Just saw Morita-san at the gym, and it's official: we scored free tickets to Pride on Sunday. Although the last Saitama show was a bit of a letdown since it was the first without D-Complex's excellent fight intro production, we are very excited for this one. So excited, in fact, that I think I might have just downed too many beers in too short a time at the Hobgoblin after gym practice. Nonetheless I think I should put my picks down, for the record:
Nishijima vs. Cyborg - Cyborg by TKO. His game is too rounded, despite his poor showing against Nakamura.
Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Barnett - Nogueira by decision. Barnett is probably skilled enough to avoid a submission, but Nogueira's striking is crisper and more orthodox. And let's not delude ourselves as to who is better on the ground.
Cro Cop vs. Silva - Cro Cop by TKO. Silva can't take Cro Cop down and can't submit him from his back. That makes this a striking war, at least until Silva slips and Mirko pounces on him.
Kharitonov vs. Emelianenko Alexander - Kharitonov by TKO. He is bigger than people imagine and he has the speed advantage in the stand-up. Alexander will eventually gas, crumple to the ground and roll away from the punches.
Lee Tae Hyun vs. Morais - I think Morais is more likely to lose his wind. But Pride is a different ballgame, and Morais should still take it. Another TKO/referee stoppage.
Nakamura vs. Nakao - Nakao by decision. I just don't see any way that Nakamura can end up on top, or reverse from the bottom. He has no game otherwise.
Shogun vs. Snake - As much as I subscribe to the idea that there must at least one massive upset brewing on this card, Shogun will probably take this by KO.
Arona vs. Alistair Overeem - Overeem will probably have Arona against the ropes early, thanks to his reach advantage. But on the ground, it's no contest. Arona by americana or kimura.
GP Final - Few people can get Mirko to the ground or capitalize on one of his mistakes. But Nogueira is still one of those special few. Mirko will have gotten just smart enough to avoid the armbar, but not the Minotauro's triangle. Nogueira by submission.
See you at the Super Arena!
No comments:
Post a Comment