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Card & odds for UFC Live 4 on Versus (6/26 Pittsburgh at Consol Energy Center)

By Zach Arnold | June 25, 2011

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Main card

David Williams: UFC on Versus 4 Preview — Faaloloto vs. Johnson and Grice vs. Lamas

The odds

Courtesy of our friend Nick Kalikas of BetOnFighting. For informational purposes only.

Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 51 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

51 Responses to “Card & odds for UFC Live 4 on Versus (6/26 Pittsburgh at Consol Energy Center)”

  1. Chuck says:

    Rick Story? The Fuck?!?! He just fought not even a month ago? All ready fighting Nate Marquardt? Damn…

  2. 45 Huddle says:

    1) Rick Story is already the next in line for a title shot in my eyes. If he beats Marquardt, this just cements it.

    2) It’s hard to get excited about a Kongo/Barry fight. Barry is so frustrating to watch.

    3) I’m a Matt Mitrione fan, so I’m looking forward to his brawl with Morecraft.

    4) The undercard has 3 interesting fights. The Stevenson & Griffin fights, just because it will be interesting to see if they can now make an impact at Featherweight. And the Lentz/Oliveira fight is a great style match-up that should really be on themain card.

    • David m says:

      what happens if Nate wins? Does he fight GSP?

      • 45 Huddle says:

        He should. Sort of like Kenny Florian, he only needs 1 or 2 fights at the weight class to make sure he can make the cut properly. But if he can beat Story, then he is a Top 5 Welterweight and deserves the shot.

        I just hope we don’t have to deal with a lot of drama around it. Either fight GSP or your idea of dropping down in weight class was pointless….

        • The Gaijin says:

          Co-sign on this one.

          If Nate in the mix as a MW and can beat a guy like Story in his WW debut, I have no problem with him jumping right in to challenge for the belt. I think he (Nate) gave a vague response that he’d fight GSP if the chance came, but as you said, there’s no reason to move down if you refuse to fight him…we already have the AKA guys cock-blocking the top end enough as it is.

          All that said, I hope Story wins as he might present an interesting challenge for GSP (or god help us Nick Diaz) without the “will he, won’t he” drama that I’m sure could come with Nate.

        • david m says:

          Nate probably decided to cut to 170 only when he realized that GSP was going to have to fight (and thus lose to) Diaz, thus preventing a Nate-GSP encounter.

          Dude, Story is no top 5 170er.

        • edub says:

          He’s close and a win over Nate coud very well put him there.

          Diaz has no chance against GSP. Hopefully Diaz won’t have to get surgery on his face again when the fight is over.

          If Nate wins against Story, a fight with Fitch makes sense for the next shot at GSP (or whoever the title holder is).

        • 45 Huddle says:

          Diaz isn’t a threat to GSP.

          Story is 6-1 in the UFC. Wins over Hendricks and Alves.

          Alves was #3 in the world before losing to Story. How is Story not Top 5 now? It wasn’t a lucky KO. It wasn’t a fluke. He easily won 2 of the rounds and didn’t get rocked by one Alves punch during the 3rd. He’s a beast.

          He already deserves the title shot more then Diaz as of today.

  3. David m says:

    Lol at Alves being top 3. Since October 2008 he has 1 win, and it is against John Howard. How can you conceivably rate him so high? Oh I forgot, you are a liar and hypocrite and complained about Fedor’s inactivity but don’t care about Thiago’s 1 win in the last three years.

    • 45 Huddle says:

      No need for name calling.

      Bloody Elbow had him at #4. Sherdog had him at #3. I can’t find MMA Fighting’s pre Alves/Story rankings, but if my memory serves me right, they also had him at #3 in the world.

      Your biggest problem…. Whether it be hugging on Nick Diaz’s balls or bashing Alves record…. Is that you have ZERO concept of strength of schedule.

      Alves lost to the #1 and #2 ranked fighters in the world over the last 3 years. During that time, he was still Top 5…. Afterwards, he was still top 5. Why? Because losing to fighters higher then you shouldn’t push you down farther in the rankings. All it should do it VALIDATE the rankings are still correct.

      The facts are simple. Rick Story in his last fight beat a HIGHER RANKING fighter then Nick Diaz did. Which is why he is more deserving of a title shot as of right now.

      • 45 Huddle says:

        And this’s isn’t even comparable to Fedor Emelianenko who literally took 3 years off from fighting ranked Heavyweights…. And then hand picked opponents that were either coming off a few recent losses (Sylvia) or were being overhyped by bogus sanctioning bodies (WAMMA).

