UFC 156 Main Card Recap

Joseph Benavidez vs. Ian McCall: When will the flyweights put on a boring fight? These two put on an incredible scrap, technical back and forth slugfest. It was extremely close, but the difference was the fact that Benavidez landed more and landed harder. McCall should have gone for more takedowns, which really could have won him the fight. He had him on the ground at the end of the second and showed his superior grappling. Benavidez did end up winning by decision, but it was such a close fight that McCall is still very relevant in the title picture.

                                                               

Possible matchups for Benavidez: With this huge win over McCall, Benavidez has earned himself a rematch with the champion, Demetrious Johnson.

Possible matchups for McCall: A record of 0-2-1 in the UFC is never good, in fact, it’s terrible. And yet McCall is still somehow one of the top contenders in the UFC. Right now, due to the lack of depth in the UFC’s flyweight division, there aren’t a lot of fights for a person in McCall’s position. I would say the fight that makes the most sense would be against John Dodson, who is coming off of a very close loss to Demetrious Johnson.

Jon Fitch vs. Demain Maia: Maia just defined the word relentless. He was Velcro; Fitch just couldn’t get Maia off of him. It was impossible. Maia kept on going in for the takedown without losing a step. He had Fitch’s back for about thirteen and a half minutes of the total fifteen. It was complete dominance and it launches Maia into the top of the division.

Possible matchups for Maia: A win over Fitch launches you into the top of the welterweight division, no matter how dominant. With a performance as dominant as Maia’s, he is probably one or two wins away from a title shot. He needs to fight a top contender, so he should fight the loser of Jake Ellenberger and Johny Hendricks.

Possible matchups for Fitch: This was an absolutely devastating loss for Fitch. It puts him back pretty far in the welterweight title ladder. I would like to see him fight Dan Hardy to get back on track. Hardy is coming off of a very impressive win over Amir Sadollah, where he showcased a much improved grappling game.

Alistair Overeem vs. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva: I was really disappointed at the first two rounds of this fight. The first two, the third though, not so much. Bigfoot came out into the third realizing he might be down by two rounds. He started to land violent hooks left and right. Overeem started to fade off and Bigfoot knocked the K-1 legend completely unconscious. Dave said before the fight, “If Bigfoot can land a solid punch on Overeem, he will go against the cage and try to run away.” Guess what happened.

Possible matchups for Silva: Who do you give this guy? Overeem were guaranteed a title shot if he won and Bigfoot knocked him out. I would like to see him in a number one contender’s bout with Junior dos Santos. That would be a very interesting bout.

Possible matchups for Overeem: There aren’t a lot of choices for Overeem now. The heavyweight division is similar to the flyweight division in its lack of depth. I would like to see him fight the winner of Mark Hunt and Stefan Struve. A fight with Mark Hunt would be especially amazing.

Rashad Evans vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira: This fight was absolutely terrible. Despite the fact that Nogueira pulled off the huge upset, both fighters didn’t look particularly great, but Rashad looked especially bad. Nogueira didn’t win this fight; Rashad lost it. I’m very happy that Noguiera won though and I look forward to see who he gets next time out.

Possible matchups for Noguiera: This was an enormous win for the younger Nogueira brother. It puts him right there in the top of the light heavyweight division. I would like to see him fight Glover Teixeira in a fight that would put the winner in a number one contender’s bout.

Possible matchups for Evans: Rashad Evans needs to drop down to middleweight, now. He obviously isn’t going to be fighting Anderson Silva, but I would love to see a fight against Vitor Belfort. That could be a fantastic fight and a potential number one contender’s bout at middleweight.

Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar: This was the exact fight we were all envisioning going in. A back and forth barnburner that ended in controversy. I mean, is that last statement even needed for a Frankie Edgar fight? Unsurprisingly, the first two rounds were very dominant for Aldo. He showed incredible speed and unparalleled accuracy. He rarely missed his target. The leg kicks and jabs were starting to wear down Frankie, but Edgar showed that Jersey toughness. He came out to the third round the fresher fighter and started to find his groove. Edgar was landing solid combinations as Aldo began to visibly tire. Aldo did do much of the same in the third round as he did in the first round, though, as he landed lots of powerful leg kicks and combinations. Once this fight entered the championship rounds, Edgar really began to pick up the pace. He was tagging Aldo with tons of combinations and was really starting to surprise Aldo with some leg kicks as well. The last ten minutes of the fight were Edgar landing lots of solid strikes. But ultimately, Aldo won the very close decision over Frankie.

Possible matchups for Aldo: Last weekend, Ricardo Lamas demolished Erik Koch, the original number one contender, in the second round. If Lamas doesn’t get a title shot (which would be criminal), then Aldo should move up and fight the winner of Ben Henderson and Gilbert Melendez.

Possible matchups for Edgar: Because this fight was so close and entertaining, I believe Frankie will be one win away from a title shot. Chad Mendes and Manny Gamburyan are fighting at UFC 157 so I would like to see Frankie fight the winner of that fight.

