UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch

[Turd Ferguson]

[YOUTUBE]Ax-fZ4CuBUE[/YOUTUBE]

The UFC released another poster, but I picked this one to use because Penn and Fitch look ridiculous.​

MAIN CARD

• Welterweight bout: BJ Penn vs. Jon Fitch
• Middleweight bout: Michael Bisping vs. Jorge Rivera
• Lightweight bout: George Sotiropoulos vs. Dennis Siver
• Welterweight bout: Chris Lytle vs. Brian Ebersole
• Middleweight bout: Kyle Noke vs. Chris Camozzi

Preliminary Card (Non-televised)

• Lightweight bout: Ross Pearson vs. Spencer Fisher
• Light Heavyweight bout: James Te-Huna vs. Alexander Gustaffson
• Middleweight bout: Nick Ring vs. Riki Fukuda
• Heavyweight bout: Mark Hunt vs. Chris Tuchscherer
• Lightweight bout: Maciej Jewtuszcko vs. Curt Warburton
• Light Heavyweight bout: Anthony Perosh vs. Tom Blackledge
• Featherweight bout: Zhang Tie Quan vs. Jason Reinhardt

While the main event is interesting, the fact of the matter is that like UFC 122, it seems like this card is more than anything else, a card for the UFC to evaluate some of the talent on its roster, only this time, they expect people to shell out $60 for it. Expect mass cuts after this card.

BJ Penn vs. Jon Fitch is a fight I've been looking forward to. It's a great mix of styles, and I really want to see if BJ can beat a Welterweight other than Matt Hughes. Furthermore, I'm a huge fan of Jon Fitch, and I want to see how he's tested against BJ here.

BJ's Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is really going to be tested in this fight. The last time Fitch fought a dangerous BJJ Black Belt, it was Paulo Thiago at UFC 100, and he got Fitch'ed for 15 minutes. Why I really like Fitch is because you know what he's going to do every fight. His opponent knows what he's going to do, and there's absolutely nothing they can do about it.

I think this fight is going to swing in Fitch's favor. While BJ is extremely dangerous standing, he only has 15 minutes to put Fitch away. GSP destroyed Fitch in their fight, and he couldn't KO him in 25 minutes despite landing some brutal shots. Furthermore, BJ has struggled against the takedown lately. GSP took him down at will at UFC 94, and Frankie Edgar had some decent success taking him down in both of their fights. Furthermore, Fitch is a real big Welterweight in the first place, and I could see him blanketing BJ for 15 minutes. BJ's only shot here is to sub Fitch from the bottom, which I'm not doubting that he can't do, but I think the more likely outcome is Fitch taking this via decision.

Michael Bisping will get KO'ed by Jorge Rivera. Michael Bisping is without a doubt one of the most overrated fighters in the UFC, ESPECIALLY in regards to his standup. Bisping has almost been KO'ed by Elvis Sinosic, Denis Kang (enough said right there), Wanderlei, and Akiyama. Furthermore, he's looked less and less impressive with each fight. Sure, his standup is impressive when he's knocking out cans like Jason Day and the aforementioned Sinosic and Kang, but the fact is that Bisping is mediocre at best, and his chin is VERY suspect. Jorge Rivera's standup has looked very crisp, especially in his last fight where he destroyed Nate Quarry to the point where he needed facial reconstruction surgery. This is a real bad fight for Bisping, and I think he's going to get lit up and knocked out in the first round.

George Sotiropoulos should really be in the title picture right now, and a fight against Jim Miller (considering both are on huge win streaks) would make too much sense, so while Miller will fight Kamal Shalrous next month, George fights the guy who the UFC has billed as "The Most Dangerous Kickboxer in the Lightweight Division", Dennis Siver. Okay, whatever. I really don't get the rationale in making Sotiropoulos fight Siver. Sotiropoulos has handled everyone in his path and Siver isn't even close to being a top contender. Beating Lauzon was a step in the right direction for George to build up legitimacy. This is a huge step back and I predict an easy submission victory for the hometown favorite.

I was really looking forward to Carlos Condit vs. Chris Lytle, which would have been an absolute Fight of the Year contender. Furthermore, if GSP does indeed beat Jake Shields, he'll be going up to Middleweight full-time. It would have been perfect for the BJ/Fitch winner to possibly fight the winner of Condit/Lytle to potentially fight for the vacant title. Lytle will instead fight journeyman Brian Ebersole in a fight he should easily win. He's on an absolute tear right now.

Kyle Noke vs. Chris Camozzi is a fight to highlight the former bodyguard for Steve Irwin and hometown favorite Noke. I've got no strong feelings on this fight and I think Ross Pearson vs. Spencer Fisher is a much more intriguing fight that is unfortunately going to be buried on the prelims. Pearson/Fisher should be a fun slugfest between two fighters possibly fighting for a roster spot with how deep the lightweight division is, and as much as I like Spencer Fisher, he might be too slow for Pearson who looked off against Cole Miller. I fully expect Pearson to win.

Alexander Gustafsson has the potential to be a factor in the light heavyweight division. He should be able to add a win to his record over James Te Huna.

Mark Hunt is fighting for his UFC career against another guy fighting for his UFC career, Brock Lesnar friend, training partner, and cloning experiment gone wrong, Chris Tuchscherer. Seriously, look at him.

Tuchscherer has been largely unimpressive since coming to the UFC with a run that has been highlighted so far by having his nuts kicked into orbit by Gabriel Gonzaga and as a result vomiting in the Octagon. Hunt is going into this fight with something to prove and I'd be surprised if he lost.

 

[INDYjon22]

Man, I am really excited to see Penn vs. Fitch. It's no secret that I am a huge Jon Fitch fan and while I respect Penn's abilities I really am not a fan of his at all. Personally in this fight, I see Fitch pressuring Penn and holding him down. I can see Penn winning the fight on the feet but I don't think he can keep the fight standing for 15 minutes. At some point Fitch will get the fight to the ground and then it will all be on Penn getting back up, something that is not easy to do when Fitch is the guy on top.

