First off, a big HELL-O!! to all the great readers of MMAOpinion! My name is Raghu and that is enough about me 
I also write about MMA on my own site, Knockouts and Neck Cranks so don’t be concerned about finding the same or similar opinion out there.
Over the next week, I will attempt to breakdown the matches from the upcoming UFC event - UFC82. So, let me know what you think of the breakdowns and if your thoughts differ from mine, let me know why.
UFC 82: The Undercard
The undercard of this event looks so good that it might as well have been a Fight Night event! The theme of the card though seems to be “returning warriors” with almost every one of the fighters returning to the octagon either after a loss or a long layoff. Let’s get on to the card now.
Andrei “Pitbull” Arlovski v/s Jake O’Brien
Andrei “Pitbull” Arlovski, the former UFC heavyweight champion returns to the octagon after an almost year long sabbatical following what was one of the most boring fights in the UFC ever (against Fabricio Werdum). That Arlowski is a very dangerous striker is no news to anyone. The question for Arlowski is whether the fighter will come in with a defensive strategy like he did against Werdum or will he come in confident and aggressive like he used to.
His opponent, Jake O’Brien is coming off a surprise dominating win over Heath Herring after which he got injured and has been on the sidelines. O’Brien, a top class wrestler who is constantly getting better at the overall MMA game is a very dangerous fighter and has shown that he can hold his own against top class opponents. His strategy is surely going to be to try and keep Andrei down and use his wrestling skills to control the game.
Prediction: Andrei Arlowski by KO - Round 3
Luke Cummo v/s Luigi Fiorovanti
Famous for his stint on the Ultimate Fighter season 2, Matt Serra’s star pupil Luke Cummo is a very dangerous fighter with a good all-round MMA game. His Jiu-Jitsu along with some very aggressive striking has made him a very dangerous challenge for almost all his opponents. Coming off an injury and finally at 100% Cummo seems to be really determined to start his campaign once again towards the UFC championship belt.
Luigi Fiorovanti, a very strong striker with knock out power in his hands, comes in with a heavy burden on his shoulders, the weight of living up to the promise that he showed because of which he is in the UFC in the first place. Fiorovanti’s game plan has to be to keep the fight standing and try and knock Cummo out, while trying to stay inside Cummo’s range and avoid getting hit or taken down. A tough task, but it is something Fiorovanti needs to do to get the win.
Prediction: Luke Cummo by TKO - Round 1
Josh Koscheck v/s Dustin Hazelett
In what seems to be one of the least talked about fight on this card, Josh Koscheck takes on Dustin Hazelett. Koscheck, a TUF season1 standout and a top class wrestler is coming off a tough loss against interim champion Georges St.Pierre. Koscheck as always has excellent wrestling skills which he has been supplementing with an always improving striking game. His training camp, the American Kickboxing Academy, also allows Koscheck to come in to every match a better fighter.
Dustin Hazelett is coming in with a three fight win streak and a strong “finisher” record. In this fight, however, Hazelett’s main issue will be when he puts his submission skills up against the wrestling prowess of Koscheck. Overall, this is not as simple a fight as it seems and promises to be a really heated contest.
Prediction: Hazelett by submission - round 2
Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez v/s David Bielkheden
This is the match that Diego has to win. Sanchez has been drifting into mediocrity ever since he left his proving ground in Greg Jackson’s camp and now that he seems to have a steadier camp, the UFC has thrown him up against David Bielkheden.
Although I don’t know much about David Bielkheden and have never seen him fight, his record suggests a middle level fighter and it seems to me that Diego has been thrown a lifesaver in this fight. Look for Diego to dominate the fight and score a KO/ TKO to win the fight in the first round.
Prediction: Diego Sanchez by TKO - Round 1
John “Hurricane” Halverson v/s Jorge Gurgel
John Halverson, a Miletich product, has been in the UFC before (he lost to Roger Huerta at UFC 67) and is at the moment coming off a three fight win streak in smaller shows. John Halverson is a brawler/ wrestler like a few other Miletich fighters and is pretty strong at those particular skills. However, he has either lost by TKO or submission in his more high-profile fights, which leads me to believe that Halverson has a serious case of “Dreamsmasheritis“, a particularly unique malady that was first seen in veteran KOTC champion and UFC, PRIDE and EliteXC veteran Joey Villasenor.
On the other hand we have Jorge Gurgel. A very accomplished jiu-jitsu fighter, Jorge has a similar malady in that he goes the distance and loses in hard fought matches with good fighters. Till he joined The UFC, Jorge had a really impressive 9-1 record. However, after he joined the UFC, Jorge’s record has been pretty even at 2-2, with his losses coming against Mark Hominick and Alvin Robinson. The fights haven’t been really pretty either.
Prediction: Jorge Gurgel by Unanimous Decision
Let me know what you think of the breakdowns. I will be breaking down the main card two fights at a time over the course of the week. ‘Til then, keep training!
