Thursday, March 28, 2013

Penguins Do It Again

Team Canada's Jarome Iginla (left), Brenden Morrow (middle), and
Sidney Crosby (right) are all poised to win the Cup in Pittsburgh.
When I say the Pittsburgh Penguins do it again, I mean 2 things.  First, they keep winning, stretching their winning streak to an astounding 13 straight.  Secondly, they made noise in the trade game for the third day this week.  Morrow was big news, Murray was quiet but solid news, and what they did last night was ridiculous.  Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames is now joining the stacked Penguins team on their path to an almost expected Stanley Cup.

I was just about to bestow the Penguins with the Stanley Cup just the other day.  I held off because I said the Boston Bruins were "a Jarome Iginla" away from preventing this from happening.  When it looked like Iginla was packing his bags for Massachusetts a wild change in events resulted in the longtime Calgary Flame headed over to Pittsburgh.  I am not going to go into how good Pittsburgh is again, but it is worth noting that Crosby played with Iginla during the Olympics and they had great chemistry.  Kunitz is obviously coming into his own on Sid's line.  Pacal Dupuis might be out of his first line right winger job after this trade, but I would trade ice time for Jarome Iginla any day of the week.  Pittsburgh has some stupid good talent now and it would be a travesty if their season ends with anything but a 16 win postseason.

Earlier in the week I made little mention of the GMs behind the scenes.  Well let's talk GM.  Dallas Stars' GM Joe Nieuwendyk seems to do a solid job despite sketchy trades involving Neal (who i failed to mention is excited to have his old captain playing beside him again in Pittsburgh) and Ryder.  Outside of these he has done a solid job keeping Dallas relevant despite financial struggles within the organization.  Ron Wilson has assembled quite the team of his own in San Jose.  Both of these teams received excellent compensation for giving away Morrow and Murray.  Jay Feaster on the otherhand...

Jay Feaster has almost reached the point where people who have never watched a single hockey game in their lives know who this guy is.  He is that bad of a GM.  Have I mentioned before that Calgary should fire this guy?  Here it is one more time.  Fire this guy!  He traded away a Calgary legend.  In fact, Dallas drafted Iginla and traded him to Calgary for the man I just mentioned above, Joe Nieuwendyk.  But back to the point at hand, Feaster traded Iginla.  Now this is not necessarily a bad thing because his team is awful and Iginla deserves better than Calgary.  However, the return on this investment is beyond laughable.  Ray Shero has been one of the better GMs in the league for a while in Pittsburgh.  He had to have known Feaster was an idiot and took full advantage of the situation.  Pittsburgh receive one of the best players of the past decade in exchange for a first round pick (probably 30th after they win the Cup), Kenneth Agostino, and Ben Hanowski.  WOW!

For those of you who do not know Agostino and Hanowski, do not feel ashamed.  NOBODY DOES!  Agostino currently has put up an insane 37 points in 33 games for Yale this year.  That means the 5th round pick from 2010 will definitely translate into NHL talent.  Sarcasm.  As for Hanowski, he was a 3rd round pick in 2009 currently playing for St. Cloud State.  This right winger has a gargantuan 29 points in 34 games in the WCHA.  Like I said with Agostino, this guy is a can't miss prospect.  Kidding again.  There is, however, one thing I will never joke about ever.  Fire. Jay. Feaster. Please.  And never give that guy another GM position ever again.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Penguins Trade Splash

Former division rivals leave the only team
they ever played for to join Pittsburgh.
Don't look now, but the Pittsburgh Penguins are just 1 point behind the Chicago Blackhawks in the Presidents' Trophy race through 33 games.  They have won the last 12 games they have played and are doing so despite injuries to All Stars in Malkin and Letang.  Not only is Fleury looking great in net but perennial All Star Tomas Vokoun is the backup goalie on this team.  Sidney Crosby is the best player in the NHL and his line mates Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis are coming into their own as two of the NHL's best forwards.  So much can be said about just how good this team is, and they just got better.

On back to back days Pittsburgh has made trades for veteran forward Brenden Morrow and veteran defenseman Douglas Murray.  Morrow was the captain of the Dallas Stars and had many great seasons with that team.  Murray is a little bit of a different story than Morrow, but he is one of the hardest hitting defenseman in the league who is one heck of a shot blocker as well.  This adds talent to an already talented roster, but more importantly it adds grit.  These are hard nosed players who have battled each other for many years in the always competitive Pacific Division.  As pictured above, there used to be no love when Morrow's Stars took on Douglas Murray and the Sharks.  Now these two guys are the missing pieces to a potential Stanley Cup run for the Penguins.

Pittsburgh was eliminated from the playoffs last year by Philadelphia in some obnoxious high scoring, offense only games.  They got caught up playing the Flyers' style of play rather than stick to what got them there.  Rivals have the ability to do that to you.  By having Murray in the lineup to replace one of the younger guys, like Despres for example, you make this team so much more solid defensively.  He has a wealth of playoff experience and is a true student of the game.  In addition, you pick up a guy who can kill penalties, hit hard, and fight.  These are three things they needed against Philly in that epic, yet miserable (for Pens fans at least) playoff series.  The Sharks in return get two 2nd round picks for someone they probably could not resign anyway.  They have solid young defensemen to fill Murray's void so this is a trade that is beneficial to both teams.

As for Morrow, what can't you say about this guy?  He can do it all.  He is not the most prolific goal scorer the game has ever seen, but he has scored over 30 goals twice and has a career high 74 points which is not too shabby.  He may not be the offensive force he once was but what Pittsburgh will really get from him is just as important.  No disrespect to the leadership of Crosby, but this guy is a true locker room leader.  He was a captain that lead by example in Dallas and I think the younger guys in Pittsburgh can look up to him and learn a lot about the game from him.  Crosby and Morrow were teammates on the gold medal winning Team Canada so they have some brief history together.  His physical style of play is exactly what it takes to win playoff games.  This hitting and grit is something both Morrow and Murray will be bringing with them to the steel city.

