UFC 156 Prelim Recap

Hieron following Woodley's KO.
Photo via Yahoo! Sports.

Francisco Rivera vs. Edwin Figueroa: This was a great way to start off one of the best cards in recent memory. It was well known that both of these guys were most likely going to put on a barnburner and that is exactly what it was. In the early goings of the first round, Figueroa caught Rivera on two occasions and even dropping him with the second punch. Rivera showed great recuperation ability as he came back and made the first round much closer than it seemed it was going to be. Rivera landed several takedowns before the round ended. The second round was a different story though. Figueroa landed a takedown early, but Rivera was able to get back up, showing off his improved ground game. Shortly thereafter, Rivera rocked Figueroa and finished him after landing several huge haymakers.

Possible matchups for Rivera: The former featherweight is really finding his home at 135 pounds. With two straight knockout finishes, Rivera is starting to cement himself as a contender at bantamweight. This wasn’t a flawless victory, so a bout with another up and comer should be put in the works with a fighter like Johnny Bedford.

Possible matchups for Figueroa: Despite this loss, Figueroa is still an exciting prospect. He has potential to be a star with his hispanic background and entertaining fight style. If he wants to get back on track he should face off with Azamat Gashimov, who is coming off of a first round submission loss to Ivan Menjivar.

Chico Camus vs. Dustin Kimura: We have a very promising fighter in the works ladies and gentlemen. The fight was very close throughout the first two rounds. Camus would slightly out-strike Kimura but then go for the takedown, only to be attacked by a crazy amount of submission attempts. Camus clearly had the better standup so I found it confusing as to why he continually went in for the takedowns. When he went for the takedown in the third, Kimura reversed it and ended up in mount. The rear naked choke came soon thereafter, tapping the Roufusport fighter.

Possible matchups for Kimura: I am in love with Kimura’s fighting style. I love fighters who feel comfortable fighting off of their back and are constantly threatening with submissions. I want the UFC to be smart in developing Kimura into a star, so I would like to see a fight with Issei Tamura to build up his stock.

Possible matchups for Camus: Chico Camus is a very good and well rounded fighter, but one thing that he greatly lacks is fight IQ: it is very poor. He should learn from this fight that he should keep it standing against a guy who is mainly a ground fighter. He should fight the loser of Kyung Ho Kang and Alex Caceres in order to stay with the UFC.

Yves Edwards vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg: The Strikeforce imports have now started 1-0. Facing off with such a veteran of the sport like Yves is a difficult task, but Isaac Vallie-Flagg seemed very ready for it. He started and ended the fight as the aggressor, something he is very well known for. After a very close first round that showed Ike coming forward while Edwards would land counters here and there, Edwards came back strong. The second was all Edwards as he got Ike’s back and nearly finished him with a rear naked choke. Vallie-Flagg then found his stride in the third round as he consistently moved forward and landed tons of strikes, earning himself the split decision win.

Possible matchups for Vallie-Flagg: A win over Yves Edwards is always a very impressive feat. With a charismatic personality and entertaining fighting style, Vallie-Flagg could build up a nice fan base. I would like to see him fight the winner of Paul Sass and Danny Castillo, who are fighting in a few weeks at UFC on Fuel 7.

Possible matchups for Edwards: There isn’t much more for Yves in MMA anymore. If he doesn’t retire, the only matchups that I would like him to be in are fan friendly fights. If this is what he wants, I would love to see a fight with Donald Cerrone, who is coming off of a TKO loss to Anthony Pettis. Though the fight doesn’t necessarily make sense in the title picture, it does for entertainment.

Jacob Volkmann vs. Bobby Green: Strikeforce: 2. UFC: 0. I was very confident coming into this fight that Volkmann was going to easily dominate this fight. That is how it started out, but Green showed a lot of toughness and skill. Green came back in the second and showed fantastic top control over Volkmann as he elbowed his head multiple times. The third was much of the same as Bobby also showed a great bottom game as he swept Volkmann, getting his back and finishing him with a choke.

Possible matchups for Green: Coming into the UFC, Green was an exciting prospect, but no one expected him to beat up Volkmann the way he did. I would to see a fight with fellow up and comer in Rustam Khabilov, who is coming off of a fantastic first round KO over Vinc Pichel, which came via slam.

Possible matchups for Volkmann: It seems as though every time that I believe Volkmann will pretty easily win, he loses. With him now only 1-2 in his last three, I see him getting released if he loses his next fight. Michael Johnson is coming off of a surprising decision loss to Myles Jury. Johnson and Volkmann should fight in what should be a fun grappling affair.

