The Athlete gives his thoughts on Vancouver and makes his picks for Saturday's Strikeforce show in Dallas.
What a time in Vancouver I had last weekend for UFC 131.
I was there for the MMA Expo and worked a booth for Drako Impact Armour gear with Duane Ludwig, who's an absolute riot. We had fun and got to meet a lot of people and sign autographs. I also talked with Sam Stout and his coach Shawn Tompkins on Sunday and congratulated them on Sam's big win.
It was great seeing another one of our Canadians coming up with another big bonus. I wa pretty happy for him. It was also nice to see another Canadian Nick Ring come away with a decisive victory, considering his last one was fairly controversial in the decision.
Meanwhile, Junior Dos Santos beat up Carwin pretty bad for three rounds, which is what I predicted. I just thought he was much better standing, so it was a tall order of a fight to take for Carwin, who's coming off an injury, surgery and a long layoff.
Now it sets up a great fight between Cain Velaquez and Dos Santos, one I'm very interested in seeing.
As for Mark Munoz vs. Demian Maia (who I fought before). I'm glad Munoz won only in that we've already seen Maia fight Anderson Silva and it was pretty horrible. Munoz has put together a couple wins and put himself in position where he's pretty close to a middleweight title shot.
I will give Maia credit for really improving his standup game. He clipped Munoz and had him in trouble a couple times standing. So I'm actually worried if Munoz does get a title shot, because if Demian Maia was clipping him, he might have real trouble with Silva.
Overall I enjoyed the card. From where I was sitting it didn't look sold out, and that's obviously due to the Canucks' playoff run. The fact they won the Friday night before put the city in a good mood and helped the card be successful.
I'll be interested to see if they continue to come to Vancouver, considering all the problems with the commission, or instead do a show in Edmonton or Calgary. Obviously as an Albertan I would like that.
And on the topic of the riots after the Canucks lost in the Cup final, it looks great for the UFC when the idiots did what they did on Wednesday night after Game 7. The UFC comes to town and it goes off without a hitch and there are no incidents. But players lose a hockey game, a fans riot in the streets. It should send a message to the politicians in Vancouver who were hesitant to let MMA go forward that MMA is not something that they need to be concerned about.
Having said that, I'm not sure the aftermath will really change the UFC's stance on whether they go back to Vancouver, but it could make things even more difficult to get in there next time. I think now the city of Vancouver is going to tighten the reins on everything. I don't think they should but unfortunately we live in a society where politicians are very reactive. The mayor says it was just a few bad apples who ruined it for everybody, but time will tell what the reaction will be.
On the bright side, it never ceases to amaze me how beautiful Vancouver is and I always enjoy coming. So much so that I'm back here this weekend for a wedding. My cousin's getting married here in the northern part of Vancouver Island, just north of Campbell River, B.C.
And, no I won't make it out for the Armageddon Fighting Championship fights in Victoria Saturday night, where Kalib Starnes takes on John Salter. Those are two guys I've lost to, do it's a bit of a sore spot for me. I fought Starnes years ago on a couple days notice and lost, which was not the smartest decision by me, and I lost to Salter due to an injury last year. However it's a bit ironic because now I'm back in UFC and they're not.
Starnes is pretty dangerous on the ground. Salter is a wrestler but if he takes it to the ground, that will not be smart for him. However, I always question Kalib and his mental strength. If he's well prepared for this than it's his fight to win, so I'll pick him.
And now for my predictions you've all been waiting for: The Strikeforce fights Saturday night.
Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix
Quarter-final: Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum
I think Overeem is one of the best heavyweights in the world. I'm always concerned whether he's going to pass the drug testing or not, but he's one of the best heavyweights out there. And Werdum is another a great heavyweight but it seems he's always willing to stand and trade. As great at jiu-jitsu he is, it's strange he's always willing to keep the fight standing, which would be a big mistake against Overeem. I'll take Overeem by KO.
Quarter-final: Josh Barnett vs. Brett Rogers
I don't think those guys are in the same league as each other. I watched Brett Rogers in his last fight against Ruben Villareal in Halifax, and I would have thought he would have destroyed that guy. Ruben put a great fight, but I was pretty disappointed in that performance by Rogers, who won by decision. He's nowhere near the level of Barnett as a heavyweight. Barnett by however he wants. I'll say submission.
Lightweight fight: K.J. Noons vs. Jorge Masvidal
Noons always seems to be improving. He's predominantly a standup guy, but he wins fights against great ground fighters. I'm going with Noons.
Heavyweight fight: Jeff Monson vs. Daniel Cormier
I can't ever bet against Monson. Cormier is a great wrestler. Once again, he's going to want to take Monson down, but that's a huge mistake for him. And even if he doesn't, I think Monson finds away to take it down. Either way, it's going to ground, so I'll go Monson by submission.
Lightweight fight: Gesisa (JZ) Cavalcante vs. Justin Wilcox
It's hard to count out JZ, he's fought against the best in the business. He's had a couple of not-so-great fights lately, but I think he's still a great fighter. I'm picking JZ.
Unfortunately, I won't be able to watch the fights as I'll be at the wedding and there's no TVs up in the wilderness where I'll be anyway. Enjoy them!