What does this trade mean for the rest of the league?

I had made a bold prediction before the season started (even before the lockout) that whichever team Dallas trades Brenden Morrow to will win the Stanley Cup in 2013.  This was a bold statement for 2 reasons: 1, Morrow was not part of trade rumors because Dallas was thought to be a legitimate playoff contender going into this year.  And 2, I predicted that an unknown team would win the Stanley Cup just because of the addition of a savvy veteran who is at best a 3rd line left winger.  Well my prediction is not looking to bad now.  I just had a hunch that Morrow would land on a top 5 team in the league and it is hard to say Pittsburgh is anything but that.

Being from Detroit, I have to say that the Red Wings really missed out on Douglas Murray.  When you talk about talented teams that need desperately need to add grit, you are talking about Detroit.  They also are short on defense and should not expect to win a Cup when Quincey, Kindle, Smith, and Lashoff are playing every night.  Throw in the heavy Swedish presence on the team in Zetterberg, Samuelsson, Franzen, Ericsson, Kronwall, Nyquist, Gustafsson and Andersson and you have a player that feels at home away from home.  Looking at it with optimism, I can see Ken Holland signing him as a free agent this summer without having to give up those 2 draft picks that Pittsburgh dished out to get him.

As for teams like Montreal, Boston, Chicago, Anaheim, and other top teams who think this is their year, it's probably not.  I am not bestowing the Stanley Cup to Pittsburgh now, but I do not see anyone being able to win a best out of 7 series with them.  Especially since they will most likely be the team to hold onto home ice in every series they play.  There are only 3 legitimate things that I think could happen that can give other teams hope:

  1. Injury:  Letang and Malkin are on the shelf now with injuries and there is the always lurking thought that Sid could go down at any point too.  Too many injuries could derail this amazing team.
  2. Morrow and Murray get homesick:  No I do not think they will lay awake at night missing the beautiful cities of San Jose and Dallas.  What I mean is that these guys have only played for one team and have had pretty long careers for that one team.  Getting divorced is not easy and moving on and being expected to play at a high level instantly is not a piece of cake.  Morrow and Murray could have a tough transition period and could be flops despite being seemingly perfect fits for the Penguins.
  3. Counter trade moves: The trade deadline is not over.  Keep a sharp eye on Boston, LA, and Chicago in particular to make a splash before the end of the week.  Any one of these teams could be I don't know...A Jarome Iginla away from winning a Stanley Cup of their own.
One last side note: I am making this seem like only a small amount of the teams in the NHL have a chance at winning the cup.  That is obviously note the case.  There is more parity in the NHL than any other sport and therefore the Cup is still up for grabs right now (the Penguins are not the Miami Heat).  Goalies can get hot and steal a round.  I simply think that Pittsburgh is perfectly primed to win the cup and they are my prediction to be the last team standing at the end of the season.  Outside of the teams already mentioned in the heart of this article I see Vancouver, Detroit, St. Louis, San Jose, New York, New Jersey, and other teams right in the mix too.

Friday, March 22, 2013

UFC 158 Winners Saving UFC on Fox 7

Matt Brown made an impact last time he fought
on Fox and would love to do it again.
On April 20th the UFC will be putting on its 7th show on Fox in San Jose, California.  This event is just a short 5 weeks after UFC 158 from Montreal.  Despite the quick turnaround, UFC 158 fighters seem eager to get right back in the octagon.

What could be considered a shattered card could arguably have gotten better thanks to injuries.  Chad Mendes lost his opponent for their UFC on Fox fight, SHOCKER.  Despite Guida being injured too afraid to fight Mendes, Darren Elkins decided to step up and take the fight on 4 weeks notice.  He is coming off of an impressive win but he is taking on the #3 featherweight just 5 weeks after contending with the less than scary Antonio Carvalho.  This is not looking great for him, but it definitely will win over the favor of his boss Dana White.  But wait, it did not stop there.

Just a few days later, Dan Hardy announced he was injured and could not fight Matt Brown.  No worries.  Jordan Mein will step in to face Brown following up his devastating finish of Dan Miller at UFC 158.  Again, he is only taking this fight on 4 weeks notice and only 5 weeks after his last fight.  Just when you thought things couldn't get worse, BAM.  Down goes Rivera.  T.J. Dillashaw has agreed to step in to face 7-0 Hugo Viana in California.

I do not know what is more amazing: the fact that 3 fighters on 1 card all got hurt (or scared) within a week of each other.  Or the fact that 3 men who made relatively big statements (as big as an undercard fighter can make) are willing to take another bout 5 weeks after their wins.  Win or lose, Elkins, Mein, and Dillashaw have moved up the ranks in the standings with their UFC 158 wins and also moved up Dana White's list of his favorite fighters.  Dana never claims to have favorites but certain people do anything for that guy, and vise versa.  COUGH COUGH give GSP the easiest title defense ever in Nick Diaz because he asked for it.

