Mixed Martial Thoughts: UFC 140 predictions and Nik Lentz Tapped out Brock?
Should Mayhem Miller be allowed to step inside the octagon, again? After last Saturday night’s performance that question will certainly remain up in the air but I’d bet he will be given the opportunity to redeem himself and is given another chance to prove himself.
He certainly blew a great opportunity to really thrust himself into the title picture had he been able to beat Michael Bisping.
Looking ahead to this weekend’s action we have UFC 140 headlined by Jon Jones defending his title against Lyoto Machida. I’m not sure how many of you remember the outrage when it was announced that Machida would be stepping in for Rashad Evans but I think it’s just as intriguing.
Machida has only been beaten once and he was caught by Shogun Rua in their rematch and he should have gotten the decision against Rampage. His awkward style and ability to dart shots in and out should be enough to keep Jones at bay at least through the first round. Once Jones is able to figure out Machida’s rhythm look for “Bones” to be aggressive and stop Lyoto. As much as this fight has the potential to be a classic I think it’ll be just another step up for Jones as he rapidly approaches Anderson Silva like status.
The card features many fun fights including Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira(Big ‘Nog) looking for revenge against Frank Mir and Rogerio Nogueira(Little ‘Nog) taking on Tito Ortiz.
Big ‘Nog is coming off a huge knockout win over Brendan Schaub, while Mir is coming off wins over Roy Nelson and Mirko Cro Cop. While neither of Mir’s last two victories were anything to brag about, a win over Big ‘Nog certainly puts him in the heavyweight title mix. This is a hard fight to call as Nogueira has only fought once since his loss to Cain Velasquez, nearly two years ago, but I think we see Rodrigo even things up and get the win. He should be the only Nogueira to have his hand raised if he is able to get the win.
Little ‘Nog has looked pedestrian in his last three fights and while he sports a 2-2 record inside the cage he could easily be 1-3. Dropping your last two fights against Phil Davis and Ryan Bader is nothing to hang your head low but he was given a gift against a now released Jason Brilz. Tito is fighting for the third time in 2011 and is looking to remain employed by the UFC. He looked competitive in the first round versus Rashad Evans before Evans flipped the switch and poured it on.
Look for Ortiz to come out aggressive and put Little ‘Nog on his back and get a ref stoppage.
Brock Smash
Also fighting at UFC 140 is The Verbal Submission friend, Nik Lentz. Lentz took some time to talk to us on Sunday night and shared a story that had the MMA message boards buzzing.
I asked him a very simple question, “Did you ever get a chance to train or roll with Brock?” He responded with a very “matter of fact” attitude and not once came off as boastful. He told us that he made Brock tap, “…he was kinda messing around and I jumped on a guillotine and I wound up eventually tapping him out and then he actually got kinda angry and the next time that we started, he just picked me up above his head WWE-style and like threw me across the room so that was the end of my training with Brock.”
Lentz is a lightweight and took some unwarranted bashing on some of the boards because many people didn’t believe his story. How could a 155lb’er tap out this gigantic man with no neck? Why would he even be rolling against Brock?
Well, if you’ve ever rolled, you know that you usually rotate partners and most of the time you’re matched up with guys within your weight class, but sometimes, you have to roll with some pretty big guys that you should have no business facing but that’s what training is all about; putting yourself in situations you normally wouldn’t be in and figuring things out.
Be sure to check out the full interview and then decide for yourself whether you believe him or not.
As Always, stay focused and support the sport.
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Category: Featured, MMA, Opinion, The Verbal Submission, UFC
About the Author (Author Profile)
I'm a freelance writer and photographer. I've been a fan of the sport since the very first UFC. I've been lucky enough to attend many mma events live; both as a fan and photographer. I began writing mma related article over 2 1/2 years ago and last year joined The Verbal Submission show with Brian Hemminger and Ben Thapa. I've had the pleasure to interview Roy Nelson, Bas Rutten, Cesar Gracie, Royce Gracie, Carlos Condit, Kimo, Shawn Tompkins, Chris Horodecki, Vlad Matyushenko, Jay Hieron, Demetrious Johnson, etc....keep checking back to see who I can add to the list.Subscribe
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