Fight Pastor

UFC 107 Predictions by The Fight Pastor

 

The UFC is making their Memphis debut this weekend. This was originally supposed to be the culmination of the Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans feud. After watching season ten of The Ultimate Fighter, where those two fighters bantered worse than my 9 year old twin boys, it is a bummer that Rampage decided to "retire" from fighting to pursue an "acting career." Fortunately, Rampage has finished filming the A-Team and has decided to come out of retirement. We will be able to see this fight some time next year.

The UFC replaced the TUF coaches battle with a lightweight championship fight between BJ Penn and Diego Sanchez. Overall, this is a pretty good card. That is saying a lot when you consider this is the UFC's third fight card in the last month. Anyways, diet Dr Pepper in hand, Point Break on in the back ground, here are The Fight Pastor's predictions for UFC 107. Enjoy!

Kevin Burns vs TJ Grant

This will be a pretty good fight to start the night off. Both Kevin Burns and TJ Grant like to push the action and usually have exciting brawls. Both fighters need a win to stay in the UFC. The fight will go to the ground but likely end on the feet with Burns pulling off a 2nd round TKO.

DeMarques Johnson vs Edgar Garcia

DeMarques was a favorite to win the finale on his season of TUF. Unfortunately his lack of submission defense cost him in his fight with James Wilks. Edgar Garcia is an ex-WEC fighter with a fairly well-rounded fight game. DeMarques speed is going to be the deciding factor as he wins a close 3 round decision.

Rousimar Palhares vs Lucio Linhares

I am convinced this fight is on the undercard because Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg could never pronounce either one of these guys names. This is a battle between two Brazilian submission fighters. This fight is going to the ground and someone is getting submitted. Lucio has been on a roll leading to this debut in the UFC. I think he is going to submit Rousimar by rear naked choke in round 3.

Johnny Hendricks vs Ricardo Funch

This fight pits a wrestler, Johnny Hendricks, against a jiu jitsu fighter, Ricardo Funch. Hendricks is out to prove his controversial TKO stoppage against, the popular, Amir Sadollah wasn't a fluke. Funch is hoping his UFC debut turns into a UFC career. The fight is going to the ground and is gonna be pretty boring as Hendricks tries to ground and pound Funch in his guard. Funch will try the occasional submission without success. Hendricks wins this fight because he is better on the feet. He pulls off a 3 round decision.

Matt Wiman vs Shane Nelson

Both of these Ultimate Fighter vets have fairly well-rounded MMA skills. Both of these TUF vets are also a loss or two away from ending up in another organization. This has the potential to be a fight of the night contender as both guys are desperate to maintain their minimal amount of relevancy in the sport. I am going with Matt Wiman by decision due to his strength advantage.

Alan Belcher vs Wilson Gouveia

This is an interesting fight because both Belcher and Gouveia can win by knock out or submission. If the fight goes to the ground I think Gouveia will pull this out. If the fight stays standing then Belcher will win. I don't see the fight ending early and I think Gouveia is gonna get baited into a boxing match which he will end up losing by decision.

Paul Buentello vs Stefan Struve

This fight is ending in the first round. Buentello will either knock Struve out in the first 2 minutes or Struve will withstand Buentello's initial onslaught and pull off a submission (exact like the Chase Gormley fight). I am going with youth over experience. Struve wins his 3rd straight fight with a first round submission. (Or Buentello knocks him out.)

Kenny Florian vs Clay Guida

I enjoy watching both Kenflo and Clay "the carpenter" Guida fight. Their fights are rarely boring.  I like watching Kenny Florian because his technical skill in variety of MMA disciplines is impressive. I like watching Guida because he is tenacious, never stops moving forward, and never gives up. (See his fight against Diego Sanchez for proof.)

Florian was on a roll until losing to BJ Penn. He seemed overwhelmed in that main event fight against Penn. He wasn't himself. Guida was also on a roll until he got beaten down by Diego (the fact he lasted the entire fight earned my respect!).

