UFC 100 Preview and Picks
UFC July 10th. 2009, 1:30pm
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before – This is the biggest event in UFC history. UFC 100 is a stacked card with 2 title fights and a whole lot of hype. Basically, it is the culmination of my manhood. It’s so big Bill Simmons* did a podcast about it. Earlier this week UFC 100 was on the front page of ESPN.com for a few minutes. (And again today.) Heck, last night “UFC 100″ was even a trending topic on Twitter. That’s when you know something is major.
The co-co-co-headliners are Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir, Georges St. Pierre vs. Thiago Alves and Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson. The first two are for belts and the third might lead to another championship fight. There are so many story lines. So many big names. Oh, and Holly Madison will be an Octagon Girl. Onto the main card!
Champ Brock Lesnar vs. Interim Champ Frank Mir – Lesnar won the title after just his third career fight. Mir is a former heavyweight champion who lost got into a motorcycle accident that almost ended his career. Mir is the only man to have ever beaten Brock Lesnar in un-fake fighting. In their first fight Lesnar was destroying Mir before the fight was stopped because of a strike to the back of the head. When action restarted, Mir put Lesnar in a knee bar. Both fighters expect much of the same in the rematch, except Lesnar doesn’t see another submission for Mir.

No matter who wins, it’s validates his career despite the fact that they’ve taken such different roads. Lesnar would have the unified belt and will have won the heavyweight tournament that started a year ago when Randy Couture un-retired. A win for Mir will mean he’s again at the top of the sport. He’ll again fulfill his seemingly unlimited potential.
I’m so torn on this fight. Mir is so much more skilled, but Lesnar is so… effin’ BIG. He’s a freak. No better way to say it. I’ve decided that it is my professional opinion that Brock Lesnar will redeem himself without that dickhead, Steve Mazzagatti messing things up. Seriously though, I think Lesnar does it.
Champ Georges St. Pierre vs. Thiago Alves – Another fight between a guy with a superior skillset and a big powerful guy. GSP is one of the top pound-for-pound fighters alive and “The Pitbull” is a monstrous 170-pounder. Alves thinks he’s going to knock out St. Pierre. GSP is focused and not looking past his latest challenger. He’s a 6x welterweight champion and the two times he’s lost were kind of surprising. (Looking back, the loss to Hughes was a bit surprising. At least I think so.)
This one comes down to whether or not GSP can get the fight to the floor or not. Alves needs to get lucky and catch GSP with a knee or big shot. (Both Matt Hughes and Matt Serra set up their stoppages of St. Pierre with shots that stunned him.) I’m taking St. Pierre to successfully defend his belt again.
Jon Fitch vs. Paulo Thiago – This could determine who gets the next shot at the welterweight title. Thiago is an undefeated fighter who burst onto the UFC scene in February with a first round (flash) KO of Josh Koscheck. Fitch’s lone loss in the UFC came at the hands of GSP. He’s also the last person to beat Thiago Alves. I like Fitch (pictured) in a 3-round war.
Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson – These two guys don’t like each other. If you watched the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter, you know why. If you didn’t, they were the opposing coaches for the UK and US teams. Throughout the season, Bisping, as he is most of the time, was kind of a cocky prick. Dan Henderson made mention of that out loud, calling him “a douche bag.” Bisping thought that was rude. It’s basically the consensus of those in and around the sport (and those that watch the sport) that Bisping is, in fact, a douche bag.
All the pros are picking Hendo to expose Bisping for the fraudhack that he really is. Pretty much everyone feels this way. Maybe I’m an idiot, but I think Bisping can pull this off. I don’t know if he’ll be the first one to knock out Dan Henderson, but I’m going with Bisping. I guess this is my big upset pick.
Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Alen Belcher - Belcher is a UFC veteran with a 5-3 inside the Octagon and he’s on a 2 fight win streak. Akiyama is a UFC newcomer from Korea who has only lost once in his career. Dana White and the rest of the guys running the UFC are very high on Akiyama who has fought in the K-1 and DREAM organizations. (A sucessful Akiyama may be the UFC’s ticket into the bigtime in the Asian markets.) They must be really high on him to put this bout on the main card ahead of a couple appealing match ups on the preliminary card. Belcher will have the crowd behind him (I can hear the “U-S-A” chants now.) and I’m going to pick him to upset the prize recruit.
Stephan Bonnar vs. Mark Coleman (Bonnar is my lock of the night.)
Mac Danzig vs. Jim Miller (Danzig gets back on track.)
Jon Jones vs. Jake O’Brien (Jon Jones impresses again.)
C.B. Dollaway vs. Tom Lawlor (Dollaway by some submission I’ve never heard of.)
