Yuri Alcantara vs. Pedro Nobre Had George Roop not pulled out of this bout, it would’ve made for an tough fight to call. However, Alcantara will now be facing UFC newcomer Pedro Nobre, which is.
Yuri Alcantara vs. Pedro Nobre
Had George Roop not pulled out of this bout, it would’ve made for an tough fight to call. However, Alcantara will now be facing UFC newcomer Pedro Nobre, which is a far less interesting match up. Alcantara is an elite featherweight and grappler with nearly as many wins by knockout as he does by submission. Nobre could shock the fans in his UFC debut, but the chances of that happening aren’t too likely. This fight won’t go to long as Alcantara will look to finish his opponent with a quick submission.
Pick : Yuri Alcantara
Fransisco Trinaldo vs. C.J. Keith
Trinaldo may have lost his fight with Gleison Tibau, but he was able to hold his own and prove that he can hang with some of the better fighters in the division. Keith has some skills in the stand up, but lacks skills in the ground game, which just so happens to be Trinaldo’s bread and butter. Keith is a thinner, more lanky lightweight and doesn’t possess the strength to stop Trinaldo’s takedowns, so Keith will be tapping out earlier than he did in his fight with Ramsey Nijem.
Pick : Fransisco Trinaldo
Wagner Prado vs. Ildemar Alcantara
Prado may have gotten his octagon jitters out of the way, but Alcantara has nearly three times as much MMA experience, with a ninety percent finish rate. Alcantara takes very limited damage on the feet, blocking or evading most of what his opponents throw, while using proficient counter striking. He wastes little energy in his fights, but is explosive in his striking and uses fluent combinations. Prado has the power to finish any fight, but the bottom line is that he is strictly a striker, who will be facing a superior, more technical striker. Alcantara possess excellent kicks and a top notch Thai clinch in his arsenal, so he will be comfortable fighting at all ranges, giving him a significant advantage. Prado always has a puncher’s chance, but it’s not a smart bet. Alcantara will out strike Prado and go in for the kill with relentless knees from his deadly Thai clinch, Anderson Silva style.
Pick : Ildemar Alcantara
Edson Barboza vs. Lucas Martins
There’s no need to go into too much detail about Lucas Martins. Bottom line, he hasn’t faced the same level of competition, and he doesn’t possess the same skill set. Barboza has the tools to finish the UFC newcomer and add another highlight knockout to his repertoire.
Pick : Edson Barboza
Diego Nunes vs. Nik Lentz
How many fans are scratching their heads over this match up? Nunes had a phenomenal performance in his win over Bart Palaszewski, so why is he now fighting the less talented Lentz? Evan Dunham was able outclass Lentz on the feet, so he won’t stand a chance against Nunes. A win over Eiji Mitsuoka doesn’t entitle any fighter to a bout with a top ten featherweight, and Nunes will punish Lents for three rounds, or until the ref intervenes
Pick : Diego Nunes
Ronny Markes vs. Andrew Craig
Markes is an enormous middleweight, and will have a noticeable size advantage. His wrestling skills bested those of Aaron Simpson and shouldn’t have a problem imposing them on Craig as well. Craig was controlled by Kyle Noke’s grappling, but Noke’s cardio wasn’t up to par, which allowed Craig to gain the upper hand to win a decision. On the feet, Rafael Natal was picking Craig apart until Craig’s head kick comeback. Craig’s best attribute is his determination and his nerver say die attitude, but his actual skills are far from impressive. Markes will use his size and wrestling to control the fight and win himself the unanimous decision.
Pick : Ronny Markes
Godofredo “Pepey” Castro vs. Milton Vieira
Vieira will have the Jiu-Jitsu advantage, but Pepey possess impressive submission skills, making the gap between their grappling much smaller then the gap in their striking. Pepey went toe to toe with Rony “Jason” for three rounds to showcase his ability to stand and throw leather. Pepey may not be able to submit Vieira, but he certainly can use his knowledge of the ground game to keep the fight standing where he will have a definitive advantage. Vieira has yet to be the victim of a stoppage loss, so this fight will most likely go the distance, but it will be Pepey who gets the victory.
