UFC 123: Post Fight Thoughts

Well my friends UFC 123 has come and gone, and I have to say that after a disappointing UFC 122 event, the UFC bounced back nicely.

Paul Kelly/TJ O'Brien: After using his reach effectively in the first, O'Brien eventually folded to Kelly's pressure and was finished in the 2nd round when he couldn't escape punches and elbows from the crucifix position. Kelly continues to be a tough guy at 155 and really showed some great heart after getting beat up a bit in the first. I'd like to see him take on fellow Brit Terry Etim while O'Brien could get a fellow newcomer to the UFC.

Edson Barboza/Mike Lullo: This was the first time I had seen Barboza fight, and man was I impressed. Lullo had his moments and even showed some pretty decent rubber guard, but he had nothing for Barboza's brutal leg kicks. Some people are comparing Barboza to Jose Aldo, but I'm going to save those kind of comparisons for when I see him fight a little more. For a future match-up Lullo could take on TJ O'Brien in a winner keeps their job match. For Barboza, I think he needs to be brought up slowly, so fights with Aaron Riley or Paul Taylor could be ways to go.

Dennis Hallman/Karo Parisyan: Not much to report with this fight. Hallman quickly knocked down a clearly out of shape Parisyan early in the first and finished him with hammer fists. Big Tan Dan may have been a little quick with the stoppage, but I don't see how Parisyan would have done anything more than take more unanswered fists to the face. Dana White has already stated that Karo is done with the UFC and I think that's a smart move. Until Karo can get his shit together and get in shape he's not going to be able to compete against UFC caliber fighters. As for Hallman, I like the idea of a third fight with Hughes, but it doesn't seem like the UFC agrees. If not Hughes I say match up Hallman with Jake Ellenberger makes sense as both are on winning streaks and Ellenberger is without an opponent due to last minute changes.

Mark Munoz/Aaron Simpson: This fight was a little sloppy at times, but it was a good scrap to open up the show on Spike. Both men are heavy handed and threw caution to the wind on multiple occasions. The fight was marred by some bad officiating, though, as the ring official called for a horrendous stand up and allowed Simpson to recover from an eye poke that was simply a punch to the face (much like Sakara v. Irvin). Munoz eventually went on to win a unanimous decision in a super close fight that I'm shocked wasn't a split decision in the end. For Munoz, I say give him CB Dollaway while Simpson should get Nick Catone or Gerald Harris.

Brian Foster/Matt Brown: I am quickly becoming a Brian Foster fan. Despite the fact that he has lost some fights to guys like Rick Story and Chris Lytle, the guy is still extremely dangerous on the feet and on the mat. Foster really showed some great ground and pound and had some nice grappling transitions with Brown as well. Unfortunately for Brown, though, he left his head out for the taking for a split second and Foster was able to snag the quick guillotine. I'd love to see Foster get in the cage with Rory MacDonald, the fighter he replaced in this fight. For Brown, he very well could be cut, but if he is given another shot I say a fight with John Hathaway or Matt Riddle makes sense.

George Sotiropoulos/Joe Lauzon: After the first round I really thought Lauzon was going to get the win. His striking looked faster and he was landing the much harder shots. He was also defending the takedown and early submission attempts as well. When the second round started, however, Lauzon was noticeably tired and that's when Sotiropoulos took over. Joe Rogan really nailed it on the head when he stated that Sotiropoulos has some of the best transitions in MMA. After getting Lauzon to the mat and masterfully moved from guard, to side control, to mount and eventually to North/South, Sotiropoulos finished Lauzon with a kimura, much like he did with George Roop at UFC 101. Lauzon's conditioning really was the difference maker, and unless he improves in that area he very could settle in as a gatekeeper at 155. For Lauzon I think a fight with the loser of Jim Miller/Charles Oliveira would be great. Apparently Sotiropoulos will be getting Dennis Siver next, which seem like a step back in competition. I'd rather see George get the winner of Kenny Florian/Evan Dunham.

Phil Davis/Tim Boetsch: Once again Phil Davis shows why he is one of the hottest up and comers in the UFC. While his striking is still a work in progress, Davis's wrestling and mat awareness are great and fun to watch. Boetsch hung tough and even threatened with a guillotine at one point, but was eventually forced to tap to a modified kimura/hammerlock that is being called the "Mr. Wonderful." Tough loss for Boetsch, but he should get another chance with the UFC. I think a fight with Steve Cantwell or Kyle Kingsbury would make sense. As for Phil Davis, a fight with Matyushenko or Matt Hamill would be a nice step up for competition without rushing Davis too far too fast.

Gerald Harris/Maiquel Falcao: Harris might have lost a decision, but he really lost the fight in the first round. The round looked as if it going to be a feeling out affair until Falcao blasted Harris with a flurry of punches. Falcao eventually got Harris's back and locked on a RNC, but it looked as if Harris was saved by the bell. Falcao seemed to hold the choke a little longer than he should have as he held it after the bell and had to be pulled off by the referee. It has been reported, though, that the round was called about 6 seconds too early, an additional 6 seconds that Harris would not have lasted considering that he was nearly tapping anyways. The rest of the fight, especially the third round, turned out to be uneventful and Falcao was awarded the decision. I'm a Gerald Harris fan considering how nice he was when he spoke to me and my friends, so I'm a little bummed he lost, but I think he'll be able to rebound nicely. Fights with Tom Lawlor or Alessio Sakara (a fight that was scheduled and then eventually canceled) could be fun while Falcao could be matched up with Brian Stann or Rich Attonito.

