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UFC 134: Dueling Predictions of the Entire Sub-Par Card

The UFC makes its long awaited return to Brazil this weekend with a middleweight title showdown featuring Anderson Silva defending against Yushin Okami. The card is stacked with some of the top Brazilian fighters in the UFC and it should be a great …

Main Card (Pay-Per-View)

Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami

Okami has all of the tools to win this fight, a strong wrestler who does not get too aggressive has a chance against Anderson Silva. We all saw what Sonnen was able to do but he is aggressive and leaves himself open to submissions all the time. Okami plays it a lot safer and I expect him to do the same in this fight. Luckily for us, Anderson Silva will make this exciting and will find a way to knockout Okami. He always finds a way.

Joe’s Prediction: Anderson Silva by KO

Rob’s Prediction: The fact that Okami plays it safe is all the more reason why Anderson Silva won’t knock him out. It wasn’t long ago that Silva was criticized for fighting simply to win, not trying to finish his opponent. While that sparked a fire in Anderson for the time, he’s not going into this one resolved to finish Yushin. Five years ago, Okami defeated Silva, but don’t make the mistake of thinking that has anything to do with this fight. Anderson Silva isn’t “looking” to “avenge” anything. He lost by DQ, not the biggest problem in the world. That said, Anderson Silva will win by decision

Mauricio Rua vs. Forrest Griffin

This might be the rematch of the year. Forrest Griffin shocked the world when he defeated Shogun in his UFC debut. No one expected him to do what he did that night. He has the size to bully Shogun around like Jon Jones did but Forrest probably will not do that and that will be his mistake. Expect a fight filled with fireworks as Shogun gets his revenge with a KO in the first or second round.

Joe’s Prediction: Shogun by KO

Rob’s Prediction: I couldn’t disagree more with Joe…except that I’m making the same outcome prediction. This isn’t going to be a great fight because the first one was a fluke and Griffin has been on a serious decline since then. Yes, Forrest is on a two fight winning streak, but Rich Franklin and Tito Ortiz aren’t exactly in their primes anymore. Rua found a way to beat Lyoto Machida and then went into the third round against the phenom Jon “Bones” Jones before losing. I don’t think there’s any way that Rua is going to lose this one and I’m also betting that Forrest is going to get knocked out.

Brendan Schaub vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

It might be my heart saying this but I am picking Big Nog. I do not like to see him lose and I really do not think he will let that happen in Brazil. I don’t want to bash Schaub here either, he gets better with every fight, but this is the toughest fight for him to date. His best chance of a win is to stay upright and keep boxing. If Nog gets this fight to the ground, and I believe he will, this should be a short night for the heavyweights.

Joe’s Prediction: Big Nog by Submission.

Rob’s Prediction: Brendan Schaub is a decent young talent, but he’s not great and has the potential to get caught by smart veteran fighters. That said, I also can’t pick against Minotauro in Brazil, especially against a competitor with the low stature of Schaub.

Ross Pearson vs. Edson Barboza Jr.

This is an interesting fight on paper. Pearson can really look good at times. For a British fighter, he has some good grappling behind him. That is something he is really going to need against Barboza Jr. If this fight stays standing, I think it is going to be a very short night for Pearson. Edson is one of the best strikers in the division and one mistake Ross will go to sleep. That is what I think will happen.

Joe’s Prediction: Barboza by KO

Rob’s Prediction: Barboza would be my pick too, if I thought Ross Pearson stood a chance of getting knocked out. The way I see it, Pearson lost to Cole Miller because Cole is an extremely smart fighter. I’ll take Pearson by decision.

Luis Cane vs. Stanislav Nedkov

I am pretty excited to see this fight. Nedkov has looked good in his last few fights for WVR and in the European promotions while Cane looked like he found his rhythm again in his last fight. This could produce both Fight of the Night and KO of the Night. It is really tough to call but I think Cane takes this because he has been a little more active recently and because of the hometown advantage. If Nedkov gets this fight to the ground, he could grind out a win though.

Joe’s Prediction: Cane by KO

Rob’s Prediction: Because I don’t think too highly of either guy (which is to say that neither are on my “must see” list, not that I dislike either guy), I’m going to go with Nedkov because I think there’s a potential for him to be far more skilled than a guy who has lost two of his last three… both in the first round.

Prelim Card (TV)

Thiago Tavares vs. Spencer Fisher

OK, I want to start off by saying that something is telling me this fight will end in a draw. I know that no one calls for draws but my gut says it is going to happen. Anyway, I think this is going to be a pretty good fight and if I have to pick someone, I am going to go with Tavares. He came out strong in his last fight until Shane Roller caught him with a solid punch. I love Fisher too but I think his time in MMA is quickly fading.