Much props to these guys for stepping up.  The UFC needs guys to do this because like all violent sports, injuries are common and even the bench players need to be warmed up and ready to go. However these 3 may have won in Montreal, but they are all taking a big step up in competition.  Dillashaw should be fine with Hugo, but Brown and Mendes are enormous steps up in competition for the youngsters Elkins and Mein.  The good news in all of this is that Elkins, Mein, and Dillashaw can be thanked for ensuring fans get as many fights as they were expecting.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Updated Fighter Rankings (3-20-13)

Jake Ellenberger shot up the welterweight
division with his huge KO of Nate Marquardt
There was only 2 UFC events in March, but April has a crazy amount of events.  Even though I already broke down the March 3rd event in my last rankings, it is important to have the Brutal Sports Rankings in preparation for such a busy April.  We cannot forget about Bellator Thursdays and WSOF 2 on the 23rd, but none of the events in March should influence to top 10 of any weight classes.  Here is how things stand now:


Pound for Pound:

  1. Anderson Silva
  2. Jose Aldo
  3. Jon Jones
  4. Georges St. Pierre
  5. Dominick Cruz
  6. Renan Barao
  7. Benson Henderson
  8. Cain Velasquez
  9. Demetrious Johnson
  10. Ronda Rousey
Heavyweight:
  1. Cain Velasquez
  2. Junior Dos Santos
  3. Daniel Cormier
  4. Fabricio Werdum
  5. Antonio Silva
  6. Mark Hunt
  7. Frank Mir
  8. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
  9. Travis Browne
  10. Alistair Overeem
Light Heavywight:
  1. Jon Jones
  2. Alexander Gustafsson
  3. Lyoto Machida
  4. Glover Teixeira
  5. Phil Davis
  6. Dan Henderson
  7. Rashad Evans
  8. Shogun Rua
  9. Ryan Bader
  10. Gegard Mousasi
Middleweight:
  1. Anderson Silva
  2. Chris Weidman
  3. Vitor Belfort
  4. Yushin Okami
  5. Luke Rockhold
  6. Michael Bisping
  7. Costa Philippou
  8. Ronaldo Souza
  9. Tim Boetsch
  10. Alan Belcher
Welterwight:
  1. Georges St. Pierre
  2. Johny Hendricks
  3. Jake Ellenberger
  4. Rory Macdonald
  5. Demian Maia
  6. Carlos Condit
  7. Dong Hyun Kim
  8. Tyron Woodley
  9. Martin Kampmann
  10. Tarec Saffiedine
Lightweight:
  1. Benson Henderson
  2. Gilbert Melendez
  3. Anthony Pettis
  4. Gray Maynard
  5. Jim Miller
  6. Michael Chandler
  7. Eddie Alvarez
  8. TJ Grant
  9. Nate Diaz
  10. Khabib Nurmagomedov
Featherweight:
  1. Jose Aldo
  2. Ricardo Lamas
  3. Chad Mendes
  4. Cub Swanson
  5. Chan Sung Jung
  6. Frankie Edgar
  7. Erik Koch
  8. Denis Siver
  9. Dustin Poirier
  10. Darren Elkins
Bantamweight:
  1. Dominick Cruz
  2. Renan Barao
  3. Urijah Faber
  4. Eddie Wineland
  5. Scott Jorgensen
  6. Michael McDonald
  7. Brad Pickett
  8. Rafael Assuncao
  9. Mike Easton
  10. T.J. Dillashaw
Flyweight:
  1. Demetrious Johnson
  2. Joe Benavidez
  3. John Dodson
  4. John Moraga
  5. Darrel Montague
  6. Jussier Formiga
  7. Ian McCall
  8. Darren Uyenoyama
  9. Chris Cariaso
  10. Louis Gaudinot
Women's Pound for Pound:
  1. Ronda Rousey
  2. Miesha Tate
  3. Cristiane Santos
  4. Jessica Aguilar
  5. Sarah Kaufman
  6. Sara McMann
  7. Jessica Penne
  8. Alexis Davis
  9. Marloes Coenen
  10. Liz Carmouche
Side notes:
  • Nick Diaz is removed from the welterweight rankings due to retirement, even though this is probably just the temporary retirement like Nick does after every loss
  • Clay Guida was removed from his 10 spot due to his unwillingness to fight Mendes, combined with Elkins big win and willingness to take the Mendes fight
  • Jordan Mein made a huge jump in the welterweight rankings but did not eclipse the top 10
  • Brian Bowles removed from list due to inactivity.  Dillashaw sneaks into 10 spot.
  • Curran could really jump into my featherweight rankings with a big win over Shamhalaev at Bellator 95 on April 4th

The Man Of Fear: Chad Mendes

Chad Mendes has had a tougher time
finding a fight than winning fights.
There are many fighters in the UFC that instill fear in their opponents.  Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo, and Junior Dos Santos are a few examples of this.  Not a lot of people are willing to jump in the ring with these guys due to their ferocious fighting style and dominance as fighters.  Chad Mendes may not come across as the scariest guy in the UFC, but he seems to have caught the attention of many fighters.  

When people think of the 145 lb division, everyone knows Aldo reigns supreme.  He is undefeated in his WEC/UFC career and has won many of those fights in dominant fashion.  His leg kicks are so violent that his opponents fully expect to be in a wheelchair after the fight, win or lose.  Despite Aldo being the champion and one of the scariest guys in mixed marital arts, people are still willing to fight him.  Not only does everyone who weighs in at 145 pounds want a piece of him, but some of the smaller guys are 155 are willing to drop weight classes to face this man.  When you have the belt it does not matter how scary you are, people will fight you.

Chad Mendes on the other hand, is known for using his wrestling to dominate an opponent and take a decision victory.  Prior to his fight with Jose Aldo, his WEC/UFC record was a solid 6-0 with 5 decisions and 1 submission.  Since losing his title fight to Aldo, he has rallied off 2 first round KO victories.  This does not necessarily mean that Mendes is about to go on a knockout spree, but he is definitely proving that he is one of the most elite fighters in the sport.  Apparently Mendes is too good for his own good.  He cannot even find a top 10 fighter willing to fight him despite him being ranked as one of the top 3 guys in the division.  People know that it is too risky of a fight to take this guy on so he is in a peculiar spot.

