UFC 108 - Evans vs. T.Silva

This weekend on ppv. Saturday evening, January 2, 2010. Here is the card:

Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva
Dustin Hazelett vs. Paul Daley
Joe Lauzon vs. Sam Stout
Jim Miller vs. Duane Ludwig
Junior Dos Santos vs. Gilbert Yvel

Martin Kampmann vs. Jacob Volkmann
Cole Miller vs. Dan Lauzon
Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Steve Cantwell
Mark Munoz vs. Ryan Jensen
Mike Pyle vs. Jake Ellenberger
Rafael Oliviera vs. John Gunderson

Lets take a moment to look at this card as a whole....it just does not appear to be a PPV card worth the value. There is a reason for this....many reasons actually. Nearly every fight on this card has been changed at least once due to injury. Seriously every fight except the main event has been changed. I've also heard rumors that Silva is injured a bit, but being forced to stay in the fight by the UFC. Believe what you want about that, this card appears very very weak for a PPV. So these weak looking cards are usually the ones that produce the most exciting fights, right? I hope so. This will likely be one of the lowest grossing PPV cards for the UFC in recent history. Having said all that, there are some real interesting matchups here:

Evans vs. T.Silva - We all know Evans was supposed to fight Rampage in December. T.Silva is a very very decent replacement at the very least. Honestly, If T.Silva is healthy, I would expect him to win this fight at least half the time. If T.Silva is healthy, I see a very exciting fight. If he is banged up in the least, Rashad should take it quite easily.

Hazelett vs. Daley - Just the fact that this fight is the co-main event lets you know how difficult a time the UFC must have had putting this frankenstein of a card together. Daley is coming off a huge debut win vs. Kampmann. Hazelett is coming out of nearly a year off for knee surgery. He was supposed to face Karo a few weeks ago, but we all know how that went down. If it stays standing and Daley can connect, KO. If Hazelett can get this fight to the ground, SUB. Who can impose their will here?

J.Lauzon vs. Sam Stout - Another matchup with a similar scenario to Hazelett vs. Daley. Lauzon is much more well rounded than Stout. Stout will want this fight standing, Lauzon will try to stand for a while, but ultimately will try to take it to the ground. Lauzon by submission is my thought on this fight.

Miller vs. Ludwig - By all counts, Miller should win this fight. BUT, Ludwig is an excellent striker, with very very good power. If he connects, it could be over. I guess there is a theme here as this could be considered a similar scenario to the above two fights. Miller by something on the ground is my thought here.

Dos Santos vs. Yvel - This fight IMO is Dos Santos' to lose. He should get another highlight reel KO. Don't think that Yvel is a pushover, he has skills and a lot of experience, but I think JDS is on another level right now.

There are some fun matchups on the undercard too....Kampmann trying to get back in the win column, Vlad vs. Cantwell is a fun fight....Cantwell NEEDS a w to stay employed, Miller vs. D.Lauzon is fun too.

The UFC knows this is not the normal expected quality looking card for a PPV, but they have been totally screwed this time by injuries. I will be interested to see how they operate this time. I'd like to think that, time permitting, we would get to see absolutely as many of these fights as possible, but that depends on the fighters. This would be much better as a free Spike card for sure.

Another great post Dave. But I will be sitting this one out. This card is probably is the worse card on paper I have ever seen. They needed one more really good fight on here. Rashad just doesn;t do it for most people. If they had A. Silva in there or a GSP or even a Chuck Lidell return it may have peeked my interest but as is, I will not be buying this one. That being said if a friend is buying it I will flick him 10 bucks to go see it.

So as with most things.. since this doesnt do it for most people, this generally will probably be a good event finally from the UFC.

True that Jonny quest but there are no fighters that I really like or want to cheer for. Some fighters that I love to watch -

Randy Couture (Just because his age)
Brock Lesnar
GSP (Obvious reasons)
BJ Penn (Love the guy)
Shane Carwin (Peeking my interest to see if he is for real)
Cane (I do think he is for real)
Rich Franklin (Just like the guy)
Vitor Belfort ( I think he may be the next 185 champion)
Rampagae (Because he is a killer and so damn funny)
Josh Koshcheck ( I don't know why I just like how he comes to fight and will take any within a days notice)
Im sure there are many other just can't think of any right now.

Lesnar vs Carwin was supposed to be on this card.

Ok that would have been the fight that put it over the edge.

Other fighters that were once scheduled on this card:

Anderson Silva
Vitor Belfort
Tyson Griffin
Gabriel Gonzaga
Sean Sherk

This card kinda has got lost in the shuffle, IMO. I'm only so so about calling this main event an actual ppv main event. Yeah, I get it, winner gets Machida (again).

That being said, I wasn't too overly excited about the last one and it blew me away.

I am excited for a few things though...One is to see Daley fight again. I think he has a bright future and really knows how to finish fights.

