UFC 157 preview

UFC 157 poster

The day is upon us. In a couple of hours the UFC will kick off it's 1st event to host a Women's MMA bout. I'm so pumped for the event due to the historical importance it has but also because the card from top to bottom is pretty darn sick. I'll be going into detail on what are the fights that excite me the most and predicting most of the card.

The 1st three fights will be shown on Facebook and are pretty solid. John Manley vs Neil Mangy is a bout from 2 of the best Ultimate Fighter contenders from last season. Both guys are fun as heck to watch and will be looking to put on a great show, more so due to the fact that the UFC is noticeably trimming it's roster lately (released 16 fighters were released this week) and a loss couple mean they'll be cut. Magny is the betting favorite at -160 and I expect him to pick up the win inside the 15 minutes.

Another prelim fight that I love, this on is on FX, is Michael Chiesa vs Anton Kuivanen; I don't really know that much about Anton but am a huge fan of Chiesa right from the start of his TUF run. How could you not root for this guy to win the series when in episode 2 he lost his father, in the end he wound up winning it all and getting the six figure UFC contract, this will be his debut and I expect him to win without any real problem. Still I would not be on him, not because he will lose but the -200 is not an enticing number to risk any cash on.

The final prelim fight will be Brendan Schaub vs Lavar Johnson. This fight between 2 heavyweights will be pretty darn awesome, these guys may not have the best record but win or lose they always put on a show. Schaub is the favorite at -150, Big Lavar is at +120. I find the +120 enticing enough to take the risk but regardless of who you are rooting for or betting on this is a fight that will most certainly not go the distance. If there is a prop regarding the fight ending in a KO, I'd take it in a heart beat.

The main card features 5 bouts, 3 of them are really attractive to me. The other 2 are Josh Koscheck vs the returning Robbie Lawler; not a fan of Josh but I expect him to win and so does Vegas with a -450 spread. And Urijah Faber vs Ivan Menjivar, Faber never comes through in the big spotlight  (i.e. title fights) and Menjivar has been winning but not being really entertaining; I think the California Kid will take it but love the +300 for The Pride of El Salvador.

Court McGee has been a personal favorite for a long time, Josh Neer always puts on fun fights so this has the makings of a fun scrap. I'm really interested to see how McGee works now that he is down to fighting at 170; I really expect the bearded one to take the win, although that -300 is not a good bet IMO.

The fight that has me really hyped up is Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida vs Dan "Hendo" Henderson. These are to warriors that have made their mark all over the world: Japan, Brazil, the US and their styles make it for a really interesting fight. Hendo and his H bomb a sick overhand right he is famous for, as seen here KOin Michael Bisping at UFC100

are always on the attack, while Machida is widely known as one of the best counter strikers in the world today as seen here when he knocked Ryan Bader out cold at UFC on Fox.

So we get a guy who is always hunting against a guy who patiently waits for his opponent to open up to kick/punch the shit out of him; while some say this means Machida will be running away for 15 minutes I see it the other way around where it will be a awesome, action packed chess match. Machida is favorite at -260, I will gladly take Hendo at +200; the one thing that scares me a bit from Henderson is his 13 month layoff and knee injury during that time (if you remember it was his knee injury and subsequent failure to find some to fight Jon Jones the reason UFC151 was canceled back in September), but if there is one thing I've learned from Dan is that, even at 42, he has the biggest heart in all of the UFC. Picking Hendo to win.

The main event of the evening will feature the 1st ever womans MMA bout in UFC history pitting "champion" Ronda Rousey vs Liz Carmouche (the first openly gay fighter in the UFC), this is a huge step into making WMMA relevant and this is a matchup that will be good. Rousey has become a huge star and rightfully so: she is the 1st American woman to win a medal (bronze) in Judo in the Olympics, she has won all 6 of her pro MMA bouts in the 1st round via armbar, she freaking hot and is great with the media. Check out this sick armbar she put on a very tough Meisha Tate, it's pretty sick

Carmouche has been in the Marines, has fought for Strikeforce, Invicta and other smaller companies and has busted her ass to get where she is and, according to the UFC, was the only fighter willing to step up and face Ronda.

This fight is crucial for the future of womans MMA and I really hopes it goes well. Which result is better for the sport? Rousey winning quick and not even making it interesting? Liz pulling off the huge upset? I was discussing this with a buddy, @thekrankylopez, a few minutes ago and he says the UFC needs Ronda to win, I think Ronda is already a star and regardless of the outcome she will continue to be so if Carmouche wins the fight you now have another start and a rematch set up. It's always fun to play fantasy booker but we never know what will happen until it actually does.

From what I've read ticket sales have been great, PPV advance buys are looking good, there has been tons of media for the event -talking big media like ESPN, HBO, USA Today and other large outlets, not shitty blog writers and specialized media that already covered the sport-, maybe more than at any other UFC event. So all is looking good, now it's time for the ladies to get in the octagon and prove everything us hardcore fans already know and the world wants to see.

If you have not seen the great UFC Primetime specials they put of hyping this fight you are missing out on something great. After watching all 3 episodes how could you now root for these two chicks (not saying it in a derogatory way, you pricks). Here is the 1st episode:

Ronda is a HUGE favorite at -1400, Liz is the underdog at +700. If I was going to bet, I'd take the +700 just for the heck of it since 10 bucks will make 70 and in Ronda's case $10 will make you under a dollar. I expect Ronda to go home with the Bantamweight belt but I'm rooting for Liz since she trains in San Diego.

No doubt this will be a great night of fights at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Who do you expect to win? Agree with my picks? Either way let me know at @MrKhakbaz and enjoy this historic card!

