Jon Fitch vs. Diego Sanchez

In my picks for this fight, I had mentioned that I may make a small play on Jon Fitch. With this fight being so close, I decided that if I saw something at the weigh-ins that gave an edge to one fighter, then I’d make a move. I had assumed that if I saw anything it would be a lack of fire in Diego. Instead, I saw what looked to be an emaciated Jon Fitch that still needed to cut another pound. I made a small move on Diego, and I’m kicking myself for it. Just goes to show that you’re usually better off sticking with your initial feelings.

I wasn’t upset for too long, however…

Mauricio Rua vs. Forrest Griffin

This is one pick I’m obviously quite happy with. A lot of people saw Forrest as being tentative in his fight against against Hector Ramirez, but that’s not how I saw it. To me, I saw Forrest fight that whole fight on his terms, in his gameplan. I knew he had a much better chance against Shogun than he was being given credit for. I think training with Randy makes a huge difference. I see Xtreme Couture becoming the dominant team in MMA in the near future, similar to the way MFS (Miletich Fighting Systems) was a year ago.

By the way, was anyone else completely surprised to see Shogun sucking wind in the second round? That was not something I was expecting to see from him.

Chuck Liddell vs. Keith Jardine

Wow… that’s about all I can say about this one. First and foremost, props to the Dean of Mean in this one. He stood toe-to-toe with one of the best in the game, and no one can argue that Jardine was the dominant fighter in this match. Chuck definitely looked a little hesitant, especially after the shot that knocked him down. I honestly expected a lot more fire from Chuck. Hopefully he comes back with a chip on his shoulder, because I miss the Chuck that mowed down Babalu and Tito last year…