UFC 81 Preview and Predictions

Date: Feb. 2, 2008
Location: Las Vegas, Nev.
Venue: Mandalay Bay Events Center
Broadcast: Pay-Per-View

MAIN CARD (TELEVISED)

* Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir - Mir is a jiu jitsu specialist most well known for turning Tim Sylvia into a lefty for a few months. That said, he only has a couple of ways he is gonna win this fight. Mir doesn’t have strong stand-up skills but he would be effective if he is able to use a jab and leg kicks in order to disrupt Lesnar and keep him from being effective with his boxing. If he does that, he will force Lesnar to go for the takedown and try to ground and pound for the win. Lesnar may think that plays to his strength but it would be playing into Mir’s hands. Lenar may think his wrestling is the mutts nuts but without a couple of years training in how to effectively use it in someone’s guard it will be a matter of time before Mir is able to sneak in a sub. Lesnar’s best chance at winning is to use boxing skills as well as a good clinch game with dirty boxing mixed in to brutalize Mir. Will Lesnar’s ego talk him into thinking he can beat Mir on the ground? I think so, I’m picking Mir by a sub in round 2.
* Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Tim Sylvia (for interim heavyweight title) - Timmy gets a decision win here. He should be able to use his immense seize to avoid Nog’s takedowns. It will be a boxing match from there and and Tim will use his reach to win the stand -up. Syvia by decision.
* Ricardo Almeida vs. Alan Belcher - This fight is a classic striker vs Jiu Jitsu match-up. Almeida’s resigning to the UFC is a sad commentary on the shallow talent pool at 185 in the UFC. He’s basically a burn-out case from the old days who hasn’t fought in several years, but someone at Zuffa must think he is the answer to what is ailing the middleweight division. Belcher is a kickboxer who hasn’t shown much prowess at MMA but has some middling success using his striking skills. I’ll take Belcher.
* Jeremy Horn vs. Nate Marquardt - Horn is a submission based wrestler/grappler who was once one of the better 185er’s ou there but at this point in his career is a “name” guy to stick on the card to give the appearance that something interesting is going on. I’m not fooled. Add to this Nate Marquardt. Folks on the PP MMA forum call Tim Sylvia the Big ZZZzzz but Marquardt makes Big Tim look like excitement personified. Marquardt put on one of the most boring fights in televised history vs Ivan Salaverry. He was so boring he was relegated to the undercard for the next year even though he was fighting some good 185er’s. He went undefeated only to get royally pwned by Anderson Silva. I’ll take Marquardt, boring doesn’t necessarily mean not effective.

PRELIMINARY CARD (NOT TELEVISED)

* Tyson Griffin vs. Gleison Tibau - hey look, someone with an actual future ahead of them on the undercard. Tyson Griffin is an up and comer in the lightweight division and unlike a certain Mr Huerta, he’s actually fightin folks you’ve heard of. He’s beaten Uriah Faber, Bang Ludwig, Clay Guida, along with a close loss to Frankie Edgar. He is fighting Gleison Tibau, who is a jiu jitsu guy. Griffin handled bjj fighter Thiago Tavares in his last fight, and I think he will again use his striking and superior wrestling to overpower Tibau in the guard.
* Kyle Bradley vs. Chris Lytle
* Marvin Eastman vs. Terry Martin- If it were up to me Eastman would enter the ring to the tune of “Don’t Stop Believin” while Martin would come in to “Any Way You Want it” and they would be fighting for the Steve Perry Memorial championship…. because these two guys are the very essence of Journey - men. As long as they keep puttin on undercards these guys will have food on the table.
* Tim Boetsch VS. David Heath
* Rob Emerson vs. Keita Nakamura