ufc UFC on Fuel TV: Gustafsson vs. Silva

[D. S. Veteran]

So it's finally April and UFC events are back after quite a long break. The month starts with a free event and ends with possibly one of (if not) the biggest PPV of the year. Let's talk about the card. It was originally to be Gustafsson vs Lil' Nog and the winner would probably get the next LHW title shot. Now Gustafsson gets to fight a returning-from-steroid-bust Silva but the title shot implication probably still stands if Gustafsson wins.

Preliminary Card

Eric Wisely vs Jason Young - Wisely had a tough UFC debut, getting submitted with a REVERSE CALF SLICER!!! by Charles Oliveira. Seeing how it was also his FW debut, the UFC is probably cutting him a little slack and giving him an accessible fight. Young hasn't picked up a single win in the UFC and recently lost to Michihiro Omigawa by decision. Likely outcome of this fight is that he picks up a 0-3 record in the UFC and gets sent home while Wisely lives to fight another way. Should Young win (anything is possible at this skill level), it will depend on how dominant the win is: if the answer is "very" then Wisely goes back to the minor leagues.

Simeon Thoresen vs Besam Yousef - A nordic battle between two local guys. Yousef has a 6-0 record but hasn't fought since May 2011. Ring rust will certainly be a factor, favoring Thoresen who is also the more experienced fighter.

Yoislandy Izquierdo vs Reza Madadi - Izquierdo hails from Cuba and also brings in a perfect 6-0 record. Despite that, Madadi is much more experienced and holds wins over opponents without predominantly losing records. Advantage Madadi.

Francis Carmont vs Magnus Cedenblad - Carmont trains out of the Tristar Gym (GSP's home camp) but since he is French, he will probably forfeit the fight as soon as he gets in the ring.

Cyrille Diabate vs Jorgen Kruth - This one is certainly going to end up being a kickboxing match. Diabat? doesn't have that much of a ground game, getting submitted by Perosh in his last outing after failing to keep him at bay despite being 1,98m with enormous reach. Kruth has been crushing cans into a 5-0 record but Diabat? has a very large edge in experience, skill and reach. Like most of the guys on this card, he's here because he's swedish but this isn't a fight he can handsomely win.

Papy Abedi vs James Head - Abedi bit off more than he could chew by having his UFC debut against Thiago Silva at WW. He got clowned, badly, being the first person to ever be submitted by Alves. Here he returns to his natural division of MW to fight a much more accessible opponent. Not trying to knock James Head but he's pretty much serving as a warm body for a Swedish fighter to beat on. It would be great if he could an upset.

Main Card

Damacio Page vs Brad Pickett - Pickett, despite his devastating loss to future BW champion Renan Bar?o, is still a Top 10 BW and will try to get back on the winning column against Page. Seeing how he already holds a win over Mighty Mouse, is pretty skilled with submissions and that seems to be Page's kryptonite, I think this will be a fun affair.

DaMarques Johnson vs John Maguire - Battle of the low-tier WW here. Johnson is one of those guys that gets a win whenever his losing streak is getting too cumbersume for employment with the UFC. Maguire is just one of those B-league champions trying to make it somewhere in the UFC. His debut with Justin Edwards was still pretty fun, especially since Edwards could have easily won had he not been a dumbass and decided to grapple with this guy.

Diego Nunes vs Dennis Siver - After getting raped by Cerrone, Siver decided to drop to FW. Why only after 1 loss? I don't know. Seeing how he's pretty much short and stocky, this cut will probably cust him a lot of muscle. Nunes, on the other hand, is pretty much at home fighting at FW. He got robbed against Kenny Florian due to his lack of wrestling but he doesn't have to worry about that with Siver. Should be an interesting fight.

Siyar Bahadurzada vs Paulo Thiago - Siyar is one of those mysterious guys from the far East that cruises around European promotions demolishing people. He was supposed to face Erick Silva in Brazil but got injured. Now he gets to fight very underrated WW Paulo Thiago. It will be a good test of wether Siyar really is ready for the UFC and for the shark tank that is the WW division.

