Mixed Martial B0nes

UFC 80: Rapid Fire is being held in Newcastle in the UK. For most of us here it is a ho hum card. BJ Penn has some interest for us. TUF experts will note that there are at least two stars from that series doing battle here in Penn and Grove. For us MMA Newbies, let’s delve into what actually may be a better show than UFC79:Nemesis. Everyone here has something to prove and no one has been laying on the couch eating bonbons for a year:

Jorge Rivera vs. Kendall Grove: Grove was the winner of TUF3 and has since compiled a record of 10-4. He’s won a lot as of late but didn’t so well in his last fight as he was KO’d by Patrick Cote. Rivera’s record isn’t too shabby at 14-6. He is a knockout specialist and being pitted against the 6 foot 6 inch Grove probably helps in this area. Bigger they are, harder they fall? They are both in need of a win so they’ll be desperate to duke it out. Since I’m a TUF fan, I’m pulling for Grove to take down Rivera and put the hurt on him.

Wilson Gouveia vs. Jason Lambert: Here we have the straight from the Motherland BJJ vs. MMA fight where Gouveia plays the Brazilian this time. Lambert(23-6) has actually fought and won against a Brazilian but he’s been out of the Octagon for about 10 months. At least it hasn’t been years like in UFC79. Gouveia has a record of 9-4 but even though that doesn’t show much experience compared to Lambert, he has three recent wins in the UFC. I’m thinking the rust will lockup Lambert’s knees and Wilson KO’s him in the 2nd.

Jess Liaudin vs. Marcus Davis: This match will be the RockEmSockEm Robot fight of the night as they both like to stand up and bring it. Jess is the hometown boy that everyone will be rooting for as Marcus is a damn Yank. Liaudin has a 12-8 record and has won five in a row. Davis has a 18-4 record with ten in a row. This is one of those fights were we as the audience wins no matter who wins in the match. It may be the best standup for your PPV buck. I’m rooting for the USA USA USA and a Marcus Davis win.

Fabricio Werdum vs. Gabriel Gonzaga: Here we see some heavy hitters on the card. Gonzaga is especially intriguing as he has a win against Cro Cop that brought him to the heavyweight title match against Randy Couture. Randy smashed Gonzaga up in his title defense however. That Gabriel has fought against such great competition doesn’t bode well for Fabricio. Fab lost his last bout as well but it wasn’t against major guys like Couture and Cro Cop. One thing in his favor is that he hasn’t been knocked out yet. I’m saying Gabe will end that streak come fight time!

Joe Stevenson vs. BJ Penn: This fight features two TUF veterans. Joe was the winner of TUF2 and BJ was the winning coach of TUF5, although his team stunk it up in the show… We know what BJ can do when he’s on, but he’s been criticized for his weight gains and sloppy training habits. Stevenson has mad ground game and can submit you before you know what happened. We’ll see if this happens to BJ. I doubt it. Although Jens Pulver gradually made me a believer in TUF5, his showing against BJ made me Penn’s cheerleader. I think BJ submits Stevenson in three without much of a sweat!

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UFC80 is upon us and we’re expected to get excited about seeing BJ Penn smack up someone else. Before we get to the main event, let’s take a look at some of the action that the folks across “the pond” will be seeing up close and personal. At least this UFC event doesn’t have so many fighters coming off long breaks from the Octagon. So, here goes:

Per Eklund vs Sam Stout: Eklund hails from Sweeden and Stout from Canada. For us in the Newbie ranks there’s nothing but shrugs from our shoulders. This will be Eklund’s first fight in the UFC but he has a MMA record of 14-2-1 which isn’t bad. Stout has a few matches in the UFC already but hasn’t won for a while. I think the Swede will take out Stout in 2.

James Lee vs Alessio Sakara: These two 205 pounders are going different directions. Sakara has lost three out of four UFC fights and is ready to call it quits at this level and go down a weight class where the pickings may be easier. Jame Lee is working on an 11 fight unbeaten record in MMA. This will be his first UFC fight. I don’t think this will save Sakara who’s just asking to say “uncle” in this match. Look for Lee to end it quickly.

Paul Kelly vs Paul Taylor: This will be an aggressive fight between two punch and kickers. It’s almost a shame that this isn’t a main carder but not everyone can be on the top. Kelly is the UFC Newbie in this match. Hmm… I’m seeing a trend in UFC80, “Newbies.” At least this is better than UFC79’s “Off the Couch-ers.” Kelly has been training with a good crew and is well prepared but I think Taylor will pull out the win in this one.

Antoni Hardonk vs Colin Robinson: This fight features two UFC veterans for a change. Both of them aren’t on Pay Per View because they haven’t won in a while. Robinson has shown a little more “moxie” in his defeats while Hardonk was handled fairly quick in his last two bouts. They both need to step it and man it UP for this match, otherwise they might get their walking papers to the WCO! Judging by the non-event that happened this last weekend in San Diego, they’d better bring it!