MMA Universe

BJ Penn vs. Diego Sanchez – Of all BJ Penn’s challengers as lightweight champion, I think Diego Sanchez has the greatest chance of taking the title.

I still think BJ wins this fight, but have to concede that this matchup will be the toughest test BJ has faced as title holder.

Sanchez has good striking power and quick hands that he should be able to put to good use against Penn. Penn has shown throughout his career that he has a chin made of granite and Diego probably knows he can’t look to knock BJ out.

Diego needs to put heavy pressure on BJ and attempt to land as many strikes as possible, both to the head and to the body, in an effort to wear the champion down.

While BJ Penn has improved his conditioning and cardio significantly in his past few fights, that area of his game is still his weakest and we saw GSP wear down Penn and force him to throw in the towel. While Diego is no where as big as GSP, he is a former welterweight and does carry a good amount of muscle.

I look for Penn to attack this fight with the same gameplan he used against Kenny Florian. Penn feels confident that he can stand and trade strikes with anybody, but I think BJ will look to take this fight to the ground sometime during the second round.

Sanchez is a strong wrestler, but BJ’s grappling skills are too good for Diego to defend. I see this fight ending by submission sometime in the third or fourth round.

Winner: BJ Penn

Frank Mir vs. Cheick Kongo – Frank Mir and Cheick Kongo are two heavyweight fighter’s that are almost a liability to the UFC, in my opinion. Both men are solid heavyweights, but neither is truly at the “top of his class” enough to become and remain the heavyweight champion for any period of time.

Kongo has a good striking and kicking game, but his ground game is still completely lacking even after 20 professional fights, including 10 in the UFC.

Frank Mir’s ground game is top notch, and he even has started to show some good signs of improvement on the feet in recent matches. Mir just has never been able to get over the hurdle and become a huge force in the division.

Personally, I’m pretty ambivalent about this matchup and don’t know what the winner really gains out of the matchup. A title shot probably isn’t on the line, and both men will undoubtedly remain with the promotion.

Look for Mir to test the hands early on, but wisen up and submit Kongo for the victory.

Winner: Frank Mir

Jon Fitch vs. Mike Pierce – The training camp for UFC 107 was something of a circus for Jon Fitch. Originally slated to fight Ricardo Almeida, Fitch had to switch to preparing for Thiago Alves when Almedia withdrew. The preparations for Alves were short-lived however, as Alves also pulled out leaving Fitch with a fight against Mike Pierce.

I don’t think the revolving door of opponent’s hurt Fitch’s preparations at all, however, and I don’t expect this fight to be much of a problem for Fitch. While Mike Pierce is a solid fighter and has some decent power in his hands, his matchup here with Fitch is more about finding a way to keep Fitch on the fight card rather than matching up two equal opponents.

Expect Fitch to have his way with Pierce on the ground and win via unanimous decision or submission.

Winner: Jon Fitch

Kenny Florian vs. Clay Guida – Most MMA fans are looking forward to this lightweight matchup between Kenny Florian and Clay Guida almost as much as the night’s main event.

Both Florian and Guida consistently bring a high-energy gameplan into the Octagon and this fight could be an excellent battle.

Florian recently changed up his training camp and has moved away from Mark Dellegrotte as Sityodtong and it will be interesting to see if the change of scenery has improved Florian’s game at all.

Florian’s striking and Muay Thai game are better than Guida’s, simply because he is the far more accurate and technical striker. Guida should be able to out wrestle Florian on the mat, but Florian has the strong guard game. If Guida can avoid Florian’s guard he should be able to do some damage, but avoiding Florian’s guard isn’t an easy task.

I don’t really see either fighter look to take this fight to the ground however, and I fully expect to see a three round striking battle. If Guida can get in close and frustrate Florian with the clinch in the same way he did to Nate Diaz, then Guida will walk away the victor. If he can’t, look for Florian to win via decision.

Winner: Clay Guida

Paul Buentello vs. Stefan Struve – MMA heavyweight journeyman Paul Buentello gets another crack at the Octagon. Buentello is by no means a top prospec, but is more of a middle-of-the-pack type of heavyweight. Why the UFC chose to bring “The Headhunter” back into the fold, I’m not quite sure, but the matchup against Stefan Struve will prove an interesting one.

Buentello can still pack a solid punch, and should have the easy advantage on the feet if he can figure out a way to contend with Struve’s huge height advantage.

Struve holds the clear advantage on the ground and has a very good submission game for a man of his size. Stefan needs to use his reach advantage to kick and jab in an effort to keep Buentello at a distance. If Buentello is successful at getting in close and starts landing strikes, look for Struve to take the fight to the ground and attempt to work a submission.

I think Buentello is experienced enough and still has good enough power in his hands that he should be able to keep the fight on the feet and win this fight on points.