This is my pick for fight of the night. Guida will try to keep the fight on the ground and Florian won't care. Florian will try submission attempts and eventually get the fight back to the feet. On the feet Kenflo will hit Guida with elbows, knees, and kicks. Guida's floppy hair will get in his eyes but he will still find a way to get the fight back to the ground. He will ground and pound, Florian will try submissions and throw elbows eventually getting the fight back to the feet. This cycle will happen over and over again for three incredible rounds.

Florian will win a unanimous 3 round decision.

Jon Fitch vs Mike Pierce

This has been a journey for Fitch. He was to fight Ricardo Almeida at UFC 106 (a fight he would have easily won).  But, Almeida blew out his knee. He was then scheduled to fight Thiago Alves at UFC 107 (a fight I think he would have lost). But, Alves blew out his knee. So we are left with Mike Pierce, who had recently beat Brock Larson (Larson is now out of the UFC).

I like Jon Fitch. I have met him a few times. He is a cool guy and a fighter who doesn't quit. His fights though are boring. He rarely finishes a fight. He usually spends 3 rounds punching a guy from the other guys guard.

That is exactly what will happen in this fight. Pierce is a tough guy who won't get knocked out or submitted. Fitch will end up taking him down, throwing punches from Pierce's guard, and eventually winning another boring 3 round decision.

Frank Mir vs Cheick Kongo

Frank Mir and Cheick Kongo are coming off of losses. Frank Mir had his face mutilated by Brock Lesnar at UFC 100. This is his first fight since that pummeling. I saw Mir at the recent WEC event and he looks HUGE. He has easily put on 20lbs of muscle since that fight with Lesnar. I asked him about it and he said he realized he had to gain weight to compete against the Lesnars and Carwins of the world.

That is a scary thought for Kongo. Mir has far superior skill in just about every area of his MMA game and now he is bigger and stronger. The only advantage Kongo had in this fight was his strength and power edge. That may be gone.

Kongo lost his last fight to Cain Velasquez. Velasquez was smaller and clearly not as strong but continually took Kongo down. Kongo's ground game is atrocious. He was winning the stand up battle and came close to knocking Velasquez out but he can't keep a fight on its feet.

This fight is simple to call. Mir is a better boxer than Kongo. He will frustrate Kongo on the feet. Kongo will throw a few haymakers hoping they will connect and knock Mir out. They won't and Mir will use that to take him down. On the ground, Kongo being what wrestlers refer to as a fish will get submitted. Frank Mir will win submission of the night by submitting Kongo in the 2nd round.

Diego Sanchez vs BJ Penn

I have gone back and forth on my predictions for the main event. I watched the interviews of both fighters during the TUF 10 finale and started leaning towards a Diego upset. I wasn't a fan of Diego's when he fought at welterweight. I thought he was weird and his fights were dull. Since dropping to lightweight that has been another story. He is still a little weird but his fights have been exciting. The two constants with Diego are his incredible cardio and focus. Most MMA fans know cardio and focus are BJ Penn's ONLY (occasional) weakness. Lately that hasn't been the case for Penn.

My gut says a Diego upset but I bet against Penn when he fought Kenny Florian. He manhandled Florian and made me look silly. My brain says don't you dare go against Penn again! So I am going with a BJ Penn 3rd round submission of Diego Sanchez.

So there you have them, the Fight Pastor's prophetic predictions for UFC 107! So what do you think, am I a true prophet or should I be stoned? We will find out on Saturday! If you don't have anywhere to watch the fight this Saturday you are invited to see it live at Canyon Creek Church!

The Ultimate Fighter Heavyweights (aka Season of Kimbo Slice) Post Finale Thoughts

What we learned watching The Ultimate Fighter Finale (most of which we already knew but hoped we were wrong).

• Marcus "Big Baby" Jones has a glass chin. A fighter can improve his skill by training but you are either made to take a punch or not. "Big Baby" can't take a punch. He will have a short career in the UFC.

• Matt Mitrione is the type of athlete you want to root against. He will get a few more fights and UFC fans will cheer for him to lose. The guy is just annoying to watch and I can't figure out why.

