Filed under: UFC, NewsTUF 11 winner Court McGee’s advanced conditioning became the difference maker in his win over Korean Top Team fighter Dongyi Yang Saturday at UFC Fight Night 25 in New Orleans, La.
TUF 11 winner Court McGee‘s advanced conditioning became the difference maker in his win over Korean Top Team fighter Dongyi Yang Saturday at UFC Fight Night 25 in New Orleans, La.
The first 12 minutes of the fight was uneventful kickboxing, but the pace of the fight finally went into hyperdrive when Yang stumbled McGee to his knees with a left hand and then followed by jumping in with a left knee. The southpaw proceeded to climb on McGee’s back and seemed to be on his way to victory, but Yang found himself too high up and McGee managed to escape. From there, the better conditioned McGee took down the winded Yang twice and in the final seconds attached a mounted guillotine for the strong last impression.
McGee’s hand was raised on scores of 30-27, 29-28, 30-28.
McGee, who improved his record to 11-1 and is now a winner in all three of his UFC fights, is best known for kicking an addiction heroin in 2006 and then turning his life around with a career in MMA. Yang, a former heavyweight, fell to 10-2 overall and 1-2 in the UFC.
NEW ORLEANS – This is the UFC Fight Night 25 live blog for Court McGee vs. Dongi Yang, a middleweight bout on tonight’s UFC on Spike telecast from the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.
McGee (13-1, 2-0 UFC), the winner of Season 11 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” has not competed since a submission win over Ryan Jensen at UFC 121 last October. It was his second straight submission win after tapping out Kris McCray to win TUF 11.
Yang (10-1, 1-1 UFC) is coming off a TKO victory over Rob Kimmons at UFC on Versus 3 in March. Prior to that, he dropped a split decision to Chris Carmozzi at UFC 121 in his UFC debut, which also was the South Korean’s first fight in the United States.
Round 1: McGee opens with a leg kick followed by traded jab fakes. Not much happening for 90 seconds, but Yang lands a kick and a punch, then ducks out of the way of McGee’s combo until McGee lands a right uppercut. Inside leg kick from Yang lands, and a right cross from McGee just misses. Another inside leg kick from Yang hits, then another, and he just dodges a high kick from McGee. The crowd starts chanting for more action. A left from McGee lands, and it looks like Yang slips and hits the mat for a second. Another couple good kicks from Yang. He’s landing them reguarly, but McGee is coming forward a little more. It’s a close round. We’ll give it to Yang 10-9 based on the leg kicks, but it could go either way.
Round 2:
Nice combo from McGee gets things started. Yang ducks under a punch, but McGee rushes in looking for a takedown. He can’t get it and we go back to the center 90 seconds into the round. A long stall of not much action beyond traded jabs and some OK inside leg kicks, but with 90 seconds left McGee lands a nice 1-2. The crowd is booing and wants more than it’s getting from this fight. High kick from McGee finds the mark, but not enough to drop Yang. But a couple short uppercuts hit home and wobble Yang briefly. It’s a 10-9 second round for McGee on our card.
Round 3:
Good jab from Yang lands. McGee looks briefly for a takedown, but it’s not there, and he backs out of Yang’s counter. We trade jabs and then out of nowhere, Yang lands a left that drops McGee, and as McGee gets back up Yang lands a knee moving in. We move into rock ’em sock ’em robots mode all of a sudden with 2:40 left, and the crowd appreciates it greatly. Both fighters are cut up on the face. They clinch and look for a takedown, but no dice. Yang now is bleeding a little more, and he spits some blood out onto the canvas. McGee is coming forward and just misses a roundhouse kick. He shoots for a takedown, but Yang defends. They clinch, and McGee gets a nice takedown, then looks to transition to mount but Yang gets up. McGee goes for a tired shot and somehow gets a short takedown. He lands some good elbows at the 10-second mark, then looks to lock in a choke. Yang survives the round, but it’s an obvious 10-9 for McGee. We’ve got the fight for him 29-28.
Result: Court McGee def. Dongi Yang, unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-28)
NEW ORLEANS – This is the UFC Fight Night 25 live blog for Court McGee vs. Dongi Yang, a middleweight bout on tonight’s UFC on Spike telecast from the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.
McGee (13-1, 2-0 UFC), the winner of Season 11 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” has not competed since a submission win over Ryan Jensen at UFC 121 last October. It was his second straight submission win after tapping out Kris McCray to win TUF 11.
