Passing the Guard 10.25.08: Jackhammer!
Posted by Stephen DeAugustino on 10.25.2008
This week we look at all of the action taking place in the Octagon later this evening at UFC 90. Silva Vs. Cote, Griffin Vs. Sherk, and Koscheck Vs. Alves all previewed, not to mention all the news you care to know. Check it out!
Hello and welcome to another edition of Passing the Guard, the best source for everything MMA on the net. This week we're getting right to it with a look at UFC 90, as well as some of the bigger stories to go down this past week in the world of mixed martial arts, including word on Matt Hughes Vs. Matt Serra.
Preview
UFC 90
Anderson Silva Vs. Patrick Cote
Since losing in the Ultimate Fighter finale to Travis Lutter back in 2006, Patrick Cote has been hot; the native of Quebec has pulled together five consecutive wins, with big finishes of Kendal Grove, Drew McFedries, and Jason Day. In his last appearance, Cote managed to fight through to a tough split decision victory over Renzo Gracie product Ricardo Almeida. However, despite that, it is questionable whether or not he is ready for a title shot. Maybe in some other place or time, Cote's credentials would actually mean something in a title bout, but in the UFC 185 division, things are not the norm.
Sitting on top of the middleweight division is Anderson Silva, arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world today, and definitely one of the best of all time. Silva made a name for himself in Japan, ending Carlos Newton with one of the best flying knees ever and in retrospect, being ended by the sickest flying heel hook in history. However upon moving into the UFC, Silva became a monster, annihilating everything in his path including former champion Rich Franklin (twice). Silva's most recent performance, a one minute KO of light heavyweight James Irvin, could be his best performance yet.
That makes Anderson Silva the towering favorite in this fight. It doesn't help either that Cote's style really isn't favorable for this match up; a stand up fighter, Cote will be trading with the best striker in the sport today. Many have speculated that the best way to beat Silva would be to put an aggressive wrestler on him, and Cote's takedowns ability is not anywhere close to where it needs to be to put Anderson in that kind of trouble. I'm not saying Cote doesn't have a chance. Like any good striker, "The Predator" has heavy enough hands to end this with one well-placed strike, however the chances of that are very slim. I'm going to go with Silva in a first round TKO.
Thiago Alves Vs. Josh Koscheck
Thiago Alves may have overcome his toughest opponent yet in Matt Hughes, but when he steps in to face NCAA wrestling champion and TUF stand out Josh Koscheck, he may find himself in a little bit tighter of a situation. Alves defeated Hughes in highlight reel fashion earlier this year with a brutal flying knee and before that, finished two other elite welterweights in Karo Parisyan and Chris Lytle spreading his win streak to six. Furthermore, Alves has had only one loss since his entrance into the welterweight division, a TKO loss to most recent title contender Jon Fitch. With that said, Alves is one of the last few that have been hovering around the top of the rankings, waiting for their shot.
While Josh Koscheck has already had his shot at GSP, he has still managed to hold is place in the top five by looking great in wins over Chris Lytle and Dustin Hazelett. "Kos" earned his shot at the interim title by stringing together five wins, including a win over previously undefeated Diego Sanchez. A win over Alverz could put him back into contention.
The real question here is if Alves can keep this fight standing, where he would have a clear advantage. Sure, "The Pitbull" got the better of Matt Hughes, a great wrestler, but Koscheck is on a totally different level. If Josh could end up putting this fight on the floor, Alves would be in serious trouble; Koscheck looked ferocious in his ground and pound win over Lytle. It's going to be a great fight, but I'll go with Alves by decision.
-Sean Sherk Vs. Tyson Griffin
In what could be the fight of the night, former lightweight champion Sean Sherk takes on Xtreme Couture product Tyson Griffin in a battle between two great wrestlers. Sherk is known for being one of the most aggressive and technical wrestlers in the sport, and probably the best in the lightweight division. Before making the move to 155, Sherk was formidable competitor in the welterweight division where he only lost to Georges St. Pierre and Matt Hughes, two champions. After winning in dominate fashion over Kenny Florian (for the title) and then Hermes Franca, Sherk lost his belt after testing positive for steroids. Not like it made a difference though; his first fight back to get, Sherk lost decisively to BJ Penn. Sherk is looking to get back to his title and a win over Griffin would certainly do that.
Tyson Griffin is by far one of the best fighters in the 155 division and will be a huge test even for Sean Sherk. Griffin has never failed to bring his high octane style to the cage and his near flawless record reflects that; 12 wins over names like Marcus Aurelio, Clay Guida, Urijah Faber, and Duane Ludwig, with his only loss coming from Frankie Edgar. Provided Griffin won his fight with Edgar, we may have seen a Griffin-Penn fight in the near future instead of Florian taking the contender slot, however all of that may be irrelevant now as GSP is taking the spot light from the 155 division. If Griffin can put on a great show against Sherk, he may end up getting in with Florian for that contender spot.
