UFC 74 Predictions Roundup: Couture v. Gonzaga

Who do the top journalists in MMA think will win this weekend's UFC matchups? We've aggregated predictions from UFC Junkie, MMA Weekly, Sherdog, MMA Torch, Yahoo! Sports, and SLAM! Sports. I've already predicted my winner of the UFC 74 main event between defending Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture and challenger Gabriel Gonzaga in my post, Meet your new UFC Heavyweight Champion, Gabriel Gonzaga! Now see who the experts picked:

UFC 74: Respect
Live from Las Vegas - Saturday, August 25, 2007

Thales Leites (-270) vs. Ryan Jensen (+210)
Sherdog: Leites by 1st round submission
UFC Junkie: Leites by 2nd round submission
MMA Weekly: Leites by 1st round submission
MMA Torch: Leites by 2nd round submission
Yahoo! Sports: Leites by 2nd round submission
WINNER: Leites by 1st round submission

Frank Mir (-170) vs. Antoni Hardonk (+140)
Sherdog: Mir by 1st round submission
UFC Junkie: Mir by 1st round submission
MMA Weekly: Mir by decision
MMA Torch: Mir by 1st round TKO
Yahoo! Sports: Mir by 1st round submission
WINNER: Mir by 1st round submission

Roger Huerta (-450) vs. Alberto Crane (+300)
Sherdog: Huerta by 1st round TKO
UFC Junkie: Huerta by 2nd round TKO
MMA Torch: Huerta by 1st round TKO
SLAM! Sports: Huerta by 1st round TKO
Yahoo! Sports: Huerta by 3rd round TKO
MMA Weekly: Huerta by 2nd round TKO
WINNER: Huerta by 3rd round TKO

Clay Guida (-120) vs. Marcus Aurelio (-110)
Sherdog: Guida by decision
UFC Junkie: Aurelio by 2nd round submission
MMA Weekly: Guida by 2nd round TKO
MMA Torch: Guida by decision
Yahoo! Sports: Aurelio by decision
WINNER: Guida by decision

Renato Sobral (-210) vs. David Heath (+170)
Sherdog: Sobral by 2nd round submission
UFC Junkie: Heath by decision
MMA Weekly: Sobral by decision
MMA Torch: Heath by 3rd round TKO
Yahoo! Sports: Heath by 3rd round TKO
WINNER: Sobral by 2nd round submission

Kendall Grove (-260) vs. Patrick Cote (+200)
Sherdog: Grove by 2nd round submission
UFC Junkie: Grove by decision
MMA Torch: Grove by 1st round TKO
SLAM! Sports: Grove by 2nd round submission
Yahoo! Sports: Grove by 1st round TKO
MMA Weekly: Grove by 2nd round submission
WINNER: Cote by 1st round TKO

Joe Stevenson (-295) vs Kurt Pellegrino (+235)
Sherdog: Stevenson by 2nd round TKO
UFC Junkie: Pellegrino by submission
MMA Torch: Stevenson by 3rd round submission
SLAM! Sports: Stevenson by decision
Yahoo! Sports: Stevenson by 3rd round submission
MMA Weekly: Stevenson by decision
WINNER: Stevenson by decision

Georges St. Pierre (-220) vs. Josh Koscheck (+180)
Sherdog: St. Pierre by decision
UFC Junkie: Koscheck by decision
MMA Torch: St. Pierre by 1st round TKO
SLAM! Sports: St. Pierre by 1st round TKO
Yahoo! Sports: St. Pierre by decision
MMA Weekly: Koscheck by decision
WINNER: St. Pierre by decision

Gabriel Gonzaga (-135) vs. Randy Couture (+105)
Sherdog: Couture by 4th round TKO
UFC Junkie: Gonzaga by 4th round submission
MMA Torch: Gonzaga by 3rd round TKO
SLAM! Sports: Couture by decision
Yahoo! Sports: Couture by decision
MMA Weekly: Gonzaga by 4th round TKO
WINNER: Couture by 3rd round TKO

UPDATE: Predictions Scorecard
Sherdog: 8-1
SLAM! Sports: 4-1*
Yahoo! Sports: 6-3
MMA Torch: 6-3
MMA Weekly: 6-3
UFC Junkie: 3-6
*Only picked main card bouts

Sherdog, SLAM! Sports, and Yahoo! Sports all correctly predicted both main events.