Yang (10-1, 1-1 UFC) is coming off a TKO victory over Rob Kimmons at UFC on Versus 3 in March. Prior to that, he dropped a split decision to Chris Carmozzi at UFC 121 in his UFC debut, which also was the South Korean’s first fight in the United States.
Round 1: McGee opens with a leg kick followed by traded jab fakes. Not much happening for 90 seconds, but Yang lands a kick and a punch, then ducks out of the way of McGee’s combo until McGee lands a right uppercut. Inside leg kick from Yang lands, and a right cross from McGee just misses. Another inside leg kick from Yang hits, then another, and he just dodges a high kick from McGee. The crowd starts chanting for more action. A left from McGee lands, and it looks like Yang slips and hits the mat for a second. Another couple good kicks from Yang. He’s landing them reguarly, but McGee is coming forward a little more. It’s a close round. We’ll give it to Yang 10-9 based on the leg kicks, but it could go either way.
Round 2:
Nice combo from McGee gets things started. Yang ducks under a punch, but McGee rushes in looking for a takedown. He can’t get it and we go back to the center 90 seconds into the round. A long stall of not much action beyond traded jabs and some OK inside leg kicks, but with 90 seconds left McGee lands a nice 1-2. The crowd is booing and wants more than it’s getting from this fight. High kick from McGee finds the mark, but not enough to drop Yang. But a couple short uppercuts hit home and wobble Yang briefly. It’s a 10-9 second round for McGee on our card.
Round 3:
Good jab from Yang lands. McGee looks briefly for a takedown, but it’s not there, and he backs out of Yang’s counter. We trade jabs and then out of nowhere, Yang lands a left that drops McGee, and as McGee gets back up Yang lands a knee moving in. We move into rock ’em sock ’em robots mode all of a sudden with 2:40 left, and the crowd appreciates it greatly. Both fighters are cut up on the face. They clinch and look for a takedown, but no dice. Yang now is bleeding a little more, and he spits some blood out onto the canvas. McGee is coming forward and just misses a roundhouse kick. He shoots for a takedown, but Yang defends. They clinch, and McGee gets a nice takedown, then looks to transition to mount but Yang gets up. McGee goes for a tired shot and somehow gets a short takedown. He lands some good elbows at the 10-second mark, then looks to lock in a choke. Yang survives the round, but it’s an obvious 10-9 for McGee. We’ve got the fight for him 29-28.
Result: Court McGee def. Dongi Yang, unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-28)
Ultimate Fight Night 25 goes down tonight in New Orleans, and all that hot sauce and bourbon has whipped us into a fight picking frenzy. Representing the home team will be Louisiana’s own Seth Falvo, who will be doing battle against Head to Head newbie (read: loser) Jared “DangadaDang” Jones. Which Jake will reign supreme? Will it be a good night for The Ultimate Fighter, or a complete disaster? Will the stars of Swamp Peopleget roped into a video interview with Joe Rogan? Find out all this and more, and then tell us what we forgot in the comments section.
Let’s skip the foreplay: Shields or Ellenberger, who ya got?
JJ: As unimpressed as I’ve been with Jake Shields’ UFC career thus far, I just can’t see how Ellenberger wins this one. Though his submission defense looked great, his takedown defense looked pretty exploitable against Carlos Eduardo Rocha, and if Dan Henderson can’t knock out Shields, then it ain’t happening, homie. I got Shields by UD in a match that I forget about quicker than every Saturday Night Live sketch of the past 10 years. The real question is, will the recent loss of Shields’ father have an effect on his game plan?
SF: In any other city, I’d be inclined to agree with you, Jared. But this is New Orleans. A city where the underdog has recently been able to thrive. A city renowned for its Voodoo culture. And, as anyone who has had one too many hand grenades and went home with a dress wearing local they found on Bourbon Street can tell you, a city where not everything is what it seems. Not that that’s ever happened to me or anything.
You’re only as good as your last fight. When we last saw Jake Shields, he was completely unable to take Georges St. Pierre to the ground and didn’t fare better trading punches with the champion until he managed to steal the fifth round. Jake Ellenberger, meanwhile, dominated Sean Pierson in a fight he took on only seventeen days notice. When you add on not only the death of Jake Shield’s father, but also that other distraction Team Cesar Gracie has been dealing with, it’s possible that Jake Shields isn’t as focused as he needs to be. This one has the potential to get interesting. Maybe not “Ellenberger pulls off the upset” interesting, but at least “watchable while sober” interesting.
