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From TheSmartMarks.com News Preview for UFC 43: �MELTDOWN�  Hi there, it�s your old pal Dave Dymond, and welcome to the latest edition of the Tap Out Wrap Up. Boy, it�s been a while eh? I apologize to those of you who actually READ this column for my absence from The Smart Marks recently. Judging from some of my email, there are actually people who read this column, and missed it. So to YOU, I owe an explanation! Well, here�s the thing. Fate has conspired against poor old Dave lately, to have a bunch of really unpleasant things happen to me, all at the same same time. I have been trying to get my Master�s Thesis done, (which alone is no easy task.) Add to that, some financial problems, some health problems, and some other very unpleasant personal issues, and you get a dude who is not so interested in watching or writing about MMA for a while. Having said that, I have to tell you, that one of my pet peeves has always been Internet Columnists who write a column, and beat their readers over the head with how lucky they are that there is a column at all. Writers who brag that they DO have a LIFE, you know. That�s crap. First off, we all know that no GOOD Internet Columnist has anything remotely RESEMBLING a personal life. Secondly, when you commit to writing a column, it�s not your job to make the people who read it feel like losers for caring if you write it. So, I�m not getting all pissy about the fact that I�ve been away, not at all. I sincerely apologize to those of you who have missed The Tap Out Wrap Up, especially those of you who took the time to write me and say so. Just believe me when I say that I had some VERY good reasons for not being around, and I hope it never happens again. So what did I miss in the MMA world? In my opinion, NOT MUCH. I haven�t missed a PRIDE show, which is great, since that�s my favorite anyhow. I wasn�t able to do a column for UFC 42, which to me is no big loss, because aside from the Main Event, I thought it stunk. To be fair, I was in the middle of trying to write my Thesis, avoid filing for bankruptcy, and other fun things while this show was going on, so maybe I wasn�t the best judge. Then I missed King of The Cage: Sin City, which WAS a big loss, to me at least. I have long planned to add �KOTC� to my Tap Out Wrap Up lineup, since they are my second favorite MMA league after PRIDE. I even started to write a preview for the last show, which I had to abandon when I realized most of the fighters on the show would be dead from old age, by the time I actually finished the damn thing. So, I decided to watch the show, and then just write a REVIEW. Simple right? I order the show, sit back, and get ready. The problem? The show was LIVE from Vegas, and I live in Toronto Canada, so it didn�t start until about 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time. I fall asleep during the first fight. What�s that you say? I�m sure you TAPED it Dave? Why, yes I did. I tried! I had a tape in, and it was recording. Unfortunately, about 10 minutes after I fell asleep, we had one of those two second power outages that sometimes happen for no readily apparent reason. You know the kind I�m talking about. The lights flicker, but nothing else happens? It�s not big deal, except if you happen to be TAPING something as you SLEEP. In THAT case, your VCR shuts off, and you don�t notice because your fat ass is snoring away on the sofa. So the morning after KOTC: Sin City, I wake up with: 1) A stiff neck from falling asleep in front of the TV. 2) A disgusting spot of drool on my shirt, for the same reason. 3) No PPV on tape, due to a power outage. So, the bottom line is, I missed the show, and was OUT twenty bucks, since Viewers Choice is not going to offer me my money back because of a two second power outage. Anyhow, ENOUGH about me. Let�s talk MMA, specifically the great DOUBLE SHOT weekend we have coming up. We have UFC THIS weekend, and then (tape delayed) PRIDE next weekend. WHOO HOO! As a last note, I must direct your attention to a mysterious man who goes by the name of �Ravishing Rick Rudo.