UFC 118 Predictions

Main card

Lightweight Championship Bout: B.J. Penn over Frankie Edgar

Heavyweight Bout: Randy Couture over James Toney

Middleweight Bout: Demian Maia over Mario Miranda

Lightweight Bout: Gray Maynard over Kenny Florian

Welterweight Bout: Nate Diaz over Marcus Davis

Preliminary card (Spike TV)

Lightweight Bout: Joe Lauzon over Gabe Ruediger

Lightweight Bout: Nik Lentz over Andre Winner

Preliminary card

Middleweight Bout: John Salter over Dan Miller

Welterweight Bout: Nick Osipczak over Greg Soto

Welterweight Bout: Mike Pierce over Amilcar Alves

Fight of the Night = Lightweight Championship Bout: B.J. Penn over Frankie Edgar
Submission of the Night = Heavyweight Bout: Randy Couture over James Toney
Knockout of the Night = Welterweight Bout: Nick Osipczak over Greg Soto

-9 - 2 Last UFC Event

-73 - 49 Overall for 12 UFC Events

-31 - 24 Overall for 12 UFC Main Card Fights (4 - 1 Last UFC Event)

UFC 117 Predictions

*My winners are highlighted

Preliminary Card

170-Welterweight Bout: Ben Saunders vs. Dennis Hallman by Unanimous Decision

265-Heavyweight Bout: Stefan Struve vs. Christian Morecraft by Submission

170-Welterweight Bout: Johny Hendricks vs. Charlie Brenneman by UD

205-Light Heavyweight Bout: Tim Boetsch vs. Todd Brown by Knockout

205-Light Heavyweight Bout: Phil Davis vs. Rodney Wallace by Technical Knockout

170-Welterweight Bout: Dustin Hazelett vs. Rick Story by Split Decision

Main Card

265-Heavyweight Bout: Roy Nelson vs. Junior dos Santos by TKO

170-Welterweight Bout: Matt Hughes vs. Ricardo Almeida by SD

155-Lightweight Bout: Clay Guida vs. Rafael dos Anjos by SD

170-Welterweight Bout: Jon Fitch vs. Thiago Alves by UD

185-Middleweight Championship Bout: Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen by TKO

Fight of the Night = 170-Welterweight Bout: Ben Saunders vs. Dennis Hallman by Unanimous Decision


Submission of the Night = 265-Heavyweight Bout: Stefan Struve vs. Christian Morecraft by Submission


Knockout of the Night = 185-Middleweight Championship Bout: Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen by TKO

-5 - 5 Last UFC Event
-64 - 47 Overall for 11 UFC Events
-27 - 23 Overall for 11 UFC Main Card Fights (1 - 3 Last UFC Event)

UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko Predictions

Jon Jones over Vladimir Matyushenko by Technical Knockout

Mark Munoz over Yushin Okami by Unanimous Decision

John Howard over Jake Ellenberger by Knockout

Tyson Griffin over Takanori Gomi by TKO

Paul Kelly over Jacob Volkmann by Split Decision

Matthew Riddle over DaMarques Johnson by UD

James Irvin over Igor Pokrajac by TKO

Brian Stann over Mike Massenzio by UD

Charles Oliveira over Darren Elkins by Submission

Rob Kimmons over Steve Steinbeiss by TKO


Fight of the Night = Paul Kelly over Jacob Volkmann by Split Decision


Knockout of the Night = Jon Jones over Vladimir Matyushenko by Technical Knockout


Submission of the Night = Charles Oliveira over Darren Elkins by Submission


-6 - 5 Last UFC Event


-59 - 42 Overall for 10 UFC Events


-26 - 20 Overall for 10 UFC Main Card Fights (3 - 2 Last UFC Event)

UFC 116 Predictions

Brock Lesnar over Shane Carwin by Technical Knockout

Yoshihiro Akiyama over Chris Leben by Unanimous Decision

Chris Lytle over Matt Brown by TKO

Krzysztof Soszynski over Stephan Bonnar by TKO

George Sotiropoulos over Kurt Pellegrino by Submission

Chris Tuchscherer over Brendan Schaub by TKO

Seth Petruzelli over Ricardo Romero by Split Decision

Goran Reljic over Kendall Grove by SD

Gerald Harris over Dave Branch by TKO

Daniel Roberts over Forrest Petz by UD

Jon Madsen over Karlos Vemola by UD



Knockout of the Night = Brock Lesnar over Shane Carwin by Technical Knockout

Submission of the Night = George Sotiropoulos over Kurt Pellegrino by Submission

Fight of the Night = Chris Lytle over Matt Brown by TKO

3 - 7 Last UFC Event
53 - 37 Overall for 9 UFC Events
23 - 18 Overall for 9 UFC Main Card Fights (1 - 4 Last UFC Event)

