UFC 88 Preview

205 lbs. – Chuck Liddell [4] vs. Rashad Evans [15]

Chuck Liddell (21-5) should win this fight because he is the more skilled fighter. The 2 ways in which Evans (11-0-1)  can overcome that are by using his intelligence and/or his KO power. He can either execute the perfect gamelan for 3 rounds like his training partner Keith Jardine [8] did last year or he can catch Chuck with a well-placed strike for the KO. I think Liddell will pick apart Evans until he eventually gets the TKO or KO victory.

205 lbs. – Rich Franklin [NR] vs. Matt Hamill [23]

In Franklin’s (23-3) return bout at Light-Heavyweight, he must keep Matt Hamill (4-1) from grounding and pounding him. Franklin is the better striker and is the quicker fighter. He is also one of the smartest fighters in the sport. Hamill, on the other hand, has one of the best ground and pound games in the sport. He doens’t have the KO power or the technique to catch Franklin when they’re on their feet, so he must get the fight to the ground to have any shot at winning. I just think there are too many ways for Franklin to win this fight. He is hungry to reclaim his spot as one of the elite fighters in MMA. Franklin by TKO in round 2 or 3.

170 lbs. – Karo Parisyan [8] vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida [17] [Cancelled due to an Injury to Karo]

Yoshida (10-2) needs a breakthrough win in order to make a name for himself. Karo (18-5) needs a win to bounce back from a devastating KO loss at the hands of Thiago Alves [2]. Both guys are world class in Judo. Both guys are extremely tough and both are hungry for victory. This has the potential to be one of the better fights of the year. It’s a toss up. My guess is that Yoshida will get a hard fought decision victory.

185 lbs. – Dan Henderson [3] vs. Rousimar Palhares [46]

This is a nightmare matchup for Rousimar (8-1). I don’t know why the UFC would sacrifice one of their bright prospects to what looks like a sure loss. Palhares has world-class submission ability and has the skills to be a top 20 fighter. The only problem is, he’s going to have to get Henderson (22-7) to the mat to execute those skills. I don’t see that happening. Henderson is a world-class wrestler and has beaten some of the legends of the sport like Wanderlei Silva and Rodrigo Nogueira. This looks like a mismatch to me. Hendo by 1st round TKO.

185 lbs. – Nathan Marquardt [7] vs. Martin Kampmann [16]

This is an excellent matchup. Both guys are skilled in all areas and both have the heart of a champion. The one thing that may seperate them is Marquardt’s (26-8-2) strength. I think he is stronger than Kampmann (16-2). Neither fighter has KO power but Kampmann is the more technically sound striker. Marquardt may have a slight edge in wrestling and submissions. The fight will most likely go to a decision. I give the very slight edge to Marquardt. I wouldn’t be money on it though.

155 lbs. – Kurt Pellegrino [36] vs. Thiago Tavares [42]

This should be a very competitive fight. Both fighters have elite level skills but they differ in one area. Kurt (11-4) has shown a lot more toughness and determination. Thiago (13-2) has all the skills to be a great fighter but he may lack a champion’s heart. He reminds me of Vitor Belfort. He underacheives. If he does come out blazing, we could have a fight of the night. I would put my money on Kurt though. He always brings his A-game and I think he will out-tough Thiago.

170 lbs. – Dong Hyun Kim [47] vs. Matt Brown

Matt Brown (7-6) is a tough-as-nails brawler. Dong Hyun Kim (10-0-1) is a giant Welterweight with a tremendous ground-and-pound game. Kim appears to have the talent to be a legit contender but he has not beaten an elite fighter yet. Beating Matt Brown would put him one step closer to a fight on the main-card. I just think Kim has too much talent for Matt Brown (despite his toughness) to handle. It will probably end in the 2nd round by TKO from Kim’s ground and pound.

170 lbs. – Ryo Chonan [19] vs. Roan Carneiro [23]

Ryo Chonan [14-8] is the last person to defeat the great Anderson Silva. He is skilled both on the ground and on his feet. Roan Carneiro (12-7) is a blackbelt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu but that didn’t help him in his last fight when he lost by submission to Kevin Burns [20]. I would bet he comes out with renewed aggression to erase that loss from memory. This is another toss-up fight. Chonan is coming off a bit of a layoff so I think ring-rust may be a factor. I would give the slight edge to Carneiro.

