UFC 157 takes place on Saturday night from Anaheim, Calif. and the headline fight might just garner one of the nightly awards the UFC issues for every event.
Ronda Rousey has rode a little sex appeal and a bunch of armbars to the women’s bantamweight title, and her opponent for the event doesn’t appear to have much of a chance to emerge victorious.
Liz Carmouche has a respectable 7-2 record, but those two losses have come in her last two fights.
One of those fights came against Rousey‘s last victim, Sarah Kaufman. Therefore, I’m not excited about Carmouche‘s chances for an upset.
Due to the hype surrounding the historic debut of women in the UFC, an armbar finish from Rousey will be a near shoo-in for the Submission of the Night award.
Barring someone performing a flying leg scissors that transforms into a rolling leg lock, a Rousey armbar is my prediction for the night’s top tapout.
Check out my predictions for the other event awards.
KO of the Night – Josh Koscheck over Robbie Lawler
Koscheck could probably win this fight with his wrestling, but that would be the safe way out. Kos genuinely doesn’t take that path.
Lawler can bang, and he’ll have a shot in a standing battle with Koscheck. However, I give Kos the edge in terms of endurance and chin. He’s also quicker and more athletic.
This could be one of the most entertaining battles of the event, and it’s one I predict will end with a spectacular KO for Koscheck.
Fight of the Night – Brendan Schaub vs. Lavar Johnson
This one may not last long, and it may ultimately end because Johnson simply runs out of gas, but it seems to have the makings of a slug fest.
Johnson’s biggest problem is his lack of stamina and weakness against submissions. Five of his six losses have come by submission.
If he can have his moments before Schaub takes him to the ground, there could be some early fireworks. Schaub is no slouch on his feet, though, so we could see some exciting striking early in this fight.
That’s always a great thing from the heavyweights. In the end, I predict Schaub wins by TKO or submission, but the fight should be entertaining either way.
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