        Thiago Alves fought the the very best who were also ranked above him. That doesn’t invalidate his Top 5 ranking.

        • Kelvin Hunt says:

          Co-Sign with 45 here…

        • The Gaijin says:

          Not getting into this again, but by your own standards of rankings meaning anything, Fedor was #1 ranked so he couldn’t fight anyone “ranked above him” and

          1. Tim Sylvia was 6-2 in his last 8 fights with his only losses coming in UFC title fights in which he was a favorite in both and arguably caught in a hail mary sub by a guy he was pounding. And I believe he was ranked quite highly by Sherdog and BE – #3 or #4 (iirc #2 ranked fighter was Nogueira whom #1 ranked Fedor had 2 dominating wins over and #3 ranked was Couture who Fedor had been unsuccessfully attempting to fight).

          2. Arlovski was on an 11-2 run, including a 5-0 run with (4 KOs) and was extremely highly ranked by Sherdog, BE and every other rankings site. IIRC he was #3 at the time they fought and again, Fedor couldn’t fight Randy and there was no need to fight Nogueira.

          The only other potential guy that was a worthwhile fight for him at the time was Barnett who he was supposed to fight at Trilogy.

        • 45 Huddle says:

          Sylvia was 1-2 in his last 3 fights before the Fedor fight and actually lost his previous fight. If you are going to use his record, at least don’t ignore the most important piece.

          And nobody would debate that Fedor didn’t have a lot of competition. But fighting a freak show and a middleweight isn’t even giving the #1 ranking it’s due dilengce by a long shot.

          Either way…. As I have said before…. Fighting GSP and Fitch compared to Choi and Lindand are not comparable, so his example is a poor one.

          My stance on rankings is pretty concrete. Fedor was an outlier because he avoided even borderline top 20 competition for years.

        • edub says:

          Gaij you just got into it :).

      • david m says:

        Dude, you can’t win once in 3 years and be a top 3 fighter. Try to be rational. This isn’t even a question.

        The fact that the mma media that you constantly bash says otherwise, just goes to show you are a hypocrite and that the mma media is indeed composed of assclowns.

        • 45 Huddle says:

          Once again, you are constantly ignore strength of schedule. Quality of opponents matters most in rankings.

          4-0 against all non-Top 20 fighters still makes a fighter not Top 20.

          2-2 against the Top 10 makes a fighter top ten.

    • Light23 says:

      This is why FIGHT’s computerized rankings are sweet.

      It was no surprise to me that his Story fight was so competitive. They had Alves and Story basically even at around 11th.

      Sherdog/MMAWeekly etc. are basically a popularity contest, where they give you the fighters they think are the most “talented”.

      • Chromium says:

        FIGHT! Magazine’s computerized rankings are better than MMA-ELO (which isn’t hard), but they still are rather strange. Looking at their HW rankings, I can understand how a computer would rank Overeem over JDS (beats Werdum who beat Fedor when Fedor was #1) even if no one else does at this point. Mike Russow is #11. Curious. Satoshi Ishii is ranked 21st. Beating Jerome LeBanner in MMA by decision is worth that much, huh? Then there’s Guram Gugeshnivilli at 22nd. That’s a “ranked on potential” ranking if I’ve ever seen one, since his last win over a significant opponent was approximately never, but hey, he’s undefeated and a highly touted prospect so whatever. Brandon Lee Hinkle is ranked 28th. His last notable win was Roman Zentsov in 2007. In fact he’s 2-5 since the end of 2005. Then there’s Enson Inoue at 30th. He’s had one win against a 1-0 nobody since 2004, and hasn’t beaten anyone good since 1998. Did he get extra points for charity work? These rankings have some serious glitches in them. I’ll take the “popularity contests” thank you.

  4. RossenSearchTeam says:

    Story > Marq

    Story has been all impress lately, Marq has been all not.

    But the most concerning thing about Marq is his complete disregard for his failures.

    He Keeps thinking that he won!

    Some guys!
    (AhemVerdumAhem.)

    Cheick is a weak talent.
    But Barry is a weak personality.

    Barry probably has more talent, but weaker Chi.

    Toss up.

    I’ll take Cheick,
    (although I probably just jinxed it for him.)

    I’ve heard good things boot Morecraft (seen him somewhere), but I’ll take meathead.

    Tyson > Manny.

    I dont know the rest of those guys.

    But I like surprises.

    In fact I insist on them.

    • Chuck says:

      Weaker Chi? WHAT?! Do you expect these guys to go Super Saiyan or something? I hope you meant weaker CHIN.

