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Eddie Bravo - UFC 49: Unfinished Business Preview
Reported By: Boxing Insider - 02/01/2005 06:23 PM
BoxingInsider.com: This is a big main event, a rubber match if you will. Randy Couture and Vitor Belfort step into the Octagon together for the third time, how does this one break down Eddie?
Eddie Bravo: Well, this one’s a hard one to call. This is really the rematch. I mean this is the third time they are facing each other, but everybody knows that second fight you couldn’t really take anything from. It ended in a very strange way. And that first fight happened so long ago. It’s really hard to take anything from either one of those fights and apply it to this one. Of course Randy crushed Vitor in that first fight, but that doesn’t really mean anything today.
BoxingInsider.com: Wasn’t Vitor kind of big back then?
Eddie Bravo: At that time, Vitor was like 230 pounds. He’s slimmed down. He’s been at 205 [pounds] for some time now. He’s faster. There’s still a big question mark on Vitor. Which Vitor’s going to show up? Is the Vitor that fought Marvin Eastman going to show up? If that Vitor shows up, Randy could be in for a lot of trouble. It’s a very hard one to call. Vitor’s wrestling is getting very good. [Now] I consider him more of a wrestler than a jiujitsu guy. He doesn’t really finish anybody on the ground. I don’t think he could finish Randy Couture on the ground. I think for Vitor to win, he’s going to have to keep it up [on the feet] and keep it on the outside, avoid the clinch, and try to end the fight standing. He’s added knees and kicks to his arsenal over the last couple of years. If he could take Randy down and ground and pound him, he could probably win that way too.
For Randy to win, I think it’s pretty obvious. He’s going to have to get in the clinch and take Vitor down. I don’t think he can rely on his striking against Vitor this time. He’s beaten a lot of strikers, though. He stood with Pedro Rizzo, he stood up with Chuck Liddell, and his striking is not too bad. I don’t think he should take a chance. I think he should get the clinch, try to take Vitor down and just put him against the cage. I don’t think Randy should fear Vitor’s guard at all. I think Randy’s going to win if the fight goes down and he’s on top. If Vitor can keep it up and brings enough gas with him, he can probably knock out Couture standing.
BoxingInsider.com: Randy is really well known for his Greco-Roman wrestling in the clinch and his dirty boxing. What happens if the fight ends up there?
Eddie Bravo: Well, that’s what I was saying, if Vitor gets into the clinch and Randy Couture is able to do his dirty boxing, that’s not good for Vitor. But I don’t know if he should rely upon his dirty boxing with Vitor. I think that would be a mistake this time. Vitor is in much better shape than when they fought the first time. Although who knows? Maybe he does beat Vitor in that clinch. Vitor is such an explosive striker; I don’t think he should take a chance with that. But I don’t think anyone knows who’s going to win this one for sure.
BoxingInsider.com: One man who has a vested interest in the outcome of Couture and Belfort is Chuck Liddell, but he’s fighting on this card as well. What are your thoughts on Liddell’s fight with Vernon “Tiger” White?
Eddie Bravo: Vernon “Tiger” White used to dream of fighting in the cage and he ended up fighting Ian Freeman not too long ago, but came up with a lackluster performance and was disappointed with himself. He probably thought that he wasn’t going to get another chance because he didn’t hear from the UFC for a while. But now, he’s getting another chance against Chuck Liddell and now, finally, Vernon’s going to get to fight someone who’s going to stay up with him. Ninety percent of Vernon’s fights, everyone’s trying to take him down and avoid his strikes. So this fight here, he gets his wish, he gets to stand up.
I think Chuck’s chin is way too tough for Vernon’s fight. I think Chuck’s going to hang in there and if Vernon goes toe-to-toe with Chuck, Vernon’s going to get knocked out. But at the same time, you really can’t predict anything in this sport; so I wouldn’t be surprised if Vernon caught Chuck and hurt him a little and made Chuck take Vernon down. I don’t think it’s likely, but that could happen. A betting man would say that Chuck’s going to keep it up and slowly take him apart, like he did Babalu, like he did Alistair Overeem, like he did so many other fighters. I would definitely go with Chuck in this fight.
BoxingInsider.com: Being a world-class grappler yourself, what’s your take on Matt Lindland and David Terrell, two very different styles of grappler, but both at a very high level?
