UFC 101 Declaration

UFC 101 is upon us tomorrow night and it seems like just yesterday we were taking in UFC 100. UFC 101 isset to take place in the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia and Dana White is proud of the fact of bringing big fights back to Philly. A decent under card is highglighted by a fantastic double main event. Let's take a look at the main event matchups.

Forrest Griffin vs. Anderson "The Spider" Silva (UFC Middleweight Champion)

This is a non-title bout as it is not in the middleweight class. Phenom middleweight Anderson Silva looking for a tougher challenge steps up to the 205 lbs. weight class to face former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin. Griffin, a fan favorite and the first winner of The Ultimate Fighter is in need of a win after relinquishing his belt to Rashad Evans and going through a shoulder surgery. Griffin will be the first to tell you that he's not the best fighter but he will fight anyone and give it his all. Forrest is my favorite fighter and I love the heart the guy shows. Anderson Silva is a devestating Muay-Thai artist who is a very precise striker. Silva has been untouched in his career with the UFC. In all of his fights the only round he's ever lost was round 1 to Dan Henderson. Henderson was able to take Silva down and punch on him for a round but was then choked out in the next round. Silva has cleaned out the Middleweight division and now looks for a challenge as he steps up a weight class. Griffin isn't being given much of a chance, and as usual is viewed as the underdog and Griffin likes it that way. This should be an interesting fight to see how the technical striking side of Silva mixes with the freestyle brawling of Griffin.

Prediction: My heart is telling me to go with Forrest but my head is telling me Anderson Silva TKO's Forrest in the 3rd round. I would love to be wrong on this and hope I am.

Kenny "Ken Flo" Florian Vs. "The Prodigy" BJ Penn (UFC Lightweight Champion)

I'm not really attached to either of these guys as a fan, but I like watching both fight and this should make for an exciting bout. This is a title fight between an accomplished wrestler/striker/and jiu-jitsu practicioner in Penn and a Muay-Thai/Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter in Kenny Florian. Florian has been undefeated for the last 3 years laying waste to the lightweight division, while BJ Penn is coming off of a dominating defeat at the hands of GSP. Alot of thought is that BJ has been training harder than ever and will come back and continue to reign over the Lightweight Division. This has the makings to be fight of the year (Although I don't know how anything tops Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida). For the fight fans who like to see a technical battle with lots of slick transitions, this is your fight.

Prediction: Alot of people are saying Penn has the stuff to rebound from his loss to GSP and regain his hold on the lightweight Division but I'm calling Florian with a 4th round TKO.

A Look back at UFC 100

UFC 100 has come and gone and it was every big as the hype intended it to be. For the record I was 1-3 in predictions (Mir over Lesnar 2nd round submission, Alves over GSP 3rd round TKO, Henderson over Bisping 2nd round KO) but I got the Henderson over Bisping correct and that's all I cared about.


Dan Henderson vs Michael Bisping

As I mentioned I recently got into MMA and am now hooked. I started watching the Ultimate Fighter UK vs US with these two representing their countries as coaches. I didn't know much about either but really started to hate Bisping during this show and really became a big fan of Dan Henderson. I wanted Henderson to win this fight if no one else I picked won that night. A lot of talk centered around Henderson being washed up and Bisping being a young up and comer, but as the fight got closer alot of fears about Bisping came out. People discussed how he had been sheltered in his fights to create a wider UK fan base and had not fought anyone of real competition. From the opening bell Dan Henderson dictated the pace and stalked Bisping around the octagon landing punch after punch. Bisping continually circled towards Hendo's big right hand and finally paid for it.

Bisping was out as soon as that punch connected and then Henderson landed a final blow to shut Bisping's mouth for good.

Once Bisping went stiff and hit the mat, Hendo landed a flying forearm that I'm sure Bisping never felt. There was a lot of talk that it was a dirty punch and it might have been a bit, but these fighters are told to fight until they are stopped and Hendo wasn't in time. Henderson re-established himself with a dominating victory and now will face Anderson Silva in a rematch for the middleweight title.

Georges St. Pierre Vs. Thiago Alves

I bought into the hype that Thiago Alves was young and strong and could finally be the guy to take out GSP. I picked against GSP because I just don't like him, but I learned one thing that night...Never again will I pick against GSP. GSP took Alves down at will and dominated him for 5 rounds winning a commanding unanimous victory. It was quite impressive and as much as I don't like "Rush", I respect the hell out of him as a fighter. The guy is definitely the best in the world at 170 lbs. He's been the most complete fighter in the world for a while and I don't know if there is anyone in the world who can best him.