Pick : Godofredo “Pepey” Castro
Thiago Tavares vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov
Despite a controversial win over Gleison Tibau, Nurmagomedov has a solid performace against a strong lightweight, but now he’s facing a step down in competition by fighting Tavares. Like Tibau, Tavares is a Brazilizn Jiu-Jitsu black belt, but hasn’t been as successful in the octagon as Tibau. Tavares took two unanimous decisions over Sam Stout and Spencer Fisher, two fighters who are slowly becoming insignificant in the division, and Nurmagomedov shouldn’t have any issue getting this fight to the ground. Tavares doesn’t possess the strength to prevent the takedown attempts like Tibau was able to. Once the fight in on the ground, Nurmagomedov will control this fight in it’s entirety.
Pick : Khabib Nurmagomedov
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Ben Rothwell
Gonzaga has a tendency to neglect his Jiu-Jitsu in his fights, and instead stand toe to toe with his opponent. Even though he had relative success in doing so, Rothwell isn’t the fighter to challenge to a slugfest if you can avoid it. Rothwell has showcased his capability to knockout his opponent, but the Gonzaga has succeed in taking down a number of heavy handed strikers such as Junior dos Santos, Shane Carwin, and Mirko Cro Cop (when he was still relevant). Mark Hunt is primarily a striker, but was able to not only take and hold Rothwell down, therefore, Gonzaga shouldn’t have any problem doing the same. The Gonzaga has stated his intensions to go back to his Jiu-Jitsu roots, so as long as he doesn’t stray from that plan, he will get his opponent to the ground and submit him.
Pick : Gabriel Gonzaga
Daniel Sarafian vs. C.B. Dollaway
Dollaway is a variable. He may have a stellar performance one fight, and then bomb the very next. Dollaway is a great wrestler, but is more or less a one dimensional fighter. He has several submission wins, but it seems that all he has in his repertoire is chokes. Dollaway was knocked out in two consecutive fights by Jared Hamman and Mark Munoz, and if Hamman was able to finish him, than Sarafian can certain do the same. Sarafian is a well rounded fighter with six submissions and two knockouts, including his fights while on the Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. When Dollaway tries to take Sarafian down, he’s going to eat a plethora of punches, one of which is bound to drop him. Sarafian has serious power in his hands and if the fight does go to the ground, he is capable of submitting Dollaway, even off his back.
Pick : Daniel Sarafian
Vitor Belfort vs. Michael Bisping
This is a fight where the fans may very well see Bisping try to utilize his wrestling, because it will be a mistake for him to stand toe to toe with the Phenom. Belfort doesn’t usually take part in the whole “feeling out” process, and will attack aggressively from the start. Bisping may be a talented striker, but he doesn’t possess the speed or the power than Belfort has, the same speed and power that helped him achieve quick finishes over Rich Franklin and Yoshihiro Akiyama. Even if Belfort finds himself on his back, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt will be more than comfortable; it only takes one second for Belfort to catch Bisping in with a submission. Either way, this is a bad match up for Bisping whether he wants to strike or grapple, Belfort will take the fight to him and finish in the first round.
Five months and two cancelled events later, Strikeforce is back with a stacked fight card. There’s plenty of big names, and even bigger opportunities for lesser known fighters, and if they can muster up a.
Five months and two cancelled events later, Strikeforce is back with a stacked fight card. There’s plenty of big names, and even bigger opportunities for lesser known fighters, and if they can muster up a win, it’ll drastically change the MMA rankings. Every attempt is being made to compensate for the cancellation of the past to Strikeforce events, as it features two titles fights, and the return of former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, Gegard Mousasi.
Nate Marquardt vs. Tarec Saffiedin
Rumors of a Strikeforce/ UFC welterweight title unification have been in mix, and Marquardt may have the best chance of beating the dominate GSP. Whether he does or doesn‘t, Marquardt is still a top ten welterweight and Saffiedine isn’t in the same talent pool. Marquardt is one of the most well rounded fighters in the game, and utilizes every tool in his striking; throwing punches, kicks, knees and elbows. He’s a second degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with good takedowns, and can win no matter where the fight goes. It doesn’t take a expert analyst to understand why Marquardt has a clear advantage in this fight. It doesn’t get any simpler than the fact that Saffiedine was handled by Tyrone Woodley, and Marquardt knocked Woodley out.
