UFC 101: DECLARATION

[Ronsam2006]

UFC 101: Declaration

Main card
Lightweight Championship bout: B.J. Penn vs. Kenny Florian
Light Heavyweight bout: Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin
Welterweight bout: Amir Sadollah vs. Johny Hendricks
Middleweight bout: Kendall Grove vs. Ricardo Almeida
Lightweight bout: Josh Neer vs. Kurt Pellegrino

Preliminary card
Lightweight bout: Shane Nelson vs. Aaron Riley
Welterweight bout: Tamdan McCrory vs. John Howard
Middleweight bout: Thales Leites vs. Alessio Sakara
Welterweight bout: Matt Riddle vs. Dan Cramer
Lightweight bout: George Sotiropoulos vs. George Roop
Welterweight bout: Jesse Lennox vs. Danillo Villefort


I am really looking forward to the Silva-Griffin fight. That is a fight that will make you go numb just thinking about the matchup. I am also looking forward to Amir Sadollah 2nd fight in the UFC who hasn't fought since June 08 after his TUF 7 finale, AND HE WON, but I guess that's why they gave him a job hosting on Spike.

Of course I am ready for the Penn-Florian fight, I am a huge Penn fan, and I have been following him and his blogs closely after the GSP loss, he looks determined and ready to get it done. What do you guys think about this fight?

Also did you guys see Penn jump right out of a 3ft pool? WTF...what an athelete...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXoqfIU0C6Y

[americanctm]

I am really looking forward to the Silva-Griffin fight. That is a fight that will make you go numb just thinking about the matchup.

BOOM! That fight is is going to be epic.

[ironchef]

UFC 101: Declaration

Main card
Lightweight Championship bout: B.J. Penn vs. Kenny Florian
Light Heavyweight bout: Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin
Welterweight bout: Amir Sadollah vs. Johny Hendricks
Middleweight bout: Kendall Grove vs. Ricardo Almeida
Lightweight bout: Josh Neer vs. Kurt Pellegrino

Preliminary card
Lightweight bout: Shane Nelson vs. Aaron Riley
Welterweight bout: Tamdan McCrory vs. John Howard
Middleweight bout: Thales Leites vs. Alessio Sakara
Welterweight bout: Matt Riddle vs. Dan Cramer
Lightweight bout: George Sotiropoulos vs. George Roop
Welterweight bout: Jesse Lennox vs. Danillo Villefort


I am really looking forward to the Silva-Griffin fight. That is a fight that will make you go numb just thinking about the matchup. I am also looking forward to Amir Sadollah 2nd fight in the UFC who hasn't fought since June 08 after his TUF 7 finale, AND HE WON, but I guess that's why they gave him a job hosting on Spike.

Of course I am ready for the Penn-Florian fight, I am a huge Penn fan, and I have been following him and his blogs closely after the GSP loss, he looks determined and ready to get it done. What do you guys think about this fight?

Also did you guys see Penn jump right out of a 3ft pool? WTF...what an athelete...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXoqfIU0C6Y

My picks in bold.

[Sinfix_15]

i dont like the Forrest - Silva match, it makes no sense. On paper you would think Forrest is gonna brawl and bring the fight to Silva, but that isnt gonna happen. Forrest gets cautious after a loss. He's gonna be very evasive with kicks. He's most likely planning on trying to wrestle this one out. Since Silva is a huge win and its only a 3 round fight. Forrest will fight to win, him winning will require a slow pace and the use of his size and wrestling.

They should have gave Hendo another title shot, waited for the winner of Demian Maia and Nate Marquardt. Even Vitor would have been a more significant fight.

It's a good fight.... but not suited for Silva, at this point, Silva is building a legacy and Forrest does nothing for that legacy.

[Sinfix_15]

i dont know what i want from the Penn/Flo fight. I think Kenny is a better person and would offer better future matchups, But Penn's skill is hard to match. Smart money is on BJ Penn.

