I made decent picks, but my slump will still carry over to next week's UFC 107 where I'll have another chance to break out. I went 2-3 on the main card, with my boy, Jon Jones, losing via DQ (illegal elbows). At least I scored a win in the main event. I caught some flack for taking Nelson, but he demonstrated the true value of experience tonight. My record now stands at 120-74 (%61.9) and 15-5 (%75) in main events.
Main Event
***Roy Nelson def. Brendan Schaub by KO (punch), Rd. 1
Main Card
---Matt Hamill def. Jon Jones via DQ (illegal elbow), Rd. 1
---Kimbo Slice def. Houston Alexander by Unanimous Decision
***Frank Edgar def. Matt Veach by Submission (rear naked choke), Rd. 2
---Matt Mitrione defeats Marcus Jones by KO (punches), Rd. 2
*** Correct Pick ---Incorrect Pick
Realistically, I could have foreseen that Marcus Jones' absurdly fragile chin and rudimentary boxing technique were a bad match for Matt Mitrione's very decent striking. Still, Mitrione's ground game looked terrible on T.U.F. 10, so I can't quite blame myself for picking a BJJ specialist like Jones.
I was spot on that Houston Alexander work leg kicks early against "Kimbo Slice" before going for a finish via knees; however, I was wrong to think it would work. As we all saw, "Kimbo" weathered the early storm...well...it wasn't actually a storm...the early sprinkle? He went on to dominate round two. Personally, I had Alexander winning round three, and thus the fight, but it wasn't a horrible decision.
Frankie Edgar was in a tough spot tonight against an unknown, undefeated fighter in Matt Veach. Like a true contender, he found a way to win. In fact, aside from Veach's impressive slams in round one, "The Answer" turned in a near-flawless performance. His boxing looked crisp yet again, but I still have lingering doubts about his size.
Jon Jones looked every bit the world-beater I thought he was as he put an unprecedented hurting on Matt Hamill. Jones beat Hamill standing, owned him at wrestling, and damn near decapitated him on the ground. Really, the fight could have been stopped earlier due to the cuts bleeding into Hamill's eyes. Unfortunately, it continued long enough for Jones to get frustrated and eventually lose by DQ. Were the elbows illegal? Certainly. Did they have any bearing on the outcome? No way. Oh well, at least Hamill's record is now balanced out for that awful decision he lost to Mike Bisping.
What can be said about Roy Nelson? He took Bendan Schaub down just like I thought he would and proved too crafty on the feet for the promising youngster. Still, I have serious doubts that he can hang with the elite of the UFC's heavyweight division. How would "Big Country" deal with the strength and reach of Todd Duffee or Junior Dos Santos, for example?
Undercard
James McSweeney def. Darrill Schoonover by TKO (knees and punched), Rd. 3
Jon Madsen def. Justin Wren by Split Decision
John Howard def. Dennis Hallman by KO (punch), Rd. 3
Brian Stann def. Rodney Wallace by Unanimous Decision
Mark Bocek def. Joe Brammer by Submission (rear naked choke), Rd. 1
For the record, I am greatly underwhelmed by the choices of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz as coaches for The Ultimate Fighter 11. After all, these two have a combined one victory since they fought each other in 2006! Besides, Liddell smashed Ortiz in both previous meetings. I predict epic failure in the ratings for the show and the eventual fight, which should air on Spike for free if the UFC knows what's good for it.
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