A Fighter's Record

Fedor Emelianenko (31-3-1), Anderson Silva (28-4), Georges St. Pierre (21-2), BJ Penn (16-7-2), Phil Baroni (13-13). All these men have one thing in common, they fight. Whether it be Sambo, Muay Thai, Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or Boxing, all these men fight and putting their styles aside, ignoring who they are as people, what we have left is The Fighter's Record...

One number represents the greatest feeling in the world, victory. One little number. All it takes is one or two digits to bring glory to a man's (or woman's) life, put money in their pocket and define their legacy. One little number to catapult them from being just another fighter to the best ever. That number, trapped in brackets defines everything a fighter succeeded in. It shows no growth, no learning and no technique. It only shows success, the feeling that drives these men to do what they do.

However, for most, there is a second number. Poorly hidden behind a hyphen that is the source of pain, regret and sorrow in the life of every combat sports athlete. This number is a representation of failure, a haunting feeling of imperfection and inadequacy. It's a number that nobody wants, a number that can never go away, a number that haunts you forever. This seemingly meaningless digit can steal a legacy away from a fighter, it can put their career in question, or their ability to make a living on the line. This number makes the best of us grow and the worst of us give up.

(31-1-1) was the record of Fedor Emelianenko, the greatest fighter to have ever walked the Earth. After defeating Brett Rogers in November of 2009, Fedor Emelianenko's legacy was thriving, he was hailed as the pound-for-pound king and the #1 heavyweight in the world. Fedor's record spoke to his fans. His record said "I'm dominant, I can not be defeated, I am the best in the world."

(31-3-1) is the record of Fedor Emelianenko, a has been who never really was. An overrated relic, begging to be relevant but tired and aging. A legacy that was only to be hung out to dry on a rainy day. A legacy tarnished by defeat. Losing two straight fights, but so much more in the process. The inability to hear your name claimed as the victor, and not feeling the referee lift your hand in pride and glory. This is the record of a broken fighter, of someone who doesn't know how to win.

In seconds, these numbers can change the course of history. They can change the MMA landscape in miraculous ways, for better or worse. They can change a fighter's lifestyle, their brand and their pay-grade. It's all as easy as 1,2,3.



For fighter's like Phil Baroni, there is no Plan B. "I can't sing or dance" the New York Badass always says, so don't expect to see the man once claiming to be "da best eva" step out of the Octagon anytime soon. Whether against the sport's stars or sub-pars, Baroni will keep going; and his numbers will keep getting bigger. Which side of the column gets bigger, is up to him.

Winning can come in a number of ways, whether it's knocking your opponent unconscious with one perfectly landed strike, dominating your opponent en route to a judge's decision or the sweet sensation of making the lesser man submit. Any fighter can finish the fight any way. It all depends on how hard they train and how they apply their skills in the fight. No matter what the manner, winning feels good.

Losing can come in a number of ways, whether it's feeling your opponents fist against your chin before waking up with a flashlight in your face, being dominated by your opponent for 15 straight minutes or being made to tap out to a man that is better or more equipped to do battle on the ground than you. Any fighter can lose any way, it all depends on how hard they train and how inneffectively they apply their skills. No matter what, losing feels like the pains will never end, like you'll never get to sleep again, like all you love has slipped from your grasp.

There is nothing that can compare to the highs and lows a fighter feels when they taste victory or when they smell the stench of defeat. It is the most meaningful sensation in the world to these people. Being both positive and negative reinforcement. Earning you that extra bit of cash can be the difference between paying the rent or checking into a shelter. For some, that feeling is all they need. For others, it's all they want. Regardless, to the rest of us, they are just numbers, meaningless little numbers.

Strikeforce: Fedor vs Silva Predictions and Results

This February Even takes place in New Jersey and features the opening round of the Strikeforce
Heavyweight Grand Prix

Fedor Emelianenko vs Antonio Silva

The Main Event will feature the Last Emperor against Bigfoot. After a shocking upset by Fabricio Werdum, Fedor gets back to action against 15-2 Silva. This looks like an easy upset for Fedor, but, we will get to see for the first time how an undefeated phenom rebounds from his first loss.

