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For the second time this week Spike TV and Rogers Sportsnet airs some outstanding free UFC programming. Tonight at 7 pm, The Ultimate Finale airs live. Alberta’s Jason MacDonald fights on the card, and he joins us on Sportsline Saturday at 5:45. One of the finalists is Vinny Magalhaes in the Light Heavyweight division, and he stops by Sportsline Saturday at 4:45.
Lets break down the 2 Ultimate Fighter showdowns first, starting in the Lightweight division. Phillipe Nover will take on Efrain Escudero, both who fought on Noguiera’s team on the show. Nover is a freak, and UFC President Dana White has compared him to Anderson Silva AND Georges St. Pierre. He’s got unbelievable power in his punches, and is deadly once in the clinch. Plus, we saw great take down defence on the show and some very, very good grappling skills. Efrain is a tough opponent, but doesn’t possess the standup skill that Nover brings. He’s gotta try and push the pace with his superior wrestling and hope to work Nover on the ground, otherwise I think Phillipe takes this.
I see a real mis-match in the Light Heavyweight final. 2 time All American wrestler Ryan Bader takes on world-class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner Vinicius Magalhaes. Now, I’m a huge fan of Bader, I think he’s got a lot of potential, but Vinny is at such a high level in BJJ it’s almost scary. Bader is going to have to try and keep this thing standing, because he’s more powerful than Vinny, but if Magalhaes starts to work the leg kicks, eventually Bader will go for a takedown. Vinny is going to immediately pull guard, and Bader does not have the skill to block the superior submission skills Vinny possesses.
2 other fights on the card aren’t related to The Ultimate Fighter show, but carry some very intriguing storylines. First, Canadian and Alberta’s own Jason MacDonald returns to The Octagon for the 4th time this year. Last week, my blog showcased MacDonald, because here he is in his 3rd fight since August. He’s coming off a win over Jason Lambert to face Wilson Gouveia. Wilson likes to push the pace early, but MacDonald is banking on his superior conditioning to get him through this fight.
The other interesting matchup is a rematch from a few months back. When the UFC put on their Ultimate Fight Night between Anderson Silva and James Irvine, they had a very intriguing match on the undercard. Kevin Burns fought Anthony Johnson in a Welterweight bout, a match that ended surrounded in contraversy. Burns took a 3rd round TKO, because he accidentally poked Johnson in the eye to a fairly extreme degree. Many believed the fight should have ended in a DQ with Johnson taking the win, as Burns had caught him in the eye previously in the fight. Now, the UFC is putting on the rematch and it should be very hotly contested. Johnson is one of the most exciting young fighters at 170 pounds, as he’s got unbelievable punching power and great reach.
With the Flames not playing on Saturday, why not take a few hours and sit back to watch The Ultimate Finale live on Spike TV and Rogers Sportsnet. It should be one heck of a fight card.
I thought Nover was gonna dominate. Efrain’s gameplan was crisp and you could tell he frustrated Nover with his ground and pound. Outside of the submission frenzy at the end of the 3rd, Nover was on the defensive almost the entire time. Bader’s punching power was impressive – he’s a complete fighter and going to be dangerous at light heavyweight. Tell me what you thought about Junie Browning – this guy annoyed me during the season but impressed me during this fight. The way he passed guard and then locked in that armbar was nice. I understand he’s now training with Xtremem Couture and it showed in his striking. Do you see him making moves at the lightweight division?
PS: I was really surprised at Nover Ty. He clearly did not respect Efrain’s takedown ability enlough and it showed. Had that been more of a focus during training camp, I think this would have been a different fight, because Nover had the clear advantage while standing. Very, very surprised, but credit Efrain, his ground and pound was furious. Bader looked like a stud. When I talked to Vinny on Saturday, he thought his standup was superior to Bader’s, but Bader had worked on his and it showed. His punched glanced an arm and still knocked Vinny down. As for Junie, I really hated him on the show, but man, he looked outstanding. His transitions on the ground were great…I think this might be a guy to watch, absoloutely, in the 155 division.
- TyPat, I gotta say I love talking fights with you. This is off the Blog topic but, I start frothing at the mouth when I think of the Silva v. Jackson fight. This is going to be vicious – how do you see this fight going down? I’d love to see Silva come out on top.
Also, I saw a rumour that Anderson Silva would like his next fight to be at 205, although this wasn’t confirmed by D. White. Do you see this happening? If so, who honestly do you think should get the first shot at him at 205?
PS: Man, anytime, I could talk about this stuff all day! First off, on Rampage and Wanderlei, I think it’s going to be incredible. The last 2 fights Silva has been in have been unreal, first against Liddell then against Jardine. I just don’t know where Jackson’s head is right now, I think it’s probably going to be a slug fest for 3 rounds with Silva winning by decision. As for Anderson, if you REALLY want a rumour, the hot talk right now is that he’ll take a fight at 205 against none other than Chuck Liddell. Nothing is confirmed, but that could be something to look at for March…Anderson needs a new test, and Chuck needs to get his career back on track with a big name win. That certainly fits the bill!
- TySorry P.S. – A couple more questions and i’ll let you get back to work…Lidell eh?! I was thinking he was on the short list as well. Lidell needs to get back on track and stop partying. Anytime I need a good laugh I watch the clip of him falling asleep during that Good Morning Texas TV interview. He was trashed!! Anyways, in all seriousness – tell me what you know about Demian Maia? I am LOVING this guy and think a match between him and Anderson at 185 would be awesome.
Secondly, I see another WWE defectee is trying to join the MMA ranks. This guy Bobby Lashley has kinda the same pedigree as Lesnar (i.e. wrestling, blah blah) but of course a less than stellar resume compared to Brock’s. I’m not too sure If I’m liking this trend of 2nd raters using MMA as a stepping stone into career rejuvenation (i.e. Kimbo, Lesnar, now Lashley) Lesnar obviously slipped through the cracks and is showing huge promise but still has holes. It cheapens the sport though. Lashley is an overgrown monster. What next Batista 3 years down the road in MMA? lol. Anyways, i know they aren’t credible acts and will fall to the wayside – i’m just ranting on. K, get back to work and stop talking to me now.
PS: Ty, I think Maia is the one guy at this point to dethrone Silva. His BJJ is incredible, I really believe he is the best in the world in the grappling game. His slick submission skill gives him the clear edge on anyone once on the ground…he’s shown marked improvement each and every fight standing, so if he could stay away from Silva’s clinch and pull guard from the standig position, he might have a shot. As for Lashley…ugh. That rumour has been going on forever, and to be honest, he’s not in Brock’s league. Brock was a very talented pro wrestler…Lashley was not. Brock is a total package, while Lashley has the size and the wrestling pedigree, but lacks the all round athleticism. Give me a couple of those WWE Diva’s in the Octagon though, then we might be talking.
- TyInteresting article, i have bookmarked your blog for future referrence
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