[americanctm]

They should have gave Hendo another title shot, waited for the winner of Demian Maia and Nate Marquardt. Even Vitor would have been a more significant fight.

http://mmajunkie.com/news/15694/dan-henderson-gets-next-title-shot-nate-marquardt-vs-demian-maia-winner-in-the-mix.mma

try and keep up lol

[Ronsam2006]

i dont like the Forrest - Silva match, it makes no sense. On paper you would think Forrest is gonna brawl and bring the fight to Silva, but that isnt gonna happen. Forrest gets cautious after a loss. He's gonna be very evasive with kicks. He's most likely planning on trying to wrestle this one out. Since Silva is a huge win and its only a 3 round fight. Forrest will fight to win, him winning will require a slow pace and the use of his size and wrestling.

They should have gave Hendo another title shot, waited for the winner of Demian Maia and Nate Marquardt. Even Vitor would have been a more significant fight.

It's a good fight.... but not suited for Silva, at this point, Silva is building a legacy and Forrest does nothing for that legacy.

Griffin has already stated on the ESPN interview with Mike Straka that he will bring a smart game plan and be a little more evasive.

I can't believe you said Forrest does nothing for the Silva legacy if he wins, are you kidding me? Forrest is still ranked top 10 in the world in light heavyweight. After all, this is only Silva's 2nd fight at 205lbs, and trust me when I say this, Griffin is a big step up from Irvin. I am Silva's biggest fan, I rank him #1 in my book, but I still won't sit here and say Griffin is no trouble.

Also Dana White and Joe Silva purposely matched Anderson against Griffin because he is type of fighter that will bring it, and the fans were tired of watching opponents back away from Anderson (Cote and Leites fight). Rumor is that Griffin accepted this fight after 4 other 205lbs fighters previously declined, names were not mentioned.

[Ronsam2006]

My picks in bold.

I can respect that....I am going for Kendall Grove as well.

[Sinfix_15]

http://mmajunkie.com/news/15694/dan-henderson-gets-next-title-shot-nate-marquardt-vs-demian-maia-winner-in-the-mix.mma

try and keep up lol

im aware of this.... The point is that one of those options should REPLACE Griffin. Not come after it.

[Sinfix_15]

Griffin has already stated on the ESPN interview with Mike Straka that he will bring a smart game plan and be a little more evasive.

I can't believe you said Forrest does nothing for the Silva legacy if he wins, are you kidding me? Forrest is still ranked top 10 in the world in light heavyweight. After all, this is only Silva's 2nd fight at 205lbs, and trust me when I say this, Griffin is a big step up from Irvin. I am Silva's biggest fan, I rank him #1 in my book, but I still won't sit here and say Griffin is no trouble.

Also Dana White and Joe Silva purposely matched Anderson against Griffin because he is type of fighter that will bring it, and the fans were tired of watching opponents back away from Anderson (Cote and Leites fight). Rumor is that Griffin accepted this fight after 4 other 205lbs fighters previously declined, names were not mentioned.

I said the same thing. On paper "Griffin brings it" and i see the logic behind picking him. I stated my opinion and the reasons why i think Forrest will NOT bring it. Silva has stated that he's not interested in the 205lb title while Machida is holding it. So what does Silva beating a 205 contender do for his legacy compared to defending his title? The only reason i can see to have this fight is to have Silva's name in the hat for 205 lb contenders in the event Machida loses..... but... why do that when you have solid 185lb contenders. Hendo is hot right now!... for the first time in his career he's actually marketable.. strike while the iron is hot. Hendo is the #2 185er in the world, he's fresh off a dominant win.. do that fight.

If Griffin is the only guy that could get to put in front of Anderson, then it is what it is... but this is no epic clash of the titans. Best case scenerio for me is that Silva walks thru Griffin like he did Irvin and we can move on to more significant matchups.

