导出博客文章The UFC stacked the deck this weekend for the promotions debut on FOX Sports 1.
Five of the main card fighters (Shogun, Sonnen, Overeem, Browne and Faber) have
all headlined UFC events in the past. Some pivotal matchups take place Saturday
but the biggest matchup on TSN.ca is the return of Jordan Cieciwa who goes
head-to-head with me this week with his picks. As always you can follow me
(@LynchOnSports) or Jordan (@FitCityJordan) if you agree or disagree, also feel
free to leave your opinions in the comment section below. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
vs. Chael Sonnen Lynch: In a fight that was rumored to save the UFC 161 card in
Winnipeg, Shogun and Sonnen finally lock horns in a matchup where both fighters
are looking for contender status in the 205-pound division. If Shogun had any
hopes of a rematch with Jon Jones that was all shattered in his last fight as he
endured a one sided beat down to current number one contender Alexander
Gustafsson at UFC on FOX 5. The biggest knock on the Brazilian throughout his
entire career is his conditioning, and that was evident against the Swede who
looked faster and landed more shots than the former UFC light heavyweight
champion. “The American Gangster” meanwhile competes in his first non-title bout
since January of 2012, and aims to bounce back from his current two-fight losing
streak. Conditioning has never been an issue with Sonnen, who took former
middleweight champion Anderson Silva into deep waters during their first
encounter and nearly won the fight. On paper the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt
has all the talent in the world to defeat the former NCAA Division I wrestler,
but depending on what type of shape he comes in for this fight, will determine
the outcome. This is a tough fight to call as its possible Rua lands a fight
ending submission on the 36-year old (who has been tapped out eight times in his
career) however its also possible the Sonnen effectively secures takedowns and
grinds out a decision. Overall this fight comes down to who wants it more and I
believe “The Peoples Champ” is hungrier than his 31-year old foe. Sonnen via
unanimous decision JC: Well the fight is finally here. I really thought this was
going to happen for UFC 161, and it would have really added to the card in
Winnipeg. It didnt. Now the problem remains, who shows up to this fight?
Obviously, its Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Chael Sonnen, but which Rua will we see
on Saturday night? Are we talking the "Shogun" from his Pride days, or the
"Shogun" that fought Gustafsson? At 31, Rua is still in his prime and there is
no reason for him to do anything other than show up in shape and leg kick a
slower, one dimensional Sonnen. Sonnen can wrestle, and he can throw strikes,
but they arent pretty. Truth be told, this fight in my opinion is Ruas to lose.
He can beat himself on this. There are no better athletes than wrestlers.
Sonnen will control Rua if he lets him. Can "Shogun" keep the distance, and out
strike Sonnen. Well see, and this will be a very long drawn out fight. Its
going to look a lot like Rory MacDonald vs. Jake Ellenberger. Im hoping we see a
proud Brazilian come out to knock out a loud mouth American. Rua via unanimous
decision Alistair Overeem vs. Travis Browne Lynch: On paper this fight has all
the potential of a “Knockout of the Night” fight as former Strikeforce champion
Overeem squares off with 67 juggernaut Browne. The former K-1 Grand Prix
Champion was embarrassed in his last fight, having been knocked out by
considerable underdog Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva at UFC 156. That loss immediately
shattered any talk of fighting for the UFC heavyweight title and questioned the
Dutch fighters use of PEDs during his career outside the UFC. “The Reem” hopes
an impressive performance against the Hawaiian will prove his doubters wrong.
Browne meanwhile looks to build off his impressive victory over Gabriel Gonzaga
back at the TUF 17 Finale and aims for his 11th career knockout; however that
might be easier said than done. The former DREAM champion is clearly the better
striker having looked impressive during his tenure in K-1 kickboxing. The other
factor to consider is the Dutchman has fought 49 times compared to the
Jackson/Winklejohn students 15 fights. While Overeem was knocked out in his last
fight, much of that had to do with his cockiness and leaving his hands down in
the third round. Look for the Blackzillian fighter to be more composed and use
his muay-thai to neutralize any of the knockout power Browne possesses. With
whats at stake for Overeem, I see him executing a smart game plan of picking his
shots and playing it safe, on route to a unanimous decision victory. Overeem via
unanimous decision JC: I dont know where I stand on Alistair Overeem. Hes the
scape goat for a very troubled UFC, as far as the drug allegations go. He didnt
go the TRT route like a bunch of American wrestlers or Vitor Belfort. He got
busted, same as Barry Bonds, in the prime of his career in a sport where no one
seems innocent. If you look at Overeems career, its beyond impressive. Hes been
fighting as an MMA professional since 1999, since he was 18. His striking is
world class, and he can wrestle enough to take dominant positions to throw
strikes. That all said, he looked like a rookie in his last fight against
Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva. You have a Dream Champion, K-1 Champion, and a threat
in every fight he has been in, fighting a relative newcomer. My money is on the
new comer Browne. "The Reem" is still going to be under the microscope for
Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) and I hate to say it that seems to be the
secret to most of his wins. Browne has the best corner in the game, and even
though I dont like the Jackson/Winklejohn camp, they produce guys who win. All
Browne has to do is be aggressive, fight smart, and control this fight. Hell
catch Alistair just like Gonzaga did. Browne via 2nd round TKO Urijah Faber vs.
