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Pros Pick: Silva vs. Okami

by Mike Sloan

For the first time in more than a decade, the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Brazil with UFC 134 on Saturday at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

A five-round middleweight title bout between longstanding champion Anderson Silva and Yushin Okami, the last man to defeat him, will headline the pay-per-view event. Since being disqualified for an illegal upkick on Okami in January 2006, Silva has rattled off 14 straight wins, 13 of them inside the Octagon. Many now consider him the greatest fighter of all-time.

Sherdog.com recently touched base with a number of professional trainers and fighters to gauge their opinions on the UFC 134 “Silva vs. Okami” main event:

Jose Aldo: Anderson will win by KO or submission.

Jason Lambert: Anderson by TKO or KO.

Marvin Eastman: Unanimous decision [for] Silva. Okami won’t trade with “The Spider.” He will run from him. If he trades shots, he’ll get knocked out.

Lyoto Machida: Anderson has shown so many times why he is the champion. He’s been the top fighter for a long time. Technically you can't compare the two. Okami’s only chance will be a surprise punch or if Anderson underestimates him, which I don't believe will happen. Anderson will win this.

Travis Wiuff: Anderson wins this fight easily in the second round by strikes.

Dan Hardy: I have Silva by TKO in the second. He will win by jumping spinning split kick and credit [Jean Claude] Van Damme, his new coach, for the win.

Erik Paulson: Anderson is at the top of his game right now and nobody has beaten him [in the UFC] yet. I think he will continue to win until he retires, unless he fights [Jon] “Bones” Jones. Then, it’s a tossup. We’re having an Italian dinner [before] the fights. If Okami beats Anderson, I will probably shoot my spaghetti dinner noodle out my nose.

Yves Edwards: I have Okami winning a unanimous decision. He has the same skill set as Chael [Sonnen], and I don’t think he’ll get tired enough to not get to half guard.

Javier Vazquez: Anderson should win this fight handily. It would be nice to see someone challenge Anderson, and my vote is for Sonnen. I think this fight was made as a placeholder till Sonnen can fight again. The only problem I see is if Sonnen can’t get past Brian Stann. I think Anderson beats Okami easily by KO or TKO in the second round.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira: Anderson will impose his rhythm and will confirm why he is the favorite. He takes it.

Jeff Monson: Silva by KO.

Sam Hoger: Okami, by dry hump.
Anderson Silva File Photo

The pros are confident in Silva.

Eric Pele: Okami, for s---- and giggles.

Thiago Tavares: Okami won’t find the distance to take Anderson down and will be easy prey on the feet. Anderson by KO.

Jorge Lopez: I think Silva will win via TKO in the third. This can be a very dangerous fight for Anderson considering Okami’s height and speed. Anderson rarely fights guys that are as tall and fast as him. Okami needs to take Anderson down and control [him], like the first time they fought.

Mike Whitehead: Silva by KO, round one.

Mike Easton: Silva wins.

Juanito Ibarra: KO by Anderson.

Cristiano Marcello: I believe Okami will try to exchange punches early in the fight, as he knows Anderson isn't easily taken down. Meanwhile, Anderson will dominate the fight and win.

Nick Thompson: This fight reminds me of something that happened to Derrick Noble and me. I was incarcerated at the time. Derrick was working for the FBI and was tasked with interviewing me. His boss believed that my insights might be helpful in the pursuit of serial killer nicknamed “The Destroyer.” Apparently The Destroyer, who was later identified as Sean Loeffler, was skinning people and wearing their skins around with the wiener tucked under, kind of like a woman. I offered to profile The Destroyer if I could be transferred to a different prison. Instead, I began a game of quid pro quo, offering Noble clues and insights about The Destroyer in exchange for information regarding his past. After first making Derrick relive his traumatic childhood, Derrick used my insights to find and kill Loeffler. Meanwhile, I used the transfer as a means to escape. Last time Derrick and I talked, I phoned him from an airport in Bimini and told him I would not pursue him and asked that he do the same for me. I then had an old friend for dinner. Anderson by KO in one.

Keith Berry: I don’t see anyone touching Silva at 185 pounds; the only fight I’d like to see is a rematch with Sonnen, so I’m saying Silva via second round TKO.

Josuel Distak: I don’t see any other possibility except for an Anderson Silva win.

Tom Gavrilos: Okami is strong and well-rounded, but he will be overwhelmed by Silva’s striking; Anderson by TKO.

