Posts with the tag "Tim Sylvia"

The UFC must feel threatened by Affliction. Why else would they scramble to put a show up against the the first ever Affliction event? As my friend said, it's almost like the UFC is turning into Microsoft. He may be right, but we will have to wait and see.

Here is the official Banned preview:

I did find it interesting that they never mention the UFC when describing Tim Sylvia. The video does mention the UFC a couple times with their descriptions of Pat Militich and Andre Arlovski. Seems strange that they would leave it out for one fighter and include it for the other two.

I wish I was able to watch either event this weekend, but I can't. I'm betting that most fans tune in to see Fedor Emelianenko fight Tim Sylvia, but who knows. What will you be watching this weekend?

The UFC is dominating the MMA world in every aspect except for their mediocre heavyweight division. The problem? The UFC can't seem to maintain their stars. With Tim Sylvia leaving the UFC, that makes four good fighters that have recently left. I am including Andrei Arlovski (who hasn't officially left yet), Randy Couture, and Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic.

So, who is left? Off the top of my head, I can only really think of Cheick Kongo, Brock Lesnar, and of course Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira I suppose I should also include Brandon Vera, he can be fun to watch at times. I just have a hard time finding a reason why the UFC doesn't spend some money on what used to be a great division. Bring in some new blood, find some new prospects; maybe land this guy named Fedor Emelianenko... some of you may have heard of him.

One final thought, the UFC might actually benefit by dropping Tim Sylvia's contract. It's pretty obvious that most fans don't like the way Sylvia fights and therefore he will never draw a crowd like a Chuck Liddell or Randy Couture. With Sylvia out of the picture, a fan favorite can take his place as a contender in the heavyweight division.

In the main event for UFC 81, Tim Sylvia will face Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for the interim heavyweight title. Although not highly publicized, this should be one hell of a fight. Don't get me wrong, there probably won't be any highlight material here. Only those who appreciate the diversity of MMA will enjoy this fight.

Not that this fight is lacking star power. Tim Sylvia is a two time heavyweight champion and has an impressive 26-3-0 MMA record. Antonio Nogueria is also a former heavyweight champion, but in the Pride fighting organization. His record is as impressive at 30-4-1 where two of his loses where to Fedor Emelianenko (often considered the best pound for pound fighter in MMA).

So, where does that leave us? With two great fighters that both want to be the last one standing in the heavyweight division. Nogueira needs to find a way to work around Sylvia's reach advantage, if he can do that he will win the fight. But Tim Sylvia is very difficult to get to the mat, just ask Jeff Monson and Brandon Vera. In my opinion, Nogueira won't be able to reach Sylvia or get him to the mat and loses via decision.

Quick, name the main event at UFC 81 Breaking Point... nope, it's not Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir, it's Tim Sylvia vs. Rodrigo Nogueira. The marketing campaign for UFC 81 has centered around Lesnar because of his success in wrestling and possibly because people just don't like to watch Tim Sylvia fight. Sylvia is a two-time UFC heavyweight champion, but his fighting style is often described as boring.

Rodrigo Nogueira doesn't help the fight's popularity much either. He was the first ever Pride heavyweight world champion, but how many people in the US know that? Nogueira has an incredible record at 30-4-1, with his only loses coming to Fedor Emelianenko (twice), Josh Barnett, and Dan Henderson. Still, the focus is on Brock Lesnar.

Come UFC 81, Tim Sylvia vs. Rodrigo Nogueira will in fact be the main event. In my opinion, it will also be more entertaining to watch. Perhaps, the UFC is luring in new fans with Lesnar and setting them up to watch a great fight between Sylvia and Nogueira.