UFC on Versus 2: Jon Jones vs. Vladimir Matyushenko

	VERSUS
Jon Jones		Vladimir Matyushenko

Here it is folks, the main event of the evening. This card, like the first Versus UFC card, features Jon "Bones" Jones in the main event, but this time he'll be taking on thirteen year mixed martial-arts veteran Vladimir Matyushenko. Jon Jones, since his debut fight against Andre Gusmao, has been the talk of the proverbial town. He's widely considered the best young fighter in the UFC, if not the world, and will look to impress further. He's coming off a very impressive fight with Brandon Vera, where he unleashed his vicious elbows, and subsequently fractured Vera's orbital bone. Matyushenko is in his second stint with the UFC, and has been nothing but successful thus far, with wins against Igor Pokrajac and Eliot Marshall. He has also won 11 out of his last 12 fights, a streak spanning three years. This fight is a changing of the guard, passing of the torch, etc.

As mentioned, Jon Jones is one of the most highly thought of young fighters in the world, reeling off four wins in his UFC career, with his sole loss coming from a disqualification against Matt Hamill. The fight with Matt Hamill, despite the "illegal blows," was dominated by Jones in every facet. Jones presents a very big challenge for the whole of the Light Heavyweight division, due to his length, strength, and unorthodox nature. He's an outstanding Greco-Roman wrestler, who brutalizes his opponents in the clinch. He's also is very dangerous on the feet using muay thai strikes, coming from very awkward and unorthodox deliveries. As was seen in his past few fights, his ability to take fighters down is excellent. In his fight with Brandon Vera, he immediately tied him up, and tripped him, and began to rain down elbows before the referee intervened.

Jones is the new type of fighter that has emerged, where they come into the game really young, being well-rounded rather than having a strong base in one aspect of the game. While the greats like Matt Hughes, Royce Gracie, and Tito Ortiz, all came into the fight game with a set base and strength, the young guys like Jon Jones and Evan Dunham are so well-versed in both stand-up and grappling, to the point where they're comfortable wherever the fight goes. Jon Jones' key to winning this fight lies in his ability to keep Matyushenko at a distance and picking him apart. If it does hit the ground, expect it to be Jones on top after tripping Matyushenko.

"The Janitor" Vladimir Matyushenko has cleaned up in his two return fights to the UFC. He's ground out decision wins against Igor Pokrajac and youngster Eliot Marshall. He's an ace on the ground and has great takedowns. He will need to quickly close the distance against the youngster, and try to tie him up and take him down whilst avoiding the throw from Jones. He has a very tough road ahead of him, and as was mentioned before, will likely be passing the torch onto the 23 year old Rochester native. If he can keep Jones on his back, he could pull of the win, but don't bet the house on it.

Jones will prove to be way too much in any facet of the game for Matyushenko. He'll likely frustrate the Belarusian no matter where the fight goes. If Matyushenko tries to shoot, look for the knee, or a clinch that results in Jones throwing or tripping his opponent. This is the old fighter giving way to the new true mixed martial artist, and pushing Jones that much further up the ladder in his quest for Mauricio "Shogun" Rua's 205lb crown. Expect Jones to use the aforementioned trip to end the fight like he did against Brandon Vera, using his elbows and ground and pound.

Prediction - Jon Jones by 2nd round (t)ko

UFC on Versus 2: Yushin Okami vs. Mark Munoz

	VERSUS
Yushin Okami		Mark Munoz

Much like the previous fight, this one will be a clash of brute strength. Yushin Okami is one of the most underrated fighters the UFC possesses. He's much like Jon Fitch was before his emergence and eventual title shot. Mark Munoz has been one of the hottest prospects since joining the fight game back in 2007. He has an incredible wrestling background and possesses some hammers for fists. This fight is going to be a test of each fighter's will and heart. Whoever breaks first mentally will end up losing the fight.

