UFC 111 - St. Pierre vs. Hardy

I'm still here people. Just been real busy. I must say I am touched by everyone's concern.

Anyway, this Saturday night on PPV some interesting matchups and some world class fighters for sure:

GSP vs. Dan Hardy (WW Championship)
Frank Mir vs. Shane Carwin (INTERIM HW title)
Ben Saunders vs. Jake Ellenberger
Jon Fitch vs. Thiago Alves
Jim Miller vs. Mark Bocek

Nate Diaz vs. Rory Markham
Ricardo Almeida vs. Matt Brown

Kurt Pellegrino vs. Fabricio Camoes
Rodney Wallace vs. Jared Hamman
Rousimar Palhares vs. Tomasz Drwal
Matt Riddle vs. Greg Soto

GSP vs. Hardy - What can you say. Whenever GSP fights, it is almost always a work of art. Been almost a year though, since he beat Alves, and he did that with a pretty severe injury in the groin area for most of the fight. There is nothing IMO, but a puncher's chance for Hardy here. Having said that, it could happen for sure. One punch is all it might take and with the strange rash of fighters trying to stand with strikers they shouldn't be standing with, I guess you never know. GSP has the best takedowns. I don't care how good Hardy is at defending them, Hardy will be put on his back during this fight. I look for GSP to win. Never seen Hardy close to being finished in the UFC, so will be interesting to see if GSP can finish it. Hardy can only win by KO (unless there is another injury to GSP). GSP can win by any number of methods, including decision. I don't see Hardy beating GSP in a decision either.

Mir vs. Carwin - Well, Carwin has been on the shelf almost as long as Lesnar, and it is unfortunate because Cain, JDS, and even Mir have really upped their games and performances in the meantime. So much so that this 'interim' title here seems rather silly. But Mir does have a win over the current champ, and has looked great since then. Carwin has never been out of the first round his entire MMA career. My gut says that Carwin will somehow win this fight, but I could really see it going either way. I see this fight being more of a standup deal than anything else.

Saunders vs. Ellenberger - It may seem like this fight shouldn't be on the main card. Ellenberger is a replacement for Kampmann. Ellenberger is 1-1 in the UFC. His loss was to Condit, where he gave Condit all he could handle. Saunders is a very very exciting fighter, no doubt. Plus he is a TUF alum, so I am very happy this fight is going to be shown. Both these guys are aggressive, tough and well rounded. Should be a very very fun fight. Trust me

Fitch vs. Alves - REMATCH. Last time Fitch finished Alves, although that was several years ago. I really don't think anyone can finish Fitch. He is just too tough. And he always does enough to win by decision. I would like to see Fitch return to his finishing ways, however, as I'm sure would the UFC. Alves is MUCH improved since the last time they met, but I still feel this is Fitch's fight....but it is very very close. Winner of this will likely face the winner of GSP vs. Hardy.

Miller vs. Bocek - This is an interesting LW matchup that may turn out to be quite exciting. Bocek is a BJJ guy. Miller is a wrestler with great BJJ too. I'm hoping for a ground clinic, rather than sloppy standup from two ground guys. I like Miller in this one.

Diaz vs. Markham & Almeida vs. Brown are scheduled as freebies on Spike just prior to the PPV.

Diaz vs. Markham - Diaz is beefing up. Literally. Jumping to the WW division. He said he was tired of starving himself to stay at 155, and we all know how skinny he looked. I will be very very interested to see how he looks at WW. Markham is tough. Good power. I'd give a ground advantage to Diaz, but feel if it goes there, Diaz is the one who will have to make it happen. Diaz should win, but the big variable to me is, size. Diaz needs to really add muscle to compete at WW, especially after being dominated by many LW wrestlers.

Almeida vs. Brown - Another great matchup of really good fighters for free on Spike. Almeida is all about BJJ. Brown is no slouch on the ground, but will likely try to keep this one on the feet. Brown is tough tough tough and I think fun to watch. I look for Brown to take this one.