I hate Bisping and really hope Rivera knocks his ass out. Rivera has had a bit of a career revival as of late and has looked very good. I think he can honestly win this fight and that these guys match up fairly evenly. The winner won't be getting any title shots anytime soon but it will definitely be a nice win for either guy.

Soti is a top 3 Lightweight in the UFC as far as I am concerned and I don't know why her isn't fighting more top guys. Now that I say that I am sure Siver will KO Soti just to spite me, but whatever. Soti shouldn't have that much trouble with Siver. Soti has solid stand up and is a fucking wizard on the ground. Sivers only hope is to catch Soti with a punch or kick.

I was really hoping to see Condit vs. Lytle, unfortunately that is not the case any longer. Lytle should have no trouble with his new opponent. Lytle has been on fire recently and has looked like a title contender. Hopefully he will continue his winning streak here and finally get a fight with a top guy to possibly put him in a title shot opportunity.

I like Kyle Noke and really hope he pulls off the win in his fight. I don't really have much more to say then that.

The undercard is fairly decent but the only fight that really sticks out to me is Mark Hunt. This is about it for Hunt, either win or go home. He has two very impressive wins on his resume but really hasn't done shit since then, granted he has basically been fighting the very best in the world. If he loses it will be interesting to see where he goes from there.

 

[xAsianRejectx]

No secret as to who I am rooting for here. Check the sig. If a motivated BJ comes in that octagon, then I hope he puts a pounding into Fitch. Stand up obviously goes to BJ. The ground can go to anyone. Fitch will obviously utilize his wrestling and try will to take BJ down. I still believe BJ's takedown defense is top notch. Yes, he did get taken down by Edgar a few times, but like I said, a motivated BJ is a dangerous BJ. If it does go down, then we may see BJ's BJJ black belt come into play. His RNCs are lethal.

I hope Rivera beats the ever loving shit out of Bisping. Just because I hate Bisping. Ya, that is all.

Sotiropoulos has this. Top lightweight in the game right now snd it is only a matter of time until he gets his title shot.

Looking forward for Pearson vs. Fisher. A Fisher fight is always a good watch.

 

[Tha Wolfpac]

I can't wait i will be there live in attendance at UFC 127 in Sydney Australia.

BJ Penn vs Jon Fitch

Glad to see i am not the only one who is hoping BJ gets destroyed by Jon Fitch. I hope Fitch utilises his superior grappling skills and controls BJ Penn the entire fight, which is Jon's key to victory. Standing up is a little dangerous with BJ, but man Jon Fitch can take a punch. Not much to be said INDY pretty much summed it up.

Jorge Rivera vs Michael Bisping

I hope Bisping gets KTFO'd as i will make sure me and all of Sydney boo him out of the building.

Cannot wait for Sotiropulous easily the best in his division and really should be next in line for a title shot he really deserves it and has worked hard. Building will erupt for this man. Thats all i want to say.

Sidenote: Kyle Noke is coming out to Land Down Under which will surely get everybody going. Can't wait for the event, this is my second year in a row going, the card is not as good as last year as Wanderlei Silva was on it but man i love the atmosphere which is enough for me.

 

[Uncle Chester]

BJ Penn vs John Fitch

This might not be the greatest main event in terms of fight quality but it more than makes up for that with the fact it's damn intriguing. What's gonna count here is Penn's take-down defense and how well he's prepared to negate Fitche's ever reliant bread and butter; Fitching. I'm hoping for BJ to use the best boxing in MMA to soften Fitch Up and maybe go in for the takedown himself or do what he did to MMA's silent but cunty fart Mat Hughes.


Michael Bisping vs Jorge Rivera

Michael Bisping is a fighter who epitomizes the UFC's sacrifice of divisional credibility for promotional gain. Bisping is a walking shithole. He's Chael Sonnen without the talent, though he is a good heel. I'm praying that bitch ends up unconscious on that floor with Rivera spitting in his face. Anyone decently credible he's being able to beat(with the exception of Akiyama and Akiyama's a cheater) but when it comes to the big boys he ends up where he deserves to be- in a hospital being treated for concussion.

George Sotiripoulus vs Dennis Siver
This match up seems to be entirely based on Sot fighting in Australia and while I think Siver is a good fighter- Sot deserves better. He has an incredible streak which should get him a title shot or at least a Number one contenders fight. That's the problem with the UFC's lightweight division, too many excelltn fighter- though it is it's undeniable strength at the same time. Sot did get his striking exposed by Lauzon in his last fight and was forced to take the fight to the ground eventually submitting Lauzon.He'll have to do better against a great striker in Siver in that department. I expect Sot to either win by decision or submission but Siver isn't a slouch.

Others
Lytle and Condit not fighting is a terrible shame and Condits replacement is a fighter who has a collection of overweight cans in his unimpressive pocket. Easy victory for Lytle. Kyle Noke shouldn't on the main card, I hope he wins and this fight is winnable but hes there to get a good pop and nothing more. And the legendary Mark Hunt will hopefully end this terrible streak his on and we hope to see that fat ass twist his hips and knockout the poor motherfucker who has to face the mighty atomic buttdrop. He should be fighting on the main card.

 

[Buffalo Dave]

I can't wait i will be there live in attendance at UFC 127 in Sydney Australia.

That's pretty sweet, hope you have a good time.

It's gonna be hard to avoid all the normal sites I go on throughout the day, to risk being spoiled. Whenever the UFC is fighting outside North America, it seems everyone picks up on it, and announces the who wins. Probably just play some online poker all day to avoid that.


Penn/Fitch has the change to be highly entertaining or rather dull. It all depends on what is going through Penn's head. Does Penn the destroyer come out? Or Penn hopped up on xanax come to fight? We all know what Fitch's game plan will be. The guy hasn't changed it in forever. Fitch I think will come out with a decision by doing what he does best, taking down his opponent, grinding it out on the ground. It's not the prettiest but it works. Penn hasn't had the best of luck with his TDD lately, with Fitch having very good TD's it's basically gonna happen this way. A motivated Penn could pull off a sneaky submission from his back though, we all know the guy can bend his body like a pretzel, so it could happen. It's gonna take one of those split second timing, as Fitch is a very smart fighter on the ground.

