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This is a Mixed Martial Arts news blog. We cover MMA, UFC, StrikeForce, Women's MMA, Bellator, smaller promotions and much more. CR includes personal interviews with some of the sport's best, expert predictions, an insider look into amateur wrestling and a unique perspective on the sport of MMA due to our life long obsession with combat sports. This is CR and this is where MMA News makes the rounds!
Monday, November 28, 2011
Friday, November 25, 2011
Quick Picks: Bellator 59
Dave’s Picks
Main Card
Eric Prindle vs. Thiago Santos: Prindle by TKO in round 2.
Eduardo Dantas vs. Alexis Vila: Vila by unanimous decision.
Patricky Freire vs. Kurt Pellegrino: Freire by split decision.
Marcin Held vs. Phillipe Nover: Held by submission in round 2.
Sam’s Picks
Main Card
Eric Prindle vs. Thiago Santos: Prindle by split decision.
Eduardo Dantas vs. Alexis Vila: Vila by unanimous decision.
Patricky Freire vs. Kurt Pellegrino: Kurt by split decision.
Marcin Held vs. Phillipe Nover: Held by submission in round 1.
Monday, November 21, 2011
UFC 139 Recap
Sam's Recap
Before I start with the main card, I’m going to point out the most impressive people from the prelims. First, Chris Weidman, who I think will be a very big threat for every middleweight, won in devastating fashion by choking out a game Tom Lawlor with a beautiful d’arce choke at 2:07 of the first round. Even though I knew that Weidman would win, I had no idea he would run through Lawlor so easily. This was a good lead-in to the Spike prelims, for a couple of quick KO’s. Michael McDonald, the youngest fighter in the UFC who I believe will have a very bright future ahead of him, absolutely destroyed the new up and comer, Alex Soto, in only 56 seconds. Soto seemed to be a pretty good challenge for McDonald but he proved me right that he has something special, the skill to be a future champ at the bantamweight division. After watching a young lion trying to prove himself to the world, we watched another young lion hungry to get back into title contention after losing two straight fights by guillotine. Ryan Bader KO’d the not-so-game Jason Brilz in a quick 1:17 of the first round, showing us that the old Ryan Bader may be back but that loss to Tito Ortiz will forever haunt him.
I was amazed that the most boring fight of the whole card was Stephan Bonnar’s. Not only was he in the fight, one of the most exciting fighters in the sport, but also Kyle Kingsbury, who is also a very exciting fighter. Now, I’m not disappointed in Bonnar, don’t get me wrong, I’m actually quite proud of him. He fought smart. When was the last time that we saw Stephan Bonnar fight smart? He knew that he had a better ground game than Kingsbury and he exploited that. If there was anything that I would be disappointed about was the fact that he didn’t finish the fight when he had multiple opportunities for submissions.
In that the fight between Kampmann and Story was going to be one of the closest fights on the card and I was right. Although Story looked really good in the opening frame of the fight, he clearly gassed himself out by trying to just barrage his way through a victory against Kampmann but, to Story’s dismay, Kampmann is one tough dude, and one hell of a fighter. Kampmann showed that he is ready for another title run in the welterweight division.
In probably the most impressive performance to date, Urijah seemed to be back to his good ol’ days when looked very impressive with his standup to then finish Bowles with a guillotine choke, to earn himself another crack at Dominick Cruz. One of the most impressive ways you can beat someone I by absolutely dominate them on the feet, rock them, and then finish them off with a submission. Showing that you are better then them at every aspect of the game. Urijah proved to us that he is a new and improved “California Kid” who is ready to settle this with Dominick Cruz in the very anticipated rubber match they will have later in 2012. TUF coaches anyone?