Then keep in mind too, that on Thursday we get Florian vs. Gomi!! Great week for MMA!

Glad to see you're back Dave!

I've already commented pretty extensively on the other thread about this card. I'm stoked! Now, if by some miracle, Hardy manages to defeat GSP, I will be in a serious state of mourning on Sunday morning.

Man Ive been sick all day today laying in bed moaning. But now I see Dave is back and the all is well in the world again lol.

You guys are starting to scare me

Just heard the Alves/Fitch fight might need to be scrapped.

Something about a CAT scan showed a medical problem with Alves brain that could prevent him from fighting.

I'm sure more to come.

What?? Oh bummer... I was looking forward to that fight.

You need to start posting this stuff in Facebook Dave.

This card is worth it.

I was really looking forward to Fitch vs. Pitbull also.

I guess it's gonna be Fitch vs. Ben Saunders now. Ellenberger's off the card. I read that Saunders actually requested the match up when Fitch ended up without an opponent. That shows some serious cahones on Saunders part!

Top Ranked MMA Fighter Chooses Malibu Boats
Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) welcomes the UFC's No. 1 Heavyweight Contender, Shane Carwin (@ShaneCarwin), to the Malibu Boats family. A huge fan of Malibu Boats, Carwin is pumped to bring the Malibu brand of fun and performance to the Mixed Martial Arts Octagon. Malibu Boats reciprocates this admiration as fans of Carwin's integrity and determination as much as his 11-0 record. Carwin is looking to punch-up his wakeboarding with his family this summer behind his new Wakesetter VLX. But, before that can happen Malibu Boats will be pulling for Carwin, in a different way, as he fights for the Interim Heavyweight Title against Frank Mir March 27th at UFC 111.

Additional Links
Shane Carwin's Web Site
Follow Shane Carwin on Twitter
UFC 111

Wearing the Malibu Boats name, Carwin will enter the Octagon with Frank Mir on March 27th in Newark, New Jersey to decide the Interim Heavyweight Title at UFC 111. Carwin will draw on his 11 and 0 MMA career experience to defeat Mir, a 2-time UFC Heavyweight Champion. Success in that arena will pit Carwin against the UFC's only other fighter to wear 4XL gloves, current UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar.

When asked why he chose Malibu Boats, Carwin responded with this statement, "My family and I love being on the lake and spending time together. We all ski, wakeboard and just enjoy the water. When looking for a boat I wanted a brand that worked as hard as I do to be the best. Malibu is not only the best performing boat they are the only boats good enough for my family and me."

Carwin's record is extremely impressive, but not the only reason Malibu is so excited about this new relationship. Just like the other talented individuals that make-up the Malibu Boats Family, Carwin is as strong on character and determination as he is fierce in the Octagon.

Paul Singer, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Malibu Boats, had this to say about the addition of Carwin to the Malibu Crew. "Shane has a level of dedication that is impressive whether it revolves around his family, his sport or his fans so he made an immediate impression on us in the cage and out. Singer continued, "The fact that he has dreamed of owning a Malibu boat and wanted to bring us in the Octagon was icing on the cake. Both vessels of extreme performance, strength and precision, Shane and his new Wakesetter VLX create a strong team."

Carwin fulfilled his mother's goal for he and his brother, two times over, with a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering and a second degree in Environmental Technology. Carwin was also National Runner-Up Heavyweight in NCAA Division II Wrestling two years running and NCAA II Wrestling Heavyweight National Champion in 1999. In his spare time he managed to become a two-time All-American in football. He was focused on family and driven then. He remains that way today.

Carwin works as an Engineer as he pursues his Mixed Martial Arts career with UFC, but his devotion still lies with family. Carwin's wife Lani, his son Kamden and their new baby girl Alexia remain the priorities in his life. They are all looking forward to a fun summer in their 2010 Wakesetter VLX from Tommy's Slalom Shop in Denver, Colorado. Malibu Boats will keep you updated on Carwin and his family as they wakeboard and have great times in their Malibu boat this summer.