He's 8-2 since joining the Nevada-based promotion, and holds notable wins over Mike Swick, Alan Belcher, Dean Lister, and the late Evan Tanner. He has tremendous strength, and possesses some pretty solid stand-up. He enjoys clinching, and won't hesitate to take the fight to the ground. Okami hasn't had the greatest reception among fans, due to his lack of finishes. Despite his lack of urgency, he still seems to dominate the fights he wins. He has been on the cusp of a title shot for sometime now, and will look to batter the less experienced Mark Munoz en-route to a fight with Anderson Silva or a rematch with Chael Sonnen. For him to win, he'll need to exploit Mark Munoz stand-up defense and pick him apart.

"The Philippine Wrecking Machine" Mark Munoz is coming off three successful fights at Middleweight following his weight drop in 2009. As mentioned, he has one of the most highly touted wrestling pedigrees among UFC fighters, having won the 2001 NCAA Wrestling National Championship at Oklahoma State. He has shown progression through his career, having somewhat shored his defense on the feet, as well as a purple belt in jiu-jitsu under the Nogueira brothers. He also trains with an amazing camp at Black House, training with the likes of Lyoto Machida, Anderson Silva, the Nogueira twins, Jose Aldo, and Junior Dos Santos. What he'll need to do, which is what he tries to do every fight, is take Okami down and wear him out while working his outstanding ground and pound.

The telling factor in this fight is going to be Mark Munoz' inability to defend against Okami on the feet. If he can get Okami down, it'll be a long night for the Japanese fighter. Okami did show that he can be taken down against Chael Sonnen, but it's yet to be seen whether or not Mark Munoz' wrestling is as effective in MMA as Sonnen's has proven to be. Look for Okami to choose his shots wisely on the feet, and eventually drop Munoz late in the fight.

Prediction - Yushin Okami by 3rd round (t)ko.

UFC on Versus 2: John Howard vs. Jake Ellenberger

	VERSUS
John Howard		Jake Ellenberger

Arguably two of the most powerful welterweights, Ellenberger and Howard will be looking to knock each others head off their respective shoulders. Both guys come in off a win, with Howard riding a seven fight win streak, four being in the UFC. Both guys are well rounded, but prefer to use strikes to finish fights. This fight should produce one, if not both fighters, with a bonus check afterward.

John Howard is coming off two spectacular come from behind knockouts over veteran Dennis Hallman and newcomer Daniel Roberts. Both fights were back and forth affairs, that saw Howard knock his opponent out. With the Hallman fight, he did so with only five seconds remaining in the fight, while in the fight with Roberts he battled back after being taken down and almost submitted. Howard, as mentioned, has tremendous power, but his ground game can't be overlooked either. His takedown defense is somewhat lacking, as was seen against Roberts, but he is competent off his back, even having produced three submission wins earlier in his career while defending. He'll need to keep Ellenberger standing, and try to pick him off on the feet.

When Jake Ellenberger is discussed, one fight sticks out, and it was his controversial loss to Carlos Condit back in 2009. Since then, he has one fight, knocking out veteran Mike Pyle. Ellenberger, much like Howard, is well rounded, but possesses much better wrestling. As was seen in his fight with Condit, his power enable him to get the fight to the ground and work his ground and pound very well. One question mark, that was seen in the Condit fight, was his gas tank. Due to his sometimes over-zealous nature, he tends to burn out later on in fights. He'll need to grind Howard out and stay out of his reach on the feet.

Look for Ellenberger to exploit Howard's lacking sprawl, as he continuously takes Doomsday down to win a unanimous decision.

Prediction - Jake Ellenberger by Unanimous Decision

UFC on Versus 2: Tyson Griffin vs. Takanori Gomi

	VERSUS
Tyson Griffin		Takanori Gomi

The event kicks off at 9pm EST on Versus. The first fight of the televised portion is between Lightweight barn-burner Tyson Griffin and an all-time Lightweight great, Takanori Gomi. Both fighters are coming off tough losses in their last bouts. Gomi made his UFC debut back in March against perennial Lightweight crown challenger Kenny Florian, and left much to be desired. Tyson Griffin broke his two fight win streak with a loss to outstanding Lightweight up and comer Evan Dunham back in June.

