Yo, yo, yo! It’s been all fantasy football around these parts lately, but this week is a MMA fan’s dream. No one delivers the goods better than the UFC and this week, they are bringing it! Starting with tonight’s UFC Fight Night 19 from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Following the Fight Night, will be the 10th season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). This season it’s the heavyweights, but they might as well call it "the Kimbo season" because that’s why people will be watching it and what it will be remembered for. This season’s coaches are Rampage Jackson and Rashaud Evans. The two were scheduled to fight later this year, but last week the fight was postponed because it’s going to interfere with Rampage’s role in the “A-Team” movie. I think that’s pretty stupid, but whatever, it’s his career. Anyways, in addition to all of that, there is a UFC pay-per-view on Saturday, UFC 103: Franklin vs Belfort. That event will take place in Texas and feature a total of 12 bouts including the main event of Rich “Ace” Franklin against Vitor Belfort who is making his return to the octagon. I’ll be doing a preview of that event later this week. I’ll also try to do a recap of the TUF episode. I have a pretty busy week so I may only be able to comment on it sparingly. Make sure you check this season out though because it is sure to entertain.
On to Wednesday’s Fight Night, the odds are from Betonfighting.com.
MAIN CARD
Nate Diaz -245 vs. Melvin Guillard +195
This line is set about right. I’m not very fond of Guillard at all. He’ll never be more than a run of the mill fighter. He gets main card fights because of his highlight knockouts of crap competition. He’ll beat the guys he’s supposed to but never beat someone he’s not supposed to. Diaz needs a win. After starting his UFC career by winning TUF and reeling off 5 straight wins, Diaz has lost back to back decisions against 2 guys known for their wrestling; Joe Stevenson and Clay Guida. I don’t think Diaz matches up well with bigger wrestler types, but he won’t have to worry about that in Guillard who likes to stand and bang. Diaz isn’t opposed to the stand up so I expect these guys to come out standing with Diaz being able to wear him out and win by decision or a mid round submission. I’ll go ahead and make an official pick on this one.
OFFICIAL PICK: Nate Diaz, 2.45 units to win 1 unit
Roger Huerta +285 vs. Gray Maynard -355
I think this will have fight of the night potential. I like Huerta a lot and he fights with a lot of heart but Maynard is a big 155er and has great wrestling and good boxing. Maynard doesn’t win pretty, but he wins. In all honesty, I don’t think Maynard has what it takes to be a top contender in this division. For instance, Huerta beat Clay Guida. Guida is not an easy win, just ask Nate Diaz. I think that if Maynard and Guida fought, Maynard would have a hard time with him. Based on Huerta being such a huge underdog, I’m going to go with him for the upset special. I like Huerta for a few reasons. First, he doesn’t quit. Second, he’s got 3 times as many fights as Maynard. Ring experience like that goes a long way in close fights. Third, this may be Huerta’s last fight in the UFC and he will not want to go quietly. Fourth, Huerta only has 2 losses, with one of them coming early in his career and the other coming to Kenny Florian. He was no match for Florian but he put up a good effort. If Maynard were to fight Florian, he wouldn’t have fared as well as Huerta. Yes, Maynard could come out and lay and pray his way to a decision but it won’t be easy for him against a guy like Huerta. I like Huerta to eek out a split decision.
OFFICIAL PICK: Roger “El Matador” Huerta, 1 unit to win 2.85 units
Carlos Condit -405 vs. Jake Ellenberger +305
I don’t know a lot about Ellenberger other than he used to fight in the IFL, he hasn’t beat anybody the caliber of Condit, and he’s making his UFC debut. For Condit, the kid is a beast. He is coming off a very close decision loss in his UFC debut to a very tough Martin Kampmann. Condit felt that he should of won that fight and will be looking to take out his frustrations against Ellenberger. I don’t usually like taking lines this high, but I expect Condit to come out and finish Ellenberger easily.