Wow that sucks when you have a stacked card and then right at the last minute a fight gets scratched. Kind of takes some excitement away from the whole event. Anyway, still excited to see GSP get backin the ring. I sure hope the Frnak Mir that kicks butt shows up and not the one who gets knocked out easy like he did against brandon Vera.

Speaking of brandon Vera what happened to him? I mean really, he shows up a few years ago beating down everyone then all of the sudden he loooks like a dear in headlights when he fights now. I think it's wierd. Alrighty then, Im hoping for a Anderson Silva Johnny Bones Jones fight at 205 in the near future. Here would be my take on that match up.

If it stayed on the feet then Silva would knock him out in the first round. But In my opinion Bones Jones is right up there with GSP when it comes to take downs. Ivenever seen anyone throw an opponenet down like Jones does. And from weird angles. If Bones gets on top of Silva with those vicious Elbows i would say that Bones would TKO Silva. I have never seen such vicious ground & pound in all my life. This Bones kid is a freak of nature.

And they announced that now Fitch is fighting Ben Saunders. They pulled Saunders from his fight with Ellenberger. Ellenberger will ride the pine and take home his full pay + win bonus and be eligible to fight soon.


Thats a pretty dangerous fight for Fitch as well. Saunders has an ackward style and good stand up. He's not bad on the floor either. I suspect a typical Fitch drummeling on the floor.

30-27 Fitch.

Goodnight Saunders!

Good night?

Fitch can't finish a happy meal.

Fitch by unanimous decision.

Fitch vs. Saunders is a great matchup. Saunders is gaining a lot of steam with only one bad performance in recent memory (coincidentally against Fitch's teammate, Swick). If Saunders should happen to beat Fitch, he will gain access to the WW stratosphere. Only GSP has beaten Fitch in the UFC.

Shame that Alves had to be scrapped. But I think Fitch was gonna beat him anyways. Feel bad for Ellenberger too. He is fun to watch.

Plus we get to see Pellegrino fight on the televised card now too. That is good news.

LMAO @ Fitch can't finish a happy meal. The guy is the clear #2 welterweight in the world. Funny.

JBJ vs. Anderson would be awesome. Just awesome. That could easily be a ppv headline fight.

Dave true but I think it would be a bad career move for Silva. If Shgun beats Machida (which we know can happen) Then Silva can fight Shogun and retain both the middle weight and light heavy belts. Then fighting Jones would make more sense with a belt on the line. Don't get me wrong, Silva is still the man, but Jones is the closest thing I can see right now to being able to give Silva a match. i would be front row and center for that one.

Yeah, that Fitch can't finish line was funny.. but come on. He's got ONE loss in the UFC and that's to GSP! I fully expect him to handle Saunders with ease.

Could be wrong.. wouldn't be the first time.

I'm a HUUUUUUUUUUUUGE Fitch fan.. One of my favorites.. But he doesn't finish fights - that's just a fact..

He will beat Ben - but I wouldn't say "Goodnight Ben" is a fair assessment..


Fitch is great.. I'm bummed for Alves..



And I'm not so sure about "Fitch is the obvious #2 170 in the world"... Koschek, Shields and Alves probably have something to say about that!

I agree Jeff

Fitch has already beat Alves. Won't fight Koscheck due to their being teammates. Shields really needs to be in the UFC in order to be considered top 5 in the world IMO. The competition he faces is just lacking. I would fully expect Fitch to beat Kos and Shields were they ever to fight. Fitch is the kind of fighter who fights within himself all the time and he rarely makes mistakes. Boring? Perhaps. Effective....hell yes. Would I like to see him finish more fights, absolutely. Keep in mind too that GSP couldn't finish Fitch or Alves in 5 rounds. Fitch finished Alves in less than 3. When you get to the level of a Fitch or GSP, and every fight is against top notch competition, it just becomes exponentially more difficult to finish for many reasons.

+1 on what Dave said. Goodnight Saunders doesn't necessarily mean I think Fitch will finish him.. it just means that it's going to be a long, bad night for Saunders, in my opinion.