Matt Grice vs. Shannon Gugerty (Grice wins for the first time as a cop.)
T.J. Grant vs. Dong Hyun Kim (Grant hands Kim his first ever loss.)
*Sure Simmons and Dave Meltzer ended up talking about professional wrestling for most of the 63 minutes, but the effort was there.
30 Responses to “UFC 100 Preview and Picks”
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July 10th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Didn’t Kelly Gregg of the Ravens beat him in the NCAA wrestling tournament? Or am I thinking of Stephen Neal?
Not fighting, necessarily, but still. I’d read that Gregg wanted a shot at him post-football…
July 10th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Mir
July 10th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
is bisping UFC’s version of ricky hatton?
July 10th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Fuck Bisping. Please don’t give him the undue satisfaction and lump him with the co-headliners.
July 10th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
John Salmons to the Grizzlies.
July 10th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Or am I thinking of Stephen Neal?
Neal
July 10th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
I haven’t felt this way since the day before Wrestlemania 6.
July 10th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Not sure how many times Lesnar lost in college. I meant MMA ranks.
I could really go either way on Mir-Lesnar. No matter who wins, I can’t imagine being shocked.
July 10th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
MMA is something I like to watch but don’t really follow. Can someone explain why Fitch is undefeated including wins against Koscheck and current challenger to the title, but isn’t the challenger? Is there a system to decide this?
July 10th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
One of my friends from college won the NCAA Heavyweight Crown right after Lesnar and he said everyone in the Big Ten fucking hated Lesnar because he was a roided-up asshole. I could certainly see where he was coming from.
July 10th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
4 years / $18 million Brandon Bass to the Magic
July 10th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Jumanji – Fitch lost to St. Pierre in a title fight last August. This is only the second fight since then for both GSP and Fitch. He’s on the short list of immediate contenders. Unless you’re a big star, you don’t get an immediate rematch for a belt.
July 10th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
nice Clown
July 10th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
wow, what a get by Orlando. they got an old school PF who picks up garbage and scores. really like his toughness. should be a good wingman for Howard
July 10th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Probably not gonna leave this thread the rest of the day. So jacked for this PPV.
I got Hendo over Bisping, but that’s a pick with heart over head. I think GSP goes all 5 rounds and wins a unanimous decision. And, I’m taking Mir too. But Brock is coming out like a bull in a china shop and just throwing haymakers.
CRM – You going to host an open thread for the fights at B3?
July 10th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Joey Range to the Hawks, 3 years/$16 million.
July 10th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
how much of a tax are the Magic going to have to pay? at least they’ll have a legit body to defend the Lakers tandem inside should they meet in the finals again
July 10th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
Jameer/Vince/Rashard/Bass/Howard
not too shabby
@TBL- no clue about that. know more next week after they get more FAs
July 10th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Makes sense, I read it wrong.
July 10th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
this is gonna be ‘UGE! as i have said else where(/that’s a bannin’) i want bisping to finally learn that just because you usually get the home town favor in most of your fights doesnt mean you are a star. other than that i just want my money’s worth in the rest of the fights.
i got alves,hendo and brock winning
July 10th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
@TBL- looks like Orlando is going after Matt Barnes next. I dont know what to think of that move. I love the Bass addition
July 10th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Brandon Bass is a nice get for Orlando. Pretty cheap, too, all things considered.
The first think he’ll do is make Dwight Howard practice harder, and if that’s all he does, he’s worth that $$.
July 10th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
irishmafia gets a shout out on the Joe Sports Fan podcast.
/I feel left out
July 10th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
@clown- what? Imig always used to give me shit last year
July 10th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
The podcast has TBL and Hernia and one of the guys mentions that you should be there as well.
July 10th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
im listening right now. It just started. thanks
July 10th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Imig with the shout out. nice
July 10th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
In what context, as the only known Magic fan on the planet?
July 10th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
If Lesnar’s game has progressed he should be able to beat Mir but he is going to have to stop him. Lesnar cannot go five rounds with someone who has the bjj capability of Mir and not get caught in a submission. Mir may be the second most skilled heavyweight on the planet but Lesnar is just an animal. He is going to walk into the fight weighing 280 at the least. I think Lesnar wins via ground and pound in the 2nd/3rd.
GSP/Alves is the fight I am most looking forward to. Alves is huge for 170 and has heavy hands. (The guys is like an MMA Roberto Duran.) GSP wins but I think Alves has a better shot than most people expect.
Fitch beats Thiago.
Unless Henderson has completely hit the wall he is going to destroy Bisping. Henderson is in a completely different class then Bisping is. Cannot wait to see Bisping get out thrown around the cage.
I think
July 10th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Don’t know where that “I think” came from. I need a drink.