In every aspect of the game, Emelianenko is the better fighter. He has years of experience over his opponent and a laundry list of the greatest fighters in the world (or at least at the time they were). This fight will be a warm-up fight for the Russian as he will use his superior striking and grappling skills to pick the Brazilian apart before taking him down and taking home the victory.

My Pick: Emelianenko via Whatever He Wants. Likely First Round TKO.

Actual Result: Silva via TKO (Doctor Stoppage)

Andrei Arlovski vs Sergei Kharitonov

Arlovski is coming off 3 straight losses and hasn’t been the same fighter since his bout with Emelianenko. That loss sent a once promising Heavyweight into a downward spiral to the depths of nowheres-ville. Across the cage will stand Kharitonov, a Russian kickboxer with notable victories over current Strikeforce Champion Alistair Overeem, Pedro Rizzo and Semmy Schilt.
Kharitonov is a strong and tall (6’4”) fighter who has displayed an ability to dispatch high-level kickboxers. Arlovski, is no high-level kickboxer.

I see this fight as another opportunity for Arlovski to let us down and ultimately a chance to retire.

My Pick: Kharitonov via KO

Actual Result: Kharitonov via KO

Thanks for reading everyone and good luck with your bets! Enjoy the Fights and Drink Responsibly!

UFC 127 Predictions and Results

UFC 127: Penn v Fitch

Here is a breakdown of my picks for the upcoming UFC event, live from Sidney, Australia.

Main Event: BJ 'The Prodigy' Penn vs Jon Fitch

This is an interesting fight to predict, on one hand you have Jon Fitch - a pretty consistent and tough wrestler, willing to take punishment to grind out hard fought decision. On the other hand you have maybe the most inconsistent fighter in the UFC: BJ Penn, who most recently knocked out long-time welterweight Champion Matt Hughes.

For BJ Penn, training and commitment has been the most difficult challenge to overcome, and that is something his opponent (Fitch) doesn't mess around with. BJ Penn is 1-2 in his last three fights with two losses to current Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar. Most oddsmakers have Penn as a slight underdog in this fight against the bigger, stronger wrestler.
BJ Penn (16-7-1) is a world class jiu jitsu ace (6 MMA submission victories and first non-Brazilian to win the black-belt division at the World Jiu Jitsu Championship) and one of the most accurate strikers - landing 51% of attempted strikes. Along with that, Penn is one of the most elusive fighters in the world, avoiding over 60% of attempted strikes. However, it will be his takedown defense that will serve him best in this fight, a skill which at the moment is second to none (stopping 80% of takedown attempts).

Jon Fitch (25-3-0-1) on the other hand is a tough wrestler and one of the top Pound-For-Pound fighters in the world, able to beat anybody in the world that isn't named Georges St. Pierre. One of the best wrestlers in MMA, Fitch has landed 56% of takedowns. This may seem like a low-number, but 48 is the number of successful takedowns he has landed; and that is not a small number. Barring his loss to the current Welterweight Champion, Fitch has gone undefeated since December of 2002. On the ground, Fitch is no slouch successfully passing guard and transitioning to dominant positions 40 times, while Penn is a submission expert and lethal off his back with the Rubber Guard and an arsenal of sweeps.

Don't count on this being fight of the night as Jon Fitch grinds out a 3 round snorefest against the former Prodigy, BJ Penn. With a win at UFC 127, it will be a long but worthwhile wait for St. Pierre to defeat Jake Shields and Anderson Silva before getting another chance at the most dominant welterweight in UFC history.

On a side note: I hope Penn will win this fight, but don't expect him too.

My Pick: Fitch via Decision

Result: Majority Draw

Michael Bisping vs Jorge Rivera

The Count is notorious for being able to take out everyone BUT the top competition, and as much as I like Jorge Rivera, he is not top competition. Bisping is coming off back-to-back wins over Dan Miller and Yoshihiro Akiyama, while Rivera is on a 3 fight win-streak against considerably less impressive competition.