• Frankie Edgar, if it is possible, looks too small to be a light weight. Matt Veach was the much bigger fighter and took him down with ease until his cardio gave out. Edgar, may be small, but he is quite tenacious. He is probably another quality win away from facing the light weight champ. I think he is too small to win but he is close to getting a shot!

• I don't know if showing so much of Hulk Hogan helps the UFC develop credibility with the fringe viewers. If I were the UFC I would try to avoid any connection or comparison to the WWE.

• I found it ironic that a guy with the nickname of "The Southside Strangler" would lose to a STANDING rear naked choke. Mark Bocek proved to be the real "Southside Strangler!"

• No one would have thought the Kimbo Slice versus Houston Alexander fight would actually go 3 rounds. Houston Alexander danced around and used leg kicks! Kimbo actually took Houston down and dominated on the ground! I felt like I had entered some sort of weird parallel universe. Kimbo might just have a future in MMA and the UFC.

• After watching the interview with BJ Penn and Diego Sanchez I can't wait for the fight next week. I am beginning to lean towards Diego shocking the MMA world.

• I totally underestimated Jon Jones! He looked incredible! Completely dominated Matt Hamill. His 85 inch reach is going to difficult for any light heavyweight to deal with. I predicted a Matt Hamill victory so I will take the DQ win.

• Darrill Schoonover and James McSweeney have no future in the UFC.

• The coaches for the next season of The Ultimate Fighter are......(drum roll please) Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz! That will be awesome! I am definitely going to the event where the coaches fight. Liddell versus Tito 3!

• Roy Nelson has just ruined Dana White's day! Roy Nelson knocked Brendan Schaub out! Dana White is going to have to deal with "Big Country" being in the UFC for awhile. Knock out of the night.

I can't wait until the next season of The Ultimate Fighter. Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz will be incredible entertainment.

The Ultimate Fighter Heavyweights (aka Season of Kimbo Slice) Predictions

The most unique season of The Ultimate Fighter is having its fight finale this Saturday. This season had the best ratings in the series history and also had some of the least impressive contestants. Normally, TUF introduces you to a group of up and coming fighters that most of the MMA world had yet to hear of. We watch their antics in the house, villianize some and root for others. We watch them develop as fighters throughout the season and wonder how they will perform once they reach their goal of fighting in the UFC. This season was different. This season was full of fighters we had seen fight before, or at the very least had heard of. Most of all, this season had Kimbo Slice! The backyard brawling, internet sensation whom Dana White frequently referred to as "The toughest man at the barbecue."

I found myself rooting for Kimbo only to be disappointed when he was ousted out of the competition in the 3rd episode. The UFC teased us with whether or not Kimbo would return to compete as an injury replacement but it never happened. The remainder of the season we were treated to a series of mediocre fights with contestants winning who stand little to no chance of actually competing against the UFC's top heavyweights. Does anyone actually think "Big Country" would last 60 seconds against Brock Lesnar? Or that Brendan Schaub would last through round 2 against Frank Mir? But I digress.... The highlight of the entire season was watching Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson banter back and forth. I can't imagine how huge that fight will be once they eventually face each other. I refuse to believe either of them is a good actor so they must genuinely despise each other.

The Finale is Saturday night. The UFC has put together a fairly interesting free card. So here they are, the Fight Pastor's predictions for the TUF 10 Finale (aka Kimbo Slice's first official UFC fight).

Mark Bocek vs Joe Brammer

This fight is a battle between a UFC undercard vet Mark Bocek and the octagon newcomer Joe Brammer. I have never been too impressed with Bocek and have never seen Brammer fight. Brammer does have a pretty cool nickname, The South Side Strangler. I assume you don't have a nickname like that unless you have a habit of choking opponents out. Bocek has a habit of choking or being choked. I think this will come down to a 2nd round rear naked choke with The South Side Strangler reigning victorious in his UFC debut.

John Howard vs Dennis Hallman

This is actually a pretty interesting fight. Howard is a top level boxer and Hallman is a submission whiz. Hallman is making his return to the octagon. He is most famous for submitting Matt Hughes twice back when Matt Hughes was seen as almost unbeatable. Howard, on the other hand, has fought recently in the UFC. In his last fight he beat the man with the worst nickname in MMA, Tamdan "The Barncat" McCrory. His split decision win sent The Barncat out of the UFC. This striker versus grappler battle is going to end early. John Howard knocking out Dennis Hallman in the 2nd round.

