UFC 65 Main Events announced!

[Snail Shell]

November 18 is the day! The heavyweight title is up as Tim Sylvia defends against Jeff Monson, but the big story is Matt Hughes defending the Welterweight title (finally) against Georges St. Pierre. Definately excited.

So who are your picks?

As much as I wanna see Monson take the gold, I think it'll be the standard 'can't get inside his reach' Tim Sylvia fight. 🙁 After seeing what he did against BJ Penn, I honestly don't think Hughes can take GSP short of GSP making another mistake. I can't wait to see Georges St. Pierre's hand raised over his head and a big gold belt strapped around his waist.

Here's hoping!

Snail Shell

 

[bass]

November 18 is the day! The heavyweight title is up as Tim Sylvia defends against Jeff Monson, but the big story is Matt Hughes defending the Welterweight title (finally) against Georges St. Pierre. Definately excited.

So who are your picks?

As much as I wanna see Monson take the gold, I think it'll be the standard 'can't get inside his reach' Tim Sylvia fight. 🙁 After seeing what he did against BJ Penn, I honestly don't think Hughes can take GSP short of GSP making another mistake. I can't wait to see Georges St. Pierre's hand raised over his head and a big gold belt strapped around his waist.

Here's hoping!

Snail Shell

if monson can somehow get sylvia to the ground, he can take him out easily.. monson is a MUCH better grappler than tim sylvia.. but like you said, the reach will be a big problem.. sylvia is 6'8 and monson is 6'.. i think if monson can time it right, he can slip inside the jab that sylvia loves to keep people at bay with, go for a single or double leg, and from there, i dont see tim getting up.. i just hope that if sylvia is going to win, he fights a little more aggressively than his last fight with arlovski..

gsp cannot be stopped.. he wasnt mentally ready for hughes last time, and he still gave him a run for his money.. this time, hes a different fighter.. since he lost to hughes, hes beaten mayhem miller, frank trigg, sean sherk, and bj penn.. those are all top 10 welterweights (trigg was retired now though and mayhem moved up to middleweight and is the champ in rumble on the rock in hawaii.. and guess who hes fighting next.. frank trigg, coming out of retirement) anyway.. this fight could go all 5 rounds, but if it does, i see gsp with his hand raised at the end.. his standup is better than matts, he has a great ground game, great conditioning, great muay thai.. this guy has everything.. the only thing hughes has on him is maybe brute strength and wrestling.. i see hughes losing by submission again, maybe in round 3.. probably rear naked choke or guillotine.. i dont see hughes getting caught in an armbar or kimura

the undercard is shaping up too

 

[Snail Shell]

if monson can somehow get sylvia to the ground, he can take him out easily.. monson is a MUCH better grappler than tim sylvia.. but like you said, the reach will be a big problem.. sylvia is 6'8 and monson is 6'.. i think if monson can time it right, he can slip inside the jab that sylvia loves to keep people at bay with, go for a single or double leg, and from there, i dont see tim getting up.. i just hope that if sylvia is going to win, he fights a little more aggressively than his last fight with arlovski..

gsp cannot be stopped.. he wasnt mentally ready for hughes last time, and he still gave him a run for his money.. this time, hes a different fighter.. since he lost to hughes, hes beaten mayhem miller, frank trigg, sean sherk, and bj penn.. those are all top 10 welterweights (trigg was retired now though and mayhem moved up to middleweight and is the champ in rumble on the rock in hawaii.. and guess who hes fighting next.. frank trigg, coming out of retirement) anyway.. this fight could go all 5 rounds, but if it does, i see gsp with his hand raised at the end.. his standup is better than matts, he has a great ground game, great conditioning, great muay thai.. this guy has everything.. the only thing hughes has on him is maybe brute strength and wrestling.. i see hughes losing by submission again, maybe in round 3.. probably rear naked choke or guillotine.. i dont see hughes getting caught in an armbar or kimura

the undercard is shaping up too

Totally agree with you on Sylvia. Good striker, but get him on the ground and he's helpless, especially against an animal like Monson.

And yeah, Hughes' strength is his strength. He doesn't have GSP's skill or speed and GSP isn't a weakling either. It'll be a good fight, but it's GSP's to lose.

