I have to sucker punch him to start it again, so be it. It seems safer to me to fight in a hospital than in a cage a few blocks from a hospital, but maybe I'm naïve."

Minowa's Family Takes Out Policy

Less than one month before his Pride fight with Mirko Cro Cop, Ikuhisa "Punk" Minowa might have something else on his mind; the fact his family has taken out a life insurance policy on his name.

"They claim it's due to being the sole provider of the family and has nothing to do with my upcoming fight," Minowa said through a translator, "but I find the timing of it to be questionable."

"It's a simple policy," said his mother of the situation, "it pays out like any other." Upon looking at the policy 411mania was able to find a clause stating that the payout would more than quadruple if Minowa passed away via a kick to the face.

"I'm sure that's standard", stated a sister, "people die like that all the time."

Roundtable

Evan Tanner vs Justin Levens

Mancuso: I am actually shocked to see that Evan Tanner will fight on the show, and it might be a dark match. This is make it or break it here for Tanner. He has to win here or seriously risk getting cut from the UFC roster since it would have been his 3rd loss in a row. I see Tanner getting back on the winning track here. Winner: Tanner.

Newby: I wish this was still Tanner against Horn, but the injury bug decided to do things differently. People who have only seen Tanner fight recently probably still have the image of Tanner's ground beef face after losing to Rich Franklin via doctor stoppage. But Tanner has only lost to three people since the beginning of the 21st century. Franklin (twice), David Loiseau, and Tito Ortiz. I think that is forgivable. This fight will show if Tanner has lost a step and if Levens is ready to hang with the big boys. I see Tanner taking the win and continuing with his role of "gatekeeper". Winner: Tanner.

Hernandez: Evan Tanner runs away with this, no problem. He was training for Jeremy Horn, a much more dangerous opponent so he's more than prepared more someone like Levens. Tanner needs his confidence back after Franklin and Loiseau turned his face into a jigsaw puzzle so look for Tanner to make a statement with this fight. Winner: Tanner.

Forster: From what I know of Levens this is a very bad fight for him, then again for anyone fighting Even Tanner in your UFC debut is a pretty daunting task. I fully expect the much more experienced Tanner to take this one on the ground (either GnP or Sub), Hopefully Levens will be given a second chance against a TUFer at some point down the road. Winner: Tanner.

Huckaby: I have to agree that while Levens has a nice MMA future this really isn't his kind of fight. At the same time it's appeared (although against great competition) that Tanner is on the downslide at 35 years old. I'd call the punching even with Tanner getting the ground game. Levens really let one go after stunning Smith in his last fight, and it's been shown Tanner can take a beating. I'm going with a most likely first or second round submission. Winner: Tanner.

Jennette: Evan Tanner is the former UFC middleweight champion and is one of the most experienced fighters in the world. Tanner's heart will never be in question after 14 UFC fights and he has opened up as the big favorite. Justin Levens is a replacement for Jeremy Horn who was forced to pull out with a back injury. Levens recently lost to Scott Smith (also fighting on this card) in WEC in what many people thought was a "winner goes to UFC" fight. Turns out both of them got the shot at the same time. Levens is a very good prospect and I'm glad to see him getting a UFC shot, but Tanner is just too experienced and should win via TKO after ground and pound in the 2nd round. Winner: Tanner.

Thiago Alves vs Derrick Noble

Newby: A rematch from two-some years ago… can Alves take revenge on Noble and even the score? My magic 8-ball says "not likely" and I tend to agree. Noble has been in many more matches and keeps them coming quite frequently. Noble has beaten Alves before via RNC and seems to be a strong standup fighter. The real question here is do both these fighters want to drop to 155lbs too? I mean, it seems that it is the popular thing to do instead of staying in the shark infested waters of 170. Winner: Noble.

Hernandez: A couple of young guys in this bout that could go either way. It's a tough one to call but Noble did record a victory over Alves in 2003. Winner: Noble.

Forster: For those who don't know Noble actually holds an upset win over Alves from 2003. I don't see that happening this time round though. I expect Alves to dominate the fight and take this one via decision. Winner: Alves.

Huckaby: I don't see a way Alves loses this one again. Aurelio, Monson, and Denis Kang have all been training with Alves at ATT and he's improved much more than Noble has since their last fight. I like Alves to take this one in the second round and in a fairly dominate fashion. Winner: Alves.

