UFC 103 Monday Morning Pick Roast

What happens to all those bad pick segments?

This is a question that has been bugging WKR for some time. Writers and pundits often make horrible predictions yet no one holds them accountable (except for our readers, of course). The bloated size of the Internet often allows us to hide our mistakes behind the ether of electrons and photons, but not here at WKR.

We are introducing a new feature we are calling Monday Morning Pick Roast where we will recap our major event Picks Segment FJM-style. Our observant readers will notice that our first edition is already a day late which we wouldn't have any other way. But the point of this feature is to allow our readers to see our horrible mistakes in bold helvetica font.

UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort coverage

The first victim in our Batan death march is our fearless leader (that's Zak for those who don't know), for his fearless predictions that were all wrong.

Vitor Belfort will run out into the middle of the Octagon, load up, and throw a monster haymaker. Unfortunately Belfort will miss. From that point on Rich Franklin will out point Belfort with superior counter-striking as Belfort pushes forward a la the Silva-Franklin fight. Franklin via Unanimous Decision

I was half right! Come on, that has to count for something!?

[pause]

It doesn't? Shit!

When Daley fights top talent he tends to lose e.g. Nick Thmpsona and Jake Shields, and this will be no different.  Kampmann via submission Round 2.

And that reasoning would have held if Kampmann were indeed better than Shields or Thompson. Unfortunately after this loss I will have to 'old yeller' my fandom for Martin. No Ma, Martin's my fighter. I'll do it.

I really like Cole Miller in this fight and its not just due to my chronic aversion of TUF season eight and its entire cast of fighters. Miller via Split Decision.

Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.

Anyone else experiencing deja vu to the Professor X-McFedries fight at UFC 98? McFedries repeats that performance with a knock out victory. McFedries via KO Round 1.

Drew "Fool's gold" McFedries. This guy cannot put together back-to-back wins to save his life. For the record he needs to get on a fucking treadmill to avoid gassing out faster than the speed of light.

I got a feeling that this is going to be an upset. Igor Pokrajac via unanimous decision.

You had a feeling? Who in their right mind makes a pick based upon a feeling!? Were you listening to the Black Eyed Peas because you know every time you do that you end up making horrible decisions! Like being a crack addict and picking Drew McFedries to win.  

Next up is Nick Becker,

I don't believe that Belfort will be able to overwhelm "Ace".  Franklin is one of the most intelligent fighters in the world and will counter Belfort's strikes with patience and accuracy.  Also, I see Franklin's unorthodox style and movement frustrating Vitor over the course of the match.  Vitor will have his moments, but ultimately this one ends with Franklin by Unanimous Decision.  

I thought I was making the "smart" choice predicting Franklin by UD. I should have listened to those Bloody (Elbow) bastards and gone with my first reaction when this fight was announced.  I guess "Old Vitor" is back.  In other news, Centaurs really do exist.   

In honor of Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3, I will lay out The Blueprint 4: How to Defeat Cro Cop.  Track 1: Don't Let Him Get Comfortable.  Track 2: Be the Aggressor.  Track 3: Bully Him Against the Cage.  Track 4: Take Him Down.  Track 5:  Mash Him with Elbows.  Executive Producers: Gabriel Gonzaga, Cheick Kongo, Alistair Overeem and Kanye West.  Dos Santos via TKO Round 2.

Look for this album to be available on iTunes sometime in the near future.  This is one of those cases where the first three tracks are so good you end up playing them over and over again. 

Listen up folks, this one's not going past the first round.  As much as I'd love to see "Semtex" explode on Kampmann and knock him out in an Anderson Silva-esque ballet of violence, it ain't gonna happen.  After enduring a shaky start that will see him get rocked and rocked badly; "The Hitman" will recover, take Daley down, and then slap on the fight-ending submission.  Kampmann by Submission Round 1.

I coulda been a contender.  I was almost there, except for the whole Kampmann winning by submission thing.  Obviously my psychic abilities are more Miss Cleo than John Edwards.

Koscheck the Wrestler takes this one in his sleep; but Koscheck the Brawler gets beat by the older, wiser Frank Trigg.  In my upset pick of the night, I'm taking Trigg by (what else) Unanimous Decision.

If I didn't spend all my time following Trigg's 8 million tweets, I might have realized there's no way "Twinkle Toes" could have won this one.  Lesson Learned: Odds-makers know what they're doing.     