It's nice to see that we're all on the same page about Michael "The Cunt" Bisping. Every one of us is hoping that Rivera puts him to sleep. I wanna see it just so he is out of the title picture. I'm tired of hearing him campaigning for a title shot when he's done nothing to get it. So you beat Kang, and Dan Miller, and a struggling Akiyama. Seriously the guy's biggest fan is himself. I see Bisping starting the fight cautiously like he has been, ever since the Hendo KO. That is Rivera's opportunity to take advantage and pour on the pressure.

I know somewhere around here I posted that Soti got the Dana White infamous line, "A win puts him in line for a title shot". The guy is deserving of it that's for sure. Soti is coming into the fight on an impressive 8 fight win streak. He stumbled a little in his last fight with Lauzon, by being out worked in the first round, however by surviving Lauzon'a attack, it gassed Lauzon, and he was able to bounce back and him away with a nice Kimura in the 2nd round. Siver is a decent fighter, but if Soti fights a smart fight he should be able to get the win.

It really sucks that Condit had to back out do to injury. But it is all the better for Lytle as Condit probably would've ended Lytle's nice little run as of late. His new opponent Ebersole has had 62 fights while only being 30 years old. I never heard of the guy so I looked up his fight stats and he has basically fought in Australia for the 5 years. Lytle should still take care of him, probably by a submission.

Only reason why Kyle Noke is getting on the main card, is for him being Australian. Noke has done well since competing on TUF 11 winning both fights he has been in since the show. Camozzi is coming off a close win in a split decision win over Dong Yi Yang. Should still be a fun fight in a TUF 11 match up.

It would be nice to see some late Facebook prelims get added during the week. I wanna see the Pearson/Fisher fight and Hunt/Tuchscherer fights. Hopefully after Bisping get's knocked out quickly they will give us a filler

 

[ITurnGirlsGay]

Please tell me you people have seen Jorge Rivera's videos that he's been making leading up to his fight with Bisping? They're fucking hilarious. I'll put them in here because it's related to UFC 127, but the mods can move them if they want. I'm on board with everyone else, I fucking hate Bisping and hope Rivera knocks him the fuck out, but sadly, Rivera isn't top competition and the smart pick is probably that douchebag Bisping.


[YOUTUBE]nPvjHn7oGX4[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]dLTniiY8BVc[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Fizzy]

If BJ Penn comes out like he did against Matt Hughes, and Diego Sanchez he will win. When BJ is fighting with full focus, and to the best of his ability with a great training camp behind him I consider him the best fighter in the world. Unfortunately he is sort of hot and cold. Sometimes he shows this pure greatness, and skill and yet other times he just looks bored, and uninterested. It all depends on which BJ comes out. I will say that I have high doubts that Fitch will be able to hold Penn down for a full three rounds no matter which BJ shows up.

Hopefully Rivera knocks out Bisping. I am actually a fan of Bisping, but i'm tired of him campaigning for title shots, and higher ranked opponents. Hopefully Rivera puts an end to his mouth.

The rest of the card is pretty good. G-Sot should beat Siver pretty convincingly, and move onto bigger and better things. I hope Lytle keeps his nice little streak going as well.

 

[jmt225]

I am so looking forward to seeing BJ Penn rip this blanket apart on Saturday. While Fitch is strong and relentless, I just don't think he has the speed and athleticism to take Penn down like he has the rest of his opponents. Moreover, if he is able to take BJ down, BJ has the ability to scramble right back up, or work fine from his back and eventually make his way back up to his feet, if he doesn't get the submission first.

The only way Fitch wins this fight is if he pins Penn to the cage and holds him there for 15 minutes. Penn will be able to avoid takedowns I believe, but man... it'll be hard not to be pushed back against the cage once Fitch gets his hands on him. If that happens, man, I will be beyond pissed, as I would hope most fans would be. I don't see how anyone could laud a victory like that. Lay and praying is bad enough, but there's NOTHING worse than cage humping.

That said, I of course have full faith in my man BJ Penn to pull this victory out. He's one of the most gifted fighters on the planet, and I just know he'll find a way to win this one. Cannot wait.

Jorge Rivera's trash talking has been fun to this point, but I'm not so sure he'll be able to back it up. I think Bisping's speed and footwork will get him a decision victory; however, I will say that Rivera definitely has a puncher's chance. The guy is not Sexyama... if he hits you with one good shot, then you're most likely going down, especially someone with a questionable chin like Bisping has. But, at the end of the day... I think Bisping is too well-rounded for Rivera.

I'm not a big believer in Dennis Silver. Sure, he has a bad ass spinning back kick, and sure, he has power in his punches, but that's not enough to keep winning your fights, especially against a talent like George Sotiropoulos. I fully to expect George to engage in a little stand-up, then take Silver's ass down, and submit him right off the bat. George's BJJ skills are incredible, and Silver is just nowhere near his league at it. Should be an easy victory for Sotiropoulos.

I thought this card took a HUGE blow when Carlos Condit got hurt. I was so looking forward to his fight against Chris Lytle. Lytle's one of my favorite fighters, and man... I wanted to finally see him against a big name again. FUCK! Instead we're stuck with Lytle vs. this no-name, which is probably an even more dangerous opponent for Lytle, since this unknown yet highly experienced fighter is coming in with nothing to lose. But whatever... Lytle is a beast, and there's no way I would ever count him out.

And I don't care for anything else on this card. I'll just say I hope both Spencer Fisher and Mark Hunt are able to pick up a couple of much needed victories. I would also like to see Riki Fukuda do well, too.

 

[ITurnGirlsGay]

Jorge Rivera's trash talking has been fun to this point, but I'm not so sure he'll be able to back it up. I think Bisping's speed and footwork will get him a decision victory; however, I will say that Rivera definitely has a puncher's chance. The guy is not Sexyama... if he hits you with one good shot, then you're most likely going down, especially someone with the a questionable chin like Bisping has. But, at the end of the day... I think Bisping is too well-rounded for Rivera.

I'm not a big believer in Dennis Silver. Sure, he has a bad ass spinning back kick, and sure, he has power in his punches, but that's not enough to keep winning your fights, especially against a talent like George Sotiropoulos. I fully to expect George to engage in a little stand-up, then take Silver's ass down, and submit him right off the bat. George's BJJ skills are incredible, and Silver is just nowhere near his league at it. Should be an easy victory for Sotiropoulos.