Jennette: This is a very interesting fight because this is actually a rematch from AFC 6 back in 2003 where Derrick Noble won via rear naked choke. Since that fight Thiago Alves is 5-1 including two fights in the UFC octagon. During that same time Noble is 6-2-1 with losses to UFC veterans Josh Neer and Keith Wisniewski. Noble has already defeated Alves before, but I am a big believer in first time in the UFC jitters and I think Alves recent UFC experience will carry him through this and I pick Alves to win by TKO in the 2nd round. Winner: Alves.

Mancuso: I'll admit that I should follow the US indy MMA scene more as there is not much I know about Noble other than the fact that he has KO power. Alves is a Brazilian Muai Thai champion with a good amount of skill in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I am going with Alves due to more experience and training for MMA success. Winner: Alves.

Jason Lambert vs Terry Martin

Hernandez: Martin didn't really impress me against James Irvin. Yes, he dominated the first round but to me, it was boring LnP action. Lambert is a KO artist with much better stand-up. They might exchange at first and when Martin sees he's coming up short, he'll shoot. Hopefully Lambert will avoid that and score the knockout. Winner: Lambert.

Forster: I feel bad for Terry Martin, here's a guy who could be undefeated if it wasn't for "that flying knee" against James Irwin in a fight he was clearly winning up until that point. Jason Lambert is on a hot streak at the moment too winning his last six fights. I think that Martin will have a point to prove here though and will be very focused for this fight. I expect Martin to take it Via KO. Winner: Martin.

Huckaby: "Wasn't impressive", are you kidding me? Martin didn't only pound Irvin but he's pounded his last five or six opponents in dominate fashion. Terry Martin is the real deal and a fluke knee will only stay in peoples minds. On the other hand Lambert is a dominate fighter, making this my tossup of the night. While I like Lambert, I'm going to question his ability to finish a fight against a vet like Martin, I think Martin has the better chin (don't let me down) and this will either end late or via decision. Winner: Martin.

Jennette: This is another difficult fight to predict. Terry Martin's one career loss was from that highlight reel flying knee KO from James Irvin back at UFC 54, but people forget that he dominated Irvin for the entire first round up until that point. Martin has won twice since his UFC loss by submission and knockout. Jason Lambert is a veteran fighter who finally got his shot in the UFC at UFC 58 where he submitted TUF 2 fighter Rob MacDonald with a kimura less then 2 minutes into the fight. Both of these guys like to bang, so this has all the makings of a real war. I'm going to pick Lambert by submission in round 3. Winner: Lambert.

Mancuso: Last time Martin was in the UFC, he was in a highlight reel for top KO's of 2005. Unfortunately, he was on the receiving end of a James Irvin knee. Martin does have a very good reputation prior to his UFC days, and will try to find that success in the UFC after losing his debut. Lambert came off a victory as the last UFC PPV against Rob McDonald. However, I have to wonder if he might be taking a fight too soon. I think that might be the deciding factor. Winner: Martin.

Newby: It's our friend of flying knee of death fame, Terry Martin. Too bad that this is how he is remembered from that fight, if he is remembered at all. He was looking good. Both Martin and Lambert have a good history of being able to finish on the ground or standing. I can take either myself, but I'll go with Lambert out of… instinct? Is this what I should be calling it? Winner: Lambert.

Karo Parisyan vs Nick Thompson

Forster: Karo goes from a title match against Hughes to Nick Thompson, the poor guy has to feel a little hard done by. Karos injury that stopped him from fighting Hughes was pretty serious as I understand it, and Thompson is no pushover. This could very well cause the upset which would set Karo even further back in the 170 division than he finds himself now. However I think Karo will pull this one out but I expect a pretty dull match before we get there. Winner: Parisyan.

Huckaby: This is one of two or three tossups of the night and the winner takes a huge step in the welterweight division. Karo has been off for awhile and Nick Thompson isn't an easy fight to come back to… in fact I'm looking at a Diaz-like losing streak for Karo unless he gets the W here. I know Karo is the smart pick but I can just see Thompson dominating on the ground and trying harder to get the decision even if he can't finish him off, I'm going upset. Winner: Thompson.

Jennette: Another interesting fight. A lot of people are big Karo fans, but I'm not really one of them. Outside of his UFC debut submission win against Dave Strasser, he has gone to decision every time after that. His judo throws are good and he has a good ground game, but he just isn't much of a finisher. Nick Thompson is a pretty unique fighter. He's already had 33 fights in his 3 year professional career. Thompson by all accounts is a submissions ace winning over 62% of his fights by submission. Truthfully, I don't think either of these guys will be able to submit the other and I see it going to a decision. Winner: Parisyan.