Joe’s Predicition: Tavares by Decision.

Rob’s Prediction: A draw? Seriously? I like the gut call with that and I’ll send you a GuysNation shirt if it actually happens. I’ll agree…with picking Tavares. Fisher has experience, but he has lost three of his last four and that’s a terrible trend which is likely to lead to him losing his job.

Rousimar Palhares vs. Dan Miller

Let me start this off by saying I love fighters that use leg locks. Aside from Iminari, Rousimar Palhares is one of the best in the world. He has claimed three legs in the UFC so far but Dan Miller is going to be a tough one to get a hold of. Dan Miller may not be as talented as his younger brother Jim but he always comes to fight. Dan has never been submitted in his young MMA career, he even survived a match against Maia. I expect this streak to continue but Rousimar should squeak out a decision.

Joe’s Predicition: Palhares by split decision.

Rob’s Prediction: You said the one key stat fact that matters to me and that’s the fight with Maia. I don’t think there’s any way that Rousimar is going to catch Dan Miller, and in the process, Palhares is going to get knocked out.

Prelim Card (Non-Televised)

Yves Jabouin vs. Ian Loveland

Joe – Loveland by Decision.

Rob—Loveland by decision… in the only fight on the card without a Brazilian

Yuri Alcantara vs. Felipe Arantes

Joe– Alcantara by KO

Rob—On behalf of my son, I’ll go with Felipe… and I’m not going to say why.

Erick Silva vs. Luis Ramos

Joe – Erick Silva by KO

Rob—Silva by submission

Raphael Assuncao vs. Johnny Eduardo

Joe – Eduardo by Decision

Rob—Johnny Eduardo by knockout

Paulo Thiago vs. David Mitchell

Joe – Thiago by Submission

Rob – Mitchell by Submission

Think we’re crazy? Disagree with one of our points? Your opinion doesn’t matter if you don’t share it. It’s easy to scoff at our predictions with your mouth closed. Think you’ve got a better perspective? Share it. You could win a free shirt if you impress Rob. I promise to keep an open mind…so long as you give your thoughts in a respectful way.

Respectful of us, not necessarily the fighters.

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UFC on Versus 4: Predictions for the Entire Kongo vs. Barry Card

Whenever UFC holds an event, Joe and Rob from GuysNation do our best to predict the matches on the card. Sometimes we (mostly Joe) get things right, sometimes we don’t, but we always try to give you our reasoning…even when that means someone (most…

Pat Barry vs. Cheick Kongo

Joe’s thoughts: On paper this could be a great fight. Two highly skilled heavyweight kick boxers could lead to fireworks. Unfortunately, Kongo likes to strategize for his fights and will probably look for the takedown or a clinch along the fence. It is something I noticed in his previous fights against strikers as Kongo likes to control the pace of the fight. His wrestling is still mediocre, but his size and strength help where he is weak. This is what he will need to do to win as Barry is much faster than him.

Joe’s Prediction: Kongo by Decision

Rob’s Thoughts & Prediction: I hate the way Kongo fights, getting frustrated and using cheap tactics to slow things down to let him get comfortable. He hasn’t had a quality win since early 2009. Barry went late into the third round against Cro-Cop, and that’s enough for me. Barry by decision.

Matt Brown vs. John Howard

Joe’s Thoughts: This should be an exciting fight as both fighters will be looking to stay in the big leagues. Brown has lost his last three and Howard his last two. Though, Howard’s recent losses come against some of the best in the division. Both fighters like to stand and bang so do not blink while watching this one. Look for Howard to be a little sharper in the exchanges and expect this fight to be in the running for fight of the night.

Joe’s Prediction: John Howard by KO

Rob’s Thoughts & Prediction: Brown might have lost three straight, but he lost all three of those by submission, and John Howard hasn’t made someone tap out in nearly four years. I don’t know why, but I like the way Brown can fight, and although I realize he’s probably not going to move way up in the division, I will pick Brown to win this one by KO.

Matt Mitrione vs. Christian Morecraft

Joe’s Thoughts: In his first few fights, Mitrione has looked great. He has stopped three of his first four opponents and comes in to fights with great conditioning and solid striking skills. Morecraft is a good challenge for Matt due to his solid wrestling game. Christian will need to use his grappling abilities and control where the fight goes if he wants to defeat Mitrione. Matt has showed great wrestling defense in the past I expect him to be even more improved for this fight.