Pick : Nate Marquardt
Daniel Cormier vs. Dion Staring
Saying that Staring is deserving of this title opportunity is questionable. More than half of his opponents have been relatively unknown and he isn’t coming off of any wins over elite fighters. Why Strikeforce chose Staring to face Cormier is puzzling, but it doesn’t mean that Cormier can slack off and look past this fight. Staring has won a number of his fights by submission, but it doesn’t seem likely that Cormier will fall victim to Staring’s Jiu-Jitsu seeing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, Josh Barnett, was unsuccessful. Staring trains with Alistair Overeem, but again, I don’t see him getting the best of Cormier on the feet. Cormier’s striking overcame Karate black belt, Antonio Silva, and he possess the power to finish this fight with just one punch; just ask Silva.
Pick : Daniel Cormier
Josh Barnett vs. Nandor Guelmino
There’s no secret to wait Barnett will look to do, get his opponent on the ground and submit him as soon as possible. Most of Guelmino’s wins have been by submission, but I don’t see him winning a grappling match against Barnett. Unfortunately for Guelmino, nearly every advantage goes to Barnett in this fight; striking, wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu and experience. Guelmino being the harder puncher may be a valid statement, but Barnett has enough weapons in his arsenal to swing the fight in his favor. Even though Guelmino has multiple submission wins, he also has multiple submission losses, so this fight will most likely be identical to his last two of Barnett’s wins, a quick submission.
Pick : Josh Barnett
Gegard Mousasi vs. Mike Pyle
The power of Pyle always posses a problem, but the superior technical skills lie with Mousasi, both striking and grappling. Mousasi stays relatively relaxed in his fights and pick his shots, while Kyle comes out like a mad man and tries to take off his opponents head. Kyle’s knockout wins come relatively quick, so the longer this fight goes, the less chance Kyle will finding his opponents chin. Mousasi has also finished a number of his fights early by both knockout and submission, this gives him more ways to win the fight and an advantage in the technical skill set. Whether it’s by decision, submission, or knockout, Mousasi will be getting his hand raised.
Pick : Gegard Mousasi
Ed Herman vs. Ronaldo Souza
This fight is déjà vu from Herman’s fight with Jake Shields at UFC 150. Herman is primarily a grappler, and again will be facing a superior grappler. He arguably has the better striking, but Souza’s striking is improving and he clearly possess a great deal of power in his punches, his knockout of Derek Brunson is proof of that. However, even if Herman has the edge in the stand up, Souza’s Jiu-Jitsu will be Herman’s demise. Jake Shields has been criticized for having feeble wrestling, and Herman had his work cut out for him trying to avoiding Shields’ takedowns. One way or another, Souza will get the fight to the ground, and when he does, the inevitable submission will come.
Pick : Ronaldo Souza
Quick Picks
Pat Healy vs. Kurt Holobaugh – Pat Healy
Roger Gracie vs. Anthony Smith – Roger Gracie
Tim Kennedy vs. Trevor Smith – Tim Kennedy
Ryan Couture vs. K.J. Noons – Ryan Couture
Jorge Gurgel vs. Adriano Martins – Adriano Martins
Nobody should miss this year’s World MMA Award show, so mark January 11th on the calendar. Any event hosted by Chael Sonnen is bound to entertaining and this event will be no exception. The.
Nobody should miss this year’s World MMA Award show, so mark January 11th on the calendar. Any event hosted by Chael Sonnen is bound to entertaining and this event will be no exception. The nominees have been announced and fortunately, they all seem worthy of being on the list. Now while I usually make predictions for the winner, I’ll be selecting the nominee that I feel is the most deserving of the award. Let’s face it, voters don’t always get it right.
Comeback of the Year
– Alan Belcher (career)
– Mike Swick (career)
– Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (UFC 140)
– Tim Boetsch vs. Yushin Okami (UFC 144)
– J.P. Joubert vs. Norman Wessels (EFC Africa 15)
All the nominees have such a strong argument as to why they should win. For me it’s a toss up between Tim Boetsch and his comeback win over Yushin Okami, or J.P. Joubert and his comeback over Norman Wessels. It all comes down to who was being dominated more until they ultimately turned the fight in their favor. Although I doubt it will get the necessary votes in order to win, it should go to J.P. Joubert, who was outclassed by Norman Wessels for ninety five percent of the fight. Although there were parts of the fight that weren’t necessarily exciting, Joubert was being outclassed just the same. Eventually he was able to land a combination that hurt Wessels, which gave him the adrenalin boost needed to unleash a relentless combination of punches until Wessels dropped to the canvas. One could make the argument that Tim Boetsch was in the same scenario, but unlike Joubert, Boetsch controlled the third round from the very beginning and continued to do so until he found the knockout. In other words, Yushin Okami wasn’t as dominate over Boetsch as Norman Wessels was over Joubert before the comeback.
