A: Lidell vs Werdum
B: Penn vs Big Nog
C: GSP vs Kongo
D: A.Silva vs Lyoto Machida
Liddell beats Werdum (TKO, Round 3) There's no way in hell that Werdum gets Liddell to the ground, because there's no way Liddell lets this fight get into the clinch and he's very hard to shoot on. Liddell wins with a big counterpunch.
Nog beats BJ Penn (Unanimous Decision) I don't think that Nog is going to be able to finish BJ, as BJ's ellusive, but BJ would definitely lose this matchup. He's way too small, and would get easily swept if this fight hit the ground (though his arms are too small for Nog to sink in a triangle or an armbar).
Kongo beats GSP (Round 2, TKO) Kongo is way too big. GSP may be a great wrestler and submission fighter, but it's hard to deal with that size advantage. Kongo would punish him at range and knock him out after beating him up well.
Anderson Silva beats Lyoto Machida (Round 1, TKO) Stylistically, this is the worst possible matchup for Machida. Machida lives off of being illussive, but Anderson will come after him in that technically explosive, percise way, put him in the clinch and finish. The size difference here is not a factor at all.
Nog beats Liddell (Unanimous Decision) Technical boxing display from Nog, but no big finish. Liddell is too tired from some exchanges with Werdum to do much, while Nog didn't expend as much energy handling BJ (because he was just fighting with his weight, no muscular pushing was really necessary). Nog is the fresher fighter and it shows.
Kongo beats Silva (2nd Round, TKO) Kongo, like Nog, is still fresh because he fought a fighter he could just throw his weight around against, while Silva had a legit challenge. Again, size plays a serious factor in this fight and the 20+ pound weight advantage for Kongo, along with the 4 or 5 inch reach advantage allows him to keep Silva at range and dominate. Maybe he finishes, maybe not, but I think that Silva is tired to the point where he will break down. Chasing Machida tired him out.
Kongo beats Nogueira (Unanimous Decision) Kongo has two matches where he's been the heavier fighter by twenty or thirty pounds, (Nog had that in the first one, but would get caught in some exchanges with Chuck, inevitably) and he's the better striker. Nog will not take him down, and if the fight stays standing, Kongo will win by using kicks and combinations at range.
Podium:
First Place: Cheick Kongo
Second Place: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Third Place: Anderson Silva
A: A.Silva vs Werdum
B: Lidell vs Kongo
C: GSP vs Penn
D: Big Nog vs Lyoto
Werdum beats Anderson Silva (1st Round, Submission) World championship BJJ and a thirty pound weight advantage make it easy for me to say Werdum would win this fight. Silva would strike, maybe do some damage, try to clinch up or close the distance, and he'd end up in a Greco clinch, be on his back, and the World class BJJ would trump Silva's blackbelt.
Kongo beats Liddell (3rd Round, KO/Unanimous Decision) Kongo can wear Liddell out, the fight will stay standing, and either Chuck's cardio will buckle and he will get knocked out or it won't and he will simply drop it on the scorecards.
Penn beats GSP (Unanimous Decision) This is a fight I'd love to see. It could go either way. I'm giving it to BJ, because I think that if he could get the fight to the ground, he'd maintain control positions and win. It's a fun fight, though. Still, it won't matter in the next round, and I'll explain why.
Nog beats Lyoto (Unanimous Decision) This is an incredibly boring fight. The judges will give it to Nog because Lyoto won't hurt him and Lyoto will be the one backing up.
Werdum beats Kongo (Round 1, Submission) I feel like this one speaks for itself. Kongo gets caught clinched up with Werdum, ends up on his back and gets tapped.
Nogueira beats BJ/GSP (Unanimous Decision) Nog will throw his weight around and control the fight, wherever it goes. He'll control it with his reach, standing up, and with his jiu-jitsu on the ground. All of the technical skills won't matter, because the size difference is really severe.
Werdum beats Nog (Unanimous Decision) Nog has spent 30 minutes fighting in the cage, he's exhausted and it shows. Even throwing his weight around in the second fight doesn't give him an edge, because Werdum spent most of the time resting after his submissions. Werdum will get in close, as Nog will be too tired to be seriously ellusive standing up, and get the fight to the ground. I think that Werdum would probably pass Nog's guard, but it doesn't really matter. Even if he doesn't, he'll win by being on top for three rounds while Nog fails to submit a superior grappler and fails to keep the fight standing.
Podium:
1st Place: Werdum
2nd Place: Nog
3rd Place: Kongo
A: Lidell vs Lesnar
B: Big Nog vs Rampage
C: Wand vs A.Silva
D: Werdum vs Machida
Lesnar beats Liddell (Round 1, TKO) Lesnar own a 60 pound weight advantage, as long as he doesn't have to cut to 265, and a superior wrestling background. While Liddell has power, I'm not delusional enough to believe that someone without a serious jiu-jitsu background is going to be able to take Lesnar on the ground. Lesnar will win this fight by sheer virtue of his physical power, as much as I had to say it.
Nog beats Rampage (Unanimous Decision) This would be an interesting fight, standing up, and I don't think that Nog has a serious size advantage in this fight (15 pounds, at most). Still, I think that his striking is a little more technical and he won't have the problem that most of Rampage's opponents have (that being Rampage's physical power) because they are the same size. Rampage wouldn't be able to finish Nog, and Nog's ability to work around strikes gives him in this fight in my mind.
Anderson beats Wanderlei (Round 1, TKO) If this was the old Wanderlei, I would give it to him easily. Unfortunately, even the win over Jardine does not make Wanderlei the fighter he once was, and Anderson is at his peak in terms of his career. So I'm gonna give this to Anderson, but it could be much more exciting and much more interesting than just the typical dominant performance we see from Anderson.
Werdum beats Machida (Round 1 Submission) This could actually be a straight up chase at one point, but I think that eventually Werdum would close the distance and get this fight down. I know Machida has a good submission game, but there's a difference between a blackbelt and a world championship. Werdum really would catch Machida on the ground and finish this, if only by virtue of his muscle advantage.
Nog beats Lesnar (Round 2/3, Submission) This fight will end up in Nogueira's guard, and when it does you'll see that inevitable Nogueira submission combination. Whether Nog catches it immediately with the triangle or armbar or whether Lesnar starts to muscle out and gets caught in the second or third attack doesn't really matter, because he's going to get caught.
Werdum beats Anderson (Round 1, Submission) If Anderson has a tough fight with Wanderlei, then he'll get killed by his own fatigue and collapse under Werdum's game. If it doesn't, he'll still lose a technical battle on the ground. Werdum is a really incredibly grappler, and, as I've said before, he is a level above the rest of the guys in this division.
Werdum beats Nog (Unanimous Decision) This fight would be a little bit closer, since we don't have Nog coming off of two decision wins. However, there's a chance Lesnar could leave him in as much pain as Sapp did, which would stop this fight before it even starts. Either way, this goes down the same way as the other match I've described. Werdum will get on top, and the judges will give him the win for his takedowns and control.
Podium:
1st Place: Werdum
2nd Place: Nog
3rd Place: Anderson Silva
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