Brian Stann vs Rodney Wallace

This fight has little intrigue so I will keep it simple. Rodney Wallace, the newcomer, loses by TKO to Brian Stann, the much larger light heavyweight, in round 2.

Jon Madsen vs Justin Wren

Madsen and Wren both competed on this season of The Ultimate Fighter. Both men are superb wrestlers so there is a good chance this fight is going to the ground. Justin Wren has the better striker game and is the more well-rounded fighter. His experience and more well-rounded fight game will be enough to give him a boring 3 round decision.

Darrell Schoonover vs James McSweeney

Schoonover and McSweeney also competed on this season of TUF. Schoonover was mercilessly teased all season by Rampage Jackson. (I actually felt bad for him. Personally, I think it made Rampage look like a school yard bully.)

Schoonover ended up getting knocked out on the show by Marcus Jones. McSweeney, on the other hand, was winning his fight against "Big Country" but started showboating and Roy Nelson clocked him. It was a reminder that pride comes before a fall. His cockiness took him from the main event to the undercard. McSweeney will never make that mistake again. He wins this fight by 2nd round knock out.

Marcus Jones vs Matt Mitrione

This is the fight between my favorite competitor on the show, Marcus Jones, and my least favorite, Matt Mitrione. Both are ex-NFL players. Marcus Jones is a far better fighter than Matt Mitrione and will have little trouble submitting him in the 1st round.

Frank Edgar vs Matt Veach

This battle between lightweight contenders is probably going to be fight of the night. Frank Edgar recently beat Sean Sherk and has only lost to the stud, Gray Maynard. Matt Veach has only one fight in the octagon but it was an impressive win against Matt Grice. This will be an exciting 3 round fight with Frank Edgar's octagon experience (and boxing) helping him win the decision.

Kimbo Slice vs Houston Alexander

Lets be honest, this is the fight everyone wants to watch. It is going to be a standing brawl. It is going to end early, probably in the first round. Houston Alexander has knocked out Keith Jardine, his biggest claim to fame but has been knocked out by everyone else. Kimbo has knocked out Tank Abbott but also got KO'ed in prime time by the UFC cast off Seth Petruzelli . This season of tough made me a Kimbo fan. I badly want him to win. I am a little nervous that one of Houston's haymakers will connect on Kimbo in the first 2 minutes and knock him out. His only chance is to make it through Houston Alexanders initial onslaught and KO him towards the end of the first round. My brain says Alexander but my heart says Kimbo. It is one of those rare moments where I am in a sensitive mood. Kimbo Slice makes his UFC debut in stunning fashion by knocking out "The Assassin" Houston Alexander in the first round!

Matt Hamill vs Jon Jones

This is a great match up, striker versus grappler. Matt Hamill is a great, but boring, fighter and Jon Jones is a quick rising, undefeated light heavyweight. I want Jon Jones to win. I have met him several times, he is super cool. I just think Hamill's wrestling will ultimately decide the fight. Hamill by 3 round decision. Jon Jones is no longer undefeated.

Roy Nelson vs Brendan Schaub

The finale for TUF 10 pits the veteran, Roy Nelson, against the former NFL player, Brendan Schaub. Schaub is a great puncher but "Big Country" is a well-rounded MMA fighter. Dana White doesn't like Roy Nelson very much but unfortunately he is going to have to get use to him. "Big Country" is going to take Schaub down and lay on him with, as Rampage so eloquently put it, "his big belly." Roy Nelson smothers Brendan Schaub and wins a boring 3 round decision.

There you go, the Fight Pastor's predictions for the finale of the most popular (and most boring) season of The Ultimate Fighter to date. So what are your thoughts? Am I a prophet or am I blinded by my obsession with Kimbo?

The Ultimate Fighter Series

I have started a message series at my church, Canyon Creek Church, on the life of David called The Ultimate Fighter. Several MMA fighters have helped us introduce each message. Here is the greeting from Urijah Faber.

