UFC on FOX 2 Predictions

Sam’s Picks

Main Card

Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis: This is one fight that I would prefer to get wrong. Although Davis has the better wrestling on paper, that doesn’t mean that Evans can’t stop the takedown. I believe that Evans has the takedown defense that can stop some of the takedowns coming from Davis. Davis is going to want to pull out a boring grinding out win before Evans has the chance to win the standup. They are very closely matched up on paper but Evans is going to pull out the win based on his standup and experience advantage over Davis = Evans by unanimous decision.

Michael Bisping vs. Chael Sonnen: The battle of the big mouths lead to be a rather silent trash talk war. Actually, it wasn’t even a war, they never really talked. Astonishing. Anyway, Sonnen has proved to have absolutely devastating wrestling and Bisping doesn’t have the ground game to be able to defend or counter anything involved with grappling with Sonnen. This is all Sonnen and I can’t wait for his rematch with Anderson Silva = Sonnen by 2nd round TKO. My Pick for KOOTN!

Demian Maia vs. Chris Weidman: I was really surprised to see that Weidman is the favorite going into this fight. Not only did he take this fight on short notice, but he also hasn’t proved to be able to hang with the elite of the division yet, Demian Maia is not a gatekeeper. Weidman needs to go through a gatekeeper before he can prove his worth with guys like Maia. Maia should be able to submit him after Weidman will most likely take him down = Maia by 1st round submission. My pick for SOTN!

Prelims
Evan Dunham vs. Nik Lentz = Dunham by 2nd round submission (choke).
Michael Johnson vs. Shane Roller = Roller by 1st round submission (arm).
Jon Olav Einemo vs. Mike Russow = Einemo by 2nd round submission.
George Roop vs. Cub Swanson = Roop by 1st round TKO.
Charles Oliviera vs. Eric Wisely = Oliviera by 2nd round submission (choke).
Joey Beltran vs. Lavar Johnson = Beltran by split decision.
Chris Camozzi vs. Dustin Jacoby = Camozzi by 1st round submission (choke).

Dave’s Picks

Main Card

Phil Davis vs. Rashad Evans: Very interesting matchup. First off, I’ve said this before and then Davis himself reiterated that although Rashad is a good wrestler he is not on the same level as Davis. Davis’ collegiate record was 116–17 at Penn State and he won the National Championship in 2008. However, Rashad has found a very successful formula for his wrestling in MMA. Davis’ wrestling in MMA is good too but his experience level is just not the same. So, because the wrestling is somewhat equal in MMA I would guess this will stay standing. When it comes to striking Rashad has the clear advantage. He has proven that he can handle himself with some very good strikers. Davis, however, has very mediocre striking. This fight will be very interesting but I have to go with the more proven fighter = Rashad by unanimous decision. 

Michael Bisping vs. Chael Sonnen: Another interesting matchup. You would naturally think that Bisping has the better standup and Sonnen obviously has the better ground game. The only chance Bisping has is to KO Sonnen early or somehow submit him off his back. The thing I am most certain about with this fight is that Bisping will be on his back with Sonnen smashing his face. I really don’t think Bisping has the same BJJ skills as Maia, Anderson or Filho. = Sonnen by unanimous decision.

Demian Maia vs. Chris Weidman: Maia has a world class ground game and Weidman has not faced the likes of that yet in his young career; not even close. Weidman has some great grappling skills but Maia is top ten in all of MMA, if not top 5. The fact that Weidman is the betting line favorite is crazy in my mind. Can Weidman pull this off on short notice? Yea but its slim in my opinion. = Maia by unanimous decision.

Prelims

Evan Dunham vs. Nik Lentz: Dunham by unanimous decision.

Michael Johnson vs. Shane Roller: Roller by submission in round 2. My Pick for Submission of the Night!

Jon Olav Einemo vs. Mike Russow: Russow by split decision.

George Roop vs. Cub Swanson: Roop by split decision. My Pick for Fight of the Night!

Charles Oliveira vs. Eric Wisely: Oliveira by unanimous decision.

Joey Beltran vs. Lavar Johnson: Beltran by submission in round 3.

Chris Camozzi vs. Dustin Jacoby: Camozzi by unanimous decision.

Dave and Sam Video!