� This guy frequents The Smart Marks Forum, which of course, is the message board associated with this very site. Mr. �Rudo� has been hanging out in the �Misc. Promotions� Folder, and has also been providing his own previews and analysis for the upcoming shows. He seems to know his MMA, and he certainly loves and �supports the sport� so all credit to him! Good work Mr. Rudo! Okay, now�in this column, we�re going to be taking a look at what we have in store this Friday night. For those of you keeping score, my 2003 MMA prediction record in this column stands at 19 - 10 - 1. This gives me a winning prediction rate of 66%, as of PRIDE 25. Let�s see how I do after two shows off! Yves Edwards (Muay Thai: 13 - 6 - 1) vs. Eddie Ruiz (Wrestling: 1- 0) Yves Edwards is a UFC veteran, who competed at UFC 33, 37, 37 �., and 41. I have also seen him fight at King of the Cage 5 and 7, so I�ve seen a fair bit of his work. His won loss record is pretty good, but nothing spectacular. His style is a combination of Muay Thai kickboxing, boxing, and wrestling. I don�t know much about Eddie Ruiz. Here�s what I DO know. He trains with Tank Abbott, which means he�s TOUGH. He fought at the Abu Dhabi Submission Fighting Championships, which means he can probably grapple. BUT�the bottom line here is the big �E Word��experience. Edwards has it, Ruiz does not. Edwards is a UFC vet who has tested himself a higher quality of opponent, and based on his experience� I�m picking Yves Edwards to defeat Eddie Ruiz Pedro Rizzo (Ruas Vale Tudo: 12-5) vs. Tra Telligman (Hybrid Wrestling: 5-3-1) This should be an interesting fight. In my opinion, Pedro Rizzo has never been the same since losing that first World Title Fight to Randy Couture. He felt he got robbed, and a lot of fans agreed. (Not me, but a lot of people.) He clearly lost the rematch, and then has lost twice since. In his last fight, a loss to Vladimir Matyushenko, he looked not so good. Normally, I�d say that he needs a big win here, but the truth of the matter is, the UFC Heavyweight Division is probably their weakest division, so even if he does lose this fight, he�ll probably be back. But it sure wouldn�t look good for TWO reasons. Firstly, Rizzo has already knocked Telligman out before. Secondly, hasn�t fought for TWO years, and only TWICE since the loss to Rizzo. Telligman is an interesting guy. He�s a lot older than most other fighters in active MMA, but he also won his last fight, in a big way, against a GREAT fighter. At PRIDE 13, Tra beat the incredible Igor Vovchanchyn, by decision. Going the distance with Vovchanchyn is NO easy feat. Problem is, that was SO long ago, can you really call that �momentum?� Word has it that Telligman has been doing some serious stand up work, and has actually boxed professionally, so who knows? I�m really torn on who to pick on this fight. You would think due to Telligman�s long layoff, previous loss to Rizzo, and advancing age, picking Rizzo would be a no brainer. Then again, everybody picked him to lose against Igor, and look how THAT worked out. Plus, he hasn�t been sitting on his ass, he�s been training other fighters at the Lion�s Den, and boxing. And to me, Rizzo has looked really weak lately. So what the hell� I�m picking Tra Telligman to beat Pedro Rizzo�and avenge his previous loss. Matt Lindland (Wrestling: 9 - 1) vs. Falaniko Vitale (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu/Kickboxing: 11-2) Fasten your seatbelts, it�s the return of the �Least Intimidating Looking Man in MMA� Matt Lindland. I like Lindland. I respect him, I really do. He�s got an outstanding record, his only loss coming to the Champion (?) last year. I admire his credentials. The man is a Silver Medallist, and that ain�t easy. BUT�I don�t like his fighting style. He likes to fight from �the clinch� and I find that somewhat boring. His opponent, is making his UFC debut, but he�s no stranger to MMA. Falaniko Vitale is a Superbrawl and King of the Cage veteran. The problem is, he hasn�t tested himself against the level of competition that �The Law� has, he will probably be quite nervous, as this will be the biggest fight, on the biggest show of his life, whereas this is old hat for Lindland. Also, I am of the opinion that Wrestling can beat Jiu Jitsu. Furthermore, that annoying clinch fighting style will negate the kickboxing skills of �Niko� and keep him out of striking distance, inside Lindland�s reach, where he can tie him up, or get him pinned against the cage. SO� I�m picking Matt Lindland to defeat Falaniko Vitale. Frank Mir (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: 5-1) vs. Wes Sims (Wrestling: 6-1) Here�s what I had to say about Frank Mir in the UFC 41 Preview: So yeah. Maybe I�m a little bitter, and YES, I took lots of shit from Frank Mir fans for writing that, but my opinion still stands more or less. Mir is a good fighter, but it�s way too soon to say he�s great, and I don�t like the way he acts, or the way UFC is trying to push him. His opponent comes from one of my favorite gyms, Mark Coleman�s �Hammer House.