Gone in 60 Seconds

If you didn't see Kendall Holt vs Ricardo Torres Saturday night, you missed a classic.

Luckily, the internet exists, which means you can still catch the fight and the great thing is you only need one minute of free time.

Torres, the champion, showed how dominant he can be, dropping Holt TWICE in thirty seconds. Torres was untouchable and made Holt look like an amateur (which he is definitely not).

Right when Torres had it, Holt dropped the hammer. The third knockdown of the round saw Torres fall into the ropes and never get up as Holt became the new world champion. It was a sight to see, boxing fan or not. Sports don't get any more exciting than those sixty seconds of non-stop action.

Fall Out From UFC 86
Well I predicted about half the bouts correctly, so it wasn't a great day of pick'em, but I was happy with the card. There were some close decisions however, that could have gone either way and will have big effects on future world championship bouts.

Forrest Griffin, the kid with a lot of heart, edged a decision from Rampage Jackson, the FORMER world champion. Griffin completed his rise from Ultimate Fighter to World Champion, but not without a little controversy.

Rd 1: Jackson, Rd 2: Griffin, Rd 3: Either Way, Rd 4: Jackson, Rd 5: Griffin

I'm no mathematician, but that seems like a draw to me, and when a fight is so close that it could go to a draw, then the champion keeps it.

I'm proud for Griffin, he is a tough fighter, he isn't as good as Jackson in my eyes. But it seems the UFC is about to do the right thing again and give Jackson an immediate rematch, at least according to numerous rumors.

Caught In A Spider Web
The other close decision happened in the Middleweight division where a title shot was up for grabs. Heavy-handed Patrick "The Predator" Cote took a split decision over Ricardo Almeida. Obviously, a split decision means it was close and I agree. Either man could have won.

But there is a big problem with Cote winning. His future matchup with champion Anderson Silva is a given - he is getting knocked out. No middleweight in the world can hang with Silva on his feet and most MMA fans know that. Almeida would have tried to take it to the ground, leading to a few more possibilities.

Could he have gotten the fight to the ground? Could he have submitted the pound-for-pound king? Chances are very slim, but the possibility was there. With Cote, it will be another explosive, quick knockout for The Spider.

Fast and Furious

• Check out the MMA going down July 19. A stacked Affliction card and free Anderson Silva on Spike TV
• Why is MMA the fastest growing sport? Because Mandy Moore is hot and is assured to be shown at least once on every UFC PPV
• WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Torres was shown at UFC. It's for us to find out who he is fighting next (hoping for the Maeda rematch)
  

UFC 86 Predictions

This Saturday is UFC 86: Griffin vs Jackson, which means it's time to give my "expert" opinion on the winners and losers. The card looks pretty solid on paper with an undercard featuring a match for a shot at the Middleweight championship and a promising heavyweight looking to get back on track. The main event of course pits "Ultimate Fighter" coaches Quinton "Rampage" Jackson against Forrest Griffin...so lets get to it!

Gabriel Gonzaga vs Justin McCully
Gonzaga looked like UFC's savior in the heavyweight division after he decapitated "Cro Cop" with a left high kick for one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. Unfortunately, Gonzaga got a nose job from Randy Couture's ground and pound and then looked lost in a fight against Fabricio Werdum. After two losses though, he is ready to get back in the win column. McCully has trained with Tito Ortiz in the past (mainly as his human punching bag) and I expect Gonzaga to punish him the same way with his tremendous physical strength.

Gonzaga via 1st round TKO

Cole Miller vs Jorge Gurgel
This is very tough to call. Gurgel has underachieved his whole career, but he is a great coach as witnessed by the success of his students in the UFC. Miller has overachieved in my eyes and hasn't faced great competition except for Jeremy Stephens, who he lost to. This will be the last time I pick Gurgel if he loses, but I hope he shows what he is capable of. Expect Gurgel to get a decision after controlling the fight on the ground.

Gurgel via unanimous decision

Dennis Siver vs Melvin Guillard
I absolutely hate Guillard. He got kicked out of the UFC after trying to start a fight after losing a fight in the 1st round. He is the biggest talker this side of Mike Tyson and he can't back it up when facing top competition. Unfortunately, he isn't against top competition this weekend. He draws Dennis Siver, a good grappler who isn't good enough to make the jump in competition. Look for Guillard to score the knockout (and then talk until the next 4th of July).