[Ronsam2006]

im aware of this.... The point is that one of those options should REPLACE Griffin. Not come after it.

Why? Belfort, Maia, and Marquardt(already did) would all get their asses handed to. I mean Silva has already faced people exactly like them already and you know what happened. Silva only has like 4 more fights left in his contract, why not make it someone special.

[Sinfix_15]

Also.... outside of a shot in the dark, i dont see why someone would pick Grove over Almeida.

[Sinfix_15]

Why? Belfort, Maia, and Marquardt(already did) would all get their asses handed to. I mean Silva has already faced people exactly like them already and you know what happened. Silva only has like 4 more fights left in his contract, why not make it someone special.

Griffin is only special to the newcomers... he's a high profile name because of his celebrity status, not because of his amazing talents.

Yes, Silva already beat Hendo and Nate... but both of those are more legitimate wins that Griffin... even the 2nd time around. Theyre also both on hot streaks. Griffin is on his way down the ladder. Vitor for whatever reason is the popularity choice. Appearantly KOing Matt Linland still means something Either way, Vitor looks better on a resume.

[Sinfix_15]

Another matchup i hate..... Thales vs Sakara..... WHY?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? why throw Thales a bone??? fire that idiot. He looked terrible vs Marquardt and stinked up the building vs Silva... why spoon feed him Sakara... There's a few guys Sakara could possibly beat but this will be an easy win for a very underserving Thales Leites. Will be an easy sub.

[Ronsam2006]

I said the same thing. On paper "Griffin brings it" and i see the logic behind picking him. I stated my opinion and the reasons why i think Forrest will NOT bring it. Silva has stated that he's not interested in the 205lb title while Machida is holding it. So what does Silva beating a 205 contender do for his legacy compared to defending his title? The only reason i can see to have this fight is to have Silva's name in the hat for 205 lb contenders in the event Machida loses..... but... why do that when you have solid 185lb contenders. Hendo is hot right now!... for the first time in his career he's actually marketable.. strike while the iron is hot. Hendo is the #2 185er in the world, he's fresh off a dominant win.. do that fight.

If Griffin is the only guy that could get to put in front of Anderson, then it is what it is... but this is no epic clash of the titans. Best case scenerio for me is that Silva walks thru Griffin like he did Irvin and we can move on to more significant matchups.

Silva will not walk through Griffin like he did Irvin. Griffin's ground game is very under rated. I think Forrest is a purple belt in BJJ. Plus who says Silva wants the 205 belt? I think Silva will be satisfied if he beats a few 205rs and keeps the middleweight belt.

Regardless of how many belts he held, the true followers will know what a great fighter Silva is....but putting that aside, did you know that once Anderson Silva got the championship belt, he has never lost it in organization he has been in.

[Sinfix_15]

Silva will not walk through Griffin like he did Irvin. Griffin's ground game is very under rated. I think Forrest is a purple belt in BJJ. Plus who says Silva wants the 205 belt? I think Silva will be satisfied if he beats a few 205rs and keeps the middleweight belt.

Regardless of how many belts he held, the true followers will know what a great fighter Silva is....but putting that aside, did you know that once Anderson Silva got the championship belt, he has never lost it in organization he has been in.

It's not a matter of questioning how great Silva is... people who doubt Silva are foolish. The man is amazing, it pisses me off to see the dissrespect he gets. Like you said, Silva has said he's not going to fight much longer. I want to watch him fight the best possible guys they can put in front of him. Forrest Griffin is just not that man.

[Ronsam2006]

Griffin is only special to the newcomers... he's a high profile name because of his celebrity status, not because of his amazing talents.

Yes, Silva already beat Hendo and Nate... but both of those are more legitimate wins that Griffin... even the 2nd time around. Theyre also both on hot streaks. Griffin is on his way down the ladder. Vitor for whatever reason is the popularity choice. Appearantly KOing Matt Linland still means something Either way, Vitor looks better on a resume.

