Total Pro Sports – The fates of Ultimate Fighter season 8 alumni Ryan Nader and Junie Browning were very different at UFC Fight Night 18, which made for a fast paced and entertaining card headlined by Martin Kampmann’s main event victory over Carlos Condit.

Browning made the rookie error of being caught in the guillotine of opponent Cole Miller, submitting 1:58 into the first round and Miller let him know it. Post-fight Miller stood over the groggy Browning and screamed “who’s overrated now?” – ironically, the exact reason why Browning will be kept around despite the loss. A talented ground game and developing stand up are a side issue, what makes him gold for the UFC is the buzz his antics and pre-fight trash talk create. If Browning keeps his name in the headlines, maintains his ‘lunatic’ persona and induces reactions like that of Miller then UFC will push him to the moon. A prime example of the UFC walking the thin line between entertainment and sport.

It was a very positive night though for Ryan Bader who looked exceptional whilst gaining a unanimous decision over Carmelo Marrero. Marrero is a proficient wrestler but didn’t put up much of a fight against Bader, satisfied to just wrap up and slow Bader in his guard – met with persistent boos from the crowd. Bader’s takedown offense was exceptional; he changed levels and shot quickly as well as countering strikes with takedowns impressively. Once on the ground Bader impressed further against a decent wrestler, passing guard almost at will in the first two rounds and executing an exquisite arm bar that would easily have earned submission of the night had it of come off – the transition to the armbar really was a thing of beauty. I also liked the conditioning Bader showed as he threw punches until the end and kept trying to work, even if Marrero was making it hard for him. My only criticism is that his groundwork was good enough to get him some promising positions (the arm bar, he had mount, he had the opportunity to take Marrero’s back) but he didn’t seem to be crisp enough to finish. He’s young at 25 and experience will bring that killer edge, but his takedowns, ground work and conditioning all get a big thumbs up. Let’s see him against stiffer competition now.

This isn’t a full rundown, just impressions, but how about that Tyson Griffin? I’m a Griffin fan boy anyway, but he showed almighty toughness on way to a decision victory over Rafael Dos Anjos. Highlight of the night was a unique rear leg compression that almost popped Griffin’s knee out; his left leg was trapped behind his own back by Dos Anjos who then pushed Griffin’s body away whilst holding onto his shoulders. Weird, unique and obviously very painful as Griffin struggled to hold his own weight for the rest of the round, but credit to him he stayed in the fight and showed explosive counter punching and clean combination’s of fists and kicks during flurries and scrambles; very compact and powerful. I hope Griffin gets another fight on the level of Dos Anjos before getting back up to the higher tier of fighters after his last venture into the top quarter of the lightweight division ended in defeat to Sean Sherk.

Total Pro Sports – UFC, the biggest league in the fastest growing sport in North America Mixed Martial Arts aka MMA, hits Chicago this Saturday, October 25 for UFC 90: Silva vs Cote. Now there’s a total of 10 fights for the card, so instead of boring you all and making this a massive article I’ll just be previewing the top 3 fights. For all of the fights and multimedia on UFC 90 you can check out 90.ufc.com.

Lets take a look at our UFC 90 Preview.

Sean “Muscle Shark” Sherk (36-3-1) vs Tyson Griffin (12-1-0)

Obviously the typical New Comer vs Veteran here. This should be an interesting fight as Griffin’s specialty is the fan favourite Ground’n'Pound while Sherk is known for his great Conditioning and Wrestling skills. I’ve never been a fan of the Gound’n'Pound fighters and think that their aggressiveness is the reason why even the most effective fighters that use this style only ever end up with short-term rather than long-term success. Sherk is coming into this fight hungry as a win will take him into contention for a title shot and I think that combined with his experience in the octagon will be more than enough to win this fight. I say Sean “Muscle Shark” Sherk over Tyson Griffin by submission in the 3rd round.

Josh “KOS” Koscheck (13-2-0) vs Thiago “Pitbull” Alves (21-4-0)

Just like Sherk vs Griffin, this fight features two different types of styles. Alves uses both Striking and Jiu-Jitsu as his weapons of choice and Koscheck is known for his Athleticism and Wrestling skills. Josh got off to a great start in the UFC before losing to Georges “Rush” St.Pierre in UFC 74 last summer. He’s a former NCAA Division 1 National Champion and as confident as they come. Thiago doesn’t have any accomplishments as great as NCAA Divison 1 Champion, but he is a Muay Thai Champion back in Brazil and has been training in MMA since he was 17-years old. He’s been on a tare lately winning his last 6 fights in a row. Although Koscheck has great wrestling skills I just can’t say no to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu aka BJJ. I say Thiago “Pitbull” Alves over Josh “KOS” Koscheck by decision.

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - World Middleweight Championship - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - Anderson “The Spider” Silva (22-4-0) vs Patrick “The Predator” Cote (14-4-0)

What can be said that hasn’t already about this fight? It’s the classic David vs Golaith, or Godzilla as Cote put it, battle. Patrick is known for his heavy hands and relies on his KO Power and Submission skills to finish off his opponents. Anderson is known for not really having any major weakness and uses his tremendous Striking Abilities to beat his opponents. Some interesting info on Cote; he started out his Pro MMA career by going 0-4 but has since won his last 14 fights in a row to earn his title shot and he’s never been KO’d in the octagon. As much as I really want to see Cote win, I just don’t see it happening. I say Anderson “The Spider” Silva over Patrick “The Predator” Cote by submission in the 4th round.

Just a reminder you can check out UFC 90: Silva vs Cote this Saturday at 10pm on Pay Per View either by purchasing it through your local cable provider or by simply heading out to your local sports pub.