UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Mir

[No More Sorrow]

: Just read an interview with Struve and he's saying he has a striking advantage in this fight

 

[spiderman]

Most of Struve's fight usually wont last long, either he gets a submission or knocks his opponent out or he gets knocked out. I can see him lying on the floor already when he faces Mark Hunt. For sure he can't take Hunt's punches.

 

[spiderman]

Re: UFC On FX 3: Johnson vs. McCall II

With too many fighters lining up trying to get a paycheck, I can understand the UFC for trying to make so many events this year.

 

[Deezy]

Too bad he isn't taking on Mark Hunt anymore, still probz shouldn't trade with Lavar.

Most of the guys losses are from subs. Don't mess with the recipe if it's still working.

 

[No More Sorrow]

Pre-Fight Press Conference today @ 2

 

[No More Sorrow]

Pros Pick Dos Santos or Mir

It was not the main event the Ultimate Fighting Championship had envisioned, but when Junior dos Santos meets Frank Mir in the UFC 146 headliner on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, heavyweight gold will be on the line.


Dos Santos has looked like an unstoppable freight train since entering the UFC in 2008, scoring one-sided wins over Fabricio Werdum, Stefan Struve, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, Gilbert Yvel, Gabriel Gonzaga, Roy Nelson and Shane Carwin. The 27-year-old Brazilian captured the heavyweight crown in his latest conquest: a 64-second knockout of the previously unbeaten Cain Velasquez at UFC on Fox 1 in November.


Mir, meanwhile, steps in for Alistair Overeem, who tested positive for elevated testosterone levels. The winningest heavyweight in UFC history, the 32-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt last appeared at UFC 140 in December, when he snapped the arm of dos Santos’ mentor, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, in a brutal submission victory. Mir, a prohibitive underdog, has won his past three bouts but has had issues with strikers throughout his career; all five of his professional defeats have come by knockout or technical knockout.


Sherdog.com caught up with a number of professional fighters and trainers to gauge their opinions on the UFC 146 “Dos Santos vs. Mir” main event:


Mac Danzig: Mir has gotten a lot better over the years, and the main thing that has gotten better with him is his mental game. He’s always been an efficient guy with his submissions and his striking has been coming along, but, mentally, he’s gotten a lot stronger offensively. The question in this fight is going to be can he deal with getting hit a lot by a good, hard striker? That’s the one thing with Mir over the years; when you get him in trouble, he seems to fade. If he can get over that, I really see Mir doing something great and pulling off something excellent, but if he can’t get over getting hit and possibly dropped a few times in this fight, it’s going to be a rough night for him. I think it all depends on Mir and how strong he is mentally. If he’s strong, I see him winning a decision. If not, I see Dos Santos winning by TKO in the second round. With that said, since I guess I gotta call it because it’s not good to sit on the fence by just giving scenarios, I will go with Mir by decision because I think he can pull it off.


Nam Phan: I say JDS by KO in the early rounds.


Travis Lutter: I would like to see Frank win this one, but I don’t think it is going to happen. I think Shane Carwin wasn’t able to take down Junior, [and] I don't think Frank will be able to, [either]. Junior, I think, has the better standup, so I really don’t see this going very well for Frank.


Mark Bocek: Junior by KO in round one.


Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira: “Cigano” is very good. He’s a guy who does his homework. He was very strong in training, and his ground game has improved a lot. I’m confident he will win and keep this belt.


Antonio Rogerio Nogueira: I think Mir is a very difficult opponent, but “Cigano” is in excellent shape, will perform well and get this victory.


Travis Wiuff: I don’t think Mir is getting the credit he deserves; [he] may be the best heavyweight to ever step into the Octagon. I think he wins the belt again [by] closing the distance on JDS; [Mir] takes him down and submits him in the third round.


Jacob Volkmann: Dos Santos by TKO in the second round.


Alan Belcher: I am torn, but [I have to] go for Mir, being an old fan of his.


John Gunderson: I’m going to go with Junior. I’d like Frank to win because I think he has done so much for the heavyweight division, and, coming off his crazy motorcycle accident, he has already defied the odds so much. Plus, he is a very intelligent fighter and commentator who represents the sport very well. Junior’s power in his hands will be too much. Once he lands a good shot with those little gloves, it’s lights out for anyone.


