The Tuesday Takedown 01.22.08

Posted by Adam Morgan on 01.22.2008

In this week's edition of The Tuesday Takedown, we'll take a look at B.J. Penn's legacy, a new signing in the UFC heavyweight division, Andrei Arlovski's return to action, plus a breakdown of this week's UFC Fight Night card, and much more!

A word about B.J. Penn

What we're seeing right now in B.J. Penn is a fighter who is finally putting all of his potential together along with rigorous training and peaking at a key point in his career. What B.J. Penn did to Joe Stevenson on Saturday was nothing short of total domination. There's a contingent of people who are saying that if Stevenson hadn't been cut the fight would have gone longer or even that Stevenson would have won the fight. These people must not have seen the same fight that I did.

What I saw was B.J. Penn without a single scratch on him. What I saw was B.J. mounting a massive amount of offense against Stevenson with Stevenson just trying to stay alive during the fight. What I saw was a complete obliteration of a legitimate contender in Joe Stevenson. Stevenson has a very bright future ahead of him but B.J. was better at every aspect of the game through the entire fight. Wrestling, jiu jitsu, striking, top control. B.J. was better at everything than Joe Stevenson and showed that in a very short period of time during the fight.

B.J. said "Sean Sherk, you're dead" at the end of the fight. I have to concur. I don't think Sherk has what it takes to beat B.J. Penn. It will most certainly be a very good fight but I think that B.J.'s wrestling is just as good as Sherk's. Penn's hands are better than Sherk's. His jiu jitsu is obviously better than Sherk's. Where will Sherk beat him? Standing? No. On B.J.'s back? No. He will have an incredibly tough time keeping B.J. on his back. Will he submit B.J.? Most certainly not. Sherk is a tough opponent for anyone in the lightweight division, including B.J. Penn, but I don't see where he has an advantage in the fight. If B.J. comes in shape, focused, and ready to fight, I don't think there's a single person in the lightweight division that can beat him. If he continues to obliterate the competition, what's stopping us from calling him the number one fighter in the world?

On with the news..

Fabricio Werdum will receive a title shot against the winner of Tim Sylvia vs. Rodrigo Nogueira

Is this what the UFC's heavyweight division has come to? Andrei Arlovski is going to fight out his contract, which means one more fight so no title shot for him. Brandon Vera is coming off a loss and hand surgery. Mirko Cro Cop isn't who we thought he was and hasn't been involved in any kind of rumors. Randy Couture is on the shelf for god knows how long. Heath Herring and Cheik Kongo are involved in a fight at UFC 82 but that doesn't make the division any clearer.

Fabricio Werdum gets a title shot by default. He's the only one right now who seems worthy. Just a few short months ago we were talking about the UFC's stacked heavyweight division. Now we're giving guys title shots who are 1-1 in the UFC. Don't get me wrong, Werdum is a good fighter but he's no worldbeater. The UFC better hope that Mir, Lesnar, Kongo, or Nogueira pan out for them.

UFC signs heavyweight prospect Shane Carwin

Speaking of the shallow UFC heavyweight division, they have just signed heavyweight prospect Shane Carwin to a multi-fight contract. Carwin is in the mold of fighters like Mark Coleman and Mark Kerr with an outstanding amateur wrestling background and an undefeated record in professional MMA against decent competition. At least the UFC realizes that they can't get by with the state of their current heavyweight division and is being active in signing good prospects. It should be interesting to see what a guy like Carwin with his wrestling credentials can do in the big leagues.

Andrei Arlovski to fight Jake O'Brien at UFC 82

The heavyweight hits keep on rolling. Andrei Arlovski will make his return to the Octagon at UFC 82 in Columbus, OH against Jake "Lay ‘n Pray" O'Brien. O'Brien is a wrestler and really not much else. Arlovski hasn't fought since winning against Fabricio Werdum at UFC 70 so ring rust could be an issue. On top of that, Arlovski has not come to terms with the UFC in regards to a contract extension so this could be his last time in the Octagon. It's sad to see it come to this because Arlovski is one of the fighters that the helped build the UFC into what it is today. For the UFC to not pony up to keep him around would be a shame.

Akihiro Gono out of UFC 82 fight with Jon Fitch

Gono reported via his personal blog that he's had to pull out of a fight with Jon Fitch due to a hand injury. That's a real shame as this was a fight I'm sure many were looking forward to. Jon Fitch has been making a real name for himself in the welterweight division and a win over the talented and experienced Gono would cement his position among the top three welterweights in the world. It's unknown if there will be a replacement for Gono. A lot of people are calling for Marcus Davis to step in, in place of Gono. I'd like to see it but it'd be a disservice to Davis if he didn't have the proper amount of time to train. Marcus Davis deserves a chance to knock off a contender and this would be the perfect situation for him if he feels he has enough time to get ready.

UFC Fight Night 12 Main Card Breakdown and Predictions

Mike Swick vs. Josh Burkman

Mike Swick was getting manhandled by the larger middleweights in the UFC but faced and defeated very stiff competition there as well. Swick moving down to 170 should be good for him. He'll be a larger welterweight with extremely fast hands, a very dangerous combination. Burkman has good power and good grappling but has shown a less than technical striking game. Forrest Petz beat him up with body shots, gassing him in the late second round and that's something Swick should be aware of. Mike Swick won't want to lose his debut at 170 and he's been training with two top ten welterweights in Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck at American Kickboxing Academy.

Prediction: Mike Swick via TKO, round two

Drew McFedries vs. Patrick Cote

Cote is coming off of a big victory over Kendall Grove at UFC 74 and McFedries is coming off a vicious knockout victory over Jordan Radev. This should be a slugfest. McFedries has extremely heavy hands and likes to swing for the fences but Cote is not afraid to stand and trade as well. McFedries seems to have the better power, Cote the more technical striking. Where I think Cote has the advantage is the grappling game. McFedries has not shown much on the ground whereas Cote trains with Fabio Holanda out of Brazilian Top Team Canada. If Cote's smart, and I think he will be, he'll take this to the ground and pound McFedries out for a stoppage.

Prediction: Patrick Cote via TKO, round two

Thiago Tavares vs. Michihiro Omigawa

Omigawa is 0-1 in the UFC and 4-5 overall and shouldn't prove to be much of a problem for the talented Tavares. Tavares is coming off of a tough loss to Tyson Griffin, a fight that some people thought Tavares should have won. Tavares should be better than Omigawa at everything plus he won't want to lose two in a row.

Prediction: Thiago Tavares via submission, round two

Nate Diaz vs. Alvin Robinson

Alvin Robinson was beaten thoroughly in a fight with Kenny Florian and bounced back nicely with a victory over Jorge Gurgel at UFC 77. While Robinson is scrappy, athletic, and powerful, I think this fight is Diaz's to lose. Even though Robinson beat Gurgel, Gurgel controlled him handily for the first round from the top. Once Alvin had Gurgel on his back he dominated. Diaz will be more active than Gurgel was on top or on his back, a place where he seems to excel in throwing up armbar and triangle attempts. Diaz's experience and expertise on the ground will win this one.

Prediction: Nate Diaz via submission, round two

And, as always, I leave you with..

Off The Beaten Path

Fedor vs. Randy: The Advertisement



Adam Morgan is a site writer for Five Ounces of Pain.