I apologize for abbreviated nature of this article, but time has not permitted me to write up a full review of UFC 133. It was a really good show, and I recommend checking it out if you haven’t already.
Larry Cassano was the big winner of The Roundtable, winning the Tie-Breaker over Joshua Heizer. The final scores are as follows:
Larry Cassano 4-1 WINNER
Joshua Heizer 4-1
Jenny Bragg 3-2
Frank Kline 3-2
Isaac Castillo 3-2
Chris Bragg 3-2
Brian Willey 1-4
Again, I apologize for not putting out a full review, and I hope you will check back in on Friday for The Roundtable Preview of UFC on Versus 5!
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When UFC 133 was officially announced several months ago, the Main Event was scheduled to be Jon Jones and Rashad Evans for the Light-Heavyweight Title. When Jones was forced to withdraw due to an injury, Phil Davis was tapped to face Rashad in a #1 Contender’s match-up. Less than a month ago, an unfortunate injury took Davis out of the fight. Lyoto Machida quickly accepted the fight (after Tito Ortiz declined), but then demanded a “significant” bonus.
This leads us back to Tito.
If I would have told the MMA fan just five weeks ago that Tito Ortiz was about to be on the doorstep of another UFC title run, I would have been ridiculed to the fullest extent. OK, maybe I still am ridiculed (but not for that prediction).
Coming off a career-saving victory over Ryan Bader at UFC 132, Ortiz changed his mind and accepted the fight against Evans. This is his golden opportunity to get on the fast-track back into the title picture, as well as to avenge the controversial draw between the two back at UFC 73.
Rashad Evans has had a title shot in the bank for over a year now, but various circumstances have prevented him from cashing it in. With a win over Ortiz this weekend, Rashad has been guaranteed the winner if next month’s Jon Jones/Rampage Jackson title fight.
On the other hand, Dana White has stated that, with a victory over Evans, Tito may still need to win one fight in order to claim a title shot of his own.
Needless to say, there is a lot riding on the Main Event.
The rest of the pay-per-view card is not a very sexy one on paper, but has the potential of being an extremely entertaining showcase of veterans trying to stay relevant, and young fighters looking to make a name for themselves.
The Roundtable this week is not that much different. Making their picks for UFC 133 are:
Joshua Heizer – MMA Senior Editor at UltimateSportsTalk.com, new father, and (alleged) stalker of Ariel Helwani.
Brian Willey – Owner/Operator of Effingham Computer Services, and inspiration for the “Kung-Fu Panda” movies.
Jenny Bragg – Wife, Mother, Elementary School Teacher, and Head Master of the Bragg Household.
Frank Kline – Department Manager at Lowe’s Home Improvement. If you need an appliance, he’s the man to see.
Isaac Castillo – Currently in Kuwait, sweating his ass off in the desert for the greater good.
Larry Cassano, III – Boxing Columnist at UltimateSportsTalk.com, and Host of the #1 Rated, Highly Underappreciated, and GREATEST SHOW IN THE HISTORY OF INTERNET RADIO*, The Ultimate Fight Show.
Chris Bragg – Me, Myself, and I. I put this preview together, stalk MMA fighters and Pro Wrestlers on Twitter (@TheBraggMan), and Co-Host the #1 Rated, Highly Underappreciated, and GREATEST SHOW IN THE HISTORY OF INTERNET RADIO*, The Ultimate Fight Show.
*The claims made above about The Ultimate Fight Show do indeed represent the thoughts and opinions of UltmateSportsTalk.com, the participants of this Roundtable Preview, and the rest of the free World.
Now, on to the picks…
Rory MacDonald vs. Mike Pyle
Joshua – MacDonald by Decision
Brian – Pyle via Submission
Jenny – Pyle by Decision
Frank – Rory MacDonald
Isaac – Mike Pyle
Larry – Rory MacDonald
Chris – I am just hoping to see Rory MacDonald attempt a German Suplex in this one (like he did against Nate Diaz at UFC 129). I’ve got Rory by Decision.
Constantinos Philippou vs. Jorge Rivera
Joshua – Philippou by 1st Round KO
Brian – Rivera by KO
Jenny – Rivera by KO
Frank – Jorge Rivera
Isaac – Jorge Rivera
Larry – Jorge Rivera
Chris – Philippou is a late replacement in this fight, and that could mean trouble for Jorge, but I will pick him to win this fight. 2nd Round TKO.
Brian Ebersole vs. Dennis Hallman
Joshua – Ebersole via 2nd Round KO
Brian – Hallman by Decision
Jenny – Ebersole by Decision
Frank – Dennis Hallman
Isaac – Brian Ebersole
Larry – Dennis Ebersole
Chris – Talk about veterans, these two guys have 129 fights between them! Brian Ebersole is coming off a big win against Chris Lytle, and is one of the most fun fighters to watch. I’ll take him by Decision (possible Fight of the Night).
Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Vitor Belfort
Joshua – “Sexyama” by Decision
Brian – Belfort by KO
Jenny – Vitor Belfort by KO
Frank – Vitor Belfort
Isaac – Vitor Belfort
Larry – Vitor Belfort
Chris – This fight was promoted to the Co-Main Event slot after Antônio Rogério Nogueira and Rich Franklin was scrapped due to Little Nog’s injury. As much as I love Akyama, Belfort is looking for redemption after being KTFO’d by Anderson Silva in February, and I think he’ll get it here with a 1st Round KO. This would be Akyama’s third loss in a row, and could be the end of his UFC run.
MAIN EVENT
Rashad Evans vs. Tito Ortiz
Joshua – Evans by Decision
Brian – Tito by Decision
Jenny – Rashad Evans by KO
Frank – Rashad Evans
Isaac – Rashad Evans
Larry – Rashad Evans
Chris – Just to be clear, I have never been a Tito Ortiz fan. I am one of those guys that were ready to shovel my share of dirt on his career after UFC 132. But, I was wrong, and have now found myself on the “Bad Boy’s” bandwagon. I have a sneaking suspicion that Tito is going to pull this fight out via a Decision victory.
Let’s recap the favorites real quick:
Rory MacDonald 4-3
Jorge Rivera 6-1
Brian Ebersole 5-2
Vitor Belfort 6-1
Rashad Evans 5-2
Well, those are our picks. What are yours?
Please leave your comments below, contact me directly through Twitter (@TheBraggMan), or send me an email.
Make sure you check out the debut of The Ultimate Fight Show’s UFC 133 Post Show on http://www.ustream.tv/theultimatefightshow. We will be LIVE 30 minutes after the Main Event to tell you what we thought of the show, and to give you our thoughts on what’s to come. It should be a lot of fun, so please join us!
Also, catch The Ultimate Fight Show this Saturday at Noon ET, as Larry and I will further break down this card, look back at last weekend’s Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson show, discuss the latest news in the worlds of MMA and Boxing, and take your calls about whatever is on your mind. You can also follow the show on Twitter (@TheUltFightShow) and LIKE us on Facebook.
Have a great weekend, and enjoy the fights!
hmmm good picks all around, heres mine if it means anything…
Tito – 2nd round stoppage
Sexiyama – decision
Ebersole – decision
Philippou – 2nd round stoppage
MacDonlad – 3rd round ko