OFFICIAL PICK: Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit, 4.05 units to win 1 unit
Tim Credeur +195 vs. Nate Quarry -245
I’m not going to make an official play on this one. Quarry is a tough fighter who’s fought some good competition. Credeur is a tought jiu-jitsu fighter who’s made the most of his opportunity thus far in the UFC. There isn’t anything about this matchup that stands out as a distinct advantage for either fighter. Normally, that would lead me to taking an underdog, but I don’t know if Credeur is at Quarry’s level. At the same time, I’m not confident enough in Quarry to make a play on him to find out. This should be a good fight though, but no official play. Quarry probably wins by decision. If Credeur wins, it's going to be by decision.
PRELIMINARY CARD
Steve Cantwell -300 vs. Brian Stann +240
Ok, let me address something that pisses me off. These guys have already fought twice before. Stann won the first time, then Cantwell the 2nd time. He knocked Stann out to win the WEC Light Heavyweight belt before the WEC did away with their light heavyweight decision. That fight was last August. Now here’s what pisses me off… Do you mean to tell me that in all of the UFC and the 200 or so fighters they have under contract, that they couldn’t find someone else for these two guys to fight?! It’s one thing if this was for a belt or an epic trilogy like Chuck and Randy, but this is Brian Stann and Steven Cantwell. They’re good and have struggled since coming to the UFC, but I think it’s about 2 years too early to have to resort to this. The only reasoning I can think of is the UFC is going to drop the loser. If that’s the case, then this fight kind of makes sense. I don’t agree with that though as I think both guys have a real future in the organization, especially Cantwell who’s only 22 years old. I’m not really going to do much analysis since I already know how this fight plays out. Cantwell is still the better fighter and wins again, I’ll even go official on this one.
OFFICIAL PICK: Steve “The Robot” Cantwell, 3 units to win 1 unit
Mike Pyle -135 vs. Chris Wilson +105
I don’t know a lot about either of these fighters. If I had to pick I’d go with Wilson.
I like CB, but I don’t know enough about Silva to make an educated pick on this one. Silva is making his UFC debut. He’s 5-1 with four KO’s and one submission victory. CB is coming off a loss to a very tough Tom Lawler. I’d expect that he wants to bounce back with a win over Silva. I’m unofficially taking CB in this one.
Phillipe Nover +155 vs. Sam Stout -195
I’d expect this line to be higher. Nover had a good run when he was on TUF but has lost his 2 fights in the UFC. Stout is about has tough as they come. He’s not a top contender, but he’s also no joke. Stout should be able to over power Nover and impose his will at will. Nover really needs a win as guys on 3 fight losing streaks in the UFC usually don’t hang around for that long and Nover has lost 2 in a row. That may give him some extra motivation to win, but it won’t come easy against Stout. Stout wins by TKO.
OFFICIAL PICK: Sam “Hands of Stone” Stout, 1.95 units to win 1 unit
Justin Buchholz +195 vs. Jeremy Stephens -245
Stephens is a beast who’s fought tough competition. Buchholz is not. It’s that simple in this one. I expect Stephens to walk right though Buchholz on this one. Stephens by a ground-n-pound TKO.
OFFICIAL PICK: Jeremy “Lil Heathen” Stephens, 2.45 units to win 1 unit
Brock Larson -455 vs. Mike Pierce +355
Here’s another mismatch. Pierce is a very tough kid, I’ve seen him fight a few times in Matt Lindland’s Sportfight organization based out of Oregon. But Brock is a beast. Ever since Brock lost his WEC Welterweight belt to Carlos Condit, he’s been hell bent on getting back to the top of the welterweight division. In fact, he’s finished everyone he’s faced since Condit. Another thing about Larson is that he’s only lost twice; once to Condit and once to Jon Fitch; 2 of the welterweight's best. The ling is high on this one, but I don’t think Pierce should be much of a challenge for Larson. Larson by TKO.
