UFC 146 Las Vegas
The Main Card for UFC 146 is comprised completely of Heavyweights of the first time. There will be a total of 5 fights, including Championship fight between current Champ Junior Dos Santos and former Champ Frank Mir. I’m expecting some very good fights tonight, although I’m not sure that any of the Heavyweight bouts will go the distance. UFC Heavyweights throw a lot of bombs and tonight should be no exception.
Here are my predictions for the top two fights on the main card.
Junior Dos Santos (14-1) vs. Frank Mir (17-5)
Dos Santos is a heavy favorite for this fight, and with good reason. Dos Santos is young, athletic and the best boxer in the UFC Heavyweight division, by far. Dos Santos also has good Take Down defense, which he will probably have to use because there is no doubt that Mir will try to bring this fight to the ground, which is where he has a chance to win. Frank Mir is very dangerous on the ground because of his exceptional jiu-jitsu and wrestling skills. He has broken the bones of several of his opponents. If Mir gets a good hold of one Dos Santos’s limbs this fight could be brought to a quick end by submission. Of course, Dos Santos is well aware of that and I think he will prove to be too quick and strong to be put in a vulnerable position on the ground by Mir. If Mir cannot bring down Dos Santos he will be trouble because his boxing, although improved in recent years, simply isn’t good enough to enable him last long if the fight remains standing.
Junior Dos Santos by TKO, 2nd Rd.
Cain Velasquez (9-1) vs. Antonio “Big Foot” Silva (16-3)
Two well rounded fighters squaring off here. Both fighters are probably better on the ground than they are standing, but both can deliver KO blows their fists.
Cain Velasquez wins by TKO, 3rd Rd.
I think the rest of the Main Card fights will be KO’s or submissions. I’m just not sure who who will win because I haven’t seen 4 out the remaining 6 Heavyweights fight enough to have a strong opinion.
I have seen Roy Nelson and Stefan Struve fight and I know both of them can deliver KO’s, but I’m not sure about their respective opponents.
POST EVENT COMMENTS:
Well, the top two fights went pretty much as I expected, although I must concede that I did not see Cain Velasquez making such short work of Bigfoot Silva. A very nasty, well placed elbow made the quick victory possible. It looks like Velasquez has taken note of dangerous elbows can be by watching a few Jon Jones fights.
Junior Dos Santos was indeed just too quick and agile for Frank Mir. Dana White indicated that he would like to see a Dos Santos vs. Velasquez rematch and I hope that happens as soon as possible. I would favor JDS again in that fight, but I expect the rematch would last significantly than the 64 seconds the first fight between them lasted. I think only a fighter with world class wrestling has a chance against JDS and Velasquez falls into that category.
Checking back in
Wow, it has been over three weeks since my last blog post. Why no posts for three weeks? No particular reason. I’ve been working on a few projects and trying to devote a little more time to exercise or PT (physical training), as we called it in the Army.
I think I may have gone through a period of what I will call blogger’s block, which is sort of like writer’s block. I have continued to crank out tweets on Twitter, but that really doesn’t require any effort at all. I hope to have some blog posts up soon. There are certainly a few topics that I want to put my two cents in on.
2012 NBA Playoffs: Here comes the Heat
I am sticking with my preseason predictions:
My preseason prediction:
Eastern Conference Champion: The Miami Heat. Chicago and New York will push the Heat to the brink, but the Heat still maintain a slight edge with Wade, James and Bosh.
Chicago would have been a tough challenge for the Heat if they still had 2011 MVP Derrick Rose. Without Rose I don’t see the Bulls posing a threat to the Heat. The Knicks have been ravaged by injury and pose no real threat to Heat. It looks like the “old” Celtics, who still have some fight in them, may be the Heat’s most formidable playoff opposition in the East. I like the Celts, but I just don’t think they can stop the Heat this year.
My preseason prediction:
Western Conference Champion: The Oklahoma City Thunder. I probably would have picked the Dallas Mav’s if they had retained the services of center Tyson Chandler, but he was a big loss, especially on the defensive end of the court. Picking up Lamar Odom certainly helps the Mav’s, but not enough to surpass the young and talented Thunder squad in my view.
