UFC 155: Dos Santos vs. Velasquez Main Card Recap

This is only a little bit of blood compared to how much was actually shed.
Photo via Yahoo!

Chris Leben vs. Derek Brunson: Man, this fight was painful to watch. Leben showed a very severe case of ring rust. He was slow, his cardio was garbage, and he just looked plain old. Brunson was clearly just stronger and had the better ground game. He outwrestled him and out-grappled him en route to a gruesome decision win. Leben might have to retire following that loss. I think he might even be released.

Possible matchups for Brunson: This was a huge win for the young wrestler in Brunson. Though he was riding two straight losses (though it should just be one loss to Jacare), Brunson deserves another stiff test. His cardio really isn’t as bad as this fight showed, it was most likely due to an adrenaline dump. Another fighter who is considered to be a very promising up and comer is Francis Carmont. The winner between these two should result in a big name matchup.

Possible matchups for Leben: If Leben doesn’t either retire or get released, he will be put with a smaller name fighter like Jared Hamman. That would be a loser goes home bout but could put on an awesome barnburner.

Yushin Okami vs. Alan Belcher: Yushin Okami is the Jon Fitch of the middleweight division: he smothers from bell to bell. Belcher just couldn’t stop it. There isn’t really much to say about this fight other than Okami evaded a few guillotine attempts and smothered his way to victory.

Possible matchups for Okami: This was a much needed win for the former title challenger. Though it wasn’t pretty, he did look very impressive. I would like to see him fight Hector Lombard, who is coming off of a very dominant first round KO victory over Rousimar Palhares.

Possible matchups for Belcher: Man, Belcher just couldn’t get anything going for about 14 minutes of this fight. He landed one or two solid punches and a couple OK guillotine attempts. Nothing else. I could honestly see the UFC setting up a fight with Karlos Vemola just to get him back on track.

Tim Boetsch vs. Costa Philippou: After the first round, which was Boetsch pretty easily outwrestling Philippou, it seemed as though Tim was going to go on to a pretty easy decision win. But Philippou came out in the second round a new man. He cut Boetsch very bad on the forehead (though it seemed as though it was from an accidental headbut) and started to wear him down. He was landing more shots and stuffing all of Boetsch’s takedown attempts. Tim knew he wasn’t going to get anything going on the feet so he began to pull guard, which was a horrible decision. He did it about three times in rounds two and three. Each time he did pull guard, Philippou would beat and bloody him up, and bad enough to finish him halfway through the third.

Possible matchups for Philippou: If Boetsch would have beaten Philippou, he would have been put into a number one contender bout. So what does that say about Philippou’s future? Certainly not a number one contender match, but he is now very close to a title shot. Brian Stann is going to be fighting Wanderlei Silva next, so I expect a knockout in favor of Stann. If Stann wins that, I’d like to see him fight Philippou.

Possible matchups for Boetsch: This was a devastating loss for Boetsch, there is no two ways about it. We all knew he didn’t have elite skills in any aspect of MMA, just mediocre abilities. But he’s still at least a top-15 middleweight. Mark Munoz is in a similar position so I would like to see a fight between these two.

Jim Miller vs. Joe Lauzon: It’s a shame that we already did our “End of the Year” awards because this could definitely be considered for Fight of the Year. Miller came out guns blazing and started to kick out Lauzon’s legs and sliced open his face with elbows in the clinch. There was so much blood that it was basically puddling up in Lauzon’s eyes while he was standing up. It was so dark that it looked as though his eyes were plucked out. These two guys wouldn’t stop; they just kept slugging it out and would have amazing scrambles on the ground. There aren’t many words that can describe the awesomeness of this fight.

Possible matchups for Miller: Even though this was an awesome back and forth fight with Lauzon having several good moments, Miller still looked fantastic. If Miller wants to put on another amazing fight, he should fight the winner of Diego Sanchez and Takanori Gomi. If Sanchez wins, a fight between him and Miller is definitely an instant Fight of the Year contender.

