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Previewing UFC 87 with Jesse Holland from MMAmania.com


Jesse Holland back again and this time I'm previewing UFC 87 with bodybuilding and mixed martial arts expert Larry Pepe for Episode #9 of his stellar new show Pro MMA Radio. Larry is the main MMA writer for Flex magazine and mega-site Bodybuilding.com.

Larry and I get into the expectations of UFC 87, including what Georges St. Pierre has done that most wrestlers haven't, why Roger Huerta will come up short against Kenny Florian and of course the second-chance for Brock Lesnar to make an impact in the UFC heavyweight division.

If that's not enough, stick around for Lesnar himself. Brock talks about Heath Herring, why he thought he won the Mir fight, what he really thinks about Kimbo Slice and why he got rid of his Internet access.

A big thanks to Larry for having us return to his show. Take a listen!

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Gsp 1 rnd
huerta 2nd rnd
herring 1st rnd

by DBG on Aug 5, 2008 12:44 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

u want to know why Brock makes so much money? Check this out (copy n paste job):

“The estimated 600,000 buys Lesnar’s match with Mir did on pay-per-view is bigger than any boxing or MMA match has done so far this year, and among the biggest in MMA history. Even more impressive, UFC sources indicated nearly half had never purchased a UFC event before”

More then half new bought a UFC PPV before. This is why they are paying him big $$ (I think $400k) regardless of how he does. Hope he does well on the 9th either way. I would like to see what he can pan out to be. On the front page of Yahoo none the less today. he is a big draw.

by john on Aug 5, 2008 10:50 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

plus you gotta look at it this way. brock is actually taking a big pay cut from pro wrestling. he was the wwe’s champ and their big stars make millions and is alot easier and less dangerous. not too many guys would do this (kimbo?). it proves too me at least that brock is very serious and a true competitor. (and wrestling fans dont need to remind me that they do alot of traveling and training, i know, its still not as hard as mma and its fake).

by b.w. on Aug 5, 2008 12:18 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

he gets 250,000 a fight plus ppv % john

by kevin doesn't know shit on Aug 5, 2008 2:08 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

He walked away from WWE long before he ever heard of MMA, so that isn’t really an issue. And I would bet that WWE is far more dangerous than MMA because there are a lot more stunts involved, and they do these several hundred times a year, as opposed to 3 or 4 times a year in MMA. Fact is Lesnar just got tired of WWE, went to play football, failed at that, then started training to fight.

by PW on Aug 5, 2008 5:50 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

That’s because a lot of the buys were from his previous WWE fans and there are hordes of them here, I’m tellin’ you!

by TheNegation on Aug 5, 2008 7:52 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

No way!

GSP 2nd rd
Florian 2nd rd
Lesnar 1st

by Patriot on Aug 5, 2008 3:29 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

At least you got the first one right.

by Punch You in the Ovaries on Aug 5, 2008 1:01 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Well for me, at least the 1st and 2nd. The 3rd is a bit sketchy…

by TheNegation on Aug 5, 2008 1:30 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Affliction just signed IFL star Heavyweight,. Big Country, Roy Neilson and he will fight at Affliction 2!

by john on Aug 5, 2008 7:32 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

UFC messed that up! THey really should have signed this kid!

by john on Aug 5, 2008 7:32 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Affliction 2:

Roy Neilson vs.Xtreme Couture trainer Jay White (2-5)

by john on Aug 5, 2008 7:36 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I wouldn’t believe this… that would be really stupid by the UFC.. that would be like them just giving Affliction a huge draw for their 3rd show… they have them right where they want them losing money why would they give them a main event

by Kory on Aug 5, 2008 8:45 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

what r u talking about? Its a done deal!

by john on Aug 5, 2008 9:06 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

A couple weeks ago, Aleks did an interview where he stated that Josh Barnett was afraid to fight him. obviously fighters read these sites because Barnett was pissed off after reading the interview so he confronted Aleks backstage at affliction to set the record straight. it was all caught on video along with Aleks passing his Physical exam.