In my opinion, this matchup shows the UFC needing to find a place for these two middleweights, and really running out of options. Bisping is just on another level (not a top level) and I think his ability to stick and move will make all the difference against the hard-hitting Rivera. However, while Bisping will have a considerable advantage as a technical striker, it would only take one right hand for Rivera to end this fight. The Puerto Rican (Rivera) has 13 knockout wins and a powerful finishing flurry.

If Michael Bisping can be elusive and avoid a repeat of his Dan Henderson fight, he will easily win the 3 rounds.

My Pick: Bisping via Decision

Result: Michael Bisping via TKO

George Sotiropoulos vs Denis Siver

Up-and-comer G-Sots faces a dangerous and hard-hitting veteran Denis Siver. This fight will be a huge opportunity for both fighters to propel themselves into title contention.

Sotiropoulos is perhaps the most dominant lightweight in the UFC today having won 9 straight UFC fights, and losing only twice in controversial fashion. G-Sots has proved to not only be a jiu jitsu ace, but have very competent stand-up skills to compliment them. Siver, is more one-dimensional with incredible and flashy stand-up, though not completely incompetent jiu-jitsu.

If the fight goes to the ground, Sotiropoulos will have the definite advantage while Siver should control the stand-uip. If Siver can avoid the takedown I see him landing a flush punch and dropping the Australian native before a ground and pound stoppage. With that being said G-Sots could wrap up a submission while the fight goes from stand-up to the ground.

My Pick: Siver via TKO

Result: Dennis Siver via Unanimous Decision

Chris Lytle vs Brian Ebersole

Chris Lytle is one of the most seasoned veterans in the UFC and known as a tough boxer and well-rounded ground fighter. He has won his last 4 fights, most recently over former champion Matt Serra. As good of a boxer as Lytle is, he has gone .500 in his recent winning streak with submission : unanimous decision victories. He is a boxing specialist who may be more useful on the ground than he is standing up.

Brian Ebersole is not new to the MMA game either with over 60 fights and is also riding a win streak ( 7 fights ) with his highest profile fight coming against former UFC welterweight champion Carlos Newton. Ebersole has fought for many organizations including Strikeforce and the now defunct IFL.

The difference in this fight may be one of fighting commitment. While Chris Lytle is a full-time fighter, Ebersole is primarily a coach, supplementing his income with proffesional competition. This may be the most evenly matched fight on the card. Matching two veteran, well-rounded fighters, neither ever having been knocked-out. Lytle has spent his training camp preparing for Carlos Condit, and Ebersole is taking this fight on short notice.

Though both fighters are extremely-well rounded, I believe that Chris Lytle has fought a higher-calibur of opponent over the years and performed better against them. With a win in this match Chris Lytle will be one-step closer to a title shot, but no closer to winning it against the current Champion. If the UFC makes the right move after GSP moves to middleweight by opening a Welterweight Grand Prix, expect to see Chris Lytle in the running.

My Pick: Chris Lytle via submission (Bonus: Fight of the Night / Submission of the Night)

Result: Brian Ebersole via Unanimous Decision

Undercard LOCKS!

Here you can make a little extra money on some of the non-televised fights.

James Te Huna vs Alexander Gustafsson

My Pick: Alexander Gustafsson via TKO (Bonus: last 3rd of the 1st Round Finish)

Result: Alexander Gustafsson via submission

Mark Hunt vs Chris Tuchscherer

My Pick: Chris Tuchscherer via TKO

Result: Mark Hunt via KO

Tiequan Zhang vs Jason Reinhardt

My Pick: Tiequan Zhang via submission

Result: Tiequan Zhang via submission

Those are the picks my people, as I'm sure you can see I haven't done the whole fight card. I only make picks on the fights you are GOING to make money on. If I can't call it, I ain't going to lie to you. Enjoy the Fights! Drink Responsibly.