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 153: Silva vs. Bonnar Prelim Recap

Rony Jason finishing Sam Sicilia

This event that was almost a weak catastrophe went on to become one of the best events in MMA history. From beginning to end this event held fantastic submissions, slugfests, and several “Fight of the Night” performances. The undercard and PPV main card were packed with them. We can only hope that every event is like this.

We also learned two things: Anderson Silva is not a human and Fernando Yamasaki is the worst referee in MMA not named Kim Winslow.

Cristiano Marcello vs. Reza Madadi: After re-watching this fight the second day, there is no doubt in my mind that Madadi won the first two rounds. He staggered Marcello a solid five or six times in the opening two rounds! If that doesn’t win you a round, I don’t know what does. This was a fun standup war, when it really should have been a grappling match. This fight was hometown judging at its worst.

Possible matchups for Marcello: Even though it was a win, a controversial decision such as this one doesn’t exactly help your stock. Another fighter with a low stock but is also coming off of a win is Anton Kuivanen. This could be a fun back and forth grappling match that could show us who is UFC caliber or not.

Possible matchups for Madadi: Reza Madadi is a fun fighter. There is no doubt about that. He always goes for the finish whether it’s on the feet or on the ground. I’m excited to see where he can bring his career in the UFC. Henry Martinez and Daron Cruickshank are fighting later this year of the 5^th Fox card. Madadi should fight the winner of that fight.

Luiz Cane vs. Chris Camozzi: What happened to Luiz Cane? He was once considered the next big thing at 205 but has just absolutely fallen to pieces lately. Throughout this entire fight, Camozzi easily kept him off with the jab en route to a unanimous decision win. The fight wasn’t very good, but it was certainly an impressive performance from the Denver native. This is now Cane’s fourth loss in his last five, there is no doubt in my mind that he will be cut from the promotion.

Possible matchups for Camozzi: With this upset win over a a formerly highly touted prospect, Camozzi also becomes an exciting prospect in the 185 pound division. With a technical standup game and an underrated ground game, Camozzi is ready for a step up in competition. Another one of the more exciting prospects at middleweight is Ronny Markes, who hasn't fought since his fight with Aaron Simpson back in February. The winner between Camozzi and Markes could show a possible new contender.

Sergio Moraes vs. Renee Forte: This wasn't a very good fight. A striker vs. grappler fight with one fighter hardly either one of those. Forte had barely any striking skill and his ground game was nowhere near the match of Sergio Moraes. Forte gave up his back midway through the third and was submitted soon thereafter. This was Forte's UFC debut following TUF, and typically when a fighter loses there debut following TUF, they are released.

Possible matchups for Moraes: Even though his standup abysmal to say the least, but his ground game is masterful. Moraes could go somewhere in te UFC if he plays smart and takes it to the ground as quickly as possible. If he wants to fight a stiff test at 170, Claude Patrick has yet to have his next fight set up.

Diego Brandao vs. Joey Gambino: Even though it wasn't necessarily against someone who had a name, this was a huge win for Brandao. Gambino is a highly touted prospect fighting out of Tristar and Brandao easily ran through him, but Gambino showed an amazing chin and heart from the opening moments of this fight. Brandao clipped him with a head kick just a few seconds into the first round. The rest of the fight was much of the same. On several occasions, Brandao dropped Gambino with both punches and kicks en route to a unanimous decision win. With two very decisive losses under the UFC banner in a row, Gambino will most likely be released.

Possible matchups for Brandao: Now that the TUF 14 winner has received his first post-TUF win, Brandao is going to be looking for a step up in competition. The mid-tier level of the UFC's featherweight division is very stacked. Lots of former contenders and future contenders looking to make their way up the ranks. One of those former contenders is Manny Gamburyan. A fight between the former and the latter would be a great fight for two guys looking to get a crack at the top-10.

Gleison Tibau vs. Francisco Trinaldo: Before I start to talk about this fight itself, I want to know how in the world that either of these guys can make it down to 155 pounds. They both look like middleweights, and have the strength of one. Anyway, this fight was the most surprising on the topic of entertainment. This was an awesome fight. The first round was close but Tibau definitely won. The second round was a completely different story. Trinaldo rocked Tibau and quickly took his back like a monkey. He had a rear naked choke in that I thought for sure would finish the fight, but nope, Tibau showed both heart and excellent submission defense. But once he got out of the submission, Trinaldo started to unload on him with ground and pound. I actually thought it was a clear 10-8 round for Francisco but the judges thought otherwise. Tibau came out strong in the third and ended up with a 29-28 unanimous decision win across the board.

Possible matchups for Tibau: This has been the second prospect in a row for Gleison. The guy is an elite lightweight in many people's opinion. I think it's time for him step back up and fight stiffer competition, despite the fact that he lost one and the other was very close. Jamie Varner is coming off of the FOTY candidate with Joe Lauzon and is looking to get back in there. These two could definitely put on a show.

