UFC 101 Lock Alert - Ricardo Almeida vs. Kendall Grove

Do You Hate Kendall Grove As Much As I Do?

Ok, “hate’ is a strong word. But man this guy gets on my damn nerves. That’s why his loss to Patrick Cote at UFC 74: Respect was so satisfying for me. However, when Evan Tanner tried to make a comeback at “The Ultimate Fighter 7” finale, you knew that Grove was going to use this as a springboard. Another victory against Canadian Jason Day has given Grove a one way ticket to frustration against little-known Ricardo Almeida. Will Grove get to butcher the “dagger dance” routine he does at the end of every fight as an homage to Tito Ortiz?

Let’s hope not. First of all, just looking at Grove makes me want to donate food to Africa. The guy looks like he has the metabolism of a crack addict. But second of all, if you’re going to have an MMA equivalent to a touchdown dance, can you make sure you do it properly? Ortiz made it look sexy. Grove just looks like a white guy trying to do the “Soldier Boi” dance.

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Ricardo Almeida is a 32 year-old fighter out of Jersey who is entering his fourth fight since coming out of a three-year retirement. A Jiu-Jitsu specialist by craft, Almeida is known for gunning after the guillotine choke to tap his opponents out. But that hasn’t been the case for the -165 favorite in his last two fights. Against Patrick Cote, he lost a split decision at UFC 86 in July, 2008. He bounced back recently with a win over Matt Horwich at UFC Fight Night in April, 2009.

The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor who retired to work on his Jersey based school was a big name in Japan where he fought some of the best in the world. Now, he returns and the teacher is ready to prove to Grove that there is more to the sport than flashing your name around like you’re a pretend celebrity. Almeida is a family man first, and an instructor second. But the allure of the ring and competition have pulled him back in. Even at his age, Almeida doesn’t have the mileage that most fighters do since he was out of action for over three years.

Grove is a brash talker, a dangerous striker with length and agility. But he doesn’t have the gusto to handle a premier Jiu-Jitsu fighter like Almeida who is slowly rising through the UFC ranks in spite of his age. The instructor is about to teach a cocky Kendall Grove what fighting is really about.

Furious Free Pick: Ricardo Almeida -165