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February 24th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
very interesting reads. like the site very much. i would love you to state in more detail kocheck-hazelett. every which way i break this down i see kos winning.
well done, will be nice to chat mma with a passionate fan
February 24th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
Thanks for the comments, Dean. The major reason I see Hazelett winning is because although Koscheck has really improved his striking, he is still, in my opinion, a defensive striker and uses it as a setup (not a very strong one) for his g’n'p. His striking looked better than it was against a really off Diego. Hazelett has some crisp standup and can more than just defend any strike-based setups.
So that only leaves Koscheck to take him down the traditional way, wrestling. I believe Hazelett’s submission game will help him win. The exact setup is a little difficult to predict of course. Let me know what you think.
February 24th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
Good stuff Raghu. The Koscheck/Hazelett fight should be interesting. I’m going to be watching this bout closely to see how they decide to proceed in mounting any sort of offense on each other with your analysis in mind.
February 25th, 2008 at 12:41 am
Welcome to the cast of characters, Raghu, and some interesting undercard analysis. Hopefully more to come.
Honestly, there’s alot of stuff I disagree with you about.
I disagree that it’s in Fiorovanti’s best interest to keep his fight standing. While you noted Cummo’s BJJ background and the fact that he trains with Serra, it’s important to note that Fiorovanti comes from one of the best (if not the best) American grappling program. He may not be listed as having the BJJ rank, but he’s got great submission grappling support from his camp and I wouldn’t be surprised to see some aggressive groundnpound from Fiorovanti, as Cummo has been unimpressive off of his back in previous fights (at least in my mind).
I agree that the Koscheck vs. Hazelett fight will be interesting, but I don’t think Hazelett’s going to be strong enough to handle Koscheck unless he lands a big strike. I’ve watched Koscheck train and worked with him and many of the other AKA guys (being a bay area local) and I just don’t think Hazelett’s going to be able to deal with the strength unless he pulls a Drew Fickett and catches him with a big strike. Koscheck by decision.
I disagree about the Diego fight, and I think that while people aren’t impressed with the Swede’s record, he’s going to have Diego seriously beat on the ground. He’s a Murilo Bustamante BJJ blackbelt and a BTT member, I see this being a much closer fight than everyone else seems to.
I also disagree with the Halverson fight, because we are talking about a guy who has gone to only one decision in his professional career. This is going to be a fast fight, and Halverson’s a balls to the wall guy. I think that Halverson will win by KO in the first or get caught with a submission by a saavier Gurgel in the second, when he’s gassed.
Still, interesting predictions and analysis. Good read.
February 25th, 2008 at 2:54 am
Thanks for commenting Josh. I didn’t expect this to be such a great avenue for exchanging ideas.
About the pics, I am aware of Fiorovanti’s camp and what he brings in. But I think Cummo has a few tricks that will keep him thinking. One thing I do agree with you on is that Cummo has been unimpressive in his last few fights, but I stand by that pick.
The thing about the Hazelett/ Koscheck fight is that I believe that Hazelett’s reach and standup game will disturb Koscheck’s usual setup strategy. Unless AKA has Koscheck totally rewired (something they and Koscheck are really capable of doing), I think Koscheck’s game plays right into Hazelett’s strong suites. Still, a very interesting fight that I hope will be shown during the event.
The Halverson fight, I think Gurgel has been trying to play the standup game too much and that is why he has been so unimpressive. In this fight, I believe that Jorge will go back to his BJJ and that is where Halverson will have trouble.
You might for all possible reasons be right about the Diego- Bielkheden fight. I have little to no knowledge about him unfortunately and made my prediction based solely on his record and of that of his opponents. Let’s see what happens.
Again, thanks a lot for sharing your opinion and for really making me excited about writing on MMAOpinion.
February 25th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
I’m glad you took Fiorovanti’s camp into account and aren’t enamored with Cummo. Some people are and I just don’t understand the fascination.
As for Kos getting disturbed by fighting a taller guy, he’s been training with Swick alot for this fight, so I don’t think that the reach will be as big of a shock, but that’s just my opinion. The Camarillo’s have been really trying to make Kos a submission wrestler, and not just a wrestler, so that he can be an MMA competitor and a force at ADCC, but I agree that we haven’t really seen that yet.
I agree that Hurricane will have trouble with jiu-jitsu, but anyone will have trouble with Jorge on the ground. Still, I think the chance of Halverson landing a punch before this fight even really gets going is pretty good.
Good to have you.
February 25th, 2008 at 11:37 pm
great chat guys. kos for me is stronger, more “pitbull” if you will, i only see him pressing much like gsp did to him, i do worry that hazelett much like huerta when getting taking down embraces it and becomes so dangerous trying to lock a sub.
to be honest, i felt kos did ok against gsp, and i think that match gives him a higher platform(although that does come with pressure) to perform.
i see easy takes downs all night night and do see the UD.
your guys takes on cummo are interesting. i still after watching his fights again cannot place a finger on him, i have to pass this on.
also could i ask, how do you guys feel o’briens back comes into this fight? AA on an undercard,no contract seems fishy to me also.
and one more question, when i cap the herring fight he wins handly over kongo, other than a solid strike or luck kick-knee on a shoot do you guys see kongo doing anything here? i still cannot believe silva easily tossed him around but did nothing on top, crazy.