Alessio Sakara vs Brian Stann - Stann goes from possible contender to fighting injury king Sakara, who hasn't fought in almost a year after losing to Chris Weidman. If Stann picked up some wrestling after his loss to Chael, he can safely get a win without having to bang Sakara out. Altough if he wants to, he has the power to KO him or at least pound him into a fine bloody pulp.

Alexander Gustafsson vs Thiago Silva - Gustafsson is on a tear but really isn't on the same level as Bones. After all, he has a loss to Phil Davis and since then he hasn't faced any wrestlers (Matt Hamill is retarded and doesn't count). He won't have to worry about wrestling against Silva but it would sure help him in order to control the fight because Silva hits like a freight train and has a chin made of adamantium. He was KO'ed by Machida but that was BEAST Machida, not Bitch Machida that got choked while standing and couldn't beat Fat Rampage. If these two decide to duke it out, FOTN and certainly KOTN.

[Rappy Veteran]

going to be a good main event! (Y)

[D. S. Veteran]

going to be a good main event! (Y)

Lot of potential. But since Dana has announced that the next Henderson fight will be for a belt... I'm thinking Gustafsson (or Silva) will have one more fight to go before they can challenge Bones. I'm really not seeing a Silva vs Henderson rematch happening, especially after Chael takes the belt.

[Rappy Veteran]

Lot of potential. But since Dana has announced that the next Henderson fight will be for a belt... I'm thinking Gustafsson (or Silva) will have one more fight to go before they can challenge Bones. I'm really not seeing a Silva vs Henderson rematch happening, especially after Chael takes the belt.

is that seriously going to happen you think?

[D. S. Veteran]

is that seriously going to happen you think?

(No)

[Rappy Veteran]

I want him to win, it'll make UFC even more fun to watch and take the dominance away from Silva

[D. S. Veteran]

I want him to win, it'll make UFC even more fun to watch and take the dominance away from Silva

Yes, sure, but let's take the facts into consideration: Silva in front of his home crowd; having previously styled all over Okami who trained with Chael for that fight; Chael struggled a bit with Bisping, a guy who will never challenge for the belt while Silva holds it at least; it's not a 50/50 fight in any way shape or form. And if Chael wins by Decision, Silva gets an immediate rematch that would sell more PPV than if it was the cure for cancer. On the other hand... if Chael finishes the f... HAHAHAHAHAHA sorry, couldn't bring myself to type out that sentence in full.

[SiCKX]

Hope Thiago wins, he's been away from quite some time. If this one looks great (a first round finish would be OK), after 1 more fight he could be in line for a crack at Rashad or Bones.

As for the other Silva, I'm sick of him.. I wish Chael gets that extra luck needed, but if he shows up as for Bisping's fight he's a goner for sure. Anderson Silva at his weight class = master.

[D. S. Veteran]

Hope Thiago wins, he's been away from quite some time. If this one looks great (a first round finish would be OK), after 1 more fight he could be in line for a crack at Rashad or Bones.

As for the other Silva, I'm sick of him.. I wish Chael gets that extra luck needed, but if he shows up as for Bisping's fight he's a goner for sure. Anderson Silva at his weight class = master.

I'm guessing Bader would be in front of him on the line, now that he got his career back on track. Let's not forget the steroid bust. Silva vs Davis (if Davis picks up a win meanwhile)?

[Rappy Veteran]

if Chael finishes the f... HAHAHAHAHAHA sorry, couldn't bring myself to type out that sentence in full.

:rofl:

[D. S. Veteran]

"Christ, Siver looked like a concentration camp victim. Which is ironic since he's, you know, GERMAN!"

-_- ... Goddamnit guys.

[D. S. Veteran]

Not bad for a free event but nothing special. I've still only watched these fights.