Pictured: Seth giving Jared a tour of Louisiana.
Ultimate Fight Night 25 goes down tonight in New Orleans, and all that hot sauce and bourbon has whipped us into a fight picking frenzy. Representing the home team will be Louisiana’s own Seth Falvo, who will be doing battle against Head to Head newbie (read: loser) Jared “DangadaDang” Jones. Which Jake will reign supreme? Will it be a good night for The Ultimate Fighter, or a complete disaster? Will the stars of Swamp Peopleget roped into a video interview with Joe Rogan? Find out all this and more, and then tell us what we forgot in the comments section.
Let’s skip the foreplay: Shields or Ellenberger, who ya got?
JJ: As unimpressed as I’ve been with Jake Shields’ UFC career thus far, I just can’t see how Ellenberger wins this one. Though his submission defense looked great, his takedown defense looked pretty exploitable against Carlos Eduardo Rocha, and if Dan Henderson can’t knock out Shields, then it ain’t happening, homie. I got Shields by UD in a match that I forget about quicker than every Saturday Night Live sketch of the past 10 years. The real question is, will the recent loss of Shields’ father have an effect on his game plan?
SF: In any other city, I’d be inclined to agree with you, Jared. But this is New Orleans. A city where the underdog has recently been able to thrive. A city renowned for its Voodoo culture. And, as anyone who has had one too many hand grenades and went home with a dress wearing local they found on Bourbon Street can tell you, a city where not everything is what it seems. Not that that’s ever happened to me or anything.
You’re only as good as your last fight. When we last saw Jake Shields, he was completely unable to take Georges St. Pierre to the ground and didn’t fare better trading punches with the champion until he managed to steal the fifth round. Jake Ellenberger, meanwhile, dominated Sean Pierson in a fight he took on only seventeen days notice. When you add on not only the death of Jake Shield’s father, but also that other distraction Team Cesar Gracie has been dealing with, it’s possible that Jake Shields isn’t as focused as he needs to be. This one has the potential to get interesting. Maybe not “Ellenberger pulls off the upset” interesting, but at least “watchable while sober” interesting.
With 8 participants, this card is practically flooded (no offense Seth) with TUF alum. That said, who will have the best night? The worst?
SF: That’s cold-blooded, son. It’s not my fault your school isn’t cool enough to have its own campus swamp. Or, let me guess: You’re an Oregon Ducks fan.
I’ll go against the grain and say that Matt Riddle will have the best night. Matt Riddle has been out of action for eight months after losing to the aforementioned Sean Pierson at UFC 124. It’s more than likely win or go home in his tilt against UFC newcomer Lance Benoist, a 5-0 submission specialist who has never been out of the first round. Before you get too excited about Lance Benoist, keep in mind that only two of his past opponents have winning records. Factor in Matt Riddle’s grappling prowess and Octagon jitters for Benoist, and Matt Riddle is bound to have a pretty good night. As for the worst night, is there anyone reading this that actually thinks Shamar Bailey is going to beat Evan Dunham? Didn’t think so.
JJ: I want to say McGee has the best night, but I vowed never to bet against South Korea after watching Oldboyfor the first time. I’m going with the dark horse here and picking my boy Cody McKenzie for the win. Word is he’s been spending some time at Team Alpha Male since his loss to Yves Edwards, and if you combine the already lethal power of “The McKenzietine” with those Alpha boys’ well known guillotine, it’s a wrap for Vagner Rocha, who showed absolutely nothing against Donald Cerrone other than a willingness to take leg kicks. As for the worst night, that’s going to Jonathan Brookins. Say what you want about his grappling ability, but his stand up looked awful against Michael Johnson, and Eric Koch is a straight up beast on the feet.
And as for my school, we opted for indoor plumbing and a library over a glorified sinkhole. In other words, you chose poorly.
Since the main event most likely won’t win any awards, which match will take FOTN?
JJ: This one’s easy: Alan Belcher vs. Jason Macdonald. Both guys are looking to establish themselves, Belcher due to the layoff, Macdonald due to his somewhat lackluster Octagon run as of late, and both guys are known for putting on exciting fights each and every time. Expect a back and forth brawl until Belcher puts Macdonald’s lights out late in the second. And that’s that.