Usually on every event there is a fight that I would prefer to get wrong: Nog vs. Schaub, Hughes vs. Koscheck, Cro Cop vs. Nelson, etc., most of the time, it’s a fight with a fading legend we all think should just retire. But when they actually win their fight, it makes me happy. In this instance, Wanderlai Silva vs. Cung Le. I hated the idea of this fight. I wanted Wanderlai to retire after his fight with Leben but, of course, he said no. Instead he showed that he still has the old Wnaderlai still hidden somewhere deep down inside of him and the vintage Wanderlai came out and rocked the HP Pavilion with a brutal TKO victory over Cung Le. I was so happy that he won his fight, he looked so happy, everyone (except for Le and his team) were happy. Who doesn’t love Wanderlai? He’s one of the most entertaining fighters in the history of combat sports and he is also one of the nicest guys in MMA? Who doesn’t like that combination? Anyway, Wanderlai looked awesome, I just hope he retires on a high note.
It’s hard for to start to talk about the main event this past Saturday, it was so good and so exciting and so thrilling, words just can’t do it a justice. Yes, it was that good a fight. You should be very disappointed in yourself if you missed it. An absolute slugfest from the very beginning. The first three rounds were Henderson racking Shogun into oblivion with his enormous right hands with Shogun barely able to keep his composure and still some how come back from near defeat to back Henderson into the cage and continue to punch him. The first three rounds were all Henderson with the third round being one that could be argued as a 10-8. After the first two rounds, Shogun was definitely the fresher fighter going into each round. In the fourth round, Shogun found the sweet spot on that rock hard chin of Henderson’s and rocked him badly. Henderson was stumbling all over the place barely keeping his balance while Shogun continued to punch him right on his chin. After Henderson gathered back his equilibrium, Shogun took him down, battered him a little bit and then Henderson sweeps him onto his back, it was quite amazing. In the fifth round, Shogun came out and immediately took Henderson down and battered him for the entire fifth round, I don’t think Henderson landed a single punch. Now this is the most controversial part of this legendary, “fight of the century” candidate just had to have. Henderson won on every single card 48-47, while most of the MMA world thought it should have been a 47-47 draw. I am part of the people who believe it should have been a draw; Henderson gets the first three rounds, Shogun gets the 4th and 5th with the latter being a 10-8 round. After all this talk of how it should’ve been a draw, how about a rematch? I’m game for that rematch.
Before I start with the main card, I’m going to point out the most impressive people from the prelims. First, Chris Weidman, who I think will be a very big threat for every middleweight, won in devastating fashion by choking out a game Tom Lawlor with a beautiful d’arce choke at 2:07 of the first round. Even though I knew that Weidman would win, I had no idea he would run through Lawlor so easily. This was a good lead-in to the Spike prelims, for a couple of quick KO’s. Michael McDonald, the youngest fighter in the UFC who I believe will have a very bright future ahead of him, absolutely destroyed the new up and comer, Alex Soto, in only 56 seconds. Soto seemed to be a pretty good challenge for McDonald but he proved me right that he has something special, the skill to be a future champ at the bantamweight division. After watching a young lion trying to prove himself to the world, we watched another young lion hungry to get back into title contention after losing two straight fights by guillotine. Ryan Bader KO’d the not-so-game Jason Brilz in a quick 1:17 of the first round, showing us that the old Ryan Bader may be back but that loss to Tito Ortiz will forever haunt him.
I was amazed that the most boring fight of the whole card was Stephan Bonnar’s. Not only was he in the fight, one of the most exciting fighters in the sport, but also Kyle Kingsbury, who is also a very exciting fighter. Now, I’m not disappointed in Bonnar, don’t get me wrong, I’m actually quite proud of him. He fought smart. When was the last time that we saw Stephan Bonnar fight smart? He knew that he had a better ground game than Kingsbury and he exploited that. If there was anything that I would be disappointed about was the fact that he didn’t finish the fight when he had multiple opportunities for submissions.
In that the fight between Kampmann and Story was going to be one of the closest fights on the card and I was right. Although Story looked really good in the opening frame of the fight, he clearly gassed himself out by trying to just barrage his way through a victory against Kampmann but, to Story’s dismay, Kampmann is one tough dude, and one hell of a fighter. Kampmann showed that he is ready for another title run in the welterweight division.
In probably the most impressive performance to date, Urijah seemed to be back to his good ol’ days when looked very impressive with his standup to then finish Bowles with a guillotine choke, to earn himself another crack at Dominick Cruz. One of the most impressive ways you can beat someone I by absolutely dominate them on the feet, rock them, and then finish them off with a submission. Showing that you are better then them at every aspect of the game. Urijah proved to us that he is a new and improved “California Kid” who is ready to settle this with Dominick Cruz in the very anticipated rubber match they will have later in 2012. TUF coaches anyone?
Usually on every event there is a fight that I would prefer to get wrong: Nog vs. Schaub, Hughes vs. Koscheck, Cro Cop vs. Nelson, etc., most of the time, it’s a fight with a fading legend we all think should just retire. But when they actually win their fight, it makes me happy. In this instance, Wanderlai Silva vs. Cung Le. I hated the idea of this fight. I wanted Wanderlai to retire after his fight with Leben but, of course, he said no. Instead he showed that he still has the old Wnaderlai still hidden somewhere deep down inside of him and the vintage Wanderlai came out and rocked the HP Pavilion with a brutal TKO victory over Cung Le. I was so happy that he won his fight, he looked so happy, everyone (except for Le and his team) were happy. Who doesn’t love Wanderlai? He’s one of the most entertaining fighters in the history of combat sports and he is also one of the nicest guys in MMA? Who doesn’t like that combination? Anyway, Wanderlai looked awesome, I just hope he retires on a high note.
It’s hard for to start to talk about the main event this past Saturday, it was so good and so exciting and so thrilling, words just can’t do it a justice. Yes, it was that good a fight. You should be very disappointed in yourself if you missed it. An absolute slugfest from the very beginning. The first three rounds were Henderson racking Shogun into oblivion with his enormous right hands with Shogun barely able to keep his composure and still some how come back from near defeat to back Henderson into the cage and continue to punch him. The first three rounds were all Henderson with the third round being one that could be argued as a 10-8. After the first two rounds, Shogun was definitely the fresher fighter going into each round. In the fourth round, Shogun found the sweet spot on that rock hard chin of Henderson’s and rocked him badly. Henderson was stumbling all over the place barely keeping his balance while Shogun continued to punch him right on his chin. After Henderson gathered back his equilibrium, Shogun took him down, battered him a little bit and then Henderson sweeps him onto his back, it was quite amazing. In the fifth round, Shogun came out and immediately took Henderson down and battered him for the entire fifth round, I don’t think Henderson landed a single punch. Now this is the most controversial part of this legendary, “fight of the century” candidate just had to have. Henderson won on every single card 48-47, while most of the MMA world thought it should have been a 47-47 draw. I am part of the people who believe it should have been a draw; Henderson gets the first three rounds, Shogun gets the 4th and 5th with the latter being a 10-8 round. After all this talk of how it should’ve been a draw, how about a rematch? I’m game for that rematch.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
UFC 139 Predictions
Dave’s Picks
Main Card
Dan Henderson vs. Shogun Rua: This is a very tough fight to call for me. Henderson is old and fading and his chin seems to be a little bit as well. However, I am never confident Shogun can ever come out and look like the destroyer he can be. In my opinion Henderson should have the better overall cardio and if he can drag this out by using his superior wrestling than he can grind Shogun down and then finish him late. However, Henderson never tries to wrestle and only looks for his right hand bomb to land. What Shogun needs to do is use his kicks and pick his shots wisely. He needs to circle to his own right like his life depends on it and it might! :0) But Shogun just needs to use some precise strikes, take out Hendo’s legs and eventually land a good knee in the clinch to finish him off. But which possibility will become a reality? = Dan Henderson by TKO in round 2.
Cung Le vs. Wanderlei Silva: I would love this fight if it were in a movie or video game because then no one would get hurt. I am very worried for Silva here. His chin has looked extremely weak for about 5 years. Cung Le has extremely accurate striking and thunderous kicks. If he lands a solid kick to Silva’s head it could mean retirement = Cung Le by KO in round 1. My Pick for KO of the Night!
Brian Bowles vs. Urijah Faber: This will be an important fight for the bantamweight division and should be exciting. Bowles is a little slower but has the more dangerous striking. Faber is bigger, stronger, faster and has the better grappling. This fight is mainly based on whether Faber can get those takedowns and keep it on the ground or if Bowles can land a bomb and end it early = Faber by unanimous decision.
Martin Kampmann vs. Rick Story: This will be a rough grinding fight. Story was on a major roll and beat a few big names; mean while, Kampmann has been hovering around title contention for years. Kampmann will have the better striking and submissions but Story will have the speed, strength and wrestling advantage. Story will have to corner Kampmann and rough him up on the cage and then get the takedown. Kampmann will want to use his reach and be able to make it a boxing match. = Story by split decision.
Stephan Bonnar vs. Kyle Kingsbury: Another tough fight to pick (most of the card is pretty tough). This should be a barnburner. Both guys go to war and have great chins. These guys are both decently well-rounded but Bonnar will have the BJJ advantage. However, Kingsbuy is a high-caliber athlete who is good at adjusting during fights. This one is really tough = Kingsbury by unanimous decision. My Pick for Fight of the Night!
Prelims
Ryan Bader v. Jason Brilz: Bader by unanimous decision.
Michael McDonald vs. Alex Soto: McDonald by unanimous decision.
Tom Lawlor vs. Chris Weidman: Weidman by unanimous decision.
Nick Pace vs. Miguel Torres: Torres by submission in round 2. My Pick for Submission of the Night!
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Gleison Tibau: Tibau by split decision.
Seth Baczynski vs. Matt Brown: Seth by unanimous decision.
Shamar Bailey vs. Danny Castillo: Castillo by TKO in round 3.
Sam’s Picks
Main Card
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Dan Henderson: A perfect legend versus legend fight that seems to should’ve happen way back in the Pride days. Shogun is very hungry for a rematch against Jon Jones, which was very apparent after his violent KO of Forrest Griffin. I am very happy to see Henderson back in the UFC, where he belongs. This fight is definitely not going to a judges decision, I mean, it’s five rounds with two KO artists constantly going for the KO. I don’t see Henderson getting KO… ever. He has an abnormally good chin and he shows every one of his fights. Shogun also has a good chin but he can still be TKO’d. Henderson has the better power and chin and that is very important for this fight = Henderson by 3rd round TKO. My pick for KOOTN
Wanderlai Silva vs. Cung Le: Wanderlai Silva needs to retire, badly. I am really nervous for this fight, I don’t like seeing Wanderlai get KO’d and it is inevitable in this fight. I am very happy to see Cung Le in the UFC now but he got a fight I don’t like = Le by 2nd round KO.
Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles: An awesome number one contender fight for the bantamweight division. This is a fight that I really wanted to see when I heard that Faber was going to drop down to 135. Bowles is a bantamweight beast and wants a rematch with Cruz more than anything. Although I don’t think either of them will have a chance of beating Cruz, this is a really good fight = Faber by unanimous decision.
Martin Kampann vs. Rick Story: This is an interesting fight that I personally think is the hardest one to pick the winner of. Story is coming off an embarrassing loss from Charlie Brennemen. Kampann on the other hand has not fought in a very long time so we will see how the ring rust will have an effect on Martin, I have a feeling that it won’t be so good = Story by unanimous decision.
Stephan Bonnar vs. Kyle Kingsbury: This is going to be a super good fight. I guarantee it. Both these guys like to slug it out and both of them have been looking good lately so its also going to be a close fight. Kingsbury got a bright future and I think that Bonnar’s time as a potential title contender has passed = Kingsbury by split decision. My pick for FOTN!
Prelims
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Dan Henderson: A perfect legend versus legend fight that seems to should’ve happen way back in the Pride days. Shogun is very hungry for a rematch against Jon Jones, which was very apparent after his violent KO of Forrest Griffin. I am very happy to see Henderson back in the UFC, where he belongs. This fight is definitely not going to a judges decision, I mean, it’s five rounds with two KO artists constantly going for the KO. I don’t see Henderson getting KO… ever. He has an abnormally good chin and he shows every one of his fights. Shogun also has a good chin but he can still be TKO’d. Henderson has the better power and chin and that is very important for this fight = Henderson by 3rd round TKO. My pick for KOOTN
Wanderlai Silva vs. Cung Le: Wanderlai Silva needs to retire, badly. I am really nervous for this fight, I don’t like seeing Wanderlai get KO’d and it is inevitable in this fight. I am very happy to see Cung Le in the UFC now but he got a fight I don’t like = Le by 2nd round KO.
Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles: An awesome number one contender fight for the bantamweight division. This is a fight that I really wanted to see when I heard that Faber was going to drop down to 135. Bowles is a bantamweight beast and wants a rematch with Cruz more than anything. Although I don’t think either of them will have a chance of beating Cruz, this is a really good fight = Faber by unanimous decision.
Martin Kampann vs. Rick Story: This is an interesting fight that I personally think is the hardest one to pick the winner of. Story is coming off an embarrassing loss from Charlie Brennemen. Kampann on the other hand has not fought in a very long time so we will see how the ring rust will have an effect on Martin, I have a feeling that it won’t be so good = Story by unanimous decision.
Stephan Bonnar vs. Kyle Kingsbury: This is going to be a super good fight. I guarantee it. Both these guys like to slug it out and both of them have been looking good lately so its also going to be a close fight. Kingsbury got a bright future and I think that Bonnar’s time as a potential title contender has passed = Kingsbury by split decision. My pick for FOTN!
Prelims
Ryan Bader vs. Jason Brilz = Bader by split decision
Michael McDonald vs. Alex Soto = McDonald by 2nd round TKO
Tom Lawlor vs. Chris Weidman = Weidman by unanimous decision
Nick Pace vs. Miguel Torres = Torres by 2nd round submission (Choke). My pick for SOTN!
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Gleison Tibau = Tibau by unanimous decision
Seth Baczynski vs. Matt Brown = Brown by 2nd round TKO
Shamar Bailey vs. Danny Castillo = Bailey by split decision
Michael McDonald vs. Alex Soto = McDonald by 2nd round TKO
Tom Lawlor vs. Chris Weidman = Weidman by unanimous decision
Nick Pace vs. Miguel Torres = Torres by 2nd round submission (Choke). My pick for SOTN!
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Gleison Tibau = Tibau by unanimous decision
Seth Baczynski vs. Matt Brown = Brown by 2nd round TKO
Shamar Bailey vs. Danny Castillo = Bailey by split decision
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
UFC on FOX Recap
So, I know that its a few days late but I’m going to do a little recap here. First off I have been watching UFC since the time Sam (my brother and the other writer of this blog) was born! I have loved watching it mature into the most amazing form of martial art combat ever. I have waited for the day it would make it onto a public broadcasting station for a long time. I am a “member” of the hardcore MMA followers and many of them said things like “we don’t need this” and “this is ‘our’ sport”. Oh please. If you truly loved this sport then you would want everyone else in the world to be able to see it and love it as well.
I thought the broadcast was amazingly well done and hearing the classic FOX sports theme music on top of a UFC broadcast blew my mind! It was amazing. Having a heavyweight title fight was the best choice because people have a natural proclivity towards heavyweight fights even if they don’t watch boxing or MMA frequently. Maybe its Hollywood’s doing with movies like Rocky or boxing’s past with greats like Ali, Frazier and Foreman. But people love heavyweight bouts and title bouts.
So, I thought that Velasquez vs. Dos Santos was the perfect match. They both having exciting standup with power and Cain has great wrestling with big slams; which are all great for a highlight matchup. The fight itself was how I called it in my prediction and I was not surprised that JDS won by KO. It was exciting and the broadcast made it even more exciting by giving a great background story about Cain and JDS’ lives.
My only problem was the fact that they missed out on having the Guida vs. Henderson fight airing on FOX. It was a Fight of the Year candidate and could have been a major resource in recruiting new fans. I’m just glad I got to see it on Facebook.
Overall, it was a great night for me, all the fans, the UFC and most importantly the sport of MMA as a whole. It had emotion, energy, magic and great martial arts. I can say once again that I am proud to be a diehard and long time fan of this wonderful sport.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
UFC on FOX Predicitions
Sam’s Picks
Main Card
Cain Velazquez vs. Junior dos Santos: This is easily the most important fight in heavyweight history and UFC history. These are both dominant young beasts ready to show the world what the UFC is all about. This was literally the best choice for a fight to be shown on Fox. They are heavyweights, the biggest draw in combat sports and they are both fast heavyweights with huge amounts of strength and cardio. They are both extremely intimidating and equal in skill making this an extremely hard fight to pick. Ever since dos Santos joined the UFC, he has been on the biggest tear I have ever seen: Fabricio Werdum (TKO), Stefan Struve (TKO), Mirko Cro Cop (TKO), Gilbert Yvel (TKO), Gabriel Gonzaga (TKO), Roy Nelson (Dominant UD), Shane Carwin (Dominant UD). These are all of his opponents in the UFC so far and none of them have had a chance to beat him. Cain will easily be his biggest test to date and Junior will be Cain’s biggest test to date as well. Velazquez has looked unstoppable since his UFC debut but hasn’t fought the same caliber opponents as dos Santos has. Velazquez’s ground game is brutal, very strong takedowns and ground and pound but apparently dos Santos also has a very good ground game according to his camp. We have not been able to see his ground game, but there is a very good chance that we will see his BJJ in action Saturday night when Velazquez will inevitable take him down at least once. This is a very hard fight for me to pick but I’m going to go with my gut on this one = dos Santos by 4th round TKO. My Pick for KOOTN
Cain Velazquez vs. Junior dos Santos: This is easily the most important fight in heavyweight history and UFC history. These are both dominant young beasts ready to show the world what the UFC is all about. This was literally the best choice for a fight to be shown on Fox. They are heavyweights, the biggest draw in combat sports and they are both fast heavyweights with huge amounts of strength and cardio. They are both extremely intimidating and equal in skill making this an extremely hard fight to pick. Ever since dos Santos joined the UFC, he has been on the biggest tear I have ever seen: Fabricio Werdum (TKO), Stefan Struve (TKO), Mirko Cro Cop (TKO), Gilbert Yvel (TKO), Gabriel Gonzaga (TKO), Roy Nelson (Dominant UD), Shane Carwin (Dominant UD). These are all of his opponents in the UFC so far and none of them have had a chance to beat him. Cain will easily be his biggest test to date and Junior will be Cain’s biggest test to date as well. Velazquez has looked unstoppable since his UFC debut but hasn’t fought the same caliber opponents as dos Santos has. Velazquez’s ground game is brutal, very strong takedowns and ground and pound but apparently dos Santos also has a very good ground game according to his camp. We have not been able to see his ground game, but there is a very good chance that we will see his BJJ in action Saturday night when Velazquez will inevitable take him down at least once. This is a very hard fight for me to pick but I’m going to go with my gut on this one = dos Santos by 4th round TKO. My Pick for KOOTN
Prelims
Clay Guida vs. Ben Henderson: This fight has all the works for fight of the year (which is too bad it’s not on Fox but rather Facebook) and I think that whoever wins this should get a title shot against Frankie. Henderson has some of the biggest heart I have ever seen and has a ton of skill to back it up. Guida is a super hardheaded exciting fighter with great wrestling and a tendency to be in exciting fights. A year ago I would say that Guida would easily win this but Henderson showed us you can never doubt him with his dominating win over Jim Miller = Henderson by unanimous decision.
Pablo Garza vs. Dustin Poirier: A really cool Featherweight fight that will show who is ready for the upper echelon guys of the surprisingly stacked 145 lb. pound division = Poirier by unanimous decision.
Ricardo Lamas vs. Cub Swanson = Swanson by split decision
Clay Harvison vs. DaMarques Johnson = Johnson by 1st round TKO
Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto vs. Darren Uyenoyama = “Kid” by 2nd round submission (choke) My pick for SOTN
Robert Peralta vs. Mackens Semerzier = Semerzier by unanimous decision. My pick for FOTN
Alex Caceres vs. Cole Escovedo = Escovedo by 2nd round TKO
Paul Bradley vs. Mike Pierce = Pierce by unanimous decision
Matt Lucas vs. Aaron Rosa = Rosa by split decision
Clay Guida vs. Ben Henderson: This fight has all the works for fight of the year (which is too bad it’s not on Fox but rather Facebook) and I think that whoever wins this should get a title shot against Frankie. Henderson has some of the biggest heart I have ever seen and has a ton of skill to back it up. Guida is a super hardheaded exciting fighter with great wrestling and a tendency to be in exciting fights. A year ago I would say that Guida would easily win this but Henderson showed us you can never doubt him with his dominating win over Jim Miller = Henderson by unanimous decision.
Pablo Garza vs. Dustin Poirier: A really cool Featherweight fight that will show who is ready for the upper echelon guys of the surprisingly stacked 145 lb. pound division = Poirier by unanimous decision.
Ricardo Lamas vs. Cub Swanson = Swanson by split decision
Clay Harvison vs. DaMarques Johnson = Johnson by 1st round TKO
Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto vs. Darren Uyenoyama = “Kid” by 2nd round submission (choke) My pick for SOTN
Robert Peralta vs. Mackens Semerzier = Semerzier by unanimous decision. My pick for FOTN
Alex Caceres vs. Cole Escovedo = Escovedo by 2nd round TKO
Paul Bradley vs. Mike Pierce = Pierce by unanimous decision
Matt Lucas vs. Aaron Rosa = Rosa by split decision
David’s Picks
Main Card
Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos: What can you say? It’s huge! I have been watching MMA since I was a kid and to think that there is a heavyweight title fight on FOX during primetime hours is literally too much for me to handle. I am so happy about this and cannot wait to watch it. Cain’s take downs and top control are brutal grinding stuff. His standup has improved so much it’s unbelievable but then there’s Dos Santos. I think JDS has the best standup in the heavyweight division. His hooks and uppercuts are brutal and have put many foes to sleep. This will be such an amazing fight regardless of who wins. Dos Santos will have to be able to do some pretty active BJJ in order to sway the judges into voting for him because he will get taken down at some point. Cain’s chin didn’t look great against Kongo and JDS is a much better boxer and has way more power than Kongo, so I truly believe that if JDS catches Cain he will get KOed. This is an extremely hard fight to pick but I think I’m going with the fact that Cain has never faced a guy like JDS and we was out for over a year = Dos Santos by unanimous decision. My Pick for Fight of the Night!
Prelims
Clay Guida vs. Ben Henderson: What a great fight! Probably the best fight set to never air live. Like Sammy said if you were to set up this fight a few years ago it would be a no-brainer that Clay would win but after Henderson’s dominant wins over Bocek and Jim Miller it makes this a very hard fight to pick. Henderson is a very big and strong 155 but has never faced a guy like Guida who has the best cardio in the world. If Guida is on I think he can win a narrow decision and I think he will be = Guida by unanimous decision.
Pablo Garza vs. Dustin Poirier: A really fun featherweight matchup featuring two fighter looking to step up in competition. Whoever wins this will be bumped up into title contender bouts. I think Garza is a great steady fighter who will have a decent career in the UFC but I think there is something special about Dustin. He is an animal and I see him possibly being a title challenger within the next 2 years. = Dustin by unanimous decision.
Ricardo Lamas vs. Cub Swanson: Swanson by split decision.
Clay Harvsion vs. DaMarques Johnson: Johnson by tko in round 1.
Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto vs. Darren Uyenoyama: Kid by tko in round 2. My Pick for KO of the Night!
Robert Peralta vs. Mackens Semerzier: Mackens by split decision.
Alex Caceres vs. Cole Escovedo: Escovedo by submission in round 2. My Pick for submission of the Night!
Paul Bradley vs. Mike Pierce: Pierce by unanimous decision.
Matt Lucas vs. Aaron Rosa: Rosa by split decision.
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