The West has a very strong group of teams in playoffs this year. OKC had a great season and have largely lived up to the high expectations placed on them, but they have serious competition from the San Antonio Spurs and the LA Lakers. I can see any of those three teams advancing to the Finals, but I still give a slight edge to the Thunder because of their of youth.
My preseason prediction:
Champion: The Miami Heat. I hate making this pick, but I have to if I’m going to be honest. I don’t think this will be the beginning of a dynasty, but this “Dream Team” should be good for at least one ring. If they fail to win a championship this season then they should trade at least one member of their vaunted big three.
I’ll stand by what I wrote last year. The Heat should win it all this year and if they don’t then look for some big changes on that team.
The Mission Bay Rose Creek Bikeway and Pedestrian Bridge
Here are a few pictures of the new Rose Creek Bikeway and Pedestrian Bridge, which opened to the public last week (20 Apr 12). The bridge is 260 ft in length and cost 2.9 million dollars. Once I read that the bridge was open I was eager to see it and make use of it, so I took a trip out to Mission Bay on my Trek hybrid. It is a relatively small bridge, but it makes a big difference for bike riders who ride around the north side of San Diego’s Mission Bay. Before this bridge was available bikers had no choice but to cross the Rose Creek via Grand Avenue, which is several blocks north and which is primarily used by motor vehicles.
This is the east side view of the bridge.
Here is the view from the apex of the bridge, facing west.
In Nothing We Trust – Ron Fournier and Sophie Quinton – NationalJournal.com
UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans
UFC 145 Atlanta
UFC 145 is really all about the main event, the Light Heavyweight Championship fight. There are some other interesting fights on the card for 145, but most MMA fans will be watching this event to see the top two Light Heavyweights in the world go at it. This fight has the potential to be one of the best of 2012.
LHW Champ Jon “Bones” Jones (15-1) vs. former LHW Champ “Sugar” Rashad Evans (17-1-1)
Jones is really unbeaten. Yes, he does have one “loss” on his record, but that was due to a technicality. He was disqualified in his fight against Matt Hamill in December,2009 for using “12-6 elbow” strikes, which are illegal in the UFC. He was winning the fight against Hamill and if not for that DQ he would have an unblemished record.
Before Jones fought Lyoto Machida few months ago, in his last defense of the UFC LHW belt, I wrote the following:
“I predict that Jones will win because I think his 6’4″ frame, overall athletic ability and quickness gives him a distinct advantage over every other LHW in the UFC. I also think Jones is always extremely well prepared by Greg Jackson and Mike Winklejohn for all fights. I don’t think this fight will be an exception.”
Everything I wrote then applies to this fight. Evans is 5′ 11″ and will probably be giving up at least 10 pounds to Jones at fight time.
Both fighters are very well rounded. Both are former collegiate wrestlers and excel at wrestling, but have also have very good striking ability, so both can fight well in the standup game or on the ground. However, Jones has a few especially effective weapons. The elbows of Jon Jones are especially sharp. He has ended several fights by using his elbows. His submission holds are also very dangerous. If Jones locks in a guillotine choke or a rear naked choke it is all over for Evans.
Evans trained with Jones for several years at Greg Jackson’s camp in New Mexico so he is well aware of Jones’ capabilities. He knows what’s coming. The big question will be if he can stop it.
Predication: Jones wins by submission, 4th Round.
Betting Angle:
The oddsmakers in Vegas have made Jones a heavy favorite for this fight, but I think they are overestimating his chances. The line is fluid, but it is roughly Jones -500, Evans +500. That means you if you bet on Jones you have to bet $500 to win $100 and if you bet on Evans you will win $500 if you bet $100.00.
I am not betting on this fight, but I think Evans is the far better value. I do think Jones will win this fight, but Evans is probably the toughest opponent that he has faced and he is capable of KO’ing Jones if he can find an opening. Easier said than done, but Evans might be able to pull it off.
The New San Diego Central Library
The new San Diego Central Library has been under construction since August, 2010. It will not be completed until the the summer of 2013, but you can’t help but be impressed by the new building when you see it in person now. The Library is located in the East Village section of downtown San Diego, one block from Petco Park. This is what the finished building will look like.
Cost: $185 million
Size: 9 stories, 497,652 square feet
Features:
350 seat auditorium
400 seat multi-purpose room.
3 Story domed reading room
Technology Center
This video further illustrates the unique and distinctive features of this remarkable building.