Pick : J.P. Joubert vs. Norman Wessels (EFC Africa 15)
Submission of the Year
– Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (UFC 140)
– Charles Oliveira vs. Eric Wisely (UFC on FOX 2)
– Rousimar Palhares vs. Mike Massenzio (UFC 142)
– Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate (Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey)
– Chan Sung Jung vs. Dustin Poirier (UFC on FUEL TV 3)
I have to dismiss three nominees for several reasons. Chan Sung Jung’s submission over Dustin Poirier was impressive, but it was a fight he was clearly in control of. It was almost as if the crowd was just waiting for the submission to come, or for Poirier to have a tremendous comeback. Charles Oliveira’s submission over Eric Wisely was the same scenario. He was clearly controlling the fight and submitted Wisely with a calve slicer while taking his back. Rousimar Palhares had yet another fast leg lock submission, like he always does, one reason I doubt he’ll get the votes to win. For me, it’s between Ronda Rousey’s armbar win over Miesha Tate and Frank Mir’s Kimura win over Antonio Nogueira; two astounding submissions that literally broke bones. I won’t complain if either of the two win, but in my eyes, Frank Mir is more deserving. Not only is Mir’s win nominee for comeback of the year, which always makes his submission win that much more impressive, but he submitted one of the most decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners in MMA. It’s the only time Nogueria has ever been submitted, and that alone is more than enough reason for Mir to be the most deserving of submission of the year.
Pick : Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (UFC 140)
Knockout of the Year
– Adam Khaliev vs. Alexei Belyaev (League S-70)
– Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim (UFC 142)
– Stephen Thompson vs. Dan Stittgen (UFC 143)
– Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon (UFC 144)
– Brian Rogers vs. Vitor Vianna (Bellator 61)
I had originally thought that Edson Barboza’s insane wheel kick knockout was not only the greatest UFC knockout, but also the most impressive knockout in MMA. While I still think Barboza’s aspiring kick is the most impressive UFC knockout to date, Adam Khaliev’s Tornado kick knockout was equally as stellar, and even more flashy. I give my pick to the slightly more flashy kick from Khaliev. One thing for sure, these two nominees are the only obvious options. If any other nominee wins the award, it will be the perfect example of biased opinion and favoritism.
Pick : Adam Khaliev vs. Alexei Belyaev (League S-70)
Fight of the Year
– Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (UFC 139)
– Michael Chandler vs. Eddie Alvarez (Bellator 58)
– Jake Ellenberger vs. Diego Sanchez (UFC on FUEL TV 1)
– Dustin Poirier vs. Chan Sung Jung (UFC on FUEL TV 3)
– Jamie Varner vs. Joe Lauzon (UFC on FOX 4)
Easiest category to pick a winner, in fact, everyone called this award winner the moment the fight was over. All are worthy nominees, but the UFC 139 main event produced one of the greatest and most memorable fights in UFC history. Dan Henderson vs. Shogun wasn’t just an epic fight, it’s one of those fights that can be watched over and over again. I will be absolutely shocked if this fight doesn’t end up winning fight of the year.
