UFC 102 In Porland, OR

[bigwhiteguy29]

I just read the fights and awhile ago I didnt really care about randy vs. nog but look at it now Im really excited after finding this on MMA weekly.


UFC 102: AUGUST 29, 2009
venue: TBA in Portland, Oregon

Main Bouts:
-Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-5-1; #5 Heavyweight in the World)* vs. Randy Couture (16-9; #6 Heavyweight in the World)*
-Keith Jardine (14-5-1; #8 Light Heavyweight in the World)* vs. Thiago Silva (13-1; #9 Light Heavyweight in the World)*
-Jake Rosholt (5-1) vs. Chris Leben (18-7)
-Nate Marquardt (28-8-2; #3 Middleweight in the World)* vs. Demian Maia (10-0; #10 Middleweight in the World)*
-Matt Hamill (7-2) vs. Brandon Vera (10-3)

Preliminary Bouts:
-James Irvin (14-5) vs. Wilson Gouveia (12-6)
-Junior dos Santos (8-1) vs. Justin McCully (9-4)
-Nick Catone (6-1) vs. Mark Munoz (5-1)
-Matt Veach (11-0) vs. Evan Dunham (8-0)
-Gabe Gonzaga (10-4) vs. Chris Tuchscherer (17-1)
-Mike Russow (11-1) vs. Todd Duffee (4-0)

[Jessep76]

All potentially great fights.
Even Chris Leben's. I enjoy his fights when the other guy is dumb enough to stay in the pocket with him.
But Keith and Thiago will be awesome. Nate and Demian should be fun as far as skill set is concerned. Hamill/Vera fight I don't know who'd I'd be cheering for.

[bigwhiteguy29]

thiago vs jardine hmmm i hope jardine gets a big KO to secure a top spot and boost his confidence. vera and hamill....damnit i really enjoy both of them. matt makes me happy when he wins because he is so excited. vera when hes on pooint is a stud and very fun to watch but hes had some gun shy fights.

[bdmcleod]

Maia and Marquardt is going to be awesome. The ground battle between them is going to be a spectacle.
Rosholt can take a hit, and Leben can't defend the takedown. I see Rosholt being a good underdog play. And if he wins it will be via LnP UD.
Vera vs. Hamill is a tossup. Vera has the ability to give anyone in the division trouble. He also doesn't always show up ready to fight.
Couture beats Nog because Nog won't be able to get the fight to the ground. Even if he does, Couture took the best BJJ practicioner in the world, Jacare, to a draw in a grappling match.
And I think Jardine's awkward style will give Thiago fits. And lead to a UD for Jardine.

[Mulletsoldier]

Why they are promoting four fighters all coming off losses as the main and co-main event is beyond me. Considering that Maia/Nate is for the #1 contender spot, it would seem that would be a better main event? Anyway, I suppose this is drop-off is to be expected after killer UFC 100/101 + Fedor/Barnett at Affliction.

[Jessep76]

I agree except some people still don't know Maia/Marquardt too well. They fall in that clump of MW's like Thalas/Kampmann(before he left MW). They've all fought each other but people are barely knowing them by name. At least my degenerate friends...

[bigwhiteguy29]

yeah im much more excited about nate vs. maia and jardine vs thiago. i have not seen much of thiago silva for some reason. i think vera and hamill could be a boring fight but i hope it goes well. haha head kicks. i think big nog is too slow.

[Jessep76]

If Matt goes for a knockout it might be a good fight with Vera. He's coming off a killer one so he may have a taste for it now.

[sonofsteven]

If Matt goes for a knockout it might be a good fight with Vera. He's coming off a killer one so he may have a taste for it now.

I'm thinking the Mark Munoz beheading might make Hamill a little over confident or trigger happy . remember Liddell trying to go for the kill and getting outworked by Jardine ? I'll take Vera by decision . Albeit a lackluster one .

[bigwhiteguy29]

vera TKO his career in the UFC is on the line. if he loses or has a fluke hes going to be prelims

[Rodja]

Maia and Marquardt is going to be awesome. The ground battle between them is going to be a spectacle.
Rosholt can take a hit, and Leben can't defend the takedown. I see Rosholt being a good underdog play. And if he wins it will be via LnP UD.
Vera vs. Hamill is a tossup. Vera has the ability to give anyone in the division trouble. He also doesn't always show up ready to fight.
Couture beats Nog because Nog won't be able to get the fight to the ground. Even if he does, Couture took the best BJJ practicioner in the world, Jacare, to a draw in a grappling match.
And I think Jardine's awkward style will give Thiago fits. And lead to a UD for Jardine.