SF: Hard to argue with that. But you can almost say the exact same thing about Court McGee vs. Dongi Yang. McGee has been out of commission for almost a year, and has the TUF Winner expectations to live up to as well. Likewise, Dongi Yang has shown that he’s more than capable of living up to his reputation as a fight finisher, but a loss to Court McGee would put him at an uncomfortable 1-2 in the UFC. Don’t expect either guy to retreat during this one, folks. And don’t blink, either.
You’ve got $50. You could spend this money at Taco Bell, like you planned to, and eat for the rest of the week. Or, you could opt to feed your crippling gambling addiction. What is the safest way to do both tonight?
SF: Truth be told, there really aren’t too many “safe” bets on this card. But if you’re looking for “safe”, then why are you eating at Taco Bell in the first place? Cognitive Dissonance, anyone?
There are some pretty attractive underdogs on this card, such as Cody McKenzie and Dongi Yang. Even Clay Harvison, as mediocre as he’s looked, has a pretty favorable matchup against the one dimensional Seth Baczynski (especially given his conditioning issues). But if we’re going for “safe”, then the safest parlay I can come up with is Koch-Dunham-Riddle-Waldburger-Lopez. You won’t get rich off of this, but at least you’ll be able to upgrade to Raising Cane’s for the next week or two.
JJ: Am I really going to let someone from the land of fried squirrel and alligator attacks lecture me on safety? I think I’ll stick to triple steak burritos back here in civilization, thank you very much. I’d say that Evan Dunham is my ticket to the aforementioned taco glory, but at -500 there’d be next to no return on that bet, so I’m opting for a moderately safe parlay of Shields-Koch-Yang-Belcher. And with that, I’ll be resting easy on my pillow-sized tortilla shell while you are busy catching bullfrogs or whatever it is you people do for fun down there when it isn’t Mardi Gras.
NEW ORLEANS – It’s not like Court McGee wanted to be on the sidelines for 11 months.
But while out of action, he managed to find a way to get his frame of mind reinvigorated for what he needs to be doing, one day at a time.
For the 26-year-old, who doesn’t shy away from talking about his past as a heroin addict if it’s brought up, a potentially frustrating and lengthy layoff – thanks to a bad knee and a busted-up hand – turned into an affirmation of his mindset.
“Having some time off, I got to rethink – and I never questioned the reason I was fighting,” McGee said Thursday after a short workout at the New Orleans Athletic Club. “No. 1, I do it to carry the message. No. 2, I do it because the payout means I can better take care of my family – my wife, my two sons, my training partners, my team. And No. 3, because I love competition.”
For McGee, that message is to help make a difference for someone who might be venturing down the path he found himself on more than five years ago. “Whatever changed in me made a difference,” he said. “If I can do this for someone else and make a difference, that’s a big deal.”
McGee (13-1, 2-0 UFC) fights Dong Yi Yang (10-1, 1-1 UFC) in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 25 on Saturday in New Orleans, the promotion’s first trip back to “The Big Easy” since UFC 27.
The Season 11 winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” had built up some nice momentum in his first two UFC middleweight bouts – both submission victories. He tapped Kris McCray to win the TUF 11 title, then submitted Ryan Jensen at UFC 121 last October.
But despite his generally positive outlook on everything, McGee said the injury did have him down when it happened – but just for a couple days, and then just sporadically when he was reminded that he could be in a training camp instead of watching with his hand in a cast after a training injury on the heels of a knee injury.
“The frustration (came from) putting in over 4,000 hours to get where I was at,” McGee said. “I won at UFC 121, I’m in the UFC, and now it’s time to come in and prepare and focus and really pursue greatness, and to have the injury it was just like … man. All I can control is healing my hand, healing my knee and making sure I’m there for my wife and sons, and I’m there for my teammates and coaches. So that’s what I do. That’s part of my job – a place of maximum usefulness and service to others. That’s my job. My career is an MMA fighter.”
Against Yang, who has nine of his 10 wins by knockout, McGee said the that though on paper it would appear he would want to take the fight to the ground, the challenge of mixed martial arts is never knowing just what’s going to happen.
“I love being in the fight,” McGee said. “I love taking 15 minutes and figuring out how to beat somebody. He’s a bigger, quite possibly stronger opponent. So I’m going to have to overcome that and figure out how to beat him, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
And that is perhaps what keeps McGee the most grounded. He’s not throwing around lofty goals of winning titles. He’s not saying he wants to fight Anderson Silva. All he said he’s trying to think about is what’s next – even if what’s next isn’t the fight, or making weight. Even if what’s next is just talking to three reporters.
“I take this one day at a time,” McGee said. “I don’t look at a destination, I don’t look at the championship. Of course the goal is to be the world champion, but it’s not a realistic goal today. My goal today is to stay focused, relaxed, be in this interview and give you guys 100 percent of my attention.”
(McGee vs. Yang, the middleweight showdown that UFC fans have been…wait a minute, remind me again who Yang is?)
Unless you’re one of those Bud Light ‘Battle on the Bayou’ contest winners, you’re probably not overly excited about Saturday’s “Shields vs. Ellenberger” UFC event on Spike. Boxing already has Saturday night locked up, with Floyd Mayweather‘s ring-return against 24-year-old WBC Welterweight champ Victor Ortiz, and it feels like UFC Fight Night 25 will be an overlooked prelude to next week’s Jones vs. Rampage card.
But let’s not admit defeat so soon. We’ll be liveblogging the Shields vs. Ellenberger main card on CagePotato.com starting at 9 p.m. ET, and it would be nice if a few of you showed up to keep us company. Could it be one of those “crap on paper, bonkers in reality” events? Who knows, but consider the following…
All Eyes on Jake: So far, Jake Shields‘s UFC career has consisted of an underwhelming (and razor-thin) split-decision victory over Martin Kampmann, and a rout at the hands of Georges St. Pierre. His dominant stretch of eight-straight stoppage victories in 2006-2009 are a distant memory in the minds of MMA fans, and he needs a dramatic win here, badly. Shields’s dance partner, Jake Ellenberger, has been spent years fighting for recognition, and with four straight Octagon wins over serious competition, he’s starting to get it. Stylistically, the fight might not be a barn-burner, but it could have career-altering implications for the headliners.
(McGee vs. Yang, the middleweight showdown that UFC fans have been…wait a minute, remind me again who Yang is?)
Unless you’re one of those Bud Light ‘Battle on the Bayou’ contest winners, you’re probably not overly excited about Saturday’s “Shields vs. Ellenberger” UFC event on Spike. Boxing already has Saturday night locked up, with Floyd Mayweather‘s ring-return against 24-year-old WBC Welterweight champ Victor Ortiz, and it feels like UFC Fight Night 25 will be an overlooked prelude to next week’s Jones vs. Rampage card.
But let’s not admit defeat so soon. We’ll be liveblogging the Shields vs. Ellenberger main card on CagePotato.com starting at 9 p.m. ET, and it would be nice if a few of you showed up to keep us company. Could it be one of those “crap on paper, bonkers in reality” events? Who knows, but consider the following…
All Eyes on Jake: So far, Jake Shields‘s UFC career has consisted of an underwhelming (and razor-thin) split-decision victory over Martin Kampmann, and a rout at the hands of Georges St. Pierre. His dominant stretch of eight-straight stoppage victories in 2006-2009 are a distant memory in the minds of MMA fans, and he needs a dramatic win here, badly. Shields’s dance partner, Jake Ellenberger, has been spent years fighting for recognition, and with four straight Octagon wins over serious competition, he’s starting to get it. Stylistically, the fight might not be a barn-burner, but it could have career-altering implications for the headliners.
TUF Winners Return: Due to poorly-timed injuries, Court McGee and Jonathan Brookins — the winners of TUF 11 and TUF 12, respectively — haven’t competed since last year. Nevertheless, McGee is still a solid favorite over Dongi Yang, the South Korean fight-finisher who has split a pair of Octagon appearances, most recently TKO’ing Rob Kimmons in March. I’m much more concerned for Brookins, whose first post-TUF bout will be against Erik Koch, the Roufusport-trained killer who has won Knockout of the Night bonuses in his last two fights. My money’s on Koch here, especially considering the way Brookins was gobbling punches against Michael Johnson — and I’d also call this bout an early front-runner for Fight of the Night.