I'll try to keep this post updated as more predictions come in. If you know of other respectable sites that should be listed, please post the predictions URL in the comments section. And finally - who do you think will win?

Holly Springs Cultural Center - Southern Comedy Night

Are you looking for things to do in the Holly Springs, NC area? Then head on over to the Holly Springs Cultural Center for a night of clean comedy featuring three nationally touring Southern comedians!

Date: Saturday, September 8, 2007
Time: 8:00pm - 10:00pm
Location: Holly Springs Cultural Center
Address: 300 West Ballentine Street, Holly Springs, NC
Phone: 919.567.4000
Buy Tickets: Only $10 onine through Etix or at the door!

Great Performance Series presents Carolina Comedians
A hilarious evening of down-home Southern comedy, starring:

Jerry Carroll - Farmer and Southern Comedian
"The Willow Spring Wildman" Jerry Carroll harvests a bumper crop of high hilarity in his fast-paced, high-energy show about everyday life with a distinct southern flair. Watch video

David Ferrell - Squeaky clean comedy and impressions
Holly Springs' own David Ferrell shows audiences that comedy can be clean and funny! His all-ages performances include hilarious stand-up comedy and outrageous impressions! Watch video

Larry Weaver - As heard on Blue Collar Radio
Comedian Larry Weaver is a favorite on WQDR, WRAL, and radio shows across the country. His tracks "State Fair Woman" and "Ghost in the Trailer" are staples on Blue Collar Radio. Watch video

This is going to be an unforgettable night of fun. And if you haven't yet been to the Holly Springs Cultural Center, you need to go check out this World-Class, brand new facility. Get your tickets now through Etix

Discount Postcard Printing - Full Color, Cheap Postcard Printing Services

Lots of people ask where I have my postcards printed. I get ALL of my full color printing services done online through PrintingForLess.com. Previously, I used a local printer and it was a royal pain. Now I upload my files online, approve the proofs via PDF, and PrintingForLess ships the finished product in a few days. It's so much easier and - best of all - a lot cheaper!

Here a just a few of the great postcards they have printed for me:


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Head on over and save $25 with coupon code RP15QYD5T (input in "Promotional Code" field) at http://www.printingforless.com/

SEO Training Atlanta, GA - Search Engine Marketing Course

I'll be returning to Atlanta, GA on Wednesday, September 12, 2007 to offer my "Fundamentals of Search Engine Marketing" Training Course at the Association of Video Professionals Training Conference.

LOCATION: Atlanta, GA
HOTEL: Days Inn Downtown Atlanta
DATE: Wednesday, September 12, 2007
TIME: Choose either 8:00 - 12:00 PM or 1:00 - 5:00 PM
COST: Free for AVP Members. Only $295 for Non-AVP Members
WEBSITE: http://www.aovpros.com/events.php

This will be slightly different than the usual full-day class. I'm cutting the material down to four hours, with plenty of time for Q&A. This will be more of a lecture style presentation, with no hands-on software training. Laptops are optional. Here is a preliminary outline:

Introduction to Search Engine Marketing

• Defining SEM, SEO, PPC, usability
• The top search engines and their relationships
• How search engines work

Targeting the Right Keywords

• Uncovering the right keywords
• Understanding the conversion cycle
• Overview of keyword research tools

Optimizing your Content

• What a search engine spider sees
• Writing for search engines
• Creating and optimizing new content

Avoiding SEO Pitfalls

• Identifying spider traps
• Avoiding Spam
• Using site maps

Building Link Popularity

• Link analysis: quality vs. quantity
• Performing competitive link intelligence

Measuring Your Results (ROI)

• Defining your web site’s goals
• Reporting using Google Analytics or other programs

Starting a PPC Campaign

• Google AdWords and Yahoo Search Marketing
• How and why to avoid clicks

Recap and Resources

• The Top 10 Most Important Tasks you Must Perform
• Putting your plan into action
• Helpful websites and books

As always, there will be lots of real-world examples. The class will focus on Search Engine Marketing for video professionals, but the information is easily transferable to any product or service in any industry. In particular, I'll be discussing local search quite a bit.

$295 is a great deal for this training. Head over to the website to learn more and register: http://www.aovpros.com/events.php