I don’t necessarily make fight predictions rationally. Sometimes I predict someone to win just because I like his attitude better than the other guy’s. I wish that worked for me more often than it does.
Alexander vs. Sakara
I picked Alexander, and he was a hurricane. Sakara hung his head after the fight and looked completely humiliated. Well, he was humiliated. These two guys didn’t look like they belonged in the same circuit.
Taylor vs. Davis
Both fighters took an insane amount of punishment. Taylor started out by pounding Davis, and it looked like it was going to be a knockout in the first round. But Davis made an amazing comeback and won by submission via arm bar. I picked Taylor to win, and it wouldn’t be my first bad call of the night.
Cro Cop vs. Kongo
After the pre-fight interviews, I picked Cro Cop to win on experience, but then I learned he’s a politician, a Croatian M.P. I don’t much like either of these guys, but I’ll take almost anyone over a politician. Kongo looked scared through most of round one. He almost lost on an arm bar, but he took control of the fight after that. It was a complete role reversal, with Cro Cop on the run for the rest of the match. Kongo won by unanimous decision.
Hammil vs. Bisping
I picked Hammil to win, but, once again, I didn’t like either fighter. Hammil was cocky and rude, while Bisping was angry and resentful. Hammil entered the arena to “Born in the USA” and lots of boos. I suppose there are some advantages to being deaf. He was countered by Bisping entering to “London Calling” and lots of cheers: home turf advantage. Hammil appeared to be just toying with Bisping for most of the fight, but he wore out just as Bisping got his second wind right at the end. Bisping won by split decision. I thought the decision should have gone to Hammil, but to his credit, he conceded graciously, saying his opponent won “fair and square.”
Jackson vs. Henderson
I like Jackson, and I picked him to win just for that. He wore a mean scowl walking into the arena, but the pre-fight interviews portrayed him as an easy-going, good natured guy. He looked like a total softy with friends, family, and dog. When asked why he trained so hard, he just said he didn’t want to get his ass kicked. Jackson surprised everyone by holding his own on the ground and dominating on his feet. Henderson has a vicious right hook and right knee, but he had a hard time landing anything. He started to tire at the end of the third round, but he got a second wind, and both fighters looked good through all five rounds. It would have been a very tough fight to score, but Jackson took it, and I think rightfully so. In the post-fight interview Rampage Jackson cracked a few lame jokes, as well as a few good ones, and thanked God for his abilities. When asked about an old wrist injury, he responded, “No, the wrist is fine. It’s my knuckles that hurt….I didn’t know he was going to beat up my fist….I tried to knock him out, but he got a rock head!”
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