185 lbs. – Jason MacDonald [31] vs. Jason Lambert [NR]

In his loss to Demian Maia [17], Jason MacDonald (20-10) impressed me more in defeat than he had in all his previous victories. He withstood the submission attempts of arguably the best submission fighter in the world (Maia). Jason Lambert [23-8] is moving down from 205 lbs. for his first fight at Middleweight. He is known for his word-class ground and pound. The x-factor in this fight will be how Lambert deals with the 20 lbs. weight cut. If he handles it well, I can see him pounding out MacDonald on the mat. If he struggles, he could lose stamina quickly and MacDonald would go for the finish. I actually think Lambert will struggle with the cut. I’m picking MacDonald to win by TKO in the 2nd or 3rd round.

205 lbs. – Tim Boetsch [30] vs. Mike Patt

Tim Boetsch (7-2) Mike Patt (12-2)

HVY Rankings (September, 2008)

 

1	Fedor Emelianenko	28~1	Stary Oskol, Russia
2	Rodrigo Nogueira	31~4~1	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	UFC Interim Champion
3	Randy Couture	16~8	Las Vegas, NV	UFC Champion
4	Josh Barnett	23~5	Seattle, WA
5	Andrei Arlovski	13~5	Minsk, Belarus
6	Fabricio Werdum	11~3~1	Porto Alegre, Brazil	ADCC Champion
7	Tim Sylvia	24~5	Davenport, IA
8	Gabriel Gonzaga	9~3	Ludlow, MA
9	Cheick Kongo	12~4~1	Paris, France
10	Alistair Overeem	28~11	Utrecht, Netherlands	Strikeforce Champion
11	Aleksander Emelianenko	13~3	St. Petersburg, Russia
12	Sergei Kharitonov	16~3	Moscow, Russia
13	Mirko Filipovic	23~6~2	Zagreb, Croatia
14	Antonio Silva	11~1	Brasilia, Brazil	EliteXC Champion
15	Frank Mir	11~3	Las Vegas, NV
16	Brock Lesnar	2~1	Webster, SD
17	Heath Herring	28~14	Las Vegas, NV
18	Cain Velasquez	4~0	San Jose, CA
19	Pedro Rizzo	16~8	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
20	Jeff Monson	24~8	Olympia, WA
21	Marcio Cruz	4~2	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
22	Hidehiko Yoshida	8~6~1	Obu, Japan
23	Ben Rothwell	29~6	Davenport, IA
24	Roy Nelson	13~2	Las Vegas, NV
25	Paul Buentello	24~10	Amarillo, TX
26	Travis Wiuff	53~11	Rochester, MN
27	Dave Herman	11~0	Bloomington, IN
28	Jake O’Brien	10~2	Indianapolis, IN
29	Mark Hunt	5~4	New Zealand
30	Ricco Rodriguez	28~9	Phoenix, AZ
31	Semmy Schilt	25~14~1	Zuidlaren, Netherlands	K-1 Champion
32	Justin McCully	8~4~2	Huntington Beach, CA
33	Yoshihiro Nakao	7~1	Japan
34	Antoni Hardonk	7~4	Weesp, Netherlands
35	Eddie Sanchez	8~2	Temecula, CA
36	Roger Gracie	2~0	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
37	Michael Russow	10~1	Chicago, IL
38	Ron Waterman	15~6~2	Greeley, CO
39	Kazuyuki Fujita	15~7	Funabashi, Japan
40	Kevin Randleman	17~12	Columbus, OH
41	Mario Rinaldi	6~3	Port St. Lucie, FL
42	Brett Rogers	7~0	Minneapolis, MN
43	Todd Duffee	3~0	Coconut Creek, FL
44	Shane Carwin	9~0	Denver, CO
45	Sang Soo Lee	9~4	South Korea
46	Assuerio Silva	14~7	Parana, Brazil
47	Kimbo Slice	3~0	Miami, FL

205 Rankings (September, 2008)

 