Unless Sherk decides to revisit his amazing striking skills from last fight (note sarcasm), we will probably end up seeing a ground battle for three rounds. Sherk has the edge with takedowns and top control, but Griffin has a much better submission game and guard. I can't really see either man finishing the other, as both have great cardio and never seem to stop on their own will, so the fight goes to the judges most likely. Here, I pick Sherk; "The Muscle Shark" will be too much for Griffin and will most likely smother him just like we saw in the Franca fight. Sherk by decision.
Hermes Franca Vs. Marcus Aurelio
Hermes Franca has had it a bit rough lately. After defeating Jamie Varner, Nate Diaz, and Spencer Fisher in route to a shot at the lightweight title, things seemed to go south as Hermes not only lost said title shot, but then tested positive for steroids in the post fight drug test. Upon his return, Franca dropped a three round unanimous decision loss to Frankie Edgar at Ultimate Fight Night 14. Long story short, Franca needs a win here, and such a task will prove difficult considering the man he is facing is former Pride standout Marucs Aurelio.
Aurelio, a former teammate of Franca, has a long list of credible wins that should garner respect from any fighter or fan. Aurelio has fought most of his bouts on Japanese soil, with experience in not only Pride but ZST as well. Making his first UFC appearance at UFC 74, Aurelio found himself on the losing end of a decision against Clay Guida. Currently, he holds a 2-2 record inside the Octagon.
Apparently there is still some bad blood between the two ATT members (former member for Franca), but I don't see that playing much of a role here, as both seem to keep a level head in competition. Obviously both men have an outstanding ground game, but the edge would probably have to go to Aurelio. On the other hand, Franca's stand up is much better than Aurelio's. For that reason, I give the fight to Hermes. Franca by TKO, round 2.
News
Hughes-Serra Possibly on for April
Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes made it clear this past week that a fight between him and big time nemesis Matt Sera is still alive and may even have a date already set. According to Hughes, the fight will possibly take place sometime in April. Hughes spoke of the fight on his personal blog.
"This week, I talked to Joe Silva at the UFC and a possible date for (Matt) Serra and I is in April," wrote Hughes. "I don't know the exact date right now or venue. So, that is something that I can look forward to and I can set my training up for that schedule."
The feud began on the Ultimate Fighter seas five when Hughes made an appearance on the show to help train the cast, a cast that included Matt Serra. Serra made it known he disliked Hughes, and after winning the belt in spectacular fashion over Georges St. Pierre, ended up coaching on the opposite end of Matt in season 6.
The two were suppose to meet after the season with Hughes as the challenger for Serra's belt. However after a last minute back injury forced Serra out of the fight, Hughes ended up fighting a losing to GSP instead. St. Pierre would go on to win the belt back from Serra at UFC 83 this past April.
Shields Shows Interest in Move to UFC
It was made clear even before the demise of the EliteXC that Jake Shields wanted a shot at UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, calling out the Canadian after his big win over Nick Thompson. Now, with the EliteXC dead and gone, the former champion needs to find a new home and has made it clear that he is interested in joining the UFC.
"That's one of the main reasons why I want to go to the UFC. I love the UFC. I've been watching them forever. But I think the fight with GSP would be a dream match for me. It's not an easy fight I don't think i'd walk through him but to be the best you got to fight the best and I, we can make that fight happen."
Shields would have virtually no chance of getting a show right off of the bat, but being a top ten competitor does has it's advantages; the UFC would probably pick Jake up in an instant, an word is already out that the two are in negotiations. While Shields would have to wait in line for his shot at St. Pierre, he would add a huge amount of depth to an already stacked welterweight division.
Investigation Against EliteXC Closed
After Seth Petruzelli hinted that the higher-ups within the EliteXC paid him extra cash to stand and trade with Kimbo Slice, an investigation was launched by the Florida State Boxing Commission to try and find if their was any truth to Petruzelli's statements. After a four-day search, apparently there wasn't.
Head by Thomas Molloy, the investigation questioned several members of the EliteXC promotion, such as Petruzelli, Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer, California State Athletic Commission Executive Director Armando Garcia and Slice's Feb. 16 opponent, David "Tank" Abbott. After questoning, Molloy deduced that their was no reason to take the investigation any further, and cleared the dying promotion.
Sherdog.com is reporting however that some members weren't so positive in regards to the EliteXC's methods. Pro Elite executive consultant T. Jay Thompson told Sherdog in an email that "I have no proof, [but] I'd be amazed if [Petruzelli] wasn't paid to stand up,". Thompson continued "I sent Chuck Champion an e-mail basically telling him my concerns the day after, and after talking to him, he made it clear to me that isn't what happened and I had to go with his word,"
Thompson was not included on the list of those interviewed in the Molloy investigation.
Random Pass
Sure, we may have our beef with Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg, but things could be worse, right? I mean their not all that bad. What's that? You still don't believe me huh? Well please, watch this little clip and tell me you're not thanking God for Rogan and Goldberg…..well, the other Goldberg anyway.
