So as a sports fan the weekend was definitely one to behold!! 3 events are on my mind, which I'll discuss briefly. First will be the Leafs game on saturday, followed by UFC 109: Relentless and finally I'll end with Superbowl Sunday.
After watching the Leafs take care of business on Tuesday night against the New Jersey Devils with great games by newly acquired Leafs Phaneuf and Giguere I was shocked to see them go back with Gustavsson on friday night for the rematch. If Giguere had been the number one goalie with Anaheim for the entire year I would have understood, however, he had barely played this year and obviously wasn't rusty with the shutout Tuesday evening. Gustavsson was unable to make a few key saves late in the game and the Leafs lost after playing nearly 57 minutes of flawless hockey. In addition, Wilson's coaching has come under fire for not playing Giguere, since he has said all season long that he would go with the hot hand. Plus, many have been left to wonder why Wilson didn't call a timeout after the 3rd Devils goal to calm his team down, since the 4th and winning goal (in regulation) came so quickly after and was definitely due in part to the fact the Leaf players were rattled and overwhelmed from the New Jersey late pressure. Finally, we arrive to Saturday night where Giguere was put back between the pipes to face the 2nd hottest team in the league (after Washington) to shut them out 5-0 with great games again by Phaneuf and Giguere. Even Schenn has turned his game around lately and even more so with the arrival of Phaneuf. It is unfortunate (as I believe that Gustavsson appears to have a lot of potential), however, the Leaf team just doesn't appear to have the same motivation or confidence playing in front of Gustavsson as they do with Giguere. Their best bet is to play Giguere until he can't stand anymore before giving him another break.
The UFC event on Saturday was fairly exciting as the next few appear to have the potential to be very exciting for the viewers. I have to admit that I went 2-3 with my predictions (Main Card). I'll discuss the main fights and advise who I picked and why.
Frank Trigg vs Matt Serra
The winner was Serra and I had picked Trigg (0-1 for me starting off, never good). I think I got caught up in the old 'what have you done for me lately' problem not realizing that Serra's last 2 fights had been against top notch fighters in St.Pierre and Matt Hughes. Obviously Serra isn't on the same level with either of those fighters which led me to think about how badly they had got beat by both of them and not that he was in over his head. In addition, I thought the size difference between Trigg and Serra would help Trigg. Definitely didn't with Serra landing a awesome KO, which also landed him Knockout of the Night honours.
Maia vs. Miller
The winner was Maia and I picked him. A couple of reasons I liked Maia. One was due to the fact I had liked what I had seen from him in his previous fights (except for the KO from Marquardt. Miller had never fought any 'big names' in the Middleweight division yet so it's always tough to gauge a fighter in those cases I find. Lastly, was the fact that Miller had lost to Chael Sonnen who was an opponent Maia had previously defeated. In essence, I took the fighter who I thought was the safest bet.
Swick vs Thiago
Thiago won this one and I had picked Swick (1-2). Not thinking much about this fight I took Swick. Forgetting that Thiago had previously beat Koscheck and gone the distance with Fitch (in a loss) he had definitely faced his share of high end talent. He looked dominant against Swick from start until the finish, which was by submission (Submission of the Night). I thought that Swick, after receiving a contender match, which he lost against Hardy, would be at his best in order to show that he was ready to be considered a contender, however, that definitely was not the case. I am interested in seeing where Swick goes from here. Thiago is obviously moving up the charts, while I see Swick falling down at a rapid rate. I would guess that Swick would now have to win 3 or 4 matches against good talent to even be mentioned in the same breath as a Welterweight contender.
Marquardt vs Sonnen
Sonnen wins (Moving my record to 1-3) by dominating fashion. Execpt for the last couple of minutes in the 3rd round, the blood from a knee and elbow to Sonnen's face made the match look differently than it really was, and one guillotine choke that looked like it might end the fight (I thought the first guillotine put on Sonnen was never in tight). This fight was definitely exciting though winning Fight of the Night honours. I see this fight as an upset after Marquardt huge knockout win over Demian Maia. Marquardt had looked poised to face the Champ. I see this similar to Swick, however, I believe with Marquardt's skills and fighting resume he'll be able to climb up the ranks faster.
Couture vs Coleman
Couture won by submission quite easily (I picked Couture to win). I think after this match Coleman should be ready to announce his retirement. As for Couture, Dana White insists that Couture can be a contender in the Lightheavyweight division but I'm not convinced just yet. Other than this fight (against a weak opponent in Coleman), Couture was lucky to have won against Vera with that fight able to be judged going either way. I'll be more impressed when Couture goes against a big name in the division. Not to say he will but I would be interested in seeing Couture fight an opponent who would push the pace, such as Griffin or Evans. Not to say I don't think Couture can compete but to call him a contender before bettet results against better competition.
*Extra Note I saw the Gracie vs Beltran fight after the Main Card*
I was devastated to see Beltran win this fight. Gracie comes from a proud family who many give credit for putting MMA on the map; however, Beltran who has never fought anyone of merit defeated him quite easily. What made the win even more impressive and surprising was the fact that Beltran took the fight on extreme short notice.
Lastly, the Superbowl matchup between New Orleans and Indianapolis. I honestly wanted the Saints to win, which is why I'm glad they did, however, I thought for sure the Colts would. New Orleans struggled to beat the Jets and didn't beat the Vikings. The Vikings beat themselves. On the other hand, the Colts were impressive all year long with them almost going undefeated during the regular season and Manning winning his 4th MVP award. Unlike the Saints, the Colts looked impressive during their run to the Superbowl. I guess it was destiny for the Saints to win though. After falling behind 10-0 early and the game appearing to be a blowout, as nothing was going their way, they were able to come back with the huge win. After last years Steelers win over the Cardinals I didn't think the NFL would be lucky enough to be able to duplicate that kind of excitement 2 years in a row. This game definitely lived up to the hype with goal line 4th down chances stopped, missed field goals, interceptions taken back for touchdowns, and a sneaky onside kick that worked. Finally, I can't think of another city that deserved this sort of Championship more than New Orleans and it's citizens.
Thanks for reading!!!
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