I completely agree with you, JMT, but I do present you with one thing about Bisping and Rivera. Bisping ALWAYS seem to get rocked in the first. Luckily for Bisping, however, he's been rocked by people who haven't had the skillset, LATELY to finish him in the first.

Bisping is the better overall fighter, has fought tougher opponents, and has the better skillset, but he just always gets fucking rocked in the first. Bisping is probably the safer bet, but I'm taking Rivera via TKO R1 because I keep seeing Bisping in trouble in my head, over and over and over and over....

Also, JMT, it's like you were in my head for the Sodapop-Siver fight. Sodapop wants absolutely NONE of Siver in the stand-up. I mean ZERO. Siver will knock him the fuck him out. I fully expect Sodapop to take him down almost immediately and work like a madman to submit him in the first. He absolutely does not want to allow Siver to be able to restart on his feet after a round change.

Sodapop better keep Siver's ass on the mat if he wants any shot of winning this fight. That being said, he will do it. Siver blows ass at submission defense and Sodapop is elite.

 

[Final Form Snyper.]

At UFC 127 we have a potential barn burner here. With Michael "The Count" Bisping vs Jorge "El Conquistador" Rivera. This fight has turned personal real quick, seeing at the Press Conference Michael was not happy, in his mind he wants justice..... but can he get justice against a fighter who has KO power in either hand? Only time will tell. Michael is a good well rounded fighter who lately has shown he can dominate fighters, Jorge is a no frills fighter who will throw bricks Bisping's way.

Can Michael send Jorge back to the under cards or is Jorge's fire too much for Michael to handle?

 

[The Best]

Does anyone else think that these are the best under card fights in a while.

First we get to see the ufc debut of Nick Ring. This guy was an absolute tank of TUF, and was supposed to be Tito's top guy on that show before he busted up his knee if i remember correctly. The guy is 10-0 and has fought in bellator before im really looking forward to what the guy can do.
His opponent Riki Fukuda has a really good rep as well. The guy won a title in Japan and also owns a victory over Murlio Rua(not shogun, but still a great fighter.) I'm really looking forward to this fight mainly because i was a big fan of Ring on TUF, but i would like to see how a Japanese champion will do in the ufc.

Also, Ross Pearson vs. Spencer Fisher could really be the fight of the night in my opinion(it will come close with Noke v. Camozzi and Penn v. Fitch imo), Pearson a former TUF winner against Fisher who imo has the best hands in the 155 division. Pearson's coming off his first ufc loss to Cole Miller, and before Spencer Fisher picked up a win over another englishman, he lost 2 straight. Both definitely have something to prove tonight, and im looking forward to watching these fights.

Overall though, does anyone else love this under card?

Edit: Also does anyone else think Jorge Rivera's story is really sad?

 

[ITurnGirlsGay]

Edit: Also does anyone else think Jorge Rivera's story is really sad?

I love the undercard, but I wasn't aware of a Rivera story other than him shit-talking Bisping

What happened?

Are you talking about his daughter dying? That happened 3 years ago.

 

[The Best]

I love the undercard, but I wasn't aware of a Rivera story other than him shit-talking Bisping

What happened?

Are you talking about his daughter dying? That happened 3 years ago.

Yeah his daughter dying that seemed really sad, and his childhood too, on the countdown show he talked about how bad his neighborhood was, and how he got arrested at 17(or around that age.)

 

[ITurnGirlsGay]

He's overcome quite a bit, no doubt. I couldn't imagine losing a child. I doubt you ever get over that.

Upon my reviewing what I said in my previous post, I realize that it seemed callous the way I said it, I just wasn't sure if you knew when his daughter died or if you thought it just happened.

Here's to hoping Rivera blasts Bisping so hard that Bisping thinks he beat Henderson.

For those who don't know what I'm talking about, here's a link to one of the funniest things ever.

http://www.cagepotato.com/rashad-evans-doesnt-seem-to-remember-getting-knocked-out-by-lyoto-machida/

 

[Mekanik Kommandoh]

Overall, a great night of fights with a pretty interesting ending.

I'm not a huge fan of either Jon Fitch or BJ Penn. However, I don't dislike them either, so I went into this fight with absolutely no bias. That said, I expected Fitch to win and I personally didn't agree with the decision. I gave BJ the first round (and it was a very impressive first round in my opinion), but I thought Fitch edged him out in the second and he definitely won the third. I guess if GSP beats Shields convincingly, we have a title bout already booked, but man did BJ look somber during the post-fight interview. Decent fight in any case, though watching Fitch blanket guys tends to get old.

Fuck Michael Bisping. I've never liked him and now I have even more of a reason to hate his fucking guts. Yes, Jorge Rivera probably had somewhat of a beating coming to him after those videos, but hearing Bisping bitch and moan about it during the lead up to the fight just irked the fuck out of me. Also, he was already winning the fight, so was the blatant and rather obviously intentional illegal knee necessary? What a cunt. Seriously, give him a title shot and feed him to Silva. I would love to see his ass knocked out by a fucking forward kick.

I was shocked that Siver was so dominate against Sotiropoulos. That first round appeared to be enough to take George out of his game and he just couldn't get the takedown, which is pretty much necessary for him to win against a dude like Siver. I'm kind of bummed, as I'm a fan of his, but you can't deny that the win for Siver was very impressive. He just stomped George in the first and had a good game plan overall.

The Lytle/Ebersole fight may have been the strangest I've seen in awhile. Ebersole is one wacky motherfucker, but he looked mighty impressive against Lytle. It was a fun fight and Ebersole's unorthodox striking was pretty entertaining, though it sort of sucks to see Lytle's hot streak come to an end. Special kudos go out to Ebersole's body hair. He must derive his power from that.

Not much to say about the first fight. It ended in a flash and I don't care about either dude.

Caught some of the prelims on ION. Fukuda got fucking ROBBED, but that's to be expected from MMA judging. Still, man, I haven't seen a decision in the UFC that bad since the Garcia/Phan fight. The Pearson/Fisher fight was a nice war.

