The UFC officially announced this week that Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira and Frank Mir would be coaching teams on the eighth season of the Ultimate Fighter reality series. Many bloggers are up in arms over the selections for various reasons that range from tying up another title picture to explaining that the show is near death as far as appeal to MMA fans. The ratings would certainly indicate a drop-off of the show’s popularity over the years, and the coaching selection will tie up the Heavyweight title for a lengthy amount of time while the UFC tries to figure out who will move into the contention spot. What’s the problem with The Ultimate Fighter and with the news that “Big Nog” and Mir will battle it out for the title?

To answer the question, let me reference a couple of opinions from Fightlinker and Bloody Elbow and weigh in my own opinion. Fightlinker had this to say:

Let’s get something straight: a fight between Frank Mir and Big Nog is barely interesting enough to carry a PPV on its own, let alone an entire season of TUF. As for the argument that TUF exposure is a great way for Nog to become popular, that’s ass backwards thinking. Sticking a relatively unknown guy on TUF is just going to result in less people giving a shit about it. And it’s not like Nog just needs a showcase for his shining personality. The guy looks / acts like a big lumbering Frankenstein. For all the excitement he creates in the ring, he’s duller than matte paint in real life.

And don’t even get me fucking started on Frank Mir … Frank Mir, who everyone continues to say is “back.” This, despite the fact that UFC virgin Brock Lesnar nearly smashed his face through the canvas. Despite the fact that his only ‘convincing’ recent win was against a kickboxer who tried to out-sub him. I know MMA fans have the memory of sea amoebae, but was it really that long ago that a Krispy Kreme sponsored Mir waddled into the octagon to get easily annihilated by Brandon Vera?

I would definitely agree that Nogueira vs. Mir isn’t a main event that can carry a pay-per-view for the simple fact that Nogueira is fairly unknown to the casual fanbase and Mir is on the return track back to the title. I will say that I was one of those people on board to seeing Nogueira gets some exposure to boost his draw, but in thinking about it over the past couple of months and with the recent TUF season’s lackluster ratings and overall dullness, exposure for Nogueira probably wouldn’t be significant.

Bloody Elbow’s Luke Thomas had this to add:

For the record, I think this season is terrible and that's with two coaches who are good on camera, legitimate MMA stars and generally amiable and funny guys. If this format can't even work with them at the helm, I seriously doubt Mir and Nogueira is going to be any better (or even as good).

Look, the show - in its current format - has jumped the shark. I think there are a host of reasons for this, but part of it is that the talent well has run dry. If the UFC were able to space seasons further apart, they might be able to draw on more mature and developed talent. But they're running this machine into the ground and I don't think they've been able to cull the kind of talent they need consistently to make the show interesting.

In fact, the coaches' celebrity status used to be an ancillary benefit. TUF was originally and almost exclusively about the developing fighters. And when the show first started, there were a lot of up-and-comers to choose from. But between the pacing of the seasons and the growth of MMA leading to other organizations snatching up talent, there just isn't that much left to go around. Mir and Nogueira, despite being two of my favorite fighters, aren't going to change that dynamic.

Luke makes a good point that the talent outside of the UFC that they are able to pull from has decreased substantially. I’ve thought about this myself, and it seems that ProElite and some of the promotions overseas are grabbing up some of that talent. The ongoing debate on what fighters should get from their contracts and the restrictions in the Zuffa contracts probably doesn’t help, and it could be a small deterrent as well.

One reason I believe the series has lulled in excitement is due to the coaches really not having a beef with each other. While the comedy of both coaches is a pleasant relief from the dull tension that sometimes plagues the series, it isn’t a Tito vs. Shamrock angry tension that created some of the higher ratings for the series. Right now however, I don’t believe a heated rivalry between coaches would help the show at all.

In the end, a combination of both opinions is probably the biggest reason why this next season won’t do much better. Nogueira’s personality isn’t exactly flowing with exuberance, and putting Mir and Nogueira together will probably be less eventful than this season. Add in the fact that fighter talent has dropped off outside the UFC due to other promotions signing them to contracts, it just doesn’t bode well for the show.

In my opinion, The Ultimate Fighter is just a lame duck. I’ve watched it for multiple seasons and have usually been excited to see the fights during the next week’s show, but as of late, I could care less what really has been happening on the show. Some people may live for drama that involves a can of chew and lime juice, but who really gives a shit? I think Dana White’s new format ideas need to come sooner rather than later.

In the recent months, the UFC’s Heavyweight division has come under fire as being a division that is slowly losing its luster. Andrei Arlovski, Tim Sylvia, Randy Couture, and Jake O’Brien have all departed by way of contract issues, being cut from the promotion, or feeling disrespected. In any case, the division needs a kick in the pants, and it needs some publicity behind it to get fans buying up pay-per-views featuring the big men as well as tuning into The Ultimate Fighter due to their presence.

Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira and Frank Mir are both rumored to be in the final stages of being tabbed as coaches on the show. Georges St. Pierre and Jon Fitch are also in the running as well from earlier reports, but I wanted to focus on the heavyweight rumors due to the community disagreement with the rumor.

Is Frank Mir a good choice? Many fans are stating that both fighters are terrible choices for the reasons that pertain to their end of the series showdown in a potential title fight. Some fans believe it’s a terrible fight for Mir to suddenly take on, and others hate the fact that the UFC Heavyweight brass will be tied up much like the other title pictures were in other seasons. The fact of the matter is that the UFC still needs to build stars to maintain the success that they’ve brought to themselves, and this is the way to do it. We’ve already sat through multiple title pictures being on hold due to the show, and it won’t be any different here. The only saving grace is that the division really doesn’t have a clear cut contender.

With that said, Mir is a good choice for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, he can have an abrasive attitude that could produce some interesting conversations and disagreements on the show. Whether you reference his comments related to breaking bones of his opponents in pre-fight interviews or the fact that he has come off as elitist in other interviews, it could make for good television. Even if we see a more intelligent Frank Mir on the show, his vast knowledge of the jiu-jitsu game will only help the fighters on the show perform even better.

The bigger problem that fans have expressed is with Antonio Nogueira. I believe he’s being undervalued by much of the fanbase in being a coach on the show. Sure, he’s Brazilian, speaks with an accent and in his Brazilian tongue mostly, but he has very good English. He also happens to be one of the toughest fighters to ever grace the ring/cage, and I think it would break new ground for the UFC to bring in a Brazilian fighter. I would also wonder if the UFC would potentially look toward Brazil for more prospects because he would be participating.

To be perfectly honest, Nogueira’s exposure on SpikeTV is the more important aspect to his coaching assignment. He’s likely going to hold the belt for a substantial amount of time, and the UFC should definitely be keen on promoting him as much as they can to the fight fans out there. He is, after all, a legend of the sport, and if some type of personality can come out of him during the show, he could gain some fans through the process. Subsequently, we could see slightly bigger draws for those events in which he is featured.

Although I don’t believe it is the absolute best choice for The Ultimate Fighter 8, it’s definitely not a wash. Mir is intelligent in what he knows about the ground game and MMA in general, and he knows how to persevere through life’s tragedies and tests on the human mind and body. Nogueira is also a master at his trade, and he’s been through tough trials and tribulations in his career as well and his personal life at a young age. Don’t doubt for a minute that the UFC won’t push those stories for fans to eat up with a spoon. They both should make the fighters on the show much better in their respective skillsets as well.

On Saturday night, a new Heavyweight champion will be crowned and the birth or re-birth of a career will happen for one particular fighter. Brock Lesnar will be looking to start a new career as a mixed martial arts fighter as he makes the crossover from entertainment-style pro wrestling to the fight game. His opponent, Frank Mir, hopes to impress the Mandalay Bay crowd by showing us a bit of the old Frank Mir that won the UFC Heavyweight title at one point.

The UFC's Heavyweight title will also be on the line as Tim Sylvia will take on former PRIDE Heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira. The fight has been deemed the “interim” title bout, but it seems to merely be a tactic to keep Couture within his contract limits. This should determine the real champion. The card will also feature a lightweight bout between Tyson Griffin and Gleison Tibau, a battle between middleweights Terry Martin and Marvin Eastman, and the return of Ricardo Almeida to MMA. Jeremy Horn will also make a return to the UFC in a matchup against possible contender Nathan Marquardt.

Main Event: Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir
Heavyweight Division

Brock Lesnar (1-0) is a complete unknown in the sport of mixed martial arts. His lone match against Min Soo Kim at K-1 Dynamite in June proved that Lesnar can at least pass guard and take down an opponent, but Kim wasn't exactly the prototypical litmus test to see if Lesnar has what it takes to be a champion. Frank Mir (10-3) could possibly be that test.

Mir is a world class jiu-jitsu practitioner with a plethora of weapons on the ground in the form of a wealth of knowledge in the submission game. That's where it ends for Frank Mir. He has the phenomenal ability to end the fight quickly once on the ground, but his standup is lacking. He isn't particularly dangerous in the striking game, and being on the ground with a much bigger, much strong Brock Lesnar could be his downfall.

