Even in past fights that had a number of upsets, never before has there been a UFC event in which the best predictions were barley over fifty percent. MMAfix.com recorded forty five total predictions from numerous different MMA websites that gave their picks for all eleven bouts. After a bad night of predictions, I’m too disappointed seeing the most
correctly predicted number of fights was six.
After an impressive debut over Dustin Pague at UFC 150, most people he would only be more comfortable in his second fight and had have an even better performance. After a close two rounds, Camus was arguably ahead on the judges scorecards, but then Kimura took his back and sunk in the choke. After the proficient submission defense Camus showcased in his fight with Dustin Pague, it was surprising to see him succumb to a rear naked choke.
Whether you disagree with the decision or not, Isaac Vallie-Flagg really took the fight to Yves Edwards in the first and third rounds. The MMA veteran of over sixty fights had a dominating second round performance, but the judges saw the other two rounds for Vallie-Flagg in a close split decision. Not too many fans thought the Edwards would fall at the hands of a lesser known opponent, especially after coming off a stellar knockout of Jeremy Stephens.
Jacob Volkmann did exactly as everyone predicted, and smothered Bobby Green with his wrestling… in the first round. In the second, Volkmann seemed to have lost his edge and found himself on his back, which is an unusual spot for him to be in. As the fight progressed, Volkmann’s performance worsened and he just crumbled under the pressure of Green until the he was finished by the rear naked choke.
I don’t want to call this next fight an upset, because Jon Fitch and Demian Maia had equal chance of winning this fight, but the fact is Fitch was a slight favorite and Maia absolutely annihilated him. No one has dominated Fitch in such fashion since Georges St-Pierre at UFC 87.
I’m counting my lucky stars that I went against my better judgment to put some money on Alistair Overeem to win. After securing a two round lead, Overeem got complacent and it cost him. Nearly everyone forgets that Bigfoot is a Karate black belt because of his outstanding Jiu-Jitsu skills, and Overeem learned the hard way that if you don’t respect the striking of Silva, he will knock you out off your feet, literally. So much for the Reem getting a title shot.
Now for the biggest upset of the fight, with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira defeating former light heavyweight champion, Rashad Evans. At -450 betting odds, Evans was the biggest favorite on the card, but that didn’t stop Little Nog from getting his hand raised. In a fight that wasn’t nearly as exciting as the most of the other bouts, Evans struggled to secure a takedown, and when he did, Nogueira got right back to his feet. All other attempts to take the fight to the ground were stuffed by Nogueria and he landed counter strikes on the exit. Seeing that talented wrestlers such as Ryan Bader and Phil Davis were able to take and hold down Nogueira, it was quite surprising that Evans wasn’t able to do the same. This win for Nogueira has dramatically shifted the rankings in the light heavyweight division.
It was a rough night of predictions for all MMA website, but I’m sure we’ll all shack it off, go back to the drawing board, and prepare for a much more successful night at the next UFC event in two weeks, UFC on Fuel TV: Barao vs. McDonald.
– Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli
@FightFreek