Winner: Paul Buentello

Alan Belcher vs. Wilson Gouveia – Winner: Wilson Guiveia
Matt Wiman vs. Shane Nelson – Winner: Matt Wiman
Johny Hendricks vs. Ricardo Funch – Winner: Johny Hendricks
Rousimar Palhares vs. Lucio Linhares – Winner: Rousimar Palhares
DeMarques Johnson vs. Edgar Garcia – Winner: DeMarques Johnson
Kevin Burns vs. TJ Grant – Winner: Kevin Burns

Props: Pro MMA Radio

Quoteworthy:

“I needed to fight, I was (previously) scheduled for Nov. 21 and I’ve been training 5-6 weeks already. I don’t like a lot of down time, I like to fight often. Waiting around for Thiago (Alves) to get better was not an option. The last week has just been up and down, changing training camps from one day to the next and emotionally getting up and down for different opponents. Mike Pierce is not well know but sometimes these kinds of fights are harder than the high profile fights because people expect you to go out and smash a guy they don’t know so if you don’t, they hold it against you. This fight can very easily turn into one of my tougher fights.”

Former UFC welterweight number one contender Jon Fitch shares the frustration of undergoing multiple changes in both events and opponents after Ricardo Almeida and Thiago Alves both went down with knee injuries and were forced out of action. Now Fitch must face the unknown Mike Pierce, which as the former Purdue wrestling standout explains is perhaps more dangerous than a high profile opponent due to the limited scouting report and lofty expectations. Is Fitch in a no-win situation?

To hear the entire interview click here.

UFC 107 main card fighter and former UFC welterweight number one contender Jon Fitch will join us tonight at 9 p.m. ET on MMAmania.com’s exclusive presentation of Pro MMA Radio.

Fitch will go in-depth about the injury that forced his latest change in upcoming opponents, making another run at the 170-pound gold, his training at AKA and of course what he has in store for his appearance at the Dec. 12 event.

Hosted by Larry Pepe, Pro MMA Radio is professional, guest-driven program that features some of mixed martial arts biggest names.

If you’re looking for a radio show that revolves around a couple of MMA fans ranting and raving about everything that’s already been covered ad nauseam, then Pro MMA Radio probably isn’t for you.

However, if you want to hear from actual fighters and industry insiders answering questions that are relevant to the current MMA scene, tune in every Monday night at 9 p.m. ET for our exclusive live feed.

See you tonight at 9 p.m. ET!

The third time will hopefully be the charm for Jon Fitch (19-3) now that up-and-coming welterweight Mike Pierce (10-1) has agreed to step up and face him at UFC 107 from the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn., on Dec. 12.

Pierce was originally slated to meet Josh Koscheck at UFC Fight Night 20 until “Kos” was promoted to the UFC 106 co-main event opposite Anthony “Rumble” Johnson.

Like Pierce, Fitch was left without an opponent when Ricardo Almeida injured his knee and withdrew from their UFC 106 bout on Nov. 21. Zuffa worked a little magic and booked him in a rematch of former number one welterweight contenders opposite Thiago Alves on Dec. 12; however, “Pitbull” also went down with a knee injury and was forced to bow out.

Fitch returned to the Octagon at UFC 100 to exact revenge against submission specialist Paulo Thiago, taking the contest via unanimous decision. The Brazilian stunned his good friend and American Kickboxing Academy training partner, Josh Koscheck, with a fight-ending first round uppercut at UFC 95: “Sanchez vs. Stevenson” earlier this year.

The Purdue University wrestler now boasts 10 victories for the promotion in 11 attempts. The lone blemish on his record is to welterweight deity Georges “Rush” St. Pierre in their championship match from UFC 87: “Seek and Destroy” in Aug. 2008.

And the competition isn’t getting any easier.

Pierce recently stunned quite a few fans in his Octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 19, registering a convincing unanimous decision over the super tough Brock Larson. It was just the third loss in Larson’s impressive career. And it marked six straight wins for the surging Pierce.

Despite his recent success, Pierce will no doubt be a heavy underdog on fight night when he gets locked inside the cage opposite the 11-fight UFC veteran.

UFC 107 will feature a main event between lightweight division champion, BJ Penn, defending his title against number one division contender, Diego Sanchez. In the co-featured fight of the night, former two-time heavyweight champion Frank Mir will “begin his quest for a third title” when he takes on Cheick Kongo.

To check out the latest UFC 107 fight card and rumors click here.

Former number one welterweight contenders Thiago Alves and Jon Fitch are no longer fighting at UFC 107 after the “Pitbull” was forced to withdraw from the Dec. 12 event with a knee injury, according to MMA Fanhouse.