Yuri Alcantara Lynch: Two of the top fighters in the bantamweight division clash
as former WEC featherweight champion Faber meets submission ace Alcantara. “The
California Kid” has taken his fight game to another level since adding striking
coach Duane “Bang” Ludwig to his team, finishing his last two opponents in
impressive fashion. A matchup with the Brazilian Alcantara is just another
stepping stone on the path to earning a rematch with current 135-pound champ
Renan Barao. While Alcantara poses a threat on the ground, this is Fabers fight
to lose as he has a lot more tools in his arsenal to impose on his opponent. The
step up in competition and the fact hes facing an opponent who outside of title
fights is currently 7-0, doesnt bode well for the Brazilian. We should see Faber
outwrestle the 33-year old and pick his shots at will, but not likely finish his
opponent on the ground as he is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. Faber via
unanimous decision JC: Im going to tape this fight and watch it in slow motion
so I can actually see the guys striking. I love the Bantamweights, and hearing
that Faber is adding striking into this camp in a big way has me excited to see
a great match up. Faber has always relied on his wrestling, as the whole Alpha
Male team has. A win in this fight will have Faber back in the hunt for the
title. Fabers wrestling and now improved striking means his only hole is the
submission game. Having been on the ground with better submission guys than
Alcantara, I dont see Faber giving up an easy submission here. Im hoping to see
the Faber of three or four years ago. The fearless fighter who throws crazy
angle shots, spinning elbows of the cage and tries to win in explosive fashion.
Faber via unanimous decision Matt Brown vs. Mike Pyle Lynch: Bet you didnt know
that both Brown and Pyle combined have a winning streak of nine-straight fights
inside the UFCs 170-pound weight class. Well now you do, and it should also be
noted that these are two of the most underrated fighters in the UFCs
welterweight division. Back in 2011 “The Immortal” was on the verge of
unemployment with the UFC having lost four of his last five fights. Since then
hes been on a roll, dispatching the likes of Stephen Thompson, Mike Swick and
most recently Canadian prospect Jordan Mein. The Achilles heel throughout the
Ohio natives career has been his ground skills, with nine of his eleven losses
coming by way of submission. Because of an injury to Thiago Alves, his
replacement Pyle poses an interesting threat because16 of his 25 wins has come
by way of submission. In his last fight “Quicksand” narrowly squeaked out a
decision over Rick Story, in a bout which he almost lost due to overwhelming
strikes in the first round. Brown hits a lot harder than Story and has more
tools in his arsenal to finish this fight. The TUF 7 alum should be able to
avoid the mat, keep this fight standing and earn his 11th career knockout for
what should be the ‘Fight of the Night Brown via second round knockout JC: GSP,
Hendricks, MacDonald... Brown and Pyle? Yes folks, these boys are in that
welterweight division and no one talks about them. They dont like to lose.
Pyle is 7-1 in his last 8, his loss was to Rory MacDonald. Brown is 6-1 in his
last 7. He had a bit of a rough go in 2010 with 3 straight losses, but like any
great fighter, went back to the lab and perfected his craft. Now both of these
underrated fighters are poised to make a run to the top 5 and maybe a title
shot. My pick is Pyle doing everything right, getting this fight to the mat,
and showing the only weakness Matt Brown seems to have, getting submitted.
