UFC 91:
Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Couture

Update: Click here for the UFC 91 Fight Results

On November 15th, Brock Lesnar against Randy Couture - once again, it’s time for “The Biggest Fight in UFC History!” as Couture steps out of his contract dispute to take on Lesnar. Also, Joe Stevenson and Kenny Florian try to convince you that this is more than just a 1-fight show.

UFC 91 Main Card Bouts:
Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar
This fight will determine who will advance in the mini-tournament for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the UFC. While Randy Couture is technically the “real” champion, his belt is very much disputed. While Randy was away from the octagon, Minatauro Nogueira beat Tim Sylvia for the interim belt. So, the winner of this fight will face the winner of Nogueira/Mir to determine who the real champ is. Anyway, if you look at this fight on paper, Brock Lesnar holds almost every advantage. He’s faster, younger, stronger and an equal or better wrestler than Randy. However Randy has one thing that Brock Lesnar doesn’t – a senior’s discount when he goes to the movies. No, I’m kidding. Randy has that all important experience advantage. Randy pointed out that he once was in Lesnar’s position ten years ago, so he knows what Brock Lesnar doesn’t know…if that makes any sense. We all understand that in Randy’s past exploits he has defied the odds many times. However in this fight I’m not going to pick the old man. I think that the athleticism of Brock Lesnar will make the difference in this fight. The only question mark is: Has Brock’s monstrous ego got the better of him? Is he taking Randy lightly? For his sake, I hope not.

Kenny Florian vs. Joe Stevenson
I feel bad for Ken-Flo. He should have had a title shot by now but because B.J. Penn only fights twice a year and doesn’t want to defend his belt Kenny has to take another warm-up fight. This time he’s taking on somebody who has also lost a title fight in the lightweight division. I feel obligated to say that Joe is “no joke” because it seems like this is indeed just a showcase fight for Kenny to get him primed for a title shot. Like I said though, Joe is right on par with Kenny in being a top 5 fighter in the 155 rankings. I fear that Mr. Florian has taken on one fight too many and will blow his chance to get a title shot before 2010. Joe Stevenson has great strength for a lightweight. I don’t think Kenny will be able to bully him around like he did Joe Lauzon. Kenny also won’t be able to threaten Joe on the ground, as I think Stevenson will be able to avoid a submission unless he’s been seriously hurt. The only slight edge I give to Florian is in the striking department. Honestly, much like several other secondary main events in recent memory this fight could go either way. The cynic in me picks Stevenson because I feel Kenny’s current win streak has gone to his head a bit. That’s just a theory. If Kenny does win he will have most definitely earned a title shot. Although, rumor has it Sean Sherk wants the winner of this fight…sigh.

Amir Sadollah vs. Nick Catone - Cancelled
As of November 11, 2008, the UFC announced that Amir was compelled to withdraw due to a leg infection. Unable to find a replacement at such short notice, the Dustin Hazelett vs. Tamdan McCrory fight is now on the main card instead. (See the UFC news release here)

Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Josh Hendricks
Gonzaga achieved fame with his brutal KO of Mirko Cro Cop. Despite his losses since then, he should still be considered a very dangerous fighter. It’s funny that his biggest win came by way of a flashy head kick because his primary strength is his submission skills. I don’t know anything about Hendricks but unless he has world-class grappling he should avoid being on the ground with Gonzaga. Gabriel’s dangerous anywhere on the mat but his top game is particularly crushing. I’ll take the safe bet and say that Gonzaga walks away with a victory here.