We attended a book signing in Toronto!!

UFC on FX Recap

UFC on FX 1 Recap

With an undercard that was stacked with the new guys, it was surprisingly exciting. First the Canadian Nick Denis put the world on notice with his violent KO with Jordan Mein-esque elbows from the clinch to cut Joseph Sandoval down like a tree. Quick and violent always leads to a good KO. Afterwards, Daniel Pineda absolutely manhandled Schilling with powerful standup and an impressive ground game en route to a quick RNC finish. Fabricio Camoes did much of the same against Tommy Hayden in his return to the UFC. Charlie Brenneman easily wrestled his way past Daniel “The Ninja” Roberts for an easy unanimous decision victory. Habib Nurmagomedov put the UFC lightweight division on notice with his dominant victory over the tough Kamal Shalorus. On the last prelim of the night, Jorge Rivera played out his swan song in sweet fashion with his TKO victory over Eric Schafer, leaving behind an entertaining career.

The FX card started out with a bang. In a fight that I knew was either going to be an easy submission win for Morecraft or an easy KO win for Barry. Although it wasn’t easy, Barry still KO’d him in the first round, violently. Barry showed off an extremely improved ground game when he shook off the much larger Morecraft from his back and defended a really good armbar. Barry really impressed me with his submission defense, he just needs to work on his takedown defense. After he defended the armbar, he quickly put Morecraft away quickly in a finish that was stopped a few punches too late.

I really thought that Easton was going to make quick work of Papazian because Papazian was both a newcomer and he took the fight on short notice, but Papazian put on a show with Easton. They slugged it out with a few exchanges that looked like Don Frye-Yoshihiro Takayama.  The fight was extremely entertaining with both the guys showing the world what the bantamweight division is all about. It truly could have gone either way but Easton pulled out the victory by majority decision in this Fight of the Year candidate.

In a fight that people were already calling this one a Fight of the Year candidate before it even started, Josh Neer and Duane Ludwig both looked impressive until Ludwig made a drastic mistake. Ludwig hurt Neer early with his powerful Muay Thai, but Neer is one of the tougher fighters out there so he played it smart by going for the takedown. After Ludwig was able to push Neer off twice, he got to his knees and left his neck wide out, having me yell at the TV at the very stupid decision. Neer saw it as everybody else did, and grabbed the guillotine to choke Ludwig unconscious.

In the main event, Jim Miller and Melvin Guillard fought to put themselves back into title contention. After Guillard seemed to have rocked Miller on the feet, something we don’t often see, Miller took him to the ground, a place he knows he has an advantage over Guillard. Guillard eventually stood up, only to have Miller jump on his back like a monkey and slide in the RNC for the impressive submission finish.

UFC on FX 1: Guillard vs. Miller Predictions

Dave’s Picks

(It's my Birthday, and I'm having a little party with family and friends. So, I hope this card is a fun one!)

Main Card

Melvin Guillard vs. Jim Miller: Great fight. Both guys are coming off losses but are still in the title hunt. Miller lost to Ben Henderson who is now fighting for the title and Melvin was on a tear until he got caught by Joe Lauzon. Anything can happen in this fight but I think this fight hinges on Miller’s ground game. I think Miller needs to do what Lauzon did. Get it to the ground somehow and submit him quick. Standing with Melvin is a bad idea, he can knockout anybody at 155. If Melvin wants to win he has to keep it standing and keep his hands up. This fight is super hard to call but I’m going with Jimmy Read Beard = Miller by submission in round 3. My Pick for Fight of the Night!

Duane "Bang" Ludwig vs. Josh Neer: This fight is also pretty tough to call because these guys are both journeymen and I’m not totally sure where they are currently in their careers when it comes to their mental and physical health. Neer has been on a little win streak lately and has beaten way tougher competition than Ludwig. Ludwig will most likely have the advantage standing but Neer will destroy him on the ground. = Neer by submission in round 2. My Pick for Submission of the Night!

Mike Easton vs. Jared Papazian: Easton is a really good talent with a lot of potential. He was beaten Chase Beebe and Jon Dodson. Papazian is a guy who could go either way. Papazian has a lot of experience for a 23 year old but his success has been mixed and inconsistent. I expect Easton to win this and go on to do some big things in the UFC bantamweight division. = Easton by TKO in round 1.

