UFC on Versus

UFC on Versus There is another UFC card on tonight on the Versus Channel and I like quite a few of the fights. [B]Diego Sanchez +115 vs. Martin Kampmann[/B] Sanchez has the better ground game, experience, heart and cardio, while Kampmann looks too much for the submissions and Sanchez very difficult to submit. [B]Reuben Duran +175 vs. Takeya Mizusaki[/B] I saw this kid Duran fight previously and would hope he makes it to UFC and this is his opportunity. A very explosive, powerful puncher and exciting to watch, which is something the UFC is always looking for. Mizusaki coming up from WEC is just ok can't hurt no one. [B]Rob Kimmons +200 vs. Dongi Yang[/B] Yang has one loss and that was to Chris Canozzi who was just destroyed last week in UFC 127 by Kyle Noke. Kimmons lost to Noke in a good fight. [B]Dave Branch +145 vs. Rousimar Palhares[/B] Branch gets better with each fight and when you see these two in the ring it will look like a mistmatch. Branch a fine looking ripped fighter at 6' 1" against the older slower Palhares at 5' 8"....power vs. submissions, hopefully we get there first.

Palhares and Yang had a hard time making weight...

Brutal! How can one judge have Duran 30-27 and the other 27-30? I had Diego winning the last two rounds......and we'll bet him again in the re-match.

Kampmann just doesn't do enough to clearly win. Decent boxing skills but he DOESN'T move his head when he throws punches. Any very good striker will KTFO of him. Sanchez is a poor striker and rocked him.

Thinking about the art of MMA fighting, I thought about the one fight that showed me something. The Roller fight. Roller's stand up was some of the worst I could imagine, he had terribly slow hands that he had no idea where to carry. The key thing and in his case may have been luck, was the jab and straight punch, straight right in his case. Roller blows at stand up, yet he KO'd Tavares. How, the combo punch. The jab that blinds and moves Tavares' hand and the straight right that lands flush and the fight is over. I watch guys like Kampmann and cannot fathom why they cannot simply do this basic bit of punching; that most B level boxers do without thought.

The more I watch, the more it seems that stand-up takes on the highest magnitude of importance at the lower levels. The best guys have good stand-up games, but don't depend on it. St. Pierre is an excellent example. Even Silva, who's known for his stand-up doesn't remotely depend on it. Where it becomes important at the higher levels is in the case we just saw where Kampmann was able to defend the takedown so well. Siver was another example. But the great wrestler will eventually get it to the ground. Even Sanchez pulled out one, which probably won that match.

Highly debatable decision. Kampmann broke his hand late in the 3rd round but Sanchez looked to be trying harder. Kampmann out landed Sanchez by 26 strikes. Sanchez had the one takedown. Sanchez's face will end up on one of those top 20 most F'd faces after a fight.