Any predictions on this upcoming match? Could be a war imo. Silva has great precision but Forrest has a great chin and is one tough sob. Also looking forward to BJs match.

Griffin. Silva has looked near unbeatable on his feet. Slightly less so off his back. I think FG is good enough to beat him on his feet.

I'll take Silva, but he's going to have to work for it much more than he did in his last two bouts. He did just enough to win (& not get hurt) in his last matches, but in this one he'll have a tiger by the tail and it ought to be a totally different ballgame, so to speak.

I'd like to see BJ win his match, though I don't think it'll be an easy win, as Florian is no joke.

I'm looking forward to seeing Kendall Grove fight again.

Was really looking forward to the Affliction card this w'end, but I see it got cancelled. I suppose that should make it easier for the UFC to bring Fedor into their fold. At least I hope so.

I'll take Forrest in this one as I think he'll press Silva like he's never been pressed...

I'll also take Florian as I think he has the drive. He is a totally different fighter now than he was the first time.

Hope WCB chimes in...

Forrest is a Big Strong Tough Guy.

Silva is fast but moving up a weight class--that did not work so well for BJ Penn (a$$ whupped).

Tough choice.

I will be at Father/Son Camp (Cubscouts) that weekend so I will miss the fight.

I am ready for Fedor to whup on Lesnar in the fall though.

UFC has sworn to sign him, no matter what.

BMT

You and me both.

Yeah... ask James Irvin how that moving up a weight class worked out for Silva. What was that... like a 1 minute distruction where Irvin didn't land a punch and Silva landed about 15... all hard shots to the face.

Silva should handle Forrest... I don't think Forrest has the chin that folkscredit him with... he can take a lot of damage, but a bomb is still a bomb, and Silva is relentless. Lets keep in mind that Griffin is similar in style to Rich Franklin, a pressing gunslinger, former champ, with a decent chin and some wars under his belt... Silva murdered Franklin both times they fought... seriously, he should be doing 25 to Life for what he did to Rich.

I think a better fight would have been Griffin vs. Franklin... same type of fighter, and one's a lefty.

I can see Florian beating BJ... but only if BJ has decided to pack it in. After the GSP fight I have to question BJ's drive... he's a legend, but he doesn't seem to have the all out approach that the real animals have. I don't see GSP getting beat any time soon... but 170s is a tough division... Kampman, Condit, Swick... there's a lot of tough dudes in 170s waiting for a shot.

I like Forrest in this fight, he has shown that he can come up big in big fights (Rampage, Shogun) that know one gives him a chance in. Forrest will train hard and spend alot of time on his foot work, he will not make a mistake in the ring but even then it might not be enough. I hope he does win but this will not be a 1 round knock out either way.

I also see Florian wearing BJ down just like GSP, BJ will quit in either the 4th or 5th round.

Silva will submit Forrest, the guy is just to smart to try and swing with him like Rampage and Shogun did.

If BJ actually trains he will win. However you never know where that guys head is. After his last fight you would think he would have his game face on.

Yeah BJ is awesome when he comes in great shape.

Well one thing is for sure, Forrest is not stupid and he knows what kind of challenge this is. You better believe he will be in the shape of his life.

I'm going with Forrest in this one,and here is why.

Now first of all,Anderson is the smarter pick.Anderson is the better striker-the WAY better striker.He hits harder too,regardless of weight class.Anderson also has a cast iron chin-he's never been rocked in a fight,ever.

BUT,here's the thing everyone has been looking over-Forrest Griffin is without a doubt the best guy that Anderson Silva has ever faced in his career.Anderson has faced great guys in the past-Franklin,Hendo,Marquardt-but Forrest is a Top 3 Light Heavyweight.That's a BIG step up from fighting a Top 5 185 pounder,no matter how you cut it.

And you can't compare this to the James Irvin fight.James Irvin is a B- level fighter at best.That fight was put together at the last minute to draw viewers away from Affliction's first pay per view card.Everyone knew that Anderson was going to punch Irvin in the face,and Irvin was going to roll over and die.

As for how Forrest will beat Anderson-I think Forrest will play it smart.He's got Randy Couture coaching him,and they both know what is needed to beat Anderson-take him down.Everyone who has taken Anderson down has done pretty well.....exsept they freeze up.They don't want to go for anything,because they're nervous about loosing the position or just nervous period.Anderson's guard is incredibly easy to pass-both Travis Lutter and Dan Henderson cut through it like a knife through hot butter,and Henderson isn't exactly a BJJ wiz.Both had good enough positions to stop Anderson-Lutter got mount,Hendo got side control and could have easily went to mount since Anderson wasn't blocking it-but Lutter blew it and Hendo just laid there.Marquardt was doing ok on the ground against Anderson as well,but he wasn't going for anything and got stood up.

