The ultra-stacked card that is UFC 187 is this Saturday and I couldn't be more excited. Now before I pop open my first beer for this Memorial Day weekend, let me tell you how I think the title fights will go down.
Middleweight Title Fight: Chris Weidman (C) vs. Vitor Belfort (#3) Vitor Belfort's last fight was a knockout win over Dan Henderson all the way back in November of 2013. Since then, a lot has changed for "The Phenom," mainly his lack of TRT use. This will be the first fight we see Belfort since the testosterone replacement therapy was banned and the big question on everyone's mind will be if he looks the same, if he is still the spin kicking maniac that lead him to this title fight. I've heard he's looking great, and he has had ample time to adjust without therapy, but something in my gut tells me he may feel a bit different when he steps into the octagon. I wouldn't be surprised if he comes off a bit timid at first, something very out of character for him. It's just a couple months shy of a year since Chris Weidman's last fight, his successful title defense against Lyoto Machida. You can thank the many delays due to the numerous knee surgeries he's been through. I don't believe the time off or the surgeries will affect Weidman however. Granted, I am a Weidman fan, so I am biased, but he is probably the most mentally prepared, confident fighter on the UFC roster today, maybe ever. Nothing scares him, nothing makes him back down, and it's surprising how he can be the only person to beat Anderson Silva not once, but twice, and not get the recognition he deserves. Let's also not forget his undefeated status and his successful title defenses against big names. Belfort is a great fighter and will make the fight competitive in the first round. I don't think he can show Weidman anything he can't handle, and by the second round Weidman will begin to outclass and dominate Belfort, resulting in a third round submission victory via rear naked choke for the champ Chris Weidman. Light-Heavyweight Title Fight: Anthony Johnson (#1) vs. Daniel Cormier (#3) Since Jon Jones got his title stripped away for breaking a women's arm and running away (allegedly) we now get this very interesting fight for the vacant belt. Anthony Johnson is a powerhouse. He is by far the scariest threat in the 205 pound division. Any punch he throws has knockout capabilities, and then throw in a solid takedown defense, you have a fighter who many believed had a great chance in beating Jon Jones, let alone Daniel Cormier. I think it is better for the division if Johnson wins by a vicious knockout, because unlike his opponent, he has never fought the original champ. This would set up a great title fight on Jones's return, which would put a lot of asses in the seats. The problem is, many thought Johnson could beat Jones, I'm not entirely sure if he can beat Cormier. Daniel Cormier may be the smartest fighter inside the cage, and he is very good at avoiding damage. I see Cormier coming in with a solid gameplan, holding Johnson up against the cage, neutralizing his superhuman knockout punches. Sadly, if Cormier wins, we are left with a champ who not only lost, but outclassed by the former champ Jones, potentially minimizing the credibility of the division. Johnson winning is better for the UFC, but if I had to put money down, I give the win to Daniel Cormier by unanimous decision. Let me know what you think about these predictions in the comments below or find me on Twitter @zachsmorch
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Anderson Silva will win this fight. But here's hoping for the best, most-entertaining, smack talking, taunting circus there has ever been in the UFC before Silva gets his hand raised. Both Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz are notorious for their taunting, doing so whether they are winning or losing, and even sometimes causing them to lose. It may not always be effective, but damn is it entertaining. Check out some highlights below:
So most of you by now know that I am a big fan of the UFC. What you may not know, however, is that I've been training to fight in it. And if I'm going to be fighting in the UFC, I have to make a big splash. That's why as of today, I ,Zach aka Paul Rudd's Little Brother, am challenging the one and only Jon "Bones" Jones to a title fight! There's a very important heavyweight match-up this Saturday. After the current heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez had to drop out of the fight against number one contender Fabricio Werdum, Mark Hunt stepped up to fight in the main event for the interim title, which will guarantee the winner a fight with Cain once he's healthy, or even possibly the UFC title itself.
With such a huge fight taking place tomorrow night, before you place your bets you may want to read my prediction on how this fight will turn out below: Not really a bomb, not really a blunder, but it does take place down under...water that is! Well, at least the main stars of the film Dolphin Tale 2 spend most of their time underwater. Enjoy yourself as the DREAM TEAM: John, Zach, and special host Lukas return together again, in what has seemed like an eternity. We talk about racism, wife-beating (Ray Rice), and also a little bit about sea creatures. What else can you ask for? 'Tis Box Office Bombs! Recently, The Mighty Ducks and more importantly D2: The Mighty Ducks have been made available on Netflix instant streaming which by all accounts is nothing short of a blessing. Just yesterday I decided to watch both of them and I have to say that the films hold up incredibly well. Yes it is overly 90’s cheesy and unrealistic at times, but the story structure, pacing (especially D2’s case), and performances are just nice and fucking dandy, and I mean that in a positive way.
I would recommend these movies to any kid twelve and under today, unless the easy access to everything on the Internet hasn’t ruined every child’s soul by now. They are both perfect kid and family movies. The only thing they lack from family films nowadays is the inclusion of ‘adult’ humor, which at times they execute but not in the frequency we see today. Now, in honesty, I didn’t enjoy the films as much as I did when I was a kid, but that was expected. I was surprised to find out that even being out of the targeted demographic, I still saw a lot of merit in each film. But here’s the thing, I want to talk about D2. We all know that of the Mighty Duck trilogy, D2 was the shining star of the bunch. I’m not going to say it’s the best film artistically, but if you ask anyone about what they remember of The Mighty Ducks, they’ll say they remember them beating those evil as fuck Icelanders. It’s iconic, to say the least. That being said, I noticed some things I never realized before as a kid while watching D2: The Mighty Ducks, and here are the most prominent: Sadly, the Rock wasn't cooking anything special, but he did cook something edible. Hear John and I's mixed thoughts about Brett Ratner's "Hercules" featuring the one and only Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. We discuss the film 'Hercules' as well as The Rock himself and we also cover some Comic-Con. I love you Rock. Please enjoy. When I watched UFC 175 a few weeks ago, I did something a little different. Usually I go to my favorite spot, The Garage, to check out the fights. If you haven’t been to the Garage, I highly recommend that you do, and while you’re there get wings and some short rib tacos. They are delicious!
So instead of indulging in delicious bar food and draft beer, I purchased the pay-per-view instead through the PS3’s Live Events Viewer, which turns out to be a suitable option if you’re ever trying to figure out what to do for your fight watching, or if you’re a WWE fan, your chair smashing. It does come with some pros and cons, which I shall list below, to help you decide whether or not the app is right for you. Happy Fourth of July everyone! More importantly, happy fifth of July, where we all get to celebrate the sport of MMA by getting to witness what promises to be an amazing main event title fight between the middleweight champion Chris Weidman and former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida. Who do you think will win this fight? Will Weidman win in spectacular fashion to shut up his haters, or will Machida use his unique to land a devastating knockout? Here's what I think:
This Saturday the UFC brings us more action via Fox Sports 1. The main event features the #2 ranked and former lightweight champion Benson “Smooth” Henderson taking on a monster Russian by the name of Rustam “Tiger” Khabilov (#11) in a fight I expect to go into the later rounds, unlike the very short-lived main events from last week.
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