Glad I stuck around to see the Mark Hunt knockout. It made for a good laugh.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

That's two years in a row now where the UFC has put on great shows in Australia.

Taking it from the top, I agree with the draw. Penn took the first, no question. The second was really a tossup for the most part, and the third was undoubtedly a 10-8 for Fitch. I knew Fitch's cardio was going to be a huge factor in this fight, and it certainly was. Penn looked out of it towards the end of the second. Fitch probably could have gone 5 rounds if he really wanted to. Again, what I love about the way Jon Fitch fights is that everyone knows what is going to happen, and there is absolutely nothing that can be done about it. Right now, Penn needs to start preparing to go five rounds. Chances are that after GSP beats Shields, he's going to be going up in weight. There is no possible better matchup in the Welterweight Division right now to claim a new champion than Penn vs. Fitch II. The UFC should be planning that fight right now, and possibly the winner of Sanchez vs. Kampmann to fight Condit in a title eliminator.

Michael Bisping is a total piece of shit. Rivera rocked Bisping pretty badly in the first round and even in the second round, after the illegal knee. I still don't think Bisping should be anywhere near a title shot. He should fight Belfort next... or better yet, be Sonnen's comeback opponent. Rivera's trash talking would be nothing compared to what Chael can lay on him, and the fight would be 15 minutes of Chael dictating where it goes. Bisping cheated his way to winning this Rivera fight, and I'm sure somewhere down the line, he's going to pay for it, dearly. Between him yelling at Rivera to apologize, to spitting at his corner, and the illegal knee, he deserves everything coming his way.

Dennis Siver beating George Sotiropoulos is something that I cannot believe. Siver is garbage and this fight was made with the intention of Sotiropoulos getting a huge and easy win in Australia. I don't know why Sotiropoulos didn't try for a double leg takedown at all, or why he didn't leave his fucking hands up in the first round when Siver was having his way with him. After the first round, Sotiropoulos should have made adjustments, and set up his takedowns, driving through rather than going for single legs. I really don't know where Sotiropoulos goes from here. I think he does need to fight another high level striker, as this is the second fight in a row where he got exposed on the feet. He also needs to face someone where it's a challenge to take him down. I think Gomi would be perfect. As far as Siver goes, he can get in line in the lightweight division. Sherk would be a good opponent.

Brian Ebersole rules. I want to see that cartwheel kick actually land. Lytle had no answer for how unorthodox he is. He totally deserved to lose that fight, especially where Ebersole literally gave him a chance to Guillotine him before slamming him. That knee to the jaw was pretty lethal too. Great showing from Ebersole. I think you need to throw him in with another contender to really see where he is.

Great showing from Kyle Noke, who I've always liked. Ross Pearson rebounded nicely with a big win over Spencer Fisher.

Riki Fukuda absolutely got robbed, and I'm glad Dana paid him his win bonus. I think that was an even bigger robbery than the Pham/Garcia decision. He took all three rounds and I'd even argue the third was a 10-8. Fukuda has a bright future in the Middleweight division, and I think he has the potential to be a more exciting version of Okami down the line.

What the hell is it with horrible, gruesome shit happening to Chris Tuchscherer every time he fights? First there was the kick to the nuts where Gonzaga launched them into orbit and he was vomiting in the octagon. Mark Hunt obliterated him tonight. I don't think he'll get cut though, just because he really shouldn't have fought on after the Gonzaga kick to the nuts and after his eyelid got ripped open against Hunt, and he did. Dana usually looks favorably on guys "who want to be a fucking fighter", and he's Brock's best friend, so chances are Tuchscherer will probably get one more shot.

 

[jmt225]

Usually after some sleep I've gotten over whatever happened the day before when it comes to sports, but I'm still sick with the BJ/Fitch fight.

I mean, listen... in some ways, while I don't agree with the decision, I do figure the draw is somewhat fair. It just makes me sick how somehow with Fitch's gameplans can continue to not lose, while a guy like BJ, who fights his heart out, has trouble winning a really big fight.

And it's not only the fighting styles that make me favor someone like Penn over Fitch, but just his personality compared to Fitch's as well. Just consider this...

Before the fight in an interview Fitch was asked how he was going to win, and his response was something like "Any way I want."

Come fight time, Penn won two rounds, while Fitch won one, and after the fight Penn is disappointed with himself, while Fitch is saying he deserves a title shot.

I mean, what the fuck, man? I just cannot respect Jon Fitch right now on any level, and I wish him the worst, unless he changes his attitude and the mind-set he carries when it comes to MMA. Whereas BJ Penn... please don't ever change. Always look for the finish, and always fight to win, not to not lose. It's why Penn will always be a draw with a massive fanbase, while Fitch will continue to be one of the most disliked fighters in MMA.

Anyways... as far as the fight, as I went over in the LD, I thought Penn won 2 Rounds to 1. First CLEARLY went to Penn, while the 2nd was close. However, I give the second round to Penn because he stuffed Fitch's takedown attempts, bloodied Fitch's nose, got a takedown on Fitch, got his back, and went for a submission. Going for that submission, however, led to BJ spending the rest of the round on his back, but I still don't think Fitch's weak ass ground and pound was enough to win him the round.

As far as Round 3, after sleeping on it, I am now open-minded enough to understand why someone would view that a 10-8 Round in favor of Jon Fitch, even if I still don't agree with it. The reason I don't agree with that statement is simply because Fitch never caused any real damage to Penn during the round, nor was Penn ever in trouble to the point where Fitch was anywhere near close to putting him away. That said, I do understand that Fitch landed a 150 "punches" in that Round to Penn's zero, which is why I'm willing to accept it if someone wants to give that round a 10-8 advantage for Fitch, even if not one of the 150 shots had any power behind them whatsoever.

So, yeah.... a draw was fair, at the end of the day. I'm more willing to accept it now than I was right after the fight. I still think BJ won, but it wasn't a robbery by any means.

Okay, enough on that. Now on to the rest of the card.

