10 Things I Learned from UFC 81 Breaking point

Its become tradition to write one of these after every UFC pay per view.

10. Tim Boetsch is one of my new favorite fighters. That throw that sent David Heath flying like a little girl was amazing and I always love a fighter that uses the front kick, one of the most underrated attacks in MMA.

9. Referee Yves Lavigne has amazing guard defense as exhibited in the shortest fight of the night-Kyle Bradley vs Yves Lavigne! Bradley was so out of it after the fight he held the ref for a good 20-30 seconds.

8. It seems the fans are finally starting to give Tim Sylvia some love. His fight with Noguiera was a great fight and he was very classy after losing.

7. Steve Mazzagatti may have took a point away prematurely, but stopping the fight was the right call. The rules for hitting in the back of the head are the same as groin shots, the fighter gets as long as he needs to recover.

6. How many pro wrestlers have abandoned their plans of getting into MMA?

5. I can't remember if it was Goldberg or Rogan but after Nogueira won they said "Mir and Nogueira, the 2 best heavyweight jiu-jitsu fighters ever." I have to argue that Fabricio Werdum has better Jiu-Jitsu than Frank Mir. Also Goldberg said before the Lesnar/Mir fight that Lesnar was facing "one of the best of all-time", come on.

4. Nate Marquardt is a very good fighter, but Anderson Silva is probably a guy he'll never catch up too.

3. Tim Sylvia vs Antonio Nogueira-worst biased commentating I have ever seen and thats all I'm gonna say about that.

2. Brock Lesnar's next fight should be Eddie Sanchez, don't give him another BJJ black belt like Fabricio Werdum or Gabriel Gonzaga. Eddie Sanchez is the perfect match to get him on the winning track because he has the potential to be a good but not great MMA fighter.

1. Antonio Minotauro Nogueira has amazed me once again with his ridiculous chin, unmatchable heart, incredible technique and amazing transitions. I really thought Sylvia was gonna finish him after he dropped him in the first round, shame on me. Minotauro's name should be in the dictionary next to "Fighter".

And A big congrats to Eli and the New York Giants!

UFC 81 Breaking Point Quick Results

Quick results from UFC 81.

1 Robert Emerson def. Keita Nakamura by Decision (Split) 3 5:00
2 Marvin Eastman def. Terry Martin by Decision (Unanimous) 3 5:00
3 Tim Boetsch def.David Heath by TKO (Strikes) 1st rd. at 4:52
4 Chris Lytle def. Kyle Bradley by TKO (Strikes) 1st rd. at 0:33
5 Tyson Griffin def. Gleison Tibau by Decision (Unanimous) 3 5:00
6 Ricardo Almeida def. Rob Yundt by Submission (Guillotine Choke) 1st rd. at 1:08
7 Nathan Marquardt def. Jeremy Horn by Submission (Guillotine Choke) 2nd rd. at 1:37

8 Frank Mir def. Brock Lesnar by Submission (Kneebar) 1st rd. at 1:30
9 Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira def. Tim Sylvia by Submission (Guillotine Choke) 3rd rd. at 1:28

One of the few times my predictions were right, Mir and Nogueira showed some beautiful jiu-jitsu. Sick kneebar on Brock by Mir, although Lesnar did better than I thought he would. Nogueira shows once again his iron chin and ridiculous transitions. Tim Boetsch was really impressive in what will probably be fight of the night even though it was one-sided.

UFC 81: Breaking Point Weigh-Ins Video

Here are the weigh-ins from earlier tonite. Thanks to Undertow for the heads up!
****If this video doesn't work on my site click here to watch****

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs Tim Sylvia Prediction and Analysis

To read my full article on the Frank Mir vs Brock Lesnar fight CLICK HERE.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs Tim Sylvia
If you've watched Pride for a long time like I have then this fight is one I've wanted to see for a long time. The styles couldn't be any more different, legendary Jiu-Jitsu vs size and strength. Big Tim is predicting a knockout, but this is Nogueira we're talkin about, the guy's chin is the stuff of legend. I don't care that Heath Herring caught him with a high kick, the fact is that he recovered and won that fight. I also think Nogueira's boxing is better than Sylvia, more technically sound and more speed also. Obviously Tim has the power advantage, I think this will be a close fight but ultimately I like Nogueira to win a decision.
Prediction-Nogueira by Decision

I will finish picking the rest of the card tommorow.

Frank Mir Will Stop Brock Lesnar in the First Round

Now thats a prediction! Well I believe 100% that it will happen, either by submission or TKO. I just don't believe Lesnar can come in to the UFC with 1 professional MMA fight and beat a seasoned veteran like Frank Mir. Mir seems refocused on fighting and this would be not just a huge win for him, but a huge win for the MMA world. You really think that any MMA fighter is rooting for Lesnar.

This situation reminds me of Sean Gannon, the former cop who was known for being the only guy to beat Kimbo Slice, I'm sure everyone has seen that video. So he got into MMA and won his first fight and was given a fight in the UFC. At UFC 55 he took on Brandon Lee Hinkle, not the greatest fighter in the world and a guy also making his UFC debut. Hinkle was a true Mixed Martial Artist though with 18 pro fights under his belt compared to Gannon's 1. Gannon got absolutely demolished in a fight some considered was allowed to go too long because the UFC wanted to show people you don't just come into this sport and think you're tougher than these guys. Now obviously this situation is different, Lesnar is a world class wrestler and that can take you pretty far in this sport against lesser competition. Here are some questions that need to be asked.

How is Lesnar's Chin? Of course we have no idea.
How is Lesnar's Sub defense? No Clue.
Its not likely, but what if Lesnar is on his back, can he defend anything? Again we don't know. You can train and train these things and I'm sure Lesnar does, but training is not fighting in the octagon with a Jiu-Jitsu black belt and a true Mixed Martial Artist. Sorry pro wrestling fans I think Mir exposes the obvious weaknesses of one Mr. Brock Lesnar. Of course my predictions usually suck, so what do I know?

I'll take on the rest of the card tommorow.