Sam’s Picks
Main Card
Junior
dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez:
Man is this card insanely stacked. I seriously cannot wait for every single
fight on this card. But for the main event, I’m having a lot of trouble picking
this one. Well, I know who I’m going with but I’m not all that confident.
Following their first fight on the first card on Fox, I felt as though dos
Santos would be the Anderson Silva of the heavyweight division, but after
Cain’s last fight with Bigfoot Silva, I don’t know. We all know that Velasquez
came into their first fight with a really bad knee injury, but he still didn’t
ever go in for the takedown, except one measly attempt. Junior’s takedown
defense is insanely good; he hasn’t been taken down his whole UFC career. Cain has
been saying that he will be going for the takedowns, which is a good thing to
know, but how much has JDS’ already amazing takedown defense improved since
their first encounter? How will JDS’ submission game look if Cain does get him
to the ground? There are so many unknown variables heading into this main
event, but I’m sticking with the man I went with back in November of last year
= JDS via 3rd round KO. My pick for KOOTN!
Jim
Miller vs. Joe Lauzon:
If you’re looking for a matchup that is bound for Fight of the Year, this is
your fight. Believe it or not, but Lauzon has the most post-fight bonuses in
UFC history. He has even more than Anderson Silva. Miller is a similar fighter
in the fact that he always puts on great fights and is one of the toughest
fighters in the UFC. Lauzon, who is coming off of a Fight of the Year candidate
win over Jamie Varner, will always be looking for the submission. Miller is
very well rounded, but is almost impossible to submit. Miller will be the
stronger fighter and have the better striking. Miller is the man to go with = Miller via unanimous decision. My 3rd pick for FOTN!
Tim
Boetsch vs. Costa Philippou:
This fight is another difficult one to predict. Now, I’m going to be completely
honest, Tim Boetsch is not an elite fighter. His skills are mediocre, there’s
no two ways about it. Costa has elite boxing, though many would probably
disagree. Boetsch, though, has been showing crazy luck in his last fights with
Okami and Lombard, with catching Okami and having Lombard come in injured. For
Costa, after his debut against Nick Catone (which he took on very short
notice), he has been lighting up the middleweight’s mid-tier fighters. It’s now
time for his step up and he is going to make the most of it with superior
striking and takedown defense = Philippou
via unanimous decision.
Yushin
Okami vs. Alan Belcher:
Speaking of Yushin Okami, he will be re-matching Alan Belcher, looking to make
it 2-0. The problem with that is Belcher is a completely different fighter
since their first encounter. Ever since his horrible almost-career-ending
injury, Belcher has been absolutely red hot, running through both Jason
MacDonald and Rousimar Palhares. Okami has been a tad cold lately though,
losing to Anderson Silva and Boetsch and then looking very lackluster against
Buddy Roberts. Not a lot of people have been saying it but Okami’s career could
be reaching its end while Belcher is just piquing. Belcher is the guy to go
with = Belcher via 2nd round
TKO.
Chris
Leben vs. Derek Brunson:
I haven’t seen the betting lines for this one, but I know that it’s going to be
almost comically in favor for Leben. Don’t be mistaken though, Brunson has the
fighting style to beat Leben: strong wrestling and smothering attack. The
problem is the fact that Brunson has a questionable chin, and that isn’t
something you want in a fight with Leben. I want to go with Brunson, but Leben
is obviously the safer pick = Leben via
1st round KO.
Prelims
Brad
Pickett vs. Eddie Wineland:
BARNBURNER ALERT - This is the type of fight that makes me love Joe Silva on a
creepy level. Brad Pickett has never been in a boring fight and Wineland is
very similar and is looking to make a resurgence in his career. I’m guessing
that a majority of this fight will take place on the feet, which will make it a
speed vs. power striking match. Wineland has some of the best power at
bantamweight and Pickett is lightning fast. Wineland has shown that he has
trouble with speed in his fights with Urijah Faber and Joseph Benavidez. Speed
is what is going to make a difference in this fight = Pickett via split decision. My 1st
pick for FOTN!
Erik
Perez vs. Byron Bloodworth:
This is a gimme fight for Perez. The UFC sees a ton of potential in him and
they are going to make him 3-0 in the Octagon = Perez via 1st round submission.
Jamie
Varner vs. Melvin Guillard:
Oh dear lord am I looking forward to this fight. Ever since Varner’s return to
the UFC, he has looked great despite his loss to Lauzon, where he even had a
lot of good moments. Guillard is the type of fighter that has shown tons of
greatness in his fights but his ground game has always been his downfall.
Varner has a great ground game and after an incredible slugfest, Varner will
submit him with Guillard’s arch nemesis = Varner
via 2nd round RNC. My 2nd pick for FOTN!
My pick for SOTN!
Michael
Johnson vs. Myles Jury:
I don’t like this fight for two reasons. First, I wanted a big step up for
Johnson after his last knockout win over Danny Castillo. Second, Jury has a ton
of potential and this is not a good fight for him. Johnson is too big and
strong. They are both very well rounded fighters but Johnson is better in all
facets of MMA = Johnson via unanimous
decision.
Phil
de Fries vs. Todd Duffee:
Ah, the return of the Duffman. I was both very surprised and extremely happy to
hear of his return, but he hasn’t exactly been given an easy task. De Fries is
a good fighter and is well rounded, but he has a questionable chin. Duffee has
insane power and I see him finishing this fight early = Duffee via 1st round KO.