Mancuso: You got to feel bad for Karo. He was supposed to have a UFC Welterweight Title match against Matt Hughes, coming off gaining a lot of publicity from being a coach on Ultimate Fighter Season 2, last November. However, an injury forced him to withdraw and now he may have to wait a long time to get another shot due to Hughes facing Royce Gracie in May then the rematch between Hughes and Georges St. Pierre for the Welterweight Title in September. While Thompson has been more active in competition lately and could pull out a victory if Karo is not 100%, but I think Karo will be 100% and win one here. Winner: Parisyan.

Newby: I love the welterweight division. Karo is the favorite against "The Goat" here. Karo is in a long wait to get a shot at the champ of the welterweights with Hughes all booked up for the foreseeable future. Nick Thompson has his own impressive past couple of years after a slow professional start. I don't think it will be a cakewalk for Karo and he could be upset here. I saw what happened to Huckaby last roundtable when he went for Gomi just because it seemed the smart thing to do. Factoring Karo's tendency for decision victories as of late and not putting them away himself, let's go with a TKO win for Nick Thompson. Winner: Thompson.

Hernandez: Karo should have fought for the Welterweight title a few UFCs ago but injury pulled him out. Now he's back in line as St. Pierre has been announced as the next title defense for Hughes. Thompson is definitely a threat but I believe Karo will be too much for him. Karo's excellent takedowns will be the x-factor in the bout and I see it going to the Armenian via decision. Winner: Parisyan.

David Terrell vs Scott Smith

Huckaby: Fight of the night on paper and it will all come down to the lucky shot. Terrell gets way too much credit for the KO win over Lindland and should be the poster boy for how one clean shot over a top fighter can build a career. Smith is also very crisp with the hands but after Levens rocked him in his last WEC fight I question if he could take a Terrell punch. What you have here are two guys that will be swinging and it'll come down to the first guy that can land large. I would pick Terrell but I'm still on the train that believes he's a bit overhyped and I think Smith can land the lucky punch before Terrell can…. and Smith is also one of my favorite fighters so I'm probably completely biased. Winner: Smith.

Jennette: David Terrell may or may not be one of the most overhyped and overrated fighters of alltime. His one claim to fame is a flash first round knockout win over the boring, but effective Matt Lindland. Other then that, he lost to Evan Tanner in a 185 pound title fight and then got injured and has been on the shelf for over a year. That said, Terrell is an very skilled fighter both on the ground and on the feet. Scott Smith is a former 205 pounder that is making his UFC debut after winning the most recent WEC light heavyweight tournament with all three of his wins coming by knockout. Smith likes to stand and trade, but his ground game could be brought into question. I think Terrell is overrated and might be rusty from his long layoff, but I think his ground game is better and he will be able to finish the fight on the ground with a submission in the second round. Winner: Terrell.

Mancuso: Smith is an accomplished fighter with success in WEC. Terrell pulled one hell of a feat in KO'ing Matt Lindland in under 30 seconds at UFC 49, but lost a title match to Evan Tanner. So I am going with Terrell here in a tough fight. Winner: Terrell.

Newby: This show is full of potentially interesting matches. Scott Smith is stepping up to the UFC for the first time now against a strong submission man, David Terrell. Terrell is going to try to rebound from his loss to Evan Tanner, and I for one believe Terrell will do so successfully by taking Smith down and working the subs. Standing Smith should be Smiths strength so it just makes sense for Terrell to take this to the ground. Winner: Terrell.

Hernandez: The Soul Assassin is back! I can't hate Terrell, he's done everything I've asked of him. He destroyed Lindland but then lost of Tanner. So to thank him for making me happy, he's my pick for this fight. That and Smith just doesn't have the skills to match up with Terrell. Let's hope this gets Terrell back in the Middleweight Title hunt.

Forster: This could potentially be the fight of the night. Terrell at one point was tipped to be the next big thing at 185 after his quick KO win over Matt Lindland, however after his loss to Even Tanner he's been seemingly forgotten about by many. Smith is a great standup fighter who can KO anybody at 185 if things go his way. It's a hard fight to call but in the end I expect Terrell to use his BJJ skills to get the submission victory. Winner: Terrell.