Possible matchups for Trinaldo: The fact that he almost defeated a guy like Tibau in only his second showing in the UFC leads me to believe that he can definitely accomplish a lot in the sport of MMA. I think he should continue fighting guys who are right in between high to mid-tier at 155. Terry Etim has yet to come back from his injury and it would be an exciting fight between two lightweight prospects.

Rony Jason vs. Sam Sicilia: The first ever TUF Brazil winner came in with a lot of hype at UFC 147 and he didn’t live up to any of it despite winning a unanimous decision. But this fight showed the reason he had the hype in the first place. His standup looked a lot better in this fight. It wasn’t as wild as his UFC debut. Not only did he look better but he also put on an awesome fight. This was a back and forth slugfest and Jason eventually dropped Sicilia in the second round. It was huge win for him and I can't wait to see who the UFC gives him next.

Possible matchups for Jason: Speaking of who the UFC should give Jason next, I want to see him fight a really hard opponent. A similar fighter who is a also a young Brazilian and future contender is Charles Oliveira. How awesome would this fight be?

Possible matchups for Sicilia: With this TKO loss and his last win being very unimpressive, if he loses again, I see a pink slip forthcoming. Cody McKenzie is also a fighter on the brink of receiving a pink slip and these two should fight in a loser goes home fight.

UFC 153: Silva vs. Bonnar Predictions

Sam’s Picks

Main Card

Anderson Silva vs. Stephan Bonnar: Well, this could very well be the strangest matchup in the history of the modern day UFC. The best of all time against a massive underachiever. My prediction is quite obvious but I want to talk about Bonnar's chances in winning this fight. Silva shouldn't underestimate Bonnar in any way, shape, or form. Bonnar has a lot of power that can knock anyone out at 205 pounds. He also has very underrated grappling skills that if he can back Anderson up, he could possibly take him down. Do I see any of this happening? No, I don't. But I don’t see Anderson knocking him out either = Silva via unanimous decision. My 3^rd pick for FOTN!

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Dave Herman: People are saying that Nogueira's career is over and done with. I think he's almost there, but not quite yet. Sure, he got submitted for the first time in his last fight with Mir, but Nogueira almost knocked him out. He dropped him and started to rain down some ground and pound. Herb Dean yelled at him to not hit the back of the head so be went for the guillotine that lost him the fight. His boxing looked fantastic in that fight and Herman has a very questionable chin. Nogueira will rock him, take his back and submit him = Nogueira via 1st round submission (RNC). My pick for SOTN!

Glover Teixeira vs. Fabio Maldonado: BARNBURNER ALERT - Believe it or not, but this is the fight that I am looking forward to the most. Teixeira is one of the most promising fighters in the UFC today and Maldonado has been in three straight Fight of the Night performances. Maldonado has also been screwed out of two decisions in a row against Igor Pokrajac and Kyle Kingsbury. This fight is going to be an absolute slugfest. Teixeira has the clear ground advantage but the standup is a toss up. Teixeira has the power and Maldonado has the technique. Now I understand why Teixeira is such a favorite heading into this but Maldonado is really being counted out in this fight when he shouldn’t be. He could make a career in the UFC for being so entertaining and showing lots of boxing mastery. But with that being said, Teixeira is going to win this fight in a standup war. This is going to steal the show = Teixeira via unanimous decision. My 1st pick for FOTN!

Jon Fitch vs. Erick Silva: I am extremely excited for this fight and it's for one reason and one reason only: to see what Erick Silva can do against a true elite welterweight. His three performances thus far have been complete domination from beginning to end. But the competition in those fights weren't anywhere near the level of competition that Fitch brings. Fitch is a wrestling powerhouse. Dominating almost all of his fights with his smothering grappling style. And he gets a bad rep from that. I don't think a guy who finds what works best for him and becomes a top guy should change his fighting style just because people say, “BOO”. But he recently said that he has realized that entertainment earns title shots more, and sadly, he's right. But the fact that he said that kind of scares me. I have a bad feeling that he is going to try and make it a scrap and not do what he does best. Silva will destroy him in the standup if he decides to keep it there. But the safe pick is to go with Fitch and not the welterweight phenom = Fitch via unanimous decision.

Phil Davis vs. Wagner Prado: The last fight was bizarre to say the least. Prado was continuously backing Davis up until Phil accidentally threw out a finger and took out a chunk of Prado's eye (not literally) and let me tell you, Prado turned into the incredible hulk when the ref decided to call off the fight. Going into that fight, I didn't give Prado even the slightest chance. I thought Phil would take him down and submit him or smother him for three rounds. Prado started to look really solid before the inadvertent eye poke. I could see him upsetting Davis, but right now, Davis is just way more well rounded when it comes to the ground. I don’t see a submission, but I do see him going for a takedown whenever Prado starts to find his range = Davis via unanimous decision.