Possible matchups for Lauzon: Joe had some momentum coming into this fight and he’s still a very good fighter and one of the elite in the UFC’s lightweight division. But I don’t think that he should fight a top guy next. I think he should fight the winner of Paul Sass and Danny Castillo.

Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez: There’s not much you can really say about this fight other than that Velasquez absolutely mauled him. Dos Santos actually started off very well; he defended almost everyone of Velasquez’ takedown attempts, which there were many of. Halfway through the round though, Cain caught Dos Santos right on the chin while Dos Santos had his arms down. It almost knocked him clean out. I thought the fight was over but for all five rounds, Junior showed absolutely amazing heart. You can’t question Dos Santos’ toughness, heart, or chin. He is a true champion and he will come back stronger than ever.

Possible matchups for Velasquez: After recapturing his title in extremely dominant fashion, Cain is ready for the best. I think that the fight between Alistair Overeem and Antonio Silva is a number one contender match. So the winner of that should fight Cain next.

Possible matchups for Dos Santos: Due to the thinness of the heavyweight division, there aren’t a lot of matchups you can make for Dos Santos. I honestly think the best choices are either the loser of Overeem and Silva or the winner of Mark Hunt and Stefan Struve. Either way, any four of those matchups are great.

CR's 2012 MMA Awards!

 We are doing an end of the year award post for this amazing year of MMA in 2012. We cover a variety of subjects and give you our take on what was the best of the best. Let us know your choices in the comments section below!

Sam’s Awards

Fighter of the Year – Ronda Rousey: MMA had a rocky 2012, this is something that the UFC will try to change in in the year 2013. But when men’s MMA had a rocky year, women’s MMA had the best year in its history and it’s all due to one women: Ronda Rousey. Being a former Olympic bronze medalist, she smoothly made her transition into MMA with seven first round armbar finishes heading into 2012. After snapping Miesha Tate’s arm in half and doing much of the same to Sarah Kaufman in her first title defense, Rousey became a star. Her natural sex appeal, aggressive personality, and dominant fighting style put women’s MMA in the mainstream light. With what Rousey has done in only 365 days is what makes her the Fighter of the Year.

Fight of the Year – Chan Sung Jung def. Dustin Poirier via D’Arce choke at 1:07 of round 4: The equation for a fight of the year candidate consists of a back and forth brawl, people being dropped, submission attempts, and an exhilarating finish. This fight had that and a little more.  They slugged it on the feet, Jung went for multiple submissions in the second with almost getting a few, and ended up finishing Poirier with Poirier’s favorite technique. There was only one other fight that could be considered better and Dave picked it.

Round of the Year – Dustin Poirier def. Jonathan Brookins via D’Arce choke at 4:15 of round 1: Apparently Poirier loves to be in amazing fights. After he lost in his Fight of the Year bout against Jung, he was looking for a rebound fight against TUF winner, Jonathan Brookins. Brookins came out strong and aggressive, pushing Poirier against the fence and swinging for the fences. Poirier returned and eventually caught Brookins, dropping him into a sloppy takedown attempt. Poirier countered with a D’Arce choke and finished him off.

Submission of the Year – Ronda Rousey def. Miesha Tate via armbar at 4:27 of round 1: When picking a submission or knockout of the year, it will typically be a comeback win, the first of its kind, or a win with huge implications. This is the third, but we didn’t know it at the time. Rousey won the fight, but the huge explosion for women’s MMA is what causes this win to be my submission of the year. Also the arm snapping didn't hurt, well, except Miesha Tate.

KO of the Year – Edson Barboza def. Terry Etim via KO (Spinning wheel kick) at 2:02 of round 3: Did you really expect anything else? This knockout was insane. I couldn’t stop watching it for weeks. Remember the three different things a “Finish Of the Year” would need? This was the first of its kind. No one has ever knocked anyone out with a spinning wheel kick in the UFC. And Etim just happened to be frozen in time while falling unconscious.

