Sam’s Picks
Main Card
Demetrious Johnson vs. John
Dodson: Speed; the one word that is surrounding this whole title fight. Who
will be the faster one? Who will have the advantage on the ground? These are
two most important factors entering the fight. And the man to have the advantage
in both is the champion, Demetrious Johnson. He has the better footwork,
wrestling, and submissions. Dodson has the power to knock anyone at featherweight
and under on their butt, but overall, Johnson is the more well-rounded fighter.
Keeping distance away and moving in and out of Dodson’s power punches with some
takedowns mixed in should be Johnson’s gameplan. It will be an extremely close
fight, but Johnson’s superior skills will earn him the nod = Johnson via unanimous decision (48-47).
My 3rd pick for FOTN!
Rampage Jackson vs. Glover
Teixeira: I really try not to fall into hype trains, and mostly fail, but I
don’t think that Teixeira is a hype train. He is a legitimate contender and can
defeat almost anybody at 205. A year ago, I would have picked Rampage hands
down, but his lack of motivation is a turn off. He said he was motivated
heading into his fight with Bader, but he was dominated. His heart just isn’t
in it anymore, and Teixeira is just heading into his prime = Teixeira via unanimous decision (30-26).
Donald Cerrone vs. Anthony
Pettis: BARNBURNER ALERT: When having two of the most entertaining guys in
MMA facing off, it typically leads to an amazing fight. When you add in the
fact that they really dislike each other and that there’s a title shot on the
line, you have yourselves a fight of the year in the works. That is exactly
what this fight is. Possibly the most interesting variable heading into this
fight is the fact that both of these guys are really good off their back. They
love the triangle and are very good at sweeps. One of Cerrone’s last outings
against Jeremy Stephens was arguably the most impressive Donald Cerrone that we
have ever seen, and he fought with a horrific intestinal problem. If you
compare the difference in both Pettis’ and Cerrone’s last fights with Jeremy
Stephens, it’s completely different. Pettis arguably lost to Jeremy and Cerrone
absolutely destroyed him. Though this is MMA and anything can happen, but
Cerrone is just too hard to bet against = Cerrone
via split decision. My 1st pick for FOTN!
Erik Koch vs. Ricardo Lamas:
I really, really hope that this is a number one contender’s bout. Lamas
derailed Hioki’s title hopes with a shocking (though not to me) decision win
over him. Koch is one of the more promising fighters in MMA today, possessing
rare finishing ability for a featherweight. Koch’s one blemish to his record
comes at the hands of Chad Mendes, a very strong wrestler. Guess what Lamas is.
Yep, a very strong wrestler, and arguably stronger than Mendes. Lamas could
possibly be the strongest featherweight in the UFC. Lamas’ last three wins are
much more impressive than Koch’s. Koch has beaten Francisco Rivera by 1st round
TKO (a bantamweight), Raphael Assuncao by 1st round KO (also a bantamweight),
and a debatable win over Jonathan Brookins (who is semi-retired at the moment).
Lamas murdered Matt Grice by 1st round TKO (a decent wrestler, nothing insane),
demolished Cub Swanson by second round arm triangle (who is on a three fight
win streak all by (T)KO) and an upset over former number 1 contender in Hatsu
Hioki. Also, Koch hasn’t fought in 15 months = Lamas via unanimous decision.
Prelims
TJ Grant vs. Matt Wiman: I’m
having a lot trouble picking between these two guys. Both have looked fantastic
lately against very solid competition. It’s fun to see two of the more
underrated guys in the UFC fight to finally become someone relevant in the
title picture. When breaking down the aspects of MMA, Grant has the advantage
overall. His striking is improving rapidly and looked great against Evan
Dunham, his wrestling is better and his submission game is very dangerous. Wiman
is a bit of a wild card though; he takes everyone by surprise, he certainly did
against Paul Sass in his last outing. With them being such similar fighters
talent-wise, I’m leaning towards the stronger fighter = Grant via split decision. My 2nd pick for
FOTN!
Hatsu Hioki vs. Clay Guida: I
don’t really see as to why people are having so much trouble predicting this
fight. The last person that Hioki fought was Ricardo Lamas, a strong and
powerful wrestler with solid striking. Guida is a strong and powerful wrestler
with fantastic striking. Hioki has looked terrible in the UFC thus far (minus
his fight with Palaszewski, he looked fantastic) and Guida is almost a better
version of Lamas = Guida via unanimous
decision.
Ryan Bader vs. Vladimir
Matyushenko: I love Matyushenko but his days are quickly coming to an end.
He can’t hang with solid fighters anymore. Bader is still a contender and he
will rebound from his last loss to Machida with a violent KO, or a grinding
decision = Bader via 1st round KO. MY pick for KOOTN!
