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:
Saturday, Saturday, Saturday! UFC 146!!! on.ufc.com/KS5WUJ
— Dana White (@danawhite) May 20, 2012
TUF competitor Cristiano Marcello will be live with the members of the show at UFC 146:
Very happy because all the TUF fighters get to go watch @junior_cigano‘s fight live on the 26th. You guys can meet everybody there.
— Cristiano Marcello (@CristianoBJJ) May 19, 2012
Nationally syndicated radio show Ring Rust Radio breaks down what to expect Saturday night:
The #UFC146 card is all heavyweights. Fans can expect plenty of mouth breathing and KO’s. Should be a wild Saturday night! @RingRustRadio
— RingRustRadio (@RingRustRadio) May 22, 2012
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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