UFC pioneer Don Frye remains one of the sport’s most colorful personalities at 48 years of age, having no problem saying exactly what he feels, whenever he feels like saying it.
For the latest proof, look no further than the Don Frye “Predator’s Predictions” for UFC 168.
Sitting in a living room equipped with a cigar, a glass of alcohol and a beautiful lady friend, the winner of the UFC 8 and Ultimate Ultimate 96 tournaments makes his main card predictions for Saturday’s pay-per-view event.
After picking Diego Brandao over Dustin Poirier, as well as calling for Jim Miller to beat Fabricio Camoes, the 31-fight veteran offered high praise for Josh Barnett heading into a heavyweight showdown with Travis Browne:
Everybody’s gotta have a heavyweight fight on the card: Josh Barnett, ranked no. 6, bad ranking, he should be No. 1. Josh is gonna have that belt around his waist within a year. Travis, ranked no. 5, he’s got a 15-1 record, got an 86-percent kill ratio. Josh’s 85-percent kill ratio is more important because he’s 33-6, he’s fought the best in the world.
That’s why Josh is going to be wearing that belt again, if he ever gets the chance to do the fight.
Of course, Frye couldn’t resist poking a little fun at “The Warmaster” before moving on:
Josh, your training says you work out at 10:30 a.m. in Henry Tillman’s boxing gym. You’re one of my favorite people on the planet, but you look kinda like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. You live in Southern California. Go down to the beach, get a little sun on your skin—it’ll do you wonders.
Barnett made his return to the Octagon at UFC 164 in August, scoring a first-round knockout over fellow former champ Frank Mir.
On the other hand, Browne is fresh off a stunning come-from-behind knockout over ex-Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem at UFC Fight Night 26 in August.
After showing a noticeable disinterest in regard to the show’s co-headlining bout between Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate for the women’s bantamweight title (though still quickly selecting Tate as the winner), Frye gave a more detailed analysis for the final matchup on the card:
Chris Weidman is 10-0, what, 11-0, now? Seventy-percent kill ratio. Anderson Silva‘s 35-4, got an 80-percent kill ratio. He fought much better men, for a longer time. Weidman‘s good…is he from New York or New Jersey? It doesn’t matter—he’s a Yankee.
Anyways, this is gonna be a great fight. I see these two going toe to toe and slugging it out. Ain’t going on the ground like a couple of cats.
I don’t see any guy ending it with a knockout or a submission. I see this going the distance, and I think Weidman‘s gonna win it again, though.
As has been well-documented, Weidman won his first encounter with Silva at UFC 162 in July, becoming the first fighter to stop the legendary “Spider” with strikes.
Will the rematch be a completely different matchup altogether, or will Weidman find a way to stay atop the UFC’s middleweight division?
John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com.
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