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 Main Card Recap

Silva finishing Bonnar (photo by MMA Fighting)

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.

Demian Maia vs. Rick Story: Ladies and gentleman, a new title contender at 170 pounds has arrived. Before his drop down to welterweight, Maia was trying way too hard to try and prove his striking improvement. It started to lose him a lot of fights. But since his drop down to 170, Maia has gone back to what earned him a middleweight title shot: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He ran out at Story and took him down instantly. Story tried his best to not be taken down but it was futile, Maia took him back down about three different times. After another attempt at getting to his feet, Maia took his back and sunk in a rear naked choke. Story started to defend well so Maia changed it to a neck crank. Possibly the most painful neck crank that I have ever seen, and that’s saying a lot considering that the neck crank is one of the most painful submissions. He even seemed to make Story’s brains shoot out his nose. Seriously, blood squirted out his nose right before he tapped.

Possible matchups for Maia: As I just said, Maia has become a new title contender at 170. He just easily submitted the guy who beat both Johny Hendricks and Thiago Alves. That surely adds a lot to his stock. Another fighter that also became a new contender in this card after some adversity beforehand is Jon Fitch. The guy looked fantastic at UFC 153 against the extremely hyped Erick Silva. It would show how Fitch could do against one of the best pure grapplers in MMA. It would also show if Maia can take down one of the best wrestlers in the UFC.

Possible matchups for Rick Story: This was a devastating loss for Story. He once had an enormous hype train going but was derailed by both Martin Kampann and Charlie Brenneman. If he wants to stay in the UFC, he desperately needs a win but he still has the skills as a mid-tier welterweight. A man in a somewhat similar position as Story is Erick Silva. Silva’s hype train was thrown off the tracks by Jon Fitch in one of the best fights this year. This fight could definitely produce some fireworks.

Phil Davis vs. Wagner Prado: This fight wasn't surprising in the least. Prado comes out to strike but Phil shuts him down with some amazing wrestling. His takedowns were brutal. They knocked the wind out of me just from watching. Eventually about midway through the second round, Phil locked up an ultra tight anaconda choke that made Prado almost instantly tap. Although it doesn't add to his stock, it was an extremely impressive performance and it made me happy to see Phil go back to his wrestling.

Possible matchups for Davis: Shortly after his win over Prado, Vinny Magalhaes tweeted that he would like to fight Phil next. And honestly, I love this fight. It would be an amazing grappling match between two of the best pure grapplers in the UFC. The winner of that fight would deserve a really good, top light heavyweight.

Possible matchups for Prado: With a bizarre UFC record of 0-1 1 NC, Prado is in desperate need of a win. I see potential so I want another difficult challenge for him. Fabio Maldonado is also a fighter who is in desperate need of a win following his loss on Saturday to Glover Teixeira. Also, Dana announced himself that Maldonado was NOT going to be released following this third straight loss.

Jon Fitch vs. Erick Silva: Jon Fitch was in a FOTY candidate. And no, there are no typos there. This fight was pure awesome. Silva comes out strong like he does most fights and Fitch seemed ready. He almost took his back but Silva escaped. The first round was mostly Fitch grinding Silva out. The second round was awesome though. They were scrambling a lot in the beginning and Silva landed one of the sneakiest sweeps that I have ever seen. He took Fitch's back and locked in an extremely tight rear naked choke that was seemingly going to end the fight. Fitch is known as one of the guys with the best choke defense, and he showed why. He then turned into Silva's guard and almost locked in a really tight armbar in the closing seconds of the round. The third round was completely different from the two earlier rounds. Fitch took him down and just demolished Silva for five minutes. He completely broke Silva and ended up winning a very impressive unanimous decision win. This as an absolutely devastating loss for Silva but he still showed great promise. He is definitely going to be a future title contender.

Glover Teixeira vs. Fabio Maldonado: The first round of this fight is quite possibly the most one sided beating that I have ever seen in a fight that wasn’t stopped. Teixeira rocked Maldonado almost instantly and mounted him. What followed soon after almost seemed like a live murder. Teixeira landed so much ground and pound that there was probably about five different times that I was yelling at the ref to stop the fight. But with about 30 seconds to go, Maldonado actually rocked Teixeira himself. He landed a solid left hook that stiffened up Teixeira's legs and wobbled him. The second was much of the same as the first but not as brutal. The doctor wisely stopped the fight in between rounds. Maldonado didn't even want the fight stopped. The guy should be nicknamed "The Brazilian Zombie". I think it's pretty fitting.

Possible matchups for Teixeira: Before this fight, Glover was going to fight Rampage. But Rampage got injured a few weeks before hand. Both guys still want the fight and so do the fans.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira: I can't even tell you how happy I was that Nogueira submitted Dave Herman. The guy always talks about how BJJ doesn't work, but fortunately, it does. Nog even almost knocked out Herman in the second round. Nog did try multiple submission attempts that didn't work but I believe that he was just simply trying to submit him too quickly. But the weirdest part of this whole fight was how Herman seemingly didn’t even know how to fight. He just stood there for a solid five seconds with his arm out on multiple occasions. It was almost annoying to watch. He just simply isn't UFC caliber. Off to Bellator for him.