Upset of the Year – Jamie Varner def. Edson Barboza via TKO (punches) at 3:23 of round 1: Varner’s return was a very unexpected surprise but he was supposed to be absolutely blasted by Edson Barboza, who was coming off his win over Terry Etim. Varner was about a 5-1 underdog in the betting lines heading in, but an even bigger one in people’s opinions. Varner bum rushed him and easily finished him in the first round.

Event of the Year – UFC 144: With a card filled with brutal knockouts, awesome submissions, stunning upsets, insane comebacks, and all out wars, this card was absolutely nuts. Sure there were one or two fights that weren’t that great but seriously this card was one of the best in UFC history.

Comeback of the Year – Tim Boetsch def. Yushin Okami via TKO (punches) at 0:54 of round 3: Heading into this fight, Boetsch was meant to be a rebound win for Okami, who was coming off of his failed title shot. Okami was well on his way to a possible 30-26 or 29-27 decision win but Boetsch came out into the third round a different man. He completely demolished Okami in seconds into the third round, pulling off one of the best comebacks of all time and best upsets of the year.

Prospect of the Year – Max Holloway: At only 21 years old, Max Holloway has already amassed a 2-1 record in the UFC. He possesses some of the most technical striking in the UFC’s featherweight division. His last two wins over Justin Lawrence and Pat Schilling are just the beginning of what this young prospect can do.

Most Improved Fighter – Matt Brown: Heading into 2012, Matt Brown was on the brink of being released from the UFC. He was 1-4 with all his losses being submissions in the second round. His New Year resolution was apparently to become a better fighter, and boy did he succeed at that. He ended up going 4-0 in 2012 with two big upsets and three T/KO finishes. That is the definition of improved.

Moment of the Year – Jose Aldo Celebrating with Brazilian Crowd: At UFC 142 in Brazil, the featherweight champion Jose Aldo capped off the night with a first round KO win over Chad Mendes. After his win, he ran into the wild crowd. At first, I was worried because it seemed as though he was being mauled. But then he was put upon the shoulders of a fan and was carried while swinging the Brazilian flag. It was a very emotional and amazing scene.

Story of the Year – UFC 149 Injury Bug: Not only is this the story of the year because it’s insane, but because it’s extremely comical. The amount of injuries that this card sustained is absolutely mindboggling. I will give you a quick rundown of what happened: Bisping was replaced by Lombard against Boetsch. Yoshihiro Akiyama was supposed to fight Thiago Alves but pulled out, Siyar Bahadurzada filled in. Alves pulled out and Chris Clements filled in. Bahadurzada pulled out and Matt Riddle filled in. Thiago Silva was supposed to fight Shogun but pulled out and Shogun left the card to fight Brandon Vera later on. Jose Aldo, originally headlining against Erik Koch, pulled out and Urijah Faber and Renan Barao ended up headlining after Dominick Cruz pulled out of his fight with Faber. George Roop was supposed to fight Antonio Carvalho but pulled out and Daniel Pineda filled in. Big Nog, originally fighting Cheick Kongo, was still healing from his broken arm he got from Frank Mir. And last but not least, Claude Patrick was going to fight James Head but pulled out and Brian Ebersole filled in. It not only was terrible but led to one of the worst cards in MMA history.

Dave’s Awards

Fighter of the Year – Matt Brown: Yes, Matt “The Immortal” Brown. Brown went 4-0 with 3 of those being finished by (T)KO. He destroyed one of the most highly touted prospects in MMA in Stephen Thompson. And put a screeching halt to Mike Swick’s comeback ride. Brown not only did all of this in a dominating fashion but also made each fight incredibly fun to watch. Matt Brown is why I watch MMA. He is talented and fun to watch. And in 2012 Matt Brown was the best.