So why do I say nobody wants to fight him?  Let us take a look:
  • Jose Aldo turned down the fight originally scheduled from "injuries sustained in the Hominick title fight"
  • Mendes won a fight while waiting for Aldo to get healthy so Aldo finally had to take the fight.  However he insisted it be in Brazil, where he was able to KO Mendes with a knee.
  • Mendes beats Cody McKenzie with a KO due to a body punch in about 30 seconds
  • Mendes scheduled to fight Hacran Dias; Dias pulls out days before the fight citing a shoulder injury
  • UFC newcomer Yaotzin Meza takes the fight on less than a week's notice only to be knocked out in the first round.
  • Mendes scheduled to fight Manny Gamburyan at UFC 157; Manny pulled out citing a thumb injury
  • No replacement could be found for Mendes
  • Mendes scheduled to face Clay Guida on UFC on Fox 7; Guida pulls out citing an undisclosed injury
It was just announced that Darren Elkins will step in for Guida and face Mendes on April 20th, for now.  Elkins has won 5 in a row and looked impressive in his win at UFC 158 despite the controversial stoppage.  The only reason he is willing to take this fight is because he has nothing to lose and like Mendes, cannot find a top 10 opponent.  He has beat nobody substantial in his 5 fight win streak and is taking a huge step up in competition in Chad Mendes.  Mendes at this point just want a fight.  Elkins knows this is a huge opportunity, and if he losses nobody will care.  He is expected to lose so even if he puts up a fight and still losses, people will notice his ability just to hang with top competition.  A win over Elkins does almost nothing for Mendes in his climb back into a rematch with Aldo.  Mendes is one of those guys that just wants to fight often.  He would fight 5 times a year if his opponents would actually show up without "injuries."  People just do not want to fight this guy because he is dangerous and he is a winner.  From his wrestling career to his mixed martial arts career, this is a guy that is a top level athlete who flat out wins.

As for Chad's standing in the featherweight division, nobody knows.  The featherweight at lightweight division are in a really weird scenario.  Everyone expects the winner of Jung vs Lamas to get the next title shot following the August match between Pettis and Aldo.  However, Aldo and/or Pettis could be heading up to 155 after the fight.  Throw in the fact that Henderson has his hands full with Melendez and you have a wild array of possibilities for these two weight classes.  The champion at featherweight, whether it be Aldo or Pettis, could immediately vacate his title to fight for the lightweight belt.  A featherweight tournament with the likes of Mendes, Edgar, Swanson, Porier, Koch, Lamas, Jung, and others could be in the works if this happens.  Mendes for now is a top 3 featherweight and needs a top guy in the division to step up and face him.  Enough being scared of Mendes.  If Swanson, Siver, Edgar, or others are looking to prove they are top guys in the division, they need to step up and face Mendes.

Monday, March 18, 2013

UFC 158 Thoughts

Jake Ellenberger scores a huge
KO win over Nate Marquardt.
Georges St. Pierre is one of the biggest draws in the UFC and there was nothing new when a sold out Bell Centre in Montreal was going wild for one of the worlds best mixed martial artists.  The welterweights put on a very entertaining show that had Montreal fans out of their seats.  This is a quick recap of what happened mixed in with my thoughts on the evening.

Unfortunately I must confess that I was occupied during the Facebook and FX portion of the night so I missed some of the fights.  However, I was able to watch 3 fights that I was able to find online.
Preliminary fight results:

  • Roop defeats Duran via unanimous decision
  • Dillashaw knocks out Tamura
  • Story finishes Mulhern via 1st round TKO
  • Makdessi edges Cruickshank via decision
  • Mein wins via TKO against veteran Dan Miller
  • Elkins gets a controversial TKO win over Carvalho
  • Cote with controversy of his own squeaks out a split decision over Voelker
As for the prelims, Jordan Mein made a tremendous statement by being the first man to finish Dan Miller.  Many top middleweights have faced him and won, but Mein did it in significantly more spectacular fashion with the KO.  As for the Elkins stoppage, he was dominating the fight and rocked him.  After he saw Carvalho was rocked he swarmed him with punches and dropped him to the ground.  Yves Lavigne clearly thought Antonio was unconscious and pulled Elkins away.  However, Carvalho immediately jumped to his feet and questioned Yves.  It was one of those weird incidents where you cannot blame the ref too much, but it was definitely premature.  Elkins looked impressive nonetheless.  Cote's split decision win was called into question by many of the fans.  I have seen many sports pages where the comment section is lined with statements that Cote did not win and Voelker got screwed.  I have to say, I disagree.  The judges got this one right in my opinion.  The first round was close, but Cote did a lot from his back and scored points.  The second round was again close by I believe Cote really out struck Voelker and even rocked him early to win that round.  The 3rd round was dominated by Voelker but I think Cote earned a 29-28 decision on my scorecard.  This is one of those fights where it is good despite the controversy.  Cote would have lost 5 in a row (I'm counting his DQ win as a loss, which it should be) in the UFC if Voelker had gotten the nod by the judges.  Both men put on an exciting fight and demonstrated powerful chins.  Voelker will get another chance to impress in the UFC in the future so neither of these exciting fighters will be cut.  The fans are the winners in this fight.

Now on to the main card:
  • Mike Ricci takes a unanimous decision victory over the Freakshow
  • Camozzi takes a controversial split decision win over Nick Ring
  • Ellenberger knocks Nate Marquardt out cold
  • Hendricks takes a well deserved decision win over Carlos Condit
  • GSP wins 50-45 on all 3 judges cards in a route over Nick Diaz
Colin Fletcher despite his loss is still a talented and entertaining fighter I will be rooting for going into the future.  He has his own creepy circus walkout music and a frightening mask to go with it.  He is a weirdo but you have to like him.  He held his own against Mike Ricci, but ultimately it was the Canadian outclassing him in every aspect of MMA.  Ricci still has work to do, but it was nice to see him win in front of his home crowd.

