...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!
BY WADE KELLER, MMATORCH SUPERVISING EDITOR
-Interesting early results in our MMATorch Poll asking for predictions on Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le. The vast majoriy of early respondents pick an early KO, but they're evenly split on who will score the early KO punch. It's a case of Silva's early "Axe Murderer' style barrage catching Cung Le right away versus Cung Le catching Silva, who's chin is now suspect after the Chris Leben fight.
-Our poll on Dan Henderson vs. Shogun Rua is a little more lop-sided, with 60 percent picking Henderson and 40 percent picking Rua. Most think it's going to end by KO one way or another (79 percent), with most picking Henderson to score the decisive blow.
-Among MMATorch readers, it's pretty clear this show is going succeed based on the marketability of the Shogun vs. Hendo fight, as 48 percent say that's the fight they're most looking forward to, although a strong 30 percent are most looking forward to Silva vs. Cung Le. The third main event, Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles, comes in at 12 percent.
-We posted a flashback article from five years ago featuring MMATorch Senior Columnist Shawn Ennis's detailed UFC 65 report which headlined with Georges St. Pierre vs. Matt Hughes. Check out that report, if you haven't already, and flash back to quite a different UFC world at that point, including the positioning of Brandon Vera and Frank Mir after Vera's KO at 1:09 of round one. Wrote Ennis: "So Vera gets a big victory over a former champ who's a wizard on the ground. I think he's the number one contender. As for Mir, we still don't really know what he has left. Mir is still quite young, but he may need to spend some time in a few smaller promotions to get his confidence back. He hasn't looked impressive at all since his return to the Octagon."
-Also in the five years ago flashback of UFC 65, it brings back memories of the once much weaker, not-headline-worthy heavyweight division. Tim Sylvia was booed five years ago after retaining in a judges' decision against Jeff Monson. Here's what Ennis had to say afterward: "Sylvia really could have elevated his stock in the eyes of the many had he pushed the pace at the end of the fight. Instead, he wins his second straight lackluster decision. He also doesn't help his case by being shown on camera giving some fans the finger. But he's still the champ, and deservedly so. I'm going on the record right now, though, that Vera will take the belt from Sylvia when he gets his inevitable title shot."
-On our Facebook Fan Page today (http://www.facebook.com/mmatorchfans), we asked for ideas for UFC on Fox 2 on January 28, 2012 in Chicago, Ill., one week before UFC 143. Dana White confirmed there will be four televised fights. We asked for your picks for realistic match-up possiblities on that show. Some suggestions: Frank Mir vs. Cain Velasequez, Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis, and Evan Dunham vs. Sean Sherk. Join in the discussion and post your picks by becoming an MMATORCH FAN on FACEBOOK!
-Earlier this week we asked on our FACEBOOK FAN PAGE who should be Cain Velasequez's next fight. Eddy Morris wrote: "I say Carwin, Mir or the loser of Brock/Overeem are the only logical choices in my opinion. Werdum wouldn't be bad either. He'll still be ranked #2 in the world so he def needs a top guy." John Paulino wrote: "Well werdum is training for a december return i read somewhere but it was agaisnt shane carwin since carwin is out till recovery i say cain vs werdum theres no one else i see in the division unless he wants to wait out for the loser of overeem vs lesnar." And Phillip Ivrin wrote: "Cheik Kongo: He's on the rise right now. It was obvious that Cain was rusty and this would be a pretty good test for him." Our poll results strongly vote for the loser of Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overrem, with Shane Carwin and Frank Mir tied for second place.
-UFC had some compelling footage in their UFC 139 preview show on Spike TV last night, including Cung Le breaking a bone in Frank Shamrock's head with a kick (Cung Le: "I was dominating the third round and I threw a hard left leg kick and I heard his bone crack; it sounded like a gunshot in there.") Then there's Henderson's impressive KO in round one of Fedor in Strikeforce and the Henderson devastating KO of Michael Bisping.
-In the UFC 139 preview show, Silva said: "With him you are fighting close or fibghting with the distance. You can't be in the middle because then he hit you. Either be far or very close." He said he's going to test him and try to knock him out. Well, that goes without say in a Silva fight. As a long-time tae kwon do guy, it's always a blast to see Cung Le throw so many different kicks, such as his hook kick to the face of Shamrock, a kick that so few can pull off in MMA with any power. It should be a lot of fun.
-My favorite quote from the UFC 139 preview show on Spike was during the feature contrasting the very different personalities of Urijah Faber and Brian Bowles. Adam Singer, Bowles's head trainer, said: "Brian has been training with us at the Hardcore Gym for probably about six years. I don't think he spoke for the first three."
-Jamie Penick will have live coverage of Saturday's UFC 139, so visit MMATorch.com on the web or the MMATorch App for ongoing coverage throughout the night of prelims and main fight card results with our trademark analysis of star-ratings and ramification analysis. Look for post-event columns from at least Rich Hansen and Shawn Ennis, also.
===
Wade Keller is supervising editor of MMATorch. He has covered MMA since before UFC 1 for the Torch Newsletter, and is among the longest tenured reporters covering the sport. He is a double-black-stripe belt in tae kwon do and has practiced judo and jiu jitsu at the North Star Martial Arts Academy under Michelle Holtze and Tom Crone. He founded MMATorch.com as a dedicated MMA website in 2006 and launched the MMATorch App in 2008. MMATorch is among the top five most read MMA-dedicated brands in the world.
DON'T GO YET... WE SUGGEST THESE MMATORCH ARTICLES, TOO!
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
Interested in joining MMATorch's writing team? Send idea for a theme to your column (for Specialist section) or area of interest (i.e. TV Reporter) along with a sample of writing to mmatorch@gmail.com.