Demian Maia vs. Rick Story: Even though Maia’s welterweight debut ended rather abruptly, he still impressed me with the fact that he instantly engaged, trying to go for the takedown. Story has looked awful lately. Hopefully he has changed since his last three performances but if he hasn’t, expect a poor performance. I see a similar fight to Maia’s welterweight debut: instant engagement on the fence, trip takedown, mount, but then a submission = Maia via 1^st round submission.

Rony Jason vs. Sam Sicilia = Jason via unanimous decision. My 2^nd pick for FOTN!

Gleison Tibau vs. Francisco Trinaldo = Tibau via split decision.

Diego Brandao vs. Joey Gambino = Brandao via 1^st round KO. My pick for KOOTN!

Renee Forte vs. Sergio Moraes = Moraes via 3^rd round split decision.

Chris Camozzi vs. Luiz Cane = Cane via split decision.

Reza Madadi vs. Cristiano Marcello = Marcello via 2^nd round submission.

Dave’s Picks

Main Card

Anderson Silva vs. Stephan Bonnar: This easily the most lopsided fight ever put together in the Zuffa era. Don’t get me wrong I love and have much respect for Bonnar but Silva is the best fighter to ever live. The only hope Bonnar has is that Silva takes him lightly and Bonnar sneaks in with a big overhand. Silva has taken opponents he deemed unworthy lightly and put on bad performances; like against Demian Maia and Thales Leites. But in all seriousness this will be a beat-down and no one will be surprised. = Silva by TKO in round 2. My Pick for Fight of the Night! My Pick for KO of the Night!

Dave Herman vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira: This is such a strange fight to me. But it should be a fun one. Big Nog is one of my favorites and has looked great in his last few fights. He is coming off a long layoff after breaking his arm but I think he is ready to go. If Nog is healthy, he should win this fight with more technical striking and a much better ground game. Herman leaves his hands low and Nog does have the power to knock Herman out. Nog has struggled with lanky guys in the past but I think Herman just is not talented enough to win this. = Nog by TKO in round 2.

Fabio Maldonado vs. Glover Teixeira: Fabio has some good boxing but lacks real KO power. Glover, on the other hand, has some massive power. Fabio might have the better technique but he hasn’t looked great lately. Yea, he had a case to say he won against Igor but even still, he looked mediocre. Glover looked fantastic in his debut and the big stage did not seem to faze him at all. I think Glover will land more of the big punches and might be able to finish Fabio. = Glover by unanimous decision.

Jon Fitch vs. Erick Silva: Silva is a beast and has looked like a killer. Fitch is coming off of a devastating 12 second KO at the hands of Johny Hendricks. Silva is fast and has much better striking than Hendricks. If Fitch comes out slow, which is possible due to his long layoff, then he will get blitzed into a coma. But if Fitch comes out and fights like he normally does, he will win because Silva will not be able to handle Fitch’s smothering wrestling style. However, the kicker is that Fitch has stated that he can no longer fight like that because only exciting guys get big fights and more money. If Fitch comes out swinging then he will be eating fists all night. This is a hard one because it is based solely on what style Fitch decides to fight with. But I’m going to go with what I believe is safest which is the AKA wrestling machine. = Fitch by unanimous decision.

Phil Davis vs. Wagner Prado: This is a rematch to their very disappointing match back in August. Prado came out strong and was landing early but then Davis practically ripped Prado’s eye out and the bout was called a No Contest. Many people will probably pick Prado based on how the first fight went. But that was only 1 minute and 28 seconds. Davis is an amazing fighter but his standup needs a ton of work. But I think he learned in the first fight that he can’t stand with Prado and should be able to outwrestle him. However, if Davis stays standing he will most likely be KO’d. But I think Davis is smart enough and will execute the best game plan possible. = Davis by unanimous decision.

Demian Maia vs. Rick Story: This is an interesting fight. Maia’s career has been so up and down recently but his last fight he looked like the Maia of old. He came out strong and took Kim down so hard it cracked a rib. It was short but was a glimpse of what is to come…hopefully. But Story has not looked all that great recently. He had a great run for a while but got crushed two times in a row and then outwrestled a guy that is nowhere near Maia’s level of grappling. Maia will have the advantage on the ground for sure but as long as Story keeps it standing or is in top control he may be OK. Maia’s BJJ is much better when he is on top; which will be hard to do because Story will be the one doing the takedowns. But I think Maia can come out hungry and get the win by out grappling Story. = Maia by unanimous decision.

Prelims

Rony "Jason" Mariano Bezerra vs. Sam Sicilia: Jason by submission in round 2. My Pick for Submission of the Night!

Gleison Tibau vs. Francisco Trinaldo: Tibau by unanimous decision.

Diego Brandao vs. Joey Gambino: Brandao by TKO in round 1.

Renee Forte vs. Sergio Moraes: Moraes by unanimous decision.

Chris Camozzi vs. Luiz Cane: Cane by split decision

Reza Madadi vs. Cristiano Marcello: Marcello by split decision.