Originally Posted by notsobueno

Fitch has already beat Alves. Won't fight Koscheck due to their being teammates. Shields really needs to be in the UFC in order to be considered top 5 in the world IMO. The competition he faces is just lacking. I would fully expect Fitch to beat Kos and Shields were they ever to fight. Fitch is the kind of fighter who fights within himself all the time and he rarely makes mistakes. Boring? Perhaps. Effective....hell yes. Would I like to see him finish more fights, absolutely. Keep in mind too that GSP couldn't finish Fitch or Alves in 5 rounds. Fitch finished Alves in less than 3. When you get to the level of a Fitch or GSP, and every fight is against top notch competition, it just becomes exponentially more difficult to finish for many reasons.

I didn't know you were a member here Jon. Thanks for joining!!



J/K - I'm a Fitch fan as well. But you're a serious Fitch apologist. You must be from the Bay Area or something.


He's tough as nails and as durable as they come - I was at the Fitch/GSP fight - they don't come any tougher..

We'll never see Fitch/Kos. Fitch vs. Alves II would have been great - both have improved tremendously since the first time. Fitch put the stamp on Sanchez and Thiago as well since then.

Kos/Shields/Alves -- all easy contenders for the #2 spot. And saying Shields is untested isn't true. He ran through Paul Daley, Nick Thompson, Jason Miller and Robby Lawler - essentially the "Who's who" of guys not in the UFC..

Either way - Fitch is a great fighter. Tough loss for Alves - he says he'll be back to fight soon. Maybe if he gets cleared they'll put Alves vs. Ellenburger onto UFC 112 and get them both a fight.

I still stand by Fitch - UD. It's a dangerous fight for Fitch. He was training for Alves and took a big Ben Saunders on late notice. It's a win/win for Saunders unless he gets made into a highlight reel.

Damn - Just found this! Awesome. Forum.

Also Fitch guy being from the Bay, but man he needs to switch camps or pay attention to whatever Cain is doing, cause he has not be a closer of late.

I see Saunders coming up big here. Nothing to lose and everything to gain. Solid hands and ground gives him more than enough tools.

Already discussed Mir vs Carwin, but Mir 2nd round Darce choke. I could see him trading blows based on his recent performances on his feet. But if he gets popped good, he'll take carwin down and finish him in a hurry. At 270, Mir looks crazy and will not stop until he gets to lesner in July.

My boy Diaz will have his hands FULL this fight, but he seems to know how to change up his game well. A little heavy for him I thinks actually helps. He has never been none as a devastating puncher, so maybe with more meat on his bones, he can pack more in the punch.

Don't see any way Hardy pulls it off. But $10 to pay $65.00 is worth a shot. We have seen that one shot can knock anyone out. The problem is that this is not anyone, this is GSP. As always new and improved. He has to be best pound for pound in the world.

As a side night how sick is the Aldo vs. Fabre fight going to be???

Oh man, I am STOKED for the Aldo v Faber fight.. especially since we have tickets!! WOOHOO! The last time we went to see Faber fight in person, he broke both hands. Let's hope this fight goes better than that one did.

Some info on the weigh-ins..

http://content.usatoday.com/communit...1-weigh-ins-/1

Rory Markham came in at 177???? How is that even possible?? That's insane!

GSP looked so much bigger in the Primetime series - I would really like to know what he's walking around at. He must be cutting some serious weight.

Supposed GSP cut 13 LBS for ths fight. he is HUGE for this class.

Rory @ 177 - Dos that give him advantage or make him a hair slow for this division?

Liz,

Got any hooks for tickets? Last timie we spent like $320 to be close to the floor, but they will be like $1K this time.,

You ever go to Red Hawk for King of the cage/Gladiator challenge? Super fun. My boat Rick Vardell is fighting there May 1. 19 Fights on the card.

You sure only 13 pounds? Everything I've read from the various MMA forums, etc.. says GSP walks around at least 185, if not 200 pounds. People seem to think he cuts close to 30 pounds. He looks HUGE.. so I wouldn't doubt it.