Here is the link to the message series, if you are interested.

The Ultimate Fighter

UFC 107 Fight Night

 

On December 12th, fight pastor and Canyon Creek Church will be hosting a live pay per view showing of UFC 107. Come watch BJ Penn vs Diego Sanchez with other fight fans, live at Church! The doors will open at 6:30pm and the cost is $10.00 per person at the door.

Free tickets will be given to everyone who comes to Canyon Creek Church on Sunday, December 6th! The fight night will also be the official debut of fightpastor.com. Come watch the fights and support the official launch of Fight Pastor.

Mike Brown Before and After WEC Featherweight Championship

Mike Brown lost his WEC Featherweight championship belt to Jose Aldo at WEC 44. Jose Aldo dominated him for two rounds until finally the judge stopped the fight.  Here are some before and after pictures of Mike Brown. He really looks like he got beat up badly.

Before the fight....

and here is what he looked like a day after the fight....

I like Mike Brown. He is a super nice guy. I hope he is able to come back from this. Jose Aldo looks to be the class of the featherweight division. It is going to be difficult for Mike Brown or Urijah Faber to beat him. Aldo is extremely well rounded. He has knock out power on his feet and is a jiu jitsu expert on the ground. I predict Jose Aldo will be the champ for the unforeseen future.

WEC 44 Highlights

 

This was my first live WEC event. It was a blast. The arena was small and the ground was small which made the setting pretty cool. Here are my two second highlights in bullet picture form.

We bought tickets in the cheap seats but I talked an usher into letting us move down. He agreed as long as we would move if the actual ticket holder came. Our seat was in the front row ring side over looking the area where the fighters come in. These were probably $500.00 seats that we lucked into for free. If you watched the fights on Versus and looked close enough we were visible often!

Got to witness the beginning of the Jose Aldo championship reign. He TKOed Mike Brown in the second round to win the Featherweight Title. Jose Aldo is incredibly fast, has good power, and a killer ground game. He is going to be tough for any fighter. I assume his next fight will be against Urijah Faber if he wins his fight next month.

Finally met The Iceman Chuck Liddell. I have been to 3 UFC events and haven't seen the Iceman. Drew and I stayed in line for over 4 hours at the fan expo and finally gave up. Boone and I were talking to John Hackleman when Chuck walked up to us.

Urijah Faber is difficult to get pictures with because he usually travels with a huge entourage that keep fans away from him. During the 15 minute intermission between the under card and the main card Sky and I snuck down to the ring side floor and got pictures with the California Kid. He is a really cool guy. Sky says he looks like he should be skateboarding.

One of my goals for this fight week was to meet Tito Ortiz. We spotted him ring side and right after we met Urijah Faber we made our way to Tito. The usher was adament that we could not stop for pictures but I tried anyways. Tito was super cool. I love the picture Sky took of me with the Huntington Beach Bad Boy. Tito is my pick to beat Forrest on Saturday night.

As we were heading out after the fight, we ran into the president of the UFC, Dana White. We hung out and talked to him for a little bit and all of us posed with him for pictures. My favorite one was the group shot. I have always been a Dana White fan and he just re-enforced that with how cool he was. He told Chris that he would know if Kimbo is gonna fight by the end of tonights episode of The Ultimate Fighter.

Just some brief highlights of an awesome experience. If you are ever in the area during a WEC fight. I strongly encourage you to go. The smaller crowds and more intimate arenas make it a great experience for fight fans. You will be almost guaranteed to meet fighters at these events.

WEC 44: Mike Brown vs Jose Aldo

I arrived in Las Vegas and immediately took a taxi to the Palms for the WEC 44 weigh-ins. This is my first live WEC weigh-in (been to 3 UFC weigh-ins this year). I was surprised how few people attend these weigh-ins. If you have attended a UFC weigh-in you know those are pretty packed. I was able to stand right up next to the scale and take pictures. There were also a couple dozen UFC and WEC fighters just hanging out with fans. It was pretty cool. If you are ever in the area where a WEC fight is held, make sure and check out the weigh-ins. Great way to meet fighters and other fans.