Fight of the Year – Joe Lauzon def. Jamie Varner via triangle choke at 2:44 of Round 3: This fight was freaking insane! Everyone watching this around me lost their minds on at least 5 different times. It was a back-and-forth affair that ended with a fantastic scramble that summed up the fight as a whole and got Lauzon back in the win column.

Round of the Year – Ivan Menjivar def. John Albert via RNC at 3:45 of Round 1: This round was my favorite because I was certain it was over 2 times and each time the other guy pulled it out somehow. Albert came at Menjivar like a wild animal. Albert was destroying him but Menjivar, the wily vet, kept his cool and somehow came back and won in one of the most fun fights you’ll ever see.

Submission of the Year – Wolfgang Janssen def. Aaron Armstrong via Flying Reverse Triangle at 1:57 of Round 2: This fight didn’t mean much and it was in a small promotion but it is one of the most amazing technical grappling maneuvers I have ever seen. He didn’t get lucky in a scramble and run with it. Janssen was looking for it and got it. Please go watch it on YouTube NOW!

KO of the Year – Johny Hendricks def. Martin Kampmann via KO at :46 of Round 1: Both of these guys had a ton of steam coming into this fight and it lived up to the hype. Most people thought Hendricks would outwrestle Kampmann but he instantly put a big left hand on Kampmann and Kampmann went flying back like a punch from Superman in a comic book. 46 seconds in and we found the scariest man at 170. Watch out GSP!

Upset of the Year – Tim Boetsch def. Yushin Okami via TKO at :54 of Round 3: This fight was supposed to be a one sided beating, and for 2 rounds, it was. Most people thought Okami would just throw Boetsch around and blanket him, and for 2 rounds, he did. But then Boetsch decided to take Okami’s head off and he did. Incredible.

Event – UFC 152: Jones vs. Belfort: I’m a little biased because I was there close to the action but the action was nonstop during this one. The night started out with 3 straight 1^st round finishes. Then there was Grant vs. Dunham which could have been Fight of the Year. Then Vinny Magalhaes’ submission over Igor Pokrajac was a thing of beauty. A few fun fights later and you get two amazing title fights! The first ever Flyweight Title fight which was a back-and-forth technical battle and then Jon Jones defended his light heavyweight title against legend Vitor Belfort. That fight alone was amazing. All in all it was the best time I had watching MMA this year.

Comeback of the Year- Martin Kampmann def. Jake Ellenberger via TKO at 1:40 of Round 2: I thought Jake was going to destroy Martin. And he was well on his way to doing so until Martin somehow landed a knee out of nowhere that sent Jake to the ground in a heap. I was speechless at the time. I truly felt that Ellenberger would easily win that fight, but you can't ever count out Kampmann.

Prospect of the Year – Erik Perez: Perez is only 23 years old, is 2-0 in the UFC and both of those wins came against quality opponents. Not only that, but both of those wins ended in the first round. On top of all of this, he trains at Jackson’s camp. This kid has a huge chance to do something amazing at 135 pounds.

Most Improved Fighter – Cub Swanson: Cub has always been good but if you were to tell me a year ago he would go 3-0 against great competition and all of those wins coming by way of KO, I would think you’re nuts. He got manhandled by Chad Mendes, barely won against Mackens Semerzier and then got destroyed by Ricardo Lamas. But Cub went on a rampage in 2012 and most recently destroyed fellow rising star, Charles Oliveira in just under 3 minutes. The sky is the limit for Cub.

Moment of the Year – Vitor Belfort’s armbar attempt on Jon Jones at UFC 152: This fight was a joke to begin with. You had the scariest man alive, Jon Jones, taking on aging and undersized Belfort squaring off on short notice. It was ridiculous and you could tell from the ring of the bell that Jones was going to destroy Belfort. Jones took Belfort down immediately and started to land vicious elbows. But then out of nowhere, Belfort locks on an armbar that made Jones wince in pain and the Air Canada Centre arena erupted in a noise like no other. I’m a huge Jones fan and even I wanted to see Belfort pull it off. It was incredible and even though Jones defended it off, it was an amazing moment in MMA history.