Michael Bisping vs. Jorge Rivera was a terrific fight. Man, Bisping looked better than ever. He was aggressive, and just going for the fucking kill the entire time he was in there. I'm really liking this new Michael Bisping... it's like Wandy knocked some fucking sense into him, because before this he was skipping his way to wins, whereas now he's actually fighting, even after getting rocked in the first as ITGG intelligently predicted. But Bisping withstood it and remained aggressive, eventually putting Rivera away. I was very, very impressed.

As far as the illegal knee, shit happens. I don't think it affected Rivera that much and the fight would have gone the exact same had it not happen. Bisping is just a better fighter than Rivera, period.

And as far as Bisping's antics after the fight, I personally felt indifferent towards it. I can understand why it pissed a lot of fans off, but it didn't bother me. I mean, Rivera did make those ridiculous videos, one of which insulted Bisping's wife. And from Rivera's own mouth, his corner was the one behind them all... so, I say it's all fair play.

Regardless of all that, Bisping looked fucking awesome, and like Guy... I would love to see him vs. Chael Sonnen next. In fact, I was talking to Jon last night and we both agreed that Anderson vs. Okami should go down, with Sonnen vs. Bisping co-headlining that same show, with the winners clashing afterward, maybe even coaching the next TUF after Lesnar/dos Santos.

George Sotiropoulos vs. Dennis Siver is so far the shocker of the year in MMA. Man, I did not see Siver winning this fight. Either Siver's takedown defense has become incredible, or George has to really work on his wrestling. Regardless, great fucking fight from Siver. However, I still don't see Siver going anywhere in the Lightweight Division. You put him in there with a good striker, he will get picked apart, as we saw in his fights against Guillard and Pearson. So, honestly, I think last night will forever go down as the biggest win of his career, while this is still only the beginning of the rise of Sotiropoulos in the UFC LW Division. I'm not sure if he'll ever win the belt, but I definitely see him eventually working himself up to a title fight someday. He's that good; last night was just a bad match-up for him, as it turned out.

Chris Lytle vs. Brian Ebersole was a great, yet heartbreaking fight. I'm a huge fan of Chris Lytle's, and I knew he was one more win away from finally getting a true shot at the title, especially since Fitch and Penn had a draw. If Lytle had won, I definitely think he would have fought Fitch or Penn for a #1 Contendership fight, over Fitch vs. Penn 2. But unfortunately, last night wasn't his night.

As I said in my OP, Eberson was an unknown, yet highly experienced and talented fighter who had nothing to lose. And he definitely fought like a guy who had nothing to lose. I don't think those kind of antics will take him far in the UFC, but it worked last night against a tremendous fighter in Chris Lytle, and you have to give the guy a ton of credit for that.

Great showing from Kyle Noke; that's all I have to say about that.

Ross Pearson vs. Spencer Fisher I thought would end up being Fight of the Night, but I was severely disappointed with it. I mean, it was a decent fight, but neither guy went full throttle like I expected.

Read what Guy had to say about Riki Fukuda fight. There's nothing more I need to add.

And Mark Hunt's KO last night is thus far the Knockout of the Year, end of story. That was fucking AWESOME! Man, I'm telling you right now, if Hunt could fucking work on his TDD and Submission defense, he'd go on a role similar to Junior dos Santos'. His stand-up is that fucking good.

 

[INDYjon22]

Personally, I thought Jon Fitch won the fight last night, but like JMT said, the draw didn't bother me at all. There was definitely an argument that Penn on two rounds to one, because that second round could have gone either way. Personally I saw the fight as 2 to 1 for Fitch and that third round not being a 10-8. But, it doesn't matter what I think. I'm not really interested by a Fitch/Penn rematch, unless it is for the title. I didn't really think about it last night but if GSP does move up to 185 then the UFC does have their WW title fight already set up in the rematch, of course that all depends on how Jake Shields does as well. Very exciting fight, but I guess that's because I love blankets.

Bisping is a piece of shit. That said, he put on one hell of a great performance. If he wasn't such an asshole I would probably be a fan of his, but he always rubs me the wrong way. Rivera looked good but he has glaring holes in his game still and Bisping took advantage. I won't go into the illegal knee, because frankly I talked about it enough last night and am sick of it. If it was Pride rules then I would have had no problem with it, but since it wasn't Pride rules it was dirty as hell. As for what is next, I would love to see Bisping vs. Sonnen. That fight would be a war and the shit talk would probably be the best ever. If the winner of that fight doesn't get the next shot at Anderson then set up a mini tournament of sorts with the winner of Sonnen/Bisping fighting the winner of Wanderlei/Belfort. That would be a perfect solution and time filler between Andersons fight with Okami and his potential fight with GSP.

Dennis Siver shocked the world. His striking looked excellent last night, as did his takedown defense. Soti will learn from this loss and come back stronger, but now there is definitely an argument to be made for Siver being in the title picture. I say put him up against Jim Miller or the winner of Pettis/Guida. A fight with Gomi would be pretty badass as well.

I love Chris Lytle and it was a shame to see him lose last night. He was very close to being considered one of the top WW's in the world and now he will have to restart his climb to the top again. Ebersole really took the fight to him and had an excellent performance. Great fight.

Kyle Noke won which makes me happy.

Mark Hunt's KO was awesome. Glad to see him finally pick up a win. Te Huna looked good, but seemed to almost gas which doesn't look good for him. Good job by Gustafsson to weather the storm and pick up the win. And, Zhang looked awesome. That was a very slick guillotine he pulled off. Big things could be in store for him.

 

[Buffalo Dave]

Alright, I had time to sleep off being pissed about the fights.

I wanna clear out how I feel about the Bisping/Rivera fight first. Before I get into the whole debacle of the illegal knee, I wanna say that Bisping did look damn good, no matter how I feel about him before or after the knee. I re-watched the fight just a few minutes ago. Emotions were running really high for this fight, each guy really wanted to knock the other the fuck out. Rivera had a huge chance to chop down Bisping's left leg when the fight first started, Bisping had that thing sticking out there, begging to be kicked. Rivera was just clearly focusing on going for the kill. Had he been able to land some leg shots, he might have been able to set up that big shot he was looking for and land in it flush.