Ring showed disdain for Camozzi's striking by holding his hands by his waist the entire fight.  He gassed late and definitely lost the 3rd round.  However, I believe he won the first 2 rounds with his chipping away.  He landed a ton of leg kicks and a decent amount of punches.  Ring also pressed the pace.  It may have been Camozzi's leg kicks that stole the fight, but I cannot say for sure.  Controversial or not, congrats to Chris Camozzi for moving up the ladder with this win.

Jake Ellenberger could not be happier with how UFC 158 played out.  He has Rory MacDonald to thank for it all.  Had Rory not pulled out of his fight with Carlos Condit, I strongly believe it would have been Jake laying face first on the matt.  Instead, Hendricks got the nod against Condit and UFC veteran Nate "the Great" Marquardt stepped in to fight Ellenberger.  Nate looked like a tank in taking the Strikeforce belt with a win over Tyron Woodley but followed it up with an unimpressive loss against Tarec Saffiedine.  This is a big name to anyone who knows anything about MMA.  Not only did Jake win against this tough opponent, but he bloodied him up and knocked him out.  Jake made a lot of noise with this win over another top guy in the welterweight division, who should look to move back to middleweight again.  I was accurate in my prediction when I said Ellenberger would come out strong in the first round; however, Nate was not able to weather the storm like I thought he would.  This is testament to just how devastating Jake is to knock out a durable guy like Marquardt.  On a side note: these 2 won the walkout song of the night awards in my opinion with their choices.  Click their names for a listen: Nate Marquardt and Jake Ellengerger.

Johny Hendricks has been my horse to become the welterweight king ever since he knocked out Jon Fitch in 12 seconds.  I believe he is the man who would give GSP more fits than anyone else in the division.  That said, I was incredibly terrified that Carlos Condit would put the Hendricks hype train to a screeching halt.  That was not the case.  Give credit where credit is due, Condit gets an honorable mention for standing in there against some really really heavy left hands that render most of Johny's opponents unconscious.  He also was able to get up after all of the takedowns Johny had.  That said, Hendricks looked better.  He took Condit down with more ease than GSP did.  He went back and forth with Condit in the standup game.  They both landed some great shots.  Hendricks proved that in addition to his wrestling and striking that he can take a punch too.  Beating Condit is no easy feat, especially considering the nuclear bomb that is Hendricks' left hand had been broken in the 1st round.  Hendricks beat the consensus #2 welterweight in the UFC without the use of his #1 weapon.  Johny is for real and GSP should BEG for Anderson Silva, because that is a better matchup for him than Bigg Rigg.

As for the main event, not much needs to be said.  I have been saying that this fight is a joke for a long time.  Hendricks should have been the main event.  Hendricks should have fought GSP for the belt.  I honestly thing GSP knows Hendricks is the guy that gives him the most problems so he begged for this fight to buy himself some more time.  I also think GSP hoped and prayed Condit would be his protector and beat Hendricks for him.  No more running now Georges, Hendricks is coming for you.  GSP obviously dominated again and was never in any danger against Nick Diaz.  Diaz called him names and retired when he lost like he always does.  This fight was pretty much unimpressive and predictable.  I went a little crazy and predicted a GSP KO, which obviously did not happen.  Oh well, GSP was not as mad at Nick as Dana White had led us to believe and the fight was not as exciting as promised.  Thankfully the other 4 welterweights put on a show and GSP's next fight will be far more interesting.

I went a solid 7/12 on the night to move my prediction totals to 42/81 (52%)

Fighter bonuses of $50,000:
Fight of the Night: Hendricks/Condit
KO of the Night: Jake Ellenberger
Submission of the Night: none

But wait, I am not done yet.

Some final thoughts on the night and the future of the welterweight division:
As for the future of the division, I think things are very clear.  Nick Diaz can retire or fight again, I do not really care.  Hendricks against GSP needs to happen and Johny could pull of the win.  I think it is great that Hendricks has won impressively in his last 2 fights on the same card as GSP.  The fans of GSP know who Hendricks is now and have a feel for what this guy is capable of.  This will make the fight an easy sell since fans of GSP know this guy is legit.  Condit has dropped 2 in a row, so I would hate to see him fight Rory and potentially lose 3.  Condit should look to fight Robbie Lawler or Josh Koscheck next to try and bounce back from these exciting and close losses.  Rory MacDonald was pulled from this card, but I would like to see him take on Jake Ellenberger.  Jake made a huge statement, but he is not ready for GSP until he can beat his training partner Rory.  This would be an exciting fight that will be important for the future of the division.  As I mentioned earlier, Marquardt should probably move back to middleweight.  Lastly, I think Jordan Mein earned a reputation with his win and he should look to take on a guy near the top 10, like Court McGee or Tarec Saffiedine.

3 Stars of UFC 158:
  • Johny Hendricks
  • Jordan Mein
  • Jake Ellenberger

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Time To Start Over in Calgary

Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff playing
in an outdoor game for the Flames.
Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff have been the faces of the franchise in Calgary for many years now, but it is time to say goodbye.  I get it, you do not want to be the guy known as the GM who traded away 2 of the best players in franchise history, but it is time to trade these guys.  Jay Feaster will always be in the shadows of Mike Milbury when the list of the worst GMs in NHL history is brought up, but 2nd place isn't always bad.  After all, 2nd place is a place Calgary has not seen in a long long time.  As much as I would love to rant about how awful Calgary is and how they are doomed for years to come, I would rather propose my thoughts as to how Calgary can change this and once again reclaim prominence in the Western Conference.