The other is the Dos Santos/Yvel. I thought Yvel would have had 3 to 4 UFC bouts under his belt by now, but he's had some issues getting into the UFC. Bad boy who doesn't play by the rules, but he's in his early 30's now and hopefully has matured a bit. I've seen him fight before and he takes care of business, plus has a TON of experience in all kinds of marial arts bouts. I can't wait to see how he stacks up against a real deal contender like Dos Santos.

My favorite Yvel fight
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkbWQu3ZkgY

I will be watching for your thoughts on the fights here on WW, that way if they are good I catch a re-run ppv. This card doesn't do anything for me, especially $45 of me. lol

After watching the countdown show, I am even more a fan of Hazelett. I can't recall anyone previously featured on a countdown show showing that much humility about his fights and his talent. Very refreshing.

Also, free on Spike just prior to the ppv:

Kampmann v. Volkmann
Cole Miller v. D. Lauzon

Hmmm I may be going over a friends and just pitching in. I liked Santos against Crocop, he is an animal. Big Time Rush music. Ok Im kidding just had to do it though

Ok after watching Countdown im even more pumped for this card. Some really quality matchups. I think the Dos Santos vs Yvel fight could be great! Obivously Daley vs Hazlett and the main event will be fun fights. This is exactly the type of card everyone thinks will stink and then will turn out to be great. If it does end up stinking mostly likely we will see a big card on Spike to make up for it.

Injury bug strikes again.

Cantwell vs Matyushenko scrapped due to apparent Cantwell injury.

I loved on the countdown show how Hazelett said he had NO IDEA what was going on in his head when he hit that amazing armbar on Burkman. Said he'd never done that before, or since. Also said it was a pretty stupid idea in retrospect.

And said when he fought Goulet, he ragdolled so Goulet would take him down. Goulet did take him down and fell into sidemount. Hazelett said that was a stupid idea in retrospect too, but he nailed one of the best armbars on Goulet too.

Hazelett was able to apparently get lucky on Burkman and trap Goulet, because Goulet had no idea who he was or what his game was about. Now everyone knows about Hazelett and he will have to work VERY VERY hard to get Daley onto the ground.

Never heard a fighter talk like that before. I love it.

I think he's just bein modest.

Dude has slick skills.

Well, Daley missed weight and the fight with Hazelett is at a catchweight of 172 pounds. Daley will also be handing over 10% of his take.

Well, i sure am GLAD Hazelett at least made one takedown attempt...wait, what?

Stupid.

Some good fights so far and mostly finishes too. Even the Lauzon Stout decision was a great fight.

Thiago Silva needs better cardio. He easily could have finished Rashad in the third if he had any gas left in the tank.

I played football with Jacob Volkmann in high school, super nice kid and a small power house. He used to run to and from school every day I think is was about 5 miles. I just watched his 106 fight and his fight tonight and looks like he could use a little more training. Sloppy at times but could look promising if he returns for another fight.

I wasn't able to watch who won the Rashad Thiago fight?

Rashad won by unanimous decision. He easily took the first two rounds based solely on takedowns, really didn't do much damage. In the third, Silva rocked him hard with 2.5 minutes left and tried to follow up but ran out of gas. If Silva had better cardio, he would have KO''d Rashad in the third.

Wow interesting. How did Santos do?

JDS knocked the hell out of Yvel. Pounded him. He and Daley really KTFO'd their opponents.

Bonuses:

Stout and J. Lauzon $50K EACH for FIGHT of the night
Cole Miller $50K for SUB of the night (SWEET reverse triangle w/ Kimura)
Paul Daley $50K for KO of the night.

I have a feeling Santos may be the next big thing

Poor Hazelett lol. He looked pretty sad. Slow and sloppy on his feet not sure what he was waiting for. TOTALLY FLAT FOOTED!!! It was like he was waiting Semtex to knock hm out. Everyone new it was coming. Not a big suprise. Daley is obivously the real deal. He will knock you out as far as I can tell I dont see anyone in that division standing up with him.

JDS looked unreal. He has ran through everyone in front of him of late. Just dont think he has the size to make a serious title run. Was hoping GY would put on a better show.

Kinda disapointed in the main event. Was hoping for a slugfest but figured Rashad would be taking him down early and often. Silva had his chance but couldnt capitalize. Atleast this gives us the fight we have all been waiting for. Rampage vs Rashad. Personally I think Rampage should get a shot at the title next but im sure the UFC wants to see the coaches fight.

Stout vs Lauzon was great also.

Overall a really solid night of fights.

Here comes fight night on the 11th!

Yeah, Hazelett was doing ok trying to keep Daley on the outside with the kicks, but as soon as Daley closed the gap and Hazelett didn't tie him up, I knew it was over. He didn't even FAKE a takedown attempt. So much for the path of least resistance. At least he got $5k for being KTFO'd. Hahaha.

MMA is alot like the NFL... anybody can beat anybody on any given night...

Does Santos hav any kind of ground game? Just curious because between him Kane and Carwin the heavyweight class is starting to look good with

Lesnar (Hopefully)
Mir Looking like himself again
Carwin
Kane
Santos
Gonzaga
Couture etc...