Eddie Bravo: Yes, yes, but Terrell is also a wrestler as well. Although not at the Olympic level, he does have a college wrestling background. But I agree that’s one of those fights that, in my world, could be a main event. Even Karo Parisyan and Nick Diaz, to the world that might not be main event, but to me, that’s going to keep me on the edge of my seat. You know, you put two good grapplers together, who know how to fight no-gi, I don’t even need to see strikes. I’m more curious to see who’s better on the ground with submissions anyway, but that’s just me.
It’s going to be great to see if Terrell’s jiujitsu is enough to deflect that wrestling that’s going to come right at him, that’s Olympic caliber wrestling. He might smoke Lindland and just totally take him apart or we might see a Matt Lindland versus Baroni style of match where he [Matt] takes him down and jumps in his half-guard and throws punches here and there… you might see Lindland imposing his will, which might mean a decision for Lindland, or… I want to see how good David Terrell’s jiujitsu is going to be with the strikes added and going against an Olympic caliber wrestler. He might get stuffed. Lindland might neutralize everything that Terrell can throw at him. I though Ivan Salavarry was going to do a lot better against Lindland than he did, but Lindland stuffed him. He might stuff Terrell. But who knows? I wouldn’t bet on that fight, I’d stay away from that one.
BoxingInsider.com: All right, you brought up these two guys, how about Nick Diaz and Karo Parisyan? They’re also both very skilled grapplers that bring different styles to the table, Diaz with his Gracie Jiujitsu and Parisyan’s judo and sambo, but Diaz also brings some pretty good striking lately, especially against Robbie Lawler.
Eddie Bravo: Again, another fight that you stay away from [betting on]. I was shocked, like you said, at Diaz’s hands against Lawler. I would have bet my house that if Nick Diaz stood with Robbie Lawler that he would have got his ass knocked out! Herb Dean was telling me before that fight Diaz has got hands. He said, “If Robbie Lawler stands up, he’s going to get hurt.” I’m like, “You’re crazy, man!” But he was right. Nick Diaz has some serious hands to take apart Robbie Lawler like that. He showed in that fight that he’s got some dangerous hands and that fierceness that you need in a fight. He’s relentless; he’s just an animal in the cage, that’s huge. And his jiujitsu’s really good.
But then you’ve got Karo Parisyan; he’s a world-class judo guy. He’s got that Kimura from hell, that comes from a lot of different spots. If you relax for a second, he can take that arm and just snap it off from your shoulder. He hasn’t really proven that he has some decent strikes yet. I think if he stands up with Nick, then Nick will knock him out. Karo’s a tough guy; he also has that fearless mentality. I don’t think he’s going to be scared of Nick Diaz, but I definitely see Karo Parisyan trying to take the fight to the ground.
I see Nick Diaz trying to stay up, but not worrying too much, not be overcautious throwing his strikes, because he’s not afraid to go to the ground. A lot of strikers in MMA aren’t really throwing anything because they’re so afraid of going to the ground, like Pedro Rizzo is one. He doesn’t wan t to throw anything because he doesn’t want to get taken to the ground. Even Amar Suloev against Dean Lister, he didn’t want to throw anything because he didn’t want to get taken to the ground. Nick Diaz won’t be like that; he’ll be way more aggressive of a striker because he doesn’t care if it gets taken to the ground. If it stays up, Nick Diaz, if it goes to the ground it’ll be a stalemate.
BoxingInsider.com: This next fight, a lot of people are saying this should be for the lightweight title and many consider it the crowning of the people’s champion. Yves Edwards and Josh Thomson, how do you see this one going down?
Eddie Bravo: You know what? You can’t really bet on any of these fights. This fight is a battle of the two most well rounded fighters in MMA. Yves Edwards, he’s a world-class striker in my eyes, some serious Muay Thai going on and his jiujitsu is really good. His jiujitsu is so underrated. He’s finished fights with jiujitsu. There was one fight of his that a jiujitsu guy took him down and ended up being submitted. He’s got serious jiujitsu and serious striking.
And then Josh Thomson’s even more well rounded than Yves Edwards. Not only does he have some serious strikes, he’s got a lot of submissions, and he’s also a college wrestler. He’s got all three dimensions down. Josh Thomson is a serious threat to anybody and he’s very confident when he steps into the Octagon. He’s not really fazed by all of the pressure.
That fight is going to be crazy! I think it’ll probably go to a decision. I think they’re going to stalemate each other on the ground. Standing, whew, that could go either way. Who’s going to get caught? You don’t know. That one’s impossible to call.
Check out Eddie’s 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu web site at TheTwister.tv. He has videos, techniques, photos and a whole lot more.
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