Jay Hieron vs. Tyron Woodley: Strikeforce imports are going to officially go undefeated tonight. There isn’t much to say about this fight. I felt as though Woodley would grind Hieron out for a decision. It was the complete opposite. Woodley landed a haymaker and ended up knocking Hieron into rigor mortis. It was beautiful, violent, and impressive. Hieron now has an overall record of 0-4 in the UFC. He just can’t keep up with UFC caliber fighters anymore.

Possible matchups for Woodley: Apparently Woodley wanted to prove a point following his loss to Nate Marquardt. He did better against Hieron than anyone ever did. For his second UFC fight, I would love to see him fight Thiago Alves, a fight that could truly be his coming out party.

Gleison Tibau vs. Evan Dunham: Evan Dunham just loves to put himself in slugfests. This one was no different. Tibau came out strong in the first round but Dunham came back and implemented a great gameplan. Evan loves to come out slow in the first round and come back strong. He came out and jabbed Tibau and landed several huge knees in the end of the third round to gain himself a split decision win.

Possible matchups for Dunham: After this very close fight with Tibau, Dunham puts him right back at the brink of contention. He’s not quite there, so I would like to see him fight the winner of Danny Castillo and Paul Sass. I believe a fight between Sass and Dunham would be a very good fight.

Possible matchups for Tibau: Now at 1-2 in his last three, Tibau is starting to fade and head near retirement. There isn’t much left for him so I think he is going to end up as a gatekeeper and stepping stone for up and comers in the UFC. I would like to see him fight John Cholish, who hasn’t fought since his very close decision loss to Danny Castillo.

UFC 156: Aldo vs. Edgar Predictions

Dave’s Picks

Main Card

Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar: Wow…wow…I cannot wait for this fight. This is as close as a champion vs. champion matchup can get. It’s no UFC 94 but its close. I believe the fights Frankie had with Benson Henderson are very telling. Benson is slightly faster and stronger than Frankie and that helped Henderson to “win” those fights. Even if you think Frankie won you have to admit he struggled quite a bit. Aldo is faster and maybe even stronger (in my opinion) than Henderson. The speed advantage will be a big deal in this fight. If Aldo can land first and harm Frankie’s semi-weak chin then it will be lights out. The only hope Frankie has to win, and it is a definitely possibility, is to outwrestle Aldo for 5 rounds. But can Frankie do that without being finished and can he repeatedly take Aldo down throughout the fight? I don’t know if he can. This fight interests me more than almost any fight in a long time. I just think Aldo is too much for Frankie. = Aldo by unanimous decision. My Pick for Fight of the Night!

Rashad Evans vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira: I love the Nog boys but this will be a beatdown. Rashad, minus his fight with Jones, has really perfected his craft. His MMA wrestling is top notch and will be way too much for Nog to handle. Rashad’s ground and pound might actually be strong enough to finish Nog by TKO but Nog’s chin is extremely good. I see Rashad smothering Nog with takedowns and top control until the final bell rings. = Rashad by unanimous decision.

Alistair Overeem vs. Antonio Silva: Oh boy. This will get ugly. Bigfoot is a great fighter but he is the perfect opponent for Overeem to destroy. He is nowhere near the level of striking that Overeem has achieved and his chin is degrading. I see Bigfoot coming out and trying to get the clinch up against the fence but Alistair having none of it and landing bombs so hard that people will look away. = Overeem by KO in round 1. My Pick for KO of the Night!

Jon Fitch vs. Demian Maia: Another great and interesting matchup. I would normally pick Fitch without too much thought but his fight with Erick Silva scares me. Yes that fight was awesome and he won but Silva had Fitch’s back and had a RNC sunk. If that happens in this fight, Maia will choke him out so fast he won’t even have a chance to tap. So, Fitch will have to fight with a much tighter ground game then he has in his last few fights. Maia has also looked like a fiery beast since dropping to 170 and looks to be easily handling top 10 guys. This fight is by far the hardest to pick but I am going to go with the safer pick. = Fitch by unanimous decision.

Joseph Benavidez vs. Ian McCall: Another great and important fight, such a great card. Sadly fan favorite McCall will lose again in the UFC. I was extremely shocked at Benavidez’s performance against Demetrious Johnson. I thought Benavidez was going to kill Johnson and be Flyweight Champion for a very long time. But I still think he may be the best flyweight alive. This fight will be another speedy technical battle but I think Benavidez just had the greater skill set and will smother McCall for the victory. = Benavidez by unanimous decision.  

Prelims

Evan Dunham vs. Gleison Tibau: This fight is hard to pick as well but Evan struggles against stronger guys. I am not sure if Evan has what it takes to stop Tibau’s takedowns and get back up once he is taken down. In my mind I see Tibau bullying Evan throughout the fight and getting an ugly win. = Tibua by split decision.