OFFICIAL PICK: Brock Larson, 4.55 units to win 1 unit
Ryan Jensen -165 vs. Steven Steinbeiss +135
I don’t know much about either of these guys. If I had to pick, I’d go with Jensen who has fought more and fought tougher opponents.
RECAP
Since I started the blog, my official fight picks record is 9-3 (75%) for a total of +5 units. I’m carrying more heavy favorites than I normally do, but I feel good about these ones. To recap, here are my official plays for Wednesday night’s fight night…
- Nate Diaz, 2.45 units to win 1 unit
- Roger “El Matador” Huerta, 1 unit to win 2.85 units
- Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit, 4.05 units to win 1 unit
- Steve “The Robot” Cantwell, 3 units to win 1 unit
- Sam “Hands of Stone” Stout, 1.95 units to win 1 unit
- Jeremy “Lil Heathen” Stephens, 2.45 units to win 1 unit
- Brock Larson, 4.55 units to win 1 unit
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On to the fantasy...
WEEK 1 MATCHUPS
AntSports $50 Early Draft 11 FFL
FantasyFootballMMA.Blogspot.com
QB - Aaron Rodgers – 14.9
RB1 - Brian Westbrook - 16.2
RB2 - Frank Gore – 19.8
WR1 – Hines Ward – 18.3
WR2 – Laveranues Coles – 2.1
WR3 – Josh Morgan – 6.8
TE – Jason Witten – 12.1
K – John Carney – 9.9
D – Dallas Cowboys – 0
Total – 100.10
VS
Cobra Kai
QB – Matthew Stafford – 13.25
RB1 – Correll Buckhalter – 7.7
RB2 – Willis McGahee – 23.5
WR1 – Derrick Mason – 8.7
WR2 – Wes Welker – 21.3
WR3 – Larry Fitzgerald – 19.1
TE – Antonio Gates -13.3
K – Rob Bironas – 5.5
D – Pittsburgh Steelers – 9
Total – 121.35
My team has obvious issues at WR. Coles only getting 1 catch was very surprising and Morgan was about what I expected, but I was definitely hoping for more. He did not catch a pass in the 2nd half... awesome. I don’t know if I want to roll with him in the future at all. Just don’t trust the Niners passing game all that much. I know that he should be ok and that I’m panicking a little, but I should of won easily in this week. I also expected a bigger game from Rodgers, but he wasn’t terrible. Also, my Cowboys D experiment failed... miserably. I don’t understand how they could not sack Leftwich or force 1 turnover, ridiculous. I don’t think I’ll get any victory points in this league this week either. Time to work the waiver wire. Nice team management by Cobra Kai, he got the most out of his guys and it was enough to take me down this week.
WEEK 1 RESULT: LOSS, 121.35 to 100.10 (0-1, 0 VP)
The Fantasy Empire
FantasyFootballMMA.Blogspot.com
QB – Phillip Rivers – 15.6
RB1 – Adrian Peterson – 38.8
Flex – Reggie Bush - 10.9
WR1 – Marques Colston - 12
WR2 – Anthony Gonzalez - 0
WR3 – Eddie Royal – 3.8
K – John Carney - 9
D – Dallas Cowboys - 1
Total – 91.1
VS
Kevin’s Team
QB – Aaron Rodgers – 14.9
RB1 – Chris Johnson – 7.8
Flex – DeAngelo Williams – 17.9
WR1 – Earl Bennett – 13.6
WR2 – Vernon Davis - 9
WR3 – Tony Gonzalez – 18.3
K – Mason Crosby - 9
D – Philadelphia Eagles – 30
Total – 120.5
Well this team has some issues too. The sucky part is that AP’s 40 points went to waste this week. Kevin had a nice week and the Eagles D getting him 30 was definitely the production that put him over. His D outscored mine by 29 and I got hosed at WR. Colston missed some time in his game, Gonzalez hurt his knee in his, and Royal just didn’t get the looks I was expecting. The good news is that this is week 1 and there’s still a lot I like about my team. Not time to panic here. I was able to pick up Pierre Garcon who will start for Gonzalez over the next few weeks. Other good news is that I have Darren Sproles who I will likely be starting this week after his productive game Monday night and with LT banged up. Another encouraging sign was the Raiders Zach Miller. He looks like he might be a dependable 3rd WR option for me while Gonzalez is out.