The Crowd-Pleaser: The UFC knew what they were doing in booking middleweights Alan Belcher and Jason MacDonald to kick off the main card. Both guys go for broke in every fight, and have eight combined performance bonuses to show for it. With back-to-back stoppage wins over Wilson Gouveia and Patrick Cote in his pocket, Belcher returns to the cage after the eye-ailment that nearly ended his career. And speaking of miraculous comebacks, MacDonald is coming off his first-round submission win against Ryan Jensen, which followed his gnarly leg-snap against John Salter.
Do or Die for Dunham: Once an undefeated blue-chip prospect in the lightweight division, Evan Dunham now has his back against the wall following two straight losses — one a bullshit decision against Sean Sherk, the other an ugly TKO against Melvin Guillard. His next opponent, Strikeforce/TUF 13 veteran Shamar Bailey, is a hefty underdog, but he’s got the wrestling skills and power to make it a contest. Can Dunham get his head back in the game and take care of business? Because if he doesn’t, he’ll very likely be out of a job.
Don’t Sleep On the Prelims: The entire “Shields vs. Ellenberger” preliminary card will be streamed on Facebook.com/UFC, and Dunham vs. Bailey isn’t the only match to keep an eye on. Following his Fight of the Night-worthy loss to Yves Edwards in January, Cody McKenzie — and his dreaded “McKenzietine” choke — will return against Vagner Rocha. Plus, Saturday night will kick off with the debut of Jorge Lopez, a 22-year-old welterweight who took a break from high-school at the age of 14 to train with Wanderlei Silva — which sounds a hell of a lot cooler than what I was doing at 14.
Filed under: UFCWill Jake Shields bounce back from his loss to Georges St Pierre in style, or will Jake Ellenberger win his fifth fight in a row? Can former Ultimate Fighter winners Court McGee and Jonathan Brookins continue their winning ways? Will Al…
Will Jake Shields bounce back from his loss to Georges St Pierre in style, or will Jake Ellenberger win his fifth fight in a row? Can former Ultimate Fighter winners Court McGee and Jonathan Brookins continue their winning ways? Will Alan Belcher be ready to go in his first fight in more than a year? We’ll attempt to answer those questions as we predict the winners for Saturday night’s UFC Fight Night card.
What: UFC Fight Night 25: Shields vs. Ellenberger
Where: New Orleans Convention Center
When: Saturday, the Facebook prelims start at 5:30 p.m. ET and the Spike TV card starts at 9.
Predictions on the four televised fights below.
Jake Shields vs. Jake Ellenberger Shields is a trooper for going through with this fight just three weeks after his father and manager, Jack Shields, died. One of the big questions heading into this fight is whether his father’s death has disrupted Shields’ preparation, and that’s a question we really have no way of answering. That makes this fight tough to predict.
Based purely on what we’ve seen from these two in the cage, Shields would have to be considered a solid favorite: Although he lost a unanimous decision to Georges St. Pierre, Shields has handily beaten everyone else he’s faced over the last few years. But Ellenberger is no slouch: He’s on a four-fight winning streak, and he’s 9-1 in his last 10, with the only loss coming by split decision to Carlos Condit.
Ellenberger is a better striker than Shields, and an upset wouldn’t shock me. But I expect Shields to use his superior grappling to grind out a decision and maintain his status as a Top 3 welterweight. Pick: Shields
Court McGee vs. Dongi Yang McGee won Season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter and picked up a victory in his first fight after that, submitting Ryan Jensen in October. After that McGee suffered a knee injury, and he’s now been inactive for 11 months, but if he can shake off the ring rust he should match up well with Yang. I like McGee to submit Yang late in the fight. Pick: McGee
Jonathan Brookins vs. Erik Koch Brookins won Season 12 of The Ultimate Fighter and is now fighting for the first time since then, moving down to his more natural weight class of featherweight. Brookins is a talented young fighter, but I think he’s facing an even more talented (and younger) fighter in the 22-year-old Koch. Koch has a great instinct for finishing fights, and I think he’ll finish Brookins in what should be an exciting fight. Pick: Koch
Alan Belcher vs. Jason MacDonald It’s great to see that Belcher is finally back, more than a year after an eye injury threatened his MMA career. Belcher was just starting to make his mark in the UFC, with two impressive wins in a row, when the eye injury sidelined him. Now he’s back, and the UFC is easing him back into things with a very winnable fight against the 36-year-old MacDonald. Belcher should beat MacDonald up and win by TKO. Pick: Belcher
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