Author: Michael David Smith

Will Ronda Rousey continue to run through everyone she fights on her way to claiming the Strikeforce title? Or is Miesha Tate too big a step up in competition for the inexperienced Rousey? Can Josh Thomson return after more than a year off and earn a win? Or is K.J. Noons ready to win his second straight fight? Is Paul Daley ready to let his hands go and do what he does best? Or will Kazuo Misaki give Daley his third straight Strikeforce loss?

I’ll attempt to answer those questions as I pick the winners of Saturday night’s Strikeforce show.

What: Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey

When: Saturday, the preliminary fights start at 8 p.m. Eastern on Showtime Extreme and the main card starts at 10 on Showtime.

Where: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio

Predictions on the Showtime televised card below.

Miesha Tate vs. Ronda Rousey

Rousey, the former judo Olympian, is a heavy favorite according to the oddsmakers, and it’s easy to see why: She has absolutely dominated all four of her fights, with no opponent lasting even 50 seconds with her so far.

But while she has dominated, Rousey has shown off a very limited skill set: Yes, she has the ability to use a judo throw to put her opponent on the ground and an arm bar to make her opponent tap. But that’s it. We’ve seen nowhere near the diversity of offensive attacks that Tate has, and we’ve also seen no indication that Rousey has a Plan B if her Plan A doesn’t work out.

I also wonder whether Rousey has the stamina to last deep into a tough fight, whereas Tate is coming off a fourth-round submission of Marloes Coenen, so we know she can out-work a good opponent in a long battle.

So while I don’t doubt that Rousey is one of the great talents ever to enter women’s MMA, I do doubt that she’s ready for an opponent like Tate. I see Tate taking a cautious approach in the early going, then wearing Rousey down as the fight goes on and winning a 25-minute decision.

Pick: Tate

K.J. Noons vs. Josh Thomson

Thomson hasn’t competed since losing to Tatsuya Kawajiri on the New Year’s Eve Dynamite! show more than a year ago, so ring rust may be an issue here. But if Thomson is at something close to his old form, I think he’s just an all-around better fighter than Noons and should be able to beat him no matter where the fight goes.

To me, the most interesting question is whether either one of these guys can put on a performance that makes the fans interested in seeing them challenge Gilbert Melendez for the Strikeforce lightweight title. The reality of the Strikeforce lightweight division is that the winner of this fight is probably next in line, and I think that will probably be Thomson, who beat Melendez in 2008 and then lost to him in 2009.

Pick: Thomson

Paul Daley vs. Kazuo Misaki

Daley’s greatest asset is his punching power, but we haven’t seen enough of that power lately. He fought twice in Strikeforce in 2011 and lost both, getting finished by Nick Diaz in April and then smothered by Tyron Woodley in July. Daley then fought once in England and once in Canada after that, and although he won both fights by decision, he didn’t show off a lot of punching power in those victories, either. Has Daley lost the attribute that once made him among the most feared welterweights in the sport?

He may have, but I don’t think Misaki is the man to make him pay for it. Misaki has been in some great wars through the years, but at age 35 I’m skeptical that he’s going to be able to keep pace with Daley. I think Daley will be able to stay off the ground and out-land Misaki on the feet and win a decision.

Pick: Daley

Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza vs. Bristol Marunde

Marunde is a Strikeforce newcomer who took the fight on short notice, and I expect him to look about the way you’d expect a Strikeforce newcomer who took the fight on short notice to look against a world-class Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt like Jacare. I’ll be very surprised if this fight doesn’t end with Marunde tapping.

Pick: Jacare

Scott Smith vs. Lumumba Sayers

Sayers surprised everyone in his most recent fight by knocking out Antwain Britt in just 28 seconds. Smith is on a three-fight losing streak and may be done if Sayers puts him to sleep, but I think Smith, even though he’s past his prime, is savvy enough to out-land Sayers on his feet.

Pick: Smith

As Spike TV and the UFC continue to do battle, Spike has hired the biggest TV ratings draw ever to fight on the network inside the Octagon: Kimbo Slice.