Now as for the illegal knee. Bisping got a trip takedown, followed up by roughing Rivera up with some dirty boxing. Rivera was pushing Bisping off, so Bis let up, as Rivera was starting get up, Bisping went for a Muay Thai clinch, then threw the knee while Rivera was clearly down with both knees. Listen, I get that shit happens, it wasn't the first time we saw that, and won't be the last. I wouldn't be on the up and up about it, for a few reasons, a) It would be different if Rivera was on one knee, or it was in position for that stupid rule with one had on the mat, something where he wasn't completely still grounded, b) After Bisping threw it he just mushed Rivera in the head, c) Bisping was walking around like he did nothing wrong even, walked by Rivera's corner and flipped them off.

I'm still unsure how bad Rivera was affected by the knee, when it happened he just looked out of it, he almost looked autistic (not trying to offend anyone if they know someone with it) he was just out of it. Once the fight started he seemed to be okay though. Whether he was recovered or not, he was pushing the pace, he seemed on balance, moving around just like before the knee. Whether that was just adrenaline pushing him or not we won't fully know.

Now for the post fight antics by Bisping, yeah Rivera deserved a little trash talk thrown his way, the spitting in Rivera's corner was uncalled for, that's for sure. Bisping could've handled it a little better, by trash talking Rivera with the post fight interview with Rogan, if it wasn't for the knee, I don't think most of us would've been so pissed with the way Bisping reacted after the fight though. One of the things that pissed me off was in the post fight interview after UFC 127 ended, Bisping was basically acting like he did no trash talking before the fight. Does he forget he pretty much started the trash talking thing by saying Rivera wasn't a worthy opponent? He had a few jabs in there leading up to the fight, nowhere near what Rivera did, but he definitely dished some out.

The Fitch/Penn fight I'm still up in the air about after watching that again. It's that damn second round. Penn clearly won the first, Fitch won the third definitely not by a 10-8 though. If Penn would've been hurt or the fight close to being stopped, fine give Fitch that score, but that wasn't the case. Penn's face was a little bruised up, but I think that was just from Fitch's gloves and getting his face rubbed with them. The third round was a 10-9. I think part of the reason why Fitch could get the 2nd round is because he was winning the clinch part of it, Penn did the things JMT pointed out in the round, but ended the round on his back. I don't know though, I guess by going the draw route, both guys get robbed of a win. I was surprised to see Penn get the takedowns and stuff Fitch's in the first two rounds. Maybe Penn should reconsider a move back to LW with this new found fire.

Soti and Siver was a big surpise. I didn't expect Siver to be able to stuff Soti's takedowns throughout the fight. Soti is one tough ass dude though, he was rocked in that first round, then banged with Siver for two more rounds since his wrestling was negated by Siver. Almost wouldn't mind seeing Soti and Dunham fight next. I wouldn't mind seeing a rematch of Siver/Guillard. First fight ended by Guillard ending it quickly by TKO. That or if Jim Miller wins his fight, have Siver fight him.

Sucks to see Lytle's climb up to a Welterweight title shot come to an end. Ebersole might be a goof ball, coming to the ring in head gear, and his chest hair shaved into an arrow, but he was exciting to watch. That knee he landed in the second round on Lytle was sick, left a nice cut to Lytle's head. I look forward to seeing him fight in the UFC again.

Noke has been solid since the TUF, he just keeps moving forward since the show. Time to give him a bit of a challenge in his next fight. Maybe give him the winner out of Dollaway/Munoz.

Mark Hunt making a name for himself again. First the cut he opened up on Tuchscherer, then the way he put him out in the 2nd. I agree with JMT, if the guy can work on his TDD and sub defense he can make some waves, only problem is he is about to turn 37 next month, how much better can he get before his career is over? Hopefully the UFC will at least put him in fights where it will just be a stand up war.

 

[ITurnGirlsGay]

I'll weigh in with my two cents.

Bisping is a complete piece of shit and the world's biggest fucking sissy. I mean, this guy lets everything bother him. How the hell did he wind up in the biggest man's sport on the planet when every little thing gets under his skin and causes him to react like this. After seeing what Bisping did last night, I'm even more thankful for Dan Henderson and his People's Elbow.

As usual, Bisping got rocked in the first round. The illegal knee not only helped him out there, but also changed the fight completely. Rivera shouldn't have been allowed to continue. Man's game for doing so, but there was no way he was going to win that fight after that knee. Not that he stood much of a chance before the knee, but after it dropped to 0%.

I have absolutely no problems with the draw. I actually said it would be a draw before they announced the scores, so I looked like a fucking genius when it did, in fact, turn out to be a draw. People were looking at me like I was Biff in Back to the Future and had an Almanac that told the future.

Noke continues to impress me and I'm glad he was able to get a win in his home country.

The only thing missing from the Ring-Fukuda fight was a bag with the judges scorecards that said "Exhibit A." That was fucking criminal. I don't even know what those judges were watching, but it clearly wasn't the fight. As Guy pointed out, I'm glad he got his win bonus. It must have been Ring's birthday or something, because that was one HUGE fucking gift.

I'm so glad Ebersole got a win in the UFC. The guy has certainly paid his MMA dues. It was nice to see him come and and impose his will on a savvy veteran like Lytle.

Soda-pop, oh Soda-pop, I felt bad for him, but Siver was just too big for him. End of story. Sucks that he won't be getting his title shot, but what can you do?

Also, Mark FUCKING Hunt!!!! Greatest walk-off KO in MMA history.

 

[Tha Wolfpac]

As you all know (or most of you) i was live in attendance at the show and it was way better than last year's event. The atmosphere was more electric, and i give it too the amount of aussies on the card. 2 out of 5 aussies won their fights quite decisively. Unlucky for Te-Huna he looked good before he got caught.

You couldn't help but feel sympathetic for G-Spot (George Sotiropulous), as were all heavily behind him and for him to lose against Siver. But man George looked so out of his comfort zone and was really troubled by the amount of power advantage that Siver had over him. Siver Takedown defense was unbelievable but i am still puzzled as to why G-Spot only went for single legs when he could've went for the guaranteed double leg once or twice in the fight.

Kyle Noke, looked impressive and deserved to win.