They are doing this for the fans man. The UFC and Dana are promoting Silva as the best pound for pound fighter in the world, after a fight like Cote and Leites, the fans deserve a fight like Silva-Griffin. I know Henderson deserves another shot a Silva, which he is getting soon in early 2010, but shit, let Forrest do his thing man.

[Sinfix_15]

They are doing this for the fans man. The UFC and Dana are promoting Silva as the best pound for pound fighter in the world, after a fight like Cote and Leites, the fans deserve a fight like Silva-Griffin. I know Henderson deserves another shot a Silva, which he is getting soon in early 2010, but shit, let Forrest do his thing man.

I shouldnt care about this fight because i should have zero doubt in Silva. But the odds are stacked against him vs a fighter that doesnt deserve to fight him. Griffin beating Silva would be such a trajedy. If Griffin goes for broke like he's expected to do, i will have respect for him. But i really feel like Forrest is coming in with the mindset of stealing this win. It's a 3 round fight. He's the bigger stronger guy. I'd really hate to see him steal a UD. What happens then? You have a champion that lost his last fight... If Silva wins.. which he should.. its a good win, but it doesnt really do anything fantastic for the legacy of Silva.

[Sinfix_15]

sig bets anyone? Loser has to use the sig created by the winner.

I'll take any of these fights....

BJ Penn > Kenny Florian
Silva > forrest
Almeida > Grove
Thales > Sakara

[Ronsam2006]

sig bets anyone? Loser has to use the sig created by the winner.

I'll take any of these fights....

BJ Penn > Kenny Florian
Silva > forrest
Almeida > Grove
Thales > Sakara

All of those look about right, even though I am rooting for Grove, he will probably lose decision or submission. My money is on your bets.

[ironchef]

LOL @ sig bets, what is this, Sherdog?

[Ronsam2006]

On a side note, here is a good Lyoto Machida video that shows his explosiveness while he was training for UFC 94. Make sure you click HD.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFGjaGB1VD4&hd=1

[Sinfix_15]

LOL @ sig bets, what is this, Sherdog?

yeah... this isnt much different that sherdog...

[SleepingTalon]

Talked to BJ last week. He's pumped. Kenny is in trouble. Penn by TKO no later than Rd 3.

[TSiFTW]

Why? Belfort, Maia, and Marquardt(already did) would all get their asses handed to. I mean Silva has already faced people exactly like them already and you know what happened. Silva only has like 4 more fights left in his contract, why not make it someone special.

WRONG!! Silva has NEVER faced anyone with the BJJ skills of Demien Maia. Period. Nogiera will even admit that. That will be Silva's toughest fight. There has not been anyone in MMA with Maia's skill level since Hoyce Gracie. He should be next in line in my opinion. Marquardt stands no chance against Maia.
On the topic, I hope Ken Flo demolishes Penn, and I also hope Griffin takes out Silva. Simply because I am not a Penn or Silva fan.

[SleepingTalon]

WRONG!! Silva has NEVER faced anyone with the BJJ skills of Demien Maia. Period. Nogiera will even admit that. That will be Silva's toughest fight. There has not been anyone in MMA with Maia's skill level since Hoyce Gracie. He should be next in line in my opinion. Marquardt stands no chance against Maia.
On the topic, I hope Ken Flo demolishes Penn, and I also hope Griffin takes out Silva. Simply because I am not a Penn or Silva fan.

LOL @ Royce Gracie being an elite BJJ guy. His MMA BJJ is not very good at all and he was only good because the guys he fought didn't train ANY BJJ, and because Royce was able to use the GI. He never won the CBJJ Worlds, or the Pan Am's. In fact, his best accomplishment would be getting choked out by Walid Ismael.

