UFC 110: How we did

Ouch! We called several fights wrong this time. So you can see the error of our ways, let me dive right into it, starting, as usual, with the undercard.

James Te Huna vs. Igor Pokrajac

We picked called Te Huna, and he indeed was the victor. They didn't broadcast this one, so I can't comment much on how it went, but Te Huna won by a TKO in the third, which is consistent with both of our predictions.

CB Dollaway vs. Goran Reljic

This was another fight they didn't broadcast, which may have been for the best, because it was our first error. Dolloway won a unanimous decision over Reljic.

Chris Lytle vs. Brian Foster

We didn't do any better in this fight, as Chris Lytle defeated Brian Foster via, of all things, a knee-bar submission in the first round. Like many people, I keep forgetting that Lytle is a BJJ black belt. Foster was winning this one, but he left his leg in easy grabbing range for Lytle, and Lytle capitalized on the error. The knee-bar was brutal, and Foster spent a lot of time on the ground in pain. I hope his knee recovers.

Stephan Bonnar vs. Krzysztof Soszynski

Finally, we got back on track in this fight, in which Soszynski beat Bonnar by TKO in the third. That said, what finally stopped Bonnar was not that he was losing, which I think he was, but instead a doctor's stoppage due to a cut from an accidental head-butt. The ref said the cut was from a punch, but the replay clearly showed it was an accidental clash of their heads. Had it gone to a decision, though, Soszynski still should have won.

So, at the end of the four-fight undercard, we were 2-2. Not very impressive. We had to hope that the main card would improve our percentages.

Mirko Cro Cop vs. Anthony Perosh

You have to feel bad for Perosh, who took this fight on short notice--and even turned out to have somewhat mixed feelings about it, because his parents are Croatian. Yes, he lost, via TKO at the end of the second, when the doctor wouldn't let the fight continue, but he gave it his all. He was just never in the fight. I would like to have seen Cro Cop against a serious fighter. I would also have liked to have seen Cro Cop throw more kicks; he used them rarely in this bout.

Keith Jardine vs. Ryan Bader

We were also right on this one, as Bader maintained his undefeated streak. What we didn't get correct was the way Bader would win: a knockout in the third. I had expected this to be a boring fight, but it wasn't, as the fighters traded punches and Jardine managed to stuff most of Bader's take-down attempts. In the end, though, Bader pegged Jardine and finished him.

Joe Stevenson vs. George Sotiropoulos

Just as I was feeling good about our main card chances, along came this fight. Sotiropoulos dominated Stevenson, who was game but always trailing, and won a unanimous decision. On the ground, Sotiropoulos put on a BJJ clinic and just out-classed Stevenson. Sotiropoulos was also more precise striking. I was very impressed by his performance.

We're now 2-1 on main card, and 4-3 overall.

Wanderlei Silva vs. Michael Bisping

Silva didn't knock-out Bisping, but he did win a decision in a very close fight. Silva was more controlled and precise than I've ever seen him. Though I don't think he has any chance of hanging with that other Silva, the champ, Anderson Silva, Wanderlei definitely earned the right to keep fighting.

And, he also made us 3-1 on the main card, 5-3 overall, and left me feeling good about how we would end the show.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez

So much for that feeling. Either Cain Velasquez is for real, or Big Nog has taken one too many punches. Regardless of the reason, Velasquez out-struck Nogueira, looked consistently better for the short time the fight lasted, and then knocked out Big Nog early in the first round. Wow. With Lesnar, Mir, Carwin, and Dos Santos, to name but four stand-outs, all as possible opponents, Velasquez's next attempt to climb the heavyweight ladder won't be easy, but it should be entertaining.

We ended the evening with five correct choices and four errors, definitely not one of our best performances--but slightly better than a coin flip. Here's hoping we do better next time.