UFC 145 picks from Kevin Iole, Cagewriter and you

With UFC 145 finally (almost) here, we asked Cagereaders to give us your main card picks to run next to Kevin Iole's and mine. Read on for all of our picks. If you want to join in next time, follow Cagewriter on Facebook.

Mark Bocek vs. John Alessio

Kevin Iole, columnist:  I have wondered when the UFC would bring back Alessio, who has improved greatly since his previous stint with the promotion. But Joe Silva gave him no bargain in Bocek, Bocek is one tick off the top tier and usually wins unless he's fighting a legitimate title contender. I say Bocek neutralizes Alessio's standup and wins a decision. Pick -- Mark Bocek W3 John Alessio

Maggie Hendricks, Cagewriter: Alessio has taken his last three, but they were out of the UFC and he's taking on the very tough Bocek on two weeks' notice. Bocek should be able to grind out a decision win. Pick -- Mark Bocek W3 John Alessio

Jackson Torres, fan: This one is tough to call, Alessio is a veteran and has a lot of wins, but a lot of losses as well. What stands out as his weakness to me is 7 of his 14 losses are by submission. I feel if Bocek can get this to the ground quickly, he can finish it there. Pick -- Bocek Sub R2.

[ Related: Jon Jones-Rashad Evans feud adds intrigue to UFC 145 ]

Mark Hominick vs. Eddie Yagin

Kevin Iole:  Hominick is one of the division's best fighters, which he proved in his loss to champion Jose Aldo. His knockout loss to the Korean Zombie his last time out can be discounted. He got caught on the button just as the bout began. I think he's a cut above Yagin skill-wise and will break him down before stopping him. Pick -- Mark Hominick TKO2 Eddie Yagin

Maggie Hendricks: After two losses in a row, Hominick needs a big win. He has been training with Jeff Curran and his team to shake things up for this bout, which shouldn't last too long. Pick -- Mark Hominick KO2 Eddie Yagin

Jackson Torres, fan: Hominick needs a win badly as he has suffered back to back losses and a 7 second knock out at the hands of the Korean Zombie. Yagin has 15 wins with an equal amount of Subs, KO's and Decisions. How ever I feel Hominick will come out strong and this one and get back in the mix with a win. Pick -- Hominick R3 D

Miguel Torres vs. Michael McDonald

Kevin Iole: This is potentially a great fight and one I'm looking forward to with great interest. I could make a case for both guys, but I'll go with experience and take Torres. Torres also has to be hungry and motivated after he was briefly cut by the UFC and I think his experience advantage and his motivation will help him pull out a win in a fight that truly could go either way. Pick -- Miguel Torres W3 Michael McDonald

Maggie Hendricks: The classic match-up of young buck vs. veteran will turn on how Torres handles his first fight back since being cut from the UFC for an offensive tweet. If he plays it smart and doesn't charge in recklessly, he can hold off McDonald for three round. Pick -- Torres W3 Michael McDonald

Jackson Torres, fan: Miguel hasn't fought for a while and McDonald is on a roll right now coming off of that brutal KO of Soto. I feel Miguel will show some ring rust while McDonald utilizes his striking early and finishing it. Pick -- McDonald R2 TKO

Brendan Schaub vs. Ben Rothwell

Kevin Iole: When Schaub is clicking, he's a handful for any heavyweight. He makes mistakes that cause him troubles, but I think he'll land something flashy and stop Big Ben. Pick -- Brendan Schaub KO2 Ben Rothwell

Maggie Hendricks: Schaub's loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in Brazil was tough to take, and he'll want to erase that memory as soon as possible. His speed will be too much for Rothwell. Pick -- Brendan Schaub KO1 Ben Rothwell.

William Corral, fan: I'm going out on a limb here and picking Big Ben Rothwell. Not that I think he's a better fighter, but Schaub will break his hand from repeated punches to Big Ben's Noggin, and then Rothwell will collapse from exhaustion on top of Schaub in the 2nd round. You could classify that as a submission.