Mike Russow vs. Shawn Jordan:
Even though Jordan’s last fight with Kongo was truly one of the worst fights
that my eyes have ever beheld, he is still an exciting prospect. He is crazy
athletic for a heavyweight, which is always a plus in MMA. Russow is a very
different fighter though. He isn’t particularly athletic, but he knows how to
get the job done. His superior grappling will grind Jordan out to a decision
win. I just hope the UFC keeps Jordan around to show his potential = Russow via unanimous decision.
Pascal Krauss vs. Mike Stumpf = Krauss via 1st round submission
(armbar). My pick for FOTN!
Rafael Natal vs. Sean Spencer = Natal via 3rd round submission.
David Mitchell vs. Simeon Thoresen = Thoresen via unanimous decision.
Dave's Picks
Main Card
Demetrious Johnson vs. John
Dodson: This will be the fastest fight any of us will ever see. These guys
might be the fastest fighters in MMA, but I think this fight will be pretty
similar to Johnson vs. Benavidez. I see Johnson outwrestling Dodson due to
being the faster fighter and having the better wrestling. I do think Dodson will
be stronger and have more punching power but other than that I think Johnson
has every advantage. This will be close, just like every Johnson fight, but the
champ will take it due to superior wrestling and speed. = Johnson by unanimous decision.
Quinton Jackson vs. Glover
Teixeira: This fight should be a brawl. Glover is going to kill Rampage and
it’s going to be awesome. Rampage has been easily handled in his last two
fights and hasn’t fought in 11 months. Glover hasn’t lost since 2005…and is
coming off of two huge wins in the UFC. Be prepared to see a legend of the sport
get totally outclassed on the feet and on the ground. This will be brutal and
if you are a Rampage fan, this is the fight for you to go to the kitchen and
grab another slice of pizza until you hear Goldy say “It’s all over!” = Glover by submission in round 2. My Pick for Submission of the Night!
Donald Cerrone vs. Anthony
Pettis: Definitely my pick for Fight of the Night! These guys are elite
kick boxers and good on the ground. This fight will be incredibly fun to watch
but very hard to predict. Pettis has shown a weakness to strikers and wrestlers
who are aggressive and have good submission defense. (Stephens, Guida, Ben
Henderson, Palaszewski). Cerrone can struggle against strikers who are diverse
in their attacks (like Ben Henderson, Nate Diaz) and Pettis is incredibly
diverse in his attack. Pettis hasn’t fought in almost a year and Cerrone’s camp
(Jackson) has been studying Pettis for some time now. This is so hard to pick
but I’m going with the Jackson camp. = Cerrone
by split decision. My Pick for Fight of the Night!
Erik Koch vs. Ricardo Lamas:
This is another possible Fight of the Night candidate. Sam and I were the only
people picking Lamas against Hioki and he ended up beating him handily. Koch
has his work cut out for him due to the fact that Lamas is one hell of a
wrestler. Koch’s only loss is to a wrestler (Chad Mendes). My only concern in
picking Lamas is that his two loses have been by KO. Koch has the ability to KO
anyone at 145 pounds. I think the safer bet is to always go with the fighter
most likely to control the fight then it is to pick the fighter that might have
a chance at a KO = Lamas by unanimous
decision.
Prelims
T.J. Grant vs. Matt Wiman:
This fight should be an awesome one as well. Grant should have the better
wrestling and striking but Wiman definitely has the better submissions and
fight IQ. I think Grant can use his superior size advantage to bully Wiman for
3 rounds but I wouldn’t be shocked if Wiman found a way to win. Both of these
guys are highly underrated and I can’t wait to see this one. = Grant by unanimous decision.
Clay Guida vs. Hatsu Hioki:
This fight depends solely on Hioki’s takedown defense and submission offense. I
see Guida pushing the pace and roughing Hioki up against the fence while Hioki
tries to find a submission. This is a very hard fight to pick but I just have
not been impressed with Hioki at all since he joined the UFC = Guida by split decision.
Ryan Bader vs. Vladimir
Matyushenko: This fight should be exciting. I am a huge fan of both guys. I
think Bader will just be too big and strong for Vlad. I think that Vlad has the
chance to KO Bader but I believe Bader will out wrestle Vlad for a decision win
= Bader by unanimous decision.
Shawn Jordan vs. Mike Russow = Jordan by TKO in round 2. My Pick for KO of the Night!
Pascal Krauss vs. Mike Stumpf = Krauss by unanimous decision.
Rafael Natal vs. Sean Spencer = Natal by split decision.
David Mitchell vs. Simeon Thoresen = Thoresen by unanimous decision.
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