Story of the Year – Women’s MMA makes it to the UFC: This was a huge moment for MMA history as women will now be able to fight under the UFC banner. It was a long time coming and I am so glad it has happened. I just hope that they sign a ton of fighters and handle the women’s divisions better than they have handled the 145, 135 and 125 divisions for men. Dana needs to keep them off of Facebook and feature them often. I can’t wait  for this chapter in UFC’s history to begin.

UFC 155: Dos Santos vs. Velasquez Predictions

Sam’s Picks

Main Card

Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez: Man is this card insanely stacked. I seriously cannot wait for every single fight on this card. But for the main event, I’m having a lot of trouble picking this one. Well, I know who I’m going with but I’m not all that confident. Following their first fight on the first card on Fox, I felt as though dos Santos would be the Anderson Silva of the heavyweight division, but after Cain’s last fight with Bigfoot Silva, I don’t know. We all know that Velasquez came into their first fight with a really bad knee injury, but he still didn’t ever go in for the takedown, except one measly attempt. Junior’s takedown defense is insanely good; he hasn’t been taken down his whole UFC career. Cain has been saying that he will be going for the takedowns, which is a good thing to know, but how much has JDS’ already amazing takedown defense improved since their first encounter? How will JDS’ submission game look if Cain does get him to the ground? There are so many unknown variables heading into this main event, but I’m sticking with the man I went with back in November of last year = JDS via 3rd round KO. My pick for KOOTN!

Jim Miller vs. Joe Lauzon: If you’re looking for a matchup that is bound for Fight of the Year, this is your fight. Believe it or not, but Lauzon has the most post-fight bonuses in UFC history. He has even more than Anderson Silva. Miller is a similar fighter in the fact that he always puts on great fights and is one of the toughest fighters in the UFC. Lauzon, who is coming off of a Fight of the Year candidate win over Jamie Varner, will always be looking for the submission. Miller is very well rounded, but is almost impossible to submit. Miller will be the stronger fighter and have the better striking. Miller is the man to go with = Miller via unanimous decision. My 3^rd pick for FOTN!

Tim Boetsch vs. Costa Philippou: This fight is another difficult one to predict. Now, I’m going to be completely honest, Tim Boetsch is not an elite fighter. His skills are mediocre, there’s no two ways about it. Costa has elite boxing, though many would probably disagree. Boetsch, though, has been showing crazy luck in his last fights with Okami and Lombard, with catching Okami and having Lombard come in injured. For Costa, after his debut against Nick Catone (which he took on very short notice), he has been lighting up the middleweight’s mid-tier fighters. It’s now time for his step up and he is going to make the most of it with superior striking and takedown defense = Philippou via unanimous decision.

Yushin Okami vs. Alan Belcher: Speaking of Yushin Okami, he will be re-matching Alan Belcher, looking to make it 2-0. The problem with that is Belcher is a completely different fighter since their first encounter. Ever since his horrible almost-career-ending injury, Belcher has been absolutely red hot, running through both Jason MacDonald and Rousimar Palhares. Okami has been a tad cold lately though, losing to Anderson Silva and Boetsch and then looking very lackluster against Buddy Roberts. Not a lot of people have been saying it but Okami’s career could be reaching its end while Belcher is just piquing. Belcher is the guy to go with = Belcher via 2^nd round TKO.

Chris Leben vs. Derek Brunson: I haven’t seen the betting lines for this one, but I know that it’s going to be almost comically in favor for Leben. Don’t be mistaken though, Brunson has the fighting style to beat Leben: strong wrestling and smothering attack. The problem is the fact that Brunson has a questionable chin, and that isn’t something you want in a fight with Leben. I want to go with Brunson, but Leben is obviously the safer pick = Leben via 1^st round KO.