DaMarques Johnson vs John Maguire - Johnson took a page out of Justin Edwards book and decided to grapple around with Maguire. Turned out to be a very bad decision when he went for a really dumb kimura from half-guard that would only have gassed his arms out. It's pretty obvious what Maguire's bread and butter is, he's a grappler whose striking serves only one porpuse: to distract his opponent long enough until he can get them to the ground. How far will he go in the WW division? Demian Maia got a title shot at MW before he learned how to strike so who knows? Real answer: probably nowhere as soon as he gets matched up with a striker who knows how to keep it standing. Plenty of those in the WW division.

Diego Nunes vs Dennis Siver - I just don't get Nunes. He looked kind of smugly at Siver's attempts to strike him, blocking pretty much everything easily but still got hit around into an unanimous decision lost due to an inability to pull the trigger and attack. Almost a repeat of what happened to him against Gamburian. Siver went out and did his thing and got a well deserved win. He'll provide some interesting fights at 145 but like at 155, he's not really title material. Nunes has the skillset, now he just needs to get the mentality down and be the agressor.

Siyar Bahadurzada vs Paulo Thiago - I honestly thought that Thiago had ruptured an aneurysm and died. Goddamn, what a punch. But still doesn't do anything to shed some light on Siyar. Was it a lucky punch? How's his cardio? Is his grappling up to par? Complete mistery still. Maybe match him up with John Maguire to test it out.

Alessio Sakara vs Brian Stann - I have no idea how Sakara is still employed after this fight. He's fought 4 times in 4 years due to injury and racked up a 2-2 record. His chin is made of glass that was glued back together. He probably won't fight again for the whole of 2012. Is he the MW Matt Brown? Stann got the win but it doesn't do anything for him, Sakara was just too far gone. He got him rocked in the opening exchanges and couldn't pound him out for a TKO finish (he looked to be getting tired from the GnP). The finish was just weird: he knocks Sakara out and wakes him back up with another punch. Good on him for stopping there but this could have become pretty controversial if it wasn't universally recognized that Sakara has a glass chin.

Alexander Gustafsson vs Thiago Silva - Let's get this out of the way: the commentary sucked and Gustafsson is nowhere near the same level as Jones. He fought smart, used his range, he dominated the fight but he wasn't trully dominant to a point where he couldn't lose (one guy even scored it 29-28). Everyone knew that all that Thiago had to do was corner him against the fence and unload and the fight would go on a completely different direction. The only real damage Gustafsson did was in the 1st round and after that was a matter of frustrating Silva, who looked like a suitable replacement for Rampage in the way he aproached this fight, trying to walk Gustafsson down and getting peppered with shots(but he throws kicks). The Mauler is in no way, shape or form ready for a title shot because this fight didn't really answer the question I had: has his grappling improved? The UFC has the ideal candidate for him to fight: Ryan Bader. Big, strong wrestler who also has punching power. If he can get past Bader's wrestling, then we'll talk about his title aspirations.

[dippednbutter]

Gustafsson delivered as expected. Papy also was just as expected, not UFC material.

[D. S. Veteran]

Gustafsson delivered as expected. Papy also was just as expected, not UFC material.

Still haven't seen the fight (no goddamn TV channel in my country carries the UFC events). Was it that bad?

[Colin.B]

So am I the only one thinking the best match up/situation at middleweight would be Belfort defeating Silva and getting a fight with Stann for a shot at being "in the mix" as Dana likes to say? I mean, seeing those two slug it out would be awesome.

[D. S. Veteran]

So am I the only one thinking the best match up/situation at middleweight would be Belfort defeating Silva and getting a fight with Stann for a shot at being "in the mix" as Dana likes to say? I mean, seeing those two slug it out would be awesome.

The Belfort - Silva fight is a mere formality due to the TUF Brazil season where they needed 2 brazilian fighters to coach. It's a fight that doesn't boost Belfort's stock anywhere, even if he smashes Silva to bits. If they want to put Belfort on a title track again he either fights Boetsch or Mu?oz. Stann is a nice guy but he isn't really title material. Also, he picked up an analyst spot with FOX much like Kenny Florian so I don't think that he himself has any title aspirations.