I recently passed by the new structure during a bike ride and snapped a few pictures.
This is the front of the building
Here is the western side of the building.
East Side view.
The view of Petco Park and the Library on Park Blvd. in the East Village.
My 5 favorite films of 2011
I saw my fair share of films during 2011. I didn’t see everything I wanted to see, but most of the films I was interested in seeing. I’ve put together a list of what I thought were the 5 best films of 2011. I also included some of my other favorites, which didn’t make my top 5 cut, but which I thought were very good films and well worth seeing.
1) The Artist – Directed by Michel Hazanavicius
I must admit that before I saw The Artist (TA) was a bit skeptical of the all the rave reviews it received. I just didn’t think a black and white, silent film could be all that entertaining for 100 minutes. After watching the film I understood why it was so highly praised.
TA really succeeds at recreating the magic of silent films. Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo, play the lead actor and actress of the film, and are both incredibably charismatic. The French stars are supported very ably by a cast that includes James Cromwell, John Goodman and Penelope Ann Miller, as well as Uggie, the funniest dog to hit the big screen in years. I would recommend seeing this on the big screen if at all possible.
2) The Descendants – Directed by Alexander Payne
In another year the Descendants, could have won Best Picture, but it had the misfortune of going up against The Artist, which was a singularly outstanding and unique film. I thought that The Descendants , a tragicomedy set in modern day Hawaii, was a highly engaging film that made the audience care about
3) The Tree of Life – Directed by Terence Malick
Terence Malick is a Harvard and Oxford educated philosophy professor, who taught philosophy at MIT before moving on to becoming a filmmaker. I think that explains why he is so intrigued by the question of the meaning of life. That question is explored in The Tree of Life and the film is quite thought provoking, but it is not an easy film to comprehend. It is a profound and complex film which explores of the meaning of life and the origin of the universe. How does the film do this? By segueing between scenes of the lives of a young family living in Waco, Texas in the 1950’s and scenes depicting the development of earth after the Big Bang. That makes sense, right? Well, you have see it. I think Malick makes it work, although I would concede that the film seems disjointed and difficult to follow sometimes, but it was still fascinating.
Jessica Chastain and Brad Pitt star in this film and turn in outstanding performances.
4) Midnight in Paris – Directed by Woody Allen
One of Woody Allen’s best films in years, which combined very witty humor, great acting and literary references not seen in films very often these days. Like the Descendants, it may have had a shot at Best Picture in another year.
The great cast includes Owen Wilson, Rachael McAdams, Michael Sheen, Kathy Bates and Carla Bruni.
5) Drive – Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn
The entire cast of the film was great, but lead actor Ryan Gosling really distinguished himself in this action film/crime drama. Gosling, playing Hollywood stunt driver/getaway driver in contemporary Los Angeles gave a performance that was reminiscent of a young Robert DeNiro, Mel Gibson or James Dean. That is high praise, but I think it is deserved. Albert Brooks, Bryan Cranston, Ron Perlman and Carey Mulligan were also very good in supporting roles.
Other 2011 films I enjoyed and would recommend: Moneyball, Margin Call, A Dangerous Method, Warrior, The Hangover II, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Limitless & X-Men: First Class
Documentaries: Senna, The Revenge Of The Electric Car
Post Oscars comments:
Obama, Romney and the Pathways to 270
Obama, Romney and the Pathways to 270.
The link above is to a Real Clear Politics article which explains the challenges that face both President Obama and Mitt Romney in attempting to capture the 270 electoral votes required to win the presidential election in November. The race will probably be decided by who wins a majority of the following “swing” states:
Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Excerpt from the RCP article:
When potential electoral values are assigned to the two opposing camps, both sides look to John Kerry’s wins on the 2004 map as a base line for President Obama — and John McCain’s victories in 2008 as a starting point for Mitt Romney. In the minds of the political class, these focal points will always indicate an uphill climb for the challenger.
That is because assuming Obama wins the 19 states (and the District of Columbia) that Kerry did, he will net 246 electoral votes. (That’s five fewer than the 251 those states yielded in 2004, thanks to reallocation following the 2010 census.) McCain notched just 173 electoral votes in 2008. Fast-forward to this year, and the states McCain won translate to 180, which Republican officials assume will all be in the bag for Romney.
gmf journal 