Pick : Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (UFC 139)
International fighter of the Year
– Michael Bisping
– Alexander Gustafsson
– Chan Sung Jung
– Martin Kampmann
– Stefan Struve
Bisping has a win, loss, win going for him, so the lack of consecutive wins prevents him from getting my vote. Kampmann had wins over elite fighters Thiago Alves, and Jake Ellenberger, but most fans consider those wins, nothing more than lucky combacks. On top of that, his fight with Ellenberger was extremely controversial due to multiple claims of an early stoppage. Had Kampmann won his most recent fight against Johnny Hendricks, I would’ve picked him to win the award hands down, but that’s not the case. Gustafsson’s win over Shogun is argument enough for him win. As if the win over Shogun wasn‘t impressive enough, his prior fight was a dominating victory over former elite light heavyweight, Thiago Silva. Chan Sung Jung was my first initial pick, his last two wins were over Mark Hominick, who was just coming off a title fight, and Dustin Poirier, who was possibly one win away from a title fight. The Korean Zombie finished both fights, and received a bonus award for each one. Stefan Struve has more wins in the contest timeline than all the other nominee, three of his four win were fight that I incorrectly predicted that he would lose. He has been the most well rounded in his fights, winning by knockout, and two different submissions . His last two fights were against two heavy handed up and comers, which Struve was able to derail their ride to the title. After winning and finishing more fights than the other nominees, and doing so in multiple ways, I consider Struve the most deserving of the title International fighter of the year.
Pick : Stefan Struve
Breakthrough Fighter of the Year
– Renan Barao
– Michael Chandler
– Luke Rockhold
– Ronda Rousey
– Chris Weidman
This award will be closely contested, because all five nominee has three wins during the contest timeline, and four of the nominees won the title during this time. Had Weidman not beaten Mark Munoz, he wouldn’t be on the list, and I don’t consider Munoz as highly ranked as others did during the time of their fight. For Chandler and Rockhold, they took the belt from fighters, who at the time, were ranked in the top ten of their weight classes. However, their first title defenses were against fighters who were nowhere near deserving of a title fight. Rousey had three first round armbar wins, very impressive, but most people were picking her to armbar Miesha Tate to win the belt. No other female fighter, has been seen as truly dominate. Barao faced Brad Pickett in his UFC debut, talk about a tough first fight, but he won in the first round via submission. He picked apart Scott Jorgensen and did the same to Urijah Faber. Barao has faced and beaten three elite fighters, beating Faber has given him an achievement that makes him my choice for breakthrough fighter of the year.
Pick : Renan Barao
Female Fighter of the Year
– Jessica Aguilar
– Sarah Kaufman
– Sara McMann
– Ronda Rousey
– Miesha Tate
Ronda Rousey has beaten two of the nominees, both by first round armbar. She is a nominee for breakthrough fighter of the year and fighter of the year, there’s no reason for Rousey not to win female fighter of the year. The only other fighter that I can see even remotely deserving the award is Jessica Aguilar for her victory over Megumi Fujii, but still, not as impressive as Rousey.
Pick : Ronda Rousey
Fighter of the Year
– Daniel Cormier
– Benson Henderson
– Nate Diaz
– Jon Jones
– Ronda Rousey
After he refused to fight Chael Sonnen and had similar feelings for a rematch with Lyoto Machida, I’d rather not see Jon Jones win fighter of the year. However, as much as I hate to say it, I have to admit that he is the most deserving of the award. In four consecutive fights, Jones defeated four former champions, submitting three of them. None of the other nominees had faced the quality of opponents that Jones did. I’d like to see Cormier win, only because I don’t believe that Henderson deserves the award due to his two controversial fights with Frankie Edgar, two fights that I scored for Edgar. Henderson destroyed Diaz, so obviously, I won’t vote for Diaz. Bottom line, I have to be unbiased, and Jon Jones deserves the award based on his superior accomplishments in the octagon.
We are less than one week away from the biggest heavyweight fight in MMA history, where the two baddest men on the planet will meet in the octagon for the second time to compete for.
We are less than one week away from the biggest heavyweight fight in MMA history, where the two baddest men on the planet will meet in the octagon for the second time to compete for the heavyweight title. Velasquez will attempt to be only the second fighter in UFC history to get his belt back from the man who took it from him via knockout. The highly anticipated fight main event has fight of the year written all over it, but UFC 155 is stacked from top to bottom. Saturday night will welcome the return of heavy hitters, Chris Leben and Todd Duffee, and four middleweight contenders are looking to make the statement that they are serious about a title shot. The fights will be hard to call, but you can bet that this event will be anything but boring.