Spike announced on Tuesday that Kimbo will appear as the host of The Ultimate Fighter Fridays on Spike on Friday, March 9, opposite the first episode of The Ultimate Fighter to air on FX. Spike has made no secret that it plans to use its rights to old UFC footage in an effort to attract viewers away from the UFC’s new television partners of FX, Fox and FUEL TV, and this move is consistent with that.

“Kimbo will discuss never-before-revealed details of his experiences on the show and provide insight into what went on when the cameras weren’t rolling during the filming of the The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights,” Spike said in a press release. “Season 10 was the highest-rated of all the 14 seasons on Spike, delivering an average of 3.4 million viewers per week.”

Spike plans to run old episodes of The Ultimate Fighter every Friday night while FX is showing new episodes of The Ultimate Fighter with live fights. Spike’s sister station, MTV2, will also be showing Bellator fights live on Friday nights.

From the perspective of FX and the UFC, this is an annoying tactic that will only serve to confuse viewers who are flipping through the channels looking for The Ultimate Fighter. But Spike is looking to do anything it can to maintain viewership among MMA fans this year, as it plans to take Bellator over from MTV2 next year. Expect a whole lot more UFC counter-programming from Spike in the months ahead.

Will Martin Kampmann make a case that he deserves to be in title contention in the welterweight division? Or is Thiago Alves set to get his second win in a row? Can Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson take care of business and advance to the first ever UFC flyweight title fight? Or do UFC newcomers Yasuhiro Urushitani and Ian McCall have what it takes to pull off an upset in the UFC’s four-man flyweight tournament?

I’ll attempt to answer those questions as I predict the winners of Friday night’s UFC on FX show below.

What: UFC on FX: Alves vs. Kampmann

When: Friday, the FUEL prelims start at 6 p.m. Eastern and the FX main card starts at 9.

Where: Allphones Arena, Sydney, Australia

Predictions below.

Thiago Alves vs. Martin Kampmann

During Georges St. Pierre’s long injury layoff, the UFC’s welterweight division is undergoing a dramatic transformation, with new contenders establishing themselves in a weight class that GSP had previously seemed to clean out.

This fight is a great opportunity for Kampmann to show that he belongs in the title hunt. Alves has already had a title shot and lost, and it’s probably not realistic to think that he’d get another shot at the belt. But if Kampmann beats Alves and looks good in the process, he’d have a strong case that he deserves a shot at interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit (whom Kampmann beat by split decision in 2009) or that he’s another win away from getting a shot at the Condit-GSP winner.

I think Kampmann will out-grapple Alves and win a one-sided decision, putting himself in the welterweight title conversation.

Pick: Kampmann

Joseph Benavidez vs. Yasuhiro Urushitani

I’ve been saying for years that Benavidez was ready to be the best flyweight in the world just as soon as Zuffa opened up a flyweight division, and now it’s time for Benavidez to prove it. Urushitani is a good fighter who vacated the Shooto title to move to the UFC’s flyweight division, but he’s not on the same level as Benavidez. this should be a beatdown.

Pick: Benavidez

Demetrious Johnson vs. Ian McCall

McCall left the WEC after losing to now bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, and at flyweight he’s gone on a four-fight winning streak, beating high-quality opponents and earning the No. 1 ranking in the world according to some observers. I think Johnson has superior speed and better wrestling, however, and should be able to out-point McCall and win a decision.

Pick: Johnson

Court McGee vs. Constantinos Philippou

McGee is 2-0 since winning Season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter, and he’s proven to be a solid if not spectacular prospect. The UFC is bringing him along slowly with its matchmaking, and although Philippou is on a two-fight winning streak of his own, I like McGee to take this one.

Pick: McGee

FX and the UFC have announced the 32-fighter cast for the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter.

The group is a relatively unknown bunch, although a few have been around the block: Myles Jury is a 9-0 veteran who has finished all nine of his opponents in the first round. He was on the 13th season of The Ultimate Fighter but had to leave the house after suffering a serious knee injury. And James Krause, who fought twice in the WEC, is part of the cast as well.