Tyron Woodley vs. Jay Hieron: Another difficult fight to predict. I believe Woodley is the better wrestler but Hieron’s style has proven to be hard for wrestler’s to handle. I want to go with Woodley but Hieron just finds ways to win. I am not sure what the safer pick is but I’m going to go with the better wrestler. = Woodley by split decision.

Yves Edwards vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg: I want go with Isaac but Edwards looked so good in his last fight. I think Yves is just too fast and will be able to use his superior footwork and skill set to take a close one. = Edwards by unanimous decision.

Jacob Volkmann vs. Bobby Green: Green is an underrated fighter with great skills but Volkmann is the perfect fighter to be able to beat him. Volkmann will be able to outwrestle Green and just blanket him. Volkmann could get a finish but Green will probably last. = Volkmann by unanimous decision.

Edwin Figueroa vs. Francisco Rivera = Rivera by 2^nd round TKO.

Chico Camus vs. Dustin Kimura = Camus by unanimous decision.

Sam’s Picks

Main Card

Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar: I can’t even remember the last time that the UFC had a super fight. This has been such a long awaited matchup ever since the UFC brought over the lower weight divisions. They are both going to be hardest test for each other, but what does that mean for Frankie, who is riding a two fight losing streak? Those two losses were so close and so debatable that a lot of people don’t even really view them as a full on undisputed losses. Aldo on the other hand, has only lost once and it was earlier in his career is too Luciano Azevedo. Aldo does arguably have the better power than Gray Maynard, but it's in his kicks and knees. Frankie’s best bet is to try and grind Aldo down, similar to what Florian did against Aldo in the first round. When striking. Edgar needs to be very in and out, really working the body and surprising him with a headshot. But Aldo won’t let him do that, at least not for a majority of the fight. Aldo will nearly finish him on a few occasions, but Frankie’s heart will push through. Aldo will win the first three rounds, and Frankie will win the championship rounds = Aldo via unanimous decision (48-47). My 1^st pick for FOTN!

Rashad Evans vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira: Though both of these guys are top-10 light heavyweights, this is a bit of a mismatch. Phil Davis absolutely dominated Nogueira on the ground. Rashad Evans dominated Phil Davis on the ground. Nogueira’s only hope is to throw something up from his back or hope to out-technique him in the boxing = Evans via unanimous decision.

Alistair Overeem vs. Antonio Silva: This fight is similar to the co-main event: both top guys, complete mismatch. Silva is coming off of a very impressive first round KO over Travis Browne, which was a big surprise to many, even people picking Silva to win. Overeem, though, is on a whole other planet when it comes to striking ability. His power and technique is unmatched by most and Silva has shown a skeptical chin. Overeem will finish this fight with ease = Overeem via 1^st round KO. My pick for KOOTN!

Jon Fitch vs. Demian Maia: I absolutely love this fight. Ever since Maia made the decision to drop down to welterweight, he has looked amazing. His submission and takedown offense is even more prominent than during his good days in his middleweight run. Fitch is coming off of his fight of the night with Erick Silva, which was an incredible back-and-forth fight. There was one point where Fitch showed off his unchokable-ness. Silva had his back and with a rear naked choke sunk in, Fitch somehow never went unconscious. If Maia had that position with the choked locked in the way Silva did, Fitch would have been done. But Silva only received that back position due to his intense aggressiveness, something that Maia does not have. Maia does have the ability to submit anyone, but Fitch will grind him out while Maia throws up a lot of submission attempts. It will be close = Fitch via split decision.

Joseph Benavidez vs. Ian McCall: Now this is the way that you start a PPV. With both guys coming off of close decision losses to the champion, Demetrious Johnson, a title shot is very well on the line. With Benavidez’ only losses to present day champions, you must question how he does under such pressure. McCall is a guy who does well under the spotlight; he is very charismatic and does well in big-name fights, despite his loss to Johnson in a main event. They are equally skilled grapplers with very even striking. Who will be faster? It’s very hard to say but I would have to go with McCall; he’s been the flyweight for longer therefore he is more adapted to the weight cut. Easier weight cut equals better cardio and speed. McCall seems to have the upper hand in a lot of areas, but Benavidez is just too difficult to bet against = Benavidez via unanimous decision. My 2^nd pick for FOTN!

Prelims

Evan Dunham vs. Gleison Tibau: With both fighters looking rather mediocre as of late, it’s hard to decide who I want to go with. Tibau will most likely be the stronger fighter, an advantage he almost always holds. Dunham will have the speed and ground advantage. Though Tibau does have a fantastic ground game, Dunham has shown more offense with his grappling, something I believe will lead him to victory = Dunham via split decision.