Lesnar brings a wealth of wrestling credentials to the MMA world. He finished his collegiate career as a two-time NJCAA All-American, two-time NCAA All-American, two-time Big Ten Champion, and the 2000 NCAA heavyweight champion, finishing with a ridiculous record of 106-5 overall. There is no doubt that he will have good takedown abilities, and it will be very tough to deal with Lesnar's strength. Lesnar also seems to be fairly light on his feet. It's been said that he has some decent striking and quick footwork, but those skills will be proven on Saturday night. Can Lesnar avoid the submission? That's the big question.

I simply can't pick Frank Mir in this fight for a few reasons. He won't be as strong as Lesnar, and Lesnar's wrestling skills will be tough to counter with the amount of power he has. Mir's standup is horrible, and it'd have to improve considerable if Lesnar is to be in danger of being knocked out. Mir has had too many lackluster performances in the past as well, and his cardio is always a question later in the fight.

Leland's Prediction: Brock Lesnar via TKO, Round 2

From the moment this fight starts, I look for Lesnar to immediately shoot on Mir and begin to work some ground-and-pound. The question that needs to be answered is this: Is Mir going to have an answer for Lesnar from his back? Many people think so, but I don’t. I think Lesnar’s strength and wrestling ability will overpower Mir.

I can guarantee you that Lesnar has been doing nothing but training submission defense and polishing up his wrestling. If I was Mir, I would think about throwing knees sporadically. He may catch Lesnar with a knee when he shoots for a takedown. However, I think there’s a slim chance that happens. Look for a stoppage in the second round from strikes.

Joe's Prediction: Brock Lesnar via TKO, Round 2

Over aggressive wrestling is not uncommon among relatively green fighters.  They stay in the danger-zone for far too long and the result is often a submission loss. Mir is vet so he’ll no doubt be relaxed entering the fight.  All the pressure is on the Lesnar as a result of his self aggrandizement, while Mir is simply on the comeback trail with the chance to fell the new kid in town. I’m going against my gut feeling, and taking Mir with a triangle-choke win.

John’s Prediction: Frank Mir via submission, Round 2
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Tim Sylvia vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Heavyweight Division

Tim Sylvia (24-3) will try to win the UFC title once again as he takes on the iron chin of Antonio Nogueira. Sylvia comes into this bout after much criticism over his win over Brandon Vera. In the bout, Sylvia and Vera both had moments in which leaning on each other was a tactic to extend the matchup and cause the crowd to boo in disapproval. Sylvia simply did what he could to win the fight, and Vera broke his hand in the first round that made his striking completely useless.

This isn't the first time Sylvia has been labeled being the cause of a boring fight. His style consists of straight jabs, some kicks, and clinches, but never any ground game. He usually tries to move in and out and rarely allows himself to get in a spot to be taken down. His main weapon in many of his fights is his physical size and reach, and it makes for some boring standup battles in which his opponents can't seem to find a way to get inside or take him down.

With that said, Nogueira has a tough task ahead of him. He has excellent jiu-jitsu skills on the ground, and has some phenomenal boxing skills on his feet. The only problem is that he will lack reach on Sylvia, and it will be hard not to take heavy blows trying to get inside on Sylvia. Unless Nogueira can work a clinch and somehow put the big man down, it's going to be a downhill battle for Nogueira in the beginning. The best chance he has is by tiring Sylvia and hopefully getting him to the floor.

Can he actually achieve that goal? I can't decide, and this is the toughest pick I've had in awhile. Nogueira has taken beatings from the best in the world. Fedor crushed him with blows, and he still managed to last. He has an iron chin, great boxing, and excellent ground tactics. I have faith that he can take down Sylvia, especially considering Vera was able to do so at least once in his fight. That may be all it takes. I'll go with the long shot.

Leland's Prediction: Antonio Nogueira via submission, Round 4

I’ve went back-and-forth on this fight the last couple of days. I’ve watched a plethora of tape on both fighters. The key to winning for Nogueira is obvious; he must get this fight to the ground. Nogueira has good boxing, but he’s going to have to work on the inside. Sylvia is going to want to stay away from Nogueira and paw at him with his jab. I can see Tim using the same style he beat Brandon Vera with. Close the distance quick with strikes and push Nogueira against the fence.

Nogueira is going to have a tough time getting inside on Tim as he doesn’t throw many hooks. He likes to throw combinations straight down the middle which leaves his opponent no room to work on the inside. If Nogueira watched any tape, he’ll know that Tim throws a lazy left jab and that he can counter that with an overhand right. I think Nogueira’s chin can keep him in the fight long enough to get Tim to the floor and submit him.

Joe's Prediction: Antonio Nogueira via submission, Round 3

I look at the two, and simply think Nogueira is a better fighter. Minotauro has better submission skills than anyone Timmy has faced (Mir included) and has also shown real susceptibility to the combination of quick hands and control on the ground.  I see this playing out much like the battle with Couture.  As the rounds wear on, the fight gets farther from Sylvia’s reach.  Minotauro grinds out a signature win.