Pat Barry vs. Christian Morecraft: Morecraft has a good chance at winning this. I’m actually super tempted to pick him but I can’t. Morecraft has been KOed by guys who do not possess the striking abilities that Barry offers. Morecraft’s chin is my main concern in this fight. I don’t think he can withstand 15 minutes in the cage with Barry but don’t be surprised if Morecraft takes it to the ground and submits Barry quick. = Barry by KO in round 1. My Pick for KO of the Night!

Prelims

Jorge Rivera vs. Eric Schafer: Rivera by unanimous decision.

Habib Nurmagomedov vs. Kamal Shalorus: Shalorus by unanimous decision.

Charlie Brenneman vs. Daniel Roberts: Brenneman by split decision.

Fabricio Camoes vs. Tom Hayden: Camoes by submission in round 1.

Daniel Pineda vs. Pat Schilling: Pineda by submission in round 2.

Nick Denis vs. Joseph Sandoval: Denis by split decision.

Sam’s Picks

Main Card

Jim Miller vs. Melvin Guillard: This is an awesome fight to headline, a fight that will send these guys back into title talk, at least on Miller’s part. Miller has a really good looking record of 20-3 with those three losses only coming from Ben Henderson, Gray Maynard, and Frankie Edgar. He has beaten some very high level competition with his powerful standup, dominant wrestling, and impressive jiu-jitsu. Miller’s strengths are where Guillard’s weakness are. Although Guillard’s standup is really good, Miller will utilize his dominant ground game to come out on top with the submission win = Miller by 2nd round guillotine choke. My pick for SOTN!

Duane Ludwig vs. Josh Neer: I am really happy to see that Josh Neer is back in the UFC but they didn’t exactly give him a very easy fight in his second fight back. Ludwig has proven to be a very seasoned veteran with overwhelming Muay Thai while Neer doesn’t exactly have very good standup but his ground game is good. Ludwig is going to pick him apart on the feet and take away the dominant decision victory = Ludwig by unanimous decision. My pick for FOTN!

Mike Easton vs. Jared Papazian: Jared Papazian hasn’t defeated anybody with a big name, no one impressive but Mike Easton on the other hand has defeated a lot of very impressive people. Easton has defeated the likes of Chase Beebe (split), Josh Ferguson (guillotine), and even John Dodson (split)! Along with Papazian taking this fight on short notice, Easton has the skills to run through Papazian. This is all Easton = Easton by 2nd round TKO.

Pat Barry vs. Christian Morecraft: Once again, a striker versus grappler match. Morecraft has shown a good ground game with his dominant first round over Struve but has shown a terrible chin for a heavyweight with his fights with Matt Mitrione and Stefan Struve. Although Pat Barry has an absolutely terrible ground game, he still has the punching power to KO anybody, making this his fight stopped due to strikes = Barry by 1st round KO. My pick for KOOTN!

Prelims

Jorge Rivera vs. Eric Schafer = Rivera by 2nd round TKO.
Habib Nurmagomedov vs. Kamal Shalorus = Shalorus by split decision.
Charlie Brenneman vs. Daniel Roberts = Brenneman by unanimous decision.
Fabricio Camoes vs. Tommy Hayden = Camoes by 1st round RNC.
Daniel Pineda vs. Pat Schilling = Pineda by unanimous decision.
Nick Denis vs. Joseph Sandoval = Denis by 2nd round TKO.

Enjoy the Fights!!!!!!

UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes Recap

UFC 142 was a fun night of fights. Every single main card fight had a finish and 4 of those were in the first round. It was a really fun card.

First off Aldo proved to everyone what I already knew: he is a top 5 pound-for-pound fighter. His speed is unmatched at featherweight and the way he throws knees like fast punches is so unique its super difficult to prepare for and counter those. Aldo will most likely hold onto that belt for a long time. Mendes looked decent until he was KOed. His main problem was that he came in with a plan that was just way to predictable. He didn’t even set up his takedowns well. But Mendes is still number 2 featherweight in my eyes and I see him staying up there for awhile.

