BloodyElbow.com Staff Prediction Results

by Nick Thomas on Jan 20, 2008 11:09 AM EST Comment 9 comments

So how did we do for UFC 80? One word: Horrible.
Thanks to an idea by robnashville, we'll be keeping a running scorecard of how each of us are doing on our picks.

To start we all picked Fabricio Werdum's and Alessio Sakara's fight wrong. The rest of the results are:

Luke Thomas: 3/8 (Penn, Davis, Hardonk)
Kid Nate: 3/7 (Penn, Davis, Gouveia)
Brent Brookhouse: 3/8 (Penn, Davis, Hardonk)
Michael Rome: 4/8 (Penn, Davis, Hardonk, Stout)
Nick Thomas: 5/8 (Penn, Davis, Rivera, Kelly, Stout)

If we include UFC 78 and 79, Luke is still in the lead:

Luke Thomas: 18/27 - 66.6%
Kid Nate: 16/26 - 61.5%
Brent Brookhouse: 11/27 - 40.7%
Michael Rome: 5/13 - 38.4%
Nick Thomas: 11/18 - 61.1%

And here are the bonus payouts for UFC 80:

- Fight of the Night awarded to Paul Kelly and Paul Taylor (Each fighter given a $35,000 bonus)

- Knockout of the Night to Wilson Gouveia ($35,000 bonus)

- Submission of the Night to B.J. Penn ($35,000 bonus)

The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.

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Re: BloodyElbow.com Staff Prediction Results

hey, you guys are still doing better than me.... i got 3 out of 9 right. I've been pretty decent at picking the cards previously (around 70% winners over the course of a year) but the past two cards i have just cratered horribly getting two thirds of the picks wrong.

by robnashville on Jan 20, 2008 12:35 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Re: BloodyElbow.com Staff Prediction Results

I say we throw out 78 and 79. Lets just do it starting with yesterday for the year 2008. And..um...that has nothing to do with my poor showings over the past 3 events.

by Brent Brookhouse on Jan 20, 2008 1:37 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Re: BloodyElbow.com Staff Prediction Results

I only went 7-9. Damn Lee hurts his back and Kelly beats Guida, er, Taylor.

But if you take out the pretty obvious fights, Davis and Penn, you guys suck. :P ( MTU dances around like Rocky )

All seriousness, picking MMA in the UFC is tough. Multidimensional fighting with 4 oz gloves can make a lot of things happen that wouldn't otherwise... Look at the Gouviea bout.

But one thing I've learned from watching MMA/Vale Tudo/Pancrase for the last 18 years and training in it now for 2 years, you can get as good as you want physically, but the mind is a whole different story. My picking is getting more based on the quality of a fighter's mental status than his hand speed. Lambert has been lazy before, Zaga has given up before, and Grove has been lazy and flash KOed before... I just stuck to the pattern. All of their opponents, Gouviea, Werdum, and Rivera, have shown mental toughness and heart their entire careers.

Case in point, Chuck Liddell. Have you seen that look he had in his eyes vs Silva in the last two years? Nope. His head is right again. GSP looked ferocious vs Hughes this last time out, almost angry. It's all in your head...

This whole reason is why I'm telling ya, Huerta will beat Penn in 09. Toughest fighter I've ever seen, mentally speaking. If I'm right, it'll be worth a bundle of cash.

by MoreThanUFC on Jan 20, 2008 3:39 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Re: BloodyElbow.com Staff Prediction Results

Huerta beats Penn? wow, only if BJ is so insulted by the matchmaking that he doesn't train at all.

by Kid Nate on Jan 20, 2008 6:53 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: BloodyElbow.com Staff Prediction Results

I agreed with MTU on the Any Given Saturday webchat that I think Huerta could beat Penn in 09. Penn has gastank issues, Huerta can tire out almost anyone alive with his pace.

And you can't seriously say that should Huerta go undefeated again in '08 that he wouldn't deserve a title shot...

by Brent Brookhouse on Jan 20, 2008 10:46 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: BloodyElbow.com Staff Prediction Results

You and MTU are seriously out to lunch on this one. Seriously. Penn would stop him in the first round with superior wrestling and most importantly, jiu-jitsu. The difference in skill level there is astronomical.

by Luke Thomas on Jan 21, 2008 12:17 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: BloodyElbow.com Staff Prediction Results

"And you can't seriously say that should Huerta go undefeated again in '08 that he wouldn't deserve a title shot..."

In 08 if he goes 4-0 against guys that are making their UFC debut and then struggles in defeating a journeyman but exciting 155er then, no, he wouldn't deserve a title shot. Then again if he went out and went 3-0 against Spencer Fisher, tyson Griffin, and Frankie Edgar I'd be yelling from the mountaintops that he should be fighting for the title.

BJ would clown Huerta, of that i have little doubt. Huerta has been horrible about giving up his back in his fights and he hasn't had to pay for it.... he won't do that against BJ and live to tell about it. Also, Huerta's boxing looked horrible against Guida, guida was beating him to the punch on a constant basis and he was just eating jabs, Bj's heavy hands would lay him out.

BJ by whatever he decided, whenever he decided.

by robnashville on Jan 21, 2008 7:16 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: BloodyElbow.com Staff Prediction Results

Look man, I understand the point on questionable opposition. BUT, if you can tell me that if he goes undefeated in '08 making him say 9-0 in the UFC added to the fact that Huerta/Penn would be the biggest money fight from a casual fan (and remember the casual fanbase is where most of the revenue comes from) standpoint you're crazy.

I also saw Stevenson give up his back to BJ two or three times and "live to tell about it" he eventually got caught, yes...but giving up your back is no longer an immediate "rear naked choke for the win" position in MMA. I don't think it would be a good idea against Penn...I'm just saying.

by Brent Brookhouse on Jan 21, 2008 12:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: BloodyElbow.com Staff Prediction Results

HE'S ONLY HUMAN LUKE. Like boxers thinking their hands are somehow superior in power to MMA guys, he has lost in BJJ tourneys, he has be KOed, and one day will be subbed by someone. Huerta has PROVEN he at least has the tank, the hands, and the staminaheart, to win. By 09, youre gonna be like Penn who? He was just John the Bapist, the One Who Comes Before.

by MoreThanUFC on Jan 21, 2008 6:28 AM EST reply actions 0 recs