Javier Vazquez: This is an interesting fight. There is one problem for Mir. If he can’t take JDS down, he will get knocked out, plain and simple. My question: even if he can take JDS down, will he be able to hold him down and finish him? Although Mir has very good standup, he just doesn't have the firepower JDS does. I think Mir will get finished in the first round by KO or TKO.


Fabio Maldonado: I always thought of Mir as a tough guy. He’s very strong and calm, but “Cigano” is too fast for him. “Cigano” will impose his rhythm, and Mir will not be able to keep pace. I think “Cigano” wins in the third round.


Robert Drysdale: Frank [wins].


Johny Hendricks: Dos Santos by KO.


Graham Zwicker (Sherdog Fantasy MMA Pick'Em Winner): On paper it's clear: Junior Dos Santos. The guy is riding a dominant eight-fight winning streak, including victories over fighters that Mir has already beaten (Mirko "Cro Cop" and Roy Nelson) and lost to (Shane Carwin). If dos Santos can keep the fight standing and finds his rhythm, it should be an early night for Mir. But who knows, anything can happen and often does. This is probably the reason that the heavyweight belt has been tossed around like a Frisbee for the past few years. My money is on JDS by KO in round two; the belt needs a home.


Ricardo Tirloni: “Cigano” wins by knockout in the second round.


Shane Roller: Dos Santos [wins].


Yves Edwards: Remember what Carwin did to Mir? Well, I think what JDS will do to him will make that look like a friendly sparring match.


Andre Amado: I think “Cigano” will put his hands in Mir’s face and put him to sleep with a cross in the first round.


Kyle Kingsbury: Dos Santos wins. Mir taps from strikes.


Travis Browne: I got Junior all day. I think his striking is so [good] that I think he’ll put a clinic on him, unless Frank can get it to the ground. I got Junior in this one.


Michael McDonald: I’m going to go with Junior on this one. I’m pretty sure Junior has a jiu-jitsu background, as well, from what I understand and remember of him. Plus, he’s training with a really good camp. He also punches really hard. I don’t think Mir’s wrestling is good enough to get Junior onto the ground. From what I hear about Junior, he should be able to handle himself if it does get there, but I don’t think Mir will be able to take him to the ground. On the feet, Junior is definitely a more devastating striker, in my opinion.


Danillo Villefort: Heavyweights don’t need to land many punches for a knockout. I’m sure Mir will not be an easy fight, but I think “Cigano” wins by KO or TKO.


Jeff Hougland: I’m gonna go with Mir by submission [in] round two.


Mike Ciesnolevicz: Mir is going to get smashed because he can’t strike with JDS and he can’t take JDS down. I am a big fan of Mir’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and I love watching him fight. I just think this is a horrible matchup for him. I thought Cain was a bad matchup for Mir, and this one is even worse. The fight I really wanted to see was Mark Hunt-JDS because that is an old-fashioned shootout on the feet, as they are both primarily strikers. I really think Hunt could shock the world, but my pick in this fight is JDS by first-round TKO.


Leonardo Santos: “Cigano” can’t, under any circumstances, get into the jiu-jitsu game with Mir. “Cigano” has good jiu-jitsu, but working on the ground gives Mir a chance to surprise him. If he avoids the ground and keeps the fight standing, I see no chance for Mir. He may try to kick or tie-up with “Cigano,” or try for a leg lock, but I think “Cigano” keeps the belt.


Benji Radach: Tough fight to pick, but I’m gonna go with dos Santos. I think he is on a roll and I dig the energy he brings into the cage. Mir is tough, though, and the size difference could pose a problem. However, I believe dos Santos' cardio, boxing and sub defense will be the deciding factors in this fight.


Joe Duarte: After Mir foot locked [Brock] Lesnar, I won’t count him out of fights. On “The Ultimate Fighter 8,” I saw the man sneeze with his eyes open. On the other hand, dos Santos has the speed and agility of a lightweight. I’m going with dos Santos. He’s too dynamic, and he has the memory of a meerkat.


Zach Makovsky: I think Mir is one of the few heavyweights who can give JDS problems, but he won’t. JDS [wins] by KO.