1	Forrest Griffin	16~4	Athens, GA	UFC Champion
2	Quinton Jackson	29~7	Irvine, CA
3	Lyoto Machida	13~0	Belem, Brazil
4	Rashad Evans	12~0~1	Albuquerque, NM
5	Chuck Liddell	21~6	San Luis Obispo, CA
6	Mauricio Rua	16~3	Curitiba, Brazil
7	Dan Henderson	23~7	Temecula, CA
8	Wanderlei Silva	32~8~1	Las Vegas, NV
9	Keith Jardine	13~4~1	Albuquerque, NM
10	Sokoudjou	5~2	Temecula, CA
11	Thiago Silva	13~0	Sao Paulo, Brazil
12	Rogerio Nogueira	14~3	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
13	Anderson Silva	22~4	Curitiba, Brazil
14	Renato Sobral	30~7	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
15	Tito Ortiz	15~6~1	Huntington Beach, CA
16	Ricardo Arona	13~5	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
17	Vitor Belfort	17~8	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Cage Rage Champion
18	Stephan Bonnar	11~4	Chicago, IL
19	Luis Cane	8~1	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
20	Goran Reljic	8~0	Zadar, Croatia
21	Rich Franklin	24~3	Cincinnatti, OH
22	Wilson Gouveia	11~5	Coconut Creek, FL
23	James Irvin	14~5	Sacramento, CA
24	Vladimir Matyushenko	21~3	Retchisa, Belarus
25	Matt Hamill	4~2	Utica, NY
26	Brandon Vera	9~2	San Diego, CA
27	Eric Schafer	10~3~2	Milwaukee, WI
28	Jason Lambert	23~9	Long Beach, CA
29	Mike Whitehead	20~6	Salt Lake City, UT
30	Tim Boetsch	8~2	Sunbury, PA
31	Houston Alexander	8~4	Omaha, NE
32	Kazuhiro Nakamura	11~8	Tokyo, Japan
33	Rafael Cavalcante	7~1	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
34	David Heath	7~3	Tulsa, OK
35	Steve Cantwell	6~1	Las Vegas, NV	WEC Champion
36	Brian Stann	6~1	Scranton, PA
37	Doug Marshall	8~3	Visalia, CA
38	Glover TeixeIra	6~2	Arroyo Grande, CA
39	Jon Jones	6~0	Endicott, NY
40	Jason Brilz	16~1~1	Omaha, NE
41	Reese Andy	7~2	Renton, WA
42	Andre Gusmao	5~1	Goiania, Brazil
43	Jamal Patterson	4~2	Hoboken, NJ

185 Rankings (September, 2008)

 