Head over to mmascraps and it will be te 1st video posted at the top of the page!

by john on Aug 5, 2008 9:08 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

John I hit reply to your post that the UFC might give up on their legal battle with couture.. not sure why it is posted there

by Kory on Aug 5, 2008 11:46 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

the ufc buys the ifl and than loses its 2 biggest stars, what was the point of buying the ifl if you let 2 of there champs get away.

by roy on Aug 5, 2008 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

JOHN, i saw that vid last week and though it was a little tasteless on barnetts part. he quoted $hitdog as his source. (those guys will print any thing true or not and are probably not above embellishing things) and who knows, aleks could have went off and decked barnett. that could have affected his fight with rizzo. i respect aleks for taking the high road and just shrugging it off. he kinda acted like he didnt even know what josh was talking about.

by b.w. on Aug 5, 2008 12:25 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

yeah, I thought Aleks would get nutts. HIs translator could have defused the situation by toning down the interpretation that he gave Aleks….who knows?

by john on Aug 5, 2008 2:29 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Jon Fitch via an ass whoop’n to overrated gsp, Kenny by elbows ,Brock by ground & pound or KO. 100% sure of it.

by WESTSIDE/OAHU on Aug 5, 2008 1:19 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

pretty good episode. i enjoyed it. sounds like Brock has a good training camp going. the thought of him doing Muay Tai is scary.

by kitsunex on Aug 5, 2008 1:30 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

that dude could make sewing look scary

by medecineballs on Aug 5, 2008 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Here are my predictions:

GSP 2nd Round
LEsnar 1st Rd
Huerta 3rd Rd
MacDonald whatever round
Gamburyan
Kongo
Saunders
McCrory

The others, I admit I ain’t 100% familiar so I don’t wanna make rash predictions, hehe!!

by TheNegation on Aug 5, 2008 1:34 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I like:
Saunders
Kongo
BarnCat

by john on Aug 5, 2008 7:33 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

gsp is my only for sure bet but i think brock wins as well just gsp is a sure thing

by randy murders on Aug 5, 2008 1:40 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Unless Herring has improved his wrestling defence a TON, Brock is as sure as it gets. O’brian is nowhere near as good as Brock and he owned Herring with the takedowns.

by Gord on Aug 7, 2008 12:54 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

You guys arent giving KenFlo a chance. May I ask why?

by paniczoo on Aug 5, 2008 1:58 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Actually, a lot of these guys here on this site are goin’ for Ken-Flo. They just haven’t commented yet. Just wait for the barrage of Ken-Flo supporters comin’ up dude…

by TheNegation on Aug 5, 2008 2:28 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

i like both guys, but ken-flo is to much for Huerta, i see ken-flo winning by 1st rnd gnp.

by jsoph on Aug 5, 2008 4:45 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Im with Kenflo haha, Huerta is good, and is one of my favorites, but so is Kenny, His over all game is just better, and he’s way more technical. I got Kenny by Decision, or submission. it’s going to be a fucking war though.

Also, I got Fitch beating GSP, by TKO, Gsp is great and all, just He’s mentally weak IMO, fitch has tons of heart and a pretty well rounded game himself, I don’t see GSP finishing him in the 1rst round as many above me do. I just want fitch to win I guess, and see him pulling it off.

And Lastly, I got lesnar beating Herring, Herring is experienced and all, But he’s no submission expert, so i don’t see him pulling one off to upset Lesnar. Brock is just to strong for Herring and Hill TKO him on the ground. Herrings only chance is knockouting out Lesnar, and I don’t see that happening with Brocks rock hard deisel head.

by Chase on Aug 5, 2008 6:31 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I can’t believe people are still spewing this mentally weak crap. For argument sake ,lets say he is. When has that stopped him from Winning.? He’s beaten every guy that he’s faced. So what if he lost 2 fights out of 18 (he owned them in the rematches). EVERYONE has a bad night and loses. No one in the UFC has a record as good as GSP. They must all be extreemly metally weak. GSP’s opponents are the ones that have to worry about being broken mentally. Kos for example was congradulating GSP for winning, with over a minute left in the fight. Now that is mentally weak, giving up before the fight is even over.

by Gord on Aug 7, 2008 1:18 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Definatyely Florian (refuse to say his horrible nickname). He’s too experiences and well rounded. Also, him fighting BJ would be a more interesting fight while it lasted than Huerta fighting BJ.

by Toms Bombs on Aug 5, 2008 9:18 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Sorry I’m late…here I am…a KenFlo fan and supporter. Huerta won’t have answer for every tool that Kenny has in his arsenal. Huerta has a lot of heart and great cardio but he fights with emotion too much sometimes and that’s going to create a mistake and Kenny is one of the best in the business at capitalizing on other’s mistakes.

