So the final has been set for The Ultimate Fighter.
I personally didn’t watch too many episodes too closely this year. I found Josh Koscheck so annoying that I couldn’t watch the show. He was just being a basic jackass. I did watch enough however to get to know some of the fighters.
I was impressed with Jonathan Brookins. I wish some of his humility could rub off on Koscheck, but I don’t know if we’ll be so lucky.
I’m excited to see the matchup against Michael Johnson. I saw his very first fight, and beating Nam Phan, who is a very seasoned veteran, was quite an accomplishment.
So Koscheck was shut out in the final and he is putting the blame squarely on himself. But I don’t know what went wrong. You only see bits and pieces of what went on in the house and you don’t know what went on behind the scenes.
On paper Koscheck had a great coaching staff. Dave Camarillo is a great jiu-jitsu coach and Javier Mendez a great striking coach. Don’t know where he fell short. But we all know matchups make fights.
Lots of times a great fighter loses just because it’s a bad matchup stylistically for him.
It must be embarrassing for Koscheck.
He’s talked a lot of crap. I mean a LOT of crap, throughout the show. Meanwhile Georges St-Pierre has been very respectful. He just laughed at all the stupid stuff Koscheck tried to pull. But I think each and every bit of it he has been using as motivation the past couple of months to fight him next week.
I’m not sure Koscheck has the tools to beat him, but we’ll talk about that next week.
Before I make my fight picks, I just want to make one comment.
Last week Gerald Harris was cut by the UFC with a 3-1 record. He’s the most recent example of a guy to get the quick axe.
It was a bit shocking, well I should say surprising, because nothing shocks me anymore when it comes to fighters being cut.
His fight against Maiquel Falcao wasn’t exciting; it was a boring performance, and probably what made the UFC take a stronger stand was the fact the fight was on TV. It was the first fight of the event and the UFC wants to kick it off with a bang.
I think Falcao was equally to blame. There was not a whole lot of engaging going on. Sometimes that’s the way it is: guys fight with strategy, not always throwing caution to the wind like a Bonnar-Griffin.
Dana White has taken a strong stand that if you don’t fight, the axe will come your way. Regardless if it’s one loss, two losses or 10, your job is in jeopardy.
But what about guys like Matt Brown and Tyson Griffin, other fighters who have lost three in a row?
That being said they’ve always stepped up and had great fights against good opponents. So it shows if you go out there and fight hard and make it exciting, your job is safe.
That’s the key to it. And with the UFC taking over the WEC, this is going to be even more prevalent with a bigger roster of fighters.
The Ultimate Fighter picks:
Jonathan Brookins vs. Michael Johnson
All the fights that I’ve watched of Brookins, he’s impressed me. He’s one of the more impressive guys to come out of the TUF show who is relatively unknown. I’m putting my money on him.
Stephan Bonnar vs. Igor Pokrajac
I never count Bonnar out of a fight. I always feel pretty safe putting my money on him.
Kendall Grove vs. Demian Maia
Maia for sure. I know first-hand he has the tools to submit Kendall. I don’t think this is a great fight for Kendall. If Maia can get Chael Sonnen down, he can get Kendall Grove down and once it hits the ground, I think it’s a foregone conclusion from there.
Johny Hendricks vs. Rick Story
Two tough exciting guys who always have good fights. I think Story is a little too big for Hendricks. He’s a big welterweight, and he’ll use that to his advantage stay on top or stay in the clinch and grind out a decision.
Strikeforce picks:
Renato (Babalu) Sobral vs. Dan Henderson
This is a good fight and I’m looking forward to seeing it.
I’m not sure Babalu can weather the aggressive style of Hendo. Mousasi was aggressive and finished him pretty fast, and Hendo’s style is similar. Hendo says the Jake Shields loss was due in part to the medication he was taking and I tend to believe him because we haven’t seen him fight like that. I think we’ll see the old Hendo and I’m picking him to win.
Matt Lindland vs. Robbie Lawler
These guys have two very different styles. Lindland is an awkward striker, Lawler is wild. They’re both lefties. I think Lawler is bit big for Lindland, but Lindland should be well prepared, having Sonnen to train with and Okami, so he’s got lots of practice with lefties. I’m going out on a limb and going with Lindland.
It’s my money-maker pick.
Scott Smith vs. Paul Daley
Everybody knows how tough Smith is, but his striking is pretty loose and wild to say the least and we know Daley has very sharp accurate striking. I think Daley will have the more accurate shots and knock Smith out.
Antonio Silva vs. Mike Kyle
Does anybody really care about this fight? Kyle’s a last-minute replacement, I don’t really know what to say. Both are pretty irrelevant in the big picture in the heavyweight department.
Would either of them beat Alistair Overeem?
No. Would they compete against Fedor Emelianenko if he makes it back to Strikeforce. I don’t think so. I don’t know what to expect from Kyle on short notice, but it’s a pretty tall order to fight Bigfoot Silva, so I’m going with Silva.
Lastly, this Sunday afternoon Ryan Bader and I will be at Catalyst Sports Supplements in Calgary (417-12445 Lake Fraser Drive) doing a guest appearance for Magnum Nutraceuticals, so if you’re in Calgary, come by between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. and say hello and get a picture with Ryan and I.
