Sam’s Picks
Main Card
Stefan Struve vs. Stipe Miocic: The betting lines for this
fight are really surprising me. Everyone is thinking that Miocic is going to
absolutely destroy Struve and basically knock him out in the first round. I
really don't see that happening. Struve, as I said before (Dark Horse article here), is one of the most underrated fighters in the UFC. Because he has
lost a few fights by KO, people are instantly saying he has a horrible chin.
Although he doesn't have a good chin, it isn't as bad as people make it out to
be. Now, Miocic is amazingly well rounded. Being a well established collegiate
wrestler and a gold gloves boxing champion. That's impressive to say the least.
But Struve has been fighting extremely smart as of late, bringing it to the
ground when he needs to, which is clearly his strong suit. One huge weakness
that I have seen in Miocic is his conditioning; it's subpar. In the Joey
Beltran fight, he started to drastically slow down in the later rounds. If he
does that, Struve will take him down and submit him. But I even see Struve
doing that earlier, rather than later = Struve via 2nd round submission
(armbar). My pick for SOTN!
Dan Hardy vs. Amir Sadollah: Dan Hardy finally gets to fight
in front of his hometown of Nottingham, England. I'm looking forward to this
fight more than I thought I would. Dan Hardy looked awesome in his last fight
in his vicious KO win over Duane Ludwig. And Amir Sadollah looked horrible in
his last fight with Jorge Lopez. Dan should easily win this fight = Hardy via
1st round TKO.
John Hathaway vs. John Maguire: This is an interesting fight
to me. Two young, promising British welterweights looking to establish
themselves as title contenders. Hathaway has a clear advantage in the standup,
but Maguire has a slight advantage in the ground game, specifically with
submissions. Maguire has sweet submissions but Hathaway has a solid top game.
This is pretty hard to pick but I'm going with what makes more sense = Hathaway
via unanimous decision.
Brad Pickett vs. Yves Jabouin: BARNBURNER ALERT - Before I
start talking about this fight itself, I just want to say that I love the way
that Pickett fights. He puts everything on the line every time he goes out
there. He seems to always be in the FOTN every time he's out there. Anyway, I
think this is a very easy fight to pick. Jabouin may have a slight advantage in
the technical aspect of striking but everywhere else, Pickett has the
advantage. Especially in the submissions = Picket via 3rd round submission
(guillotine). My 1st pick for FOTN!
Paul Sass vs. Matt Wiman: I am really looking forward to
what Paul Sass can do in the future. He has looked unstoppable since being
signed to the UFC. I'm also a fan of people who pull guard, and finish the
fight. But Matt Wiman may be way too big of a step up. Wiman is a legitimate
title contender and Sass' biggest win has been over Jacob Volkmann, who isn't
anywhere near Wiman's level. I see Wiman winning everywhere the fight goes =
Wiman via unanimous decision.
Che Mills vs. Duane Ludwig: Mills is one of the most
promising welterweights in the UFC. He holds some insane power. I mean, like
crazy power. That is what is going to win him the fight. I love Ludwig, but his
career is starting to close in on him fast = Mills via 1st round KO. My pick
for KOOTN!
Prelims
Kyle Kingsbury vs. Jimi Manuwa = Manuwa via 1st round TKO.
Andy Ogle vs. Akira Corassani = Ogle via 3rd round
submission (RNC). My 3rd pick for FOTN! (Interview here)
Tom Watson vs. Brad Tavares = Watson via unanimous decision.
My 2nd pick for FOTN!
DaMarques Johnson vs. Gunnar Nelson = Nelson via 1st round
submission (arm).
Robbie Peralta vs. Jason Young = Young via split decision.
Dave’s Picks
Main Card
Stefan Struve vs. Stipe Miocic: Oh man I can’t wait for this
one. Struve has never had a boring fight and Stipe is a bruiser. Everyone knows
I am a huge Struve fan and when he fights smart and puts all of his tools
together, he can beat anyone in the world. He is still super young and his
height and reach advantage are huge. Stipe is also another very exciting young
fighter with decent wrestling and striking power. I see Struve playing it smart
and trying to keep his distance using his sizable reach advantage and eventually
taking it to the ground and finishing Stipe. = Struve by submission in round 2.
My Pick for Submission of the Night!
Dan Hardy vs. Amir Sadollah: Hardy is coming off of a huge,
and much needed, win and is fighting at home for the first time in years. Sadollah
has never impressed me at all for one second. He is super funny and I like
reading his tweets but Hardy is going to hand him his pink slip. = Hardy by TKO
in round 2. My Pick for KO of the Night!
John Hathaway vs. John Maguire: This fight will show us a
lot about their futures in the UFC. Both of them are talented young guys with the
possibility of doing some big things. I think this one will be a stinker
though. I see Hathaway controlling a long boring fight and ending up with the W.
= Hathaway by unanimous decision.
Brad Pickett vs. Yves Jabouin: Awesome fight! This fight
will be sick and filled with tons of striking. I think Pickett will out-point
Jabouin and maybe even finish him after landing a huge combo. Look for this one
to set Pickett up for another huge contender match. = Pickett by unanimous
decision. My Pick for Fight of the Night!
Paul Sass vs. Matt Wiman: I agree with Sam that Sass is
great but not ready for Wiman. If Wiman fights smart and safe he will easily
win this one. However, if Sass wins, especially by submission, he will be ready
for the big names. This fight should be fun. = Wiman by unanimous decision.
Che Mills vs. Duane Ludwig: Che Mills hits with a ton of
force and Ludwig’s chin is gone. I’m a huge “Bang” fan but Mills is going to
light him up. = Mills by KO in round 1.
Prelims
Kyle Kingsbury vs. Jimi Manuwa = Manuwa by TKO in round 3.
Andy Ogle vs. Akira Corassani = Ogle by unanimous decision.
(Interview here)
Tom Watson vs. Brad Tavares = Watson by split decision.
DaMarques Johnson vs. Gunnar Nelson = Nelson by split decision.
Robbie Peralta vs. Jason Young = Peralta by unanimous decision.
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