UFC 146: Fight Card, PPV Info, Predictions and More for Dos Santos vs. Mir

With the UFC taking a different path with its latest pay-per-view, UFC 146 will feature a main card consisting of only heavyweights. This is the first time this has happened in the long history of the company. For the fans that don’t know what th…

With the UFC taking a different path with its latest pay-per-view, UFC 146 will feature a main card consisting of only heavyweights. This is the first time this has happened in the long history of the company.

For the fans that don’t know what this means, there will be plenty of mouth breathing and knockouts to go around.

You can bet on that!

 

Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada

When: Saturday, May 26, 2012, at 10 p.m. ET

Watch: Facebook undercard fights at 7:00 p.m. ET, preliminary fights at 8:00 p.m. ET on FX, main card fights at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view; online pay-per-view streaming (must pay $44.99) at UFC.tv, Yahoo! Sports, UStream, Android or iPhone.

 

Fight Card

Main Event: UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos vs. Frank Mir

 

Main Card (pay-per-view)

265 lbs.: Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva

265 lbs.: Roy Nelson vs. Dave Herman

265 lbs.: Shane del Rosario vs. Stipe Miocic

265 lbs.: Lavar Johnson vs. Stefan Struve

 

Preliminary Card (FX Channel)

145 lbs.: Diego Brandao vs. Darren Elkins

155 lbs.: Edson Barboza vs. Jamie Varner

185 lbs.: Jason Miller vs. C.B. Dollaway

170 lbs.: Dan Hardy vs. Duane Ludwig

 

Preliminary Card (Facebook)

155 lbs.: Paul Sass vs. Jacob Volkmann

205 lbs.: Glover Teixeira vs. Kyle Kingsbury

145 lbs.: Mike Brown vs. Daniel Pineda

 

Junior dos Santos’ Keys to Victory

If Junior dos Santos walks out of UFC 146 as the heavyweight champion of the world, it will be because he used his superior striking to put a world of hurt on Frank Mir. As good as Mir’s defense is, dos Santos is a brutal striker who will pick Mir apart.

If Mir tries to stand and exchange shots with dos Santos, there is a chance this fight doesn’t make it out of the first round. Just ask Cain Velasquez.

 

Frank Mir’s Keys to Victory

There is no doubt that Frank Mir knows the striking ability of dos Santos and will try to avoid it like the plague. To do so, he will have to utilize his superior takedown skill and power to take away the power in the heavyweight champion’s hands.

Mir has to fight the perfect fight if he wants to win, but years of doing this at the highest level will not shake the man’s confidence. This will be an all-out war if this brawl goes to the ground like Mir wants.

 

What They Are Saying

UFC president Dana White is excited about Saturday night:

TUF competitor Cristiano Marcello will be live with the members of the show at UFC 146:

Nationally syndicated radio show Ring Rust Radio breaks down what to expect Saturday night:

 

Undercard Fight to Watch: Roy Nelson vs. Dave Herman

This may be personal bias, but there is no better fighter to watch than Roy Nelson. He will never flash stellar technique or outperform his opponent, but his chin is made of stone and the man can throw bombs.

If I were Dave Herman, I would be preparing to get knocked out clean by the much tougher man.

 

Main Event Prediction: Junior dos Santos by second-round TKO

While we love Roy Nelson because of his brute force, Junior dos Santos is by far the most talented all-around heavyweight I can remember. There is no weakness in his game, and he can adapt to any style thrown his way.

As good as Frank Mir is, his inability to get over the hump with the top fighters in the sport will have him TKO’d by dos Santos in the second round.

 

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