Tyron Woodley vs. Jay Hieron: Back in October of 2011, Jay Hieron was stolen out of a victory over present day Bellator welterweight champ in Ben Askren. Though it was a close fight, Hieron seemed to be the victor. Woodley is a very similar fighter to that of Ben Askren. If Hieron is to use a similar gameplan that he used against Askren, he could very well win. But I just simply can’t bet against a wrestler = Woodley via unanimous decision.

Yves Edwards vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg: Both guys have looked fantastic lately, with Edwards’ KO over Jeremy Stephens and Isaac’s barnburner upset over JZ Cavalcante. Edwards will undoubtedly have the upper hand in the experience category, Vallie-Flagg is the one fighter entering into his prime and with Greg Jackson in his corner, he will most likely have a great gameplan. These guys are very evenly matched, but I see Isaac narrowly pulling this one out for the upset once again = Vallie-Flagg via split decision. My 3^rd pick for FOTN!

Jacob Volkmann vs. Bobby Green: I see this fight going one of two ways: Volkmann gets him down and submits him early, similar to what he did to Shane Roller, or he grinds Green out for a decision win. With Greens under-average ground game, I believe the former is the more likely scenario = Volkmann via 1^st round submission. My pick for SOTN!

Edwin Figueroa vs. Francisco Rivera = Rivera via 3^rd round TKO.

Chico Camus vs. Dustin Kimura = Camus via 3nd round TKO.

UFC 152 Prelim Recap

Vinny subbing Igor (Photo by bloodyelbow.com)

UFC 152 was one of the best events of this year. With upsets, brutal KOs, slick submissions, and bloody all out wars aplenty; UFC 152 fired on all cylinders. There are some big matchups to make after such a huge event, so let us dive in.

Charlie Brenneman vs. Kyle Noke: The opener on this card was a quick and surprising one. Noke was becoming one of the more promising fighters to come from the 11th season of the TUF. Following two more wins cemented that fact but he then ran into Andrew Craig and Ed Herman. I felt that a drop down to welterweight was a smart idea. But when the UFC announced that Brenneman would welcome him back I felt that Brenneman would easily out grapple him en route to a unanimous decision win. Noke's standup looked improved by leaps and bounds, and it showed through his 40 second TKO victory over "The Spaniard". Some would say it was a premature stoppage, but Brenneman went limp more than once. He will most likely be released following this loss, as it was his 3rd in his last 4 fights.

Possible matchups for Noke: The Australian looked amazing on Saturday. He is typically pegged as a grappler but his striking looked crisp and powerful. Claude Patrick still hasn't had his next fight announced and this fight could prove to be a good grappling match, or even an underrated standup fight.

Walel Watson vs. Mitch Gagnon: These guys are two promising fighters that came out to tonight to prove a point following their recent losses. Watson had a clear reach advantage that he was looking to utilize, but wasn't able to. Mitch countered a superman punch of Watson's and dropped him. Mitch followed it up with some nasty ground and pound from the back. Once Watson nearly made it to his feet, Gagnon literally dragged him to the ground with a choke. It wasn't necessarily technical, but it was pretty awesome. Gagnon cinched up the RNC in only 69 seconds. The Canadian really got the crowd going then. Sadly, this is the 3rd loss in a row for "The Gazelle" and his release is inevitable.

Possible matchups for Gagnon: Two of the most promising bantamweights in the UFC right now are both Gagnon and Chico Camus. Camus was an underdog in his UFC debut against Dustin Pague and he dominated that fight. A fight between the two could be a fight of the night and would show us who's ready for a step up.

Seth Baszynski vs. Simeon Thoreson: Simeon Thoreson was another rising prospect on the UFC 152 card. He was really utilizing his reach advantage over Seth and was winning the standup. But, MMA is the most unpredictable sport in the world and Seth landed an uppercut and dropped the Norway native and finished him off with a couple more punches. Thoreson was unconscious for awhile but this will be a big learning experience for him.

Possible matchups for Baszynski: Seth Baszynski was asking for a top 15 welterweight following his last win over Lance Benoist. I thought it was time for him to take a step up and Thoreson isn't really a step up from Benoist. John Maguire and John Hathaway are fighting this coming Saturday and the winner of that will most likely become a top 15. Baszynski should fight the winner of that.

Possible matchups for Thoreson: Is was too bad to see such a promising fighter be completely knocked unconscious like that, but I'm sure it will be a huge learning experience. Another welterweight who is coming off a loss is Kenny Robertson. Simeon could easily win this fight if he took it to the ground. 