John’s Prediction: Antonio Nogueira via unanimous decision
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See our predictions on the other matchups including Griffin vs. Tibau, Eastman vs. Martin, Horn vs. Marquardt, and the rest of the card by clicking More...

Once again, Dana White has gone too far. Kevin Iole's article at Yahoo! Sports this week focused on former UFC champion Frank Mir, and Dana White was quoted as stating Frank Mir's talent made him think of BJ Penn:

"Frank Mir is so talented, when I think of him and try to draw a comparison, the only person I can think of who is a fair one is B.J. Penn," said White, the UFC's outspoken president. "When they came into the UFC, they were young and cocky and had all the ability in the world. They were able to do things that other guys never could even think of doing, so they didn't have to work as hard as the others did.

"But now they're getting older and that window is closing. B.J. is finally taking his game completely seriously now and wants to leave his mark on this sport. He went out and said he would do it and he did. And now that's where Frank Mir finds himself. A committed and dedicated Frank Mir can be a very, very big factor in the heavyweight division."

Where do we even begin? First of all, how does Frank Mir remind anybody of BJ Penn? BJ Penn is one of the most talented fighters in mixed martial arts today. It's not just because he has unbelievable flexibility and great jiu-jitsu. There are plenty of talented fighters out there who have brilliant jiu-jitsu skills. One of the factors is that he is great at nearly every skill needed to be a complete fighter. He has very good striking skills that were a major factor in his wins early in his career. Is Frank Mir as complete as BJ Penn?

The answer is a resounding “No!”. The other comparisons that White makes are at least valid to an extent. Both have had great starts to their careers. Penn absolutely crushed Takanori Gomi and then defeated Matt Hughes for the UFC's Welterweight title, and Frank Mir managed to break Tim Sylvia's arm to win the UFC's Heavyweight Championship.

Once Penn returned to the UFC, he had trouble with losses to Georges St. Pierre and Matt Hughes at UFC 58 and 63 respectively. Penn has since won the UFC Lightweight title by defeating Joe Stevenson at UFC 80. Mir's road was different.

Mir has never been overly impressive. He lost a tough bout to Ian Freeman at UFC 38 in which he was basically dismantled in the standup game. He beat Tank Abbott... not relevant. He beat Wes Sims, but showed some signs of poor cardio in the second matchup. After winning the title and being involved in a horrible motorcycle accident, he dropped an understandable loss to Marcio Cruz, won a lackluster decision to Dan Christison, a lost a quick fight to Brandon Vera.

The biggest difference in the careers of both fighters is that Penn lost to fighters that were at the top of their games and at the top of the division. Mir lost to Cruz, a very green newcomer to the sport, and an up-and-coming Brandon Vera who simply overwhelmed him, but was just breaking out in the division. The fact is that the comparison in their careers is only skin deep. If you take a closer look, the comparison just isn't there. Mir isn't a complete fighter, and he doesn't remind me or probably anyone else except for the UFC of BJ Penn when he fights. Unless I see Mir come out with technical striking skills and putting opponents away, it'll remain that way.

Brock Lesnar’s debut in the UFC has brought about a question that has been asked by mixed martial arts fans for some time now. Can a professional wrestler transition from an entertainment-based wrestling promotion to a real life, in-your-face martial arts promotion in which fights are battle in an eight-sided cage and a fight can be ended by a breakage? It’s the sole question that drives the UFC to create this fight, sign Lesnar to a contract, and to see if the wrestling fanbase will tune in and watch the matchup as well. It’s an interest in numbers from a business standpoint.

From a mixed martial arts fan’s standpoint, the question doesn’t add dollar signs to the equation. Instead, it offers something that many fans haven’t seen before.  A very large, intimidating, muscle-ridden wrestling monster against a black belt in jiu-jitsu with much more experience than his opponent is the matchup that is being advertised. It’s reminiscent of Gracie vs. Severn, but without the ridiculous weight difference. Mir vs. Lesnar will prove to be our modern day comparison in a smaller capacity.

The more important question is whether or not Brock Lesnar can actually win this fight. The entire MMA community seems to be split down the middle on this one. One half says that Lesnar will simply crush Mir from the top, and the other half says that Mir will transition to a submission to win the fight. In order to get a good grasp at what Brock needs to do in order to win; we can look historically at successful wrestlers in mixed martial arts.

Historical numbers

Fortunately for us, Dave Meltzer over at Yahoo! Sports dug up the dirt on the wrestling elite that have made their way into mixed martial arts. Most notably, he names off Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, “Rampage” Jackson, Dan Henderson, Matt Hughes, and Josh Koscheck along with a slew of other names as high level amateur wrestlers who made the transition to MMA.