Jeff Monson vs Marcio Cruz

Jennette: Grapplers unite! These are two of the best, if not the two best, heavyweight grapplers in the entire world. Now how that is going to translate into an MMA fight remains to be seen. It could be an incredible display of grappling with sweeps, guard passing, and multiple submission attempts OR it could be an incredibly boring display of lay and pray from two guys who games are so good neither of them can take advantage. UFC has proclaimed this to be their #1 contender fight for the heavyweight title. I'm going to pick Monson to win this one because he is the more accomplished MMA fighter. Monson by unanimous decision after some boring ground work (although I hope I'm wrong). Winner: Monson.

Mancuso: Usually, I do not look forward to UFC Heavyweight fights that don't involve Arlovski. However, Cruz was really impressive in defeating Frank Mir. In my opinion, I thought UFC gave Mir a really bad match-up for his MMA return and hurt what could have been an immediate money match with Arlovski. With some more MMA experience, Cruz could be a top player in the UFC Heavyweight division. So I am picking Cruz here. Winner: Cruz.

Newby: I missed Marcio's fight against Frank Mir at UFC 57, but a quick run on Sherdog shows that his pro record is 2-0. Well, everyone has to start somewhere, and the UFC's weak heavyweight division is sure the place to do it. Monson had an impressive North/South choke on UFC 57 as well to put him on the short list of people to challenge Arlovski in the future. I imagine Danna White is pleased with whoever wins this as they will be likely fed to "The Pitbull" quickly. I'm going to take Monson in the 1st round. Did I mention Monson is on a 14 fight winning streak and his last loss was to Forrest Griffin? Funny how this all works out. Winner: Monson.

Hernandez: This is an interesting match-up. I'm not sure what the deal is with Frank Mir but I think whoever wins this fight might be in line for a HW title shot. Cruz has been impressive as hell in his two UFC bouts and he's got personality to boot. Monson's got the strength to take Cruz down but that is playing right into Cruz's strengths. Cruz will either sub Monson in R3 or cruise into a decision. Winner: Cruz.

Forster: As a BJJ guy this is a fight I'm going to be looking forward to, both guys have simply amazing ground skills and are in my opinion the top two submission guys in the UFC heavyweight division. This is also in many peoples opinion a number 1 contenders match for the heavyweight title so both guys are going to be hungry. Monson is on a 14 fight winning streak in MMA (his last loss in 2002 at the hands of none other than Forrest Griffin), Cruz is less experienced with only two pro MMA fights, but holds a win over former heavyweight champion frank Mir, which has to be a huge confidence booster for the Brazilian. In the end the main thing that separates these two is MMA experience and for that reason I think Jeff Monson will take this match. Either way I just hope we get a great submission finish rather than a decision. Winner: Monson.

Huckaby: I'm willing to give Pe de Pano credit for the complete whooping of one of my favorite fighters, Frank Mir. I guess this fight will show whether it was a job done with skill or if Mir was either rusty or lazy in his return training. I like Monson but all good things must come to an end and I think Cruz will take this one at some point after round one on his way to possibly submitting Arlovski later this year. Winner: Cruz.

Nick Diaz vs Sean Sherk

Mancuso: Diaz is on the same boat as Tanner in that he needs a win to justify him staying on the UFC roster. He is actually in a worse case scenario than Tanner due to his outside of the Octagon actions such as throwing a shoe at Diego Sanchez or getting into a brawl with his UFC 57 Joe Riggs at the hospital. However, I don't see him getting the same result as Tanner. Sherk is a really strong welterweight and could be an even bigger force if he decides to go lightweight. I am going with a Sherk victory that sends Diaz packing. Winner: Sherk.

Newby: I am REALLY looking forward to this fight. I mean, a lot. I don't hate Diaz like some even though he does need just a lil' work on his attitude. Think it's safe to say this is going to the ground? Both are so talented on the ground this should be amazing to watch, but if it goes to the judges Diaz traditionally hasn't done well. Sherk will take the win giving him momentum for his switch to a much more natural career at 155. Winner: Sherk.

Hernandez: Will Nick Diaz actually drop three in a row? It looks like it. It's a bad match-up for Diaz. Sherk will use his strength to get the takedown and GnP from there. Diaz might be able to sneak a sub in there but Sherk is the guy who went five rounds with Matt Hughes! Granted, St. Pierre ran through Sherk like he was a white belt but I still see this going Sherk's way. Enjoy the WEC, Nick. Winner: Sherk.

Forster: Both guys have been down on their luck lately but both are extremely dangerous fighters that should never be counted out against anyone at 170lbs. I feel that Diaz will try to keep this standing where Sherk will want to go right to the ground, however lets not forget that Cesar Gracie trained Diaz is very gifted fighting from his back so Sherk will have to be very careful once he gets there. Another factor is that Sherk will probably drop down to 155lbs after this fight, which I seriously doubt is an option for Diaz so I suspect Diaz might need and therefore want this win slightly more than Sherk. Winner: Diaz.