Griffin seemed to be heading toward a rematch with Frank Edgar, but for a title this time around. His efforts were then thwarted by Evan Dunham in a split decision loss. It seemed as though Griffin took that fight lightly and didn't realize how much of a stud Evan Dunham really is. Griffin has outstanding stand up, with a good wrestling base and is very strong. He'll want to try to take Gomi down and work ground and pound on him all fight. If his head's on straight this fight, he should be heading his way back up the ladder, but it remains to be seen.

Several years ago, Takanori Gomi was considered the best lightweight in the world, but in recent efforts has proven to be a shell of that fighter. He's 2-3 in his last fight fights, with losses against Golyaev, Kitaoka, and Florian, though a loss to Kenflo is nothing to be discouraged about. He's always shown a good wrestling base with very solid stand up, that includes one-punch knockout power. The main predicament he's going to find himself in tomorrow night is how to close the distance and avoid Griffin's outstanding kicks, while loading up that right hand.

The story of this fight would be completely different if it took place four years ago, but given his recent shortcomings, Gomi will likely be heading out of the UFC shortly after or be sentenced to fight newcomers in the organization. Look for Griffin to batter Gomi's legs and take him down all night to earn a unanimous decision.

Prediction - Tyson Griffin by Unanimous Decision

UFC on Versus 2: Paul Kelly vs. Jacob Volkmann

	VERSUS
Paul Kelly		Jacob Volkmann

The final fight of the preliminary portion is between lightweights Paul Kelly and Jacob Volkmann. Both fighters are coming off a win, and hold an identical 10-2 record. Volkmann has yet to dominate a fight since joining the UFC, with losses to Martin Kampmann and Paulo Thiago. Credit has to be given to "Christmas" Volkmann, because Lord knows, those are two very tough introductory fights into the UFC. Paul Kelly on the other hand joined the UFC as one of the biggest Welterweight prospects back 2008, and came in guns a'blazin with a decision win over fellow Brit Paul Taylor. He's always been one to produce a fight of the night, and this will be his fourth fight since moving down to Lightweight, and Volkmann's second.

Paul Kelly is pure energy when he steps into the Octagon. His chin, partnered with his furious pace make him a handful for almost any lightweight. He's coming off a victory where he choked out Matt Hughes protege Matt Veach, and is showing an ever evolving game. He'll probably look to keep the fight standing and keep away from Volkmann's likely superior grappling. If he keeps it on the feet, he should be able to cruise against Christmas.

Volkmann has shown that he is a very tough fighter, especially in his loss to Paulo Thiago. He took punishment, but kept fighting back, looking for submission attempts left and right. If it hadn't been for the fact he was fighting one of the better jiu-jitsu practitioners in the welterweight division, he may have been able to put him away. He realized he wasn't cut out for the 170lb weight class, and dropped successfully with a win over the once highly touted prospect Ronnys Torres. If he can get top control or even pull guard against Kelly he could pull off a submission.

Look for Kelly to be the bigger fighter come fight night, and be able to dictate where this fight goes. He'll likely keep it standing and pick his shots for fifteen minutes.

Prediction - Paul Kelly by Unanimous Decision

UFC on Versus 2: Matthew Riddle vs. DaMarques Johnson

	VERSUS
DaMaques Johnson		Matthew Riddle

This fight pits two Ultimate Fighter alum against one another. Both fighters have only accumulated one loss in their UFC careers, and are coming off a win. This fight is going to end up in one place and one place only, with Matthew Riddle on top of Johnson, and Damarques trying for submission attempts. Both guys know their strengths and are comfortable in certain aspects of their game.

