Author: Austin Green

Despite Takanori Gomi’s propensity to disappoint against top UFC fighters, there was still a strong sentiment leading up to his fight with Nate Diaz at UFC 135 on Saturday that he could pull off an upset based on his powerful striking ability.

Diaz had been known to leave himself open for quick punches inside and Gomi has built his reputation on his power. But none of that showed on Saturday.

Diaz came out with what was probably the best fight of his life, peppering Gomi with quick strikes before submitting him in the first round with a beautifully-executed armbar.

Gomi started the fight as he always has, swinging loopy, powerful punches at his opponent. But they weren’t well-placed this time around, with Diaz reportedly outstriking him 44 to 8.

Gomi was knocked down twice in the short fight, and even when he scored a takedown it proved to be his undoing. After his takedown, Diaz merely executed an armbar and Gomi was done for.

This must seem like some cruel joke to Gomi. He lost to Nate’s brother, Nick, four-and-a-half years ago in a solid back-and-forth duel. He wasn’t so lucky this time around and probably wouldn’t mind if he never fought a Diaz again.

Diaz proved himself as an up-and-comer on Saturday, using a blinding array of strikes and quick wrestling moves to completely bombard Gomi. The opinion was largely split regarding who would win this fight, but very few could have seen such a dominant performance from the 26-year-old.

Diaz improved to 14-7 in his career.

Jon Jones possesses a massive arsenal of weapons and his skills will be on full display as he dominates Quinton “Rampage” Jackson tonight.

Jones is a heavy favorite against Rampage and for good reason. He is technically brilliant, combining pin point strikes with explosive power and advanced wrestling skills.

He is incredibly balanced and has devastated the world’s best fighters in a variety of ways, from flying knees to spinning elbows to simply tossing his opponent around like a ragdoll.

Rampage on the other hand is about as one-dimensional as they come. He’s a legendary fighter, but he’s really more of a boxer than a mixed martial artist.

He wins fights in one way and one way only: by landing brutal right handed haymakers. His game plan tonight will be to get inside of Jones’ defense and catch him on the chin with a few big right hands.

Unfortunately for Rampage, that sounds much easier than it actually is. Jones’ reach of 84.5 inches is just absurd, almost a whole foot longer than Jackson’s. It will be damn near impossible for Rampage to touch Jones’ face, let alone land any haymakers.

While he tries to penetrate Jones’ defense, Rampage will be eating plenty of jabs, backhands and kicks. The length of Jones is problematic enough, but his striking accuracy is exceptional. He constantly lands precision strikes with devastating power.

And if the fight goes to the ground, Jackson is completely screwed. Jones has made top notch wrestlers look like children in the past, and Rampage is no top notch wrestler.

Jackson has a punchers chance, in the truest meaning of the cliche. He can win this fight, but only if he lands a couple shocking blows. The chin of Jon Jones has yet to be tested and Jackson has the power and explosiveness to do just that.

But given the length and balance of Jones, along with the amount of hits he’ll be taking while waiting for his chance, I’m not expecting Rampage to last very long.

 I’m predicting the 24-year-old Jones to retain his title in dominant fashion.

Make sure to check into Bleacher Report for all things UFC 135. B/R is your home for MMA, from pre-fight predictions, round-by-round recaps and post-fight analysis which you can check out at our event hub.