Huckaby: Wow, I can't believe so many people would take Sherk in this fight. Diaz will certainly keep this standing and if he's taken down he'll take a few seconds and hop right back up. We've seen Sherk is willing to trade and I can't imagine anyone would think Diaz could be KO'd here. Sherk is dropping down to 155lbs for a reason, he can't be as successful as he'd like to be at welterweight…. Diaz can. Diaz has fought bigger and stronger opponents before and he took all of their punches and all of their wrestling, I see no reason why Diaz can't end the small losing streak here. Winner: Diaz.

Jennette: Another interesting matchup. Nick Diaz by all accounts is a certified lunatic who attempts to turn every single fight into a personal vendetta. Rumors of angry emails and hallway confrontations as well as a confirmed report of a hospital fight have followed Diaz after his last two fights. Sherk has one of most impressive MMA records you will see at 29-2-1. His only career losses are at the hands of the clear cut #1 and #2 welterweights in the world Matt Hughes and Georges St-Pierre. On paper this is a horrible styles matchup for Diaz. Diaz has never proven he can effectively stop a takedown as Karo and Diego Sanchez took him down multiple times and kept him down. Sherk is all about takedowns and fighting from the top. I like Nick Diaz quite a bit and think he's a very exciting fighter, but this in all likely hood is going to be his third UFC loss in a row. I pick Sherk by TKO after ground and pound. Winner: Sherk.

Tito Ortiz vs Forrest Griffin

Newby: I don't want to pick this one. I like Tito and love Forrest's attitude. But Forrest is in for a battle. Thankfully for him it has been over a year since Tito's last fight. A win by Forrest here immensely helps to validate TUF fighters as legit competition in the UFC. But does Forrest have enough standup power to worry Tito? I don't think so. Not yet anyway. My heart tells me Forrest, but my head tells me Tito. What does one do in a situation like this? Pick Tito but root for Forrest to at least put up a strong showing. Forrest has plenty of time left as a fighter to rise the ranks and this experience can only help him. Winner: Ortiz.

Hernandez: The Ultimate Fighter's golden boy finally reaches a valley after a series of peaks. Ortiz will have no problem taking Griffin down and GnPing him into a TKO or Decision victory. Griffin, obviously, has a puncher's chance but Ortiz recovers quickly after being dropped and Griffin isn't in the same league as Chuck in the striking dept., so don't expect Griffin to get the KO. Winner: Ortiz.

Forster: This is by far the biggest test any TUF winner has had to date and you can bet that if Forrest doesn't win, then the anti-TUF crowd will forever point to this match as proof of why all TUF guys suck (as they currently do with Quarry/Franklin which really annoys me). It's not often Tito has to get in the octagon with someone as big if not a little bigger than himself at 205 but in this case he does. I haven't seen much of Forrest's ground game except for the armbar in the Bonnar fight but I'm told he's decent enough, and I feel while his standup isn't technically any sounder than Ortiz he has more KO power in his hands which gives him the advantage there. However Ortiz is one of the best takedown/GnP guys in the business and because of this I think this fight will go very similar to the Ortiz vs. Belfort fight, some offence standing from Griffin in the first round followed by GnP agonized the fence by Tito for the remaining two rounds, giving Ortiz the decision win. Winner: Ortiz.

Huckaby: My favorite fighter of all-time faces the poster boy of the new crowd. I almost felt the same way when describing to people who BJ Penn is and why people think he can beat St. Pierre and I know that at some point in the next few months you're going to see a new guard guy beat an old mainstay…. and this makes me sad. To me this fight is exactly what it is, Ortiz can't KO Griffin and Griffin can't KO Ortiz, as far as I know Ortiz is better on the grappling and ground game therefore we're left with a guy laying on top and occasionally punching the tough young man down below. This is a decision waiting to happen unless Tito somehow pounds him into the cage. Like others, I'm tired of the easy path these guys are getting as they'll never be taken seriously until they beat a top 10 fighter (Diego over Diaz), so stop feeding me Bonnar fights and give me something like this I'll be happy to watch. In the last couple of months my 2nd and 3rd favorite fighters (Kharitonov and Mir, respectively) have lost in big upsets…. I just hope to Christ it doesn't happen again. Winner: Ortiz.