  5. 45 Huddle says:

    UFC signed Hatsu Hioki.

    Interesting that they announced it on the same day as the start of the Bellator Featherweight Tournament….

  6. The Gaijin says:

    Welp! Nate’s been scratched last minute and Charlie Brenneman is in the main event now…not exactly a strong headliner here.

    I feel bad for Story, he just went from a fight that would have basically assured him a title shot if he won, to fighting a pretty “useless” fight that’s really just all-downside risk. I guarantee he wouldn’t have taken *this* fight on the short notice that he was willing to with NM, not to mention winning this fight is unlikely to do anything for his title shot aspirations.

    • The Gaijin says:

      One has to wonder if this had anything to do with the huge weight cut he was attempting to do.

      He was already in DW’s doghouse for choking in the big fights…now this…not good Nathan.

  7. Zheroen says:

    Dana fires Nate Marquardt via cell phone video posted on the internet. At least have the decency of Eric Bischoff and do it via FedEx, mannnnnnnn.

    • Mr. Roadblock says:

      Dude, he’s just telling the fans that he fired Nate in that video. Don’t you think he already told Nate? Like when Nate called in to say he failed his meds?

      • Zheroen says:

        You just had to ruin my Eric Bischoff joke, didn’t you?

        Yeah, now that I think about it, this was definitely more Mr. McMahon. He should have given Nate a second chance to stay in the UFC…but only if he’s willing to join the Kiss My Ass Club.

        Really, though, Thiago Alves and Anthony Johnson fail to make weight how many times at 170? Yet Marquardt fails in his first attempt at cutting, and it’s all “YOU’REEEEEEEEEEEE FIIIIIIIIIIIIIRED!”

        • Chuck says:

          According to BE, Nate getting cut has nothing to do with cutting weight (looked like he was able to do so) nor PEDs. Must be something a little bit worse.

    • 45 Huddle says:

      But Eric Bischoff accidentially created the birth of Stone Cold with that firing. And Austin, along with The Rock and a few others is what turned the WWE around.

      I watched those Steve Austin ECW promos on TV each week. They were absolutely fantastic. They actually happened at the same time as Mick Foley’s greatest promos as well. It was around September 1995, as they happened during the “Gangstas Paradise” event…. I actually have the TV shows that I taped myself…. A few months later Sabu came back and from November To Remember 2005 to NTR 2006 it was about the best year of wrestling ever….End tangent.

      Marquardt is not Austin in hiding. He has a boring personality.

  8. Zheroen says:

    Probably would help if I attributed the source: http://www.tout.com/m/nsphwl

  9. 45 Huddle says:

    1) I hope the reason Nathan Marquardt got cut was for good reason.

    2) He already pissed hot once.

    3) The Thales Leites fight showed how badly he can break the rules. It seemed like every fight he would break some rule and act like he either didn’t know or didn’t mean it.

    4) He had a horrible performance at the very first UFC Fight Night that never sat well with the UFC.

    5) He choked big time in big fights. Much like Kenny Florian, moving down in weight was a last ditch effort to get a title shot because it was never going to happen at his current weight.

    I’m a big Nathan Marquardt fan. I’ve followed him very closely since 2000 when he won the King of Pancrase title. I was sad when he lost to Gil Castillo at the IFL event to get a chance to fight in the UFC…. That was back when I absolutely got more emotionally invested in fighters winning or losing.

    But as much of a fan as I am of his…. The guy has always had a black cloud around him….

    I just hope he was cut for a good reason and not something petty….

    • The Gaijin says:

      Guess we’ll get to see where Hector Lombard stands in the MW division soon.

      • 45 Huddle says:

        Can’t get a Bellator title shot unless you win the tournament…

        So they will probably have to put on a non-title fight. I highly doubt Marquardt would agree to doing 3 fights in 3 months after he is already so established in his career.

        If Lombard doesn’t knock him out in 3 minutes, he loses.

        • The Gaijin says:

          *Scanning post for where I said he was fighting him for the belt*

          *Still scanning*

        • 45 Huddle says:

          Oh you didn’t say it…. I was just thinking out loud as to how bad that policy is if they do fight…

    • Zheroen says:

      God, that fight against Salaverry was fucking brutal to watch.

  10. 45 Huddle says:

    I noticed mmalogic said that Marquardt messing up during TV contract negotiations wasn’t a good thing.

    It doesn’t matter what you think of mmalogic in this posting…. Because I’m just using my comment off of what he said, not because of the weight behind it.