The two key factors in the successful reigns of some of the sport’s elite wrestlers have been some great strategizing and the evolution of their own skillsets beyond wrestling. Couture is a master at creating gameplans that counter the exact set of skills his opponent will use. He doesn’t wait to be stuck in his opponent’s own game, but instead imposes his own gameplan on his opponent.

Other fighters have simply improved their other skills so much over time that their wrestling has become their defensive weapon. Chuck Liddell’s primary weapons are his fists, and he uses a counter-striking tactic that isn’t seen in wrestling ground and pound fighters too often. He does, however, use his wrestling ability to stuff takedowns and get himself out of jams, and did use his takedown abilities to stop Wanderlei Silva from mounting an offensive late in their matchup at UFC 79.

The main point here is that a good gameplan and a strong skillset are ideal for a wrestler in mixed martial arts. Wrestling is known as the easiest combative sport to transition from into MMA because its base skills are significantly useful to fighters in the sport. It’s an advantage. The problem is that many wrestlers who have gone on to be defeated in the cage haven’t taken the time to improve their other skills. Some wrestlers hit the Octagon without any striking training, and simply think they can takedown their opponents and thrash them. We know from experience that this doesn’t necessarily mean victory. Lesnar’s other skills will definitely make or break him in this fight.

A Tough Sell

This matchup is a tough sell for a number of reasons. Although it should sell great to the fans as it will work the angle of WWE fans wanting to see the fake entertainment wrestling icon take on real fighters, it looks like a David vs. Goliath matchup in many regards.

Lesnar has what is said to be unbelievable power. He has been lifting grown men for years above his head and dishing out what looks like immense punishment for the cameras for quite some time. Dealing with his physique alone in the cage will be a task in itself. Can Frank Mir really withstand an onslaught from Brock Lesnar and show that jiu-jitsu prevails over brute power? Is this a Royce Gracie seminar in the making?

It's very tough to tell, and the fanbase is even more split than originally thought. Many fans claim it's a cakewalk for Lesnar. Brute power with huge size on top of Mir will just crush him. Others claim that Mir just needs that one opening and one transition to end it. The fans are correct in both arguments, but which will happen first?

The X-Factor for Mir: Confidence

There is one aspect of Frank Mir that hasn't been mentioned in quite some time, and it regards his sudden turn around. Interviews that were done after his last fight indicated his new found confidence in his leg, horribly broken in a motorcycle accident back in September 2004. He also suffered massive tendon and muscle damage from the accident.

One of the comments Mir stated was that in his fight against Hardonk, it was the first time he had felt that his leg wasn't going to break at the instant a kick hit it. He wasn't scared to take a shot to his leg. According to Mir when questioned about previous fights, he mentioned that he was very unconfident in the ability of his leg to withstand a shot or submission hold.

I found these comments to be intriguing because if you watch some of the tape on those fights, it's evident that in some instances, Mir is protecting the leg and is flat footed because of it.

People make excuses, but the bigger story here is that Mir simply wasn't confident in his abilities to win. He had lackluster performances, and he took a few defeats in the process. Can Frank Mir prove to us in February that his confidence is back, and that his skills in the Octagon can defeat the Goliath? A confident Frank Mir with the amount of jiu-jitsu skill that he possesses could prove to knock off the giant.

The rest of the fights on the card with the exception of the Grove/Cote fight were all untelevised fights that were not shown on the Pay-Per-View portion. I have seen all of the fights and do have some good analysis and insight on each of those fights in our second part to our breakdown of the UFC 74 fight card.