Rory MacDonald vs. Che Mills

Kevin Iole: I believe MacDonald is a future champion and this bout is a huge showcase for him. Though MacDonald may look to use his jiu-jitsu, he's also go excellent hands and I see him wearing Mills down and stopping him late. Pick -- Rory MacDonald TKO3 Che Mills

Maggie Hendricks: Though Mills impressed with a 40-second TKO of Chris Cope, MacDonald is quite the jump up in competition. MacDonald's well-rounded game will be much too much. Pick -- MacDonald TKO2 Che Mills

Jackson Torres, fan: This is a very interesting match as Mills destroyed Cope in his UFC debut, how ever Cope isn't that highly ranked in the division and we still don't know what Mills can really do. I feel Rory has the experience when it comes to opponents and that he will get away with the win. I expect this to be fight of the night. Pick -- MacDonald R3 D

Champion Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans

Kevin Iole: I think the long odds favoring Jones are ludicrous. I've been writing for a long time that Evans is a terrific fighter who, for some reason, doesn't get enough credit. I think his quickness and his power will cause Jones a lot of issues. But it's hard to see Evans winning given Jones' takedown defense, his length and his ability to land hard shots from any position. Evans gives him some anxious moments, but Jones is worthy of the hype and should pull it out to retain his belt. Pick -- Jon Jones W5 Rashad Evans

Maggie Hendricks: Thank heavens this fight is finally happening. More than a year of build-up is plenty. If Evans can hold off Jones' attacks to last five rounds, he should win. Unfortunately for Evans, I don't think he will. Jon Jones Sub3 Rashad Evans

Timothy Milloff,  fan: Rashad Evans has always been underrated. He came up the ranks the hard way, thanks to Dana. He is a great fighter and a great guy, always the fighter the fans boo. He will upset Jones like Ali did Liston.

Agree? Disagree? Tell us in the comments, on Twitter or on Facebook.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-145-picks-kevin-iole-cagewriter-131139815.html

Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott

Michael McDonald, Ben Rothwell and Travis Browne are UFC 145?s Three Stars

UFC 145 was a top-heavy card, with most of the pre-fight discussion focused on the main event of Rashad Evans vs. Jon Jones. However, some of the undercard still managed to stand out with memorable performances.

[UFC 145 recap: Jon Jones' length crucial in handling Rashad Evans for decision win]

No. 1 star -- Michael McDonald: The bantamweight continued his undefeated UFC run with a first-round knockout of one-time WEC champ Miguel Torres. After the fight, he showed true class by sending several tweets to Torres to thank him for the fight.

No. 2 star -- Ben Rothwell: When Rothwell weighed in, he showed off a sleeker shape than he's ever had in the Octagon. He then proved the new body was not just for looks as he knocked out Brendan Schaub in just over a minute.

No. 3 star -- Travis Browne: "Hapa" saved the preliminary card from being all decisions by ruining Chad Griggs' UFC debut. Browne used knees to knock Griggs down, then a beautiful arm triangle to submit Griggs in the first round.

Who were your three stars from Saturday night? Tell us in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/michael-mcdonald-ben-rothwell-travis-browne-ufc-145-124234095.html

José Aldo  John Alessio  Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez

Frank Mir will now face Junior dos Santos for the belt at UFC 146

After Alistair Overeem's license was called into question by the Nevada Athletic Commission because of results of a testosterone screening, the UFC has changed the heavyweight bout at UFC 146 on May 26. Now former champion Frank Mir will face current champ Junior dos Santos for the belt. UFC president Dana White tweeted the news on Friday night.

In early April, Overeem's pre-fight random drug test raised red flags with the NAC, who will administer the May fight in Las Vegas. His testosterone levels were well above the approved levels. He is scheduled to to appear before the NAC on Tuesday.

The ongoing question after Overeem's troubles arose was who would replace him on such an important card. This is dos Santos' first title defense since beating Cain Velasquez for the belt in November. Overeem earned the title shot by defeating Brock Lesnar in December.

Though a vocal group of fans pushed for Mark Hunt, who is fighting Stefan Struve at UFC 146, Mir was always the best option. He would not have to change much to prepare for the bout since he was already scheduled to fight Cain Velasquez. Mir won his last three bouts, including a memorable submission of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 140.

--

Follow Cagewriter on Facebook and Twitter for the latest MMA news.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/frank-mir-now-face-junior-dos-santos-belt-035709728.html

Yoshihiro Akiyama  Gilbert Aldana  José Aldo  John Alessio  Houston Alexander

Nick Walker vs. Joe Morris at MCC - Midwest Cagefighting

HDNet WebFights is back with this beating from the Midwest Cagefighting Championships in Des Moines, IA on 6/24/2011. This bout features two lightweights Nick Walker and Joe Morris

Source: http://mmalice.com/midwest-cagefighting/nick-walker-vs-joe-morris-at-mcc-video_4c4311bd2.html

Yoshihiro Akiyama  Gilbert Aldana  José Aldo  John Alessio  Houston Alexander

UFC on Fuel 2 Cagewriter chat

The UFC is in Sweden today for a slate of bouts on Fuel, a station available in only about 38 million American homes. Here is a place for the majority of us who don't get the station. Join us for a chat, and if you're one of the lucky ones, feel free to chime in and tell us what the heck is going on.

