Author: Luke Thomas

Japan many no longer the seat of MMA’s Asian scene, but the ghosts of PRIDE were visible Saturday at ONE Fighting Championship 4: Destiny of Warriors at Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Harkening back to the days of soccer kicks and stomps, UFC and Bellator veteran Roger Huerta was savagely albeit legally soccer kicked into unconsciousness at the 3:53 mark of round two in his bout with Zorobel Moreira. Huerta tried to rush ‘Zoro’ early, but by the end of the first round the Brazilian had found his range.

In the second frame it was all Moreira. The Brazilian dominated Huerta throughout the period with a wide arsenal of strikes, hurting the former top prospect at several points. It was one strike from Moreiera – a right hand in the second – that spelled the beginning of the end for ‘El Matador’. After the right connected and clearly stunned Huerta, Moreira followed up with several strikes from the clinch and eventually sealed the deal with a brutal soccer kick that rendered Huerta prostrate on the canvas.

Huerta has now lost six of his last seven fights. Moreira, by contrast, holds wins over Roger Huerta, Andy Wang, Ferrid Kheder and Felipe Enomoto.

Strikeforce and UFC veteran Renato Sobral faired much better in his ONE FC debut. This was ‘Babalu’s’ first professional MMA bout since losing to Dan Henderson in 2010.

A right hand from Tatsuya Mizuno surprised and temporarily floored Sobral in the early moments of round one, even drawing blood in the process. Mizuno was too reckless, however, and the jiu-jitsu black belt scored an armbar submission victory in just 31 seconds into the first round.

Full fight card results for ONE FC 4: Destiny of Warriors is as follows:

Renato Sobral def. Tatsuya Mizuno by submission (armbar) at :31 of round 1
Zorobabel Moreira def. Roger Huerta by KO (soccer kick) at 3:53 of round 2
Leandro Issa def. Masakazu Imanari by unanimous decision
Adam Kayoom def. Gregor Gracie by unanimous decision
Eric Kelly def. Bae Young Kwon by unanimous decision
Arnaud Lepont def. Brian Choi by submission (rear naked choke) at 1:38 of round 3
Mitch Chilson def. AJ Vaa by submission (rear naked choke) at 1:39 of round 1
Marcos Escobar def. Rodrigo Praxedes by submission (brabo choke) at 1:05 of round 3
Peter Davis def. Kim Hock Quek by TKO (strikes) at :55 of round 1

MMA Fighting has UFC 147 results for the Silva vs. Franklin 2 fight card at the Estardio Jornalista Felipe Drumond in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

In the main event, Wanderlei Silva will battle Rich Franklin for the second time. Rich Franklin won their previous encounter via unanimous decision at UFC 99 on June 23, 2009.

Check out the full UFC 147 results below.

Main Card
Wanderlei Silva vs. Rich Franklin
Cezar Ferreira vs. Sergio Moraes
Rony Mariano Bezerra vs. Godofredo Pepey
Mike Russow vs. Fabricio Werdum
Hacran Dias vs. Yuri Alcantara

Undercard
Rodrigo Damm vs. Anistavio Medeiros
Francisco Drinaldo vs. Delson Heleno
Hugo Viana vs. John Teixeira
Leonardo Mafra vs. Thiago Perpétuo
Wagner Campos vs. Marcos Vinicius
Milton Vieira vs. Felipe Arantes

MMA Fighting has UFC on FX 4 results for the Maynard vs. Guida fight card at the Revel Casino in Atlantic City.

In the main event, Gray Maynard will fight Clay Guida in a top lightweight contest. In the co-main event, Sam Stout will square off against Spencer Fisher.

Check out the full UFC on FX 4 results below.

Main Card
Gray Maynard vs. Clay Guida
Sam Stout vs. Spencer Fisher
Brian Ebersole vs. TJ Waldburger
Ross Pearson vs. Cub Swanson

Undercard
Hatsui Hioki vs. Ricardo Lamas
Ramsey Nijem vs. C.J. Keith
Steven Siler vs. Joey Gambino
Rick Story vs. Brock Jardine
Nick Catone vs. Chris Camozzi
Matt Brown vs. Luis Ramos
Dan Miller vs. Ricardo Funch
Ken Stone vs. Dustin Pague

Whatever one thinks of the pay-per-view purchase worthiness of this card, there’s no denying there are some very good fights on it. And it is something of an important milestone. The UFC is planting roots in what is the fastest growing economy in the Western Hemisphere. This show is the first fruits of their labor, resources and initiatives. Maybe North American pay-per-view customers aren’t lining up to fork over their disposable income, but it’d be irresponsible to not recognize the growth of the sport in Brazil in large part because of the UFC’s push.

And on this card we get one good heavyweight fight, a catchweight bout that should at least be entertaining, the finals of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter: Brasil and a new Nova Uniao product. Who will come out the victor? I try to answer that with these predictions for UFC 147.

What: UFC 147: Franklin vs. Silva II

Where: Estadio Jornalista Felipe Drumond, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

When: Saturday, the two-fight Facebook card starts at 7 p.m. ET, the four-fight FX card starts at 8 and the main card on pay-per-view at 10.

Predictions for the five pay-per-view bouts below.

Rich Franklin vs. Wanderlei Silva

The only x-factor here for me is the length of the bout. Silva’s going to be hard to put away if Franklin is trying to circle out and keep distance. That gives Silva the opportunity to do what he did in the Le fight: get beat up for most of the bout only to come back and score one Silva-Smash at the very end. I don’t see that as particularly likely, but I certainly can’t rule it out either. In the clinch, Franklin will get crushed, but if he can keep his distance or get on top after a takedown without eating a ton of damage, ‘Ace’ should walk away from Brazil a winner.

