CKA: Feb 16, 2007

Feb 16, 2007 9:00 AM Scott White

News and Notes

- Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic will be facing Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 70 in Manchester, England.

- ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ veterans Chris Leben and Kalib Starnes will clash in the octagon at some point in May.

- UFCJunkie.com is reporting that Team Jackson fighter Nathan Marquardt has been granted at title shot at UFC 72.

- In a recent article on Sherdog.com, Josh Gross reported that Brandon Vera’s final UFC fight will come against heavyweight prospect Jake O’Brien.

I do have it on good authority, though, that Vera will fight Jake O’Brien. All signs point to the UFC doing anything it can to leave a black mark on Vera as he appears headed in another direction.

Weekend Shows

DEEP: 28th Impact - 02/16/07
ROF 28: Evolution - 02/16/07
NAAFS: The Midwest Combat Challenge 2 - 02/17/07
CFC III: Combat Fighting Championship III - 02/17/07
GMC: Cage Force 2 - 02/17/07
Shooto: Professional Shoot 2007 - 02/17/07

Features • Coffee and Kick Ass • Media • The Ultimate Fighter • Anderson Silva • Brandon Vera • Chris Leben • Gabriel Gonzaga • Jake O'Brien • Kalib Starnes • Mirko Cro Cop • Nathan Marquardt • Shooto • UFC • Heavyweight • Middleweight

Comments

Ah cool.

Should just roll that entire right bar into menus at the top :D

Posted by DirtyML on 2007-02-17 00:43:25

CKA = Coffee and Kick Ass, the morning MMA on Tap column. There&#8217s a link below each post, and below the &#8220Features&#8221 on the top right where you can see all of them.

Posted by David Singer on 2007-02-16 21:21:00

O&#8217Brien by LnP.

What does CKA mean anyhow? Chandler&#8217s Kool Articles?

Posted by DirtyML on 2007-02-16 21:13:55

When it comes to pure strikers in the heavyweight division, Vera is probably right there with Arlovski and right behind Cro Cop. I think a lot of people have downplayed Vera since they found out he&#8217s probably not going to be with the UFC for very much longer.

O&#8217Brien really didn&#8217t show me anything in the fight against Herring. He showed that he has decent wrestling ability and that he can pull a Koscheck and hold you down for three rounds. Against a good BJJ guy or another decent wrestler he isn&#8217t going to be able to do that. Standing, O&#8217Brien looked very bad. He continually got caught by sloppy punches from Vera.

Personally I think this is a very bad matchup for O&#8217Brien as Vera is almost as skilled on the ground as he is standing&#8230

Posted by John Chandler on 2007-02-16 19:47:18

I can definately agree with your stance. But I really dont see Vera being to the caliber of fighter thet Cro Cop is, the potential for beating Arlovski is there&#8230but not much.

I also agree that its good situation for the UFC to be in. O&#8217Brien has showed that he is aggressive enough to win in the rather washed heavy weight division, beating the one time &#8216contender&#8217 would bring more eyes to that division.

Posted by Lupuri on 2007-02-16 17:40:53

While I&#8217m sure that he wants to send Vera out with a loss, I think he also realizes that he&#8217s a very talented fighter. The chances of him upsetting Cro Cop or Arlovski are still there no matter what. If he beats O&#8217Brien, many will look at it as him beating a fighter who is still below the level of Mir, even though he beat Herring. (who had a torn MCL)

However if O&#8217Brien goes ahead and defeats Vera, then the UFC has a new star in the heavyweight division on their hands. Basically it&#8217s a win-win situation for the UFC at this point&#8230

Posted by John Chandler on 2007-02-16 17:16:08

If the rumors are true, and Dana White is trying to scar Vera before he leaves, why doesnt he toss him to the wolves against someone like Mirko, or maybe Arlovski? Either of those fighters would send him out from the UFC with a loss, and more then likely a hard loss.

Posted by Lupuri on 2007-02-16 16:11:49

Next entry: Thiago Alves Suspended

Previous entry: MMA Stars Add Expert Commentary To BodogFight: St. Petersburg

<< Back to main

CKA: Feb 16, 2007

Comments

Recent Entries

Recent Comments

MMA Fighters

MMA Organizations