1	Anderson Silva	22~4	Curitiba, Brazil	UFC Champion
2	Paulo Filho	16~0	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	WEC Champion
3	Dan Henderson	23~7	Tecmecula, CA
4	Rich Franklin	24~3	Cincinnatti, OH
5	Robbie Lawler	18~4	Granite City, IL	EliteXC Champion
6	Thales Leites	13~1	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
7	Nathan Marquardt	27~8~2	Denver, CO
8	Gegard Mousasi	24~2~1	Armenia	DREAM GP Champion
9	Kazuo Misaki	21~8~2	Chiba, Japan
10	Yoshihiro Akiyama	12~1	Osaka, Japan
11	Yushin Okami	22~4	Kanagawa, Japan
12	Frank Trigg	17~6	Rochester, NY
13	Ronaldo Souza	10~2	Manaus, Brazil
14	Patrick Cote	13~4	Quebec City, Canada
15	Jason Miller	21~6	Las Vegas, NV
16	Demian Maia	8~0	Sao Paulo, Brazil	ADCC Champion
17	Matt Lindland	21~5	Eagle Creek, OR
18	Joey Villasenor	26~6	Albuqurque, NM
19	Denis Kang	30~10~1	Vancouver, Canada
20	Michael Bisping	16~1	Manchester, England
21	Murilo Rua	16~8~1	Curitiba, Brazil
22	Chael Sonnen	20~9~1	West Linn, OR
23	Jason MacDonald	21~10	Edmonton, Canada
24	Cung Le	6~0	San Jose, CA	Strikeforce Champion
25	Martin Kampmann	16~3	Las Vegas, NV
26	Frank Shamrock	24~9~1	Santa Monica, CA
27	Ricardo Almeida	9~3	Hamilton, NJ
28	Jorge Santiago	17~7	Coconut Creek, FL
29	Trevor Prangley	18~5	Cape Town, South Africa
30	Amar Suloev	24~7	Kalinin City, Armenia
31	Travis Lutter	9~5	Fort Worth, TX
32	Kendall Grove	9~5	Maui, HI
33	Vitor Belfort	17~8	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
34	Dean Lister	11~5	San Diego, CA
35	Jeremy Horn	79~18~5	Salt Lake City, UT
36	Chris Leben	18~4	Oahu, HI
37	Melvin Manhoef	22~5~1	Amsterdam, Netherlands
38	Scott Smith	13~5	Elk Grove, CA
39	Rousimar Palhares	8~2	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
40	Alan Belcher	13~5	Biloxi, MS
41	Mike Massenzio	11~2	Paterson, NJ
42	Terry Martin	18~5	Chicago, IL
43	Drew McFedries	7~4	Bettendorf, IA
44	Ed Herman	14~7	Portland, OR
45	Marvin Eastman	15~8~1	Las Vegas, NV
46	Jorge Rivera	15~7	Milford, MA
47	Jason Day	17~6	Lethbridge, Canada
48	David Loiseau	18~8	Montreal, Canada
49	Wilson Gouveia	11~5	Coconut Creek, FL
50	Joe Doerksen	39~12	Winnipeg, Canada
51	Phil Baroni	12~10	Long Island, NY
52	Yuki Kondo	49~22~6	Niigata, Japan	Pancrase Champion
53	Sanae Kikuta	27~6~3	Tokyo, Japan
54	Falaniko Vitale	26~8	Honolulu, HI
55	Nate Quarry	10~2	Gresham, OR
56	Dan Miller	9~1	Whippany, NJ
57	Cory DeVela	9~2	Bonney Lake, WA
58	Joe Riggs	28~11	Pheonix, AZ
59	Ryan Jensen	13~5	Omaha, NE
60	Kazushi Sakuraba	24~11~1	Katagami, Japan
61	Keiichiro Yamamiya	34~22~9	Kanagawa, Japan
62	Zelg Galesic	9~4	Pula, Croatia
63	Taiei Kin	3~3	Amagasaki, Japan
64	Andrews Nakahara	1~1	Brazil
65	Dong Sik Yoon	4~6	Seoul, South Korea
66	Kiyoshi Tamura	32~13~2	Okayama, Japan
67	Ivan Salaverry	12~6	Seattle, WA
68	Tim Kennedy	9~2	San Luis Obispo, CA
69	Ryan McGivern	12~6	Bettendorf, IA
70	Matt Horwich	23~10~1	Gresham, OR
71	Benji Radach	17~4	Castlerock, WA
72	Amir Sadolloh	1~0	Richmond, VA
73	Fabio Negao	8~4	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
74	Kala Hose	7~2	Waianae, Hawaii	Icon Sport Champion
75	Pete Sell	7~4	Westbury, NY
76	Alessio Sakara	13~7	Miami, FL
77	Rob Kimmons	21~4	Liberty, MO
78	Nissen Osterneck	5~0	Myrtle Beach, SC
79	Bryan Baker	7~1	Victorville, CA
80	Kalib Starnes	8~3~1	Surrey, Canada

170 Rankings (September, 2008)

 