2010 NBA Draft Winners and Losers

The 2010 NBA Draft is over, so before Free Agency begins here are my winners and losers. It’s pretty simple how I pick the winners and losers. If a team got better, they are a winner. If they didn’t improve or stayed about the same as before, they are a loser.

Winners

Atlanta = Jordan Crawford is a good young player. If Joe Johnson leaves he can fill in immediately or come off the bench and let Jamal Crawford start.

Boston = Avery Bradley can give the Celtics a legitimate back up point guard or he can be an undersized shooting guard a la Nate Robinson. If Luke Harangody makes the team, he will be a good hustle player and rebounder.

Dallas = Dominique Jones is a legitimate shooting guard who should play some right away. Caron Butler is a small forward who was playing out of position last year. Jason Terry is a bench player. Rodrigue Beaubois is a point guard who was playing out of position last year. The pick fits a need.

Detroit = Greg Monroe and Terrico White will both be solid contributors.

Houston = Patrick Patterson fits Houston’s defense and hustle style.

Indiana = Paul George and Lance Stephenson both have star potential. Magnum Rolle is also a solid second round pick.

L. A. Clippers = They had the best draft in my mind. Al-Farouq Aminu should start at small forward. Eric Bledsoe will be a great back up point guard. Willie Warren can play point guard or shooting guard.

L. A. Lakers = Devin Ebanks and Derrick Caracter for where they were drafted are great picks. I wouldn’t be surprised if both of them made the team.

Memphis = Their problem last year was depth and they improved their depth with the picks of Xavier Henry and Greivis Vasquez. They should play back up shooting guard and point guard right away.

Milwaukee = Larry Sanders, Jerome Jordan, and Keith Gallon will all provide some much needed size and Darington Hobson gives them another athletic wing to run with Brandon Jennings.

New Jersey = Derrick Favors was an easy pick. Damion James was a smart pick.

New Orleans = Craig Brackins and Quincy Pondexter will contribute right away at back up power forward and small forward respectively. Getting rid of Morris Peterson was good too. Look for New Orleans to bounce back and potentially make the playoffs next year.

Philadelphia = It’s hard to go wrong with Evan Turner as your only pick.

Phoenix = Both Gani Lawal and Dwayne Collins will love playing in their system.

Portland = More young talent. I like the philosophy of adding as much young talent as possible, because chances are one of them will turn into a star. Luke Babbitt, Eliot Williams, Armon Johnson, and Ryan Gomes are all solid players.

Sacramento = DeMarcus Cousins and Hassan Whiteside are both risky picks, but they both could develop into monsters.

Toronto = Ed Davis should replace Chris Bosh and Solomon Alabi will give them a solid defensive center.

Washington = With only 6 players under contract for next season and no chance of getting a big time free agent John Wall, Kevin Seraphin, Trevor Booker, Hamady N’diaye, and Kirk Hinrich will all play.

Losers

Charlotte = No draft picks or trades.

Chicago = Traded away Kirk Hinrich and their draft pick. The moves clears up cap space, but if they don’t get a big time free agent, then it was all for nothing.

Cleveland = No draft picks or trades

Denver = No draft picks or trades

Golden State = Ekpe Udoh has the ability to be a Chris Bosh clone, but Golden State has a logjam of players just like him. I love all of the players on Golden State’s roster. I just wish they weren’t being coached by Don Nelson.

Miami = I like the picks, but I don’t like them all going to the same team. Dexter Pittman may be good or he may eat his way out of the league. Jarvis Varnado may be a defensive stud or he may never make it off of the bench. Da’Sean Butler may come back from his injury or he may be out of the league soon. Getting rid of Daequan Cook might be a good thing though.

Minnesota = They drafted 2 international players who may never play for them or may never be any good and they added 3 small forwards. Martell Webster and Ryan Gomes have different games, but give the same numbers.