Prelims

Brad Pickett vs. Eddie Wineland: BARNBURNER ALERT - This is the type of fight that makes me love Joe Silva on a creepy level. Brad Pickett has never been in a boring fight and Wineland is very similar and is looking to make a resurgence in his career. I’m guessing that a majority of this fight will take place on the feet, which will make it a speed vs. power striking match. Wineland has some of the best power at bantamweight and Pickett is lightning fast. Wineland has shown that he has trouble with speed in his fights with Urijah Faber and Joseph Benavidez. Speed is what is going to make a difference in this fight = Pickett via split decision. My 1^st pick for FOTN!

Erik Perez vs. Byron Bloodworth: This is a gimme fight for Perez. The UFC sees a ton of potential in him and they are going to make him 3-0 in the Octagon = Perez via 1^st round submission.

Jamie Varner vs. Melvin Guillard: Oh dear lord am I looking forward to this fight. Ever since Varner’s return to the UFC, he has looked great despite his loss to Lauzon, where he even had a lot of good moments. Guillard is the type of fighter that has shown tons of greatness in his fights but his ground game has always been his downfall. Varner has a great ground game and after an incredible slugfest, Varner will submit him with Guillard’s arch nemesis = Varner via 2nd round RNC. My 2^nd pick for FOTN! My pick for SOTN!

Michael Johnson vs. Myles Jury: I don’t like this fight for two reasons. First, I wanted a big step up for Johnson after his last knockout win over Danny Castillo. Second, Jury has a ton of potential and this is not a good fight for him. Johnson is too big and strong. They are both very well rounded fighters but Johnson is better in all facets of MMA = Johnson via unanimous decision.

Phil de Fries vs. Todd Duffee: Ah, the return of the Duffman. I was both very surprised and extremely happy to hear of his return, but he hasn’t exactly been given an easy task. De Fries is a good fighter and is well rounded, but he has a questionable chin. Duffee has insane power and I see him finishing this fight early = Duffee via 1^st round KO.

John Moraga vs. Chris Cariaso: The fact that this fight is on Facebook prelims makes me enraged. This is a potential number one contender match! What is the UFC doing making this so basically no one watches it? Moraga is coming off of a stunning upset first round KO over Ulysses Gomez and Cariaso is coming off of a very dominant decision win over Josh Ferguson. Moraga is mainly known for his wrestling as he is NCAA wrestling but looked devastating in the standup game against Gomez. Cariaso is hard to describe. I can’t tell if he is really well rounded or is just flat out mediocre in all facets of MMA. But I’m with the guy who I personally think has the best chance of defeating Demetrious Johnson = Moraga via unanimous decision.

Max Holloway vs. Leonard Garcia: Want to know the best way on how to beat Leonard Garcia? Footwork and striking down the pipe. Holloway has some of the most technical boxing in the UFC’s featherweight division while Leonard is the complete opposite. Saying that he throws fastballs is an understatement. Holloway will pick him apart and will show the world that is a future champion = Holloway via unanimous decision.

Dave’s Picks

Main Card

Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez: Who doesn’t want to see this fight? You would have to be dead not to get excited. This fight, just like the first one, could go two ways:  JDS KO’s Cain or Cain out-grapples JDS for a decision win. I think the first scenario is more likely because it already happened and JDS has never been taken down…EVER. I would not be shocked if Cain won because his wrestling is top notch but the safer pick here is JDS. = JDS by TKO in round 2. My Pick for KO of the Night!

Jim Miller vs. Joe Lauzon: Another amazing fight. Lauzon’s submission game is as deadly as they come but his cardio, striking, and wrestling are way beneath Miller’s level. Miller also has great submissions and submission defense along with everything else. I see Miller avoiding the takedowns and submissions and out striking Lauzon to a decision. Don’t blink for this one. = Miller by unanimous decision. My Pick for Fight of the Night!