    MMA does have a problem with fighters getting injured and falling off cards last minute. And this will ALWAYS limit the sport.

    1) It’s hard for TV networks to get behind it for big money when a big time main event can quickly be replaced by a not so attractive one.

    2) It’s hard for fans to buy $800 tickets when JDS vs. Lesnar then becomes JDS vs. Carwin.

    This will always be an issue for MMA….. And is something that a team sport really doesn’t have to deal with as much….

    • The Gaijin says:

      1a. I have a hard time believing Nate Marquardt being on or not being on the marquee made 1 single viewer difference. The guy has pulled (some of) the worst tv ever ratings for the UFC’s free tv shows…so no one is sitting there saying, “OH Marquardt’s NOT on it?! I’m not watching it now!”

      1b. “Big time main event” this was not. It was already a replacement main event.

      *Card subject to change.

      What do you wanna bet they busted him for diuretics or something like that.

  11. david m says:

    Spike TV execs must be laughing their asses off. UFC on Versus tomorrow will draw 600 viewers.

    • 45 Huddle says:

      The lower the ratings the better.

      Zuffa needs a wake-up call on this one. Moving to Versus is a bad idea unless a LOT of NBC airplay time is involved…. Which I highly doubt.

      I’m hoping for under 500,000 viewers….. Let the UFC go back with their tail between their legs to SpikeTV…. Perhaps get a slight increase in their contract…. And just enjoy what they currently have….

      • david m says:

        I would put it like this: I am a hardcore fan, and if I were not, I would have no idea that this show was going to take place tomorrow. Even knowing, I have no interest in watching it. The main event was interesting before, but now, meh. One of the downsides of having so much airtime is that live fights don’t seem as special or important to watch. I don’t really think the UFC is oversaturated because a good fight is a good fight, but when they put on fights nobody cares about, the ratings will react accordingly.

        As a fan I hope the UFC keeps Strikeforce going and occasionally does title unification matches, because unless that happens there will be far too many unemployed fighters.

  12. 45 Huddle says:

    According to Dann Stupp, a memberof the PAAC will address with Marquardt situation at 4pm on Sunday.

    Marquardt is also scheduled to be on the Versus pre-show to address the situation. This according to Helwani.

    Goldenboy, from The UG…. Who has broken multiple sources in the past…. Has said it has to do with TRT…. Testosterone Replacement Therapy.

    I wonder if Marquardt pissed hot and then tried to claim that he was approved for TRT. He already pissed hot once under Zuffa, which would make sense for the instant firing.

    I would have no problem with the firing if this was the case. But I really would like to see more formal rules in place for these types of situations like other major sports have. If they want a 2 or 3 strikes out policy that is fine. But if Marquardt is out with 2 failed tests, then Zuffa should refuse to put on a Josh Barnett fight as well. It needs to be uniform…

    • Chuck says:

      But if UFC (or the state athletic commissions, whoever) put up rules like that then they probably can’t do it ex post facto. Meaning Josh Barnett would be off the hook until he does get caught again.

    • Zheroen says:

      Does this mean we’ll see Marika Taylor and EJ rally to Marquardt’s defense as well?

    • The Gaijin says:

      I’m gonna put on a tinfoil hat here, but this kinda makes me think of the Da Metlz article where he was talking about the “shadow drug testing” the UFC does on guys ahead of the event.

      I’d also heard some rumours of this separately, and that sometimes you see guys pulling out a few weeks before an event b/c they pissed hot on a shadow drug test. The craziest rumour I ever heard was that a former Pro Elite director, who was a partner at a buddy of mine’s firm said the reason Brock initially pulled out of the title fight (with Carwin?) was b/c he failed a shadow drug test and they didn’t want their champ soiling the title (I mean there was a lot of shadiness especially around the “Canadian hospital” stuff and lack of records, but being a conspiracist here). I believe it less now that he’s pulled out again, but I still kinda think they’re doing these shadow drug tests.

  13. Chromium says:

    I’m guessing White was extra pissed since he tested positive ahead of time, meaning he ruined the damn main-event. It’s not nearly as big a deal if you test positive after the fact because at least you still got a fight out of it. They also may be taking a harder line now as they’re trying to get sanctioned in NY and might be trying to swing a cable deal with a major outlet.

    If Marquardt tested positive for cocaine or TRT or got caught with a whizzinator, I don’t think he’s been banned from the UFC for life.

  14. Jack says:

    Marquardt’s management company is called Alchemist Management???

    Not a great name.. all considered.

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