Frank Mir Vs. Brock Lesnar

I was under the opinion that Lesnar would fall victim to the same fate as he did in his first bout with Mir. Lesnar who has not been as well trained in MMA as Mir dominated Mir early in the first fight but got caught by Mir's superior jiu-jitsu skills and got locked up in a heel hook. Lesnar made sure that mistake didn't happen this time. Brock who was a great wrestler in college put his big body on top of Mir and beat his face into hamburger meat. Mir was totally dominated in this fight and I don't know who can take Lesnar right now in the lackluster Heavyweight division. Lesnar made a fool out of himself with a WWE like rant after the fight but proved that he is a beast in the octagon right now and a legit MMA champion.

Tomorrow we'll look forward to UFC 101 and my thoughts on that card.

Time to pay The Bills

So last time we took a look at the Bills offense as we gear up towards the season, today we will look at a unit who really needs to take a step forward, and that's the Bills Defense.

D-Line:

The need to get better on the D-line and from the pass rush was paramount as the Bills went into the offseason and was addressed when they took Aaron Maybin (pictured above). Maybin is a speed demon off the edge who turned in impact performances in big games when he was at Penn State. Maybin has not yet signed, but once he gets into camp he should add another demension to the Bills front four. Maybin showed to be a real team leader at mini-camps and will work well with the current rotation at ends. Also in the rotation are Chris Kelsay the big, sturdy run stopper, and sack-man Aaron Schobel. Kyle Williams, Spencer Johnson, and Marcus Stroud anchor the center of a line that is trying to get pressure and make plays

Linebackers:

This spot has a few unknowns to it, espescially if injury occurs, but if Kawika Mitchell and Paul Posluzsny stay healthy it will go a long way to solidify this unit. The two big hitters play side by side, and while Posluzsny stalks the field and tackles everything in sight, Mitchell packs a load of dynamite and can make plays in coverage. What's unclear is how the 3rd LB position will shake out. Right now it will be Keith Ellison who has started there before, but former late draft picks Alvin Bowen and Nic Harris look to make some noise and get into the argument for playing time.

Defensive Backs:

This is a really good unit that has the chance to be something special. Terrence McGee and Donte Whitner captain a group of absolute athletes with a lot of big play potential. Former first round pick Leodis McKelvin and Drayton Florence will battle to play opposite McGee. Ashton Youboty looks to assert himself as a player this year and Byron Scott will start the year off opposite of Whitner. The player I'm excited about is rookie Jairus Byrd (pictured above) who will be transitioned to safety. All in all this unit has the chance to be the team's best.

Best Defensive Player - The defense takes a step up this year thanks to pro bowl years from Donte Whitner, Kawika Mitchell, and Paul Posluzsny.

Best Defensive Rookie - I'm gonna have to go with my boy Jairus Byrd as I detailed above.

Yes I'm back (Bills Season Preview)

Yes I'm back after a long Blog hiatus. I got lazy started catching up on TV shows and playing more video games and let this blog go by the wayside. All that aside the new NFL season is upon us which leads us to a new beginning for the Big Cat's Blog. When I last left you we were in the middle of NFL offseason, with baseball right around the corner. I was prepping for the Rangers season and wondering if they could make it. Fast forward 4 months and the Rangers are right in the race with the Angels and the Big Cat himself was sucked into the addictive world of MMA. With all that in mind we will get into some baseball in the coming weeks, and later this week a re-cap of my thoughts on UFC 100 and looking ahead to UFC 101. Also looking ahead the College Football Season is set to start up so we'll have a look at the national picture as well as the Longhorns season preview. After all I'm just a fan with a public forum so you get to see the teams I love.

So there's a look at what's in my brain right now, and let's hope my ADD doesn't get the best of me and I can continue to blog for my small following. One other note is that not only was I sucked in to MMA, but I'm also a sell out who bought in to my most hated form of social networking...Twitter. So follow me on Twitter under the name @bigcatunplugged.

Let's get it on...

The Buffalo Bills have been at training camp for more than a week at St. John Fisher College and to steal a line from a good friend regarding baseball spring training, "Training camp, where even the Bills fans have hope". Two periods in the NFL yield hope to even the most hopeless fans, and that is the draft and training camp. Usually the reviews from camp are glowing and fans are reading about all the new guys and rejuvenated veterans forgetting every hole in the team. I'm not here to throw a wet blanket on your hopes and dreams fellow Bill-eivers, I'm here to talk about the optimisim I myself am experiencing and the reasons why I think the Bills are on the verge of a breakout year and a possible return to the postseason.