Kendall Grove vs. Patrick Cote

Cote came out quick and pushed Kendall back with a quick combo to start the fight. Cote threw another combo and then clinched Kendall into the cage and tied him up. The strategy for Cote seemed to be similar to Randy Couture's strategy in that he closed the gap between himself and Gonzaga. In this first round, Cote clamped Grove to the fence and dirty boxed a few punches into Grove's midsection as he tried to close the gap so Grove could not use his size advantage or reach. Eventually, Herb Dean broke up the clinch and separated the fighters since Cote was not doing enough to keep the clinch going. Cote came out from the clinch assaulting Grove's legs with low leg kicks to mid kicks to Grove's midsection. A couple of quick exchanges in the middle with no landed punches and Grove finally rushes Cote back into the fence. Cote come back out from the fence into a Grove clinch in which Grove plows Cote into the fence behind him and begins an onslaught of knees. Before Grove could even get settle, Cote reversed Grove and gets his back into the fence. The reversal game is played against the fence as they go back and forth; Grove landing a few knees as he reverses Cote back into the fence again. After a few go's at each other, they break and separate into the middle of the Octagon. At this point, Grove begins to get confident in his standup and lands a good shot in midsequence of a good 1-2 combo followed by a high head kick that Cote blocks. Grove then lands a huge midsection kick that can be heard throughout the crowd. Cote seems unphased as Grove shoots for a takedown. Grove gets back to his feet as Cote backs up, a very weak takedown attempt by Grove. Grove and Cote battle in a clinch and as Grove throws a high knee, Cote lets go of the clinch and nails Grove with a quick right to the head. Grove drops like a pile of bricks as Cote jumps on top of Grove into full mount. After landing a few punches, Cote goes for the rear naked choke. Grove slips from his grip, but is still unable to shake Cote's mount. Cote lands 2 or 3 huge rights while on top of Grove as his left hand basically holds Grove's head in place for the beating. The fight ends as Grove is basically defenseless and obviously out of the fight.

The Breakdown

Cote did exactly what he needed to do in this fight. He completely eliminated Grove's height and reach advantage. It was a Randy Couture clinic. Cote was able to use the clinch and push Grove into the fence and work the fight with some dirty boxing. He didn't land anything incredible in the fence area, and had Grove kept the fight in the corner and taken down Cote, it would have been a different outcome. Cote was able to get one great punch from the clinch, which was obviously his gameplan from the beginning. A great gameplan and great execution from Cote.

Improvements

The most obvious was Grove's takedown skills. He tried one takedown late in the fight, and it was probably one of the weakest attempts I've seen all year. He shot for the legs as Cote walked backwards. Cote might as well have fallen down and gave Grove the takedown. He didn't sprawl and really had no defense against it. Grove didn't shoot through or follow through with the takedown though and allowed Grove to muscle him back up into a clinch that inevitable led to the big punch that started the downward spiral. He also didn't utilize his large size in the clinch enough. Take a lesson from Anderson Silva. Long legs equal big time knees. Grove used his knees to an extent, but Cote was able to keep reversing him back into the fence. The whole point of having those long legs is that you can still throw big knees even when in the clinch.

Renato Sobral vs. David Heath

Sobral just looked scary standing in the ring before the fight for this one. As they approached one another, neither tapped gloves. You could definitely sense a hatred for one another. The fight started out with some standup, a few punches, and then a left by Babalu into a takedown. Babalu relentlessly rained punches on Heath's midsection and head during the exchange. Babalu used various ju-jitsu techniques to open up Heath's guard and throw elbows into Heath's face. At one point, he landed 3-4 good elbows directly into Heath's forehead. Heath eventually is able to quickly get up and pounce on Babalu. Even when Heath is on top of Babalu, Babalu seems to still have control of the fight. He continues to land elbows and punches from his back while also attempting submission holds. Heath can't throw any punches as he is tied up defending against Babalu's submission attempts and being pelted with punches from the bottom. The round ended easily won by Babalu's domination of Heath on the ground.

In the second round, it was more of the same from the Brazilian. Babalu threw a very good left that landed on Heath's chin and then shot Heath's legs for the takedown. Heath was able to sprawl a bit and then push Babalu into the fence while in a clinch. Heath makes a huge mistake in dropping to his guard as Babalu rains elbows into Heath's forehead, opening up an unbelievable gash in his head that bled all over the mat. If you tuned into the PPV event, most people wondered where the huge blood stain came from.. it was this fight. Babalu is now punching his way through Heath's skull. For a good 2-3 minutes, Babalu continues punishing Heath from full guard with punches and elbows as Heath bleeds all over both Babalu and the mat. After a relentless pounding, Heath rolls Babalu off him finally. But the roll is no godsend for Heath. Babalu sinks in an Anaconda Choke that eventually finishes Heath.

This fight had a lot of controversy at the end due to Babalu's chokeout. He held onto the choke for about 2-3 seconds longer after Mazzagati tapped Babalu off Heath. Heath lost consciousness and Babalu finally let go and acted as if nothing had happened. Babalu was the unanimously booed by the crowd, but took his win and left the Octagon. In post-fight interviews, he admitted to holding onto it because Heath disrespected him before the fight. Word to the wise, Babalu's actions are a scar on the UFC. There was no real need to prove anything more than the already serious beatdown you laid on Heath. Come on, Babalu..

The Breakdown

There isn't much to breakdown here. Babalu was dominant on the ground, and Heath was just too slow to pickup the takedown attempts and had ZERO defense on the ground. Heath couldn't even grab onto Babalu to keep him close. It was a poor performance in ground defense by Heath and it showed with his blood all over the mat.