Oh, and I hope you're joking about Marquardt standing no chance against Maia. He's by far the better wrestler, better striker, bigger, stronger and is no slouch on the ground. Nate got his BJJ black belt from my BJJ coach, Ricardo Murgel, and Murgel (8th degree BJJ black belt) is not only the highest ranking BJJ guy on the east coast, but he's also one of the highest ranking in the world (right below Rickson). Maia struggled with Jason MacDonald, and is very much a one trick pony. Yes his BJJ is elite, but can he take a punch? How will he deal with Nate's stand up? This isn't some "gimme" fight for Demian.

[americanctm]

Talked to BJ last week.

wait!? what? YOU personally talked to BJ Penn last week you're saying? How do you know him? And if so, did you ask him to do the jumping out of the pool trick?

[Sinfix_15]

WRONG!! Silva has NEVER faced anyone with the BJJ skills of Demien Maia. Period. Nogiera will even admit that. That will be Silva's toughest fight. There has not been anyone in MMA with Maia's skill level since Hoyce Gracie. He should be next in line in my opinion. Marquardt stands no chance against Maia.
On the topic, I hope Ken Flo demolishes Penn, and I also hope Griffin takes out Silva. Simply because I am not a Penn or Silva fan.

Marquardt vs Leites shows what a big wrestler can do vs even a superior BJJ guy. Leites... i hate him, but he's solid at BJJ. Not as good as Maia... but a fair comparison. Only a fool would say Marquardt has no chance.

Big wrestlers are the anti-BJJ... plenty of examples to demonstrate this.

[SleepingTalon]

wait!? what? YOU personally talked to BJ Penn last week you're saying? How do you know him? And if so, did you ask him to do the jumping out of the pool trick?

LOL, yes, I talked to him. I've been acquaintances with him for awhile now...maybe like 4-5yrs, when I first started training. Back then, no one knew what MMA was, let alone who BJ Penn is. I remember when his Myspace had 275 friends, haha. Still, he's not Chuck Liddell famous, just well known within mainstream MMA. Your average person will have no clue who he is. I actually know a bunch of guys through training, BJJ, etc.

[Sinfix_15]

LOL @ Royce Gracie being an elite BJJ guy. His MMA BJJ is not very good at all and he was only good because the guys he fought didn't train ANY BJJ, and because Royce was able to use the GI. He never won the CBJJ Worlds, or the Pan Am's. In fact, his best accomplishment would be getting choked out by Walid Ismael.

Oh, and I hope you're joking about Marquardt standing no chance against Maia. He's by far the better wrestler, better striker, bigger, stronger and is no slouch on the ground. Nate got his BJJ black belt from my BJJ coach, Ricardo Murgel, and Murgel (8th degree BJJ black belt) is not only the highest ranking BJJ guy on the east coast, but he's also one of the highest ranking in the world (right below Rickson). Maia struggled with Jason MacDonald, and is very much a one trick pony. Yes his BJJ is elite, but can he take a punch? How will he deal with Nate's stand up? This isn't some "gimme" fight for Demian.

What he said.

also.... appearantly Demian Maia is the best BJJ since Royce Gracie... /chuckle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWcJxR7QOeY

[Sinfix_15]

LOL, yes, I talked to him. I've been acquaintances with him for awhile now...maybe like 4-5yrs, when I first started training. Back then, no one knew what MMA was, let alone who BJ Penn is. I remember when his Myspace had 275 friends, haha. Still, he's not Chuck Liddell famous, just well known within mainstream MMA. Your average person will have no clue who he is. I actually know a bunch of guys through training, BJJ, etc.

where do you train in GA.

[SleepingTalon]

where do you train in GA.

KBX but I run around to many different gyms, as over the years, I've made friends everywhere. As soon as UFC 101 is done with, I'm actually planning a trip to Hilo to train with Charuto, BJ, Rudy, etc. I just have to coordinate it with them. Maybe hit AKA or another gym on the way back home too. Just have to see. Shooting for October.

[ironchef]

KBX up off of exit 12, right?