Step 1: Fire Jay Feaster!  Many foolish hockey fans give Feaster credit for bringing a Stanley Cup to Tampa Bay.  I remember him as the man that crippled Tampa Bay so much that even Steve Yzerman and Steven Stamkos cannot return this team to the playoffs.  Lecavalier, St. Louis, Malone, Ohlund, and others have obnoxious contracts the Lightning cannot afford.  He is doing the same thing in Calgary with wonderful moves such as: trading Dion Phaneuf to keep Jay Bouwmeester, signing Jiri Hudler, signing Dennis Wideman, and trading for Mike Cammalleri.  Oh and do I have to mention the offer sheet he made for Ryan O'Reilly?  O'Reilly was playing in the KHL and would need to clear waivers if another team signed him.  That means had Colorado not matched the offer sheet Feaster made, then Calgary would have had to give Colorado a 1st and 3rd round pick next year (potentially a top 5 pick!) in exchange for a player who would not make it past Columbus when going through waivers.  This could have been the biggest blunder in recent sports history, but Colorado does not have the brightest GM either.  Get Feaster out of Calgary before it is too late.

Step 2: Dismantle team: Anyone over the age of 35 should be immediately traded by Calgary.  Iginla and Kiprusoff and fan favorites but they are getting this team no closer to the playoffs.  Iginla is a UFA at the end of the season, so it only makes sense to trade this man to a playoff contender.  Get draft picks or top 6 forward prospects.  Build around these guys and use your draft picks to build a brighter future.  Kiprusoff could be a perfect fit on a team who sees a goalie injured before the deadline.  Maybe Ottawa or even Tampa Bay would be interested in dishing young talent for this veteran goalie.  As for Iginla, who wouldn't want this guy.  If you have 7 million available under your salary cap, throw this guy on your roster.  I see St. Louis, Dallas, Anaheim, Detroit, or even Nashville as potential destinations for him.  Get Cammalleri and Bouwmeester out of there too if you have potential suitors.  The younger this team gets, the better.

Step 3: Be Patient; Draft wisely:  The Edmonton Oilers have been spoiled by having the 1st overall pick three years running.  The Calgary Flames will have the benefit of great picks if they go with the rebuilding route.  It is not in Calgary's best interest to do what Edmonton did.  Learn from the mistakes of your rivals in Alberta.  Do not take players who can make the biggest impact on your roster now.  Take the players who can have a strong and long lasting impact on your team in the future.  If somebody were to ask me if Taylor Hall is, or will ever be, a better player than Tyler Seguin I would laugh in their face before saying a very confident no.  RNH is solid but is he better than Landeskog, Huberdeau, Strome, Larsson, or some of the other guys drafter after him?  I do not think so, but stay tuned.  Nail Yakupov has shown endless talent in his brief NHL stint so far; but he has also showed he is scared to get hit and is too small to handle the physicality of the NHL.  The Oilers addressed immediate issues.  They drafter pro-ready players over the best players.  And it is because of this that the Oilers are still mediocre despite Sam Gagner and Jordan Eberle carrying the team on their backs.  The Flames need to think long term, and not simply draft guys that can plug holes in their lineup now.  Think about how good Edmonton would be with Seguin and how Boston would still be good, but maybe Stanley Cup-less had they had Taylor Hall instead.  I understand a desire to be good, and get good quick, but patience is a virtue that should be used when drafting future talent.

Step 4: Make a REAL free agent splash:  Jay Feaster was on top of the world when he announced Hudler and Wideman were joining the Flames this season.  It only cost them 9.5 million dollars to get these 2 guys!!!  It is a joke.  Sign a real top level guy UNDER the age of 32 to build around.  Iginla is too old to build a team around at this point in his career.  Someone like Corey Perry, Nathan Horton, Valtteri Filppula, Alexander Semin, or Ryane Clowe would do the trick.  Heck, maybe they can pull off a Minnesota Wild and grab 2 of these guys in one offseason.  Either way, they need some serious talent and they need to pay money to get one of these guys to build around.  Then when your young guys hit their mid 20s and are ready to contend for a Stanley Cup, you have a savvy veteran ready to lead the troops into battle.  Obviously step 4 is not possible without the most important step 1 being completed.  Have I mentioned Jay Feaster is bad at his job?

I hope the best for Calgary, because it pains me to see Iginla and company at the bottom of the pack.  Do what is best for both parties.  The Flames are better off trading him, and Iginla deserves another run at a Stanley Cup before he retires.  Radical movement is necessary to get this organization turned around, and I hope my 4 steps or something similar can be utilized to get Calgary back on the map.  If nothing changes in Calgary, the battle for Alberta will be the only meaningful games Calgary will play in the next 5 seasons.

NHL Power Rankings (2 of 4)

Most teams have completed around 24 of their 48 games and so far every team is still in the playoff hunt.  That sets up another exciting 24 games to finish the short year of hockey.  Here is my 2nd of 4 power rankings:
Crosby and Kunitz are tearing it up
and making defensemen look stupid.

  1. Chicago Blackhawks
  2. Anaheim Ducks
  3. Boston Bruins
  4. Montreal Canadiens
  5. Pittsburgh Penguins
  6. Los Angeles Kings
  7. Carolina Hurricanes
  8. Toronto Maple Leafs
  9. Ottawa Senators
  10. Minnesota Wild
  11. Vancouver Canucks
  12. San Jose Sharks
  13. New Jersey Devils
  14. New York Rangers
  15. St. Louis Blues
  16. Detroit Red Wings
  17. Dallas Stars
  18. Nashville Predators
  19. Winnipeg Jets
  20. Washington Capitals
  21. Colorado Avalanche
  22. New York Islanders
  23. Colorado Avalanche
  24. Columbus Blue Jackets
  25. Philadelphia Flyers
  26. Edmonton Oilers
  27. Calgary Flames
  28. Tampa Bay Lightning
  29. Buffalo Sabres
  30. Florida Panthers
How the divisions break down:
Atlantic:
Kunitz and Crosby look unstoppable.  The Penguins offense has not taken a step back despite losing Malkin to injury.  If they can sure up their defense they could be a cup contender.  Jersey slipped a bit but are still hanging around the playoff picture.  Nash looking better every day in New York.  Islanders hanging in there while Philly continues to struggle.  Flyers team defense and goaltending might be the worst in the league.