Jennette: Your co-main event pits The Ultimate Fighter season 1 winner Forrest Griffin against one of the most decorated UFC fighters of all-time, Tito Ortiz. On paper this is a huge mismatch as Tito has opened up as the largest favorite on the entire card at -400. Tito is a huge light heavy who very likely walks around at 220-225 pounds and is able to cut down to 205 and maintain ridiculous cardio. Forrest is what I like to call a "jack of all trades" fighter. He's got solid standup, solid jit-jitsu, solid muay thai, solid wrestling, solid everything. However, he doesn't possess overwhelming skills in anything. My brain tells me that Tito is going to get the takedown with ease and pound Forrest's face into hamburger meat, but for some reason my heart tells me that Forrest just has more heart and will want it more. However, I am I gigantic sissy and I'm going to pick Tito Ortiz via unanimous decision. Winner: Ortiz.

Mancuso: This is a huge fight for both men. For Tito, this is a chance to get back into the heat of things in the UFC after being off for 14 months. For Forrest, this is a chance to beat the biggest draw the Zuffa-era had before they got the Spike TV deal and prove any critics wrong in thinking UFC is protecting him due his success on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter. I wasn't really impressed by Tito's performance in his last few fights. However, he is going to be motivated to perform well in what could be the largest live attendance in UFC history along with a whole new audience watching on PPV. That is why I am picking him to take this one. Winner: Ortiz.

Andrei Arlovski vs Tim Sylvia

Hernandez: Same result as the last time, only this time Sylvia might not lose within a minute. Sylvia has been jacking his jaw a lot for someone who got dropped by Arlovski last time so it'll be poetic justice when
Arlovski does it again. Arlovski really does deserve to be in Pride where he will actually have a challenge. Winner: Arlovski.

Forster: The two big fish in the very small pond that is the UFCs heavyweight division fight again, Both are good fighters. I feel that Arlovski has become silightly over-rated since winning the title as he hasn't fought any real top class competition with the exception of Sylvia. Sylvia on the flip side has become very underrated over the past couple of years (possibly due to his forfeit of the title due to steroid use a couple of years ago?) and despite getting some good wins under his belt since then (including a highlight real high kick KO of Tra Telligman), still gets very little respect from many people on the internet. Both guys are able to knock each other out and I expect that this fight will be done mostly stand-up, Andrei defiantly is the more gifted striker, however Sylvias reach is a problem for anyone. I think this one could be closer than a lot of people are expecting and am going to predict the upset with Sylvia winning via KO in the second round. Winner: Sylvia.

Huckaby: I wish I had Forster's balls but I do not. I think Sylvia will be a bit smarter about standing toe to toe with Arlovski in their first fight. On top of that, I think Sylvia gets a bad wrap from MMA based on his two rather well known and embarrassing losses…. the man can fight and he'll be doing so on Saturday night. I can certainly see an upset here, although I've never been totally sold on Arlovski against any decent competition. I think this fight will end just like the last one, with Sylvia on his back, but I wouldn't put any money on it. This could be Sylvia's real chance to shine. Winner: Arlovski.

Jennette: Arlovski by first round knockout. Period. End of Story. Winner: Arlovski.

Mancuso: I am going to ask a question and people could respond to it through my email at [e-mail]. Can Tim Sylvia last one minute against Arlovski? Responses are Yes, No, or I must be taking some really good drugs because I think Sylvia will actually win. Since I am not on drugs, I am going with Arlovski to finish off Sylvia in the first. Winner: Arlovski.

Newby: Does anyone give Sylvia a chance? I do think that people dismiss Sylvia too quickly here due to the past fight combined with the general fan's dislike for him. I mean, it's not like Arlovski is fighting an 85 year old grandmother. Sylvia has a 20-2 record with his only losses against Arlovski and former UFC heavyweight champ Frank Mir. With that being said, as long as Andrei isn't overlooking Sylvia (for who?) there is no reason to believe that AA can't finish Sylvia once again. Winner: Arlovski.

We'll be back in a couple of weeks with Pride's OWGP opening round…. enjoy the show. And in the likely chance we all go 2-7 please read again just to humor us.

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Michael Huckaby is a senior 411 writer who hates it when people say, "81 years young" when referring to age. That was probably cute the first time someone said it several decades ago, but can people finally stop being cheeky and just admit someone is old? The first time he reaches an elderly birthday and someone says he's "64 years young" Michael is swinging his cane with a wild eyed zest and knocking over knick knacks. He also looks forward to being able to grope young women entering a bus just because he's a "sick old man" and it's normally accepted.