UFC 102 Shaping Up
by Nick Thomas on Jun 16, 2009 2:16 PM EDT
in MMA Events
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PrintHere is how the rumored card is looking so far:
Main Card Bouts:
Randy Couture (16-9) vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-5-1)
Keith Jardine (14-5-1) vs. Thiago Silva (13-1)
Chris Leben (18-5-0) vs. Jake Rosholt (5-1-0)
Nate Marquardt (28-8-2) vs. Demian Maia (10-0)
Matt Hamill (7-2) vs. Brandon Vera (10-3)
Preliminary Card Bouts:
Gabe Gonzaga (10-4) vs. Chris Tuchscherer (17-1)
Wilson Gouveia (12-6) vs. James Irvin (14-5) 
Junior dos Santos (8-1) vs. Justin McCully (9-4)
Mike Russow (11-1) vs. Todd Duffee (4-0)
Nick Catone (6-1) vs. Mark Munoz (5-1)
Matt Veach (11-0) vs. Evan Dunham (8-0)
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This is a really good card for Portland. Even the undercard is stacked.
Heck, you could take that undercard, call it Strikeforce: Dos Santos vs. McCully…. And people could claim it’s better then most UFC cards.
by AlwaysRelaxing on Jun 16, 2009 2:25 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
You're right
People would call that six-deep HW division second only to Affliction.
by Derek Suboticki on Jun 16, 2009 2:27 PM EDT up reply actions
That would be a dissapointing Strikeforce card.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Jun 16, 2009 3:21 PM EDT up reply actions
How dare they headline this card with two cans
And then dare to give the winner a title shot. Those guys are bums!
Oh wait, they’re Randy Couture and Antonio Minotauro Nogueira. Everything above this is silly.
Carry on. And for the love of God, move Marquardt/Maia higher up on the main card – FOTMFN right there.
by Derek Suboticki on Jun 16, 2009 2:25 PM EDT reply actions
Prediction:
Gouveia, Gonzaga and and Dos Santos all get their fights aired due to first round K.O.s
"Japan is half-Machida" - iiowyn
Two very interesting fights
Matt Hamill (7-2) vs. Brandon Vera (10-3)
Nate Marquardt (28-8-2) vs. Demian Maia (10-0)
A wise man told me don't argue with fools
Cause people from a distance can't tell who is who
cmon, how about a sig bet?
if hamill loses you put “Brandon Vera is the Bestest! …i <3 weoweoweo” in you sig until the next ufc ends..
if vera loses, ill change it to Matt Hamill and to Subo..
by Anton Tabuena on Jun 17, 2009 2:36 AM EDT up reply actions
Holy crap...
…this is a fantastic card, I feel.
Could this be a result of a surging Strikeforce? What do you think?
More the third Affliction – sandwich that thing with goodness and the majority of the viewing public will forget about it both before and after it happens.
by Derek Suboticki on Jun 16, 2009 2:48 PM EDT up reply actions
can i hope for a double KO in the Hamill-Vera fight? i don’t care for either guy and would really like to see them both lose.
Marquardt-Maia is going to be a lot of fun, i think.
but the real reason to get the damn thing is Couture. with Steve Rogers returning to claim the shield, who can bet against Captain America?
can't keep a good man down
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8102532.stm
and yes, i’m aware of the irony of posting a BBC link to a story about Captain America. LOL
by bobthewriter on Jun 16, 2009 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions
Once again Jake Rosholt manages to get a completely undeserved spot on the televised card while better fighters stay in the dark.
by George Lucas on Jun 16, 2009 2:46 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
...agreed
I’d like to see them swapped with Dos Santos – McCully
by Derek Suboticki on Jun 16, 2009 2:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Dos Santos’s fights, particularly against scrubs like McCully, are easy to squeeze onto the end of a broadcast. It’s not hard to find 90 seconds of airtime.
Rosholt scares me with how plodding he can be. Osterneck brutalized him standing in that last WEC fight. His conditioning and chin are fantastic, but Leben hits a hell of a lot harder than Osterneck. At least, he did back when he was juicing.
I forgot Leben’s from there – they did Oregon pretty dirty over UFC 91, so I’m OK with Leben getting the slot now.
by Derek Suboticki on Jun 16, 2009 3:20 PM EDT up reply actions
LHW Contenders
Between the four LHWs on the main card (Jardine, T. Silva, Vera, Hamill), who, at this point, do you guys feel has the most promise in the division and could potentially challenge for the belt?
that's a good question.
i’d like to say hamill, but i dunno. probably jardine. he’s fought and beat far tougher competition than the other three. he’s just too damn inconsistent. i don’t know that thiago is well rounded enough to challenge for a title, and vera’s ship has sailed if you ask me.
Jardine, if he can get a bit more mobile; his inconsistency in my eyes stems from him getting tagged hard and frequently. Wandy put him down bad, and Rampage basically one because he twice knocked him down with power shots to the jaw. He obviously doesn’t have a classic “glass jaw”, but he’s stiff and robotic at times and takes too many big shots. THat, however, is correctable if he works on it. He has some great awkward strikes, the patience and smarts to implement a game plan, good kicks, and a great camp.
Thiago, I fear, doesn’t have the smarts or the wrestling to deal with the LHW division. Vera is a total unknown and essentially starting all over. Hamill is powerful standing and on the ground but slow as mud.
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
and Rampage basically one because he twice knocked him down with power shots to the jaw
Like the Russians, I pass without commentary – but Jardine was winning that fight until the last knock down
by Derek Suboticki on Jun 16, 2009 8:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Shut up, Subo
Can’t remember where I put that link. I write all day for a living and I don’t have time to proof read that and my BE comments. You’re lucky you get punctuation.
On topic: I find that fight extremely tough to judge; it was just… awkward. Which I think is legitimately part of Jardine’s game – he manages to make everyone look really uncomfortable and I think it’s intentionally done. He keeps guys off their gameplan (notable exception of Wanderlei).
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
What is going to win FOTN? I dont see too many fights to make it to a decision and be exciting. Hamill/Vera could go to decision but wont win FOTN if it does, so I guess it is only going to be the Main Event.
This looks like an awesome card, except for the main event. I couldn’t be bothered to care who wins.
Why is it that every time I look at Evan Dunham’s picture, I just get the feeling that he’s an incredible jerk who should be hit in the face with a shovel? I have NO reason to believe this. I just have this irrational dislike of his face. Does that happen to anyone else?
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
Looks
like an incredible card. It is a shame Maia or Nate is gonna lose.
Is Hamill vs Vera a shit or get off the pot fight?
I do not understand Leben vs Rosholt at all. Maybe Jake pissed off Dana and this is his way of saying goodbye.
Actually, I think Hamill is seen as progressing well, though slower than he might have. Not too many people are holding his loss to Franklin against him; his bad gameplan aside, Rich Franklin is a top fighter and has looked good at 205. I think this is a bump to try and get him progressing faster; a test, but not necessarily critical.
Vera, on the other hand, is pretty much being tested to see if he has anything to offer the division. If he can’t at least put on a good show in defeat against a guy who is still developing, he could be seen as expendible.
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
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