After Anthony Johnson missed weight by 12 pounds we all knew there was a ton of pressure on him to win this fight. It was his third time missing in weight in the UFC and he actually went up a weight class so he had to cut 15 less pounds. It is ridiculous. But Vitor came to fight and although there were some arguably quick stand-ups Vitor destroyed Johnson. I can see Vitor staying near title contention for awhile. Johnson has officially been cut from the promotion. I see him winning a fight or two outside the UFC and then coming back. But he has to work on what weight he wants to fight at from now on.

Palhares looked good as usual. He is very close to being granted a title fight. Erick Silva got screwed out of a beautiful TKO victory over Carlo Prater. Silva looked great and finished Prater 29 seconds into the first round but referee Mario Yamasaki said that Silva hit Prater in the back of the head. There was one punch, out of the 15 or so, that landed on the back of the head but I disagree that it warranted a DQ loss to Silva. It’s a shame but Dana White also disagreed so it shouldn’t hurt Silva that much. Silva has a major future and I could see him fighting a higher-tier guy at this point. Prater will never amount to much but can be a decent test to UFC newcomers. The rest of the card was good and exciting.

The fight I want to mention most is the Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim fight. The fight was a pretty good fight that Barboza was slightly winning. But 2 minutes into the 3^rd round Barboza landed a strike that will live in infamy. He did a spinning heel kick and KOed Etim while Etim was still standing up straight. Etim went stiff immediately and then fell really slow like a tree and hit the ground hard. It was beautiful and the best was to describe it is a kick Jean-Claude Van Damme would do in one of his old corny movies. It was insane!

Overall, great night of fights and I look forward to this Friday’s FX card; which happens to be on my birthday! Happy birthday to me!

UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes

Dave’s Picks

Main Card

Champ Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes: I love the lower weight classes and every time they are the main event of a card it makes me super happy. If the UFC wants the lower weight classes to be a draw then they must promote them more. This is one way to do it. I have to say I really like Mendes in this fight. No one has come even close to being able to stuff his takedowns or get up once taken down. Mendes has never come close to being submitted or KOed. He has never been defeated or even close to being defeated. He has also defeated some great fighters like Rani Yahya, Omigawa, Cub Swanson, Eric Koch, Javier Vazquez and Steven Siler. The dude is a beast! But when it comes to predictions (or betting, which I don’t do. But I know some of my readers do) you have to go with what makes more sense. Jose Aldo is the pick that makes the most sense. He has shown weakness once in all of his fights. It was at UFC 129, which I saw live, in the 5^th round when Hominick was raining down some serious ground and pound. But other than that Aldo has been perfect. Aldo has beaten some very serious competition of his own but mostly all by brutal finishes. His speed is unmatched and I think Mendes will struggle with it. This fight could go either way but like I said, this makes the most sense = Aldo by unanimous decision.

Vitor Belfort vs. Anthony Johnson: This fight is crazy. For this fight Johnson is actually permanently moving up a weight class. He has posted photos and a video of what he looks like now. He looks like a monster. He looks to be in great shape and this seems to be for sure a more natural weight class for him. On the other hand you got veteran Vitor Belfort who is a monster as well. Vitor’s last fight, where he destroyed Akiyama, gives me a lot of confidence in picking him to win here but there is one thing that scares me. He has struggled with strong wrestlers. Randy Couture dominated him, Tito had some success and Dan Henderson handled him. Johnson is a pretty good wrestler but I think experience is going to play a huge factor. Vitor has been fighting much harder competition throughout his career. Another factor to take into consideration is that Vitor cuts a ton and can be drained by making 185 but Johnson should have a much easier time making weight and shouldn’t be drained. This fight has a good amount of unknowns but I’m going with Vitor. = Vitor by unanimous decision.

Mike Massenzio vs. Rousimar Palhares: This fight is the easiest fight to call on this card. Palhares is a monster with some of the best grappling in MMA. Massenzio is a mid-tier fighter with decent wrestling. Palhares will outmuscle him and sub him early. = Palhares by submission in round 2. My Pick for Submission of the Night!

Carlo Prater vs. Erick Silva: Silva is a killer and hasn’t lost since 2006. Prater hasn’t beaten anybody worth mentioning since he beat Carlos Condit back in 2004; which Condit avenged easily in 2008. Silva should win this fight but Prater has much more experience. However, Silva has a fight in the UFC and Prater doesn’t. = Silva by unanimous decision.

Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim: This fight is gonna be insane! This fight will be a fast paced technical brawl. I can’t wait. Etim is a very fast well rounded fighter but he never faced anyone with the abilities Barboza has. Barboza will have the standup advantage for sure and on the ground it may be even. Etim has a chance but its slim. = Barboza by unanimous decision. My Pick for Fight of the Night!

Prelims

Sam Stout vs. Thiago Tavares: Stout by TKO in round 2. My Pick for KO of the Night!

Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Ednaldo Oliveira: Gonzaga by split decision.

Yuri Alcantara vs. Michihiro Omigawa: Yuri by split decision.

Ricardo Funch vs. Mike Pyle: Pyle by submission in round 1.

Felipe Arantes vs. Antonio "Pato" Carvalho: Carvalho by TKO in round 3.

Sam’s Picks

Main Card

Featherweight champion Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes: Finally, Chad Mendes is getting his highly deserved title shot at Jose Aldo. Mendes easily has the best chance at beating Aldo, so this leads to the burning question; if Aldo can pass Mendes, is he unbeatable? First off, no, no one is unbeatable. Although, this statement is true, there are the undeniably dominant champions like GSP and Anderson Silva. Mendes is easily going to be Aldo’s biggest test to date. Mendes is an extremely powerful wrestler and Aldo’s Wrestling is sub-par at most. Aldo has the best striking of anyone that Mendes has faces, Mendes has the best wrestling that Aldo has faced. In the past, the wrestler comes out on top of the striker a majority of the time. Aldo is hard to bet against but he hasn’t been exactly all that impressive in the past. Mendes, on the other hand, is powerful and hungry. He is ready to be champion = Mendes by unanimous decision.

Vitor Belfort vs. Anthony Johnson: When I saw this fight, I was very happy to see Johnson finally at the right weight class. I also thought that this would be an easy fight for Belfort… but then I saw pictures of Anthony Johnson. He is absolutely enormous. Belfort better be ready for a beast on Saturday because Anthony Johnson is ready to shine at 185. Belfort, on the other hand, has the very high experience advantage over Johnson. He also isn’t that old or ready to retire. He wants another shot at Silva. Johnson may have the strength advantage over Belfort but Belfort has the speed advantage by a lot. He also has the jiujutsu advantage but the wrestling goes to Johnson. This one is a close call but I’m going to go with Belfort picking him apart on the feet while stuffing takedowns. If he gets taken down, look for him to be standing right up or looking for the submissions = Belfort by 2nd round TKO. MY pick for KOTN!

Mike Massenzio vs. Rousimar Palhares: Palhares (or Paul Harris) is 2 or 3 big fights away from getting a title shot but this fight is not going to be a big win. Massenzio was just fighting for his job against Cantwell and he is not ready for a jujutsu expert such as Palhares = Palhares by 1st round hell (oops?) hook. My pick for SOTN!

Carlo Prater vs. Erick Silva: Silva is a huge prospect who I find to be a future champ. He is a beast. Prater hasn’t done enough to prove he can hand with guys like Erick Silva. Anytime he has went against a top guy, he lost (Reza Madadi, Drew Fickett, Antonio McKee, Brock Larson, Carlos Condit). His biggest recent win was against a guy named Charlie Brown, yes, Charlie Brown. This is Silva’s = Silva by 2nd round TKO.

Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim: This is the fight that I am most excited for. These guys are very evenly matched. Barboza has amazing striking and a decent ground game. Terry Etim’s standup isn’t very good but his ground game is amazingly slick. Barboza is just a little more well rounded than Etim, leading me to believe that will be the biggest difference in this fight = Barboza by unanimous decision. My pick for FOTN!

Prelims
Sam Stout vs. Thiago Tavares = Stout by 2nd round TKO.
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Ednaldo Oliveira = Gonzaga by split decision.
Yuri Alcantara vs. Michihiro Omigawa = Alcantara by split decision.
Ricardo Funch vs. Mike Pyle = Pyle by 1st round guillotine choke.
Felipe Arantes vs. Antonio Carvalho = Arantes by 2nd round TKO.

Enjoy the Fights!