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Sam's Picks
Main Card
Renan Barao vs. Michael McDonald: A fight between the two
brightest and most entertaining stars in the UFC? I’m down, but it’s not going
to be as close as we are hoping it to be. Despite McDonald’s incredible power
for a bantamweight, Barao is the superior fighter everywhere it goes. His
technique and speed is unmatched by many fighters at 135 and his ground game is
probably the best at bantamweight, or at least his BJJ. We have to really see
what McDonald’s ground game is like as his standup has been putting many of his
opponents unconscious early. Barao will be able to pick McDonald apart on the feet
for a majority of the fight. If he is able to avoid the power punches, a late
submission could be in the works for Barao = Barao via 5th round submission
(choke). My 2nd pick for FOTN!
Cub Swanson vs. Dustin Poirier: Early fight of the year
candidate? Absolutely. Hard fight to pick the winner of? Yes, and no. I have
picked against Swanson in his last 3 fights, only for him to knockout his last
three opponents. Dustin has been look progressively worse in his last three
fights: losing the standup game to a promotional newcomer, being submitted by
the underdog in Chan Sung Jung, and almost being finished by Jonathan Brookins.
Though he has gone 2-1 in those fights, Poirier is still a growing fighter. He
needs more time to grow before becoming a title contender. Swanson is hitting
his prime right now in his career. Because Poirier was nearly knocked out in
his last fight against Brookins, I think that’s what Swanson will do = Swanson
via 2nd round TKO. My 1st pick for FOTN!
Jimi Manuwa vs. Cyrille Diabate: I’m a fan of Jimi Manuwa. I
love to watch him fight and I look forward to his UFC career. But he
desperately needs to work on his conditioning. The only reason he got the
finish over Kingsbury in his last fight was because of a swollen eye. Diabate
looked absolutely fantastic in his last bout over Griggs, but I feel as though
it was more Griggs looking atrocious and Diabate taking advantage of that. Diabate has the technique advantage while
Manuwa will have a huge power advantage. I see Manuwa winning two of the three rounds
with Diabate showing holes in Manuwa’s game = Manuwa via unanimous decision.
Gunnar Nelson vs. Jorge Santiago: It’s a shame that someone
like Jorge Santiago just simply can’t find his groove inside the UFC. His
record of 1-4 is very under-average and doesn’t do his skills a justice. But
Gunnar Nelson, now that is a name that casual fans need to remember. His BJJ is
some of the best in the UFC. Santiago
also has spectacular BJJ but Nelson is on another level. We saw what happened
when Santiago fought someone who
was the better grappler in Maia: he lost by decision. Though Nelson isn’t as good
as Maia, I still predict a similar outcome = Nelson via unanimous decision.
James Te Huna vs. Ryan Jimmo: I love this fight. They are
two of the more exciting prospects in the UFC looking to send themselves into
contention. Though they are both big power punchers, but there is a difference
in how they find that big punch. Te Huna is a blitzer; he goes right after his
opponent with combinations aplenty looking for the knockout. Jimmo measures more and
takes his time when looking for that finishing shot. Both guys have amazing
chins and are pretty good grapplers. I think Te Huna’s blitzing style is what is
going to win him this fight = Te Huna via unanimous decision. My 3rd
pick for FOTN!
Che Mills vs. Matt Riddle: I have got to say, Matt Riddle
has really impressed me lately. He looked really good against Chris Clements
(despite the fact that it was overturned due to marijuana) and showed a more
measured fighting style against John Maguire. But Mills is on a different level
to that of both Clements and Maguire. His standup is devastating. He hits so
hard that it’s hard to watch. Mills will continually hurt Riddle until he gets
the finish = Mills via 2nd round KO. My pick for KOOTN!
Terry Etim vs. Renee Forte = Etim via 1st round
submission (armbar).
Paul Sass vs. Danny Castillo = Sass via 1st round
submission (triangle). My pick for SOTN!
Josh Grispi vs. Andy Ogle = Grispi via split decision.
Stanislav Nedkov vs. Tom Watson = Nedkov via 2nd round
submission (arm triangle).
Vaughan Lee vs. Motonobu Tezuka = Lee via unanimous
decision.
Ulysses Gomez vs. Phil Harris = Gomez via 3rd
round submission (choke).
Dave’s Picks
Main Card
Renan Barao vs. Michael McDonald: McDonald is a great young fighter with a huge future ahead of him, but outside of a “puncher’s chance”, he is not going to come close to winning this. Barao is an animal who is a better athlete and is far above McDonald’s skill level in every facet of the game. I see Barao controlling the fight and not getting too risky, but if he hurts McDonald at all, he will pounce and finish it. = Barao by unanimous decision.
Dustin Poirier vs. Cub Swanson: Possible fight of the year candidate in this one. Swanson has been improving by leaps and bounds lately and seems to be taking out good competition rather easily. Poirier is always a gamer but the main difference in this fight for me is Cub’s fight IQ as of late. He is a Jackson’s fighter and it has been showing. Poirier is a great fighter but his recklessness will hurt him in this one. I see Poirier getting sloppy and Cub sneaking in an opening and dropping Poirier. = Cub by TKO in round 2. My Pick for Fight of the Night!
Cyrille Diabate vs. Jimi Manuwa: If it wasn’t for the Swanson vs. Poirier fight, this would be my pick for Fight of the Night! This fight will be an all out technical striking match. The main differences in this fight are the facts that Diabate’s chin will not be able to handle Manuwa’s power and speed. Manuwa will be much faster, stronger but Diabate will have a major reach disadvantage. If Diabate wants to win, he must keep Manuwa as far away as possible. But I see Manuwa using leg kicks and speed to be able to cut down on Diabate’s footwork and mobility. This will be a close one but don’t be surprised if Manuwa pulls off a huge KO. = Manuwa by unanimous decision.
Gunnar Nelson vs. Jorge Santiago: Always good to see Jorge back in the UFC. He is an exciting fighter who can be brilliant at times. Nelson is going to be a very tough test for Jorge. Nelson is extremely well rounded and is a finisher in every sense of the word. Jorge has a chance to come back and win this by playing it smart and not getting into any ugly scrambles, but Gunnar is a young brute and he will find a way to win. = Nelson by unanimous decision.
Ryan Jimmo vs. James Te Huna: Oh boy, this is a treat. Minus his last fight, Jimmo is a slow starter that plots around looking for an opening to land bombs. That will not be the case this time as Te Huna will blitz him like he always does. Jimmo will be forced out of his comfort zone and I don’t think he will like this fight one bit. I see Te Huna being too much for Jimmo and later on catching him. = Te Huna by TKO in round 3.
Che Mills vs. Matthew Riddle: Riddle’s boxing is very strange and not all that effective. That is what will lose him this fight against Mills. Mills has great striking abilities. Mill will land early and often until Riddle is out cold. = Mills by KO in round 2. My Pick for KO of the Night!
Prelims
Terry Etim vs. Renee Forte = Etim by submission in round 1.
Danny Castillo vs. Paul Sass = Sass by submission in round 2. My Pick for Submission of the Night!
Josh Grispi vs. Andy Ogle = Grispi by unanimous decision.
Stanislav Nedkov vs. Tom Watson = Nedkov by split decision.
Vaughan Lee vs. Motonobu Tezuka = Lee by submission in round 2.
Ulysses Gomez vs. Phil Harris = Gomez by split decision.
Let us know your predictions either on Twitter @Champion_Rounds or in the comments.
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