Brown has a tenancy to make major mistakes on the ground and leave the cage
early due to chokes. Pyle via second round submission (Guillotine) Uriah Hall
vs. John Howard Lynch: TUF 17 Middleweight Tournament runner up Hall aims for
his first UFC victory Saturday night when he is paired with hometown favorite
Howard. With all the hype building from his spinning hook kick knockout of Adam
Cella on his season of the Ultimate Fighter, Hall struggled at the TUF 17
finale, losing a split decision to eventual winner Kelvin Gastelum. One area
that was greatly exposed in that loss was Halls mental struggles and his
inability to stop a takedown. In matching up with a seasoned veteran like
“Doomsday”, Hall will need those issues to be resolved. The 30-year old Howard
meanwhile makes his return to the UFC for the first time since June 2011 and
hopes to find success as a middleweight, as he previously competed inside the
octagon in the 170lb division. However because of the short notice of taking
this fight (replacing Josh Samman) and the fact that Hall has a three inch
height and eight inch reach advantage, the edge has to go to Hall. With Howard
being stopped just three times in his career, its doubtful Hall will be able to
finish him, instead I think we see him play it safe, pick his shots and earn a
unanimous decision victory. Hall via unanimous decision JC: Im going to assume
that Uriah Hall is a hard working athlete, that he is smart and that he has a
team around him who will take him back to basics and teach him how to sprawl.
Hall needs to win big fights, and do it with improving his takedown defense.
This fight will be interesting as its a short notice replacement fight. Those
always throw wrenches into the game plan. Hall will be ready, the jitters of the
big show should be out, and my hope is he has fixed the major problem in his
game. If he can stay in control with his height and reach advantage and defend
the takedown, he should safely take this to the full 3 rounds. Hall via
unanimous decision Joe Lauzon vs. Michael Johnson Lynch: Boston native Lauzon
makes his return to the octagon after his grueling loss to Jim Miller back in
December to face TUF 12 runner up Johnson. Both are coming off losses and are
well rounded, so fans should expect an exciting all-out war. Lauzon has a clear
advantage on the ground and should be able to submit Johnson rather easily
should he be able to take this fight to the mat. The Blackzillian member has six
submission losses and most likely it will be seven after Saturday night. Lauzon
via second round submission. JC: Michael Johnson is making the trek from Florida
where the Blackzillians train to Boston, my hope is that he has fixed his
submission loss ways. Thats actually not true, I really like Joe Lauzon and want
to see him win this with a submission. Lauzon needs this win to jump back up in
to the top 10 of the 155-pound division. He has the toughness; he just hasnt
won the big fights. Lauzon with some consistency, is one of the best fighters
at 155. He can dominate this one on the mat, the question is, does he get it
there or does he get frustrated and let Johnson keep this one standing. We all
know Lauzon can take a beating but the problem is thats just the "tough way" to
lose a decision. Lauzon via unanimous decision Undercard Picks Lynch: McDonald,
McGregor, Brown, Brandao, Miller, St-Preux, NijemJC: Pickett, McGregor, Brown,
Brandao, Miller, Donovan, Nijem Also be sure to tune into the “Weigh-In” on TSN
Radio 1290 Winnipeg every Saturday as Jordan and I go toe to toe in discussing
the hottest topics in Mixed Martial Arts.
Nike Shox Clearance . The winner
Saturday will remain in the elite 10-team field next year. "We talked about
wanting to be disciplined and stick with our game plan and good things will
come," Draisaitl said, who had two goals for the victors.
Cheap Nike Shox China . -- Lou Brocks
shoulder-to-shoulder collision with Bill Freehan during the 1968 World Series
and Pete Roses bruising hit on Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star game could become
relics of baseball history, like the dead-ball era.
http://www.cheapnikeshox.net/ .
Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC failed to make the postseason while Montreal
Impact fell at the first hurdle losing heavily to Houston Dynamo in the Eastern
Conference Knockout Round.
Nike Shox For
Sale .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged
the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey
League action.
