The UFC goes to the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. for this weekend’s event, and it will feature a bantamweight championship bout between champion Dominick Cruz and Demetrious Johnson.
Cruz comes into the fight with an 18-1 record and having wins over every name on his record. He got a victory over the only man to beat him in Urijah Faber in his last fight at UFC 132.
Johnson is a top 10 ranked fighter with a 10-1 record and a four fight win-streak with victories over Miguel Torres and Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto.
The co-main event will be a heavyweight bout between Pat Barry and Stefan Struve. “The Skyscraper” is a foot taller than Barry, who is the shortest heavyweight in the UFC.
Other main card bouts include Matt Wiman vs. Mac Danzig and Anthony Johnson vs. Charlie Brenneman.
The card will be broadcast on Versus at 9 p.m. ET, Saturday.
These are my predictions for fight, knockout and submission of the night.
Fight of the Night: Dominick Cruz vs. Demetrious Johnson
It’s hard to predict exactly where this fight will take place, but it’s not a question that it will be exciting and fast-paced throughout. No matter where it goes, it’s not going to be boring.
For a fight that is guaranteed to go the full five rounds, it has the potential to be one of the best fights on the card and will be a throwback to the WEC cards where both of these fighters fought before joining the UFC.
Cruz comes off of his fight of the night performance against Faber and is going into this bout more confident than ever knowing he has beaten every opponent on his record.
Johnson is primarily a wrestler but has an exciting style to watch. His fights against Miguel Torres and “Kid” Yamamoto were intriguing battles that showcased everything “Mighty Mouse” has to offer in terms of speed and determination—two things that Cruz matches him with.
Knockout of the Night: Anthony Johnson
This fight can go very well or very bad for Johnson, and it makes it a very important fight for him moving forward.
Many have been calling for the massive welterweight to move up to middleweight where his body and cardio arguably will hold up better. When not fighting, the 27-year-old walks around as a heavyweight.
Former NCAA Division I wrestler Charlie Brenneman comes into the fight with a 14-2 record with his only loss in the UFC coming against Johny Hendricks, who stopped him at UFC 117.
As long as Johnson can keep this fight standing, he should be able to land the strikes he needs to put Brenneman away.
Brenneman is riding a lot of momentum after his late-notice victory over Rick Story. He is going into this fight more dangerous than before, but I don’t think it will be enough to stop “Rumble,” who will have a big advantage on the feet.
Submission of the Night: Paul Sass
Paul Sass fights out of Liverpool, England, and is 11-0 with 10 submission victories on his record. He takes on Michael Johnson on the undercard in a lightweight bout.
The 23-year-old picked up his first UFC victory at UFC 120 when he submitted Mark Holst to win the submission of the night award.
Outside of the UFC, Sass’ accomplishments as a grappler are well-documented. He was the winner of Ground Control Grappling Tournament and the winner of Ren Bu Kai Grappling Tournament.
His first seven victories came by way of triangle choke as well as his lone UFC victory.
Johnson comes into the fight with a 9-5 record with four of losses having come by submission.
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