1	Georges St-Pierre	17~2	Montreal, Canada	UFC Champion
2	Thiago Alves	15~3	Coconut Creek, FL
3	Josh Koscheck	11~2	San Jose, CA
4	Jon Fitch	17~3	San Jose, CA
5	Diego Sanchez	19~2	San Diego, CA
6	Jake Shields	21~4~1	San Jose, CA	EliteXC Champion
7	Matt Hughes	42~7	Hillsboro, IL
8	Karo Parisyan	18~5	North Hollywood, CA
9	Matt Serra	9~5	Long Island, NY
10	Carlos Condit	23~4	Alburqurque, NM	WEC Champion
11	Mike Swick	12~2	San Jose, CA
12	Dustin Hazelett	11~4	Cincinnati, OH
13	Nick Thompson	36~10~1	Minneapolis, MN	MFC Champion
14	Akihiro Gono	28~12~7	Tokyo, Japan
15	Chris Lytle	25~16~5	Indianapolis, IN
16	Marcus Davis	14~4	Bangor, ME
17	Yoshiyuki Yoshida	10~2	Tokyo, Japan
18	Josh Burkman	9~6	Salt Lake City, UT
19	Kevin Burns	7~1	Des Moines, IA
20	Anthony Johnson	5~2	Los Angeles, CA
21	Brad Blackburn	13~9~1	Olympia, WA
22	Ryo Chonan	15~8	Yamagata, Japan
23	Hector Lombard	17~2~1	Sydney, Australia
24	Roan Carneiro	12~8	Atlanta, GA
25	Drew Fickett	34~6	Tuscan, AZ
26	Jay Hieron	15~4	Long Island, NY
27	Jonathan Goulet	22~9	Victoriaville, Canada
28	Brock Larson	23~2	Costa Mesa, CA
29	Chris Wilson	14~4	Portland, OR
30	Nathan Coy	5~0		Sportfight Champion
31	Mike Pierce	5~1
32	Delson Heleno	13~5	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
33	Forrest Petz	14~5	Cleveland, OH
34	Luigi Fioravanti	12~4	Orlando, FL
35	David Baron	16~2	France
36	Hayato Sakurai	33~8~2	Tokyo, Japan
37	Antonio McKee	21~3~2	Lakewood, CA
38	Akira Kikuchi	16~4	Tokyo, Japan
39	Mark Miller	8~4	Chicago, IL
40	Kuniyoshi Hironaka	12~5	Tokyo, Japan
41	Tony DeSouza	10~4	Lima, Peru
42	Paul Kelly	7~0	Liverpool, England
43	Paul Taylor	9~3~1	Walsall, England
44	Tamdan McCrory	9~1	Cortland, NY
45	Daniel Acacio	14~6	Brazil
46	John Alessio	23~11	Vancouver, Canada
47	Jess Liaudin	12~10	London, England
48	Paul Daley	18~6~2	Nottingham, England	Cage Rage Champion
49	George Sotiropoulos	9~2	Long Island, NY
50	Alex Serdyukov	8~4	Moscow, Russia
51	Luis Sapo	10~2	Belem, Brazil
52	Dan Hardy	19~6	Nottingham, England
53	Rory Markham	16~4	Bettendorf, IA
54	Pat Healy	18~14	St. Louis, MS
55	Richard Villes	4~2
56	Hiromitsu Miura	9~5	Tokyo, Japan
57	Dong Hyun Kim	11~0~1	Busan, South Korea
58	Carlo Prater	23~6~1	Houston, TX
59	Ryan Ford	6~1	Edmonton, Canada
60	Renato Verissimo	7~5	Hilo, HI
61	Dennis Hallman	38~12~2	Yelm, WA
62	Jeremy Jackson	9~5	Port Hueneme, CA
63	Luke Cummo	6~6	Long Island, NY
64	Tom Speer	9~3	Elgin, MN

155 Rankings (September, 2008)

 