Scott Epstein: It really depends on what kind of shooting glasses Steven Seagal used while training Anderson for the fight. More importantly, is Steven related to Katie Sagal, who played Ed O’Neill’s wife on [the] “Married ... With Children” [television series]? Ed is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and this would help Anderson’s odds greatly. Silva in the second by Kogeki; that means something in Aikido lingo.

Dewey Cooper: Silva, absolutely.

Rafael Cordeiro: Anderson will put on a great show and will finish Okami before it goes to the scorecards.

Bill Mesi: TKO late first or early second. I see a near-death beating coming Okami’s way.

Paulo Thiago: I bet on Anderson's victory.

Jason Dent: Silva by TKO round two. I will be really surprised if anyone picks against him. Hope it’s a fun exciting fight for the fans.

Ricardo Liborio: I’ll go with The Spider via TKO.

Ray Elbe: Muay Thai technique is going to be too much for Okami, and Silva is going to utilize an impressive Thai clinch game.

Andre Pederneiras: Anderson will win.

Mike Ciesnolevicz: I think Okami is just one of those guys that make every fight boring. He is a big, strong, athletic guy but never really goes for the kill. He is content to grind out decisions. I think Anderson is going to counter Yushin and play it safe and use a lot of movement, fakes, etc. [Silva] might slow this fight down like he has in past fights, such as Demian Maia, Patrick Cote and Thales Leites. The only reason I’m excited about this fight is Anderson might land a big strike and KO Yushin at some point. I’m not very interested in this fight at all, but I say Anderson pulls it out in a decision.

Robin Black: Okami is a very bad man. Okami is gonna shock the world. Okami by TKO.

Ron Foster: Anderson will be very light on his feet, using various angles and striking to keep Okami off balance. Okami will have no answers for The Spider; Anderson [via] KO in round one.
Pros Picking Silva: 31
Pros Picking Okami: 4

Source: Sherdog

Rashad Evans vs. Tito Ortiz Results - Evans Defeats Ortiz By TKO

By:  Robert Rousseau

Rashad Evans was supposed to fight Jon Jones. Then, for a minute, he was going to get that rematch with Lyoto Machida. But when Machida asked for more money- too much, in Dana White's eyes- the opportunity was presented to former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz. And wouldn't you know it...Ortiz took it.

Coming off of Ortiz's biggest wins in five years over Ryan Bader, "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" was given the chance of a lifetime. With one win, he could put himself back in title contention. The question is, did he?

Early on, the two traded left hooks with Ortiz getting the better of things. Next came a solid low kick by Evans. Ortiz grazed him with a right hand. Evans landed a nice right hand. The two clinched and traded strikes. Moments later, Ortiz dropped down for a double leg and took Evans down. Evans immediately sat up along the cage wall. Ortiz tried to drive him into the fence. Evans hit him with some pitter-patter strikes on the wall and got up. Then they separated. And that's when the two began trading, with Evans nailing Ortiz with some big shots. However, Ortiz weathered the storm. Ortiz landed some nice knees; Evans hit home with an elbow. Then Evans picked Ortiz up over his head, slammed him into the canvas, and unleashed a flurry of right hands that put his opponent in big trouble. However, Ortiz weathered the storm again, but found himself in Evans' side control. Ortiz used the wall to gain a better position, but was still pounded at the bell.

Round one goes to Evans easily.

After over a minute had gone by in round two, Evans shot in and took Ortiz down. However, Ortiz nearly nabbed a guillotine choke, though with the half guard he was unable to net the submission. From there, Evans took side control. He began raining down lefts, but Ortiz got through. Still, it all eventually led to Ortiz sitting up on his knees and getting nailed by a knee to the body from Evans. It hurt enough, that after a few punches on the ground later, it was all over.

Rashad Evans defeats Tito Ortiz by TKO at 4:48 of round two.

Source: Martial Arts

Rashad Evans vs Tito Ortiz odds for UFC 133 Fight

By: Jesse Holland

UFC 133: "Evans vs. Ortiz II" goes down this Saturday night (Aug. 6) from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, featuring a main event rematch between former light heavyweight champions Rashad Evans and Tito Ortiz.

While Evans opened at -500, the fight week money has started to trickle in and shifted the lines; however, "Suga" is still a sweet -400 favorite.

"The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" stands at +350.

Ortiz is a huge underdog for the second consecutive fight, having opened at +525 against Ryan Bader for UFC 132 back on July 2, a fight he won by first round submission.

Can he defy the odds once again and earn boku bucks for the "Punishment" faithful?



The initial meeting between these two took place more than four years ago and ended in an anticlimactic draw after three extremely close rounds of action.

After the fight, Ortiz went on to lose his next three -- and nearly his job -- before resurrecting his career by dominating "Darth" earlier this month in Las Vegas.

