Celtic Fan & Black Mamba's UFC Heavyweight Grand Prix

#1 Cheick Kongo vs #16 Mustapha al Turk
We've seen this fight before and the only difference a second time would be no low blows.
Winner - Kongo via KO

#2 Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera vs #15 Neil Grove
Nog may have a few too many miles on him even as a relatively young 32 yr old fighter, but that would only affect him against top shelf fighters and in all honesty we’ve only seen it once against a re-dedicated Mir. Grove is dead meat here, especially if Nog is smart and takes it to the ground quick
Winner - Noguiera via Sub

#3 Randy Couture vs #14 Dan Everson
Even at the young age of 45, Couture is no slouch. He was holding his own against Lesnar until he got caught with a powerful right hand. His standup is good, his wrestling is still top notch.
Winner - Couture via Decision

#4 Shane Carwin vs #13 Denis Stojnic
Carwin is the real deal and a beast. Gonzaga got him down and Carwin made it back to his feet relatively easily. Stojnic is a very young and very good ground fighter, bu he’d never get it there because Carwin would blast him.
Winner - Carwin via KO

#5 Gabriel Gonzaga vs #12 Mike Ciesnolevicz
Somewhat of a disappointment recently, Gonzaga is still a threat with his hands and on the ground. Unfortunate for him, he got his shit rocked by Carwin recently. Can Gonzaga return it around in a Grand Prix?
Winner - Gonzaga via Sub

#6 Cain Velasquez vs #11 Pat Berry
Now here’s a great looking fight. Two guys who get KO’s! oh wait Velasquez gets his KO’s via ground and pound. Berry is a very good stand up fighter with a questionable ground game Vs a darn good wrestler? Never mind, game over for Berry vs this level of wrestler with heavy hands
Winner - Velasquez via KO

#7 Junior Dos Santos vs #10 Justin McCully
Though young UFC fighter, Dos Santos stormed onto the scene. He's got a lot of potential and a lot of power.
Winner - Dos Santos via KO

#8 Heath Herring vs #9 Antoni Hardonk
Wow, Heath gets what he wants.. a guy who will stand with him. Problem is, Heath is the less talented striker here. Hardonk is the choice here.
Winner - Hardonk via KO

Fighters in the 2nd Round
#1 Cheick Kongo
#2 Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera
#3 Randy Couture
#4 Shane Carwin
#5 Gabriel Gonzaga
#6 Cain Velasquez
#7 Junior Dos Santos
#9 Antoni Hardonk

Round 2 will be up later. For Round 2, Celtic Fan will be doing the odd numbers and I'll be doing the even numbers.

 

Semi-Finals
#1 Chieck Kongo
#7 Junior Dos Santos
#6 Cain Velasquez
#4 Shane Carwin

#6 Cain Velasquez vs #7 Junior Dos Santos
Dos Santos has been very impressive in his 2 UFC fights and his prior fights as well. Cain Velasquez has looked as dominant too. This is a tough matchup of 2 of the best young prospects in the UFC. I think Cain can keep this standing, a bad idea IMO, or take it to the ground, the way to go. Dos Santos trains at blackhouse with the Nogeuira's and one Anderson Silva. They're amazing fighters, but not top shelf wrestlers. Velasquez is a very good wrestler with immaculate ground and pound. I think Cain takes this fight with his ability to be on top on the ground and control the action.
Winner - Velasquez via Dec.

#1 Chieck Kongo vs. #4 Shane Carwin
This is an interesting matchup. Carwin is huge, Chieck is more seasoned and the better striker. However, I like Carwin's ability to wrestle and his power. I think this fight could go past the 1st round, but I've got to go with Carwin.
Winner - Carwin via KO


Heavyweight Title Fight
Champ Brock Lesnar vs. Interim Champ Frank Mir
In the first matchup, Mir was getting rocked until he caught Lesnar in a sub. I don't think that happens again. Lesnar's strength and size is too much of an advantage.
Winner - Lesnar via KO

GP Final
#6 Cain Velazquez vs. #4 Shane Carwin

 

GP Final
#4 Shane Carwin vs #6 Cain Velasquez
Carwin is everything Velasquez is, but better.
Winner - Carwin by KO

 

Shane Carwin vs Brock Lesnar
*will be updated soon :]

 

Champ Brock Lesnar vs GP Winner Shane Carwin
Carwin's miracle ride stops here. Both have great power, both are huge, and both can dominate a fight. However, Lesnar is much more athletic and is faster than Carwin. Celtic Fan and I both think that Lesnar's athletic abilities would be able to give him the edge over Carwin.
Winner - Brock Lesnar via Decision

 

Thread is now open for discussion.

 

*crickets*

 

The Carwin hype machine is getting a little out of hand. Let's bring it back to neutral for a second.

His win over Gonzaga is a great one, but the reality of it is that it is his first and only win against a quality opponent. His first seven fights were against unknowns and his three opponents prior to Gonzaga have a combined record of 22-15. Gonzaga was his first test and we didn't get to see much because of a flash knockout.

Carwin was a D2 wrestling champion but that was literally ten years ago. Gonzaga had one shot in the fight and he took Carwin down with a rudimentary foot trip. We have yet to see if he has anything on the ground, let alone a guard. Most top heavyweights would work to take him down.

He can take and throw a punch, for sure. Gonzaga hit him square on the jaw with two strong straight shots and he didn't go down. He flinched (Rogan exclaimed that Carwin's eyes rolled on the second punch) but he didn't drop. Kicks, kick defense, clinch, and other standing grappling is still a question mark. Guys like Kongo, Hardonk, and dos Santos would attack his legs and knees immediately.

We also don't know if he has any conditioning. Its easy to assume he does but this is someone who up until this year wasn't a full-time fighter. You put him up against guys who have been training five or six days a week since they were fifteen and you have a disparity.

His win over Gonzaga has definitely earned him something but as we saw with Werdum, it doesn't a title contender make. It says more about the HW division that he's suddenly in the picture than it does about the accomplishment in and of itself. I think many of the top-ten heavyweights would beat him today, including the younger guys (dos Santos, Velasquez).

 

Also, Evanson sucks. Couture beats him within the first two minutes.

I like all of your picks but I'm 50/50 on Kongo/Carwin.

 

I'm not comparing Carwin's credentials to theirs, but keep in mind Werdum beat Gonzaga twice and dos Santos crushed him, so shouldn't his win be (at least) on par with Carwin's? Also, throwing "out of shape" in there is a bit dubious. Werdum looked the same against Arlovski as he did against dos Santos. Velasquez doesn't have a resume either but that's the thing--were talking about fighters who aren't easy to compare because most of their fights have been against unknowns. Velasquez is a two-time All American wrestler from a high-end D1 school in ASU. IMHO he would dominate Carwin wrestling regardless of size advantage.

 

Stojnic was a legit fighter who showed up to the UFC in the worst shape of his life. He's got a great chin but the fight was a complete massacre with Velasquez hitting him with everything including the kitchen sink.

 

I disagree. His fight before dos Santos was a quality win over Vera, though the stoppage was an early one.