WEEK 1 RESULT: LOSS 120.5 to 91.1 (0-1)
Ground & Pound
FantasyFootballMMA.Blogspot.com
QB - Aaron Rodgers – 15.9
RB1 – Ronnie Brown – 8.3
RB2 – Ray Rice 14
WR1 – Reggie Wayne – 32.2
WR2 – Steve Smith – 5.5
WR3 – Braylon Edwards – 2.2
TE – Antonio Gates – 13.3
Flex1 – Leon Washington – 12.4
Flex2 – Mike Bell – 14.3
K – Ryan Longwell - 10.7
D – Dallas Cowboys – 0
Total – 128.8
VS
Genesis
QB – Trent Edwards – 21.1
RB1 – Reggie Bush – 11.9
RB2 – Brian Westbrook – 16.2
WR1 – Laveranues Coles – 2.1
WR2 – Wes Welker – 21.3
WR3 – Ted Ginn – 5.5
TE – Dallas Clark – 7.9
Flex1 – Lance Moore – 5.8
Flex2 – Mushin Muhammad – 8.1
K – Robbie Gould – 8.7
D – New England Patriots – 6
Total – 114.6
I got a great game from Reggie Wayne and solid efforts from my RBs. This team went the way I was hoping except at D obviously (thanks again Dallas!) and at my other 2 WR positions. Delhomme killed Steve Smith’s production and Edwards would have had a better game had a 30 yard TD he had not have been nullified by a penalty, which was complete BS in my opinion. This week's performance from this team was pretty decent. In this league you need to have a pretty solid week every week because most of the teams are good. As you'll see, I ended up going 1-1 this week in this league. That's ok, as long as I can avoid the 0-2 weeks, I should be ok.
FantasyFootballMMA.Blogspot.com
QB - Aaron Rodgers – 15.9
RB1 – Ronnie Brown – 8.3
RB2 – Ray Rice 14
WR1 – Reggie Wayne – 32.2
WR2 – Steve Smith – 5.5
WR3 – Braylon Edwards – 2.2
TE – Antonio Gates – 13.3
Flex1 – Leon Washington – 12.4
Flex2 – Mike Bell – 14.3
K – Ryan Longwell - 10.7
D – Dallas Cowboys - 0
Total – 128.8
VS
Rhymenocerous
QB – Tom Brady – 26.8
RB1 – Felix Jones – 2.2
RB2 – Derrick Ward – 16.3
WR1 – Larry Fitzgerald – 19.1
WR2 – Greg Jennings – 24.6
WR3 – Calvin Johnson - 12
TE – Dustin Keller – 13.4
Flex1 – Laurent Robinson – 13.4
Flex2 – Darren Sproles – 17.6
K – Kris Brown - 1
D – San Diego Chargers – 7
Total - 153.7
I just didn’t have enough to keep up with Rhyme this week. I think if we played every week it would probably end in a 50/50 split. He got me this week. I’ll get him later this year. I was able to sneak into victory point range by finishing 8th this week in scoring for 1 VP and 2 more for the win vs Genesis.