The Ultimate Fighter has been radically overhauled for its 15th season, which will premiere on March 9 on FX. For the first time, the fights will be live, starting with a premiere episode with an unprecedented 16 live fights airing on one night. After that, the 16 winning fighters will move into the house and be divided into teams coached by Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz, and a fight or two a week will air live on FX every Friday night after that.

The full list of competitors is below.

Akbarh Arreloa, Chula Vista, Calif.

Al Iaquinta, Wantagh, N.Y.

Ali Maclean, Belfast, North Ireland

Andy Ogle, Tynemouth, England

Austin Lyons, Cordova, Tenn.

Brendan Weafer, New York, N.Y.

Chris Tickle, Bloomington, Ill.

Cody Pfister, Amarillo, Texas

Cristiano Marcello, Curitiba, Brazil

Chase Hackett, Littleton, Colo.

Chris Saunders, Long Beach, Calif.

Dakota Cochrane, Omaha, Neb.

Daron Cruickshank, Wayne, Mich.

Drew Dober, Omaha, Neb.

Erin Beach, San Diego, Calif.

James Krause, Blue Springs, Mich.

James Vick, Fort Worth, Texas

Jared Carlsten, Los Angeles, Calif.

Jeff Smith, Mechanicsburg, Penn.

Jeremy Larsen, Phoenix, Ariz.

Joe Proctor, Pembroke, Mass.

John Cofer, Hull, Ga.

Johnavan Vistante, Pearl City, Hawaii

Jon Tuck, Hagtna, Guam

Jordan Rinaldi, Matthews, N.C.

Justin Lawrence, Villa Ridge, Mo.

Mark Glover, Liverpool, England

Michael Chiesa, Spokane Valley, Wash.

Myles Jury, San Diego, Calif.

Mike Rio, Miami, Fla.

Sam Sicilia, Spokane Valley, Wash.

Vinc Pichel, Sherman Oaks, Calif.

When Anthony Pettis unveiled his famous “Showtime Kick” to seal a victory over Ben Henderson for the World Extreme Cagefighting lightweight title in 2010, we knew we had witnessed a great fight.

As it turns out, the fight was even greater than we realized.

At the time, we knew Pettis vs. Henderson was wildly entertaining, but we didn’t know just how good those two guys were. The WEC’s lightweight division was widely regarded as second-rate, and few MMA fans thought the lightweights in the WEC could compete at the upper levels of the UFC. Now we know better, as Henderson just beat Frankie Edgar for the UFC lightweight belt at UFC 144, and Pettis got the pay-per-view show started with a sensational knockout of Joe Lauzon.

Now it’s time to book a Henderson-Pettis rematch for the UFC lightweight title.

Some will say Pettis doesn’t deserve a UFC lightweight title shot because he was already declared the No. 1 contender once before, and lost that status when he lost to Clay Guida. But Pettis got a bad break when he didn’t get the title shot that was promised to him upon his entry to the UFC, and there’s no better time than now to rectify that.

UFC President Dana White said after Saturday night’s fights that he plans to give Pettis the first crack at Henderson’s belt, and I believe that’s the right call. The first Pettis-Henderson bout was sensational, and if we get 25 more minutes of that kind of action, no fan will complain.

The rapidly changing face of the UFC lightweight division could be perilous for the promotion, as neither Henderson nor Pettis has proven to be a pay-per-view draw. I’d love to see the UFC put the Henderson-Pettis title fight on FOX in August, as a way to give major exposure to its two young lightweights who have the potential to develop into stars, but Henderson-Pettis 2 is a fight that’s certainly worthy of pay-per-view. This fight is going to be great.

UFC 144 Notes

— Memo to every fighter who ever falls behind two rounds to none: What Tim Boetsch did at the start of the third round against Yushin Okami is exactly what you’re supposed to do. You’re supposed to go for broke and come out swinging. Too many fighters who know they’re down 2-0 at the start of the third round don’t go for a finish. Boetsch knew he had to finish the fight, and that’s exactly what he did.