John
Moraga vs. Chris Cariaso:
The fact that this fight is on Facebook prelims makes me enraged. This is a
potential number one contender match! What is the UFC doing making this so
basically no one watches it? Moraga is coming off of a stunning upset first
round KO over Ulysses Gomez and Cariaso is coming off of a very dominant
decision win over Josh Ferguson. Moraga is mainly known for his wrestling as he
is NCAA wrestling but looked devastating in the standup game against Gomez.
Cariaso is hard to describe. I can’t tell if he is really well rounded or is
just flat out mediocre in all facets of MMA. But I’m with the guy who I
personally think has the best chance of defeating Demetrious Johnson = Moraga via unanimous decision.
Max
Holloway vs. Leonard Garcia:
Want to know the best way on how to beat Leonard Garcia? Footwork and striking
down the pipe. Holloway has some of the most technical boxing in the UFC’s
featherweight division while Leonard is the complete opposite. Saying that he throws
fastballs is an understatement. Holloway will pick him apart and will show the
world that is a future champion = Holloway
via unanimous decision.
Dave’s Picks
Main Card
Junior
dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez:
Who doesn’t want to see this fight? You would have to be dead not to get
excited. This fight, just like the first one, could go two ways: JDS KO’s Cain or Cain out-grapples JDS for a
decision win. I think the first scenario is more likely because it already
happened and JDS has never been taken down…EVER. I would not be shocked if Cain
won because his wrestling is top notch but the safer pick here is JDS. = JDS by TKO in round 2. My Pick for KO of the Night!
Jim
Miller vs. Joe Lauzon:
Another amazing fight. Lauzon’s submission game is as deadly as they come but
his cardio, striking, and wrestling are way beneath Miller’s level. Miller also
has great submissions and submission defense along with everything else. I see
Miller avoiding the takedowns and submissions and out striking Lauzon to a
decision. Don’t blink for this one. = Miller
by unanimous decision. My Pick for Fight of the
Night!
Tim
Boetsch vs. Constantinos Philippou:
This is the hardest fight to pick for me. Boetsch has been on a tear defeating
top notch fighters and Philippou has been beating mid-tier guys. However,
Boetsch in reality is really a mid-tier guy. Philippou is good at getting
people to fight his fight. Not sure who will win this won but it should be fun
to watch. = Boetsch by split decision.
Yushin
Okami vs. Alan Belcher:
This fight should be very interesting. Okami has looked terrible as of late. He
was doing well against Boetsch but got sloppy and was finished. Belcher’s
striking is far above Boetsch’s and I believe will be the deciding factor.
Belcher will be able to easily out-strike Okami. Okami will have the better
wrestling but Belcher grappling defense should prove to be good enough to still
defeat Okami handily. Watch for Belcher to dominate and then callout Anderson
Silva in his post-fight interview. = Belcher
by TKO in round 2.
Chris
Leben vs. Derek Brunson:
Can’t believe this fight made it on the main card instead of Pickett vs.
Wineland but whatever. Brunson’s chin is suspect (got KO’d by Jacare) and Leben
is…well…Leben = Leben by TKO in round 1.
Prelims
Brad
Pickett vs. Eddie Wineland:
Oh man this fight is just too good. I like both these guys a lot. I cannot wait
for this one. This will be a standup battle that will prove to be a FOTN
candidate. Pickett has the better technique and Wineland probably has more
power but I think Pickett also has more speed and that beats Wineland 2-1. I
think this fight will be close but Pickett just has a more diverse striking
game. = Pickett by unanimous decision.
Erik
Perez vs. Byron Bloodworth:
Perez is one of the brightest prospects in the UFC and will destroy Bloodworth.
Watch for this one to end quickly = Perez
by submission in round 1.
Melvin
Guillard vs. Jamie Varner:
Man, am I happy this fight is finally happening. I see this fight being exactly
like Melvin’s fight against Jim Miller: Varner takes it to the ground and
chokes him out early. Varner has the better wrestling and good enough
submissions to finish Guillard without much resistance. = Varner by submission in round 1. My Pick
for Submission of the Night!
Michael
Johnson vs. Myles Jury:
Jury is a talented kid but I don’t believe he will amount to a whole lot in the
UFC. Johnson has completely turned his career around and is now a deadly
fighter at 155. I see Johnson winning this fight everywhere it goes. = Johnson by unanimous decision.
Todd
Duffee vs. Phil de Fries:
Glad to see Duffee back in the UFC. He is a monster with potential and I hope
that he can develop into the force I think he is. Phil, on the other hand, is an
okay fighter. His ground game is good but his striking is atrocious. Duffee
will out-strike him and deflect takedown attempts. = Duffee by unanimous decision.
John Moraga vs.
Chris Cariaso: Sam is in love with Moraga but I need a little more convincing
to crown him the next best thing at 125. Cariaso is a good fighter but he has
trouble finishing people and that is what will kill him in the end. Moraga is a
bulldozer and will eventually find an opening and will capitalize on it. = Moraga by TKO in round 3.
Max
Holloway vs. Leonard Garcia:
I love this fight. Holloway will be able to show the world he is ready for
bigger names. Holloway’s striking is so good for his age that it doesn’t even
make sense. Garcia is just too sloppy and will be eating punches coming down
the pipe all night. All Holloway has to do is not play Garcia’s game and he
will be fine. = Holloway by unanimous
decision.
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