GSP 3rd rnd TKO
KenFlo 3rd rnd sub
Lesnar 1st rnd KO
Maia Decision
Manny 2nd rnd sub
Kongo 2nd rnd TKO
Gusmao 1st rnd TKO
Wilson Decision
McCrory 2nd rnd sub
Saunders 1st rnd KO

Take those to the bank.

by Buster Bluth on Aug 5, 2008 9:37 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Come on BUster, not all the favorites are going to win! u gotta throw a couple upsets in there somewhere!

by john on Aug 5, 2008 10:30 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I don’t have to if I don’t want to…hahaha! A lot of these fights are going to be close though so upsets are definitely a possibility but not a certainty.

by Buster Bluth on Aug 5, 2008 2:47 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Every UFC card has upsets. U have too factor that in your predictions. i usually expect and pick 3 upsets on any given card

by john on Aug 5, 2008 5:23 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I think he’s talented, but I can’t stand the “hell-bows”. They are a cheap way to win a fight (IMO).

Yes, I know they’re legal, but I only want to see a fight stopped because someone is knocked out or submitted, and I don’t like most blood stoppages. I played rugby for 6 years and know that most scalp wounds bleed like hell but are harmless. Intentionally causing one to stop a fight is lame.

So, I won’t mind Florian winning, as long as he doesn’t do it by elbows to the head causing a cut (and doesn’t run around saying “I finish fights” afterward. He looks like a tool when he does that.)

by BobC on Aug 5, 2008 9:53 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Agreed! I hate when a fight i stopped due to excessive blood, its a cheesy way of winning. Hopefully the elbows wont ruin an amazing match up!

The japanese got it right! outlaw the elbows and allow the knees on the ground!

by john on Aug 5, 2008 10:09 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Florian has only won 1 official fight by elbows, 2 if you count the fight vs Leben in TUF. Why do people always rag on him for finishing fights in a cheap way?

GSP, Florian, Maia are almost sure bets for me.

by WB on Aug 5, 2008 10:22 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Because to me, it looks like sometimes that is part of his strategy and I dont feel that causing cuts is a way of showing that you are better than your opponent. I dont hate on Kenny, I am a huge Ken-flow fan!

by john on Aug 5, 2008 10:31 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I think he is probably one of the smartest fighters in the UFC today and he takes the advantages he is given very well. Don’t like his elbows from the bottom? Don’t take him down!

I do understand what you are saying though John, you have some of the more intellectual posts on this site.

by WB on Aug 5, 2008 11:12 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Bob, where did/do you play rugby? I’m approaching my 9th year, and I’m finding I’m having to rely more on cunning and experience than athletic ability anymore.

by PW on Aug 5, 2008 11:13 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

if you do take kenny down, dont lay your head on his chest ala joe lauzon.

by b.w. on Aug 5, 2008 12:29 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

PW: Played for a small college in Virginia as an undergrad and U of Texas for grad school. Only play sporadically now.

“Age and treachery will defeat youth and vigor every time” —or so I tell myself when I play against younger guys who are going to run circles around me.

WB is right, don’t sit in Kenny’s guard is the mantra.

by BobC on Aug 5, 2008 1:22 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

PW: Played at a small college in Virginia and then U of Texas for grad school.

“Age and treachery will defeat youth and vigor every time”—or so I’d tell myself when playing younger guys who could run circles around me.

WB, you are correct that the fight strategy for Huerta has to include not getting in Kenny’s guard, and if you do, tuck your head enough that he can only hit the back of your head.

by BobC on Aug 5, 2008 1:46 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

THanks WB, and I agree that it allowed so Kenny may as well take advantage of it, but I just dont want to see him use them to win, if it happens in the process then fine, a win is a win, but against Sherk, it looked to be his whole strategy.

by john on Aug 5, 2008 2:31 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

You played for the UT Grads??? We played you several times over the last few years. I’m with the Mavericks!