Diaz fighting against Rory at 177.. that's got to be a disadvantage for Diaz. Diaz already seems like a small WW.

I got our tickets through work (My boss is a season ticket holder at Arco). I think we spent something like 85 a ticket for lower level seats. I have never been on the floor level, those prices are insane!

I've never even heard of King of the Cage/Gladiator challenges... you should talk to Anthony about it. He's an even bigger MMA fan than I am.

GSP said in an interview that he would probably enter the cage tomorrow night at 191 or 192 pounds.

Yeah, that sounds about right. That's a SOLID 192 pounds, too.

I read today that Anderson Silva cuts 33 pounds to fight at 185. WOW.

Originally Posted by jeff_mn

I didn't know you were a member here Jon. Thanks for joining!!



J/K - I'm a Fitch fan as well. But you're a serious Fitch apologist. You must be from the Bay Area or something.


He's tough as nails and as durable as they come - I was at the Fitch/GSP fight - they don't come any tougher..

We'll never see Fitch/Kos. Fitch vs. Alves II would have been great - both have improved tremendously since the first time. Fitch put the stamp on Sanchez and Thiago as well since then.

Kos/Shields/Alves -- all easy contenders for the #2 spot. And saying Shields is untested isn't true. He ran through Paul Daley, Nick Thompson, Jason Miller and Robby Lawler - essentially the "Who's who" of guys not in the UFC..

Either way - Fitch is a great fighter. Tough loss for Alves - he says he'll be back to fight soon. Maybe if he gets cleared they'll put Alves vs. Ellenburger onto UFC 112 and get them both a fight.

I still stand by Fitch - UD. It's a dangerous fight for Fitch. He was training for Alves and took a big Ben Saunders on late notice. It's a win/win for Saunders unless he gets made into a highlight reel.

Jeff, I am not from the bay area. I'm from Indiana! All I'm saying is that Fitch IMO is the clear #2 welterweight in the world. That is just my opinion. But I will back it up all day long.

Kos loses too much to be ahead of Fitch. Fitch has beaten Alves. The guys you mentioned who Shields has beaten....Daley has no ground game and the other three are UFC cast-offs. Hahaha.

DAMN....Diaz looked GREAT. Absolutely mauled Markham. Haha. Can't wait to see him put some more muscle weight on!

Yeah I don't like the Diaz bros but they do got game. Fitch is a minature Randy Couture.

I'm telling you, Fitch is really one of the smartest fighters in the game today. YES, I would like to see him finish more, absolutely. What I am most impressed by with Fitch, is his toughness, willingness to stick to the plan, and the fact that he fights within himself always. Just solid across the board IMO.

Pellegrino vs. Camoes is a ground clinic so far. LOVE it.

Mir Carwin bring it on baby

WOW, just WOW

Carwin is a monster holy crap GSP made Hardy look like a second stringer.

Pellegrino with SUB of the night...awesome. Good to see Pellegrino back into form.

GSP also made Hardy unable to wipe himself tomorrow IMO. Thank god for trainers.

LOL i have to give it to Hardy he didnt tap. GSP is the finest athlete in all of MMA. Ok Carwin is one tough dude. Brock better come with his A game if he's gonna beat him.

Heres your bonuses for the night, no shockers really:

Rodney Wallace & Jared Hamman $65K each for FIGHT of the night
Kurt Pellegrino $65K for SUB of the night
Shane Carwin $65k for KO of the night.

WOW! Carwin just destroyed Mir. Not really surprised. It seemed like Mir was looking ahead at Brock and ignoring the person in front of him. Glad we won't see Mir vs Lesnar in the near future... again!

GSP... what can you say? He's amazing. Just dominated the entire fight, start to finish. GSP finished at 100% on takedowns. I don't know if Hardy has zero take-down defense.. or if GSP is just that good. I will say though, Hardy is one tough SOB! I can't believe he didn't tap! You have to admire his heart.. or stupidity.