Now Forrest and Randy know that they aren't going to win a kickboxing match with Anderson Silva.Anderson is faster,has better more precise striking,and hits way harder.He is also pretty much impossible to hurt.But they can win a grappling match with Silva.This fight is only 3 rounds.That means to win,all Forrest has to do is get top position and stay busy,land some decent ground and pound and go for a sub or two maybe,for the majority of 2 rounds.Forrest's ground game is pretty under rated-before he came to the UFC,he was actually known for his grappling,and he submitted or pounded out most of his opponents back then.He only stood up with Bonnar in that classic fight because he respected his BJJ so much,and after that he was kind of stuck with the "brawler" image.But he's a very,very good top position grappler.He trained a bunch with Jacare,who's one of the best BJJ guys in the world (and also trains with Anderson Silva,of all people),and Jacare says Forrest is one of the best guys he's ever rolled with.That's some HIGH praise right there.

So here's how I see the fight playing out-they come out,trade a little,Forrest bullies Anderson into the clinch and gets some sort of takedown from there after struggling to avoid the Thai plumb.From there,Forrest probably does a Randy Couture special and sits in half guard,and starts pecking away from there.He doesn't do anything spectacular on the ground,but stays busy enough.Rinse,wash and repeat,with a few scary moments on the feet for Forrest when he's trying to get takedowns early in the rounds.Forrest wins a decision that is most likely 29/28,30/27 and 30/27.

Or,Anderson could just come out and beat him like a red headed step child.WTF do I know?

As for Kenny and BJ-interesting fight,and it's going to be a close one.I'm learning twards BJ,only due to the fact that Kenny has a bad track record with strong grapplers,and BJ is without a doubt the best grappler he's ever fought.I think BJ gets him down and just beats the hell out of him,ends up getting the body triangle and finishes Kenny with a rear naked choke in the second or third round.Then again,Kenny could wear out BJ with his pace,and scramble like hell every time the fight hit the mat.Kenny is no joke and he'll give a good accounting of himself in the cage.I'm really looking forward to this fight as well.

WB.

I totaly agree, Forrest is a very smart fighter and he will not make any stupid mistakes in the ring. He no doubt will be in the best shape ever and I think he will suprise some people win or loose. Reguardless of the outcome he will always be a fan favorite because he works hard and is always entertaining.

I see Anderson beating Forest badly. He will prove to be too fast,precise, and skilled for Forest.
Anderson's past two fights performance means nothing in this fight. It was his opponents fighting scared and defensively only that took the aggressiveness out of him. Forest was chosen because he will not do this and couple that with the fact Andersons looking to prove he still has it and I see a brutal beat down for Forest.

I bet it'll be a lot closer than you think. I also wish it was 5 rounds.

this is a good card.

with penn, it depends on whether his head's in the fight. it's all mental with him.

with griffin/silva, it depends on whether silva mails it in. he's been distracted lately, it seems to me. too good for his own good? he really IS that good, but silva may be getting bored.

griffin is, well griffin. this fight could be a dandy with silva waking up late in the second round, and the two of 'em scrapping like transformers until the end of the third.

Although I understand where you're coming from with that statement, I always kinda thought it was his heart actually. Don't get me wrong because I tend to like BJ. I think he's always had the talent and perspective but it depends on how hard he works up to the fight. When he's in shape, he's next to impossible to beat. When he's out of gas by the 3rd round, it's over.

Of course this is so easy to talk about. When BJ is working out lazy, he's still doing 10 times more than most of us. The difference is that it is their job to have world class conditioning.

Actually, their job is to entertain us.

BMT

Again I have to agree with you, BJ showed his true colors in his last fight with GSP. After all the trash talk and calling GSP "a quitter" he was the one who couldnt answer the final bell. He is a guy that has alot of natural ability and he got by with it for a long time but eventually he was surpased by guys who were willing to work harder. If BJ had the same work ethic as GSP or Forrest he would be unstopable, instead he has the same ethic as Liddel and we all know what has happened to "The Ice Man" as of late.

I watched the fight. From where I sat, BJ got dinged by GSP HARD in the second round and never could recover.

By the end of the 4th, he seemed very fuzzy headed. I think his corner made the right call.

It was all over, the 5th round would only bring brain damage.

BMT

Preview clip...

"Dana White out of the country for 4 days and plans on holding a press conference around 31 July"...

Wonder who he might be visiting outside the country? Hmmmm.

Don't know but read an article yesterday saying Fedor & his people are currently in the US as they'd already left him home before hearing the fight was cancelled.

You party pooper- I was working on a good conspiracy there

New trailer clip for UFC 101: