UFC on Fuel TV 7 Predictions

Make sure to tune onto Facebook at 12 PM ET and to Fuel at 3 PM ET for this event.

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 5^th round submission (choke). My 2^nd 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 2^nd round TKO. My 1^st 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 3^rd 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 2^nd round KO. My pick for KOOTN!

Terry Etim vs. Renee Forte = Etim via 1^st round submission (armbar).

Paul Sass vs. Danny Castillo = Sass via 1^st 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 3^rd 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.

CR's 2012 MMA Awards!

 We are doing an end of the year award post for this amazing year of MMA in 2012. We cover a variety of subjects and give you our take on what was the best of the best. Let us know your choices in the comments section below!

Sam’s Awards

Fighter of the Year – Ronda Rousey: MMA had a rocky 2012, this is something that the UFC will try to change in in the year 2013. But when men’s MMA had a rocky year, women’s MMA had the best year in its history and it’s all due to one women: Ronda Rousey. Being a former Olympic bronze medalist, she smoothly made her transition into MMA with seven first round armbar finishes heading into 2012. After snapping Miesha Tate’s arm in half and doing much of the same to Sarah Kaufman in her first title defense, Rousey became a star. Her natural sex appeal, aggressive personality, and dominant fighting style put women’s MMA in the mainstream light. With what Rousey has done in only 365 days is what makes her the Fighter of the Year.

Fight of the Year – Chan Sung Jung def. Dustin Poirier via D’Arce choke at 1:07 of round 4: The equation for a fight of the year candidate consists of a back and forth brawl, people being dropped, submission attempts, and an exhilarating finish. This fight had that and a little more.  They slugged it on the feet, Jung went for multiple submissions in the second with almost getting a few, and ended up finishing Poirier with Poirier’s favorite technique. There was only one other fight that could be considered better and Dave picked it.

Round of the Year – Dustin Poirier def. Jonathan Brookins via D’Arce choke at 4:15 of round 1: Apparently Poirier loves to be in amazing fights. After he lost in his Fight of the Year bout against Jung, he was looking for a rebound fight against TUF winner, Jonathan Brookins. Brookins came out strong and aggressive, pushing Poirier against the fence and swinging for the fences. Poirier returned and eventually caught Brookins, dropping him into a sloppy takedown attempt. Poirier countered with a D’Arce choke and finished him off.

Submission of the Year – Ronda Rousey def. Miesha Tate via armbar at 4:27 of round 1: When picking a submission or knockout of the year, it will typically be a comeback win, the first of its kind, or a win with huge implications. This is the third, but we didn’t know it at the time. Rousey won the fight, but the huge explosion for women’s MMA is what causes this win to be my submission of the year. Also the arm snapping didn't hurt, well, except Miesha Tate.

KO of the Year – Edson Barboza def. Terry Etim via KO (Spinning wheel kick) at 2:02 of round 3: Did you really expect anything else? This knockout was insane. I couldn’t stop watching it for weeks. Remember the three different things a “Finish Of the Year” would need? This was the first of its kind. No one has ever knocked anyone out with a spinning wheel kick in the UFC. And Etim just happened to be frozen in time while falling unconscious.

Upset of the Year – Jamie Varner def. Edson Barboza via TKO (punches) at 3:23 of round 1: Varner’s return was a very unexpected surprise but he was supposed to be absolutely blasted by Edson Barboza, who was coming off his win over Terry Etim. Varner was about a 5-1 underdog in the betting lines heading in, but an even bigger one in people’s opinions. Varner bum rushed him and easily finished him in the first round.

Event of the Year – UFC 144: With a card filled with brutal knockouts, awesome submissions, stunning upsets, insane comebacks, and all out wars, this card was absolutely nuts. Sure there were one or two fights that weren’t that great but seriously this card was one of the best in UFC history.

Comeback of the Year – Tim Boetsch def. Yushin Okami via TKO (punches) at 0:54 of round 3: Heading into this fight, Boetsch was meant to be a rebound win for Okami, who was coming off of his failed title shot. Okami was well on his way to a possible 30-26 or 29-27 decision win but Boetsch came out into the third round a different man. He completely demolished Okami in seconds into the third round, pulling off one of the best comebacks of all time and best upsets of the year.

Prospect of the Year – Max Holloway: At only 21 years old, Max Holloway has already amassed a 2-1 record in the UFC. He possesses some of the most technical striking in the UFC’s featherweight division. His last two wins over Justin Lawrence and Pat Schilling are just the beginning of what this young prospect can do.

Most Improved Fighter – Matt Brown: Heading into 2012, Matt Brown was on the brink of being released from the UFC. He was 1-4 with all his losses being submissions in the second round. His New Year resolution was apparently to become a better fighter, and boy did he succeed at that. He ended up going 4-0 in 2012 with two big upsets and three T/KO finishes. That is the definition of improved.

Moment of the Year – Jose Aldo Celebrating with Brazilian Crowd: At UFC 142 in Brazil, the featherweight champion Jose Aldo capped off the night with a first round KO win over Chad Mendes. After his win, he ran into the wild crowd. At first, I was worried because it seemed as though he was being mauled. But then he was put upon the shoulders of a fan and was carried while swinging the Brazilian flag. It was a very emotional and amazing scene.

Story of the Year – UFC 149 Injury Bug: Not only is this the story of the year because it’s insane, but because it’s extremely comical. The amount of injuries that this card sustained is absolutely mindboggling. I will give you a quick rundown of what happened: Bisping was replaced by Lombard against Boetsch. Yoshihiro Akiyama was supposed to fight Thiago Alves but pulled out, Siyar Bahadurzada filled in. Alves pulled out and Chris Clements filled in. Bahadurzada pulled out and Matt Riddle filled in. Thiago Silva was supposed to fight Shogun but pulled out and Shogun left the card to fight Brandon Vera later on. Jose Aldo, originally headlining against Erik Koch, pulled out and Urijah Faber and Renan Barao ended up headlining after Dominick Cruz pulled out of his fight with Faber. George Roop was supposed to fight Antonio Carvalho but pulled out and Daniel Pineda filled in. Big Nog, originally fighting Cheick Kongo, was still healing from his broken arm he got from Frank Mir. And last but not least, Claude Patrick was going to fight James Head but pulled out and Brian Ebersole filled in. It not only was terrible but led to one of the worst cards in MMA history.

Dave’s Awards

Fighter of the Year – Matt Brown: Yes, Matt “The Immortal” Brown. Brown went 4-0 with 3 of those being finished by (T)KO. He destroyed one of the most highly touted prospects in MMA in Stephen Thompson. And put a screeching halt to Mike Swick’s comeback ride. Brown not only did all of this in a dominating fashion but also made each fight incredibly fun to watch. Matt Brown is why I watch MMA. He is talented and fun to watch. And in 2012 Matt Brown was the best.

Fight of the Year – Joe Lauzon def. Jamie Varner via triangle choke at 2:44 of Round 3: This fight was freaking insane! Everyone watching this around me lost their minds on at least 5 different times. It was a back-and-forth affair that ended with a fantastic scramble that summed up the fight as a whole and got Lauzon back in the win column.

Round of the Year – Ivan Menjivar def. John Albert via RNC at 3:45 of Round 1: This round was my favorite because I was certain it was over 2 times and each time the other guy pulled it out somehow. Albert came at Menjivar like a wild animal. Albert was destroying him but Menjivar, the wily vet, kept his cool and somehow came back and won in one of the most fun fights you’ll ever see.

Submission of the Year – Wolfgang Janssen def. Aaron Armstrong via Flying Reverse Triangle at 1:57 of Round 2: This fight didn’t mean much and it was in a small promotion but it is one of the most amazing technical grappling maneuvers I have ever seen. He didn’t get lucky in a scramble and run with it. Janssen was looking for it and got it. Please go watch it on YouTube NOW!

KO of the Year – Johny Hendricks def. Martin Kampmann via KO at :46 of Round 1: Both of these guys had a ton of steam coming into this fight and it lived up to the hype. Most people thought Hendricks would outwrestle Kampmann but he instantly put a big left hand on Kampmann and Kampmann went flying back like a punch from Superman in a comic book. 46 seconds in and we found the scariest man at 170. Watch out GSP!

Upset of the Year – Tim Boetsch def. Yushin Okami via TKO at :54 of Round 3: This fight was supposed to be a one sided beating, and for 2 rounds, it was. Most people thought Okami would just throw Boetsch around and blanket him, and for 2 rounds, he did. But then Boetsch decided to take Okami’s head off and he did. Incredible.

Event – UFC 152: Jones vs. Belfort: I’m a little biased because I was there close to the action but the action was nonstop during this one. The night started out with 3 straight 1^st round finishes. Then there was Grant vs. Dunham which could have been Fight of the Year. Then Vinny Magalhaes’ submission over Igor Pokrajac was a thing of beauty. A few fun fights later and you get two amazing title fights! The first ever Flyweight Title fight which was a back-and-forth technical battle and then Jon Jones defended his light heavyweight title against legend Vitor Belfort. That fight alone was amazing. All in all it was the best time I had watching MMA this year.

Comeback of the Year- Martin Kampmann def. Jake Ellenberger via TKO at 1:40 of Round 2: I thought Jake was going to destroy Martin. And he was well on his way to doing so until Martin somehow landed a knee out of nowhere that sent Jake to the ground in a heap. I was speechless at the time. I truly felt that Ellenberger would easily win that fight, but you can't ever count out Kampmann.

Prospect of the Year – Erik Perez: Perez is only 23 years old, is 2-0 in the UFC and both of those wins came against quality opponents. Not only that, but both of those wins ended in the first round. On top of all of this, he trains at Jackson’s camp. This kid has a huge chance to do something amazing at 135 pounds.

Most Improved Fighter – Cub Swanson: Cub has always been good but if you were to tell me a year ago he would go 3-0 against great competition and all of those wins coming by way of KO, I would think you’re nuts. He got manhandled by Chad Mendes, barely won against Mackens Semerzier and then got destroyed by Ricardo Lamas. But Cub went on a rampage in 2012 and most recently destroyed fellow rising star, Charles Oliveira in just under 3 minutes. The sky is the limit for Cub.

Moment of the Year – Vitor Belfort’s armbar attempt on Jon Jones at UFC 152: This fight was a joke to begin with. You had the scariest man alive, Jon Jones, taking on aging and undersized Belfort squaring off on short notice. It was ridiculous and you could tell from the ring of the bell that Jones was going to destroy Belfort. Jones took Belfort down immediately and started to land vicious elbows. But then out of nowhere, Belfort locks on an armbar that made Jones wince in pain and the Air Canada Centre arena erupted in a noise like no other. I’m a huge Jones fan and even I wanted to see Belfort pull it off. It was incredible and even though Jones defended it off, it was an amazing moment in MMA history.

Story of the Year – Women’s MMA makes it to the UFC: This was a huge moment for MMA history as women will now be able to fight under the UFC banner. It was a long time coming and I am so glad it has happened. I just hope that they sign a ton of fighters and handle the women’s divisions better than they have handled the 145, 135 and 125 divisions for men. Dana needs to keep them off of Facebook and feature them often. I can’t wait  for this chapter in UFC’s history to begin.

The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale Main Card Recap

Within 48 hours, the UFC held two cards in which everyone was saying were going to be two very lackluster cards due to the fact that they both lacked star power. Fans really need to stop saying that cards aren't going to be good just because of the lack of star power because these last two cards have been absolutely outstanding. Nine finishes? Check. Six knockouts? Check. Three submissions? Two wars? Check. A heartfelt cap off the TUF season? Check. 

Seriously, this card was awesome. 

Dustin Poirier vs. Jonathan Brookins: This was one of the best one round fights of the year. Poirier came out a bit cocky and Brookins’ improving standup took complete advantage of that and started to attack. They literally stood toe-to-toe and swung for the fences for almost a minute straight. It was absolutely nuts. When they finally took a break, Poirier caught Brookins off guard with a solid straight punch that dropped him. Brookins went in for a very sloppy takedown and ran right into Poirier’s favorite submission, the D’Arce choke.

Possible matchups for Poirier: This was a huge win Poirier, who was looking for a rebound win after his Fight of the Year submission loss to The Korean Zombie. Hacran Dias, who was supposed to fight Chad Mendes at UFC on FX 6 but injured himself about a week beforehand, is definitely looking for a fight once he heals. I would love to see him fight Poirier in a fight that would lead the winner into a number-one contender’s bout.

Possible matchups for Brookins: With this being Brookins’ second loss via submission in-a-row, there is a good chance that his next fight could possibly be a loser goes home bout. I would like to see him fight the winner of Cody McKenzie and Leonard Garcia which will be held at UFC 155.

Pat Barry vs. Shane del Rosario: What a comeback that was for Pat Barry. Not only in the fight, but career wise as well. After a few minutes of feeling each other out with kicks, Shane took down Barry and almost submitted him on multiple occasions. In the second, Barry was on a mission and hurt del Rosario with a body punch. He followed it up with a huge left that backed him up to the fence. Barry finished him off with a monstrous right hand that put del Rosario as unconscious as unconscious gets. Many were considering this to be a loser goes home fight, and I think that’s exactly what’s going to happen.

Possible matchups for Barry: This guy will always be a fan favorite as long as he is with the UFC. After this huge win for him, I would like to see him fight the winner of Phil de Fries and the returning Todd Duffee.

Colton Smith vs. Mike Ricci: Man, I am seriously impressed with Colton Smith. As Joe Rogan said, “This was the Colton Smith Show”. He reminds me of GSP in the way that he just smothers you with his top game and never lets you get up. He never gave Ricci a chance to ever capitalize on anything. He just completely dominated him from beginning to end; no breathing room was sparred. A judge even gave it a 30-26 in favor of the army Ranger.

Possible matchups for Smith: Now that Smith has entered the prestigious group of Ultimate Fighter winners, he will be thrown through the fast track. Now he did state that he was thinking about dropping down to lightweight, which I personally think would be a brilliant idea. But I’m going to say he isn’t going to drop down. I would like to see him fight Sean Pierson, who is coming off of a decision win over Lance Benoist at UFC 152 and I’m sure he’ll be looking for revenge for Canada.

Possible matchups for Ricci: Mike Ricci was a very hefty favorite heading into this fight and lost in demoralizing fashion. But he is a natural lightweight, so that certainly took a big part in his performance. I would like to see him fight Rafaello Oliveira, who is coming off of a decision win over Yoislandy Izquierdo.

Roy Nelson vs. Matt Mitrione: This was really disappointing. Matt Mitrione was looking really good, landing body kicks and moving in and out really well. Nelson was having a lot of trouble closing the distance to try and land his signature right hand. That is, until two and a half minutes in. He landed a huge uppercut that stunned Mitrione and followed it up with a right hand on the temple that dropped him. He finished him off with ground and pound to ultimately win by TKO.

Possible matchups for Nelson: With the heavyweight division being almost as thin as the flyweight division, it’s very difficult to find matchups that make sense. If Shane Carwin doesn’t retire and heals up sooner rather than later, I would love to see these two finally settle their rivalry.

Possible matchups for Mitrione: With this now being Mitrione’s second loss in-a-row, he needs to take a step back in competition. A fight with the loser of Mike Russow and Shawn Jordan makes sense for it would be two heavyweights on a two fight losing skid. 

The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale Predictions

Dave’s Picks

Main Card

Matt Mitrione vs. Roy Nelson: This fight makes me nervous. Its not the fact Mitrione took this fight on short notice because he had a fight lined up anyway. What makes me nervous is that Mitrione hasn’t fought in over a year and is coming off his first and only loss. Roy Nelson has been quite active but his results have been mixed to say the least. This fight is hard for me to pick. I like Mitrione and I think he could have a good future ahead of him and I think we have seen Nelson’s ceiling in this sport. I want Mitrione to win but the safer pick is Nelson. Nelson has the better ground game and I think is just too seasoned. I think Roy will take it to the ground and grind it out. = Nelson by unanimous decision.

Mike Ricci vs. Colton Smith: This season was really bad and I questioned why I was watching it during almost every episode but Ricci is what made me keep watching. He is the only guy who showed true promise (Jon Manley showed some too). I think Ricci is well rounded and has an amazing training camp behind him. Ricci has also beaten good fighters and his two loses are to very good fighters. Colton does not have a good resume. I think with a full camp with TriStar will be way too much for Colton who is a one trick pony…no pun intended. Colton does have a chance to win but it is holding Ricci down for 15 minutes. I think Ricci can do enough in this fight to pick up the win. = Ricci by unanimous decision.

Patrick Barry vs. Shane del Rosario: I love Pat Barry fights. Can’t wait for this one. Shane should take him down and ride out a decision while going for subs but Shane didn’t look all that great against Stipe Miocic. Barry has a great chance at knocking Shane out so cold he wakes up 5 years from now. But Shane has more ways to win. This is a close one for me but I am going with who I think is the safe pick. = SDR by submission in round 2. My Pick for Submission of the Night!

Melvin Guillard vs. Jamie Varner: Wowza. I see this fight going almost identical to Melvin vs. Jim Miller. I see Varner getting it to the ground and ending it there. But Varner needs to be careful because Melvin can KO anyone at 155. But I see Varner playing it smart and picking up a finish. = Varner by submission in round 2.

Jonathan Brookins vs. Dustin Poirier: Fight of the year candidate right here. Both of these guys are super fast and well rounded. I think Brookins has the better ground game and maybe even the more technical striking but I think the ever improving Poirier will come out guns blazing and win a close decision by controlling the pace and keeping is where he likes it. = Poirier by unanimous decision. My Pick for Fight of the Night!

Prelims

James Head vs. Mike Pyle = Pyle by unanimous decision.

Johnny Bedford vs. Marcos Vinicius = Vinicius by submission in round 1.

Rustam Khabilov vs. Vinc Pichel = Pichel by split decision.

Nick Catone vs. T.J. Waldburger = Waldburger by split decision.

Reuben Duran vs. Hugo Viana = Duran by unanimous decision.

John Cofer vs. Mike Rio = Rio by unanimous decision.

Tim Elliott vs. Jared Papazian = Elliot by split decision.

Sam's Picks

Main Card

Roy Nelson vs. Matt Mitrione: Man, I’m having trouble with who I want to pick in this fight. Nelson has yet to really impress me with anything other than his power. His wins over Schaub, Struve, and Herman are all great, but he hasn’t shown any real technique aside from a great right hand. Mitrione has tons of potential but he’s been out for so long and he’s coming off of his first loss, so I’m not sure he can hang with Nelson. I don’t think that Nelson will be able to finish him and vice versa. But the thing to take into consideration is the fact that this is a 5 round fight. Nelson’s cardio is famous for being downright awful. Mitrione is the opposite. Considering he’s a former professional football player, he is unbelievably athletic, fast, and has great cardio for a heavyweight. I see Nelson winning the first two rounds due to aggression and takedown attempts, but then Mitrione takes advantage of Nelson’s gas tank and wins the last three rounds = Mitrione via unanimous decision.

 

Mike Ricci vs. Colton Smith: Like Dave said, Ricci was the only real reason that I continued to watch the TUF season. He’s a natural lightweight and destroyed everyone at welterweight on TUF to get to the finals. Colton Smith is a very strong and talented wrestler but his standup is rather weak. Ricci is very good at all facets of MMA. Colton showed in his fight with Eddy Ellis that he is capable of being KO’d and I think that’s exactly what Ricci is going to do = Ricci via 1^st round KO. My pick for KOOTN!

 

Pat Barry vs. Shane Del Rosario: I really like this fight in terms of entertainment. Pat Barry always puts on awesome fights and Shane is no different. Barry really seems to not be a UFC caliber fighter while Shane shows a lot of promise. Shane will take him down and will finish him with strikes. It won’t fail to be an awesome fight though = Del Rosario via 3^rd round TKO. My 3^rd pick for FOTN!

 

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 2^nd round RNC. My 1^st pick for FOTN! My pick for SOTN!

 

Dustin Poirier vs. Jonathon Brookins: Both of these guys are very similar fighters; with underrated standup and a very dangerous ground game, this fight will be very close. I feel as though we have all been overrating Brookins a little too much. I mean, Oliveira completely dominated him in every aspect of MMA and a lot of people felt as though Brookins would win that, including myself. Poirier has finally changed to a really good camp in American Top Team and will be the best Dustin Poirier that we have seen = Poirier via unanimous decision.

 

Prelims

James Head vs. Mike Pyle = Pyle via unanimous decision.

Johnny Bedford vs. Marcos Vinicius = Bedford via 3^rd round TKO.

Rustam Khabilov vs. Vinc Pichel = Khabilov via unanimous decision.

Nick Catone vs. T.J Waldburger = Waldburger via unanimous decision.

Reuben Duran vs. Hugo Viana = Duran via split decision.

John Cofer vs. Mike Rio = Rio by unanimous decision.

Tim Elliott vs. Jared Papazian = Papazian via split decision. My 2^nd pick for FOTN!

MMA Featherweight Rankings: September Edition

 As we at CR continue our rankings, we are now heading into what many consider the weakest division in the UFC: featherweight. The reason many consider this to be the case is due to the lack of top contenders and talent. I truly believe that this isn’t the case. There are plenty of solid contenders at 145 that have yet to challenge for the title.

Let’s check them out:

Photo via MMAWeekly.com

10. Dustin Poirier – At UFC 125, Josh Grispi was going to be fighting for the belt against Jose Aldo in the first ever featherweight title fight in UFC history. Aldo injured his neck and Poirier stepped in. Those are some pretty big shoes to fill. It was very understandable at the time that “The Diamond” was such a monstrous underdog heading into the fight with Grispi. Since that dominating decision win over Grispi, he went on a 3-fight win streak over the likes of Max Holloway, Jason Young, and Pablo Garza. He ended up running into The Korean Zombie in one of the best fights in UFC history, a fight he ultimately lost via 4^th round D’Arce choke. At only 23 years old, Dustin Poirier will inevitably challenge for the featherweight strap.

9. Diego Nunes – Nunes is one of those top guys who is way under appreciated. He is one of the best fighters training out of Nova Uniao (which is saying a lot) and holds one of the most well-rounded games at 145, with a purple belt in BJJ and being mainly known for his striking arsenal. He has now fought four straight top contenders and lost two of them in very close decision losses, especially his fight with Dennis Siver. Nunes deserves more appreciation, I just hope he receives it sooner rather than later.

Photo via MMAWeekly.com

8. Erik Koch – Although his last decision win over Jonathan Brookins was far from spectacular, Erik Koch is one of the best fighters at 145. His KO wins over both Francisco Rivera and Raphael Assuncao further cement that statement. Many people believe that he doesn’t exactly deserve his title shot and I agree, to a certain extent. I believe he has the skills to become a champion in the future, so why rush the opportunity? Let him grow and he will become an even greater fighter.

Photo via MMAFrenzy.com

7. Hatsu Hioki – Many people were really confused when the consensus number-two featherweight in the world decided to turn down a title shot against Jose Aldo. He believed he wasn’t ready, and he was very right. He was then matched up against Ricardo Lamas in what many considered a relatively easy fight for the submission specialist. But, to the surprise of many, Lamas out grappled Hioki en route to a unanimous decision win. Hioki looked amazing in his last win over Bart Palaszewski in Japan, but once he hits American soil, his skills plummet.

Photo via MMAJunkie.com

6. Dennis Siver – Siver was on his way to a UFC title shot at 155-lbs. Donald Cerrone took that away with a dominant first round submission win over the German. Siver has always been one of the shorter guys at lightweight, so I personally found the drop to 145-lbs a brilliant idea. Even though he failed to make weight in his first fight at featherweight against Diego Nunes, it was his first fight at featherweight and his first time dropping down (also his Rousimar Palhares body type didn’t help). Diego Nunes is a top guy and that win instantly catapulted him into title contention. His next fight with Eddie Yagin might not get him a title shot, but if he beats Yagin, he will certainly be just one fight away.

There he is!

5. Chan Sung Jung – If The Korean Zombie isn’t one of your favorite fighters; you aren’t a true fan of MMA. Four of his last 5 fights have been “of the year” performances. When he made his Zuffa debut against Leonard Garcia at WE 48, he fought in one of the best fights in MMA history. It ended in controversy with a Garcia win and followed it with a loss to George Roop via 2^nd round KO. Once he made it to the UFC, he really found his grove. He entered the UFC avenging his controversial loss to Garcia with the first ever-performed twister in UFC history. He then pulled of a monstrous upset over Mark Hominick with a 7 second KO, tied for the fastest UFC finish. His most recent win over Dustin Poirier further cemented the fact that he has truly found his grove. He is now most likely going to be fighting the winner of Frankie Edgar and Jose Aldo.

Photo via MMAJunkie.com

4. Ricardo Lamas – Ricardo Lamas is one of the strongest fighters in the world at 145-lbs. He had a similar resurgence to that of Chan Sung Jung. Once he made his move to the UFC, his career took off. His last fight at 155, and in the WEC, ended with a 1^st round KO at the hands of Yuri Alcantara. He came back with a vicious 1^st round TKO over Matt Grice. It was brutal to say the least. He then dominated Cub Swanson with a win via 2^nd round arm triangle. The guy looks amazing at 145 and he continued his hot streak with a win over Hatsu Hioki, and he was injured!

Photo via MMAJunkie.com

3. Pat Curran – Bellator’s featherweight champion is easily the best fighter they have under contract at the moment. His last two wins over Marlon Sandro and Joe Warren are both KO of the year performances. The head kick he landed on Sandro was picture perfect and his win over Warren was quite literally, and I’m not exaggerating, the most brutal knockout I have ever seen. He landed a solid 20 unanswered knees and punches to the head. It was also one of the latest stoppages (no, it wasn’t Josh Rosenthal) that I have ever seen. In my opinion, if he were to come over to the UFC, he deserves an immediate title shot.

2. Chad Mendes – Mendes is still the one guy at 145 who has the best chance at defeating Aldo for the belt. Yeah, I know he just lost to that same guy by a first round knockout, but his wrestling is fantastic and that was his first loss, so it will certainly be a learning experience for him. His next fight should definitely be a number-1 contender’s match.

Aldo celebrating with his people.

1.Jose Aldo – Aldo has the potential to become the greatest fight of all time. Seriously. His standup is mind-numbingly fast, accurate, and powerful, and yet we haven’t even gotten a full taste of his ground game. There is no doubt that he is a top-5 pound-for-pound fighter and he will most likely become top-3 in the coming years. I’m terrified of the thought of him moving up to 155.

So what did you guys think? Let us know in the comments on what you either agreed on or disagreed on.