Snail Shell

 

[bass]

Totally agree with you on Sylvia. Good striker, but get him on the ground and he's helpless, especially against an animal like Monson.

And yeah, Hughes' strength is his strength. He doesn't have GSP's skill or speed and GSP isn't a weakling either. It'll be a good fight, but it's GSP's to lose.

Snail Shell

i couldnt agree with you more

the undercard is shaping up like this.. these are rumors, but from a very credible source mmaweekly.com

nick diaz vs graison tibau - glad to see diaz back again.. after losing 3 in a row, he defeated josh neer to put himself back in the picture.. hes a great fighter on the ground, and his standup is always improving.. trains under ceasar gracie with jake shields and gilbert melendez, so hes got a great team behind him.. i dont know much about tibau, except he runs with nova uniao out of brazil with thales leites and vitor ribiero.. most of his victories are by submission, but i dont think he has what it takes to submit diaz.. i think diaz will keep it on the feet and knock him out..

brandon vera vs frank mir - vera is the best thing to happen to the heavyweight division since.. i dont even know.. hes a legitimate contender.. mir is washed up.. his last two fights were terrible.. he got destroyed by an unknown (to people who dont really follow the game outside the ufc) and then won a terrible fight over dan christison.. he was in terrible shape.. i dont think hes the same fighter anymore, and i dont think he ever will be.. vera by KO

joe stevenson vs dokonjonosuke mishima - i cant BELIEVE they are bringing mishima to the UFC (if this is true).. ive seen mishima fight in japan so many times, and i always wondered why someone of his skill level never got a shot in the UFC.. if you havent heard of this guy, watch out for him.. or just get a few pride dvds and check him out.. stevenson has a sick ground game, but i dont know what is problem is.. he doesnt perform when he steps into the octagon.. in king of the cage he was a beast, but in the octagon he doesnt perform well.. the win over yves edwards was bullshit.. i hate when fights get stopped due to cuts in bad places that bleed alot.. yves couldve taken that one.. either way, i think mishima will take him out.. he is a great fighter

 

[ShiningIce]

I hope Monson kills Sylvia I always side with the grapplers against the strikers for some reason. I can see GSP beating Hughes BUT I can also see Hughes pulling offa win. It should be very exciting.

 

[Snail Shell]

That's shaping up to be a pretty solid undercard. The best of those I think will be Mir and Vera. Mir's problem is that he won with fast submissions in that past. His speed is down the toilet after the accident. If he gets his speed up again, maybe, but Vera is too solid to lose otherwise.

My official pics for the main events though:

Sylvia by decision (sadly. I want Monson to win SOOOOO badly.)

St. Pierre by TKO from ground and pound.

Snail Shell

 

[ShiningIce]

SILVA WINS!!!! Holy shit!! I am speechless

 

[Snail Shell]

I'm not shocked Franklin lost. I'm more shocked that he lost in only three minutes by KO. Big props to Silva for that one.

And I had Sherk all the way. All hail the muscle shark!

Snail Shell

 

[bass]

all i can say.. is wow..

i didnt get to see the fights as they happened, but ive already seen them all now..

im not shocked franklin lost either, but what the hell was he doing? he couldnt even break out of a basic thai clinch.. he fought like he was on something.. im not making excuses, he flat out lost.. i just didnt expect him to go out that easily..

silva is going to be a force to be reckoned with.. franklin will have to work his way back up to a rematch, so obviously the next in line should be swick.. muay thai artist vs kickboxer.. i dont think swick has the game to take silva out, but he will put up a hell of a fight.. and hopefully not spend the whole fight in a thai clinch..

sherk is a beast.. i think hes going to be on top for a little while.. the big names in the LW division right now are spencer fisher, joe stevenson, hermes franca, and tyson griffin.. i think sherk would be able to take fisher and stevenson out, but franca and griffin would give him a run for his money.. melvin guillard is also in the mix, but i think he needs a few more wins to be considered for a title shot..

i dont know if the rest of you knew of jon fitch, but watch out for him.. the guy is the real deal.. he hasnt lost in the last 4 years, and he only lost to mike pyle and wilson gouveia, which is nothing to be ashamed of 4 years ago.. id love to see him rematch pyle in the IFL