Nate Quarry vs. Demian Maia
Nate has had to deal with a lot of setbacks in his career. He got injured in training on the Ultimate Fighter 1 before he could even fight. When he got his title shot against Rich Franklin he was knocked out cold. After that, he had to have back surgery (if I’m not mistaken) and was out of action for about a year. Most recently he sent Kalib Starnes literally running out of the UFC. Hah, I know I’m not the only person to make that joke but it’s still funny no matter how many times you hear it. Well, at least I think so. Anyway, I think Quarry is in for a rough night against Maia. Quarry’s very good on his feet but we haven’t seen him against someone with the submission abilities of Maia. Nate should definitely try to sprawl n’ brawl. Maia managed to submit Jason Macdonald, a decent grappler in his own right. I’d love to see Nate win but I’m going to predict Maia getting the victory. It should be noted that Maia’s cardio looked sketchy against Macdonald. So, I expect he will want to finish the fight early before he gets tired and they both get too slippery from sweating.

Dustin Hazelett vs. Tamdan McCrory
(Previously scheduled as a preliminary fight, now on the main card)
The Jon Fitch look alike takes on another main card hopeful in Tamdan McCrory. Hazelett has impressed fans with his wacky submission skills and gutsy performances. He looked good in his win against Josh Burkman and put on a good show in his loss to Josh Koscheck. Sadly, I have never seen Tamdan fight because his fights have never made the broadcast portion of a show. That’s too bad because the lone loss on his record suggests he’s a pretty good fighter. I don’t know if I can make a prediction in this welterweight fight but I can make a request that it gets aired so I can see what this guy is capable of. At the very least, the winner will most likely earn a spot on the televised portion of the next card he’s on.

UFC 91 Preliminary Bouts:
Jorge Gurgel vs. Aaron Riley
For those who don’t know, Jorge Gurgel is Rich Franklin’s best friend. He also happens to be a decent fighter but it’s doubtful he’d still be in the UFC without his connections. I guess that’s a fairly cynical statement to make. I don’t want to sound disrespectful but it’s hard not to have that theory in mind. Jorge had a lot of promise coming out of the Ultimate Fighter 2 and dropping down to his natural weight class of 155. However he’s never been able to put enough wins together to be on the main card of a broadcast, let alone be a threat in the division. Despite being submitted in his last fight against TUF 5 alumnus Cole Miller, Gurgel is actually known for his submission prowess. I’m guessing that Riley was put here to be a beatable opponent for Gurgel. Therefore, I’ll predict that Gurgel’s octagon experience will help him come through with the win.

Jeremy Stephens vs. Rafael dos Anjos
Well, there’s no doubt who has the cooler name here. Despite that, I recognize that Jeremy has more UFC experience. He’s had two tough losses to Din Thomas and Spencer Fisher. Both men had way more experience in the octagon than he did. This will be a chance for Stephens to prove that he’s learned from his mistakes. One would assume that this will be a tough test for the unknown dos Anjos. You never know when an upset will strike but I’m expecting the better-known fighter to get the win.

Alvin Robinson vs. Mark Bocek
Bocek really impressed me in his fight against Mac Danzing. Despite losing he displayed a ton of heart by pressing forward till the bitter end. He took some serious damage in that fight but didn’t get discouraged. He’s also a fellow Canadian, which makes me immediately biased. Robinson on the other hand hasn’t really impressed me. I’ve seen him get submitted twice against Kenny Florian and Nate Diaz, respectively. Perhaps Alvin will fair better against someone who comes mainly from a wrestling background in Bocek. Only time will tell. Ultimately, I have to make the patriotic prediction. I think Bocek will be able to at least grind out a decision victory.

Matt Brown vs. Ryan Thomas
In this fight Matt Brown stepped in for the injured Matt Riddle, a fellow member of TUF 7. In my opinion it’s hard not to like Matt Brown. He’s got that no nonsense tobacco-chewing charisma we’ve all come to appreciate. He has a fairly gutsy brawling style that suffers from a lack of refinement. I can imagine that he’s always improving and he’ll get a chance to show that against Thomas. I don’t know enough about “The Tank Engine” to know if he’ll be able to stop “The Immortal” Matt Brown. Then again, the only way to kill an immortal is to cut off his head, right? So, unless Thomas brings a sword into the octagon I’ll predict Brown wins in what will hopefully be an entertaining scrap.

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