New York = Neither pick will be in the NBA in 3 years. They both should have probably gone undrafted.

Orlando = I like both Daniel Orton and Stanley Robinson, but not on their team.

Oklahoma City = I like all the picks. It will be interesting what they do with them though. I’m not sure if Ryan Reid, Tibor Pleiss, or Latavious Williams will make the team. They also had to take Morris Peterson who won’t help any.

San Antonio = A lot of people like the picks of James Anderson and Ryan Richards, but not me. I’m not sure if either will help the Spurs win any games.

Utah = I’m not a fan of Gordon Hayward or Jeremy Evans.

Officials, Referees, and Umpires....Oh My!

-Instant replay should be used in every sport.
It’s ridiculous that in this day and age we still allow blown/missed calls to happen. We have the technology to make sure the outcome of sporting events is correct. If we don’t allow the correct calls to take place, what are referees around for?
-Instant replay should only be used when the play in question could potentially change the outcome of a game or affect a potentially historic game/record.
This will keep games from taking forever to finish and it won’t affect the flow of games.
-Coaches should have an unlimited amount of instant replay uses.
This might slow down games, but with the last stipulation in place it shouldn’t. Sometimes more than 1 or 2 bad calls are made, so this would make sure the outcome of games is correct.
-Officials should be able to reverse their own calls even when instant replay isn’t used.
Referees are in place to make sure the rules are being followed and that everything is fair. They should be able to police themselves, along with the players and coaches.
-There should be an official in a booth, at the game or somewhere else, to review blown/missed calls and reverse them right on the spot.
Sometimes officials can be susceptible to players, coaches, and fans voices, so having an official away from all of the action would allow for complete fairness. It also doesn’t hurt to have more than one voice of reason.
-Every group of officials should be oddly numbered in case there is a disagreement in terms of the correct outcome of a call.
3 heads are better than 2 and having a majority rules system makes sense in case some people don’t agree on the correctness of a call.
-Leagues and Organizations should overturn blown/missed calls that change the outcome of a game or affect a historic game/record.
Everything possible should be done in order to preserve the integrity of the games that are played. If all else fails, leagues and organizations should step in to right their referee’s wrongs.

Stop Playing Around

Professional athletes are beginning to upset me. Their diva like tendencies are becoming extremely annoying. Organizations need to stop letting their players run the team. Owners need to come together and get tough on the people they pay. If a player wants a new contract? Too bad. Play out the current contract that was signed. If a player wants to holdout? Go ahead. Sit at home, get fined, and waste your athletic prime. If a player demands a trade? Too bad. Play for the team that pays your bills. If a player wants to cause trouble? Go ahead. Get suspended and get fined. Athletes shouldn’t be getting paid to do what they want to do. They should be getting paid to do what the organization tells them to do.
There is a hierarchy that is being ignored. Owner>General Manager>Coach>Player. Simply put, the Owner hires the General Manager to be in charge of the team. The General Manager hires the Coach to be in charge of the Players. The Coach does the best he can with the Players he’s given. The Players execute the scheme the Coach tells them to. Everyone is being paid to do what someone else says. If the owners punished the players, rather than give into their demands, the players might stop trying to run the team. After enough owners punish enough players, things would change.
This is all unlikely though. Too much money comes from winning. Owners and general managers would rather give into player demands and win than not give into player demands and lose. I’m just tired of hearing about it. I’m tired of hearing organizations complain about their player’s attitudes when time and time again the player’s attitude gets them what they want. Man up! If you want players to stop running the team, then do something about it.

The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz Finale Predictions

Matt Hamill over Keith Jardine by Knockout

Kris McCray over Court McGee by Unanimous Decision

Aaron Simpson over Chris Leben by UD

Spencer Fisher over Dennis Siver by Submission

Jamie Yager over Rich Attonito by Technical Knockout

Mark Holst over John Gunderson by Split Decision

Brad Tavares over Seth Baczynski by SD

Kyle Noke over Josh Bryant by TKO

James Hammortree over Chris Camozzi by TKO

James McSweeney over Travis Browne by UD

Fight of the Night = Brad Tavares over Seth Baczynski

Submission of the Night = Spencer Fisher over Dennis Siver

Knockout of the Night = Matt Hamill over Keith Jardine

4 – 7 Last UFC event (My 1st losing record)

50 – 30 Overall for 8 UFC events

22 – 14 Overall for 8 UFC Main Card fights (1 – 4 last UFC Event)

UFC 115 Predictions

Rich Franklin over Chuck Liddell by Unanimous Decision = I think this will be the Fight of The Night. Both fighters are at the end of their careers and they are pretty evenly matched. Neither has looked great as of late, but Rich Franklin has looked the better of the two. This fight doesn’t do much for either’s current situation, but it could help their legacy. Both are former champions and both have impressive resumes.