Northeast:
Boston has played the least amount of games and yet they are still on Montreal's tail.  The Habs continue to impress as Carey Price enters the group of elite goalies in the league.  Price could steal team Canada's starting goalie job from Luongo/Ward/Brodeur/Fleury.  Ottawa staying in the mix despite Karlsson and Anderson being injured.  Toronto thriving under new coach.  Buffalo a disaster, no reason to be as bad as they have played.

Southeast:
Carolina was not wrong to grab Jordan Staal and Alexander Semin this off season.  Despite Ward being hurt, they still sit on top of the Southeast.  Winnipeg is still hanging in the playoff picture.  Tampa Bay is clueless in their defensive zone and might miss playoffs despite St. Louis and Stamkos putting up stupid good numbers.  Florida keeps losing those OT games, but they won't have 17 OTL's propelling them to the playoffs this year.  Washington is improving but still bad.  Ribeiro Washington's MVP at the halfway mark.

Central:
Chicago finally lost a game but they are basically a lock for either the 1 or 2 seed in the west conference.  Detroit, Nashville, and St. Louis pass each other every day as they jostle for position.  2 of those 3 should make the playoffs.  Columbus has lost 3 of their best players and yet, they find themselves on a 5 game winning streak.  Could they be rallying around their defensive style and Bobrovsky?

Northwest:
Vancouver continues to roll Cory Schneider out as their "starter," but Luongo has significantly superior numbers.  They need to trade one of them or start utilizing the tandem better.  Minnesota is on top of the division as people may have suspected.  Yes, Suter and Parise are good enough to transform a bottom 5 team in the NHL into a playoff team.  Alberta continues to be a joke of a hockey province.  Colorado finally has O'Reilly back but it could be too late for them to make a playoff push.  In other news, Jay Feaster of the Calgary Flames wins worst GM of the year for the 5th time in 8 years and still has a job in Calgary after he almost traded a 1st and 3rd round pick to Colorado so Ryan O'Reilly could play for a different team (probably Columbus).  He has Garth Snow to thank for the 3 years he lost.

Pacific:
As expected this entire division is good again.  If the season ended today all 5 teams would see the postseason.  The Ducks continue to surprise and could even take the President's Trophy right out of Chicago's hands.  It is amazing what Getzlaf and Perry can do with contracts on the line.  The Sharks continues to take every game into overtime, yet cannot seem to get a win streak going.  The Kings look like their former selves, kind of.  They are winning again but its Bernier getting it done in net, not Quick.  Also they are scoring at will and mediocre defensively.  Completely different looking team from last year but it is the winning that matters most.  Dallas and Phoenix are hindered by a budget but they still play tough hockey and look to stay in the playoff mix to the end.  Side note: Joe Nieuwendyk made a puzzling trade by trading a 3rd round pick and Michael Ryder to Montreal for Erik Cole.  Ryder was on a 7 game point streak and killing it with Eriksson and Benn, but I guess he saw something in Cole....

UFC 158: GSP VS Diaz

Carlos Condit puts on a show win or lose.
For the 2nd time in a row at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, top welterweights GSP, Johny Hendricks, and Carlos Condit will be the main attraction.  Georges will again be defending his title in front of the home crowd in Montreal, while Hendricks again will be taking the back seat in the co-main event.  Condit and Hendricks will be battling it out for a chance to fight for the welterweight title.  GSP is doing more than just simply defending his belt when he squares off against Nick Diaz on Saturday night.  He has vengeance on his mind and he wants to beat Diaz silly for his offensive comments.  Throw in top welterweights Nate "the Great" Marquardt taking on Jake Ellenberger and you have quite a night of fights.

Let me begin with the Facebook portion of UFC 158 starting at 7pm:

  • George Roop realized the featherweight division is too stacked for him and he is trying to get a fresh start at 135lbs.  He will be taking on a man with a 1-2 UFC record in Reuben Duran.  Everyone knows the UFC has to make crazy amounts of cuts so there is a lot on the line in the first fight of the night.  I see Roop laying it all out there and impressing in his bantamweight debut.  Roop via first round KO.
  • T.J. Dillashaw had his only professional mixed martial arts loss on the Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale against John Dodson.  He will be taking on Japan's Issei Tamura in the second fight on Facebook. Tamura lost his only fight outside of Japan when he fought Raphael Assuncao in San Jose and I see him losing his Canadian debut on Saturday.  Dillashaw via submission (RNC).
  • Closing out the Facebook portion of Saturday night will be welterweights Rick Story and Quinn Mulhern.  Story has dropped 3 of his last 4 but he is the only man to defeat #1 welterweight contender Johny Hendricks.  Mulhern is just another Strikeforce guy looking to impress in his UFC debut.  Story has only been submitted by ridiculous submission expert Demian Maia so i see Story using submission defense and squeaking out a split decision.  On a side note, the only time I picked against a Strikeforce guy in my picking career was when i picked Koscheck over Lawler.  Needless to say, Lawler destroyed him with a first round KO.  Don't make me regret this Rick Story.  Don't do it!