Tyson Griffin desperately needs to finish a fight in order to be taken seriously as a title contender, but this won't end before the full 15 minutes have come and gone.  Griffin via Unanimous Decision.

Is there anyone in the world outside of Griffin's family and friends who thought that he would actually finish this fight? Had I known that Hermes Franca would come out looking like The Joker on Ambien, I might have changed my mind.   

In a back-and-forth bout that I predict will take Fight of the Night honors, I'm going with Cole by Split Decision.

What I meant to write was that by the end of the bout Miller's head would be bouncing back-and-forth off the mat as Efrain records his first career KO.  Oh yeah, that sounds much better. 

There's no doubt both these guys pack plenty of firepower in their fists and if the winner doesn't end up claiming the Knockout of the Night award, I'll be shocked.  While Drwal has looked damn good as of late, he is exactly the kind of opponent that McFedries feasts on.  McFedries can get sloppy in heated exchanges but all he needs to do is land one clean shot to put Drwal down for the count.  McFedries with the KO (of the Night) Round 1. 

Consider me shocked. Not stick your finger in a light socket shocked, but close.  Once again, I got everyone in the room jacked up about an "any-second now" KO, which never came.  Note to self: STOP doing that!

Expect Miller to put the Octagon newcomer through the wringer before securing a submission midway through the fight.  Miller via Submission (of the Night) Round 2.

When I said Miller would put his opponent through the wringer, I didn't think that Lopez's shoulder would actually come out looking like it got caught in machinery.  

Finally it's E.Spencer Kyte's turn,

This is such an interesting fight because you have two southpaws who are excellent strikers. Belfort is the faster of the two and will look to overwhelm Franklin with punches in bunches off the bat, but this is Rich Franklin we're talking about. The guy has been in so many big fights and is so smart in the cage, I don't see him getting caught quickly. Ace is always in shape and able to go the distance and I look for him to test Belfort's cardio and conditioning.... Franklin viaTKO Round 3.

Or, he'll stand there without throwing much of anything, take on behind the ear and get dropped before the first round ends.


Would have been so much better if stupid Swick hadn't gotten hurt. Daley is a tough kid, but Kampmann is just too skilled for him in every aspect of the game. "The Hitman" will know he has a massive advantage on the ground and will take it there as quickly as possible, finishing off the Brit with a Rear Naked Choke.Kampmann, Submission Round 2.

Apparently, Martin Kampmann isn't a fan of hold a distinct advantage over his opponents and wanted to level the playing field by standing in front of Paul Daley, allowing the Brit to showcase his one and only weapon... that's like throwing away your gun when the other guy has a knife.


Griffin sets a relentless pace and has outstanding wrestling. Franca is ten years the senior of Griffin, is coming off a torn ACL and has never been known for having outstanding cardio. You do the math. Griffin via Unanimous Decision.

The sun shines on every dogs ass once in a while...

These last few are taken from Keyboard Kimura's UFC 103 Punch Drunk Predictions


If this was three or four years ago, Foster would be the easy pick just because he trains with Matt Hughes and the H.I.T. Squad team. But it isn't 2005 anymore, is it? Remember how impressive Jake Ellenberger looked against Carlos Condit on Wednesday night? Story beat him.

While his nickname is very Chris Berman, Story looked damn good securing an arm triangle from inside Foster's guard. Of all the fights I got right, this is the one I'm most proud of... the fact that I'm proud of picking a fight correctly tells you all you need to know about how exciting my life is.


Oliveira was originally slated to fight on the Affliction: Trilogy card against Japanese star Takanori Gomi. Nik Lentz is no Takanori Gomi, not even the less impressive version we've seen in recent years.

Why in the name of all things holy do I still put any stock in Takanori Gomi? Lentz looked like a younger version of Sean Sherk in this fight, which shouldn't surprise anyone as he is Sean Sherk's training partner.


The winner of Season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter had a tough time making weight and will have an even tougher time in his post-TUF debut, as Cole Miller, half of the other set of "Fighting Miller Boys" competing in MMA is a slick submission specialist and should get the win, especially because he decided against doing an interview with me for some reason.


Apparently, even thinking about talking to me puts a hex on your fight, as Cole Miller became the latest victim of the K2 Interview Series Curse. Fighters be warned...