1	B.J. Penn	13~4~1	Hilo, HI	UFC Champion
2	Eddie Alvarez	15~1	Philadelphia, PA
3	Joachim Hansen	19~7~1	Oslo, Norway	DREAM GP Champion
4	Shinya Aoki	17~3	Japan
5	Takanori Gomi	27~3	Tokyo, Japan
6	Gesias Calvancanti	14~2~1	Coconut Creek, FL
7	Sean Sherk	32~3~1	Oak Grove, MN
8	Kenny Florian	10~3	Boston, MA
9	Josh Thomson	15~2	San Jose, CA	Strikeforce Champion
10	Joe Stevenson	29~8	Victoriaville, CA
11	Tyson Griffin	12~1	Las Vegas, NV
12	Tatsuya Kawajiri	22~5~2	Inashiki, Japan
13	Caol Uno	25~11~4	Kanagawa, Japan
14	Gray Maynard	5~0	Las Vegas, NV
15	Frank Edgar	9~1	Tom Rivers, NJ
16	Vitor Ribeiro	19~2	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
17	Mitsuhiro Ishida	16~4~1	Tsukuba, Japan
18	Gilbert Melendez	14~2	San Francisco, CA
19	KJ Noons	7~2	San Diego, CA	EliteXC Champion
20	Nick Diaz	18~7	Stockton, CA
21	Roger Huerta	20~2~1	Minneapolis, MN
22	Hermes Franca	18~7	Orlando, FL
23	Spencer Fisher	21~4	Bettendorf, IA
24	Clay Guida	24~9	Johnsburg, IL
25	Nate Diaz	10~2	Stockton, CA
26	Josh Neer	24~7~1	Bettendorf, IA
27	Din Thomas	20~8	Port St. Lucie, CA
28	Takashi Nakakura	10~2~1	Japan	Shooto Champion
29	Yusuke Endo	12~2~1	Japan
30	Marcus Aurelio	16~6	Coconut Creek, FL
31	Rich Clementi	32~12~1	Sidell, LA
32	Matt Wiman	10~3	Dallas, TX
33	Eiji Mitsuoka	14~5~2	Japan
34	Joe Lauzon	17~4	Bridgewater, MA
35	Hayato Sakurai	32~8~2	Tokyo, Japan
36	Yves Edwards	34~14~1	Woodlands, TX
37	Kurt Pellegrino	12~4	Jupiter, FL
38	Sam Stout	13~4~1	London, Canada
39	Andre Amade	6~3~1	Brazil
40	Rodrigo Damm	8~2	Brazil
41	Jorge Masvidal	13~3	Miami, FL
42	Thiago Tavares	13~3	Florianopolis, Brazil
43	Koutetsu Boku	13~5~1	Japan
44	Gleison Tibau	15~6	Coconut Creek, FL
45	Jamie Varner	15~2	Mesa, AZ	WEC Champion
46	Mac Danzig	18~5~1	Los Angeles, CA
47	Ganjo Tentsuku	9~3~2	Japan
48	Mizuto Hirota	10~2	Japan
49	Luiz Firmino	12~4	Brazil
50	Terry Etim	10~2	Liverpool, England
51	Rob McCullough	16~4	Huntington Beach, CA
52	Rob Emerson	8~6	Irvine, CA
53	Ryan Schultz	20~10~1	Gresham, OR
54	Chris Horodecki	10~1	London, Canada
55	Roni Torres	13~1	Brazil
56	Luiz Azeredo	12~7	Brazil
57	Deividas Taurosevicius	9~3	Lithuania
58	Jim Miller	11~1	Whippany, NJ
59	Bart Palaszewski	29~11	Crystal Lakes, IL
60	Manny Gamburyan	8~3	Hollywood, CA
61	Jeremy Stephens	13~3	Des Moines, IA
62	Cole Miller	13~3	Coconut Creek, FL
63	Melvin Guillard	21~7~2	New Orleans, LA
64	Matt Grice	9~1	Harrah, OK
65	Jason Black	23~4~1	Bettendorf, IA
66	Rich Crunkilton	16~2	New Smyrna Beach, FL
67	John Gunderson	16~6	Medford, OR
68	Marcus Hicks	8~1	Dallas, TX
69	Mark Bocek	5~2	Woodbridge, Canada
70	Donald Cerrone	8~0	Brownfield, CO
71	Alberto Crane	9~2	Glendale, CA
72	Seung Hwan Bang	5~2	South Korea	DEEP Champion
73	Kyle Bradley	13~6
74	Muhsin Corbbrey	8~3~0
75	Charles Bennett	21~14~2	Ocala, FL
76	Edson Berto	13~5~1	Orlando, FL
77	Sergio Gomez	7~2	Racine, WI
78	Keith Wilson	6~3	Denver, CO

