March Madness: Can't Shield Off The Upset

She may not be as tough as Georges St. Pierre, but Jake Shields shocks the world and wins the welterweight tournament. 

Well it's a little late, but here are the results of the welterweight tournament. A quick warning: it's a big surprise, but there is always one shocker in March Madness and this is the weight class where it happens. 

Pool A: #1. Georges St. Pierre vs. #4. Karo Parisyan

Out of all the tournaments so far, I honestly think this is the biggest mismatch in a first round. These two have met in the past and GSP was clearly the better fighter back then. His tremendous improvement with Parisyan's lackluster showings is a combination for disaster for "The Heat." St. Pierre wins by any way he chooses. 

Pool A: #2. Josh Koscheck vs #3. Mike Swick

Now this is a matchup. Classic wrestler vs striker matchup here, but the problem is Koscheck wants to be a striker so badly that he often forgets to wrestle. I think Koscheck's ego gets the better of him as he tries to exchange leather with the super quick Swick who walks away with a knockout victory. 

Pool Championship: Georges St. Pierre vs Mike Swick

Down the road, I would love to see this matchup, but I don't think Swick is ready yet. Swick has looked a tad star struck when he fights big name opponents. I think his striking is good enough to compete with GSP, but St. Pierre's ability to get takedowns at will would be too much and St. Pierre wins via submission. 

Pool B: #1. Jake Shields vs #4. Marcus Davis

Shields draws one of the most dangerous strikers in the game with Davis, but Shields is smart enough and definitely good enough to overcome it. I think Davis comes out aggressive as always, but Shields would waste no time taking the fight to the mat and submitting Davis. 

Pool B: #2. Nick Thompson vs #3. Jay Hieron

This is a tough one to call. Hieron is a great athlete and an explosive fighter, but Thompson is veteran savvy and has fought stiffer competition. I think it's that experience that gives Thompson the slight edge as he is able stop Hieron's hot streak and walk away with a decision.

 

Pool Championship: Jake Shields vs Nick Thompson 

This is a rematch of the Elite XC Welterweight Championship match. I think Thompson makes it a closer fight than last time but Shields is still too good on the ground and no matter how much Thompson struggles to survive, Shields will catch him in a submission again.

Pool C: #1. Carlos Condit vs #4. Matt Serra

WEC champion meets former UFC champion in this intriguing matchup. Serra is a highly regarded jujitsu practitioner and has a deadly right hand, while Condit is just flat out mean. Condit's aggression is hard to handle and I think he overwhelms Serra in a flurry of Muay Thai offense. 

Pool C: #2. Hayato "Mach" Sakurai vs #3. Matt Hughes

The two biggest legends in the welterweight division square off. The two fought all the way back in 2002 where Hughes won a grueling contest in four rounds. This time though, it has been Hughes who has slowly digressed and I think Sakurai is still dangerous. I think Mach wins the rematch, which would lead to a hopeful third meeting one day.

Pool Championship: Carlos Condit vs Hayato "Mach" Sakurai

If this fight happened two years ago I would say Sakurai gets the victory. But Condit's youth and his will to be the best would be enough to take down the Japanese legend. Sakurai would give Condit fits early with physical striking, but Condit would get the fight on the ground and use his long limbs to lock in a submission. 

Pool D: #1. Thiago Alves vs #4. Anthony "Rumble" Johnson

Johnson is a really special athlete, but Alves is a really special fighter. Johnson may be champion one day, but I don't think anyone has figured out how to handle Alves' pure power yet. He even made Hughes fall into a fetal position as overwhelmed him with powerful kicks. So I got Alves by knockout. 

Pool D: #2. Jon Fitch vs #3. Brock Larson

Larson gets underrated quite a bit, but Fitch is a monster. He is one of the best wrestlers in the division and seems to win every fight by ground-and-pound. While Larson is always dangerous on the ground, I think Fitch overpowers him and pounds out a win. 

Pool Championship: Thiago Alves vs Jon Fitch

Fitch beat the young Alves three years ago, but a lot has changed since then. Alves has started to realize his full potential and I think he gets his payback. Alves would use the same strategy GSP used when he fought Fitch and methodically pick apart the former Purdue wrestler with his excellent striking. 