Fitch was taken off the UFC 106 pay-per-view and inserted into the Memphis show after Ricardo Almeida bowed out of the Nov. 21 event with knee problems of his own.

Like Fitch, Paulo Thiago was also scheduled to throwdown at the FedEx Forum until he was abandoned by Alves, who got the call to replace “Cachorrao” on short notice for the incoming Fitch.

Alves was hoping to avenge his 2006 loss to the Purdue wrestler prior to getting hurt.

From a logistical standpoint, filling the now-vacant slot with Fitch vs. (Paulo) Thiago makes perfect sense; however, they recently met at UFC 100 on July 11, a bout Fitch won in convincing fashion via unanimous decision.

A second fight is likely out of the question.

What plans the promotion has for either of these fighters remains to be seen (Thiago is rumored to be fighting Jacob Volkmann), but the positive side to this is that the 170-pound division is not short on talent.

UFC 107 will feature a main event between lightweight division champion, BJ Penn, defending his title against number one division contender, Diego Sanchez. In the co-featured fight of the night, former two-time heavyweight champion Frank Mir will “begin his quest for a third title” when he takes on Cheick Kongo.

Keep it locked in to MMAmania.com for more updates on a possible replacement for Alves. In the meantime, you can check out the latest UFC 107 fight card and rumors here.

***Update: MMAmania.com has been able to confirm that Alves will not compete at UFC 107 and that a request will be made to rebook the fight for late January or early February.

Jon Fitch wasn’t kidding when he mentioned yesterday that a “big” fight was in the works after his opponent for UFC 106, Ricardo Almeida, bowed out of the contest after he sustained a major knee injury while training.

Fitch is currently in discussions to rematch Thiago Alves at UFC 107 from the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn., on Dec. 12, setting up a fantastic 170-pound showdown that will prove once and for all how far both former number one contenders have come since their initial encounter back in 2006.

Of course, Fitch came away with the win, scoring a convincing second round technical knockout of the Brazilian at UFC Fight Night 5. He would go onto win his next five fights, which earned him a crack at division champion, Georges St. Pierre, at UFC 87: “Seek and Destroy” in Aug. 2008.

He was overwhelmed by the Canadian for 25 minutes, losing a lopsided unanimous decision.

Alves, too, went on a tear after the loss to Fitch with seven consecutive victories over top-ranked opponents such as Matt Hughes and Karo Parisyan, as well as outpointing Josh Koscheck on all three judges scorecards at UFC 90 in October of 2008.

However, St. Pierre would also end Alves’ run with another five-round clinic at UFC 100 back in July.

“The Pitbull” has not competed since that time (even though he was originally slated to take on Paulo Thiago on this same card — a fight that was apparently scrapped in favor of the Fitch-Alves match up). On the other hand, Fitch exacted revenge against submission specialist Paulo Thiago with a unanimous decision at UFC 100 and notched a similar result against Akihiro Gono earlier this year.

So is Fitch still better than Alves more than three years later or has Alves matured to a point where his last loss is essentially meaningless because he is a totally different fighter?

Tune in on Dec. 12 and find out once and for all. In the meantime, let’s hear what you have to say below.

UFC 107 will feature a main event between lightweight division champion, BJ Penn, defending his title against number one division contender, Diego Sanchez. In the co-featured fight of the night, former two-time heavyweight champion Frank Mir will “begin his quest for a third title” when he takes on Cheick Kongo.

To check out the latest UFC 107 fight card and rumors click here.

…according to Fitch, who just released the news through several of his social networking accounts:

“My fight on Nov. 21st is off, Almeida blew out his knee, but I get a bigger better fight instead. Cant say who yet, but lots of you have been waiting for this fight a long time.”

When contacted by MMAmania.com, Fitch was unable to reveal his new opponent, but did say his fight would be shifted to a later date against “A huge opponent.”

Let the speculation begin.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more details on this breaking news as it becomes available.

A welterweight matchup between Jon Fitch and Ricardo Almeida has been officially announced for UFC 106.

The fight will be the first for Almeida at welterweight, as he has spent his last four fights at middleweight since returning to the UFC. Almeida went 3-1 over that span with a victory against Kendall Grove in his last fight at UFC 101.

UFC 106 is currently scheduled for November 21 in Las Vegas, NV and will be headlined by the UFC heavyweight title fight between current champion Brock Lesnar and challenger Shane Carwin.

Jon Fitch continues to remain on of the top welterweight fighters in the world with only one loss on his record in the past seven years, with that loss coming in a title fight against current UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. Fitch last fought at UFC 100 where he defeated Paulo Thiago via decision.

UFC 106 will also feature a light heavyweight fight between Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin as well as the UFC debut of Antonio “Lil Nog” Nogueira against Luiz Cane.