Using a grappling match against a MW as support for a MMA match is kinda weak. Strikes change everything; that's why it is not uncommon to see a blue/purple submit a BB in a fight.

[bigwhiteguy29]

well said, yet once again!

[bdmcleod]

Using a grappling match against a MW as support for a MMA match is kinda weak. Strikes change everything; that's why it is not uncommon to see a blue/purple submit a BB in a fight.

Strikes do change everything. But how often do you see Nog attack from the bottom with strikes?
I wasn't trying to use MMA math. Just showing that Randy holds his own against pure JJ'ers. And Jacare may cut to middleweight, but he wasn't at 185 for the exhibition. And Randy's natural weight is 220-230 ish. Making the size difference rougly 15-20 pounds.
I see Couture taking this one 65% of the time.

[bigwhiteguy29]

i def think randy will win. big nog is a very cool guy tho. battle of the gramps

[Jessep76]

HAHAHA I hope neither of them poop their pants

Joe Rogan: "I'm here with a very happy _____ what are you thoughts on the fight"
______: "I remember when this used to be all orange groves far as the eye could see..."

[bigwhiteguy29]

oh em gee

[Rodja]

Strikes do change everything. But how often do you see Nog attack from the bottom with strikes?
I wasn't trying to use MMA math. Just showing that Randy holds his own against pure JJ'ers. And Jacare may cut to middleweight, but he wasn't at 185 for the exhibition. And Randy's natural weight is 220-230 ish. Making the size difference rougly 15-20 pounds.
I see Couture taking this one 65% of the time.

Still a weak point, though. For example, Roan Carneiro, a highly regarded, legit BB, was subbed by Kevin Burns, a blue belt. In a grappling match, this would have never happened, but, in MMA, **** changes.

[bdmcleod]

Carneiro isn't a MMA'ist. Hes a JJ guy fighting MMA matches. He also got subbed by fitch,FWIW.
Couture is extremely well rounded. And I don't see how you can discredit his experience with JJ guys like Gonzaga, his loss to Ricco 7 years ago, Jacare, etc.. And then compare the situation to Carneiro and Burns.
I also rewatched Jacare Couture. Jacare wasn't outweighed by a whole lot, maybe 10 pounds. So your HW vs. MW point was simply untrue.
Is your contention that you think Nog will win? Or that Couture doesn't have the MMA-oriented submission game to keep up?

[Rodja]

Carneiro isn't a MMA'ist. Hes a JJ guy fighting MMA matches. He also got subbed by fitch,FWIW.
Couture is extremely well rounded. And I don't see how you can discredit his experience with JJ guys like Gonzaga, his loss to Ricco 7 years ago, Jacare, etc.. And then compare the situation to Carneiro and Burns.
I also rewatched Jacare Couture. Jacare wasn't outweighed by a whole lot, maybe 10 pounds. So your HW vs. MW point was simply untrue.
Is your contention that you think Nog will win? Or that Couture doesn't have the MMA-oriented submission game to keep up?

Fitch is a BB under Dave Camarillo, BTW.

Jacare fights at 83kg (~183 lbs) and competes in grappling in the 77-87kg class (~191 lb max weight). Just for sake of argument, let's say he was 200 against Couture, which would be a 20-30 lb weight difference favoring Couture. Rod Nog is ~240 lbs, which puts Couture in a 10-20 lb deficit. Unlike Gonzaga, Couture will not rape Nog of his heart. Traditionally, Couture has had problems with dominant grapplers with his only W against the aforementioned Gonzaga.

However, like Wand and other PRIDE stalwarts, Nog seems to have just been in too many wars and is not the same fighter (he looked bad against Herring, Tim, and Mir). In a 3-round fight, I give it to Couture via control, but in a 5-round fight, I would give it to Nog via sub.

[bdmcleod]

I still am saying jacare doesn't compete at his walking weight and he cuts to 191, something he wouldnt need to do for the exhibition.And I thought couture weighed 223 against Brock?
I lol'ed at the raping of the soul comment. Nice.
I just have a hard time seeing nog win. Coutures wrestling will dictate where the fight will go. And nog showed holes against herring, Mir, and timmy standing.