145 Rankings (September, 2008)

1	Urijah Faber	21~1	Davis, CA	WEC Champion
2	Dokonjonsuke Mishima	18~6~2	Osaka, Japan	DEEP Champion
3	Jens Pulver	22~9~1	Bettendorf, IA
4	Kid Yamamoto	17~1	Tokyo, Japan
5	Hideki Kadowaki	13~7~2	Chiba, Japan	Shooto Champion
6	Masakazu Imanari	15~6~1	Kanagawa, Japan	Cage Rage Champion
7	Akitoshi Tamura	12~6~2	Japan
8	Mike Brown	17~4	Portland, ME
9	Jeff Curran	30~10~1	Island Lake, IL
10	Rafael Assuncao	11~1	Smyrna, GA
11	Leonard Garcia	11~3	Lubbock, TX
12	Wagnney Fabiano	10~1	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
13	Hiroyuki Takaya	9~5~1	Japan
14	Yuji Hoshino	14~7~7	Tokyo, Japan
15	Antonio Carvalho	10~4	Toronto, Canada
16	Hatsu Hioki	15~3~1	Nagoya, Japan	TKO Champion
17	Bao Quach	15~8~1	Irvine, CA
18	Takeshi Inoue	14~3	Japan
19	Jose Aldo	10~1	Brazil
20	Akiyo Nishiura	8~2~1	Japan
21	Josh Grispi	9~1	Boston, MA
22	Mark Hominick	16~8	London, Canada
23	Savant Young	9~8	Los Angeles, CA
24	Ivan Menjivar	20~7	Montreal, Canada
25	Pequeno Nogueira	13~5~2	Brazil
26	Rani Yahya	11~4	Brasilia, Brazil	ADCC Champion
27	Cub Swanson	12~2	Palm Springs, CA
28	Hiroshi Nakamura	5~3~3	Japan
29	Tenkei Fujimiya	7~3~2	Japan
30	Rumina Sato	24~12~2	Tokyo, Japan
31	Marlon Sandro	11~0	Brazil
32	Micah Miller	9~2	Athens, GA
33	Fredson Paixao	8~2	Brazil

135 Rankings (September, 2008)

1	Miguel Torres	34~1	East Chicago, IN	WEC Champion
2	Masakatsu Ueda	8~0~1	Japan	Shooto Champion
3	Yoshiro Maeda	23~5~2	Japan	Pancrase Champion
4	Koetsu Okazaki	5~1~1	Japan
5	Brian Bowles	6~0	Athens, GA
6	Atsushi Yamamoto	11~5~1	Japan
7	Marcos Galvao	6~2	Brazil
8	Will Ribeiro	9~1	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
9	Chase Beebe	11~3	Chicago, IL
10	Takeya Mizugaki	9~2~2	Japan
11	Eddie Wineland	12~5~1	Portage, IN
12	Daniel Lima	8~3~2	Queensland, Austraila
13	Matt Fiordirosa	11~1	Illinois
14	Rani Yahya	11~4	Brasilia, Brazil	ADCC Champion
15	Damacio Page	10~4	Albuquerque, NM
16	Manny Tapia	11~0~1	California
17	Scott Jorgensen	5~2	Boise, ID
18	Chris Manuel	6~0~2	Coconut Creek, FL
19	Kenji Osawa	13~8~2	Tokyo, Japan
20	Dominic Cruz	11~1	Tucson, Arizona
21	Abel Cullum	11~1
22	Jarrod Card	6~3~1
23	Charlie Valencia	9~5	Los Angeles, CA
24	Jeff Bedard	9~2	Duluth, GA

Sengoku 4 Analysis (August, 2008)

155 lbs. – Takanori Gomi [5] vs. Seung Hwan Bang

Gomi looked rather mediocre against an opponent he should have ran through. For his part, Bang was very game in the loss and because of his ability to compete with one of the elite fighters in the weight class, the current DEEP lightweight champion debuts in the rankings. Gomi stays at 5. Bang debuts at 72.

155 lbs – Rodrigo Damm [34] vs. Eiji Mitsuoka [43]

After an average start to his MMA career, Mitsuoka is starting to make his move up the rankings. Damm takes a slight step back. Mitsuoka rises to 34. Damm drops to 40.

