EXPERT POLLSTERS PICK RUA TO BEAT LAWLER
Posted on | September 12, 2007 | No Comments
HOW THEY PICK ’EM: EXPERTS LIKE NINJA RUA
TO BEAT ROBBIE LAWLER AND RETAIN ELITEXC TITLE
~ SATURDAY, SEPT. 15, 2007 ~
ELITEXC ON SHOWTIME
HONOLULU (Sept. 12, 2007) – In a sensational main event on a spectacular cage fight card this Saturday, Sept. 15 at Blaisdell Arena on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast), talented, exciting Murilo “Ninja” Rua will make his first EliteXC middleweight title defense against hard-hitting, crowd-pleasing ICON Sport titleholder, “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler.
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In other televised bouts, scheduled for three, 5-minute rounds: Nick Diaz faces Mike Aina, Jake Shields takes on Renato “Charuto” Verissimo. Gina Carano collides with Tonya Evinger and Joey Villasenor meets Riki Fukuda.
Immediately following the SHOWTIME telecast, additional undercard fights will be streamed live on the Internet on the premier mixed martial arts social networking and entertainment site, ProElite.com.
So who is going to triumph in the featured attraction in “Uprising’’ — the biggest MMA event in the history of Hawaii and the initial collaboration between Los Angeles-based ProElite’s respected live fight division, EliteXC, and Hawaii-based promoters and former rivals, ICON Sport and ROTR (Rumble On The Rock) and SHOWTIME?
The experts expect what figures to be a hotly contested five round, 5-minute fight to be close.
Of the 11 MMA media sorts who participated in an EliteXC/SHOWTIME Prediction Poll, seven picked Rua and four took Lawler.
Here’s how they see the evenly matched Rua-Lawler EliteXC title fight:
Todd Martin, SI.com, (Rua): “Ninja will have to be careful to avoid Lawler’s explosive punching power, but if he can do that he should be in good shape. Ninja possesses more tools than Lawler, and looks refocused and rededicated to MMA. I see him winning via TKO in the second or third round.’’
Scott White, MMAOnTap.com, (Lawler): “Lawler has shown improved cardio in his past few fights along with excellent power and striking skills. He will prove to be too much for Ninja on the feet and will score a stoppage via strikes partway through the second.’’
Gary Herman, 15rounds.com, (Rua): “Ninja will be too big for Lawler to overpower. Therefore, Rua will dictate where the fight goes, and Rua is much better on the ground then the slugging Lawler. Rua wins by second-round submission.’’
Jatinder Dhoot, www.theMMAdigest.com, (Lawler): “Both fighters are on a roll, winning three straight and finishing all of their opponents. Rua is dangerous in all areas, but Lawler is coming into this fight with loads of momentum, picking up the biggest win of his career over Frank Trigg via KO in his last bout. The fact that Lawler was pushed into the fourth round was a good experience for him, and will serve him well if this battle with Rua moves into the championship rounds. Lawler may be relocating to Matt Hughes’ new academy in Illinois, but as long as that shift is not a distraction and he’s completely focused and in peak condition, he should be able to translate his much heralded skill and power into a victory.’’
Ann Marie Lynch, MMA Today, (Rua): “Ninja wins by KO. Lawler’s not even in the same class as this kid, who is, in short, an outstanding fighter.’’
Holli Yargo Hearne, www.fightnewsunlimited.com, (Rua): “Rua will win if Lawler doesn’t come prepared with excellent takedowns defense and sharp submission defense. Both are outstanding fighters but I see Rua winning by submission.’’
John Chandler, MMAOnTap.com, (Lawler): “Both Lawler and Rua have a solid chance to win. It is going to come down to the fighter that is able to impose his will on the other. Rua has the obvious advantage on the ground and he would be smart to take the fight there early and often. Lawler sports the better striking ability, but Rua showed in his last fight against Joey Villasenor that his hands are to be feared as well. Ultimately, I think that the temptation to stand and trade with Lawler will be Rua’s downfall. Lawler wins by KO.’’
Steven Hay, MMAFighting.com, (Rua): “Rua is well-rounded and has the style that should be able to neutralize Lawler’s game, but you can never count Lawler out — he’s one of the most serious threats when it comes to knockouts.’’
Casey Trowbridge, www.combat-hooligans.com, (Rua): “I’m looking forward to this fight. It will be exciting and really could go either way. Both are tremendous fighters and neither winning would be a shock. Rua, however, is better on the ground and his standup is better than he’s given credit. Rua wins by third-round submission.’’
David M Singer, MMAOnTap.com, (Lawler): “Each fighter is coming into this fight on a three-fight winning streak. Lawler’s last couple fights going long give him the recent experience he’ll need in a fight that has the potential to go past round three. Lawler wins by late KO/TKO.’’
Nick Solomon, Jabsngrabs.com (Rua): “Lawler-Rua should be a great fight as they are both young, aggressive fighters, who want to prove that they are the best in their weight class. The winner will be the one who can get the other to fight the fight that suits them best. If Lawler can get Rua to stand in the center and trade, it could be a very bad night for Ninja and Lawler will likely return to Iowa with two titles in tow. However, if Rua can play the striking game long enough to catch Lawler off guard, the Brazilian might be able to secure a takedown, and then apply a submission hold for the victory. Intuition tells me that Ninja is going back to Brazil with two belts. However, it might just be Lawler’s time. That’s what makes this sport so great: you never know who is going to have their hand raised at the end of the night.’’
About Pro Elite, Inc.
ProElite Inc. [PELE.PK] delivers the most exciting entertainment experience in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA) with live arena-based entertainment events, cable television programming on Showtime Networks and community-driven interactive broadband entertainment via the Internet. ProElite embraces MMA with the highest levels of honor, integrity, discipline and self-esteem all the while remaining inclusive for fighters, fans and schools. ProElite’s live fight division, EliteXC, delivers spectacular live MMA fight events that showcase the world’s top fighters. ProElite’s interactive business, ProElite.com, capitalizes on the growing popularity of the sport of mixed martial arts by building a community of mixed martial arts enthusiasts. In addition to streaming the most exciting live fights to the web, ProElite expands the fan base of the sport by providing a comprehensive set of online social networking tools for fans, fighters and organizations. ProElite.com – Empowering the Fight Community TM
About Showtime Networks Inc.
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME® TOO™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILYZONE® and TMC XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL HD™, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND™ and THE MOVIE CHANNEL ON DEMAND™. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI is also an owner and manager of SUNDANCE CHANNEL, a venture of NBC Universal, Robert Redford and SNI. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME® PPV.