WEEK 1 RESULT: 1 WIN – 128.8 to 114.6, 1 LOSS – 153.7 to 128.8 (1-1, 3 VP)
Ace Trophy (Yardage Only)
FantasyFootballMMA.Blogspot.com
QB – Carson Palmer - 12
RB1 – Reggie Bush - 6
RB2 – DeAngelo Williams - 7
WR1 – TJ Houshmandzadeh - 4
WR2 – Andre Johnson - 3
TE – Jason Witten - 7
K – Robbie Gould - 8
D – Chicago Bears - 2
Total – 49
VS
Assbags
QB – Peyton Manning - 15
RB1 – Marion Barber - 7
RB2 – Chris Johnson - 6
WR1 – Lee Evans - 2
WR2 – Larry Fitzgerald - 7
TE – Greg Olsen - 0
K – Stephen Gostkowski - 7
D – New York Jets – 3
Total – 47
I really got lucky here. I was up 11 going into the Monday night game and he still had Evans and Gostkowski. I thought for sure I was toast. Gostkowski missed a FG in the 1st quarter that would of won the matchup for the ABs. I’m happy to get out of this one with a win. Both of my WRs came up small and I expected more from my RBs as well. It's always a blessing when you can win on an off week.
WEEK 1 RESULT: WIN 49 to 47 (1-0)
Rotobowl
FantasyFootballMMA.Blogspot.com
QB – Phillip Rivers – 15.5
RB1 – Michael Turner – 6.5
RB2 – Kevin Smith – 20.2
WR1 – Reggie Wayne – 32.2
WR2 – Santonio Holmes - 28.1
WR3 – Lee Evans – 5.5
TE – John Carlson – 27.5
Flex 1 – Mike Bell – 14.3
Flex 2 – Heath Miller - 14.4
K – John Carney - 9
D – New Orleans Saints – 7
Total – 180.2
VS
Team DR
QB – Kurt Warner - 16
RB1 – Thomas Jones – 22.7
RB2 – Chris Johnson - 7.8
WR1 – Larry Fitzgerald – 19.1
WR2 – Vincent Jackson – 16.6
WR3 – Terrell Owens – 6.6
TE – Visanthe Shiancoe – 5.6
Flex1 – Nate Burleson – 20.4
Flex2 – Correll Buckhalter – 7.7
K – Rob Bironas - 5
D – Dallas Cowboys - 0
Total – 127.5
Not gonna lie, I'm sipping on a little bit of Kool-Aid with this team after their week 1 performance. We scored 2nd highest in our league and won our matchup easily. We got huge games from Wayne, Holmes, and Carlon and solid performanace from Rivers, Bell, Miller, and Kevin Smith. Turner didn’t do much, but thankfully, this was a good week for him to come up small. More good news is that we also have Willis McGahee who had a great game and looks like he’ll get similar touches in the Ravens offense this year. It’s really important to get off to a good start in this league because the margin of error is so small. I’m definitely pumped about this team. We’ll get 2 points for the win and 1 point for scoring in the top 6. The overall rankings came out as well and we are currently sitting at 20th.
WEEK 1 RESULT: WIN 180.2 to 127.5 (1-0, 3 VP, currently ranked 20th overall)
OVERALL WEEK 1 PERFORMANCE (for all of my leagues) – 3-3 with 6 VPs
SURVIVOR POOLS
My week 1 pick - New Orleans Saints to beat the Detroit Lions…WINNER, WINNER CHICKEN DINNER
Teams picked - Saints (Week 1)
8-A-Week Survivor Pool
1. Minnesota over Cleveland…WINNER
2. New Orleans over Detroit…WINNER
3. Cincinnati over Denver…&*$# You BRANDON STOKLEY
4. Seattle over St. Louis…WINNER
5. New England over Buffalo…WINNER
6. San Diego over Oakland…WINNER
7. Baltimore over Kansas City…WINNER
8. Dallas over Tampa Bay…WINNER
Rough way to lose this week, lol. I almost hit all 8 had it not been for the Brandon Stokley right place, right time TD. Oh well, I don’t think anyone else hit all 8 of their matchups so the prize from week 1 will carry over to week 2. It’s very encouraging though that I almost cleared all 8 the first week.
Well that's all for now. You got the best of both world's in this one and I hope you enjoyed it. Check back later this week for more MMA and fantasy football goodness courtesy of your boy, jg!
-jg-
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