Possible matchups for Nogueira: Now, The larger of the Nogueira brothers is clearly on his way to retirement. But he just simply won't lose twice in a row. Now one fight that I really want to see, but it's kind of a stretch, is the third installment of his series of fights with Josh Barnett. Two legends fighting is always fun.

Anderson Silva vs. Stephan Bonnar: Bizarre is the perfect word to sum up the four minutes and forty seconds that took place in the main event. Bonnar fought smart and instantly engaged with the middleweight champ. Once they broke, Silva just stood in the same spot with his arms down. Bonnar landed a few punches but Anderson almost dodged them all. Anderson was clearly not trying at all. Bonnar was winning the fight because of this. But the second that Anderson started to "try", he instantly landed a knee to Bonnar's solar plexus and the fight was over. Truly incredible.

Possible matchups for Silva: Near the end of the year at UFC 155, Tim Boestch vs. Chris Weidman will take place. If Michael Bisping doesn't get a title shot after his Brian Stann win, then he should fight the winner of Boestch and Weidman. And the winner of that fight should challenge Anderson.

Possible matchups for Bonnar: Please, PLEASE make Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar 3 as a TUF season Dana and Joe. It's all I want.

Main Card Recap here

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.

MMA Welterweight Rankings: September Edition

As we at CR continue our rankings, we make our way to the wrestling dominated welterweight division. Let's get to it!
 

          Ben Askren (Photo by Bellator)

10. Ben Askren – Askren is one of the best wrestlers to ever come to MMA and he has proven that to be true by wrestling his way to a 10-0 record. Askren has beaten some good competition but until he faces off with some guys in the UFC, we won’t be able to truly determine where he rates against the top 9 on this list.

     Nate Marquardt (Photo by MMAjunkie)

 9. Nate Marquardt – After a disappointing and bizarre end to his UFC career, he moved on to Strikeforce where he took of undefeated Tyron Woodley. Nate dominated the fight and ended up KOing Woodley and winning the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship. 

 Rory MacDonald (Photo by MMAjunkie)

8. Rory MacDonald - Rory is arguably the most exciting prospect in MMA today. He is only 23 years old but already has dominating wins against Nate Diaz and Mike Pyle. He has one of the brightest futures in the UFC and his next fight against BJ Penn of the Fox 5 card will show us just how successful he will be.

Jon Fitch (Photo by MMAjunkie)

7. Jon Fitch - Fitch has not fought since December 2011 where he was absolutely demolished in 12 seconds by Johny Hendricks. This was a huge loss for Fitch and brought him down from 2^nd place to 7^th. The welterweight division is a stacked one and a loss like that is devastating. His next opponent won’t be an easy one either as he takes on Erick Silva at UFC 153 in October.

 Jake Ellenberger (Photo by MMAjunkie)

 6. Jake Ellenberger – Ellenberger is coming off of a very disappointing loss to #5 Martin Kampmann in June. He was dominating but was caught flush with a knee to the chin. Before that fight, Ellenberger had won 6 straight with 4 of those coming by way of KO or TKO. The set back was big for him but he has the ability to turn it around when he faces Jay Hieron at UFC on FX 5 in October.

Martin Kampmann (Photo by Fight!)

5. Martin Kampmann – Kampmann could very well be the most exciting fighter in the UFC today. His last two come-from-behind wins over Thiago Alves and Jake Ellenberger were two Fight of the Year candidates. Kampmann is going to fight #4 Johny Hendricks in a fight that should be nothing short of amazing.

Johny Hendricks (Photo by MMAjunkie)

4. Johny Hendricks - The monster from OSU has been on a tear, taking out top competition since entering the UFC. He is coming off of wins against Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck. Hendricks is scheduled to take on #5 Martin Kampmann in a fight that will determine who fights the winner of GSP vs. Carlos Condit.

Nick Diaz (Photo by MMAjunkie)

3. Nick Diaz - Diaz is many things. But mainly a mess and a brilliant fighter. He tested positive for marijuana and was suspended for a year starting of February 4^th, 2012, by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. So, until then Diaz will be inactive.

Carlos Condit (MMAjunkie)

2. Carlos Condit – Currently the UFC Interim Welterweight Champion. Had to beat #3 Nick Diaz to win it. Condit has evolved into a very technical and calculated “Killer”. He has learned to use his reach incredibly well and has added a significant amount of power to his striking as well. He will soon be in the fight of his life against GSP and if he can somehow beat the champ, he will be the best in the world at 170.

GSP (Photo by MMAjunkie)

1. Georges St. Pierre – Has been the perennial UFC Welterweight Champion for many years. He won the title back at UFC 83. It has been that long since he has shown any type of weakness. The guy can be considered one of the top athletes alive in any sport. He will be fighting Carlos Condit in November at UFC 154 to unify the titles.

Exciting times at 170! So what do you guys think? Let us know in the comments on what you either agreed on or disagreed on.