Pros Picking dos Santos: 24
Pros Picking Mir: 5

Kind of wonder why they even asked Big Nog :

 

[No More Sorrow]

Here's the weigh in results

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)
Junior Dos Santos (239) vs. Frank Mir (261)
Antonio Silva (264) vs. Cain Velasquez (240)
Dave Herman (233) vs. Roy Nelson (254)
Shane Del Rosario (246) vs. Stipe Miocic (245)
Lavar Johnson (248) vs. Stefan Struve (255)

PRELIMINARY CARD (FX)
Diego Brandao (145) vs. Darren Elkins (145)
Edson Barboza (155) vs. Jamie Varner (156)
C.B. Dollaway (186) vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller (185)
Dan Hardy (170) vs. Duane "Bang" Ludwig (171)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)
Paul Sass (156) vs. Jacob Volkmann (155)
Kyle Kingsbury (205) vs. Glover Teixeira (204)
Mike Brown (145) vs. Daniel Pineda (146)

Dos Santos vs. Mir

Velasquez vs. Silva

Nelson vs. Herman

Miocic vs. Del Rosario

Struve vs. Johnson

 

[No More Sorrow]

UFC 146 tonight Who's going to be on for this? I'll try to get a few streams up in the VIP section for anybody who needs one.

 

[Big Red Jericho Punk]

UFC 146 Predictions from my blog. I'm not too confident about Struve pick but Im not big on Lavar Johnson. I picked against my Croatian boy Miocic and thats about it for the surprises. The Uncommon One: Playoff Playout Part 4 (Heavyweight Hangover)

Lavar Johnson faces Stefan Struve which is a strong start. Johnson just recently fought three weeks ago but he's such a beast that he's back at it again. Even though Johnson has a great look, he's still very sloppy at times. You may look like a beast and have a face that looks like The Rock, but that doesn't mean you have the legit skills. Stefan Struve is an absolute machine when it comes to using his fists and his submission ability is underrated. People forget that about him and it will catch Johnson off guard. They will try to have mostly a boxing match at first but eventually Struve will realize that his best bet is to make Johnson submit. Struve is coming off a nice win against Dave Herman who ironically is higher than him on the card which doesn't make much sense but they needed someone to replace Gabriel Gonzaga against Roy Nelson. I'm going with Struve in the 2nd round by submission to catch Johnson making a mistake on the ground.

The next fight is a favorite of mine with a new Croatian heavyweight moving to the main card in Stipe Miocic against Shane Del Rosario. This fight really intrigues me because this is Del Rosario's first fight in over a year when he made Lavar Johnson submit. Del Rosario created some buzz when he said in a interview that he doesn't know who Miocic is. Stipe is a calm guy and didn't get too riled up. He's a focused professional that most people have great respect for well except Del Rosario apparently. He's a young up comer going up against someone that looks to rejuvenate his career. I'm pretty worried about this fight because Del Rosario is no joke and I could easily see him win in the first round. I think Miocic stretches this out though with his striking power. He's a mystery man that hasn't really been tested on the ground so this fight will be Miocic's break through or possible down fall. I'm not sure what to expect from him but he's very disciplined and I don't see him getting knocked out. He could shock me but I'm going to be the goat here and pick against my Croatian favorite. I'm obviously pulling for him but this is a really hard test and this is his first time getting on the main card. He's going to rattled a bit and Del Rosario might pick him apart at times. Del Rosario wins via decision not in dominant fashion but in obvious fashion.

The next fight is Roy Nelson vs Dave Herman which is going to be hard to watch because I'm not a fan of either guy. Herman hasn't been in UFC for too long while Nelson is just a good laugh to watch these days. I wish Fabrico Werdum was on the card but they couldn't do Nelson vs Werdum again because that would be slaughter. Nelson has lost three out of his last four fights and really needs a win here to maintain his spot in UFC. I know people love him, but it's getting to the point where he's only fun to watch to see how much his jaw can take. Nelson's jaw is considered unbreakable with Junior Dos Santos and Frank Mir not being able to knock him out even though they easily took the decision. I personally think that Nelson is finished and Herman will take this fight. I don't know much of Herman but he's very skilled in both punching and kicking which is a huge asset against a guy with such a wide frame in Nelson. I'm going with Herman to win via decision because Nelson doesn't get knocked out.

