Jeff Hanneman, the legendary guitarist of Slayer, died yesterday of liver failure. Two years ago Hanneman contracted necrotizing fasciitis (flesh-eating disease) from a possible spider bite and has been on haitus from the band since, only playing a few songs at a handful of shows. Hanneman wrote Slayer’s best songs and some of the most haunting riffs you’ll ever hear. He will be missed. The first CD I ever bought was Reign in Blood. I still get that rush when I put it on. I’m going to be spinning Slayer’s discography non stop for a while. SLAYER! SLAYER! SLAYER!
Jon Jones versus Chael Sonnen for the light heavyweight championship this Saturday. I don’t know what to expect for this one. Could be a great fight, could be a bad fight. Sonnen did terrible in his last championship fight against Anderson Silva but their fight before that he pounded Silva for four and a half rounds. Everyone always fights Jones on his terms, from a distance, cautiously, give him ample opportunity to utilize his reach advantage. Sonnen will blitz Jones and be on the attack non stop. I think Jones will be on the defensive this whole match and I’m wondering how he’ll handle Sonnen’s aggression. Overall I think Jones has the advantage, he’s more skilled, I think he’ll win, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Sonnen got the upset.
Finally, the fight we’ve been waiting for for over two years will be happening this Saturday with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 158, Georges St-Pierre versus Nick Diaz. The journey to get here and the behind the scenes drama has been entertaining to stay the least, thanks to Diaz. I’ve never heard so much trash talk, whining, contradictions, lies and unprofessional behavior before. Diaz is like an internet troll except he’s willing to fight. Because of all that, even after Diaz lost the interm championship fight, GSP talked the UFC into giving him the fight with Diaz. So I guess Diaz ended up getting what he wanted, but pissing of GSP in the process was probably a bad idea. Anyone remember Josh Koscheck running his mouth all season on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 12? GSP punched him in the face non stop for twenty-five minutes, now Kos has permanent nerve damage. He said he’s going to feel GSP’s fist in his face for the rest of his life. I like watching fights in general but when it’s someone like Diaz getting beat down it’s ten times more entertaining. On to my predictions, post yours down below.
Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz for the wealterweight championship. Diaz want’s his opponents to stand still in front of him a brawl. So of course GSP is going to do the opposite and put Diaz on his back, raining down punches and elbows for five rounds. And Diaz will be trash talking the whole time but that’ll just make GSP beat him even harder. Not only do I predict GSP winning, I suspect Diaz will act like a spoiled brat and say he quits like he did after losing his last fight with Condit.
Carlos Condit vs. Johny Hendricks. This is a tough one. Hendricks has one punch knockout power but Condit has more options of attack for the win. Either way I expect a great fight.
Jake Ellenberger vs. Nate Marquardt. I would have chosen Ellenberger but he’s has been talking about retiring, his heart’s not in it anymore. This is Marquardt’s first fight back in the UFC, he’s already been fired once and with the UFC culling the ranks, he’s probably fighting for his job. I think this is all about who wants it more and that would be Marquardt.
Mike Ricci vs. Colin Fletcher. Surprised to see Ricci on the card after the poor or lack of performance in TUF 16 finale. Although his opponent Colton Smith was just as bad. Fletcher is a submission guy and Ricci doesn’t appear to have any counter to grappling, so I think Fletcher wins this one. However, I’m rooting for Ricci. Hopefully he’s developed, it would be nice to see him win in his home town.
UFC this Saturday and it looks like an exciting card. We have to put up with poor commentators, lots of talking, and lots and lots of ads with these Fox TV events but hey, they’re free. For some reason there doesn’t seem to be a promo for the event on YouTube, so I posted the In Focus: Silva vs Stann show. On to the predictions.
Wanderlei Silva vs. Brian Stann. Nothing against Silva but he’s nearing the end of his career and the last couple years haven’t been good. Finish for Stann.
Mark Hunt vs. Stefan Struve. Over a foot reach and cardio advantage for Struve. If he can keep his distance I think he’ll pick Hunt apart.
Takanori Gomi vs. Diego Sanchez. Nobody can take a beating and keep going like Sanchez (except Frankie Edgar), but he hasn’t been that great at dishing it out. Plus he’s coming off a year hiatus. Gomi wins.
Yushin Okami vs. Hector Lombard. Okami’s lay and pray isn’t going to work on Lombard. KO/TKO for Lombard.
This Saturday is the first time women will be fighting in the UFC. As expected there’s controversy from fans, fighters and media about whether women should even be in the UFC. That’s just crazy talk, because if you’ve ever watched women’s MMA (or a street fight) you know they’re exciting. The women fighters are vicious and unrelenting, you won’t see any lay-and-pray. Maybe that’s what the men’s division is worried about, that they’re going to be shown up. Then there’s the controversy about women as the main event. Machida and Henderson have even been bitching that they should be the headliners. Why they think their match is more important than a championship fight, I can’t imagine. If Machida wants to be on the top of the card so bad, maybe he shouldn’t have turned down the Jon Jones Light Heavyweight title fight. Championship fights are always the main event. Any other place on the card would completely invalidate the women’s division. It would be the same as telling fans that the women are not worth watching, which would be a huge mistake. If you haven’t watched MMA before, this would be a good time to start.
Ronda Rousey vs. Liz Carmouche for the Bantamweight championship. Rousey has won every fight with an armbar in the first round. Her opponents know what she’s going to do, they train to defend against it, yet they still can’t stop it. Rousey has been so dominant in her career so far, I don’t see that changing now.
Lyoto Machida vs. Dan Henderson. It all comes down to Henderson. In his last fight he pulverized Shogun in the first half and was exhausted in the second. Early finish for Henderson or late finish for Machida.
Urijah Faber vs. Ivan Menjivar. Faber’s career has been going downhill for a while, I expect this will be another loss.
Court McGee vs. Josh Neer. I have no real prediction here, I’m guessing Neer.
Josh Koscheck vs. Robbie Lawler. I don’t care who Koscheck is fighing, I’ll always root against him. Question is wether he’ll fake an eye poke or poke Lawler in the eye? Maybe step up his game and do both.
What are your predictions for UFC 157? What do you think about women’s MMA?