by PW on Aug 5, 2008 5:52 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Good thing a couple of you anti elbow guys aren’t in Kenny’s corner. OK Kenny, I don’t want you to use your elbows. I know they are one of your greatest weapons and they are perfectly leagal and your opponent might use his on you, but I just think they are cheap and cheesy. Elbows are every bit as much a legitimate strike to kick your opponents ass with, as are Punches ,knees and kicks. They ALL cause cuts and they ALL do damage, HELLO, isn’t doing damage to your opponent the NAME OF THE GAME. You guys make it sound like guys that are good with their elbows, are cheating. The beauty of MMA is it’s a mixture of all fighting techniques and styles. Why would you want to take a SKILL away from a certain type of fighter? I think favoring one style over another would be cheesy. Maybe some fighters just have to learn not to eat so many elbows. Where would David Loiseau be without his elbows? OK bad example LOL.

by Gord on Aug 7, 2008 2:45 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Elbows are a REALISTIC way to win a fight. I say lets keep it as real as possible. Fights stopped by elbow cuts are RARE and the fight is only stopped if blood is going in the eyes. If a fighter can’t see, it is FAR from harmless (they can get hurt BAD).Cuts are caused by knees,punches and kicks,just as much as elbows. If you think elbows are cheap and not a legitimate way to win and cause fights to be stopped for no reason, put on a blindfold and see how long it is before you are KTFO. The bottom line is , if a fighter gets cut and can’t see due to blood in his eyes, he ALREADY LOST. He would in a street fight and the ref is just stopping the inevitable, them getting Koed or severely hurt. Not to mention, it wouldn’t be fair to take away a very effective tool for the guys who are proficient at using their elbows. I’ve seen MUCH more boring ass hugging clinches broken up with a good swift elbow to the head, than I have see unjustified stoppages due to cuts, so lets keep them.

by Gord on Aug 7, 2008 1:57 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

kenflo and gsp are pretty much the only solid bets on this card, all others are unpredictable

by brendan on Aug 5, 2008 2:07 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

because KenFlo doesn’t have a chance.. it comes down to who is the better athlete and physically stronger! he will manhandle Kenny and put him to sleep, Kenny gets rocked very easy.. there you have it paniczoo! love Brock Lesnar hope he wins by GnP

by RoB on Aug 5, 2008 2:27 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

KenFlo is a danger on the feet/clinch/takedown + subs and killer elbows from his back and top position (also he hung with and battered bigger stronger guys above his weight in TUF) – mad to rule him out.
This is the closest matchup of the night and hopefully most exciting.
Want to see brock win too. Monster.

by paniczoo on Aug 5, 2008 2:56 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Kenflo dosent have the fight in him that el huerta has but he is more technical so for me that is the hardest fight to bet on but gsp for sure and lesnar 1st round ground and pound

by shawnizzle on Aug 5, 2008 2:32 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Who cares anyways, Penn will have either of these guys tapping in a few months. OR BJ will be fighting the real fight that matters GSPENN2!!! BJ BJ BJ!!!

by ( (Adam G) ) on Aug 5, 2008 3:06 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I’m looking to open an account with a betting site – any recommendations from you expereinced MMA gamblers? Bodog? BetUs? Do they start you out with free money? I know it’s a bit off topic. Much appreciated.

by RedDog on Aug 5, 2008 3:15 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

BETUS, the only way to go

by medecineballs on Aug 5, 2008 5:37 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

definetly betus! Let them know you are an mmamania affiliate!

by john on Aug 5, 2008 8:33 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Medicineballs and John, thanks guys

by RedDog on Aug 5, 2008 2:22 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I heard roger huerta will win cuase he will be wearing de la hoyas boxing shorts from the rematch with julio cesar chavez lol de la hoyas first golden boy shorts lol

by shawnizzle on Aug 5, 2008 3:27 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I wish brock the best, seems like a genuine guy

by Ramon on Aug 5, 2008 3:42 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I agree, Ramon, it seemed like he was wanting to honestly answer each question, etc. I never used to like him that much but after hearing the interview, he seems down-to-Earth.