� You can do a lot worse than train with the man who literally invented the Ground and Pound Technique. Wes Sims is 6 -1, and will no doubt work the ground. He could make a go of it. But this fight also has the potential to be quite boring too, since Jiu Jitsu vs. Wrestling can be a bit of a stalemate at times. Here�s my prediction: Mir should win. Then again, he should have beaten Ian Freeman. Like many of the other fights on this card, this is an experience mismatch, as Mir has faced a higher level of opponent than Sims. I will be cheering for Sims, but� I�m picking Frank Mir to defeat Wes Sims. Vitor Belfort (Jiu Jitsu/Boxing: 10-3) vs. Marvin Eastman (Vale Tudo/Wrestling: 5 - 2) This should and could be a pretty damn good fight. Now, I must warn you, I�m about to say something very controversial here. So, if you�re one of those �how dare you criticize fighters�you have no honor� types, I�m warning you: DON�T READ THIS. Vitor Belfort is a very interesting figure in the history of MMA. He exploded onto the scene in 1996, and basically beat the crap out of everybody he faced with amazing punching power. He knocked out heavy hitters (for that time period) like Telligman, Ferrozzo, and Tank Abbott. At Ultimate Brazil, he absolutely KILLED somebody by the name of Vanderlei Silva. Yeah, THAT Vanderlei Silva. Now keep in mind that this was many moons ago, and Silva was nowhere near as experienced then as he is now. But still, the fact remains, Belfort kicked Silva�s ass, and knocked him OUT, and he did it FAST. So why isn�t Belfort THE MAN in MMA right now? There are THREE theories. I will SHARE them with you, and you can make up your mind on your OWN. I am not espousing one particular theory over another, I�m just sharing information. I am not bad mouthing Belfort, nor am I making up slander. Anything I say here, I am simply repeating. Belfort lost to Randy �The Natural� Couture. Some people say he �lost his heart.� It is not unheard of for a fighter to lose a fight, and never recover his confidence. Look at what I said about Pedro Rizzo earlier. (Hmmm. And he lost to Couture TOO. Maybe it�s HIS fault.) Anyhow, sometimes people suffer a devastating loss and are never able to regain their confidence, or get back in �the groove�. Some people claim that Belfort was on generous quantities of performance enhancing drugs when he first broke in. He certainly is smaller now, less aggressive, and has won a lot less. I don�t know if that�s true however. I�m just saying what many other people have said. They claim he went off �the juice� and his Won Loss record went down the drain. There have been MANY slanderous rumors about Belfort�s personal life. Specifically, that he�doesn�t just roll around with sweaty men when he fights them, if you know what I mean. These rumors have been rampant in Brazil, so much so that Belfort had to go on television and deny them. People have claimed that he is very emotional, and as a result, can be discouraged, and taken out of his game plan very easily. For example, he once had to bow out of a scheduled fight with Tito Ortiz, because he had thrown a tantrum over something, put his hand through a window, and cut his arm up. The bottom line is, whether it�s a lingering loss, drugs, or emotional problems brought on by gossip, Vitor Belfort�s stock has gone down dramatically over the years. He has lost to Sakuraba, and most recently Chuck Liddell. Although he is still VERY GOOD, he is no longer regarded as �The Phenom.� His opponent is one of my favorites, a King of the Cage veteran making his UFC debut: �THE BEASTMAN� Marvin Eastman. Eastman has been in some real wars in a cage, and this is his shot to make a big impression in a big way. A win over Belfort would put him in some pretty select company, and cement him as a big time player. This is a tough one to call. Belfort has a lot to prove, but can he? Eastman has lots of experience, and is on the rise. From a stylistic standpoint, Belfort WAS known as a striker, and he can also work the ground. Eastman can wrestle, and he also has Vale Tudo experience. There are convincing arguments to be made either way. So in this case, I�m going with the guy I like� I�m picking �The Beastman� to beat Vitor Belfort. Vernon Tiger White (Hybrid Wrestling: 19-23-1) vs. Ian Freeman (Vale Tudo: 9-6) Here we have another fight, which while it is not exactly between top contenders, is certainly well booked, as it is between two well matched fighters of equal stature and standing in the MMA scene. Vernon Tiger White is one of Ken Shamrock�s oldest students from The Lion�s Den. Despite