Evans, on the other hand, went on to win the 205-pound strap and cement himself as one of the top light heavyweights in the fight game. The stakes are a lot higher this time around, with Evans fighting for a title shot and Ortiz battling to get his name thrown "in the mix."

We're still a few weeks away from fight time, Maniacs, but who do you like for your money and who ya' got straight up?


Source : MMA Mania

Strikeforce: Voelker vs. Bowling 3 Prelim Results

The Strikeforce Challengers series launched its Las Vegas residency Friday with three entertaining finishes in the first four fights of the night at the Pearl at The Palms.

Lionel Lanham vs. TJ Cook

Two wrestling light heavyweights scrapped like bantamweights in a one-round war that ended with a TKO for Floridian TJ Cook.

Both men attempted high-velocity takedowns, with Greg Jackson student Lionel Lanham scoring the first and landing in half-guard. The two tumbled back to their feet, with one of Cook’s uppercuts stunning Lanham, giving Cook the chance to land several more blows. Cook had answers for all of Lanham’s techniques, scoring with an inside hook when Lanham kneed him from the clinch, but Lanham’s six-inch reach advantage came into play as he began using jabs to bully Cook around the cage.

The pace accelerated in the closing seconds as the two men exchanged furious strikes. One of Cook’s shots landed, sending Lanham to the canvas. As Cook rained down fists, referee Kim Winslow halted the bout at 4:59 of the first. As Lanham recovered, the exhausted Cook was attended to by doctors and helped out of the cage.

This TKO marked Cook’s 15th win (against 3 losses) as Lanham moves to 3-1.

Ben Lagman vs. Anthony Smith

A slow-paced, but skillful, striking match was put on by Ben Lagman and Anthony Smith until a massive KO gave Smith the win early in the second.

Round one was characterized by the loud thuds of body kicks and whizzing fists as the rangy 185ers tested their range and power against one another. Smith caught one of Lagman’s kicks and put him on his back, but the two quickly bounced up to their feet and continued the kickboxing exhibition.

Lagman’s combinations picked up the pace late in the first, and his dynamism continued in the second… until Smith leapt with a flying knee to force Lagman backward, then followed up with an instant sleeping pill of a right hand. The ref jumped in to stop things at 33 seconds of the 2nd round in what was described by one press row denizen as “a bad ass knockout.”

Just 22 years old, Smith’s record is now 14-6 as a pro on top of 30-plus amateur fights. Lagman drops to 6-2.

Bill Cooper vs. Maka Watson

Twenty-four year old Bill Cooper’s 11 years of BJJ were apparent throughout his round and a half-long bout against (and win over) Vegas-based Hawaiian Maka Watson. Cooper came out with wildly aggressive takedown attempts, and Watson sprawled his way out of them in the first minute but wound up on the ground with Cooper on his back. Hooks firmly in, Cooper spent the next several minutes working for a rear-naked choke and prying Watson’s arm back for an armbar. The lightweights briefly spun and Cooper ended the round transitioning from mount into a locked armbar that could have ended the fight had the clock not run out.

Cooper was more efficient in round two, and after exchanging a few blows with Watson, he squashed his foe against the cage and took his back. After softening Watson up with blows, Cooper sank in the choke. The two fell to the ground and Watson tapped out at 2:39 of the second.

Cooper, who has won more than 30 Grappler’s Quest titles and a UFC Fan Expo bout over Joe Stevenson, kept his perfect pro MMA record intact at 2-0, while Watson’s was lost as he falls to 4-1.

Brian McLaughlin vs. Sterling Ford

Cowboy karate practitioner Sterling Ford made his Strikeforce debut a successful one against AMA Fight Club product Brian McLaughlin.

Each round started off similarly, with the lightweights circling one another, McLaughin landing a few thudding kicks before going for a takedown, scrambling back to the feet and taking his opponent’s back but losing the choke.

Submission specialist McLaughlin spent most of the first round on his back in his corner, scoring with the occasional upkick and trying for sweeps and armbars, while Ford drew blood with calculated and damaging blows from up top.

Round two played out similarly but on the other side of the cage and save one standup from the referee. The seemingly exhausted McLaughlin moved as if underwater, throwing looping punches and pawing at his bloodied face. Ford struggled to find his range, but his strikes remained crisp and damaging throughout, and he ended the second by tagging McLaughlin several times in the face. After three rounds, Sterling Ford was awarded the unanimous decision 30-27, 29-28, and 30-27.

Ford’s win brought him to 13-4, McLaughlin is now 6-2.

Source: StrikeForce
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