I think people missed the point he was making about feeling like his Mir fight was a victory. He knows he lost, he was saying in his mind he won because of the level of success he had against a former champion and the bad call by Mazagati. He had a good point, Mazagati never deducts points the first time with no warning and raises someone’s hand to tell the judges that a point is being deducted.

by RedDog on Aug 5, 2008 2:39 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I really don’t like Brock’s attitude at all. He sort of demeans everyone, tries to make it like he didn’t lose the other fight, like he’s making excuses for everything. Maybe it’s because he’s new, or it’s the old WWE stuff coming out, but he doesn’t have the quiet self-assurance that typically accompanies people that are focused on the task. I could easily see Brock taking this by GnP, and I only saw a small number of Herring’s fights. Saying he “fought” Fedor is a bit of an overstatement. He didn’t exactly dominate Cheik either. Fedor battered his face into an unrecognizable blood pudding bodin, similar to the stuff they eat in France.

by dave on Aug 5, 2008 4:06 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

He’s being paid huge bucks for ratings so I think he’s mostly just attempting to hype. I’d be interested in hearing what his training partners or other people close to him have to say. My business associate is friends with GSP and it’s cool to hear him say that Georges is the nicest guy he’s ever known. Because you never know if the guy in those short clips is the real guy. I guess we can conlude from him taking a pay cut to fight MMA and taking on top competition from the start that he is highly competitive and genuinely focused on becoming gret. I respect him despite his poor PR.

by Punch You in the Ovaries on Aug 5, 2008 1:24 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I am excited about this fight. I want Lesnar to win but I honestly have no idea what is going to happen. I told a former WWE fan that Brock is fighting so now she is going to watch it with me and a bunch of other people. YEEAH!

by RyanHobbs on Aug 5, 2008 5:16 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Lesnar better win or he is done. He has tons of potential, hopefully he can cash in on it.

Rob Dib
http://www.break-your-face.com

by Rob Dib on Aug 5, 2008 7:29 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I would think Brock could lose again a keep going. The fact that he can hang with top tier fighters out of the gates means a lot. I wouldn’t care if he lost four in a row, I could still see him turning it around and becoming unstoppable. I’m one of the guys that thinks he should have taken on lesser competition to start. Not Kimbo-type chumps, but lower to mid-level HW’s. Having said that, my money is on Brock for this fight.

by Punch You in the Ovaries on Aug 5, 2008 1:14 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

GSP, Brock and Manny are the ones i will be betting on.

Hope and think Florian will win, but too close to make a bet.

And i would pick Kongo any day of the week, but kind find a site that allows a bet on that one?

by cmon_chokehim on Aug 5, 2008 7:39 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

  • cant find a site…

by cmon_chokehim on Aug 5, 2008 7:40 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I want to see Herring win this fight. Especially after beating Kongo this match-up is almost disrespectful. I bet the only reason Heath took this fight is because of the casual fan recognition he’ll get once he wins.

 Brock has potential but he needs a few more fights at his level of experience. That’s the only way to round out his skills and develop his game.

Herring by 1-2 combination in the 2nd.

by Machine on Aug 5, 2008 8:48 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

The UFC has a lot invested in Lesnar, so you can bet they picked his opponent, very carefully for this fight. They don’t want him to lose. Heath had no answer for a MUCH lesser and smaller wrestler (O’Brian). Brock is going to take him down at will and he doesn’t have the top notch jits of Mir to get him out of trouble.

by Gord on Aug 7, 2008 3:14 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Florian will be too much for Rodger to handle

by Mike on Aug 5, 2008 11:41 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

before all the huerta to-do about money i was slightly going for him as the fav. now i will be rooting for ken-flo (irst time ever) and think he will pull out the victory. it seems roger has too much on his mind(money) and should be more focused on kenny. i dont think roger has paid his dues enough too complain about his contract. so what, he fought 5 times last year, gumby used to fight that much a week. and even if you dont agree with the likes of randy and jacob (like me), at least they have been they have been in the sport for 15 years or more and have a little more rights to complain. roger complains about having a hard childhood, but it looks like he turned out all right to me. karma has paid him back nicely with good looks, great atheleticism and of course arianny celeste. i have a hard time feeling sorry for roger at all, and hope kenny teaches him a lesson in humility.

by b.w. on Aug 5, 2008 12:40 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

yeah, good point…even though I can no longer stand Randy, he DID put in all those years with little pay and recognition. Huerta is strolling down the path that others carved for him and complaining about it as he goes.

by RedDog on Aug 5, 2008 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

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