BJ Penn/Matt Hughes: Not much to report here as Penn knocked Hughes out cold with strikes just 21 seconds into the fight. A stated earlier, I'd like to see Hughes get Hallman, but if the UFC decides to go another way I think fights with Martin Kampmann or Diego Sanchez would be a lot of fun. Penn has already been matched up with Jon Fitch, and I have to say that I am super excited to see that fight go down.

Lyoto Machida/Rampage Jackson: From what I've been reading over the past couple of days, I've seen a number of varying opinions as to who won this fight. Personally, I gave the fight to Rampage as I thought he won the first two rounds. The third round was clearly all Machida, but I didn't think it was enough to steal the fight. I need to rewatch the first round to be sure, but Rampage's aggressiveness and strikes did more for me than Machida's leg kicks. For Rampage, I say give him the winner of Griffin/Franklin and then you can give Machida the loser.

Once again, thanks to everyone who has been checking out the blog and be sure to listen to me on the Tom Van Stone Show on Wrestleview.com. Listen in, continue to check out the blog, and follow me on Twitter @JustinCohee.

UFC 123 Predictions

What's up everybody, I know it has been a while but between work, job hunting, etc. the blog has suffered, but I really hope to change that over the coming weeks. A lot has gone on during my little absence, particularly the merger of the UFC and WEC. I plan on writing a little something about it, especially some fantasy match-ups I'd like to see. For now, though, I'm just going to do some quick predictions for the fights this weekend.

Also, I'm going to be doing some guest spots on Thomas Van Stone's Internet radio show on Wrestleview.com. The site is primarily directed towards pro-wrestling, but the radio shows covering everything from pro-wrestling to MMA as well as other sports and even politics. Only VIP members of the site can listen, but at only $4.99 a month it's not a bad deal at all and you'll get to hear MMA talk from yours truly. Anyways on to my predictions.

Gerald Harris vs. Maiquel Falcao: Since joining the UFC, Harris has gone 3-0 against highly touted UFC newcomers, and on Saturday night Harris gets his fourth prospect. I have not seen Falcao fight, but from what I've read he's a Chute Boxe member with 21 knockouts in 25 career wins. Falcao seems to be a quick starter as most of his wins come early in the first round. If Falcao wants to win here he'll need get that early finish, because a longer fight favors Harris greatly and he'll be able to use his wrestling, slams, and ground and pound to out work Falcao. Falcao could come out and bull rush Harris, but I'm taking the guy with more octagon experience. I'll take Harris via 2nd or 3rd round TKO.

Tim Boetsch vs. Phil Davis: Both men have wrestling backgrounds, but Davis has All-American caliber wrestling from his time spent at Penn State, while Boetsch has turned into more of a brawler. Boetsch will likely be the better striker as that is an area that Davis is still working on, but unless Boetsch catches Davis, I don't see how he can win this fight. I look for Davis to take Boetsch down, work top control and GnP, and maybe even try to sneak in a submission. Boetsch is a tough fighter, but it won't be enough to stop Davis from finishing him in the 3rd or taking a commanding decision.

Joe Lauzon vs. George Sotiropoulos: I love this fight, as it's not only a great match-up, but it could also have some title shot implications. Both fighters are coming off big wins as Lauzon ripped through Gabe Ruedigger in the most dominant win of his career and Sotiropoulos has gone 6-0 since joining the UFC and holds wins over Joe Stevenson and Kurt Pellegrino. Lauzon has good striking to go with great takedowns and a smooth ground game. Sotiropoulos has boxing experience and also has some super slick BJJ thanks to his time spent at 10th Planet with Eddie Bravo. Sotiropoulos will be the bigger fighter and I think that will make a difference in this fight. Sotiropoulos can hold his own on the feet and should the fight hit the mat Sotiropoulos has some of the best transitions I've seen, and he's great off his back. Lauzon can certainly hold his own on the mat, and mixes his strikes and takedowns very well, but I think Sotiropoulos is on too much of a hot streak right now and will win a close decision and maybe a title shot.

Matt Hughes vs. BJ Penn: When this fight was first announced I had a little trouble getting excited for it, but over time I've warmed up to it. Hughes is certainly winding down in his career, but we're still unsure as to where Penn is. Is Penn winding down as well, or did he just find his foil with Frankie Edgar? Personally, I would have liked to have seen Penn take some more fights at 155 first, but it makes sense for him to take big fights like this and make the big money. Hughes has been on a roll as of late and has some much-improved striking in those bouts, but I'm still don't think his boxing will match up well with Penn's. Penn's jab is just too good at this stage of his career and if the fight stays on the feet, it will be a long night for Hughes and end up looking like the Sherk/Penn fight. Should the fight hit the mat, though, Hughes could use his size and strength advantage to keep Penn on his back. This is my coin flip fight of the night, but I'm leaning towards Hughes to take a decision or late TKO. I just think he'll be able to take Penn down and tire him out. If Penn defends the takedown, though, he'll just pick Hughes apart.

Lyoto Machida vs. Rampage Jackson: For the main event of the evening we get a match-up between two former champions who are coming off of losses, looking to get back into the title picture. Machida most recently lost by brutal KO to Shogun Rua while Rampage lost a one-sided decisions to Rashad Evans. Rampage is much more of a power puncher/boxer, but still manages to show good defense, something he will certainly need here. Machida's elusiveness and counter-striking have given several UFC fighters trouble in the past, and we could very well see more of the same come Saturday. Rampage may think that bull rushing Machida will work like it worked for Rua, but Rampage's attacks aren't nearly as varied as Rua's and Rampage will come in swinging first instead of making Machida punch first like Rua did as well. I see this fight being a typical Machida fight as Rampage will come in swinging and Machida will peck away at him over three rounds. If Machida does finish Rampage it'll be late in the fight, but I look for it to be a decision in Machida's favor.

Image From Bleacherreport.com