Semifinal: #1. Georges St. Pierre vs #1. Jake Shields

So there are four No. 1 seeds in the finals, but I said it would be shocking and here is where it happens. I can't argue Shields is better than GSP, but there is always a shock and I think Shields has the tools necessary to pull off an upset. GSP would pick apart Shields on the feet, get comfortable and then take him down and work from the guard. GSP would make one false move and Shields secures the armbar. 

Semifinal: #1. Carlos Condit vs #1. Thiago Alves

These fighters are virtually the same, the only difference being Alves' strength. With that being said, Alves should overpower Condit over three rounds of brutal action and walk away with a unanimous decision. 

Finals: #1. Jake Shields vs #1. Thiago Alves

Shields beat GSP so you can be sure he is going to finish the job and get the championship. Alves is a dangerous striker but there is almost no one who can hang with Shields when it comes to fighting on the ground. Shields gets the takedown, works from the guard and gets his submission.

Champion: Jake Shields

March Madness: The Welterweights

Will Georges St. Pierre be able to celebrate a "First Round March Madness" tournament championship?

Three champions crowned and two more to go. It's always easy to get off track with the actual March Madness happening, but I will do my best to give this welterweight tournament the attention it deserves.

The clear No. 1 in this field is Georges "Rush" St. Pierre. Just as the case in the heavyweight and middleweight divisions, St. Pierre is one of those freak athletes with an uncanny ability to exceed in every area of mixed martial arts. 

The Canadian has shown signs of mental weakness before though, as was the case in his loss to Matt Serra. He will face some stiff competition in this tournament and these men are capable of dethroning him. 

Six fighters from outside the UFC will be involved in this tournament with two of them gaining No. 1 seeds, showing once again there is top talent the UFC could still sign. 

Pool A

#1. Georges St. Pierre

#2. Josh Koscheck

#3. Mike Swick

#4. Karo Parisyan 

Pool B

#1. Jake Shields

#2. Nick Thompson

#3. Jay Hieron

#4. Marcus Davis

Pool C

#1. Carlos Condit

#2. Hayato "Mach" Sakurai

#3. Matt Hughes

#4. Matt Serra

Pool D

#1. Thiago Alves

#2. Jon Fitch

#3. Brock Larson

#4. Anthony Johnson

Here is the breakdown of each pool.

Pool A: Clearly St. Pierre is the best welterweight in the world right now and if he keeps improving at the rate he is going, he might be the best of all time. Koscheck is a little controversial at the two spot, especially with his recent loss. His tremendous athleticism and wrestling always makes him a threat. Swick is a special talent with blinding hand speed. Parisyan is a top judoka, but his last few performances have been uninspired and he is lucky to make it.

Pool B: I can't say enough about Jake Shields. His wrestling and jujitsu are top notch and his striking keeps improving. There is a reason he always has a championship on his waist. Nick Thompson is 14-1 in his last 15 fights with his lone loss coming to Shields. Jay Hieron is making noise and dominated the IFL. His athleticism is starting to shine through. Marcus Davis is one of the most exciting fighters on the planet and knocks almost everyone out. 

Pool C: The nickname "Natural Born Killer" is no joke when talking about Carlos Condit. It's hard to describe how violent Condit can be. It has to be seen to be appreciated. "Mach" Sakurai is a true legend of the sport and is still competitive despite getting up in age. At 34-8, he has to be respected. Speaking of legends, Matt Hughes is the greatest of all-time. He's not the fighter he once was, but 42-7 gets you a 3-seed in my book. Serra has always been underrated and as former champion, he deserves a spot in the tourney. 

Pool D: Thiago Alves is the No. 1 contender and I don't know if you have seen his leg kicks, but he could knock a tree down with those kicks. He is a dangerous threat to St. Pierre's title. Jon Fitch is one of the best wrestlers in MMA and is one of the toughest and most conditioned athletes. Brock Larson could seem like a surprise, but he is 24-2 and has only lost to Fitch and Condit. That's impressive. Anthony Johnson is in the tournament based completely on potential and athleticism. I'm not sure I have ever seen a bigger welterweight. 

The snubbed: As previously stated, Johnson is in the tournament on potential and Parisyan on reputation. Two men who could make an argument to get in the tournament are Paulo Thiago and Dong Hyun Kim. Thiago surprised everyone with his win over Koscheck and is 11-0 now. He could be a future star. In my opinion, Kim won the fight against Parisyan, but at least it was overturned to a no contest instead of a loss. I think Kim has all the tools to challenge for the title one day. 

Results of the tournament will be up later tonight.