Now its time to get to the fights that make the PPV really special. Cain Velasquez faces Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva with possible number one contender possibilities from this fight for the title. This is the debut of Silva in the UFC after fighting in strike force all these years. Silva is known for literally beating you down to a bloody mess with relentless striking ability. He's very dominant including beating one of the greatest of all time in Fedor Emelenikeno. I'm very excited to see him finally join UFC because he could be a star that the heavyweight division needs. He could be someone that people can believe could be a champion. Then you have Cain Velasquez who seems very determined to shake off losing the belt to Junior Dos Santos in quick fashion. Velasquez has been pretty quiet over the past few months and it will be very interesting to see how he has recovered from that loss. With all the news about Lesnar jumping to WWE, Overeem getting suspended, and Dos Santos being champion. People have forgotten about Cain Velasquez who was the poster boy about a year ago. He was on top of the world after destroying Brock Lesnar. Both guys have something to prove which will make this fight even better than its shown on the card. I'm really torn on this one and it's really a toss up but I'm going for Velasquez. I think Silva will have success in the UFC even at age 32 but he's going to have problems with Cain's quickness. People underrate how quick Cain can be and how athletic he is for someone that's as big as him. I'm going to go with another decision victory which sounds lame but these two are so closet that I can't see a knockout. Silva could win though because Velasquez is now getting questions for having a weak jaw so I'm not too sure if he can last three rounds. Nothing will surprise me in this one other than being boring which probably won't happen but I'm going with Velasquez winning a war.

The main event is finally here with Frank Mir facing Junior Dos Santos. I'm a fan of both guys with their great styles and their intelligence in interviews but I'm becoming a huge Mir fan. I used to hate him for some odd reason probably because he knocked Mirko Cro Cop to obscurity which is stupid on my part. I'm older now and wiser which helps when talking about sports. It's a shame that people don't develop like me and say stupid things like "MMA is stupid, it's like gay porn going on top of each other". People these days, don't have a clue what they're talking about. Anyway back to the fight, which I don't think will last long. I love Frank Mir and think he's one of the greatest heavyweights in history with his amazing submission ability and his striking. The guy is the complete package but he's older now and he's going up against someone that is lethal in Junior Dos Santos. This guy has scary knock out power and can beat you to a pulp which is going to happen. I don't give Mir much of a chance here even though you never know if he can lock in an arm bar or hit a huge knee on Dos Santos. Dos Santos is just too imposing and that will lead to a 2nd round knockout which could be a bit too generous. This reminds me of a Jon Jones fight against a very good veteran but not an elite fighter anymore. Mir has declined with his age even though his kamora against Big Nog still blows my mind. Dos Santos wins with a knockout in the 2nd round and he'll remain champion. I'm not sure if Mir will retire after this but I really hope not. He has so much pride and I don't want him going out like that. He's going to have to try to take down Dos Santos which will be difficult because of how imposing Dos Santos can be and his quickness. It will likely turn into striking and Dos Santos wins no contest in that category. This should be an incredible PPV that has must watch implications so I won't be missing it. Thank god the Heat won last night, so I wouldn't miss the beginning.

 

[Dale]

I'll be streaming this, whether or not i'm online is another thing though.

 

[No More Sorrow]

Arianny Celeste was arrested on a domestic violence charge, has paid the 3K bond but hopefully she doesn't get fired over this No word yet on if she'll be at UFC 146 tonight though.

Anyways, Facebook Prelims are about to start.

 

[No More Sorrow]

In the first prelim fight of the night;

Mike Brown defeated Daniel Pineda via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Now onto Kyle Kingsbury vs. Glover Teixeira. Also, Arianny is not at tonight's show the prelims atleast. Brittany Palmer is though.

As I'm typing this, Glover ended up dominating his fight which was his UFC debut and picking up the win via Sub. I like this Glover guy, has Chuck Lidell in his corner and just looks like he could make for some interesting match ups at LHW.

Paul Sass vs Jacob Volkmann is up next!

 

[Slim]

Glover just flat dominated that guy... and made it look bad... I was like dang... that was a beat down... then made him tap.

 

[No More Sorrow]

Paul Sass just won his fight by Sub too, pretty good Facebook Prelims. Prelims on FX are starting soon. Going to be an awesome night of fights.

 

[No More Sorrow]

Prelims on FX are starting now.

Just realizing, three people could potentially be cut from the UFC tonight if they don't get a win. Dan Hardy, Mayhem Miller and :roy:

Kicking the prelims off with Dan Hardy vs. Duane Ludwig now!