UFC 115 Breakdowns and Predictions
For UFC 115, I find myself truly unable to decide who will win the headline fight. Chuck Liddell vs Rich Franklin was originally supposed to have been Liddell vs Tito Ortiz, however due to a neck injury, Ortiz had to withdraw. A Liddell/ Ortiz fight would have been much easier to call, since Liddell beat him soundly both times. Rich Franklin is definitely another animal.
I mean really, how can you make a comfortable bet against either man? Both men have been champions, TUF coaches, fought epic battles against UFC legends, and are pretty much UFC legends themselves. Then Tippy told me about how he used to predict the Super Bowl winners through the corresponding Madden years on Xbox. He claims to have been right 7 out of 8 times…
Thank goodness for the 21st century.
So, I decided to auto-play the UFC 115 main event on UFC Undisputed 2010 for Xbox 360. Taking a low tech “Deadliest Warrior” approach, Chuck Liddell vs Rich Franklin was played out 3 times, regardless of outcome, with random arenas and referees for the standard three 5 minute rounds. The results were:
1.) Franklin by K.O. 2:56 Rd 1
2.) Franklin by K.O. 4:29 Rd 1
3.) Franklin by K.O. 2:43 Rd 1
Needless to say, I was shocked, but virtual Franklin looked flawless, being the first to cut open virtual Liddell 2 out of 3 times…hmmmm…I don’t play video slot machines, but let’s try this one…
Prediction: Franklin by K.O.
Another fight I’m interested to see is ex-WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit vs undefeated Canadian Rory MacDonald. Again, the UFC gives us another card where a relatively unknown fighter with a perfect record and a well established fighter on the way back up are both put to the test.
From the limited fight videos of MacDonald online, he looks to be a versatile fighter. He has an imposing stand-up, good take down skills, and high quality ground control. With 6 first round submissions under his belt, his knowledge of BJJ seems impressive.
Albuquerque native Condit is a well rounded fighter who has an excellent ground game, submitting 11 opponents within the first round. He has never been knocked out, but has given that pleasure to 10 of his opponents, has only suffered 5 defeats and has beaten a couple of big names (Frank Trigg and Brock Larson) in his extensive career. Since he is the taller of the two, look for Condit to use his reach advantage while standing and letting loose with his deadly knees in the clinch.
Prediction: Condit by Submission
~Ghetto