Guillard via 2nd round KO

Corey Hill vs Justin Buchholz
Hill is a special athlete. He fights at lightweight (155) despite being 6' 4". If he is progressing like expected, the beanstalk should keep winning. Buchholz is the fighting pride of Alaska...but that's the problem. He built his great record in Alaska.

Hill via unanimous decision

Joe Stevenson vs Gleison Tibau
It's nice to see Joe Daddy back. Last time we saw him he was shedding more blood than a "Hostel" movie. That came at the hands of one of the top 5 fighters in the world though, so its excusable. Stevenson is a tremendous fighter and will use his excellent wrestling and ju-jitsu to finish off Tibau. Stevenson should get back into title contention.

Stevenson via 1st round submission

Ricardo Almeida vs Patrick Cote
This one is for a future shot at the middleweight title. Cote has been on a Cinderella run as of late with impressive KO victories, but I think it stops Saturday. Almeida is a ju-jitsu monster, and I think if the fight hits the floor just once, Cote will be tapping.

Almeida via 2nd round submission

Tyson Griffin vs Marcus Aurelio
This looks like a great technical fight. No flash or flair here, but it's a coin toss. Aurelio hasn't looked as good in the UFC as he did in PrideFC, so a tough opponent like Griffin could be the difference. I think Griffin literally wrestles a decision away from Aurelio.

Griffin via unanimous decision

Chris Lytle vs Josh Koscheck
Classic striker vs grappler match. Both need a win, but Koz will get it. His wrestling is some of the best in MMA today and it's very difficult to stop his takedown. His striking should be good enough to survive on his feet and he should be back in the win column.

Koscheck via 2nd round TKO stoppage

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs Forrest Griffin
The main event for the Light-Heavyweight Championship. Rampage has been tremendous with the title, defeating Liddell with KO to win it and beating Dan Henderson in a 5 round war to retain. Griffin had a shocking win over Maricio Rua to get the shot, but Rampage is going to be too strong. Quinton is technically sound at striking and super strong on the ground. Griffin is a little wild and will probably get caught with a hard punch.

Jackson retains title via KO in 3rd round

The Draft and The Shaft

Welcome to the first ever edition of beatdowns, boxing and basketball. I will be offering my latest thoughts on the wide world of mixed-martial arts, boxing and basketball for all you sport nuts out there.

Some big things happened last week so I figured I would catch you all up on the two biggest events.

Ok, so good news or bad news first?

I agree...The good news is the Milwaukee Bucks (my absolute favorite team of all-time) had a solid draft. Trading Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons for Richard Jefferson was a brilliant move by new G.M. John Hammond (mastermind behind the Pistons).

I am sad to see Jianlian go as I think he will be a great player and he is a great ambassador of the sport, but the Bucks had salary cap trouble and big defensive problems that should be remedied with Jefferson and....

Joe Alexander and Luc Richard Mbah A Moute. Both players are great defenders, especially Mbah A Moute who has been compared to Bruce Bowen and Ron Artest (without the headache...and jumpshot).

Alexander, who a tremendous writer once called "Vanilla Sky," is just that...a white guy with sick hops. He should bring plenty of athleticism, energy and defense to an improved team with hard-nosed Scott Skiles at the helm. Here we come Eastern Conference playoffs!

Now the Bad News
I had been looking forward to Saturday night for a longtime. David Diaz, Chicago's only world champion boxer, had a chance to defend against the pound-for-pound king, Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao.

Diaz was a 4-1 underdog, but with Pacman moving up in weight, I had my boy Diaz by KO in the late rounds. Turns out Pacman can keep his lightening speed while putting on muscle. The "Mexicutioner" put down another great Mexican boxer after nine rounds of lightning fast combos that ended with a devestating left hook to turn out Diaz's lights.

Chicago is without a world champion for now, but congrats to Pacman who became the first Asian boxer (he is from the Philippines) to win four world championships in four separate weight classes.

On a side note, the undercard of Diaz vs Pacquiao had a whole lot of controversy. World champion Humberto Soto destroyed Francisco Lorenzo with a fourth round KO due to violent lefts. Referee Joe Cortez saw a phantom punch to the back of the head while Lorenzo was falling to his knees....the result....Lorenzo wins by DQ.

Cortez, you need to get the Chris Henry'd out of boxing for that call.

Thanks for reading everyone, come back next time when I talk about the latest MMA news.*

*All subject matter subject to change