Cheap Nike Shox . --
Linebacker Myles Jack ran for four touchdowns, defensive end Cassius Marsh
caught a scoring pass, and No. CHICAGO -- Thousands in attendance at the Chicago
Theatre cheered as Cloud9, the only North American team to make it to the
quarterfinals of the 2016 League of Legends World Championship, walked onstage
Thursday night to compete for a spot in the semifinals at New Yorks Madison
Square Garden next week. But as the crowd erupted for even the slightest Cloud9
advantage, their campaign was on the brink of coming to an end. The crowd went
silent as Cloud9 fell convincingly to Samsung Galaxy in three straight
games.Following the loss, Cloud9 waved good-bye to fans and headed out of the
arena as a somber mood loomed over the room. North American fans may have been
sad, but support Andy Smoothie Ta says his team took the loss well, despite the
crushing games.Samsung is a really good team, so were not taking it that badly,
but we definitely played really bad as a team; our teamwork just wasnt up to
par, Smoothie says. Korean teams punish that a lot more than other teams
do.Smoothie says after qualifying for the quarterfinals on Sunday in San
Francisco, the team had very little time to practice.I think I gave it our best
shot to fix our problems, he says. Our practice was really efficient these past
two days, but we only had two days of practice or actually even prepare for
these games; we didnt have a lot of time.Cloud9, for their part, looked lost
against Samsung Galaxy in their games Thursday night. Despite having a decent
early game, the team got obliterated in the late game, with Samsung Galaxy
slowly bleeding them out in the second two matchups. Its something that Smoothie
said he wishes he and his team couldve addressed beforehand.We tried to fix as
much as we could. We kind of knew our problems, he says. We just fixed the outer
layer and never really got to the deep stuff. I dont think we couldve fixed much
more than that.Coming to Chicago, Cloud9 was North Americas last hope, as their
peers, Counter Logic Gaming and Team SoloMid were eliminated during the group
stage. For many, this would put pressure on their team, but Smoothie says it
felt good coming into the late half of the week. His only regret is his team
should have practiced harder during Worlds in order to make a deeper run.Being
NAs last hope, it feels pretty good at first, he says. When Worlds started, I
think we just didnt take practice as serious as we shouldve; we played a lot of
other games [that werent League]. Im not saying other games affected us too
much, cause we played them outside of scrimmages and during queue times and
stuff. Its not that bad. But I think we couldve been more focused and just
commit everything to Worlds. To some extent, we did that, but I personally think
we could do more and just get as good as we could while I was there.Prior to
joining Cloud9 and making it to Worlds, Smoothie started his 2016 with a rough
patch on Team Liquid. Formerly of Team Dragon Knights, which suffered in the
summer of 2015 from visa issues that eventually relegated the team out of the
League Championship Series (LCS), Smoothie joinedd Team Liquid as its original
starting support.dddddddddddd But his time on the starting roster came to an end
after one week, and he moved to its Challenger lineup.Ive had phases in my
career, where I thought I was the best in my role, Smoothie says. I thought I
was the worst in my role towards the end of [my time on] Team Liquid. Now Im up
there again. I was just really complacent, even on Team Liquid, I thought I was
mechanically gifted and everything would fall into place because I could make
plays all around the map. That wasnt really the case though because macro play
was a really big factor, and I didnt know a single bit of macro play at all.Team
Liquid Academy was unable to qualify for the LCS, and Smoothie left shortly
after. Despite the ups and downs, Smoothie says that while working with Team
Liquid, he learned a lot thanks to their coach Choi Locodoco Yoon-sub, who
taught him wider basics of the team.After leaving Liquid, he traveled to South
Korea, where he trialed and boot camped with Cloud9 and joined their roster to
split starting time with fellow support Michael Bunny FuFuu Kurylo.Fitting in
with these guys was really, really easy; theyre really all very welcoming, and
theyre really funny, so its not very hard to get along with them, he says.
Theyre just a bunch of memers -- thats the reputation of Cloud9 -- its really
easy. If you can just all laugh and just have fun, youre gonna have a good time
on the team. From the start, it was really easy to transition into the
team.During this week, following the loss of Team SoloMid and comments made by
their head coach, Weldon Green, on South Korean boot camps, some North American
fans stated on social media that boot camping in South Korea was not worthwhile.
As someone who experienced it, Smoothie says he cant take those comments
seriously.I definitely think [boot camping in South Korea] was worthwhile; I
thought that whole [outrage] was pretty troll, he says. The amount I learned in
Korea was insane, I pretty much learned how to play ranged supports in Korea,
completely from the start. It was really hard because Im not gonna say the only
hard bot lanes are Immortals and Team SoloMid, but even those guys dont punish
mistakes as much as hard as Korean teams do ... I dont know, I think its pretty
troll to say that going to Korea was a bad thing.And as Cloud9 has been
eliminated, the North American League of Legends scene will enter its winter
offseason and two-and-a-half months of roster changes, when much of the regions
talent will move to new teams.The future for me is that Im just going to keep
playing as my body allows me to, until whenever I decide I want to stop playing,
Smoothie says. I like being on Cloud9 a lot. I think being on this team is a
really good experience for me, and Ill just keep improving and eventually become
as the best support in North America. Im not there yet, but maybe get there
soon. ' ' '
Find in Directory
Find in Events
Find in Marketplace