Mr Khakbaz out!

The state of UFC / Bones-Sonnen thoughts

UFC 155 poster

By know you must know I'm a pretty big MMA fan; I find it intriguing, entertaining, a great strategy game and not only 2 dude beating the shit out of each other. The UFC has done a great job, and still does, of trying to make the sport relevant and erase that noting that it's human cockfighting.

About a year ago I attended my 1st UFC event (136 in Houston) and was even more hooked. The live fights are off the hook but the experience goes way beyond that. Simply entering the Toyota Center and seeing the octagon was awe-inspiring; the cage itself has such personality that is gives me shivers. The loud music, the crowd -which is surprisingly knowledgeable and just drunks waiting to see guys kick each other in the face- everything makes for a great atmosphere. Is it a violent sport? Yes it is, but no more than a NFL game to which you'd take your kids without thinking twice. TV doesn't do the live events justice and this is something the UFC needs to work on. They need to learn a bit from WWE in making you say "next time I have the chance I NEED to be there live".

I believe 2011 was the greatest MMA year to date. Some of my highlights are:

• The sport brought in main stream media attention like never before. ESPN and USA Today are a couple of examples; i use them since they have alloted TV and print time specifically to MMA each week.


• The FOX contract for the UFC which, in my mind, translates into a "we have arrived to the big time"; there is a ton of work to do regarding this topic but no doubt this is huge step in the very right way.


• There were a ton of great fights with no doubt strenghthens the product. The likes of Edgar-Maynard II and III, Diaz-Daley (Strikeforce) and the best fight of the year, Shogun Rua vs Dan Henderson (worth checking out on Netflix)

2012 has been another story; why the sport keeps growing this year has been tougher.

• Right of the bat injuries have been ravaging cards left and right. This is a contact sport & injuries are part of the game but this year it has been out of control. Heck, it went as far a cancelling 151 due to the HenDo injury; this takes me to my second point.


• Oversaturation. Too much of good thing is bad and 2012 has been the case; too many darn event providing us with weaker cards and, in the case of 151, a one fight show that when the UFC realized the main event was off, the whole card was off


• Some of the biggest fights have not delivered. Case and point, UFC 148, which I had the chance to be a part in Vegas. While the whole experience was nothing short of amazing, the crowd was the best I have EVER seen live - and I've seen Paul McCartney in a 70k person packed stadium, Metallica 3 times, tons of big football games, the NLCS, heck I was in Atlanta for the 96 Olympics and nothing has even come close. The fights were another story, basically nothing delivered and if it not were for the crowd it would have been pretty bad.

What comes now? The closing of 2012 seems to be good since we get a superb UFC on FOX card, headlined by Benson Henderson vs Nick Diaz for the title, and UFC 155 on 12/29 with the most stacked card ever (which I'm planning to be a part of; tix go on sale 10/26 for the general public, 10/24 for UFC Fight Club Members and 10/25 for UFC Newsletter subscribers), headlined by Junior Dos Santos putting the heavyweight title on the line against former champ Cain Velasquez.

Another thing I'm greatly looking forward to is the next season of The Ultimate Fighter. Just last week the UFC announced the coaches will be Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen. These two have to be the most polarizing figures in all of MMA; there is no doubt in my mind that Bones will go down in history as one of the best ever but I believe his whole "good God-fearing christian man" is a bunch of BS that doesn't feel authentic and seems to be more of a work than a WWE match. On the other hand Sonnen is an incredible sales man that has proven absolutely nothing in the octagon, well he has proven you can talk your way into a title shot.

The decision by the UFC to book Sonnen based, on what Dana White called, "stepping up" is a bunch of bullshit. Is it good for business? Yes! Will I watch? Yes! But it sets a pretty bad precedent that you can talk your way into a title shot; the UFC used to pride themselves in putting on the best matches possible, this is certainly not it. Sonnen will sell the fight in a way you believe he has a shot of winning  (like he did at 148), there is nothing wrong with that, but lets be objective and understand that he will probably will be destroyed on 04/27/13 by Bones. Will this help the TUF show? Yes it will, also moving it out of the horrible Friday night timeslot they got will.

Is hyping yourself like Sonnen does bad? Not at all, if you can legally make a buck, more power to you. Heck, I believe many fighters should learn a bit of that, learn how to talk in front of a mic, learn how to sell a fight and then reap the benefits of it! But talking will only take you so far, you gotta prove it in the octagon. And getting a shot because you "stepped up" is not good enough in my book, Dana can talk all he wants about it but it's still $ - again nothing wrong with it, but don't think your audience is stupid-.

What would I like to see?

• A spectacular fight between GSP and Condit, where regardless of the result both come out as even bigger stars.


• I really hope that the Fox card delivers and helps turn those casual fans into full time UFC and MMA fans.


• I'm literally praying that none of the 155 fighters get injured


• I hope the are a bit less events in 2013


• No UFC fighters test positive for any banned substances and / or PEDs. While it's bad for any sport, baseball or football can take the hit, lots of press is waiting for a misstep by any fighter to have a field day and blast the UFC. Imagine the backlash if say, Anderson Silva, tests positive, all the work that has been done with the media for the past 5-8 years will be flushed down the drain.

The sport will only continue to grow, hope it does in the right way; in a way that is sustainable in the long run. In a way where it can create more revenue opportunities for all the parties involved; in a way where both casual and captive audiences will be willing to spend 60 bucks for an event every month or so.

What do you like about the UFC? What do you want to see changed?

Good fight, good night

Mr Khakbaz out!