Riddle may be known in some circles as the guy who knocked that guy out so bad on the show that he had to go to the hospital, but he has one main strength, his ground game. Though he seems one dimensional, his ground game is evolving as well. His bread and butter is his wrestling, and he knows that, but he has been evolving quite a bit in his jiu-jitsu. He will need this while in top control against Johnson.

If you followed the Ultimate Fighter USA vs. England season, you'll know that DaMarques Johnson is no stranger to being on his back. He's very comfortable in the position and three of his eleven wins have come from triangle choke. He's very dangerous off of his back, and very active. He'll try to keep the young Riddle guessing and off balance.

The key to this fight will be whether or not Riddle can ward off enough submission attempts to pull off a decision. And if Johnson can keep it standing, all the better for him as well.

Prediction - DaMarques Johnson by 2nd round submission

UFC on Versus 2: James Irvin vs. Igor Pokrajac

	VERSUS
James Irvin		Igor Pokrajac

Both fighters are coming off a real low-note with their last fights. James Irvin, as mentioned before, attempted a drop to 185 pounds and it wasn't all too successful. To quote Joe Rogan "James Irvin looked like an alien at the weigh-ins," referring to his drop to Middleweight. He's always been a talented fighter, but his potential has always seemed unfulfilled. Meanwhile, Pokrajac is trying not to get strike three and an out from the UFC. He's coming off two disappointing losses to Vladimir Matyushenko and James Te Huna. He's been impressive and dominant outside of the UFC, but has yet to impress.

The scenarios seem pretty straight forward in this Light Heavyweight bout. Irvin needs to keep it on the feet and work his muay thai, while Pokrajac needs to find a way to clinch and get Irvin to the mat in hopes of a submission. Irvin should look far better at 205 than he did in his last fight at 185, and his cardio should be a lot more stable. Pokrajac is going to have his hands full.

Best guess would be Irvin stalking Pokrajac and eventually hitting him with a one two or a knee and dropping him for the night. MMA isn't played, well fought, on paper, so you can't sleep on Igor in this fight either.

Prediction - James Irvin 1st round (t)ko

UFC on Versus 2: Brian Stann vs. Mike Massenzio

	VERSUS
Brian Stann		Mike Massenzio

Brian Stann is making his debut at 185lbs, and steps into the Octagon against a very game opponent in Mike Massenzio. Both fighters have a distinct advantage over the other, with Brian Stann having better boxing and Massenzio the better wrestling pedigree. Massenzio has most of his wins by submission and the Marine, Stann, with most wins coming by (t)ko. Either fighter is going to come in looking to implement a gameplan that would be kryptonite to the other.

As mentioned, this is Brian Stann's first fight since dropping from Light Heavyweight to Middleweight. The issue, as it always is with fighters dropping weight, is how he is going to handle the weight cut leading up to the fight. Stann always seemed to have a decent size for a Light Heavyweight, so it will be interesting to see if he comes in looking drained like James Irvin did at the first UFC on Versus event. If he does indeed come in drained, then Massenzio will chomping at the bit to wear him down until he can coerce a submission.

Look for a feeling out process in the first two or three minutes, before Massenzio shoots and takes Stann down. If he can keep him down, he should be able to submit him fairly easily due to Stann's lack of submission defense. If Massenzio can't keep it on the mat, and Stann has gas in the tank, it'll be a long night for the grappling ace. Exciting fight regardless

Prediction - Massenzio by 2nd round submission.

Goal of the Day! - Rosicky at Full Health!

Was talking with my co-host Joe earlier, who is a huge Arsenal fan, and got on the subject of Tomas Rosicky. Enjoy this screamer, and cheers to his health this season! He's such a joy to watch.

UFC on Versus 2: Darren Elkins vs. Charles Oliveira

	VERSUS
Darren Elkins		Charles Oliveira

Two up and comers will be front and center in the second fight of the evening. Both have something to prove, that being they belong in the octagon with the rest of the lightweight division. Both fighters will be taking part in their thirteenth career professional fight. Elkins is coming off a technical win, after Duane Ludwig suffered one of the most gruesome injuries the UFC has ever seen. He holds one blemish on his record, coming last year to Ted Worthington, where he was stopped just thirteen seconds into the fight. Oliveira meanwhile is making his UFC debut, and is undefeated prior. He's only gone to decision one time, with six wins coming by tko and five by submission.