Jimy Hettes vs. Marcus Brimage: This fight was the second most surprising to me. I, and many others, believed that Hettes was going to easily just wipe the floor with Brimage. Brimage easily won the fight from beginning to end, minus the second round. Marcus landed some solid shots that would put most middleweights out but Hettes showed off one of the best chins we’ve seen in some time. Brimage also showed an improved ground game as he escaped some really close submission attempts. Brimage ultimately won two of three rounds and proved he is both one of the most promising prospects in MMA and one of the most underrated fighters in the world.

Possible matchups for Brimage: As I just said, Brimage is possibly the most underrated fighter in MMA today. He was a massive underdog in his last two fights and won them both. How can we count him out anymore? Max Holloway is another fighter that really deserves a step up but with both of these guys on their way up the ranks, a fight between the two would show who's ready for that step.

Possible matchups for Hettes: Despite this loss, Hettes still has a lot of time to grow and can still become a great fighter. His main problem is his standup. It's very bad. His ground game is fantastic but his standup is atrocious. He needs a fight to rebound and Cody McKenzie is just the fighter to do that.

Sean Pierson vs. Lance Benoist: Although this fight wasn't particularly great, it was nice to see the Canadian get the win in his hometown. Pierson had a clear boxing advantage which was shown right off the bat. Benoist had a lot of trouble trying to get inside and land some shots. The only time he was really able to do that was in the third, and he actually almost won the fight. Benoist was dangerously close to making a great comeback but Pierson is a vet and a tough SOB and maintained composure until the final bell.

Possible matchups for Pierson: Originally, Pierson was slated to fight the elder Miller brother, Dan. But, fortunately (yes, fortunately) Dan Miller pulled out of the fight due to his son getting a successful kidney transplant. All the best to his family! Anyway, this fight still makes perfect sense.

Possible matchups for Benoist: This is a second decision loss for Benoist now under the UFC banner. He's starting to cut it close to being released by the promotion. It's a shame because he is a promising young fighter. Rich Attonito still has yet to have his next fight set up so once he heals from his most recent injury, these two guys should try and rebound from their most recent losses.

TJ Grant vs. Evan Dunham: I really felt that this fight was going to be a rather boring grappling affair. Whoever would have expected this fight to be one of the best slugfests so far this year. From the very beginning, Grant was the aggressor and was constantly throwing knees and crazy flurries and Dunham tried to counter them with punches but wasn't exactly having the best of luck. Dunham did get takedowns at the end of each round but I felt that Grant did enough in the standup to win at least two of the three rounds. It was quite the bloodbath.

Possible matchups for Grant: Grant has been one of the more underrated fighters under the Zuffs banner. Constantly a top 20 or 15 fighter, Grant finally showed everyone why he is a solid fighter and has really hit his stride as a lightweight. Another one of the most underrated fighters in the world is Rafael dos Anjos. These guys should fight and the winner would get a top-10 lightweight.

Possible matchups for Dunham: This was a really tough loss for Dunham. It was a close, bloody war and he was on the losing end of it. Another fighter coming off of a tough decision loss is Anthony Njokuani. They both need rebound fights and this would be a fun striker versus grappler matchup.

Igor Pokrajac vs. Vinny Magalhaes: There was a lot of hype formed around Vinny's return to the UFC. After his release, he went on to become the M-1 light heavyweight champ and had a few amazing submission wins, including the highly rare gogoplata. Pokrajac is a stiff test for anyone but Vinny made it look easy. He won the first round with his highly superior BJJ game. But in the second round, Pokrajac oddly took Vinny down and walked right into an armbar. Now, when the armbar happened live, I thought it was nice, but I didn't realize the detail in it. When it showed a better angle, I actually got chills from just how amazing that armbar was. The sweep... Oh man, it's hard to put into words the amount of intricacies was in that submission. Vinny was seriously screwed out of a "Submission of the Night" bonus.

Possible matchups for Magalhaes: With this win, Vinny is instantly one of the top-15 guys in the UFC's light heavyweight division. Not a lot of people were able to do what Vinny was able to do to Igor. Brandon Vera was just in a potential number one contenders bout with Shogun and he actually did really good. These guys should fight and the winner should get a top-10 fighter.

Possible matchups for Pokrajac: "The Duke" was on an impressive 3 fight winning streak and it was snapped by an armbar (sorry, I hate puns too). He is still a very talented fighter but he definitely went down rankings with this loss. Chad Griggs and Cyrille Diabate are fighting soon so Igor should fight the winner of this fight.

For the Main Card Recap click here