Improvements

Babalu's ground game looked very good. He used some of his ju-jitsu to open up Heath's guard and just rain elbows and punches all over Heath's face. Heath's major flaws were all over this fight. He had zero defensive strategy against a pure ground fighter. It was as if he came into the fight thinking he could just KO Babalu in the first exchange. Heath had no techniques to even pound Babalu when he got on top and he still took damage while he was on top of him. Heath's standup suffered as well. Babalu was able to land some stiff jabs in his transitions from standup to takedown, Heat couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. It was just overall a bad performance by David Heath.

Clay Guida vs. Marcus Aurelio

The fight everyone wanted to see, but couldn't because the UFC didn't include it on the PPV. What a shame. Coming out of the gate, both fighters had a feeling out period of about a minute and a half before Guida landed a good midsection kick. Guida continued to push the pace of this fight. He took a few good blows to the face from Aurelio as he tried to push him up against the fence. The fans at this point begin to chant "Guida" from the stands. Aurelio continues to back off trying to catch Guida with counter punches. 30 seconds later, Guida pushes Aurelio back into the fence and lands two good punches to Aurelio. The fight comes back to the middle, Aurelio lands a few quick jabs, but both fighters continue to pace around the Octagon. Punch after punch, Guida and Aurelio trade with each other in the middle of the Octagon. At around the 1:30 mark, Guida lands a huge left hand that drops Aurelio to the mat. Guida jumps on top of Aurelio trying to finish the fight. Aurelio ties up Guida very well, and Guida is not able to continue striking on the ground. Guida respects Aurelio's ground game and allows the standup. With 10 seconds left in the round, Guida lands two huge punches to Aurelio's guard, and Aurelio ties up Guida on the ground. Guida wasn't able to land the punches flush, but the power was enough to put Aurelio into defensive mode.

Second round, Guida comes out throwing huge haymakers as before. Aurelio slips to the ground, but Guida doesn't get baited into a ground battle with Aurelio. They continue to circle each other throwing punches, but nothing is very effective right now. Aurelio looks to be growing weary, and is very tentative. Aurelio goes for the takedown, but Guida powers him onto his back. Guida allows the standup again. A few more exchanges with a few leg kicks from Guida, some stiff jabs from Aurelio. These small jabs definitely aren't hindering Guida at all. Guida continues to press. Aurelio goes for the takedown and is able to grab a hold of Guida. Guida is now stuck in Aurelio's guard. Guida lands a good amount of hammer fists while in the clinch on the ground while Aurelio is trying to pull his shin to Guida's face. Guida lands three huge hammer fists to Aurelio's head. Aurelio continues to hold Guida, but has done nothing to progress any type of submission attempts. Aurelio looks gassed at this point as the round ends.

More of the same in the third round. Aurelio is tired, and Guida continues to come at him with huge haymakers, landing a few early. For a good portion of the round, Guida stalked Aurelio, threw a lot of punches, landed a couple kicks, and Aurelio really answered with nothing but jabs to the air. With a minute and a half left, Guida defended off a good takedown attempt from Aurelio. Guida still looks fresh and is moving like a cat in the Octagon. Aurelio just looks horribly flat and tired and the fight ends with Guida purely dominating Aurelio in the standup game and avoiding Aurelio's takedowns.

The Breakdown

Aurelio had a lackluster performance. His cardio lacked toward the end, and he wasn't shooting enough takedown attempts to really have any chance at stopping Guida with any ground tactics. Guida's cardio was again impressive. He pushed the pace the entire fight, and always threw a lot of combos when he had Aurelio back in the fence. Guida had very strong takedown defense which essentially won him this fight and kept the fight on the feet where he was most effective.

Improvements

Not much to say here. Aurelio needs to show up to the fight loose and in charge. He was very timid and very closed in his stance. He wasn't taking any chances with his standup game, and wasn't shooting for takedown at all. If you watch is fight against Gomi, he was able to utilize a takedown because Gomi was strictly standing to him. In this fight, it was a bit different in that Guida had a strong takedown defense. Aurelio needs to learn how to blow through that and still get the takedown. Guida, on the other hand, still had slow standup. He's still throwing big haymakers, much like a Koscheck. He has versed one-two combo much like Koscheck. If he can utilize some good straight jab combos, his standup could improve significantly. I think for the sake of this fight, his game was much changed though, so it may be premature to say that he needs to immensely improve that part of his game. Aurelio did force him to keep it a standup fight while fending off a possibly takedown attempt.