Tim Boetsch vs. Constantinos Philippou: This is the hardest fight to pick for me. Boetsch has been on a tear defeating top notch fighters and Philippou has been beating mid-tier guys. However, Boetsch in reality is really a mid-tier guy. Philippou is good at getting people to fight his fight. Not sure who will win this won but it should be fun to watch. = Boetsch by split decision.

Yushin Okami vs. Alan Belcher: This fight should be very interesting. Okami has looked terrible as of late. He was doing well against Boetsch but got sloppy and was finished. Belcher’s striking is far above Boetsch’s and I believe will be the deciding factor. Belcher will be able to easily out-strike Okami. Okami will have the better wrestling but Belcher grappling defense should prove to be good enough to still defeat Okami handily. Watch for Belcher to dominate and then callout Anderson Silva in his post-fight interview. = Belcher by TKO in round 2.

Chris Leben vs. Derek Brunson: Can’t believe this fight made it on the main card instead of Pickett vs. Wineland but whatever. Brunson’s chin is suspect (got KO’d by Jacare) and Leben is…well…Leben = Leben by TKO in round 1.

Prelims

Brad Pickett vs. Eddie Wineland: Oh man this fight is just too good. I like both these guys a lot. I cannot wait for this one. This will be a standup battle that will prove to be a FOTN candidate. Pickett has the better technique and Wineland probably has more power but I think Pickett also has more speed and that beats Wineland 2-1. I think this fight will be close but Pickett just has a more diverse striking game. = Pickett by unanimous decision.

Erik Perez vs. Byron Bloodworth: Perez is one of the brightest prospects in the UFC and will destroy Bloodworth. Watch for this one to end quickly = Perez by submission in round 1.

Melvin Guillard vs. Jamie Varner: Man, am I happy this fight is finally happening. I see this fight being exactly like Melvin’s fight against Jim Miller: Varner takes it to the ground and chokes him out early. Varner has the better wrestling and good enough submissions to finish Guillard without much resistance. = Varner by submission in round 1. My Pick for Submission of the Night!

Michael Johnson vs. Myles Jury: Jury is a talented kid but I don’t believe he will amount to a whole lot in the UFC. Johnson has completely turned his career around and is now a deadly fighter at 155. I see Johnson winning this fight everywhere it goes. = Johnson by unanimous decision.

Todd Duffee vs. Phil de Fries: Glad to see Duffee back in the UFC. He is a monster with potential and I hope that he can develop into the force I think he is. Phil, on the other hand, is an okay fighter. His ground game is good but his striking is atrocious. Duffee will out-strike him and deflect takedown attempts. = Duffee by unanimous decision.

John Moraga vs. Chris Cariaso: Sam is in love with Moraga but I need a little more convincing to crown him the next best thing at 125. Cariaso is a good fighter but he has trouble finishing people and that is what will kill him in the end. Moraga is a bulldozer and will eventually find an opening and will capitalize on it. = Moraga by TKO in round 3.

Max Holloway vs. Leonard Garcia: I love this fight. Holloway will be able to show the world he is ready for bigger names. Holloway’s striking is so good for his age that it doesn’t even make sense. Garcia is just too sloppy and will be eating punches coming down the pipe all night. All Holloway has to do is not play Garcia’s game and he will be fine. = Holloway by unanimous decision.

MMA Middleweight Rankings: September Edition

Another division that has had a long reigning champion is the middleweight division. Anderson Silva is the king but let us check out the whole division.

Alan Belcher (Photo my MMAjunkie.com)

10. Alan Belcher – Belcher has had an up and down career that seemed to be over when he suffered detached retinas. But he overcame that and since that has been on a roll; most recently TKO’ing Rousimar Palhares in the 1^st round. His next fight is against Yushin Okami. A win over Okami will catapult him up the rankings and bring him closer to that title shot.

