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Strikeforce: KJ Noons vs. Jorge Gurgel Prediction

Lightweight bout: KJ Noons vs. Jorge Gurgel
Odds: (-205 Noons /+165 Gurgel )
In the evening’s second bout, prolific boxer KJ Noons will square off against UFC veteran Jorge Gurgel in a Lightweight contest. Noons is a deadly boxer with great technique, but is recently returned from a 2 year sabbatical, while Gurgel is trying to rebuild […]

Lightweight bout: KJ Noons vs. Jorge Gurgel

Odds: (-205 Noons /+165 Gurgel )

In the evening’s second bout, prolific boxer KJ Noons will square off against UFC veteran Jorge Gurgel in a Lightweight contest. Noons is a deadly boxer with great technique, but is recently returned from a 2 year sabbatical, while Gurgel is trying to rebuild his career after a series of surgeries and a horrible stint in the UFC, so this is a big fight for both guys.

KJ Noons is probably best known for his dominating stoppage win over current 170 pound champ Nick Diaz. In that fight, Noons put on a boxing clinic, tearing Diaz’s face up until the doctor deemed him unable to continue. After following that win up with a destruction of veteran Yves Edwards, Noons took time away from the sport due to contractual issues with Elite XC and a desire to compete as a professional boxer. He looked shaky in return bouts against Andre Amado and Conor Heun, but he is still an extremely precise and accurate puncher who can overwhelm opponents willing to stand in front of him.

Jorge Gurgel is, to put it mildly, the kind of opponent who is willing to stand in front of him. A very accomplished jiu-jitsu black belt, Gurgel has the unfortunate tendency to pretend his ground game doesn’t exist in favor of standing in front of everyone he fights and engaging in sloppy slugfests. Unfortunately for him, he lacks the technique or power to make it a remotely effective strategy, and he has squandered a lot of his career by employing a terrible fight strategy. Also problematic is the series of bad knee injuries he has suffered over the years, which have limited his mobility and his ability to put his weight behind his punches.

Gurgel is very well-rounded, believe it or not, and he has the ability to work a gameplan that could defeat Noons, he just isn’t going to do it. Instead he will stand in front of Noons and get picked apart in routine fashion, dropping a lopsided unanimous decision and probably sending himself to the Challenger’s series for the rest of his career.

Prediction: KJ Noons via unanimous decision.

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Strikeforce: Bobby Lashley vs. Chad Griggs Prediction

Heavyweight bout: Bobby Lashley vs. Chad Griggs
Odds: ( Lashley / Griggs )
In the opening bout of the evening, former pro-wrestling superstar Bobby Lashley will look to capture his sixth straight win against tough slugger Chad Griggs. Lashley has been built up very gradually, in marked contrast to his former WWE coworker Brock Lesnar, and Griggs […]

Heavyweight bout: Bobby Lashley vs. Chad Griggs

Odds: ( Lashley / Griggs )

In the opening bout of the evening, former pro-wrestling superstar Bobby Lashley will look to capture his sixth straight win against tough slugger Chad Griggs. Lashley has been built up very gradually, in marked contrast to his former WWE coworker Brock Lesnar, and Griggs is another small step up for him. Lashley may come from a fake wrestling background, but his takedown and top control game are very real. The question is whether he has developed a well-rounded enough game to deal with Griggs’ powerful striking.

Chad Griggs, known as “The Gravedigger”, comes by the name honestly, as he has some serious knockout power in his hands. Outside of a pair of appearances in the now-defunct International Fight League, Griggs has mainly made a name for himself on smaller shows, and this is easily the toughest fight of his career. It is clear that Griggs is not a complete fighter, and that he has no ground game to speak of, but he was brought in to fight Lashley in order to test him in one area, the striking, and in that regard he is more than qualified.

Lashley, who became a megastar in the WWE, doesn’t bring the same amateur credentials to the table as his counterpart, UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, but he does bring a massive frame, a ton of strength, and some very dominant wrestling. Lashley’s career is being brought along very slowly, and it is clear that this is a fight designed for him to win. Still, if he is overconfident or reckless, Griggs has the power to test his chin and then some.

Like I said, this is a fight designed for Lashley to win, and that is what will happen. Griggs has some scary power but he is wild and not very technical, not to mention that he has absolutely no ground game to speak of. Expect Lashley to take him down at will and pour on the punishment from top position for a TKO stoppage.

Prediction: Bobby “The Dominator” Lashley via first round T/KO.

WEC 50: Dominick Cruz vs. Joseph Benavidez Prediction

WEC Bantamweight Title Fight – Dominick Cruz vs. Joseph Benavidez
Odds: ( -240 Cruz /+190 Benavidez )
In the main event, Bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz will defend his crown against top contender Joseph Benavidez in a hotly-anticipated rematch. Cruz earned the unanimous decision win in their first fight, a highly competitive bout. Both men are coming off […]

WEC Bantamweight Title Fight – Dominick Cruz vs. Joseph Benavidez

Odds: ( -240 Cruz /+190 Benavidez )

In the main event, Bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz will defend his crown against top contender Joseph Benavidez in a hotly-anticipated rematch. Cruz earned the unanimous decision win in their first fight, a highly competitive bout. Both men are coming off huge wins, with Cruz having captured the title from Brian Bowles and Benavidez having bested former champion Miguel Torres as well as tough competitor Rani Yahya, so this is one of the biggest rematches of the year, this time with the title on the line.

The challenger, Benavidez, is a submission expert with a well-rounded game whose only career defeat came at the hands of Cruz. What makes Benavidez so dangerous is that he is a very prolific finisher with an amazing rate of submission victories as well as knockout power in his hands. Only 2 of his 12 victories have been by decision, and considering the quality of opposition he has faced recently that is especially impressive. The big question mark for Benavidez is his takedown defense. He held his own standing against Cruz in their first contest, but Cruz’s ability to put him on his back made the difference on the scorecards. Benavidez is good enough to pull off a submission from the bottom, but he is going to have to keep Cruz from dictating when and if the fight goes to the ground if he wants to avoid a repeat performance.

Cruz, whose only career loss came to former 145 pound titleholder Urijah Faber, is a very well-rounded fighter with solid wrestling and a bruising top game. He looked dominant in his last fight, a win over champion Brian Bowles. The problem for Cruz is that he is not as adept a finisher as Benavidez is, and in a title bout that is going to last for five rounds his inability to put opponents away is going to be problematic, especially against a guy with submissions as slick as Benavidez’s. The key to Cruz’s victory last time was his takedowns and his wrestling, and I think that is just as true as ever. If he can consistently put Benavidez on his back and play a safe top game there is not much question that he can grind out a decision. The question is whether or not he can implement that game plan again and whether he can spend five full rounds controlling Benavidez without getting rocked or submitted.

Cruz is clearly a formidable fighter, but I think that Benavidez is in a great position to avenge his loss. The two are fairly evenly matched on the feet, although Benavidez has more knockout power in his hands for sure. Cruz is clearly the better wrestler, but Benavidez has very good submissions and in a five round fight that can be a huge deal, as Anderson Silva proved recently against Chael Sonnen. I think most of this fight will look like the first one, with Cruz scoring points with takedowns and the two engaging in fairly even striking exchanges, I just don’t think Cruz can go 25 minutes mistake-free. Benavidez is a much more dangerous fighter in terms of finishing fights, and isn’t coming off injuries like Cruz is. I think Benavidez gets controlled early on, but eventually capitalizes on a mistake and earns the submission win and the title.

Prediction: Joseph Benavidez via fourth round rear naked choke.