— Rampage Jackson looked as bad as he’s ever looked against Ryan Bader, and he hasn’t really looked good in a fight since he knocked out Wanderlei Silva in 2008. His wins since then were decisions against Keith Jardine, Lyoto Machida and Matt Hamill, none of which was particularly impressive. Rampage says a knee injury was to blame for his lackluster performance, but even if he returns to 100 percent health, I don’t think we’re ever going to see Rampage as a light heavyweight title contender again.

— The UFC’s one-minute introduction to its pay-per-view broadcast, a tribute to martial arts in Japan, was great. Much, much better than the longtime gladiator opening. I also like the way the UFC is incorporating more statistics into its broadcast, but it’s important for Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg to remind viewers that simply landing more strikes isn’t the way to win a fight. Effective striking is more important than high-volume striking.

— A lot of people disagreed with the judges who gave Chris Cariaso a unanimous decision victory over Takeya Mizugaki, but one thing that must be said for Cariaso is that he’s a prime candidate to move down from bantamweight to flyweight, now that the UFC has started up a 125-pound class. Cariaso was giving up four inches of height to Mizugaki, and at flyweight he won’t be at such a disadvantage. If he does move down to 125, he’s a fighter worth keeping an eye on.

UFC 144 Quotes

— “It’s a dream come true. Being in the UFC is a dream come true. Fighting in Japan, fighting one of my favorite fighters of all time, Kid Yamamoto, a legend, I’m just the happiest person in the world right now.”–Vaughan Lee after beating Kid Yamamoto.

— “All I can say is I am disappointed. I really, really wanted to win in Japan.”–Kid Yamamoto after losing to Vaughan Lee.

— “I knew less than a knockout or finish would win that fight for me. Yushin was beating me up for two rounds. But my heart was in it, I knew I could take him out if I just stuck with what I train to do. You see what happens if you do what you train to do.”–Tim Boetsch after his great comeback win.

Good Call

Although it looked a little awkward, referee Marc Goddard handled it exactly right when Yoshihiro Akiyama’s mouthpiece came out against Jake Shields. Goddard stepped between the fighters quickly and handed Akiyama his mouthpiece back, but didn’t take the time to rinse the mouthpiece off, which could have given Akiyama an unfair advantage by giving him extra time. Akiyama fumbled his mouthpiece briefly and it took a few seconds longer to get the fight restarted, but Goddard handled the situation appropriately.

Bad Call

It only took referee Herb Dean a couple of minutes into the first round of the first fight to make a bad call, standing up Issei Tamura even though he had a dominant position and was hammering Zhang Tiequan with punches on the ground. Dean’s stand-up was totally unnecessary and continued a rough run for Dean, who has made far too many bad calls recently.

Stock Up

Riki Fukuda returned to the Octagon after a year off following his close decision loss to Nick Ring in his UFC debut, and he looked great in beating Steve Cantwell. I love Fukuda’s punching combinations, the way he changes levels and mixes in uppercuts — Cantwell had no answer for it.

Stock Down

Zhang Tiequan is the only Chinese fighter Zuffa has ever signed, and the company carefully brought him along in the hopes that he could win some fights and grow the promotion’s presence in Asia. But it just isn’t happening. Zhang didn’t look good at all in his second-round knockout loss to Issei Tamura. If Zhang keeps his job in the UFC it will solely be because of the importance of the Chinese market, and not because Zhang is good enough. He’s not.

Fight I Want to See Next

Anthony Pettis vs. Ben Henderson. Let’s do this.

All 24 fighters taking part in Saturday night’s UFC 144 fights will first step on the scale on Friday night at the UFC 144 weigh-in, and we’ll have the live video here at MMAFighting.com.

In the main event, lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and No. 1 contender Ben Henderson will have to make the limit of 155 pounds. Also worth watching is Yoshihiro Akiyama, moving down to welterweight to take on Jake Shields, and having to make 171 pounds.

The UFC 144 weigh-in takes place at 11 p.m. Eastern on Friday (Saturday afternoon in Japan) and the video is below.