At 8pm Saturday night the FX portion of UFC 158 will begin with a bang:

  • The Detroit Superstar, Daron Cruickshank, will be taking on John Makdessi in a lightweight battle.  Makdessi will enter this fight with a mediocre 3-2 UFC record.  As for his opponent, Daron Cruickshank is the reason I began following mixed martial arts.  When I heard a friend of mine talking about her step brother being on The Ultimate Fighter Live, I could not help but tune in.  Little did I know I would be captivated by the sport of MMA and I have Daron to thank for that.  I will root for him and blindly pick him to win every fight.  I have confidence in him and I am taking him to deliver another spectacular knockout.  Cruickshank via KO.
  • The second fight on FX shockingly will be between welterweights! (6 of 12 fights on this card are welterweights)  Jim Miller's older brother Dan will be looking to build on his 1-0 welterweight record when he takes on Jordan Mein.  Mein has won 8 of his last 9 with his only loss being to top welterweight Tyron Woodley via split decision.  Yet again we have a UFC veteran vs a Strikeforce prospect.  Even though Miller has lost 5 of his last 8, when you look at his opponents (Sonnen, Bisping, Maia, Marquardt, and Palhares) you can give him a little bit of a break.  Throw in the fact he has never been finished in his mixed martial arts career and I have more faith in Miller.  I think Mein is at the beginning of a potential great career, but I am taking Miller to win a decision.  I think the Strikeforce train is about to come to a temporary halt.
  • Despite a 5-1 UFC record and 4 fight winning streak at featherweight, Darren Elkins has yet to make noise.  However it is hard to pick against him until he faces a quality opponent.  Antonio Carvalho is not a quality opponent.  He has 5 professional losses to guys I have never heard of and I see Elkins making it 5 in a row with a win on Saturday.  Elkins via decision.
  • Patrick Cote was the first man to last more than 2 rounds with Anderson Silva until his knee suddenly gave out on him.  He followed up that fight with back to back losses which resulted in him being cut from the UFC.  After a solid stint with other organizations he came back to the UFC only to be defeated by Cung Le.  Alessio Sakara then went on to knock him out, only to have the fight ruled a DQ win for Cote.  If not for this VERY controversial disqualification, Cote would be 0-5 in his last 5 UFC fights.  Like other fighters who know their UFC lives are on the line, Cote decided to switch up his like by dropping down a weight class.  Meanwhile his opponent Bobby Voelker only seems interested in fighting Roger Bowling.  They have met 3 times since May 2010, with Bobby winning the last 2 meetings.  Although I talked about the Strikeforce train being derailed at UFC 158, it does not mean they will go winless.  I am taking Voelker via TKO so I don't get in trouble for disrespecting Strikeforce guys too much.

That brings us to the PPV portion of UFC 158.  It is 10pm Saturday night so get to the nearest bar showing the fights and get ready for more action:


  • The PPV portion begins with a pair of TUF runner ups in Mike Ricci and Colin Fletcher.  Ricci lost in the finale of one of the most brutal seasons of TUF.  However he trains at Tristar Gym in Montreal with GSP and Rory MacDonald.  Ricci shows a lot of promise and he could be a future star in the UFC.  As for Fletcher, all I really know about him is he has some ugly teeth and scary tattoos.  He represents the UK against the hometown boy in Ricci.  I am going with Ricci via decision but I have little info to back up my prediction.  When in doubt you have to side with the home team.
  • Next up is a middleweight bout between Chris Camozzi and Nick Ring.  I must admit I have never seen Camozzi fight so I do not know what he is capable of.  However, I am a big fan of what I have seen out of Nick Ring.  His only career loss is to top middleweight Tim Boetsch.  His last win was over Court McGee, and after seeing Court trounce Josh Neer I have to say that Ring is for real.  I do not know what to expect as far as excitement for this fight is concerned, but I do think Ring is a lock to win this fight.  Ring via decision.
  • Had Jake Ellenberger finished Kampmann, he may have been headlining this event as the top contender to GSP.  Instead, he got knocked out and sent to the back of the line.  Former top UFC middleweight Nate Marquardt will be looking to avenge his loss to Tarec Saffadine when he makes his return to the octagon on Saturday.  These are two finishers looking to jump back into the top of the welterweight mix.  I have flip flopped a bunch of times on this one but I think I am going with Marquardt via split decision.  Yes I know I just called them both finishers.  However, Ellenberger is known for gassing early in fights.  Marquardt has not been finished by anyone since Anderson Silva in 2007.  I see Nate weathering the early storm in the first round only to come back and win the next two.
  • Speaking of going back on forth on who I think will win a fight:  Carlos Condit against Johny Hendricks has me more baffled than any fight of recent memory.  I love both of these guys.  Condit is such an accomplished mixed martial artists and he pushed GSP to the brink of defeat in a tremendous fight last time he was in the octagon.  He has a devastating striking game with some crazy kicks.  Hendricks is the wrestler who used Chuck Liddell style wrestling to keep the fight standing and knock people's heads off.  Hendricks has fought and defeated the top of the division in Fitch, Koscheck, and Kampmann.  I have labeled him as the man born to dethrone GSP before and I am sticking with it.  Love you Carlos, but you do not have the wrestling to handle Hendricks.  I am more worried about Condit winning with an armbar than I am worried about his striking game (which again is top of the division striking).  This is simply because I do not know where Johny's jiu jitsu is at right now.  I think Johny will take Carlos down and do damage before ultimately catching him with his striking.  Hendricks has a nuclear bomb for a left hand and yes, I am predicting it will strike again.  3rd round KO win for Johny Hendricks.  I know MMA math is not perfect but Condit lost to Kampmann, who was bested by Hendricks in under 2 minutes.  This gives me a tad bit more reenforcement that my pick isn't too dumb.
  • Normally I like to build up a main event before I jump into my prediction.  I like to show why this challenger for the title is unique and intriguing.  Nick Diaz does not pose any new challenges GSP has not already dealt with.  This is a joke of a fight since Diaz is coming off of a banned substance suspension and a loss to the man GSP just beat.  Hendricks should be fighting GSP on Saturday night,  not that I don't love the co-main event of UFC 158.  That said, GSP will trounce Nick Diaz and defend his title with relative ease.  Here is where I throw you the curveball: Georges St. Pierre will knock Nick Diaz out.  The man known for defensive fights and winning decisions with wrestling will beat Diaz at his own game and out box the tremendous striker.  GSP via 4th round KO that send the Bell Centre into an explosion!


Predictions entering UFC 158: 35/69: 50.07%