Brian Stann (Photo by MMAjunkie.com)

9. Brian Stann – The war hero with a ton of power in his punches is coming off a big KO win of Alessio Sakara. That win earned him a #1 contender match against Michael Bisping; which takes place this Saturday (September 22^nd) and we get to see this one live. If Stann wins he will most likely fight Anderson due to how well that fight would sell in America.

Mark Munoz (Photo by MMAjunkie.com)

8. Mark Munoz – Munoz is one of my favorite fighters. However, he is coming off of a humiliating loss to #2 Chris Weidman. Munoz was utterly destroyed (thanks to a late stoppage by the ref) and it was so bad I looked away. However, Munoz is an OSU man and they have the hearts of lions and will come back strong. Munoz can beat almost anyone at 185 and I can’t wait to see him back in there.

Luke Rockhold (Photo by Fight! Magaxine)

7. Luke Rockhold – Rockhold has not lost since 2007 and has looked unbeatable since joining Strikeforce. He is coming off of a huge win over Tim Kennedy and is going to defend his title again in November against Lorenz Larkin. Rockhold should be able to submit him without a hitch.

Time Boetsch (Photo by MMAjunkie.com)

6. Tim Boetsch – What is going on? “The Barbarian” is not only back in the UFC, not only dropped down to 185 but is beating the best of the best at 185. So, weird but so awesome. Boetsch is a blast to watch (except his last fight). I am very happy to see him doing so well. He is coming off of two huge wins over top #15 middleweights Hector Lombard and Yushin Okami. He now has a date against #2 Chris Weidman; which will certainly be the hardest fight of his life. However if he wins he will certainly fight for the title setting up a true Hollywood style career comeback.

Michael Bisping (Photo by mmaweekly.com)

5. Michael Bisping – “The Count” is the most underrated fighter in the UFC. The guy has a very technical and advanced boxing game and an exceptionally underrated ground game. He has an amazing 12-4 UFC record and is coming off an extremely close decision loss to Chael Sonnen that many people thought he won (including us here at CR). He has a #1 contender match this Saturday against #9 Brian Stann. If he wins that he will meet Anderson Silva.

Vitor Belfort (Photo by mmaweekly.com)

4. Vitor Belfort – The legend has stepped up to the plate and will be facing #1 light heavyweight Champion Jon Jones this Saturday in Toronto. I cannot wait to see this fight live and in person. What a whirlwind of craziness to have this fight happen. But if Vitor wins it will be one of the biggest upsets of all time. But Vitor will have the fan support and he feeds off of that. If he wins he will be light heavyweight champ again, reclaiming the belt for the first time since 2004.

Chael Sonnen (Photo by MMAjunkie.com)

3. Chael Sonnen – The loud mouth is now 2-2 in his last 4 fights with one of them being a highly controversial win over #5 Michael Bisping. Granted both those losses are to the best fighter alive in any sport. But with the way he talks you would think he was 45-0 in MMA. But Sonnen decided to move up to light heavyweight and will be fighting Forrest Griffin in December which will not help his career at all.

Chris Weidman (Photo by MMAjunkie.com)

2. Chris Weidman – possibly the most exciting prospect in the UFC, Weidman has been straight up destroying everyone in his path. He is 9-0 with 3 wins by (T)KO, 3 by submission and 3 by decision; which shows you he is versatile and can fight smart. He is coming off a humongous win over #8 Mark Munoz and has earned himself a #1 contender’s match against #6 Tim Boetsch  in December.

Anderson Silva (Photo by MMAjunkie.com)

1. Anderson Silva – What can you say about this guy? He is the best fighter who ever lived in any combat sport. No one can touch him but it will be interesting to see #2 Chris Weidman fight him. But until he is dethroned he will be #1 for yet another 6 years.

185 is at a very interesting time! So what do you guys think? Let us know in the comments on what you either agreed on or disagreed on.