Pat Barry over Mirko Cro Cop by UD = Pat Barry is kind of like a poor man’s Mirko Cro Cop. If he pushes the pace and is aggressive he should win. Cro Cop hasn’t looked good since joining the UFC and doesn’t do well when pressured. Don’t forget Barry did get beat by Tim Hague not too long ago though.

Paulo Thiago over Martin Kampmann by Submission = I don’t normally pick Paulo Thiago, but his last fight made me a believer. His stand up isn’t crisp, but it is effective. His ground game is also very impressive. Martin Kampmann might be able to win if he keeps the fight standing and uses his more technical boxing, but I see Paulo catching him with a power punch, then finishing Kampmann on the ground.

Gilbert Yvel over Ben Rothwell by Knockout = This fight is going to stay on the feet and unless Ben Rothwell can use his length Gilbert Yvel will eventually hit him with a power shot. I don’t see this going to decision. The loser of this fight might be out of the UFC.

Rory MacDonald over Carlos Condit by UD = Rory MacDonald has much crisper striking. This fight may come down to experience, but I think Carlos Condit will meet his match. He hasn’t looked great as of late.

Tyson Griffin over Evan Dunham by SD = This could also be Fight of the Night in my opinion. Both are solid in all areas of fighting. This fight may come down to whoever has the best gameplan.

Mac Danzig over Matt Wiman by SD = The UFC doesn’t want one of their TUF winners to lose, so unless something unexpected happens, Joe Silva set this up for Mac Danzig to win.

Mario Miranda over David Loiseau by Technical Knockout = Mario Miranda is a great prospect. The UFC brought back David Loiseau to lose. He always has a puncher’s chance though.

James Wilks over Peter Sobotta by TKO = The UFC doesn’t want one of their TUF winners to lose, so unless something unexpected happens, Joe Silva set this up for James Wilks to win.

Jesse Lennox over Mike Pyle by TKO = This could go either way. Neither fighter is very great.

Claude Patrick over Ricardo Funch by UD = Both of these fighters are solid prospects, so this should be a very entertaining fight.

Fight of The Night = Rich Franklin over Chuck Liddell


Knockout of The Night = Gilbert Yvel over Ben Rothwell


Submission of The Night = Paulo Thiago over Martin Kampmann


6 – 5 Last UFC event


46 – 23 Overall for 7 UFC events


21 – 10 Overall for 7 UFC Main Card fights (3 – 2 last UFC Event)

NBA Finals: My Thoughts on Game 3

Boston
-Ray Allen played one of the worst games I’ve ever seen
-Rasheed Wallace shouldn’t have more personal fouls than points.
-4 of 18 from 3 point range won’t cut it.
-16 of 24 from the Free Throw line won’t cut it.
Los Angeles
-Ron Artest needs to step up for the remaining games in order for the Lakers to win.
-Kobe Bryant shouldn’t be taking 29 shots in order to get 29 points.
-2 of 15 from 3 point range won’t cut it.
This and That
-This is just a hunch, but don’t be surprised if Derek Fisher retires after the Finals if the Lakers win. It’s a little strange that the Lakers haven’t given him a contract extension. He’s cheap. He’s a veteran. He’s the best triangle offense point guard of all time. He’s a leader and he’s clutch. I could easily see him wanting to go out on top should the Lakers win it all this year.
-Don’t blame Ray Allen for the Celtics losing Game 3. Blame the coach. Doc Rivers should not have let him play 42 minutes. Tony Allen and Nate Robinson combined for 12 points on 5 of 8 shooting in just 26 minutes. Either one of them would have been better options. I don’t care how great Ray Allen is. Some nights players just don’t have it and they can hurt a team. This is what happened with Ray Allen in Game 3. It’s up to the coach to realize this and make the proper changes.