UFC 113: How Kyle and I fared

We did fairly well with last night's fights in Montreal, but there were definitely some surprises.

First, the undercard, most of which we didn't get to see.

Jason MacDonald vs. John Salter

Kyle chose MacDonald, while I opted for Salter. Going strictly by the result, I was right, because Salter won, but I don't feel good about the way I did. The reason is that MacDonald hurt his ankle, maybe broke it, in the first round, so Salter won by TKO.

Yoshiyuki Yoshida vs. Mike Guymon

We both selected Yoshida, we both expected him to dominate Guymon, and we were both wrong. Guymon won a unanimous decision after also winning every round.

Tim Hague vs. Joey Beltran

I figured Beltran to out-strike Hague, and Kyle predicted that Hague would win by grinding on the smaller Beltran. I came out ahead on our second disagreement, as Beltran won a unanimous decision.

T.J. Grant vs. Johny Hendricks

We both opted for Hendricks, with Kyle predicting a KO and me a TKO or a decision. We were both right to go with Hendricks, who won a majority decision. Go, us!

Jonathan Goulet vs. Marcus Davis

The UFC showed this one. Goulet did pretty well in the first round, and for a little bit I thought we might have been wrong to choose Davis. Then, though, Davis came through and won by TKO, making both of us right again.

Joe Doerksen vs. Tom Lawlor

This one also made it to the PPV. The first round was largely the way we called it, with Lawlor carrying it. In the second, though, Doerksen looked fresher, turned the tables, and when Lawlor made a mistake and left his neck unguarded, he slapped on a rear naked choke and won the fight. We blew this one.

So, as we moved to the main card, I was 4-2 and well ahead of Kyle, who was 2-4.

Alan Belcher vs. Patrick Cote

We both figured Belcher would win, with Kyle guessing he would do so by beating up Cote and me calling for a close decision. We were both right to call for Belcher, but neither of us predicted the manner: He won by submission.

Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson vs. Matt Mitrione

I can't figure out why anyone called for Kimbo to win, but that doesn't matter; we knew Mitrione would win, and he did. Though Kimbo managed some impressive takedowns, they didn't phase Mitrione. Mitrione punished Kimbo's legs, and Kimbo ultimately gassed. The ref had to pull Mitrione off Kimbo in the second.

Jeremy Stephens vs. Sam Stout

We both chose Stout, and we both could make a good case for him having won; mmaweekly.com, for example, gave the fight to Stout. Stephens did more damage and hit with more power, but Stout probably landed more punches. The judges went with Stephens and gave the split decision to him.

Josh Koscheck vs. Paul Daley

We considered this fight a sure thing for Koscheck, and it pretty much was; he won all three rounds and a unanimous decision. As frequently happens in a Koscheck fight, though, there was some unnecessary drama. First, he called for a knee to him while he was down, but the replay showed the knee never connected. After the fight, in a move I've never witnessed before, Daley sucker-punched Kochcheck. If Daley doesn't get a suspension, something is very wrong, because that was one of the worst bits of conduct I've ever seen in a fight.

Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

Holy crap did Shogun look good! He dominated Machida for the few minutes of the first round that the fight lasted before he beat the former champ by TKO. Machida hit him a few times and took him down a couple of times, but Shogun never looked to be in trouble. He kept charging after Machida, absorbed some shots, and ultimately dropped the champion and knocked him out. Boy, were we wrong on this one. Shogun looked amazing, and Machida looked dazed and confused.

When the main card ended, we were both 3-2 on it, which made me 7-4 for the night and Kyle 5-6. Any way you cut it, that's a clear win for me!


Reminder: As always, don't use us for betting advice.