Frank Mir vs. Antoni Hardonk

Mir comes out looking in pretty damn good shape. I thought he looked better than he did when he fought Sylvia, and he proved it in this one. Hardonk came out the gate with a few leg kicks, and Mir came back with one of his own before stuffing punches in Hardonk's face. Hardonk defended the punches easily, but went down like a sack of potatoes to Mir's takedown. Hardonk immediately went for an omoplata, but Mir spins into half guard. Mir begins to lay some elbows into Hardonk's head, but then switches to grabbing Hardonk's arm. From half guard, Mir strongarms Hardonk's arm into a kimura attempt. Hardonk actually rolls Mir over escaping the hold for a slight second before Mir reverses the roll and rolls back on top of Hardonk. Mir reinitiates the kimura attempt. In the roll, Mir popped from half guard and now has complete side control. With even more leverage, Mir easily finished Hardonk.

There really is no explaining this fight. Mir had unbelievably superior ground tactics, and Hardonk had a well known kicking game, that's it. Mir took him down, and Hardonk could do nothing about it. Hardonk needs to get a ground game that can defend against the ju-jitsu that is rampant in this sport.

Thales Leites vs. Ryan Jensen

Jensen comes out with two big high kicks that land, but are easily defended by Leites. Jensen presses forward as Leites lands some small leg kicks. He continues to throw high leg kicks at Leites, but has yet to land flush without Leites defending it with his hand. Jensen is now stalking Leites around the Octagon, and has picked up his punches. He backs Leites into the fence and lands a good combo to Leites. Leites drops to the ground, grabs Jensen by the legs, and throws him to the ground. Jensen catches Leites in a guillotine choke, but Leites escape it fairly easily while also gaining side control. Jensen sees that he is in trouble, and the fight is brought back to the feet. Leites still remains in a choke position even on the feet. Jensen lands a good knee as they seperate. An exchange occurs with Jensen catching Leites with a good right, but then failing to defend the takedown. Leites is now in control on top of Jensen. Leites gains Jensen's back and goes for a rear naked choke, but Jensen is able to wiggle free and get back up from the ground clinch. A few more exchanges with nothing landing from either opponent, and then Leites shoots into Jensen's midsection. Jensen powers Leites to the ground with a sprawl, and gains the top position. Jensen begins a ground n' pound game that Leites is defending fairly easily. Jensen lands a few good elbows and punches, but must stop to get away from multiple Leites armbar attempts. Eventually, Leites catches Jensen's arm in one of the attempts and rolls to sink in the armbar.

I did a preview/predictions post awhile back, and Matt has posted a preview/predictions post for his blog, so I'm going to combine the two and give everyone a general preview and our predictions of the UFC 74 card at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. This is shaping up to be a very good card matchup wise. Now, to be fair, I've said this in the past and the card ended up being a snoozer or disappointing all together. This card does have a lot of even matchups though, and I'm hoping we really get some distance out of the two top fights on the card. Let's take a good look at Matt's predictions:

UFC 74 Pre-Fight Jitters

We have finished our first complete fight card analysis and breakdown for UFC 74. With any luck, these posts will help you know a little about each fighter, his styles, and techniques in order for you to better gauge their performance at UFC 74. All the predictions are my own, so you can all hound me later if I do poorly. For the record, I have a 14-2 record since UFC 73 in the MMAplayground Season. If you haven't done so already, MMAPlayground is a fantasy MMA game in which you pick fights, and can also do fantasy wagering against about 6,000 other users. It's very fun. I picked Alvin Robinson over Kenny Florian and paid for it, even though Robinson looked great early and then succumbed to Florian's great ju-jitsu. I pick upsets because there is usually at least one on each fight card. It hasn't been the case so much since UFC 73 though. Here's our current breakdown of the event with links to our articles:

Click on each fighter for a Sherdog Fighter Profile displaying record and each fight
UFC 74 Breakdown Articles
Randy "The Natural" Couture vs. Gabriel "Napao" Gonzaga. - Article
Georges "Rush" St. Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck. - Article
Joe "Daddy" Stevenson vs Kurt Pellegrino - Article
Patrick "The Predator" Cote vs. Kendall "Da Spyda" Grove - Article
Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs. David Heath - Article
Marcus "Maximus" Aurelio vs. Clay "The Carpenter" Guida - Article
Alberto Crane vs. Roger "El Matador" Huerta - Article
Antoni Hardonk vs. Frank Mir - Article
Thales Leites vs. Ryan Jensen - Article

Enjoy our articles and hopefully this will bring some intelligent conversations to the MMA communites out there on the Internet through the knowledge we've given you all on some of the up and coming fighters in the UFC, and the veterans of the UFC. If you are a new fan to the UFC, definitely check out the video analysis. It definitely gives great insight into the styles and dynamics of each fighter.

In our upcoming segment, we will be analyzing the fight card for WEC 30. Look forward to that within the next few days.