All indications point to this fight also going to the ground at one point or another. Oliveira, whose jiu-jitsu pedigree seems very good, will look to catch Elkins in a submission, or even use some strikes on the ground. Elkins will need to fend off the submission attempts and try to keep this fight standing. He seems to have a better chance on the feet, but Oliveira could pose some problems for him there as well.

Oliveira is coming in as one of Sherdog's third best Brazilian to watch in 2010. He's a highly touted prospect, and will look to impress the UFC brass in his attempts to dispatch Elkins, while Darren will try to prove to people his win against Duane Ludwig wasn't just because of the ankle injury. This is going to be another fast paced fight, and will get the crowd ready for what the event has in store.

Prediction - Charles Oliveira by 1st round submission

UFC on Versus 2: Rob Kimmons vs. Steve Steinbeiss

	VERSUS
Rob Kimmons		Steve Steinbeiss

The night starts off, well at least for the audience members, with Rob Kimmons taking on Steve Steinbeiss. This is likely a loser leaves town match. Rob Kimmons is at .500 since joining the UFC with two losses coming to Jorge Rivera and Dan Miller, and wins against two UFC cast-offs Joe Vedepo and Rob Yundt. His competitor, Steinbeiss, lost his only UFC fight against Ryan Jensen.

This fight will likely end up hitting the mat pretty quick. Rob Kimmons has good wrestling and a solid submission game. Steve Steinbeiss struggled on the ground against Ryan Jensen in his last fight, and this will likely be the story yet again. Look for Rob Kimmons to take Steinbeiss down and work for a choke. This will likely be Steinbeiss' last fight in the UFC unless he can somehow keep it standing and put Kimmons away, which isn't likely.

Like with most preliminary bouts, this fight will really set a nice pace for the rest of the event.

Prediction - Kimmons by 2nd round submission.

Goal of the Day! - Spain's U19s do it again!

I love seeing all the creativity that these young kids are showing. It really shows their passion of the game over the senior squad members.

Black and Blue Podcast! July 27, 2010

Goals of the Day! - Real Madrid Legends!

Raul

Guti

Real Madrid legends Raul and Guti saw their respective Bernabeu careers come to a close today, so I figured I'd pay homage.

Return of the Fight Breakdown!

When I started this blog, one of the main interests I had in mind was bringing you MMA articles with my style of journalism. If you go back into the archives, not that I'm telling you to, you'll see a whole UFC card broken down, fight by fight. It was something I really wanted to do, but for whatever reason at the time,

I got somewhat disenchanted. It's a subject that I love, and I realize that it's something that needs to return!

Over the next few days I will break down the UFC on Versus 2 card, fight by fight, and do my best to deliver the most articulate and complete fight analysis/preview. The card features the following fights:

Main Card
•LHW - Jon Jones vs. Vladimir Matyushenko

•MW - Mark Munoz vs. Yushin Okami
•WW - John Howard vs. Jake Ellenberger
•LW - Tyson Griffin vs. Takanori Gomi

Preliminary Card
•LW - Paul Kelly vs. Jacob Volkmann
•WW - Demarques Johnson vs. Matthew Riddle
•LHW - James Irvin vs. Igor Pokrajac
•MW - Brian Stann vs. Mike Massenzio
•LW - Darren Elkins vs. Charles Oliveira
•MW - Rob Kimmons vs. Steve Steinbeiss

Dead Ball Era Part 2

Matt Garza put an exclamation point tonight on pitching's absolute dominance in the 2010 season. He threw the fifth no hitter of the season against the Detroit Tigers. I can't think of a time in my life that pitchers have been this dominant. It's been a joy to see, and for me it's a breath of fresh air to see this.