Chris Cariaso vs. John Moraga
Moraga was relatively unknown in his UFC debut, but had a brilliant knockout performance over former Bellator Fighting Championship competitor, Ulysses Gomez. Moraga has finished seven of his eleven wins, five by submission and two by knockout, his only career loss came at the hands of the current UFC flyweight number one contender, John Dodson. Cariaso is riding a three fight winning streak, but he could easily be 1-2 in his last three fights had the judging gone a different way. He won a split decision over Vaughn Lee, and won a decision over Takeya Mizugaki, which is considered to be one of the most controversial judge’s decision of the year. Moraga is far more proficient in his striking and ground game than Cariaso and should enjoy the advantage anywhere the fight takes place. Cariaso doesn’t possess that power or aggression to stop the inevitable knockout that Moraga will deliver.
Pick : John Moraga
Leonard Garcia vs. Max Holloway
Any fight that Garcia is in has fight of the night written all over it. This striker vs. striker match up is sure to please the fans, and win a bonus award of some kind. Garcia will be throwing haymakers like a mad man relentlessly headhunting for the knockout. His exceptional conditioning allows him to exert insane amounts of aggression and energy in his striking, but because of this style, his pace tends to slow later in the fight. In his the fight against Justin Lawrence, it was Holloway’s conditioning that won him the fight after Lawrence started to fade in the third round. From there, Holloway was able to push the pace, and put together a combination that dropped Lawrence to get the stoppage victory. Garcia doesn’t pace himself as intelligently as Holloway, but the fight could end early if Garcia connects with one of his wild punches. Holloway possess the crisp technical striking that will allow him to counter the wide looping punches that Garcia throws, and this will be the deciding factor in this fight. Holloway is too intelligent a fighter to be sucked into a brawl with Garcia, and should be elusive enough to avoid his wild swinging punches. Look for Holloway to pick his shots, land cleaner, and be the overall fresher fighter throughout the entire fight. Garcia has a heck of a chin, and has yet to be knocked out in his professional MMA career, so this fight should go the distance with Holloway getting his hand raised.
Pick : Max Holloway
Philip De Fries vs. Todd Duffee
This is the easiest fight to predict on the card, I’m picking Todd Duffee by first round knockout. Duffee has gone 1-1 since being cut by the UFC over two years ago, but I can’t hold the loss against him seeing it was at the hands of Alistair Overeem, who could possibly be the next challenger for the UFC heavyweight belt. All seven of Duffee’s wins have come by knockout, with six ending in the first round, and four of those fights ending in under one minute. His loss to Mike Russow was arguably the biggest comeback in not just MMA history, as far as I’m concerned, Duffee’s only real loss was to Overeem, which is nothing to be ashamed of. De Fries doesn’t possess the striking skills to hold his own on the feet and Duffee is too strong to be taken down, so De Fries potential jiu-jitsu advantage won‘t place a part in this fight. Duffee has the power to put anyone to sleep and De Fries is no exception. De Fries will be overwhelmed by Duffee’s striking and this fight won’t see the start of the second round.
Pick : Todd Duffee
Erik Perez vs. Byron Bloodworth
Bloodworth is coming off a loss to Mike Easton, where he was finished in the second round. He hasn’t fought in over a year and it’ll be tough to get the momentum going to overcome Perez and his well rounded skills. Perez is riding a seven fight win streak and hasfinished his last two fights in the first round. In his fight against John Albert, he showed his submission defense as he fought his way out of a triangle choke and reversed the position to have Albert defending a armbar attempt. There was much controversy in the way the fight ended as Albert never actually verbally submitted, but nonetheless, Perez showed a never say die attitude, excellent submission defense, and good Jiu-Jitsu of his own. After knocking out Ken Stone in only seventeen seconds in his most recent fight, I’m confident that he will find a way to get the victory no matter where the fight goes.
Pick : Erik Perez
Michael Johnson vs. Myles Jury
How did Jury land this fight? Johnson defeated Shane Roller, Tony Ferguson, and Danny Castillo in his last three fights, while Jury defeated Chris Saunders in his official UFC debut. Why is Johnson not fighting someone like Edson Barboza or Rafael dos Anjos? I’m not saying Jury has a snowball’s chance in Hell, but Joe Silva certainly gave Jury an early Christmas present that will catapult his career if he ends up pulling off a win. Again, I’m not saying it’s impossible, but Jury will have his work cut out for him. Johnson is a superior striker to Chris Saunders and Al Iaquinta, the two fighters that Jury has fought. Johnson out struck Tony Ferguson, defended Danny Castillo’s takedowns, and defended Shane Roller’s submission attempts. His last three fights have showcased the epitome of well rounded. Johnson will have advantages of experience, speed, conditioning, and power; Jury simply won’t be able to match Johnson’s pace and best case senario, will go on to lose a decision.
