[goldengoat]

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira -206
Josh Barnett +186

Wanderlei Silva +171
Mirko Filipovic -181

This tourny can be won by any of the final 4 so it's risky going. I personally like both dogs by a slim margin and also since it's close that's the way to play.

barnet has good wrestling and decent standup and is just a big guy that you don't want on top of you. He got on top of randy coutore and tko him in the 2nd. Nogueira has good boxing but his power is usually only in combinations. His submissions are top notch. Barnet must watch out for the triangle choke. Barnet is no chump either with submissions. Prediction barnet via decision.

crocop and silva is almost a coin flip. crocop can ko you at any second with the left high kick. silva can overwhelm you with a flurry of punches or a series of knees in the thai clinch. silva must stay on the inside or outside. must avoid the middle distance where that left high kick can land. these 2 have fought before where if noone won clearly it was to be a draw which is what happened. in my opinion silva won the fight. since then crocop's ground skills have improved and also his takedown defense is a little better making this a more dangerous fight for silva and closer to 50/50. both can be ko'ed by the other. pick is silva.

tourny overall pick not seeing great odds for my liking cause its so up in the air but i like barnett especially if he faces silva. barnett is too big for silva and too good a wrestler.

[mr softy]

barnett has 0 chance against noguiera he beat randy because he was roided up thats why he left ufc to fight in pride but noguiras stanup is way better and he can easily sub josh i agree anyone can win this open weight grand prix except josh barnett he hasnt beat anybody decent in a while fedors brother is no real competion and noguiras only lossees were to the best mma fighter of all time fedor emieliaenko noguiera is to slick on the ground to let josh lay n pray vandy and crocop is a toss up their first fight vandy came out and attacked but tired at the end gun to my head ill take crocop definately wouldnt bet on it smart moneys on nog owning barnett though watch

[goldengoat]

Nogueira lost to ricco rodriguez but the pride judges completely screwed him out of the decision

total screwjob since ricco was representing the ufc inside a pride ring

luckily josh is a pride fighter

only reason josh took roids was for marketability

early in his career he had a soft pudgy build and many did not give him his due because he did not look like a top athlete even though he has great skill

he took the roids to get a more marketable build and got caught

roids are not that great of a thing to take for a fighter since it can cost you some endurance in the long run

barnett is probably in the best shape of his life

nog is one of the best fighters in the world but people have had the opportunity to breakdown his game since he was on top for awhile and everyone was taking notes

nog can win but to say barnett has no chance is not very informed

[JoshW]

Is this going to be a pay per view event in the US? I would assume more than just two fights on it?

[goldengoat]

the ppv is tape delayed about 12 hours (should be on sunday evening)

it is in japan again i think

their are about 8 or 9 fights total i think

odds on the other fights should be out very soon