that fact, I was surprised to find out that this is his FIRST time in the UFC. Time was, that being a member in the Lion�s Den pretty much guaranteed you a shot in the UFC. Ironically, White got this shot at the last minute subsisting for his mentor Ken Shamrock, who had to pull out with a knee injury. Despite this being his first trip to the cage, White has LOADS of experience. I�ve seen many of his fights. He was in PANCRASE for years (and I am a PANCRASE buff, especially the 93-97 era.) He was also the King of the Cage Light Heavyweight Champion, a title which he just lost in what I heard was a great fight with Jeremy Horn. Why didn�t I see the fight? It was on �Sin City� the card I was whining about that I missed above. White is an outstanding fighter, and he�s always improving. He has tested himself against the best of the best. He may not always win, but he is always a better fighter afterwards. His opponent is another one of my sentimental favorites, Ian �The Machine� Freeman. Freeman won my permanent love and gratitude when he beat the crap out of Frank Mir. Unfortunately, he couldn�t build on that huge win, and he got beat by �The Hairy Wonder� Andre Arlovski at UFC 40. Age is a factor with The Machine. He is almost 37 years old, and if there is one thing we have learned lately, the cage is not kind to older fighters. Then again, White just fought very recently, and has had little time to train for Freeman specifically, since he is a substitute. So perhaps that will counter balance the age factor. Neither of these men have sparkling Won Loss Records, but they are both tested warriors, who have been in some outstanding fights. So I am looking forward to this fight, quite a bit. This is another one which is very hard to pick a winner, and could easily go either way. Freeman is a Vale Tudo anything goes striker. White is a Lion�s Den Hybrid Wrestler. I am making my pick for this match based on STYLE. PANCRASE Hybrid Wrestling and the Lion�s Den Submission Style are a couple of my favorites to watch, so� I�m picking �Tiger� to beat �The Machine.� Tank Abbott (Pitfighting: 8 - 8) vs. Kimo (Joe Son Do: 6-3-1) Remember what I said about Tank in his comeback fight? I�m not one to say �I told you so� but after Tank�s embarrassment at UFC 41, we have a Superfight between two UFC legends. Smart booking, if you ask me. Normally I don�t read other people�s predictions until AFTER I�ve done my column, as I want to go into my preview with my head clear of other people�s opinions. But for this fight, I made an exception, and checked out the net�s leading MMA resource, Sherdog. from the sherdog.com UFC 43: Meltdown Preview by James Hirth My sentiments EXACTLY. A lot of fans are calling this fight a JOKE, but I disagree. Firstly, this could bring a lot of fans back to the UFC, and that�s important. Secondly, I look at this exactly like the White Freeman fight: equal booking. What�s the point of throwing Tank in there with somebody 20 years younger than he is, just to get his ass kicked? It doesn�t help Tank, it doesn�t help whoever wins, because they�d be expected to, and it doesn�t help the sport. Tank would probably kill anybody he heard say this, but I see this as a �Legends� type fight, or the MMA equivalent to an old timers game. The sport has passed people like Tank and Kimo by, but that doesn�t mean they don�t deserve a chance to fight on PPV, and it doesn�t mean they can�t still be entertaining. Both of these men come from the era where the only people in the Octagon that had any sort of real cross training was the ref. You got into the cage and beat the snot out of the guy in there with you. And that is what I expect these guys to do. And because it was equally booked, I can�t say for sure who I think would win. Kimo has fought better opponents throughout his career, but Tank has fought more recently. And besides, I mean what the hell�he�s Tank Fucking Abbott. YOU want to tell him he doesn�t belong on this show? I�m picking Tank Abbott to beat Kimo. Randy Couture (Wrestling: 15 - 5) vs. Chuck Liddell (Kickboxing: 11-1) This whole Light Heavyweight situation gives me a headache and a pain in the ass. Here�s how it works, plain and simple. Tito Ortiz is the champion, and UFC�s Poster Boy. He�s on Video Games, Posters, Web sites, everything. You see UFC, you see Ortiz. He gets a huge reputation as a great fighter, mostly deserved. His competition has been a bit underwhelming, but he usually is dominating anyhow. Chuck Liddell wins the right to fight Ortiz for the Title at UFC 37.5, by beating Vitor Belfort. But first, UFC wants Ortiz to fight Ken Shamrock. Shamrock and Ortiz fight, and it�s a HUGE success, one of the biggest shows in the new UFC�s history. On the SAME card, Liddell fights, and puts his title shot in jeopardy, just so he can �stay sharp.