[SleepingTalon]

What he said.

also.... appearantly Demian Maia is the best BJJ since Royce Gracie... /chuckle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWcJxR7QOeY

In MMA, Maia's BJJ is top notch, but it's hard to say whose the best. Tapping Nate would be quite the feat though, as I know 100% the lineage of his black belt, since we both train under Ricardo Murgel.

[SleepingTalon]

KBX up off of exit 12, right?

Yes, you train there? My contract is almost up though, and I'm probably gonna go down to Alliance and train over there. It's a bit closer to where I am during the day.

[Sinfix_15]

In MMA, Maia's BJJ is top notch, but it's hard to say whose the best. Tapping Nate would be quite the feat though, as I know 100% the lineage of his black belt, since we both train under Ricardo Murgel.

no doubt, i'd say he's top 5 in the world at his craft... but people make it seem as if he lays a finger on you and you tap out. It's simply not the case. He's a bit undersized for the division and Nate is a massive guy. I'd say this fight is a coin flip leaning toward Nate being a favorite.

you going to casca grossa? i got a thing in the mail the other day. I havnt trained in almost 2 years though

[ironchef]

Yes, you train there? My contract is almost up though, and I'm probably gonna go down to Alliance and train over there. It's a bit closer to where I am during the day.

No, I went there once to check it out. It seemed good, but I didn't want to sign a contract. I'd prefer to do it month to month. Though I would like to start training.

[SleepingTalon]

no doubt, i'd say he's top 5 in the world at his craft... but people make it seem as if he lays a finger on you and you tap out. It's simply not the case. He's a bit undersized for the division and Nate is a massive guy. I'd say this fight is a coin flip leaning toward Nate being a favorite.

you going to casca grossa? i got a thing in the mail the other day. I havnt trained in almost 2 years though

No. Not gonna go 100% full bore until I get clearance from my surgeon. I broke my arm TWICE last year training for BJJ competitions and a fight, and I want it to heal correctly this time. I still train hard, but I only roll at like 70%. SHOULD have clearance by September, and then I can see about really going hard. That's why I'm shooting for Hilo in October.

[SleepingTalon]

No, I went there once to check it out. It seemed good, but I didn't want to sign a contract. I'd prefer to do it month to month. Though I would like to start training.

Ah, I gotcha. Well, you should visit as many places as you can to see what suits you. Everyone is different, so you may like one place more than another. If you're just starting out, you're learning curve will be good no matter where you go.

[Ronsam2006]

WRONG!! Silva has NEVER faced anyone with the BJJ skills of Demien Maia. Period. Nogiera will even admit that. That will be Silva's toughest fight. There has not been anyone in MMA with Maia's skill level since Hoyce Gracie. He should be next in line in my opinion. Marquardt stands no chance against Maia.
On the topic, I hope Ken Flo demolishes Penn, and I also hope Griffin takes out Silva. Simply because I am not a Penn or Silva fan.

Silva has faced Leites. Leites was one of the quickest in the world to earn a black belt. He earned it in like 3 years or something like that. He entered the BJJ World Cup Championship as a brown belt and won. Leites also has a really strong chin possibly better than Maia's. Leites and Maia's level of BJJ is a notch above Silva's but Silva's stand up is way better than both of theirs. Do you get where I am going with this?

The thing about the Silva-Leites fight was that Anderson respected Leites, because Leites respected Anderson. But Maia shows no respect to Anderson because he is on Wanderlei Silva's team. If you don't know what Anderson does to fighters that don't respect him...take a look
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crvpV...om=PL&index=14

He fucks with them, and beats them up. That's Lee Murray, the dude that knocked out Tito Ortiz with a one-two punch combo outside of a London club after Tito tried to hit him. All Lee Murray did was talk shit in the weigh ins, and ended up getting his ass beat in the fight, and Anderson even handed Murray his mouth piece after he was done. Have you seen the disrespectful videos Maia has put out about Anderson, Maia would get torn a new one.