The MGM Grand will be the site of several bloody battles on May 25 when the UFC takes over the Las Vegas venue for UFC 160. Two heavyweight bouts headline the card with champion Cain Velasquez in action.
Velasquez will rematch Antonio “Big Foot” Silva in the main event, while his rival, Junior “Cigano” dos Santos will take on Mark “The Super Samoan” Hunt. It is very possible the winners from Saturday night could meet in each fighter’s next bout.
With those four explosive heavyweights in action, there is a high probability fans will see at least one brutal knockout.
It should come as no surprise that one of these bouts is my prediction for KO of the Night.
Velasquez Will Destroy Silva…Again
After Velasquez finished Big Foot in just 3:36 of their first meeting at UFC 146 on May 26, 2012, there is no reason to believe the challenger will fare better the second time.
As a matter of fact, the way he’s talking, it sounds as if the finish could come even quicker. Silva told MMA Weekly/Yahoo! Sports:
I’m going to need to keep my hands healthy and heavy to go in there and I’m sure that the first punch that I really land, he’s going to go down.
That sounds a lot like a fighter who has designs of brawling. Silva’s best chance to win is to avoid going to the ground where Velasquez is elite.
But it is hard to imagine Silva being quick enough to outstrike Velasquez.
If he stands in front of the champion, the MMA world will be reminded that Velasquez is not just a great wrestler, he’s also an explosive puncher.
I see the fight ending something like this:
The Eagle Will Run His Streak to 20 By Impressive Submission
Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov’s undefeated run in MMA is going to continue on Saturday.
His opponent at UFC 160, Abel Trujillo, is no pushover, though; he’s explosive, powerful and aggressive.
Trujillo has won five fights in a row, including his UFC debut against Marcus LeVesseur at UFC on Fox 5 in December.
Despite Trujillo’s physical gifts, the Eagle is the more well-rounded fighter of the two.
Of his 19 wins, seven have come by submission. The 24-year-old Russian is adept at using fighter’s aggression against them. He’s especially good going for submissions off his back and even transitioning between techniques.
This is a skill we’ve yet to see a lot from The Eagle in the UFC, but it is definitely in his bag of tricks.
Taking a look at Trujillo’s style, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him jump for top position quickly. When he does that, the Eagle will clamp in one of his patented triangle chokes and force Trujillo to tap out.
T.J. Grant and Gray Maynard Will Steal the Show
These two 155-pounders aren’t headlining the event, but once UFC 160 is over, their fight will go down as the most exciting.
If someone is stopped, it won’t likely happen to at least the third round. Both lightweights have proven their mettle and toughness in previous bouts.
Maynard isn’t looking to submit his opponent; he’s out to strike, manhandle and punish. Grant is well-rounded, but it is hard to ignore the 13 submission victories on his record.
This is his greatest advantage against Maynard, but making the Bully tap out is no simple task. He’s only lost once in his career and that was by KO.
This will be a great match of styles that should be bloody, ferocious and strategic. That sounds like Fight of the Night stuff.
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