We were supposed to find that out in this fight before Gonzaga pulled out. I am hoping the UFC puts a high level ground guy in with JDS soon, but it seems like they're all booked with fights right now:

Cain vs Nog
Carwin vs Mir

other than the above 4 and Gonzaga, the HW division is more strikers. I guess they could try JDS vs Big Country.

JDS vs. Big Country seems like a waste of time.

Big country.....oh my.
He is gonna get whacked as soon as someone can lift his mass off of them.

Good fights...I hadnt seen Daley too many times and he looked impressive. Rashad fight was boring, but there cant ALWAYS be a knockout.

To be honest right now Lesnar OWNS this division. I dont see anyone even coming close to slowing him down. Mir has put on size but the way Lesnar absolutely destroyed him last time im not sure that would have made any difference. I think the UFC is pretty good about hyping matchups and having us believe they should be great fights but in the end if Lesnars healthy baring any "lucky shots" he should not be stopped anytime soon.

Salaries:

Rashad Evans: $375,000 ($175,000 win bonus)
def. Thiago Silva: $55,000

Paul Daley: $34,200* ($18,000 win bonus)
def. Dustin Hazelett: $19,800*

Sam Stout: $24,000 ($12,000 win bonus)
def. Joe Lauzon: $12,000

Jim Miller: $30,000 ($15,000 win bonus)
def. Duane "Bang" Ludwig: $12,000

Junior Dos Santos: $60,000 ($30,000 win bonus)
def. Gilbert Yvel: $30,000

Martin Kampmann: $46,000 ($23,000 win bonus)
def. Jacob Volkmann: $6,000

Cole Miller: $24,000 ($12,000 win bonus)
def. Dan Lauzon: $15,000

Mark Munoz: $32,000 (16,000 win bonus)
def. Ryan Jensen: $6,000

Jake Ellenberger: $20,000 ($10,000 win bonus)
def. Mike Pyle: $17,000

Rafaello Oliveira: $20,000 ($10,000 win bonus)
def. John Gunderson: $5,000

* - Daley fined 10 percent of his "show" money for missing weight; the $1,800 was awarded to opponent Hazelett

I don't think Lesnar is as good as his results have been. He "beat up" Mir school yard style, but we have to remember he is a BJJ guy not a puncher. IMO Mir was a phantom champion to begin with, a lot of tools with no heart. Beating Randy was not a shocker, that is strength and youth on his side, I don't think he has really been challenged yet. No matter what you say, Randy is not a HW. JDS, Cain and Carwin offer more diversification of skills than he has faced. He has not faced a puncher like JDS, that guy has power. I don't know, I love Lesnar but I don't think he has been tested in the past like he will be in the future.

Big Country? what a joke.

Let's look at the plus side for JDS fighting Big Country.

He would be fighting a 'popular' fighter just coming off a TUF season win, so beating BC would earn him more of a fan base that he may want/need to make a title run. Unless JDS were to knock BC out extremely early, BC WILL at least try to take this to the ground so we can get some glimpse of JDS' ground game.

I'm not saying it is the best matchup in the world. Obviously the UFC wanted JDS to fight a grappler in Gonzaga, but he got injured and Yvel stepped in. From a strictly marketing standpoint, It really isn't that bad a fight for JDS to take. Especially with all the guys directly above him in the HW rankings already booked for the next couple months.

Here is how I see the HW division stacking up:

Lesnar - Out indefinitely
Mir
Nog
Cain
Carwin
JDS
Gonzaga
Kongo
Duffy
Struve
Barry
Big Country
Buentello
Rothwell

And there are a couple who we need to see a few more fights from....Gracie, Tuchshcerer, Hague, etc.

"This is the week. This is the week Brock Lesnar is going back to the doctor, getting fully checked out by one of the best doctors and hospitals in the world," White told the UFC 108 post-fight news conference Saturday night.


"If the doctors say things are going well and things are going in the right direction, then maybe we're a few months away from him coming back," he added. "If it's not, and not going in the right direction, he'll either be done and have to retire or he'll be out for a couple of years.

White said Lesnar, an avid outdoorsman who lives in rural Minnesota, had called him to complain that the UFC president kept on sending him electronic gadgets, gifts that were useless since he doesn't own a computer.


So White sent him a package of ice fishing rods.

hahaha

Medical Suspensions:

Dustin Hazelett: Suspended until July 2 due to right orbital blowout and nasal fractures; can return after March 4 if cleared by an ENT doctor, but no contact until Feb. 2
Sam Stout: Suspended until Feb. 2 with no contact until Jan. 23 due to left forehead laceration
Gilbert Yvel: Suspended until Feb. 2 with no contact until Jan. 23 for precautionary reasons
Jacob Volkmann: Suspended until Feb. 2 with no contact until Jan. 23 for precautionary reasons
Mark Munoz: Suspended until July 2; can return earlier if cleared by an orthopedic doctor after x-raying right hand, wrist and elbow
Ryan Jensen: Suspended until Jan. 23 with no contact until Jan. 16 for precautionary reasons
Mike Pyle: Suspended until Feb. 2 with no contact until Jan. 23 for precautionary reasons