Edwin Figueroa vs. Francisco Rivera
This bout is definitely a contender for fight of the night, as both fighters prefer to stand and strike. Figueroa may be the more technical striker, but Rivera is the more aggressive, and possess the heavy hands. In his fight with Alex Soto, Rivera kept a vicious pace for three rounds and he was even more impressive in his fight Roland Delorme. Although his first round knockout win over Delorme was overturned to a no contest after discovering he tested positive for a banned substance, his stellar performance wasn’t out of the ordinary following his dominate win over Alex Soto. Figueroa hasn’t fought in almost a year, while Rivera has stayed active, which may give Rivera yet another advantage. I see too many factors in Rivera’s favor to side with Figueroa, and if this fight ends up being a striking war, which many fans believe it will, this fight may not go past the first round with Rivera clipping Figueroa on the chin.
Pick : Francisco Rivera
Chico Camus vs. Dustin Kimura
The UFC didn’t make Camus’ debut easy, but to everyone’s surprise, he out grappled talented grappler, Dustin Pague, where Camus executed excellent takedowns, and found the dominate position in the majority of the scrambles. Not only did he show great offensive grappling, but also proficient submission defense, as he transitioned out of all compromising positions for the brief moments he was in potential danger. The majority of Kimura’s wins have been by submission, which is a battle that he’ll come up short in, if he challenged Camus to a grappling match. However, even on the feet, Camus is deadly, as he has finished five of his opponents via strikes. Camus will only be more comfortable in his second UFC fight, and I don’t see the newcomer overcoming such a tough debut.
Pick : Chico Camus
Yves Edwards vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg
Edwards is coming off a knockout performance over Jeremy Stephens, so what gives me reason to think the less experienced, newcomer to the lightweight division can defeat him? Absolutely nothing.
Pick : Yves Edwards
Jacob Volkmann vs. Bobby Green
There’s wrestlers, and then there’s Jacob Volkmann. He has the ability to out grapple larger grapplers, such as Shane Roller and Danny Castillo, but also imposes his will on talented strikers like Efrain Escudero. Bobby Green is no exception, and will fall victim to the elite wrestling that Volkmann possess.
Pick : Jocob Volkmann
Tyron Woodley vs. Jay Hieron
Woodley’s last fight should’ve been a wake up call to the previously undefeated welterweight. Most fighters need a loss to push them to train harder, become a more complete athlete, and come back stronger than ever. That’s exactly what I suspect Woodley is going to do, and Hieron will have his work cut out for him. Hieron is a great wrestler as well, but not quite on the same level as Woodley, and another thing that comes to mind is the fact that Woodley went three rounds with Nate Marquardt who is an excellent striker. Hieron nullified the wrestling in his bout with Jake Ellenberger, but was bested by a less talented striker. Woodley should have the advantage on the feet, or on the ground, giving him a unanimous decision win.
Pick : Tyron Woodley
Gleison Tibau vs. Evan Dunham
Dunham is a fighter who usually enjoys an advantage in the grappling or the striking, depending on his opponent, but in his fight with TJ Grant, where I though he clearly would have a striking advantage, it was Grant who got the better in the exchanges on the feet. Dunham rarely faces an opponent who has superior Jiu-Jitsu, but this is one of those fights. Even with his superb Jiu-Jitsu, Tibau is no slouch on the feet, as he has the power to clip and hurt any one of his opponents. Dunham will fight his heart out, but in the end, Tibau is just too skilled and physically strong for him. Dunham will have a very active guard when Tibau takes him down, but it won’t be enough in the judges eyes to steal any of the rounds.
Pick : Gleison Tibau
Joseph Benavidez vs. Ian McCall
You could argue that Benavidez is the better wrestler, after all, he is a member of team alpha male. However, McCall has excellent striking and could very easily have the skills to nullify the wrestling of Benavidez with his own. Giving McCall the benefit of the doubt, if the wrestling is dead even, who has the Jiu-Jitsu advantage? Benavidez of course. Even if McCall has a slight edge in the technical striking, it’s not so significant that Benavidez will be overwhelmed. With more ways to win, “Jobi Wan Kenobi”, is my pick for this bout.
Pick : Joseph Benavidez
Jon Fitch vs. Demian Maia
Maia has been on fire since his move down to welterweight, with two first round finishes. He’s known for his ability to submit his opponents, but Fitch is statistically the most difficult fighter in the UFC to submit. Fitch’s game plan is usually to grind down his opponents with his wrestling and ground and pound, but Maia has one of the most deadly and active guard in the UFC. Mark Munoz had success in taking Maia down and avoiding submission attempts, and even though it was a middleweight bout, Fitch should be able to implement a similar strategy and steal a close, and probably controversial, decision just from being the man on top.
Pick : Jon Fitch
Alistair Overeem vs. Antonio Silva
In his fight with Travis Browne, Silva reminded everyone that in addition to being a Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, he was also a Karate black belt. However in this fight, he should go back to utilizing his Jiu-Jitsu, because his striking will be no match for Overeem’s. Silva has been bullied by fighter with heavy hands, such as Mike Kyle, Daniel Cormier, and Cain Velasquez, and Overeem is the best striker of them all. He may also be the strongest opponent that Silva has faced, and therefore, Silva will be completely overpowered by the striking and strength of Overeem.
Pick : Alistair Overeem
Rashad Evans vs. Antonio Nogueira
There’s no question that Nogueira has outstanding submissions and could tap any opponent he goes up against, but he struggled to amount any offense with his Jiu-Jitsu against strong wrestlers, Ryan Bader and Phil Davis. Evans was able to control Phil Davis with his wrestling, so I can only imagine how much control he will have over Nogueira, which will take away his opportunities for submission attempts. Nogueira is proficient in his boxing, but Evans has a more diverse striking game, throwing kicks knees and using a lot of movement, rarely planting his feet in one spot. Evans isn’t afraid to throw head kicks when least expected, and this could catch Nogueira off guard and cause him to be more tentative in his offense. Since his return at UFC 133, Evans has looked like a different kind of animal and I don’t see Nogueira defeating the elite light heavyweight who has really been on his game.
Pick : Rashad Evans
Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar
Aldo is a phenomenal striker, but wrestling is his kryptonite. Every round that Aldo has lost was because a fighter was able to implement their wrestling effectively, and no one does that better than Frankie Edgar. Another question about Aldo is his cardio, one of Edgar’s strengths, so even if Edgar has trouble with the takedown in the early rounds, he will control the last three and win a unanimous decision.
Pick : Frankie Edgar
Feel free to comment on your own personal picks. I’d like to hear why you agree or disagree, there’s always room for dissension.
– Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli
@FightFreek