Pick: Franklin

Fabricio Werdum vs. Mike Russow

Russow had no problems getting in the guard of decorated jiu-jitsu champion Jon Olav Einemo’s guard. I wonder if he’ll use the same strategy against Werdum. There’s a couple of problems with the strategy this time if Russow goes in that direction. For starters, Werdum likely won’t gas as Einemo did. I also think Werdum’s guard is a little bit more disruptive, hunting for submissions and to off balance opposition equally. Russow is definitely a dark horse candidate for an upset, but I just don’t see him having his way with Werdum the way he needs to to win.

Pick: Werdum

Cezar Ferreira vs. Sergio Moraes

Moraes is the significantly more decorated jiu-jitsu player of the two and even won one of his bouts on the reality show by submission from the 50/50 guard. That’s rare and that’s talent. But there’s two problems. First, Ferreira is a black belt himself and quite capable on the ground. Second, Moraes is coming off a bad knockout loss to Daniel Sarafian. It didn’t happen last week, but that’s still a tough rebound. There might be a few tense moments, but this should go to the Team Belfort product.

Pick: Ferreira

Godofredo Casto vs. Rony Mariano Bezerra

Two fighters with reasonably similar skill sets and strong submission ability. Bezerra, though, has looked impressive enough on the reality show and is probably the more aggressive of the two. That should probably be enough.

Pick: Bezerra

Hacran Dias vs. Yuri Alcantara

Dias should be able to do what he’s done in many bouts in his career: get the takedown and hold position on top. He might get a submission or a TKO stoppage, but I’d say a decision is more likely. It also may not be the prettiest fight, but Dias is dominant when he fights the way he prefers.

Pick: Dias

A fight works best when it settles unknowns between two interesting, well-matched combatants. It isn’t just that styles make fights, although that’s true. It’s also about what their fight says about them and what the outcome resolves. In the main event of Friday’s event, one fighter (Gray Maynard) returns to action after devastating loss, personal evolution and sojourn. He does so with renewed focus, training partners and life surroundings. Another (Clay Guida) tries to pick up where his last failed push to earn a title shot left off. Guida’s a known commodity, but one who is almost exceedingly difficult for any fighter to handle.

Victory here could mean title shots, elite contender status or something of considerable career merit. Who will emergere as the potentially top lightweight contender? I try to answer that question and more with my predictions below.

What: UFC on FX 4

Where: Revel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey

When: Friday, the eight-fight FUEL card starts at 6 p.m. ET and the four-fight FX card starts at 9.

Predictions on the four FX fights below.

Gray Maynard vs. Clay Guida

I originally felt like Guida had a fighting chance if the fight went late and to be sure, the longer it goes the more it favors him. Maynard likes a more thoughtful pace and to be selective about his attacks. He won’t get that chance against Guida and will have to call on physical reserves to stay strong late. Now I’m not so sure about that entire idea. Maynard’s a tough fight for Guida anyway and now the Michigan State alumnus is training with the Marinovich brothers. For all the hoopla surrounding them, I’m a big believer in their ability to maximize a fighter’s physical capabilities. This fight might be closer late, but I don’t see Guida being able to do enough to take a decision. And the newfound Maynard with his time off and sojourn around the MMA world promises to be a formidable challenge.

Pick: Maynard

Sam Stout vs. Spencer Fisher

This is one of those fights whose existence I don’t understand. I can’t recall anyone suggesting this was a trilogy that had to happen. Be that as it may, I like Stout here. Fisher made it close the first time and won handily the second, but since then has grown shopworn. I’m not suggesting he can’t fight anymore, but his bruising style and pocket challenges have been hard on him, physically and mentally. Stout’s still got a sturdy chin, good combination striking and the ability to physically pressure Fisher. That should be enough for a decision.

Pick: Stout

Cub Swanson vs. Ross Pearson

Ultimately, Pearson’s the more physical fighter of the two, but Swanson might be a touch more well-rounded. Which is the first to give? I can see Pearson busting Swanson up as he overcommits striking and gets out of position. But I can see Pearson also making tactical errors fending off takedowns as Swanson varies his offense. I’m not a big believer in either guy’s chances here, but Swanson’s capacity to score points and damage in multiple dimensions of the game is enough for me.

Pick: Swanson

Brian Ebersole vs. T.J. Waldburger

Waldburger’s a tricky grappler, but so is Ebersole. Yet, Ebersole is more than just that. In terms of pure talent, Waldburger might have more of it, but Ebersole’s veteran experience is a huge help here. The reason why is he’s seen or been in countless grappling challenges of the sort Waldburger is likely to show. And given Ebersole’s instincts to be craftylcombined with Waldburger’s tendency to be too aggressive, it’s got all the makings of Ebersole winning. He’ll weather an early storm and win by decision or stoppage late.

Pick: Ebersole

If I had one wish, it’d be to combine the best of the UFC on FX 4 and UFC 147 fight cards into one event. Well, if I really had one wish, it’d probably have nothing to do with mixed martial arts, but you know what I mean. There are good and in some cases great fights on both cards. Putting them together into a stronger, single event is a much more appealing than a divided weekend. But maybe that’s just me.

Join me at 1 p.m. ET to talk about that idea as we breakdown the rematch between Franklin and Silva, look ahead to the weekend in UFC events, discuss the return of Brett Rogers, whether Clay Guida’s hair will look better or worse braided, how you expect Gray Maynard to look on Friday, if Alistair Overeem actually will fight in December and whatever else is on your mind. All questions, comments, challenges and intelligent commentary welcome.

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Talk to you at 1 p.m. ET.