Since the average MMA fan doesn't have a clue who most of the WEC fighters are I am only going to do a prediction for the Featherweight Championship.

Mike Brown isn't a popular champion. Most MMA fans prefer Urijah Faber. I personally like Mike Brown. I have met him a half dozen times. He is a great guy. Super friendly. He is also a great fighter. Unfortunately, he is the Rodney Dangerfield of champs. He doesn't get any respect. I was talking to Jaime Varner today and he told me he thinks Mike Brown is great guy but doesn't stand a chance against Jose Aldo. The fighter who clearly beat Urijah Faber not once but twice can't get any respect!

Jose Aldo is an up and coming featherweight. MMA fans will never forget his 8 second, flying knee knock out of Cub Swanson. Aldo is fast with knock out power.

This is going to be a great fight, a potential fight of the year bout. I think Aldo's speed will counter Brown's power the first couple rounds. I see Brown wearing down Aldo the last three rounds. It will be a close 5 round decision. 3 rounds to 2 with Mike Brown retaining his featherweight belt. Hopefully, beginning to earn the respect he definitely deserves.

The Worst Hair In MMA Belongs To:

After several hundred votes for over 20 different fighters the totals are in and we have a tie for the worst hair in MMA. The winners of the worst hair in mixed martial arts are:

Clay "The Carpenter" Guida

 

and

Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy

Congratulations guys! You may never win an MMA belt that matters but your hair keeps you relevant.

Strikeforce: Carano vs Cyborg Predictions

What's left of Strikeforce's biggest card ever face off tonight on Showtime. Not gonna spend a lot of time on this (because it is Strikeforce) but here are my predictions for the upcoming bouts. Again, I am only giving predictions on fights I have at least a remote interest in.

Mike Kyle vs Febricio Werdum

Strikeforce is full of UFC castaways and Werdum is one of them. At one time he was an up and coming fighter, then reality set in, he lost a few fights in a row and got cut from the UFC. Werdum wins this by 2nd round submission and gets one step closer to returning to the UFC.

Jay Hieron vs Jesse Taylor

Jay Hieron is actually a pretty good fighter. He used to fight in the IFL and when that shut down he signed with Strikeforce. He is fighting another UFC cast off Jesse Taylor. Jesse was the infamous competitor on season 7 of The Ultimate Fighter. He is the only cast member to ever be kicked off the show for bad behavior. If you have ever watched TUF then you know to get kicked off, your behavior has to be REAL bad. Chris Leben and Junie Browning didn't even get kicked off. Jesse doesn't even mention being on TUF on his own bio page. Anyways, the prediction. Jay Hieron by 2 round submission. (Though Jesse could pull out a surprise 3 round decision.)

Gilbert Melendez vs Mitsuhiro Ishida

Gilbert Melendez is a constantly improving fighter (who will most likely end up in the UFC one day). He lost by decision to Ishida the first time they fought. I think he gets his revenge this time. Melendez by decision.

Renato Sobral vs Gegard Mousasi

Sobral (Babalu) is an ex-UFC fighter whose greatest claim to fame is that he got TKOed by Chuck Liddell. There is a ton of love out there for Babalu but I have never been a fan. I am picking Mousasi to win by decision. It has a lot to do with the fact that Mousasi has the only nickname in MMA worse than Tamdan McCrory's (Barncat). His nickname is The Dreamcatcher. That is so dumb.

Gina Carano vs Cris Cyborg

 

This fight is for the first ever ladies MMA championship belt. Gina Carano has been super popluar in MMA circles for the last few years. Partly because she is an anomally; she is a great fighter and is cute. (I tease my son, Elijah, all the time about him marrying her. He thinks she's gross though.) Cyborg is a great fighter and looks like a dude with long hair and make-up (is that mean?). Cyborg is absolutely brutal when she fights. I like Gina Carano but think she is gonna lose by TKO. Probably in the 2nd or 3rd round. Elijah hopes I am wrong (he says this isn't true but I just think he is playing hard to get).

So if you actually watch Strikeforce, what are your thoughts?