Also along with this brings a great balance within the divisions. Every division is up for grabs, between at least two teams, and that's maybe the most refreshing part of the 2010 season.

Not only are pitchers getting more groundball outs, strikeouts, and subsequently, wins. The league's hitters also seem to be taking notice, and are switching their emphasis.

It's easy to see that the Mitchell Report has done some cleaning up in baseball, and most of the PED(performance enhancing drug) use has declined. It seems like it's exposed a black eye, but for me it's shown that hitters can evolve. While I can't think of a time in my life that pitchers have been this dominant, I also haven't seen so many great hitters starting to hit more for average than power.

While pitchers are starting to dominate, hitters are taking notice and realize they can't just crank them out of the park like before. It is also nice to see that there is a legitimate race for the triple crown title between Miguel Cabrera and Josh Hamilton.

New Episode of Black and Blue Podcast!

Joseph and I discuss the upcoming English Premier League season. They give their predictions of the top 8 and bottom 3, and goof off a little bit in between.

Goal of the Day!

Dani Pacheco scores for the Spain U-19 team against Portugal.

Black and Blue Podcast!

Winners Thus Far

I've been talking a lot with Joseph, my podcast partner, about the transfer market. For those who aren't familiar and/or are new to European soccer, the transfer market is a window for a couple months between seasons where teams can sell and buy players. There is also another transfer window, but it's shorter and happens in the middle of the season. So Joseph and I did a podcast episode about the recent goings on about the current transfer window. It's been pretty active so far, especially with the World Cup being over. As you see in baseball in the states, there are teams that just have boat-loads of money and can buy whoever they want; i.e. Manchester City, Chelsea FC, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Inter Milan.

Team	New Player(s)
Manchester City	LM/Winger - David Silva CDM/CB - Yaya Toure CB/LB - Jerome Boateng
Barcelona	FWD - David Villa M - Cesc Fabregas(expected)
Manchester United	FWD - Javier Hernandez D - Chris Smalling
Liverpool	LM/Winger - Joe Cole Winger - Milan Jovanovic

Listen to our Discussion about the transfer window!

What it Means in the Long Run

Three superstars are going to try setting aside their egos to win each other a much desired championship. Former Finals MVP, Dwyane Wade, lured his friends and new teammates to South Beach with the prospects of not just a championship team, but an eventual dynasty. I'm not sure I see it that way.

Look at the players in their first six years in the NBA...they were all the go-to guy on their team. They haven't had to share the ball, let alone the limelight for a season. They all played together in the Olympics, but they weren't being paid for that. The big question to me is going to be how they'll coexist. They all took a pay cut to play together, which is a good sign for Heat fans.



Another pressing concern is how they're going to surround themselves with NBA level talent. It seems as if Mike Miller has already agreed to terms and will be a good option off the bench. They've also got a solid big man in Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who should play alongside Chris Bosh pretty well.



Now every veteran who doesn't have a ring is coming out of the woodwork it seems to want to sign with the Heat. Penny Hardaway and the more current version of Penny Hardaway, Tracy McGrady, are wanting to sign with Miami and feel like they can contribute to a championship team.

Been a While

I feel like I write this same opening every few months when I have a lay off...so I'll spare you guys. If you read Black and Blue, then you've noticed I've been gone.

A lot has gone on in the past few weeks since I've been away. My second home nation(I have papers), Spain, won their first World Cup! Lebron James pulled the hood over Dan Gilbert's eyes, and joined Bosh and Wade in Miami. George Steinbrenner passed away just days after his 80th birthday. The NL won the All-Star game for the first time in over a decade.

There's a lot to cover, and if you're not tired of hearing about it already, then tune in, because it's coming!

Goal of the Day: July 6, 2010

Wonderful control by Gourcuff. Results in a pretty nice goal.

Goal of the Day July 2, 2010

Nice goal by Fabio Aurelio.