Good to see my former BJJ instructor Anthony Perosh get the win, you could see how much it meant to him after he got pummeled by CroCop last year.

I was surprised to see how much Bisping was cheered this year as opposed to last year but he was up against Wandy last year. As much as i dislike Bisping he looked very focused and intent on beating the shit out of Rivera illegal or no illegal knee.

Ebersole via Cartwheel that is all i have to say. Really made the crowd laugh and put on a show. Disappointing to see Lytle's streak end.

Fuk-uda was robbed, nobody in attendance could believe it.

Moment of the night was Mark Hunt. Not only did he come out to a bad ass entrance theme (Dr Dre- Still Dre) but he absolutely destroyed Chris. His stand up is noteworthy but like JMT said much work is needed on his TDD and Sub defense.

All in all man what a day, had the best time of my life and really look forward to going next year no doubt.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

I mean, listen... in some ways, while I don't agree with the decision, I do figure the draw is somewhat fair. It just makes me sick how somehow with Fitch's gameplans can continue to not lose, while a guy like BJ, who fights his heart out, has trouble winning a really big fight.

And it's not only the fighting styles that make me favor someone like Penn over Fitch, but just his personality compared to Fitch's as well. Just consider this...

Before the fight in an interview Fitch was asked how he was going to win, and his response was something like "Any way I want."

Come fight time, Penn won two rounds, while Fitch won one, and after the fight Penn is disappointed with himself, while Fitch is saying he deserves a title shot.

I mean, what the fuck, man? I just cannot respect Jon Fitch right now on any level, and I wish him the worst, unless he changes his attitude and the mind-set he carries when it comes to MMA. Whereas BJ Penn... please don't ever change. Always look for the finish, and always fight to win, not to not lose. It's why Penn will always be a draw with a massive fanbase, while Fitch will continue to be one of the most disliked fighters in MMA.

Since losing to GSP, Fitch has gone to decision with the following. I'll include when they've been stopped:

Akihiro Gono - KO'ed four times (two of which were by Shogun and Hendo), and his last submission loss was in 1996.

Paulo Thiago - Never been stopped

Mike Pierce - Never been stopped

Ben Saunders - KO'ed once

Thiago Alves - KO'ed once (by Jon Fitch!) and his last submission loss was in 2005. Furthermore, GSP couldn't stop him, and he laid a BEATING on him.

BJ Penn - Stopped twice - Corner stoppage and being unable to defend himself.

It's not like Fitch has been fighting bums or Andrei Arlovski here. Sure, Fitch has his style that you find "boring", but he's fighting legitimately tough guys here. It's not his fault these guys couldn't defend a takedown.

I still don't think Fitch's weak ass ground and pound was enough to win him the round.

As far as Round 3, after sleeping on it, I am now open-minded enough to understand why someone would view that a 10-8 Round in favor of Jon Fitch, even if I still don't agree with it. The reason I don't agree with that statement is simply because Fitch never caused any real damage to Penn during the round, nor was Penn ever in trouble to the point where Fitch was anywhere near close to putting him away. That said, I do understand that Fitch landed a 150 "punches" in that Round to Penn's zero, which is why I'm willing to accept it if someone wants to give that round a 10-8 advantage for Fitch, even if not one of the 150 shots had any power behind them whatsoever.

Sonnen was given multiple 10-8s by the judges when he fought Silva for turning rounds that were just like the third round of Fitch/Penn. When a guy is flat on his back and getting pounded for the entire round, it's hard not to argue that being a 10-8. Jon Fitch put him on his back, punched him in the face for five minutes, and he couldn't defend it.

Condemn Fitch all you want, but he's very good at what he does.

 

[jmt225]

Since losing to GSP, Fitch has gone to decision with the following. I'll include when they've been stopped:

Akihiro Gono - KO'ed four times (two of which were by Shogun and Hendo), and his last submission loss was in 1996.

Paulo Thiago - Never been stopped

Mike Pierce - Never been stopped

Ben Saunders - KO'ed once

Thiago Alves - KO'ed once (by Jon Fitch!) and his last submission loss was in 2005. Furthermore, GSP couldn't stop him, and he laid a BEATING on him.

BJ Penn - Stopped twice - Corner stoppage and being unable to defend himself.

With the exception of Mike Pierce, all of those fighters are EXCITING, and the only remotely exciting fight on that list is the one Fitch had against BJ Penn, and that was only because Penn made it exciting. Penn could have easily sat in Fitch's guard and landed pitter-patter punches all day in the 1st and 2nd Rounds, but he looked for the finish.

Also, note that I'm not faulting Fitch here because he hasn't been able to finish fights; I'm faulting him because his fights are boring as fuck, and because he doesn't even look to ATTEMPT to finish someone.

Sonnen was given multiple 10-8s by the judges when he fought Silva for turning rounds that were just like the third round of Fitch/Penn. When a guy is flat on his back and getting pounded for the entire round, it's hard not to argue that being a 10-8. Jon Fitch put him on his back, punched him in the face for five minutes, and he couldn't defend it.

Sonnen throws powerful shots when in someone's guard, that's the difference.

What Fitch did was not a "pounding," man. They were a bunch of taps to the face. I know for a fact that my niece could have hit BJ harder than what Fitch was hitting him with Saturday night.

Condemn Fitch all you want, but he's very good at what he does.

And I would never deny that he's not good at what he does, but just because he's good at it doesn't mean I have to respect him for it.

 

[ITurnGirlsGay]

Sonnen was given multiple 10-8s by the judges when he fought Silva for turning rounds that were just like the third round of Fitch/Penn. When a guy is flat on his back and getting pounded for the entire round, it's hard not to argue that being a 10-8. Jon Fitch put him on his back, punched him in the face for five minutes, and he couldn't defend it.

Condemn Fitch all you want, but he's very good at what he does.

Using Sonnen as your litmus test against Fitch is horrible logic. Sonnen absolutely does NOT fight like Fitch. Sonnen actively tries to finish fights, often times to the detriment of himself. That's why he's so susceptible to the Triangle and got cut open by Marquardt.

If Fitch put HALF the effort in to finishing a fight like Sonnen does, people would most certainly not call him a boring ass fighter.