Pick : Michael Johnson
Melvin Guillard vs. Jamie Varner
It’ll be interesting to see how Guillard performs after being knocked out by “Cowboy” Cerrone at UFC 150. Prior to that fight, Guillard had never been knocked out, so this could potentially throw him off his mental game. Even though Guillard has come back from less than adequate performances to finish tough opponents, such as, Dennis Siver, Evan Dunham, and Shane Roller; having a strong performance after his first knockout loss will be his biggest challenge to date. Guillard’s strong points are obviously his striking and aggression, but Varner has solid boxing skills that he mixes with his wrestling, which he used to get the better of Ben Henderson and Joe Lauzon until he succumbed to a submission in both fights. Because the word jiu-jitsu probably isn’t even in Guillard’s vocabulary, Varner will take Guillard down at will and hold him there without any fear of being submitted. After seeing Varner destroy Edson Barboza, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was able to finish Guillard, but it’s more likely Varner out wrestles Guillard for all three rounds.
Pick : Jamie Varner
Brad Pickett vs. Eddie Wineland
Both these fighters are exceptionally well rounded and are coming off stellar knockout victories. The winner of this fight will have a strong argument to fight the winner of Renan Barao and Michael McDonald, or at least be next in line after Dominick Cruz. It’s difficult to say who has the superior wrestling, but I’m leaning towards Pickett. He out wrestled Demetrious Johnson and Damacio Page. Wineland and Urijah Faber were dead even in the wrestling at UFC 128, until Wineland started to fade in the second round and Faber was able to take over. Wineland was successful in knocking out Scott Jorgensen, but Jorgensen is primarily a wrestler. Pickett on the other hand, knocked out talented striker, Yves Jabouin, and went toe to toe with Renan Barao. The biggest deciding factor for me is the jiu-jitsu. Half of Wineland’s losses have been by submission while half of Pickett’s wins have been by submission. This fight is almost being set up for Pickett win by submission, and that’s exactly what I think will happen.
Pick : Brad Pickett
Chris Leben vs. Derek Brunson
Leben has to be eager to get back in the cage after his year long suspension. His time away from competing has me concerned that his performance could be hindered in this fight, but I’m betting he’ll be same the aggressive, heavy hitting fighter he was before his suspension. In his fight with Mark Munoz, Leben made it a very competitive fight and even took down the veteran wrestler. The fight was ultimately stopped due to a cut on Leben’s eyebrow that ceased his vision, but had the fight continued, no one knows what could’ve happened. Every extra second that goes by in a fight gives Leben a better chance to knockout his opponent. Brunson is a fairly well rounded fighter, but I was surprised when he was knocked out by Ronaldo Souza in forty one seconds, when Souza isn’t much of a threat on the feet. If Souza was able to catch Brunson, then you can be sure that Leben can do the same. If his time away from the octagon hinders his performance enough to prevent the knockout from happening, Leben will still win a decision by using his heavy hands and aggressive style.
Pick : Chris Leben
Alan Belcher vs. Yushin Okami
For me, this is the toughest fight to call on the entire card. This fight may be considered a striker vs. grappler match up, but both fighters have drastically developed on their secondary skills. Okami’s striking has improved leaps and bounds since his loss to Chael Sonnen, but has continued to improve, especially after his loss to middleweight king, Anderson Silva. In Belcher’s last fight, he practically challenged submission specialist, Rousimar Palhares, to a grappling match and came out on top. Both fighters should revert back to their primary styles in their fight with Okami being the better wrestler and Belcher having the superior striking. In order for Okami to implement his game plan, he will need to take Belcher down and use effective top control, something that Okami will have a heck of a time trying to accomplish. Belcher will be wise enough use his superior striking and footwork to avoid letting Okami initiate the clinch and work for a takedown. Belcher moves well and using angles in his kickboxing which will make Okami getting a hold of him more difficult and allow Belcher to score the significant points he needs to sway the judges decision in his favor.
