[sirdilznik]

Ok folks, here's the mid-week update (also doubles as a shameless bump to get the thread back on the front page). These are the 8 seeds as of right now:

1) Takanori Gomi
2) Norifumi Yamamoto
3) Hayato Sakurai
4) Sean Sherk
5) Gilbert Melendez
6) BJ Penn
7 + 8) Shinya Aoki + Genki Sudo (dead heat)

The two fighters outside the top 8 that have the best shot to still sneak in are Ribeiro and Bennett. Remember, you have until Saturday night to get your top 8 LWs in. Your vote could decide who gets in and who doesn't! On Sunday I will post the first round match-ups.

[kishiro]

Originally Posted by sirdilznik

The two fighters outside the top 8 that have the best shot to still sneak in are Ribeiro and Bennett. Remember, you have until Saturday night to get your top 8 LWs in. Your vote could decide who gets in and who doesn't! On Sunday I will post the first round match-ups.

not saying penn did not deserve to start in the ufc or does he not have skill, but guillard started off in a local fight card till he got attention, still had to fill out an application to be on tuf....

let me help you guy make a choice

YouTube - Genki Sudo Highlight 2

YouTube - kid yamamoto highlight

YouTube - Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett Highlights

http://youtube.com/watch?v=pSbQIcW7xSI

YouTube - Takanori Gomi HL

YouTube - Bj Penn highlight

YouTube - JensPulver

YouTube - Gilbert Melendez

and because i got love for the light weights, due to the action that they bring....

YouTube - Vitor Shaolin Ribeiro Highlight

YouTube - Shinya Aoki

YouTube - Hayato 'Mach' Sakurai by Fozzy

oh and sorry to the sherk fans... i could not find one

[sirdilznik]

OK folks, it's time for the first round of the tournament! I had hoped to get more replies to make the selections as democratic as possible during the seedings, but I understand this subforum isn't the most active and I appreciate the replies that I did get

Anyway based on my own picks, forum member replies, and the MMA Weekly LW rankings the first round matchups are as follows (Note: Genki Sudo and Shinya Aoki were tied for 7th and 8th... I flipped a coin):

a) 1) Takanori Gomi vs. 8) Shinya Aoki
b) 4) Sean Sherk vs. 5) Gilbert Melendez
c) 3) Hayato Sakurai vs. 6) BJ Penn
d) 2) Norifumi Yamamoto vs. 7) Genki Sudo

Whether or not you made picks during the seeding process, anyone is welcome to participate in the first round (or any round for that matter). Simply post the fighters you think would win the 4 matches above (matches a,b,c, and d). If you feel like elaborating go ahead, If you just post the winners names, that's fine too. Remember everyone that posts gets an equal say in who moves on and the more people that get involved the better. I will post my own picks later on in the week. Just like the seeding round, there will be a full week for everyone to get their posts in and I will announce the semi-finals' participants next Sunday.

[ozz525]

Takanori Gomi
Sean Sherk
BJ Penn
Norifumi Yamamoto

[Asian Sensation]

gomi
melendez
Penn
Yamamoto

[sirdilznik]

Ok, here are my picks:

a) Takanori Gomi vs. Shinya Aoki - A dangerous match for "The Fireball Kid". Aoki's submissions are so freaking good that if the fight goes to the ground I see a lot of problems for Gomi. Then again I thought Ishida may give Gomi problems because of his grappling skills and we all know how that turned out. Predicition - Takanori Gomi by TKO late 1st round.

b) Sean Sherk vs. Gilbert Melendez - A difficult fight for me to call. I really, really like Gilbert. He's athletic, exciting, has tons of heart, and always oges full speed ahead. That being said, Sherk's power and ground control will be too much for him to handle. Predicition - Sherk by Unanimous Decision.

c) Hayato Sakurai vs. Bj Penn - I like "Mach", he's a great fighter. Good all-around skills. However BJ is a monster at LW. Prediction - BJ Penn by TKO 1st round.

d) "Kid" Yamamoto vs. Genki Sudo - We've already seen this fight. No reason to think it will turn out any different this time. Prediction - Kid by TKO 1st round.

[sirdilznik]

e) 1) Takanori Gomi vs. 4) Sean Sherk
f) 2) Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto vs. 6) BJ Penn

[kds13]

1) Gomi vs 4) sherk
2)yamamoto vs 6) penn

i'm gonna have to go gomi and yamamoto to advance. no upsets here.

[sirdilznik]

Gomi
Penn

[ozz525]

Gomi and Penn