[D. S. Veteran]

Stann could very well get a fight with the winner of Belcher vs Paul Harris. Or be a stepping stone for Chris Weidman.

[D. S. Veteran]

Just watched Damacio Page vs Brad Pickett. Like I said, submissions are Page's kryptonite. Pickett looked every bit as the Top 10 BW that he is and submitted Page after an intense first round. Pickett's "One Punch" nickname was a dig at the fact that he didn't really use his striking at all but he showed a different side of it in the 2nd, dropping Page with some very powerful punches. He will probably contend for the BW title in 2013.

[D. S. Veteran]

Gustafsson delivered as expected. Papy also was just as expected, not UFC material.

Just saw the fight. Head didn't even put pressure on the choke, Abedi just had enough of getting punched in the face and took the opportunity to give up and save a little bit of face. Better than tapping to strikes I guess.

[dippednbutter]

Just saw the fight. Head didn't even put pressure on the choke, Abedi just had enough of getting punched in the face and took the opportunity to give up and save a little bit of face. Better than tapping to strikes I guess.

Yep, he needs work. He will probably get a UFC newcomer next fight, lose, and get cut if he doesn't evolve.

[D. S. Veteran]

Yep, he needs work. He will probably get a UFC newcomer next fight, lose, and get cut if he doesn't evolve.

I had an epiphany and decided he must fight Yoshihiro Akiyama! It's a perfect loser-goes-home match-up.

[dippednbutter]

I had an epiphany and decided he must fight Yoshihiro Akiyama! It's a perfect loser-goes-home match-up.

I think Papy is the only person Aki can beat right now :)

Man, I still can't believe Paulo got owned that quick. Wanted to see him do well.

[Colin.B]

The Belfort - Silva fight is a mere formality due to the TUF Brazil season where they needed 2 brazilian fighters to coach. It's a fight that doesn't boost Belfort's stock anywhere, even if he smashes Silva to bits. If they want to put Belfort on a title track again he either fights Boetsch or Mu?oz. Stann is a nice guy but he isn't really title material. Also, he picked up an analyst spot with FOX much like Kenny Florian so I don't think that he himself has any title aspirations.

See, I totally get that about Belfort. Anyone who thinks it's anything but a formality is kidding themselves. If Belfort loses I'll be extremely surprised. But Boetsch is scheduled to fight in July and he wasn't all that impressive in his win over Okami...After being beaten for most of the fight. Stann's only loss as of late came at the hands of Chael Sonnen and has improved (I think since then.) I don't see him winning a shot either but that doesn't mean he won't get contender or top five status,

[D. S. Veteran]

See, I totally get that about Belfort. Anyone who thinks it's anything but a formality is kidding themselves. If Belfort loses I'll be extremely surprised. But Boetsch is scheduled to fight in July and he wasn't all that impressive in his win over Okami...After being beaten for most of the fight. Stann's only loss as of late came at the hands of Chael Sonnen and has improved (I think since then.) I don't see him winning a shot either but that doesn't mean he won't get contender or top five status,

But why put someone out there as a contender if he himself knows that he can't win the belt? What good would do to put Mike Russow as a future HW contender or Top 5? It would be better for Stann and the UFC to keep him around, like they do with Rich Franklin or Forrest Griffin or Rampage, giving him a few fights a year but keeping in a confort zone so they can draw on his charisma and life story. Having him fight Belfort would be a terrible missmatch, almost on the level of the Akyiama - Belfort fight. Belfort may not be able to beat Silva, but he can beat pretty much everyone else in the MW division outside of Chael and maybe Mu?oz. Boetsch is fighting Bisping (who recently lost to Chael for a shot at the MW title), a clear top tier opponent, because he's been surging at MW and recently beat a Top 10 MW in Okami. He deserves another stab at the Top 10 to see if he's got the skills to eventually challenge. Stann's one and only venture into the Top 10 ended up with him unconscious so he stays below that line. A good opponent for him would probably be Alan Belcher, regardless of if he wins or loses against Paul Harris. Having Stann fight Paul Harris would probably mean the end of his career.