� RIGHT after beating Shamrock, while he�s STILL in the cage no less, Ortiz says he doesn�t want to fight Liddell. They�re friends. Chuck says, yeah we�re friends, but I want my damn title shot. Then Ortiz says he�s injured. A lot of people, Liddell included, don�t believe him. I write some mean and nasty things about Ortiz being scared, and get all sorts of hate mail from Ortiz fans, saying how he�s injured, and I�m a jerk, and I don�t know what it�s like, since I�m not a trained fighter. (Which I AM, but whatever.) So Ortiz�s �injury� heals up, but now he wants more MONEY. So first he doesn�t want to fight his friend, and then he�s hurt, and then he wants more money. All the while, here�s Liddell, waiting for his shot. He gives interviews and asks for his shot. He takes out ads in Full Contact Fighter and asks for his shot. No Tito. Meanwhile, UFC who has bent over backwards for Ortiz, and up looking like dorks, because the guy who they put their entire PR machine behind, is now screwing them, even though he has a perfectly legal contract with them. As all this is happening, the quiet, unassuming Randy �The Natural� Couture loses his World Heavyweight Title, to Josh Barnett. Barnett later gets stripped of the title for failing the pre-fight drug test. Couture gets a shot at winning the belt back at UFC 39, by fighting the guy who would have been the Number One contender had he never lost the fight, Rico Rodriguez. (Who is a close friend and stable mate of Tito Ortiz.) Couture loses THAT fight. He takes some time off, and then decides NOT to retire, even though he is now 40 years old. He announces that one of his problems as a Heavyweight was having to make the higher weight limit, so he decided to drop down to become a LIGHT Heavyweight. So, UFC decides that since Couture is a highly decorated and respected former Heavyweight Champion, and Liddell should be getting a LIGHT Heavyweight Championship fight, these two men will fight. The winner, will become the �Interim� Light Heavyweight Champion. If Tito Ortiz gets over his fear of ruining his friendship, or his injury, or his greed, or finds his balls, or whatever, he can comeback, and fight whoever wins THIS fight, to determine the UNDISPUTED Light Heavyweight Champion of the World. I�m glad Chuck Liddell is finally getting his damn title shot, I�m just sorry it�s not against Tito. I�m glad Randy Couture is being treated with the respect he deserves by the UFC, and that he�s fighting at a weight class in which he�s more comfortable. I�m glad he thinks he has more fights in him. Here�s the problem. Chuck is PISSED OFF. Not at Couture, but he�s pissed off. He�s young, he�s hungry, and he�s angry. He wants that belt, partly because he wants it, and partly because it means he gets Tito if he shows up. Couture is a legend. He beat Belfort when that was unheard of. He fought in a classic with Rizzo. He managed to maintain his dignity during the Barnett fiasco. The problem is, he�s not getting any younger. Then again, he is a master wrestler, and a good grappler can neutralize a striker. And maybe there IS something to the �more comfortable as a lightweight� theory. I�m looking forward to this. It should be a good fight, it�s a good main event, and I�m glad that the UFC is moving on without Tito. Maybe this fight will prove to Ortiz that the UFC does not revolve around him. Then again, THEY are the ones who gave him that impression, so maybe they deserve it. But the fans, Couture and Liddell don�t. I don�t think Liddell can be stopped right now, so with all respect to �The Natural�� I�m picking Chuck Liddell to beat Randy Couture. That�s my preview of UFC 43. I have mixed feelings about this show. Some of the fights seem like a pointless waste of time, but then again the top four all have very good potential to be great fights. I think UFC really needs a good show since the last one was lackluster to say the least. Really, UFC hasn�t had a GREAT show since UFC 40. Well, enough of me. You�ve seen my predictions, and once again I will put my demented theories to the test tomorrow night! Do I know what I�m talking about, or am I full of CRAP? All that�s left is to watch the show on Friday night, and then join me back here next week, to see how I did. I hope you enjoy the show, and we�ll see you next week! Dave Dymond    © Copyright 2002-2005 by TheSmartMarks.com |