155 lbs. – Ryan Schultz [50] vs. Mizuto Hirota

Hirota gets a much needed win over an established opponent to put him in the rankings. His only 2 losses have come to Takashi Nakakura [28] and Ganjo Tentsuku [46]. Schultz must regroup after this slight setback. Hirota debuts at 45. Schultz drops to 52.

HVY – Pawel Nastula [NR] vs. Yang Dong Yi

In his return from retirement, Nasutla did not do anything to merit being ranked. Either did Yi in this lackluster fight.

185 lbs. – Frank Trigg [11] vs. Makoto Takimoto 

 

 

 

Clay French vs. Satoru Kitaoka

Kazunori Yokota vs. Bojan Kosednar

UFC 87 Analysis (August, 2008)

170 lbs. Title – Georges St. Pierre [1] vs. Jon Fitch [2]

GSP shows once again that he is the most talented and best welterweight fighter in the world. Fitch was all heart but he simply didn’t have the tools to beat GSP. St. Pierre stays at 1. Fitch drops to 4.

155 lbs. – Kenny Florian [10] vs. Roger Huerta [14]

Florian executed a smart fightplan and dominated Huerta from start to finish. He kept Roger at bay with his jab and mixed in a few takedowns for good measure. A very solid win for a solid veteran. Huerta will learn a lot from this loss. He should now understand what it takes to compete at the top level. Florian rises to 8. Huerta drops to 21.

HVY – Heath Herring [10] vs. Brock Lesnar [43]

WOW! Lesnar is a silverback gorilla. He flat out manhandled the rugged Heath Herring. After landing a face-smashing right cross, he used his wrestling skills to control Heath on the mat and administer some hammer fists while he was at it. This shows that Lesnar has the stamina to go 3 rounds and it shows that he has a very, very dangerous right hand. Move over Bob Sapp, there is a new monster in town. Lesnar rises to 17. Herring drops to 18. (Re-adjusted Frank Mir to 16 as a result of Lesnar’s performance.)

155 lbs. – Manny Gamburyan [37] vs. Rob Emerson [65]

Emerson continues his rapid improvement as a fighter. Manny came rushing in while Emerson calmly sat in the pocket and touched him on the chin for the KO. Manny is going to have to think about moving down to 145 after this loss. His reach is going to be a handicap every time he fights good strikers. Emerson rises to 51. Manny drops to 58.

185 lbs. – Jason MacDonald [30] vs. Demian Maia [31]

I’m almost more impressed with MacDonald than I am with Maia…but not quite. Demian continues his rapid ascent up the rankings with a victory over an extremely tough and game Jason MacDonald. Another win or two and Anderson Silva may have a very dangerous fighter looking to take his title. Maia rises to 17. Macdonald drops to 31.

170 lbs. – Tamden McCrory [44] vs. Luke Cummo [59]

 

HVY – Cheick Kongo [11] vs. Dan Evensen

Easy win for Kongo. He probably wanted to keep busy while waiting for an opponent in the thin UFC heavyweight division. Kongo rises to 10 (as a result of Herring’s loss)

205 lbs. – Andre Gusmao [38] vs. Jon Jones

I have a feeling Jon Jones will be become an elite fighter in a few years. He’s only 21-years-old and is a former all-american in Greco-Roman wrestling. Add to that an unbelievable reach advantage (85 inches) and you have a tremedous potential for growth. Gusmao didn’t look like himself. I’m guessing it was the adrenaline shock that sometimes accompanies a fighter’s 1st appearence on the big show. Jones debuts at 38. Gusmao drops to 40. 

170 lbs. – Chris Wilson [38] vs. Steve Bruno

Nice dominant performance by Chris Wilson. After giving Jon Fitch a very competitive fight, he gets back on the winning track with a victory over Steve Bruno. He has very sharp striking and great takedown defense. He could become a solid contender. Wilson rises to 29. 

170 lbs. – Ben Saunders vs. Ryan Thomas

Ben Saunders is a pretty big welterweight. He trains at one of the best camps in the world in American Top Team (ATT) and looks pretty solid on his feet and on the mat. I rarely debut a fighter in the rankings if they haven’t yet beaten a ranked guy. Hopefully Saunders will get that shot next time around because he seems like he’ll put on some exciting fights in the future.