Joe’s Prediction: Mitrione by KO

Rob’s Thoughts & Prediction: Mitrione has surprised me and looks to be learning a lot from each fight, and Morecraft’s resume doesn’t excite me at all. Sometimes fighters prove me wrong twice, and I can’t bet against them until their winning streak ends, so I’m going with Matt Mitrione by KO.

Tyson Griffin vs. Manvel Gamburyan

Joe’s Thoughts: After starting his career with some big victories Tyson Griffin has really fallen down the ranks as of late. He has three straight losses even though his last one was controversial. He is making his return to 145 lbs. for this fight, but it is not going to be an easy challenge. He is facing Manny Gamburyan who is coming off a loss to champion Jose Aldo. Both fighters are in a sense looking to start over and should come out swinging. I’m giving the advantage to Manny in this one. I feel like Tyson Griffin’s style has hit the wall.

Joe’s Prediction: Manny by Decision

Rob’s Thoughts & Prediction: Tyson Griffin is a good fighter, and this will be an entertaining fight, but all you have to do to know how this one will end is to look how these guys do against really good opponents. Gamburyan will win by decision

Joe Stevenson vs. Javier Vazquez

Joe’s Thoughts: Joe Stevenson is making his featherweight debut against a game opponent in Vazquez. Joe Daddy desperately needs a win or we could see him on the outside of the UFC. If he can bring Vazquez in to a grappling match then Joe should come out on top. If not, we will probably see the same Joe Stevenson that we see each fight. Luckily for him, Vazquez is not known for his striking power, and he should be able to take and keep him on the ground to grind out his first victory in four tries.

Joe’s Prediction: Joe Stevenson by Decision

Rob’s Thoughts & Prediction: I really like Joe’s thoughts on this one, and I think Stevenson is going to win by knockout.

Joe Lauzon vs. Curt Warburton

J-Lau is an interesting fighter. Sometimes he looks amazing in his fights, other times he gets dominated. This should be one of the fights where he looks good. Warburton is a decent fighter, but I do not think his skills match up too well with Joe. Expect Lauzon to grind out Round 1 then submit him in the second.

Joe’s Prediction: Joe Lauzon by Submission

Rob’s Thoughts & Prediction: Lauzon’s last three losses don’t bother me, based on who his opponents were. Nothing on Warburton’s resume impresses me, especially that his past three fights went to decision. I agree that Joe Lauzon is going to make him tap out.

Daniel Roberts vs. Rich Attonito

Joe’s Thoughts: This match will mostly be a grappling event. It might start out as a standup war early, but I expect Roberts to get this fight to the ground and work for submissions. Not too sure if he will find one against ATT product Attonito though.

Joe’s Prediction: Daniel Roberts by Decision

Rob’s Thoughts & Prediction: Daniel Roberts is a fighter whose skills I really like, and until he faces someone of note, I won’t pick against him. Roberts by submission.

Nik Lentz vs. Charles Oliveira

Joe’s Thoughts: Lentz has been on a serious roll since coming to the UFC. Going 5-0-1 in his first 6 fights, he has shocked a lot of his opponents with his wrestling ability. Oliveira came in to the UFC with high expectation but faltered against top contender Jim Miller in his last bout. This is a tough one to call, but most of the fight should take place on the mat.

Joe’s Prediction: Nik Lentz by Decision

Rob’s Thoughts & Prediction: Nik Lentz finds ways to win by decision, but Charles Oliveira doesn’t let things get there, and he won’t start now. Charles Oliveira by submission.

Ricardo Lamas vs. Matt Grice

Joe’s Thoughts: Grice is making his UFC return after being released by the company previously. He won his last four outside of the promotion and is looking to stay this time. Lamas is a WEC export making his UFC debut. A lot is on the line for both of these fighters if they want to keep themselves in Joe Silva’s head for future fights with the company.

Joe’s Prediction: Matt Grice by Decision

Rob’s Prediction: Grice has worked really hard to get back to UFC, but I don’t normally like it when a fighter who failed to succeed in their first run with the company gets their return, and I also don’t like it when a fighter takes a long fight to decision and then takes another fight without much of a rest between the two fights. For those reasons alone, I’ll go with Lamas by decision.

Edward Faaloloto vs. Michael Johnson

Joe’s Thoughts: Johnson has the experience in this fight, but Falo must have something to him if Zuffa decided to sign him after only two pro fights. Unfortunately, I think Johnson can grind him down and take a decision.

Joe’s Prediction: Michael Johnson by Decision

Rob’s Prediction: I don’t know much about these guys, but I’ll go out on a limb and pick Faaloloto

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