GSP fought a really smart fight. I loved it. Would have like to seen a finish, but that was another decisive win over a guy whose toughness we knew nothing about.

Hardy isn't the best takedown defender in WW, but GSP is the best at takedowns and keeping you there. No doubt about it.

IMO the reason GSP is so good at takedowns are tow things. 1. His timing is nearly perfect

2. He is so quick they never see it coming. There are some incredible wreslters in the UFC. But none have the timing and speed of GSP. I will say when Kos first came into the UFC his take downs were also ferocious, but for some reason we havent seen that Kos in quite some time.

After watching Carwin last night I would have tosay i would love to see him and Dos Santos go at it. As far as Brock & Carwin, The only thing brock has going for his is his size and strength. I am assuming Brocks extra large head can absorb some punishment also. Brocks only chance is toget Carwin on the ground and keep him there which is quite possible. It will be interesting to see how Brock performs given his huge lay off. he looked like he weighed well over 300 lbs last night, didnt look like he'd been working out other then eating some twinkies.

They are talking about Lesnar vs. Carwin at UFC 116. Likely we will see Cain vs. JDS at that point or right around there too. The winners will fight each other. I honestly don't like a Cain vs. JDS fight at this point. Would rather see both them fight for the title. Having said that, I do so love that matchup. Make no mistake about it, Cain WILL put JDS on his back and at least make an attempt to keep him there.

Really good time at our house last night for a little UFC get together. Thanks again Misty for coming with the family - Matthew misses Egan so much already!

Here are a few pics of the kids..

I am so bummed with Mir. What a piss poor performance. Seems like he is gret for 2-3 fights and than gets over confident and gets his ass handed to him.

Diaz looked great. For a guy that does not look like he could hurt a fly, he sure can finish fights.

Hardy moved so far up in my ranks after that performance. Teach that guy some BJJ and he will be cahmp.

Elizabeth....i expect to see more pictures of the kids WATCHING THE FIGHTS. WTF?

j/k. looks like fun, thanks for the invite hahaha.

Jason, Hardy is a tough mofo for sure. We all learned that this weekend. Having said that, I would say takedown defense is what he should be working on, but who knows....he may be one of the best in the biz at takedown defense, but against GSP, we will never know. Hardy needs to spend most of his energy keeping a fight on the feet.

I know, they were more interested in playing with the train set and trucks... what is becoming of these two year olds??

I fon't see anyone at 170 touching GSP. GSP will finally lose when he loses interest. Or when le lets his guard down. I was also disapointed with Mir, Mir has never been able to take a punch. Yes he is an outstanding fighter. But when you have a guy like Carwin on you throwing bombs you don't just stand there and take it, you either throw bombs of your own or you get out of the way of the punches. Carwin is twice the MMA fighter as Lesnar so it will be interesting to see is Brocks size strength and speed will be enough for his lack of an all around game. Honestly Between Santos Cane and Carwin and Lesnar the Heavy weight division is finally stacked. I honetly believe any of these guys would have a good shot at beating Fedor.

GSP - not a super exciting fight, but it went down exactly as I had hoped. I am missing something, because I think Dan Hardy is a one dimensional (see Congo) fighter. Tough or stupid? When you fight for a living, IMO not tapping is stupid. Maybe he survived this time, but the tough guy thing wears thin when you are trying to make a career out of it. Or maybe go tough guy when the fight was close, this fight wasn't close. Seems immature and short sided to act that way. I don't even think he hit GSP cleanly during the whole fight. It will be interesting to see what happens next for GSP and Hardy.

Was it just me or did Mir look like he just woke up from a nap? It was like he didn't even know where he was? Mir has turned into Tito - spends more time talking than he does fighting.....running his mouth just long enough to get knocked the f out. Disappointing to say the least.

I love Fedor, but until you mix it up with the best in the UFC (I know he has fought the big names in pride) it makes you irrelevant. What is the deal with him?

Agree. I don't give a crap about Fedor, until he's fighting in the UFC.

Mir did look very out of it. Fine by me, I loved seeing Carwin pummel him. Good times!