This passed Saturday the UFC put on one of its biggest PPVs of all-time. UFC 205 broke the UFC's gate record and possibly broke the PPV record. The arena was filled with celebrities and Conor McGregor's masterful performance was being discussed in every media outlet. How are they going to follow it up and take advantage of the mainstream attention? Apparently the answer is to put on two so-so cards, both headlined by rematches nobody asked for, on the same day. Genius!
Gegard Mousasi v. Uriah Hall
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| Via Gegard's IG |
The original main event was Stun Gun v. Gunnar Nelson, but an injury derailed that fight. I guess this is an improvement? Mousasi and Hall threw down 14 months ago at UFC Fight Night: Barnett vs. Nelson with Hall picking up the biggest win of his career. After getting dominated for the entire first round on the ground, Hall hit Mousasi with a jumping spinning back kick followed by a flying knee (and some punches) to pick up the TKO victory. It prompted our own Lavender Gooms to text all of us "PLUMS" as he was the only one to pick that fight correctly. Given the odds for this rematch (and, hell, Gooms' pick), it's pretty clear that everybody is viewing the first fight as a bit of an outlier. I think they're right. Hall is a great fighter, but Mousasi's technique will be too much for him to overcome. I think Gegard actually gets the finish here. Mousasi by 4th round submission.
Picking Mousasi: All of us
Picking Hall:
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| The gentleman on the left...is not competing. |
I've been a fan of Stevie Ray's since he debuted in the UFC. Is this because he shares a name with one half of the great 90s tag team Harlem Heat? Yes. No question about it. Does it make it even better than I'm associating a 155 pound Scotsman with a 300 pound black man from Texas. Hell yes. Jokes aside, Stevie Ray was having a nice start to his UFC career before getting knocked off track by Alan Patrick. Ross Pearson has been in the UFC for what seems like ages and has comfortably fit into the role of basically being Jim Miller. He isn't going to be a contender, but the fights will always be fun. My pick comes down to this: Stevie Ray lost to Alan Patrick and I think Ross Pearson is better than Alan Patrick. Ross by decision.
Picking Pearson: All of us
Picking Ray:
Teruto Ishihara v. Artem Lobov:
#ILMB. Anybody who listens to the podcast knows how much we enjoy Teruto's antics. It's pretty funny that his reaction to the UFC asking him to stopping writing about "bitches" was to make the hashtag #ILMB (which stands for "I love my bitches"). This kid has been in the UFC for over a year and I still can't get an answer to this simple question: What the f*ck is a cookie party? With respect to Artem Lobov, I'm not entirely sure if he would have a job if he wasn't Conor McGregor's training partner. He is a solid striker, but his short reach really hurts him. Also, I'd say his ground game isn't good enough for the UFC, but I'm not sure what "good enough for the UFC" really means anymore in 2016. Regardless, I don't think he's going to win. Teruto seems to be making big gains between his fights and training with Team Alpha Male means I pick you until you fight at least a ranked fighter. Teruto by submission in round 2.
Picking #ILMB: All of us
Picking #NiceAndFlowy:
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| Via Uncle Creepy's IG |
Is this going to happen? For sure? I ask because Ian McCall has been trying to fight for about 6 months and for one reason or another, his fight always seems to get cancelled. So assuming this fight actually happens...I think Uncle Creepy is going to get it done here. Neil Seery has a look on his face at all times that suggests that even he is surprised he is in the UFC. He's a tough veteran fighter, but we all need to remember that it was only a few years ago that Ian McCall was the best flyweight in the world. He's still among the best and, despite his layoff, I don't believe that Neil Seery i son this level.
Picking McCall: All of us
Picking Seery:
Ali Bagautinov v. Kyoji Horiguchi:
Besides the main event, this is easily the most relevant fight on this entire card. Both Bagautinov and Horiguchi are former title contenders that got absolutely obliterated by Mighty Mouse. There is no shame in that as DJ is head and shoulders above everybody else in the division. Though Bagautinov running out of gas and later testing positive for EPO is pretty damn funny. Horiguchi appeared to get his shot at the belt against DJ a bit too early. Hell, he said so himself before he even got the title shot. He is still very young and still hasn't hit his ceiling. Bagautinov is just one big question mark at this point. The man tested positive in his title fight and hasn't exactly looked like a world beater since. I think he's still an elite 125lber, but I have to lean towards Horiguchi in this one. Horiguchi by decision.
Picking Bagautinov:
Picking Horiguchi: All of us
It's MMAzing 2016 Standings (as of 11/18/16)
1. Doctor Law - (114-68-1) - .623
2. Kid Presentable - (113-69-1) - .617
3. Lavender Gooms - (108-74-1) - .590
4. DJ Mark - (107-75-1) - .585
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