We'll get going a few minutes before the 3 p.m. ET start time.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-fuel-2-cagewriter-chat-173726070.html

Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen 

Friday night talkback thread: Makovsky defends title at Bellator, TUF rolls on and XFC 17

Zach "Funsize" Makovsky, who has a top-five nickname, will put his belt on the line against Eduardo Dantas at Bellator in Atlantic City tonight. Tournaments will also roll on. In the bantamweight tourney, Marcos Galvao will face Ed West and Luis Nogueira will take on Olympic wrestler Alexis Vila. Mike Corey will fight Daniel Straus for the right to face Marlon Sandro in the featherweight tournament final.

On "The Ultimate Fighter," Team Cruz and Team Faber are even with two wins a piece. Chris Tickle (from Team Cruz) and Joe Proctor (from Team Faber) will fight to give one of their teams an edge.

On HDNet, XFC 17 will feature Corey Hill, the TUF alum who suffered one of the ugliest leg injuries in UFC history, American Top Team standout Luciano dos Santos and Felice Herrig, an up-and-comer on the women's circuit.

Use this thread to talk about the night's fights. Tomorrow, we'll start the UFC on Fuel 2 for People Who Don't Have Fuel chat. Don't forget to give us your picks for the main card at UFC 145, too. Thank you for reading Cagewriter and for being so awesome.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/friday-night-talkback-thread-makovsky-defends-title-bellator-225646741.html

Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe

Reader Rants: Cagereaders take on the Olympics, Jon Jones/Muhammad Ali comparisons and advice for Rashad Evans

After you had plenty to say about Brock Lesnar, Brock Lesnar and Brock Lesnar last week, Cagereaders were a bit quieter this week. However, you still had plenty of opinions to share. Read on for the latest Reader Rants. If you want to join in, like Cagewriter on Facebook and comment on stories. Also, we still are looking for your picks on the UFC 145 main card, so go like the page and tell us who you're picking and why.

MMA fans look at the idea of the sport in the Olympics with a bit of skepticism.

That would be very cool, but the Olympics is very heavy on safety. Probably it would be like combat sambo with the headgear and shin guards, and maybe an elbow pad. -- Gab'bo Hofileña Delgado

I can't see it happening. If all the title holders decided to fight in the Olympics that would mean 3-4 months with no title fights. It's hard to sell PPVs without title fights. -- Kevin Dailey

The UFC made another Jon Jones/Muhammad Ali comparison in a video posted on Cagewriter's Facebook page. Readers felt the comparison was a bit too early in Bones' career.

Purely fighting, okay, the comparison is fine. Young, talented, seemingly unstoppable. But Ali was culturally so much more than a boxer, and I like Jones but I don't see him as a cultural icon forty years after he stops fighting. -- John Wilcox

No offense to Bones, but that comparison doesn't fit as much to me as Ali to Anderson Silva. Same attitude, same long-term domination, not nearly the same cultural impact... but I think Silva would be the closest MMA fighter to compare to Ali. -- Jason Zachary

After hearing advice from Rashad Evans' mother on how to handle Jones, several Cagereaders offered their advice to Evans. Much of it is not very nice.

Fake an injury before the fight cuz jones is going to crush him. -- Doug Martin

The night before the fight, you pull a Tonya Harding! -- William Corral

Use plenty of ice for the swelling and lots of Kleenex to wipe your tears. -- Jimbo Thompson

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/reader-rants-cagereaders-olympics-jon-jones-muhammad-ali-182541690.html

Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen 

Tony Hawk Foundation No Longer Supporting Pre-Fab Parks

The Tony Hawk Foundation announced today that they will no longer give grants to park projects made from wood, steel, polymer structures, or precast concrete featuring steel transition plates. This means only high quality concrete parks will be supported by the Tony Hawk Foundation. Get your grant applications in before the February 1, 2012 deadline.

no prefab parks

Source: http://theskateboardmag.com/blogs/templeton-elliott/2011/12/15/tony-hawk-foundation-no-longer-supporting-pre-fab-parks/

Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott