Tag: MMA Picks

 

Mike Ricci    vs.   Colin Fletcher

Ricci may be moving back down to the lightweight division, but Fletcher is one of the larger lightweights with a significant reach advantage. Essentially, Ricci will be facing a same problem as he did when he fought Colten Smith; avoid the going to the ground with the larger fighter. Fletcher doesn’t possess equal wrestling skills as Colten Smith, but his Jiu-Jitsu is more impressive, so instead of holding Ricci down for three rounds, Fletcher will be looking for a submission opening. Ricci will have the striking advantage, but he’ll have to get on the inside of Fletcher’s reach. Instead of a traditional wrestling takedown, Fletcher will look to clinch and try to trip the leg to get this fight he’ll have to be careful not to close the distance when his opponent is also coming forward.  In three rounds, I find it more likely that Freak show can get Ricci down and find a submission opening, rather than suffer a KO.

Pick : Colin Fletcher

 

Nick Ring   vs.   Chris Camozzi

It’s true that Ring has a few controversial wins on his recond, but they were against respectable opponents, and it wasn’t as if he was absolutely dominated in those fights. Camozzi on the other hand, was clearly losing to Nick Catone for over two rounds, but a cut that Catone had sustained caused the ref to stop the fight, which awarded the win to Camozzi. His win over Luiz Cane had me thinking that perhaps I was too critical of his skills, but part of me still credits that victory to Cane’s lack of conditioning and not necessarily Camozzi’s exceptional skill. Whether both fighters look their best or their worst, I see the majority of skillsets laying with Ring. It may be another controversial win, but it will be a win nonetheless.

Pick : Nick Ring

 

Jake Ellenberger   vs.   Nate Marquardt

Marquardt didn’t look like the same fighter that KO’d Tyrone Woodley in his fight with Tarec Saffiedine. Whether it was bad game planning or a harsh weight cut, I’m extremely hesitant to put my confidence in the former Strikeforce champ. Ellenberger on the the other hand, has had a constant performance in nearly all of his fights. Even in his loss to Martin Kampmann, Ellenberger completely dominated the Danish kick boxer, and nearly finished the fight in the second round. Kampmann made a strong comeback in the second, but still many fans protested the possible early stoppage. Even Dana White was one of those who complained that the fight was stopped too early. Ellenberger is now only a wrestler, he has developed proficient boxing. Now it may not compare to the kickboxing of Marquardt, but by mixing up his striking and wrestling, Ellenberger will have enough tools to win a close decision.

Pick : Jake Ellenberger

 

Carlos Condit   vs.   Johny Hendricks

The top two welterweights behind GSP are squaring off, and damn this is a tough fight to call. Condit will have the superior technical striking and Jiu-Jitsu, with Hendricks having better wrestling and a clear advantage in knockout power. Neither fighter seems to have a cardio problem, so this fight could play out multiple ways. Condit could always use his footwork and reach to out strike Hendricks for three rounds, or he could be on the wrong side of a crippling left hand, which could end the fight in under a minute. I don’t see Hendricks getting caught with a head kick or flying knee, and like Rory MacDonald and GSP, he can utilize his wrestling to control Condit for multiple rounds. Bottom line, I see Condit as a slightly more well rounded Martin Kampmann, and we all know what Hendricks did to the Hitman. Condit will be guessing whether he has to stuff a takedown, or be on the lookout for the left hand, and this will frustrate him and slow his combinations. I don’t’ believe Condit will get finished, but Bigg Rigg will pull off a close decision win.

Pick : Johny Hendricks

 

George St-Pierre   vs.   Nick Diaz

As much as some fans despise Diaz, you have to admit that he’s extremely talented. However, if I had to put money on one fighter to win, it would be GSP. If Diaz tries the same strategy he utilized against Carlos Condit, he will get annihilated by the champ. For every split second Diaz drops his hands, GSP will catch him with his long jab, the same jab that made Josh Koscheck’s eye swell up to the size of a grape fruit. The cardio of Diaz has always been on of his strongest weapons, but against fighters with exceptional cardio, his still possibly superior conditioning, gives him little edge if any. Sean Sherk and Carlos Condit had no issue fading in their fight with Diaz, which gave him no real advantage. Also the Jiu-Jitsu and boxing of Diaz are some of his more utilized tools in his arsenal, but which the wrestling of GSP, and the distance he chooses to fight at, I doubt that Diaz will be able to capitalize. In this fight, Diaz’s strongest attributes simply won’t be enough to dethrone the Canadian, and the champ will ground out another unanimous decision.

Pick: George St-Pierre

 

Quick Picks

George Roop > Reuben Duran

T.J. Dillashaw > Issei Tamura

Rick Story > Quinn Mulhern

John Makdessi < Daron Cruickshank

Dan Miller < Jordan Mein

Antonio Carvalho > Darren Elkins

Patrick Cote < Bobby Voelker

 
– Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli

@FightFreek

Wanderlei Silva   vs.   Brian Stann

The Axe Murderer needs to take this fight into deep water, but Stann is know for quick fights. Wandy’s chin has been in question for awhile, and it doesn’t help that he is facing someone so heavily handed. Silva has the cardio to go a full five rounds, but on the flip side, five rounds is more than enough time for Stann to land that finishing blow. Chances are the two will stand toe to toe, so between Stann’s solid chin and Wandy‘s wide punches, this is a match that Stann should come out the victor.

Pick : Brian Stann

 

Mark Hunt   vs.   Stefan Struve

Struve has an unusual ability to come back to win the fight after taking a brutal beating. His striking and Jiu-Jitsu makes him the more diverse fighter of the two, but he has a tendency to let powerful strikers bully him. Junior dos Santos, Roy Nelson and Stipe Miocic were all able to get inside Struve’s long reach and land damaging shots to the head and body. Although he came back and pounded out Miocic in the second round, Struve won’t finish Hunt so easily. Not too many fighters have a chin anywhere close as good as Hunt. As he proved in his bout with Cheick Kongo, when he hurts his opponent, he doesn’t let them recover. As a tall, lanky fighter, Struve won’t possess the physical strength to stop Hunt’s onslaught. His last resort will be his Jiu-Jitsu, but Hunt has been submitted by fighters like Fedor Emelianenko, Josh Barnett, Alistair Overeem, and Gegard Mousasi. He was submitted by Sean McCorkle, but McCorkle is an enormous heavyweight with one of the best guards for his weight class. Bottom line, Struve doesn’t have what it takes on the feet or on the ground to stop or out score Hunt. Hunt will bully him early and get the finish in the same fashion he finished Kongo.

Pick : Mark Hunt

 

Takanori Gomi   vs.   Diego Sanchez

Sanchez has been sidelined due to injury, so there’s no telling how his training has been going. I’d like to think a fighter with Sanchez’s aggression and pace will get right back on the horse, and fight just like he always has in the past, but no one can say for sure. Gomi has been on the downside of his career, and has shown little success in the octagon, but fighting in front of the Japanese crowd might light a fire under his ass. Even if it does, unless if the Dream’s ring rust is the worst we’ve ever seen, he should over power Gomi. He will have the better strinking and grappling, and be the more aggressive fighter.

Pick : Diego Sanchez

 

Hector Lombard   vs.   Yushin Okami

Okami showed good ground control in his fight with Alan Belcher, but he left openings for Belcher to counter. Luckily for him, Belcher was unable to capitalize with his striking or submission attempts. Against a powerful fighter like Lombard, Okami won’t be so lucky. Not only will Okami have a difficult time taking the Judo black belt down, but he’ll have to worry about defending the takedown as well. As proficient a wrestler as Tim Boetsch is, Lombard make taking him down look easy. These potential problems may cause Okami to be frantic, which will allow Lombard to open up with a flurry of punches, and we’ve seen the damage he can do when he fought Rousimar Palhares.

Pick : Hector Lombard

 

Mizuto Hirota   vs.   Rani Yahya

Hirota isn’t beating Yahya on the ground, period. He showed some solid boxing in his fight with Pat Healy, but Hirota won’t prevent Yahya from taking him down. Josh Grispi tried keeping the fight on the feet when he fought Yahya, and was successful for about a minute. If Hirota had exceptional footwork, boxing skills, or wrestling; then maybe he could prevent the takedown, but that’s not the case.

Pick : Rani Yahya

 

Dong Hyun Kim   vs.   Siyar Bahadurzada

I was dead wrong when I thought Paulo Thiago would be able to get Bahadurzada to the ground and control him. Like Thiago, Kim is primarily a grappler, and one who is most effective while in top position. Bahadurzada has knocked out his last five opponents, and since Kim isn’t exactly a threat on the feet, he will most likely face the same. Get ready for a déjà vu of when Kim fought Carlos Condit.

Pick : Siyar Bahadurzada

 

Quick Picks

 
Riki Fukuda   <   Brad Tavares

Takeya Mizugaki   >   Bryan Caraway

Cristiano Marcello   >   Kazuki Tokudome

Alex Caceres   <   Kyung Ho Kang

Marcelo Guimaraes   >   Hyun Gyu Lim

 

 

– Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli

@FightFreek

What would you call two co workers who make predictions, and agree in every fight? Boring that what. Well luckily there’s more dissension between MMAfix.com writers, Josh Leduc and Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli. They agree on the majority of the fights, but there are two bouts in which neither can persuade the other to see it their way.

 

Lyoto Machida   vs.  Dan Henderson

 
Josh’s thoughts :  Machida may have knocked out Randy Couture and Ryan Bader, but Henderson is more of a threat on the feet, and has yet to be knocked out in his career. Machida’s skill of being elusive will back fire when Hendo is constantly seeking a knockout and keeping the pressure on. The judges will view it as Machida running like a b*tch and award Henderson the fight. Then again there’s always the chance that he can land the H-Bomb before the fight ends.

Pick : Dan Henderson

 
Ryan’s thoughts : Machida has a good track record against strong wrestlers. Rashad Evans, Randy Couture and Ryan Bader have all been KO’d by the Dragon. Henderson has the power to threaten on the feet, but his actual striking skill isn’t nearly on the same level as Machida. The Dragon should have any issue using his precision like counter striking to win a decision.

Pick : Lyoto Machida

 

 
Sam Stout   vs.  Caros Fodor

 
Josh’s thoughts :  Stout’s nickname is “hands of stone” for a reason, and he also has a chin of stone. Combine that with his high level of striking, and you have a recipe for victory. If he ever feels uncomfortable on the feet, he’s more than capable in taking his opponent down, as we’ve seen in his third fight with Spencer Fisher.

Pick : Sam Stout

 
Ryan’s thoughts : Stout has looked mediocre in his last three fights, and could only muster up a win over the no longer significant Spenser Fisher. In his amateur career, Fodor was a champion in MMA and Muay Thai. He also trains with Matt Hume, so we know his grappling is up to par, and will most likely have the advantage on the ground. As he proved in his fight with Justin Wilcox, Fodor can end a fight fast and early. I don’t expect Stout to come into this fight any better than he did in his last three.

Pick : Caros Fodor

 

 
Here’s a recap of the fights we agree on, and our picks.

 

Ronda Rousey   >   Liz Carmouche

Urijah Faber   >  Ivan Menjivar

Josh Koscheck   >  Robbie Lawler

Brendan Schaub   <   Lavar Johnson

Michael Chiesa   >   Anton Kuivanen

Court McGee   >   Josh Neer

Dennis Bermudez   >   Matt Grice

Kenny Robertson   <   Brock Jardine

Jon Manley   >   Neil Magny

Nah-Shon Burrell   <   Yuri Villefort

 
– Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli

@FightFreek