Pick : Alan Belcher
Tim Boetsch vs. Costa Philippou
When Chris Weidman pulled out of the bout with Boetsch, Phillipou seized the opportunity to step in as a replacement. A victory over Boetsch will benefit him significantly more than one over Nick ring would, and could arguably put him within the top five of the UFC middleweight division. Philippou is riding a four fight winning streak over the likes of Jorge Rivera, Jared Hamman, Court McGee, and Riki Fukuda. He has looked impressive with his exceptional boxing and takedown down defense, and now he’s facing a step up in competition. Boetsch is 4-0 since dropping to middleweight, but under close examination, it becomes clear that his success hasn’t come without plenty of luck. Boetsch was completely outclassed by Yushin Okami for two rounds, but in the third round he caught Okami with big uppercuts that dropped him, and the ref had to intervene. His performance against Hector Lombard wasn’t all that impressive either. First off, I think Lomabrd should’ve gotten the nod in that fight, and Boetsch wasn’t showing any aggression until the final round. Luckily for him, Lombard didn’t look like his usual self that night and never landed any potential fight ending blows. If Boetsch allows Philippou to get comfortable with his striking, it will be lights out for Boetsch. Even if Boetsch comes out aggressive, Philippou’s excellent takedown defense will nullify Boetsch’s wrestling and he will land the more effective strikes in the exchanges. Boetsch‘s durability should get him through all three rounds, but Philippou will get the nod from the judges.
Pick : Costa Philippou
Joe Lauzon vs. Jim Miller
After his fights with Melvin Guillard and Jamie Varner, no fighter in the UFC lightweight division should be underestimating Joe Lauzon. He may only be a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu purple belt, but seventeen of his twenty two wins have been by submission. Lauzon utilizes a heavy Jiu-Jitsu style similar to that of advanced BJJ black belts. In addition to having good top control, he has the ability to submit any fighter off his back. Miller, who is BJJ black belt, has twelve wins by submission and combines aggressive wrestling to his style. Lauzon is not as talented a wrestler as Miller and will end up on the bottom when the fight hits the ground. Lauzon will use his active guard to muster up as much offense as possible, but the same the crafty moves that have finished Lauzon’s past opponents, won’t be enough to catch Miller. Miller has excellent top control that will stifle Lauzon’s Jiu-Jitsu and the judges will see Miller as the dominant ground fighter. Even for the moments that the fight stays on the feet, Miller will have the striking advantage, so no matter where this fight takes place, Miller will be comfortable. Because his Jiu-Jitsu is so good, I doubt Lauzon will be submitted, but he could very well succumb to a knockout in similar fashion to how Miller was able to finish Kamal Shalorus. Lauzon’s only real chance of winning is to catch Miller in a submission, which I don’t see happening. Even if Lauzon last the entire fight, Miller will go on to win a unanimous decision.
Pick : Jim Miller
Junior Dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez
Velasquez will have his work cut out for him as he attempts to be only the second fighter in UFC history to get his belt back from the man who took it from him via knockout. The only fighter in UFC history to successfully do so is Georges St-Pierre when he defeated Matt Serra at UFC 83. Carlos Newton, Randy Couture, Andrei Arlovski, Rich Franklin, BJ Penn, Frankie Edgar all have attempted the same, but were unsuccessful. Velasquez will have the advantage in most aspects of MMA, and has more than just a decent chance of recapturing the heavyweight title. The chin of the former champ can withstand plenty of punishment. In their first fight, it took Dos Santos three overhand rights that connected until he was able to stumble Velasquez, which set up the stoppage. Velasquez has the superior wrestling, and has the gas tank to go all five rounds. Whether or not the same can be said for the current champ is questionable, but he’s always just one punch away from a knockout victory. In their first fight, Velasquez was out landing Dos Santos early in the fight, ending all his combinations with leg kicks. If Velasquez can be as aggressive as he was against Antonio Silva, he will get Dos Santos down and rain down massive ground and pound that can potentially end the fight. Dos Santos’ best chance of success is to land flush with a big right hand, which will much harder to pull of the second time around. Velasquez will use much better head movement and footwork to insure that he won‘t suffer the same fate as last time, increasing his chances for victory either by TKO via ground and pound, or unanimous decision.