Quarterbacks

Trent Edwards returns for his third season in Western New York, and while his career has been up and down, I think he could be a breakout guy in the NFL this year. Last year Edwards charged out of the gates as a passer throwing the ball all over the field to big play threat Lee Evans. Edwards has always shown good passing skills with great accuracy but needs to stay healthy. In my mind if he can complete a full season, he can show himself to be a more than capable QB of the future. Behind him the Bills made an offseason acquisition of former Harvard grad Ryan Fitzpatrick who had previously been with the Rams and Bengals. Fitzpatrick has had an up and down career, and will hopefully prove to be a capable backup option. Behind him the 3rd QB spot is being battled for by former Frankfurt Galaxy QB Gibran Hamdan and Matt Baker. Hamdan has now been with the team for a couple of years and knows the playbook, but Baker represents more upside and ability.

Runningbacks

The Bills house a crowded backfield this year led by suspended (for 3 games) first round draft pick Marshawn Lynch. I really want to believe Lynch is a good guy, but he's already had a few off the field incidents. Lynch also has really got to get going to improve on the promise he showed in his first year. Once Lynch returns from his suspension he should enjoy an expanded role with a reformed offensive line, and new big play threats on the outside. Lynch is also an accomplished receiver and can hopefully add that dimension to the Bills offense. "Fast" Freddie Jackson is back for another year to reprise his role of change of pace back. Jackson has really come on and proven to be a valuable weapon in both the running and the passing game. Newcomer Dominic Rhodes signed on with the team and will most likely split the duties at running back with Jackson while Lynch is on his 3 game suspension. Rhodes also looks to add a demension to kick off returns as he has done for most of his NFL career. Xavier Omon is hanging on to his job by a thread, but we'll see if there is a need for four running backs. What remains unclear is who will lose more touches when Lynch returns.

Wide Receivers

How could things not be great here? We've got one of the biggest deep threats in the league in Lee Evans, and T.O. "I Love Me some Me" Owens.

Well truth be told I'm still a bit leery about the prospect of Owens torpedoing the locker room, but as he's always done early in his time with a team, he's said and done all the right things. All of that aside, I still believe Owens has enough in him for one or two more big seasons. He's always shown that a change of scenery rejuvenates him and ignites that rather large chip that resides on his shoulder. With Owens and Evans on the outside, the Bills boast one of the best receiving duo's in football and I'm really excited to see what Evans can do with the pressure and double teams taken off of him. Behind him they have sturdy and solid slot WR Josh Reed and a big play threat in his own right with Roscoe Parrish. Parrish has got to get more touches to show his special speed and big play ability, and some talk has centered around Parrish running a wildcat like formation. James Hardy and Steve Johnson round out the crowded WR corps, and James Hardy looks to make a little headway towards moving back up the depth chart after a lackluster performance and a season ending knee injury dropped him last year.

Tight End

This is the black hole in the Bills offense, but draft day could have yielded an answer for that black hole. Derek Schouman and Derek Fine will probably get the first oppurtunity to lock the position down, but neither are big time playmaking threats. On the other hand, rookie Tight End Shawn Nelson (pictured above) from Southern Miss. Nelson is a big, long, fast pass catcher that could really add another dimension to the offense. A former WR, Nelson will have to work on adding weight and blocking but he could be a special player at the TE position.

Offensive Line

The offensive line has seen a lot of turnover and there will be a new player at each position. Langston Walker swings over from the right side to Left Tackle and the mammoth 6'7 330 lbs + monster will have to contend with some great AFC pass rushers. Brad Butler makes the move from Right Guard to Right tackle, while rookies Andy Levitre and Eric Wood are the favorites to man the interior positions at guard. Newcomer Geoff Hangartner will come over from Carolina to play center for the Bills. This unit has to be better at protecting Trent Edwards, but moreso needs to be better opening holes for the run game. The Bills use a ball control offense and will be able to run to set up the pass if this unit is as good as some think it could be.

Breakout player - Lee Evans...With Terrell Owens opening up coverages for Evans, he should become the big play threat we all know he can be

Best offensive Rookie - With a draft loaded with defensive players, I'll go with rookie TE Shawn Nelson to be the breakout rookie on the unit