UFC 146 Main Card Recap

Stefan Struve vs. Lavar Johnson: This fight was quick and predictable. Struve knew that if he could pull guard, the fight would be over instantly, and it was. He quickly got the armbar, and even seemed to dislocate his shoulder. If Struve’s chin was better, he could very well be one of the best in the world, and I mean that. The kid has crisp standup and a brilliant ground game. And he’s only 24 years old. Scary stuff.

Possible matchups for Struve: Why not try and make the Struve/Hunt fight happen? Lavar Johnson didn’t move him up the ladder.

Possible matchups for Johnson: If Johnson wants to get himself back on track, he could easily KO Morecraft in the first round. Morecraft seems to always be the guy the UFC uses to rebound KO artists.

Stipe Miocic vs. Shane del Rosario: Miocic was the second example of how cardio is superior to blitzing. He survived the first round onslaught of devastating body kicks from del Rosario. Miocic came out and noticed that del Rosario tired and went in for the kill. This fight was really brutal, the finish was very bloody and del Rosario and a nasty gash that split his eyebrow right in half.

Possible matchups for Miocic: Miocic is the real deal. He has some amazing standup, good cardio (for heavyweight), and a solid ground game. He is the future in the heavyweight division. I would like to see him and Roy Nelson face off. Miocic needs to fight a big name.

Possible matchups for del Rosario: Fellow heavyweight, Brendan Schuab is also coming off a devastating loss. This fight would be very exciting and it would also send the loser of this fight down the ladder real far.

Roy Nelson vs. Dave Herman: This fight was a quick one but a sweet one. Nelson quickly dispatched of Dave Herman with one of his signature over right hands. Herman tried to argue the stoppage but he was clearly out. His whole body went limp and fell, the second punch brought him back from the dead.

Possible matchups for Herman: Herman is a weird dude. He has unlimited potential but he just cant seem to tap it. He seems to almost too unorthodox, that he doesn’t even know what he is going to do. Shawn Jordan, who is coming off an impressive win against Oli Thompson, would be a tough fight for both these guys.

Cain Velazquez vs. Bigfoot Silva: That was easily the best, and most violent, Cain Velazquez we have ever seen. He instantly took down Silva and bloodied him to a pulp. It was hard to watch, even for a hardcore MMA fan such as myself. I actually thought that Silva had a good chance at winning this fight based on the fact that Cain’s chin has been suspect since his fight with Cheick Kongo and Silva has planets connected to his arms. But Cain put any doubts to sleep when he absolutely demolished Silva in the first round.

Possible matchups for Velazquez: This one is quite easy. A second fight with the champ himself, Junior dos Santos. Dana said it himself; Cain is getting a title shot.

Possible matchups for Bigfoot: After being completely humiliated by Cain, he deserves an easier fight than the former champ. Silva is a seriously good fighter and could do some damage to some of the top guys at that weight class. I could see him against the winner of Kongo/Big Nog.

Junior dos Santos vs. Frank Mir: People and writers (including us) were saying that Mir had 0% chance of winning this fight. And it seems we were right on that. Mir’s chin is really starting to fade and a bad chin going up against the best boxing in MMA is not exactly the best combination. Dos Santos ran through the former champ in the second round, landing blow after blow, eventually making Herb step in and stop the fight.

Possible matchups for the champ: Dos Santos vs. Velazquez II, here we come!

Possible matchups for Mir: I would personally recommend Mir to retire, but that is obviously not going to happen. A fight with Gonzaga would be a good fight between two legends.

UFC 146 Prelims recap

So, I have to start out by saying that this was an amazing card. Dana said it was going to be awesome and it certainly was awesome. The only fights that I would say were boring would be the Brown/Pineda fight but that was on Facebook, and Dollaway/Miller. So let’s give this card a recap, along with future matchups.

 Mike Brown vs. Daniel Pineda: In a rather lackluster bout, Mike Brown defeated the wily and scrappy Daniel Pineda in the opening fight. Although, Pineda lost this fight, he still has a bright future which was shown through his tenacity late in the fight, sweeping Mike Brown to get his back and nearly winning the fight after being dominated the first two rounds. Brown, on the other hand, is done. I’m not saying this because he hasn’t looked good; I’m saying this because he actually retired after this fight. It’s always good to see a fighter on a high note, even if it wasn’t that high.

Possible matchup for Pineda: Pineda has an extremely bright future ahead of him, but he has a few things he really needs to work on, like head movement, cardio, takedown defense. Once he gets those things down, he will certainly be a title contender and there is no doubt in my mind that he will be. Possibly Maximo Blanco, who is also coming off a loss, would be good, Pineda would really push the pace.

Kyle Kingsbury vs. Glover Teixeira: Glover Teixeira showed everyone why he has been such a hyped fighter. He came in against a guy who is really tough and just absolutely destroyed him. Teixeira did what Maldonado and Bonnar couldn’t do. He finished Kingsbury who is a really tough guy, and has really good standup. Glover came in, rocked him with an uppercut, got his back, pounded, Kingsbury rolled over, arm triangle, fight over. That is an impressive UFC debut to say the least.

Possible matchup for Kingsbury: After being shamefully dismantled by the extremely dangerous Teixeira, Kingsbury either needs a rebound fight or a loser goes home fight. I came up with a combo of both of these. A rematch with Fabio Maldonado would be perfect. Maldonado is very good and very underrated. His boxing is crisp and he has some hellish body shots, hard to watch. Along with the fact that it will certainly be entertaining, it was very controversial, people thought that Maldonado won, including myself. This fight certainly has value in both entertainment, and to answer questions.

Possible matchups for Teixeira: Clearly, Teixeira has been ready for the big time for quite a while, but visa problems delayed his readiness. He’s here now, folks, and he is hungry and very dangerous. I have been looking around for a good matchup for him and people have been saying that a fight with the winner of Vera and Te Huna would be good to show us who is ready to take a step up. A fight with Te Huna would be very interesting, and certainly exciting.

Paul Sass vs. Jacob Volkmann: Paul Sass truly had his coming out party against Volkmann. I was really confident in this pick despite the fact that I really wanted to go with Sass because I am a huge fan of guys who pull guard. But I looked at Paul Sass like I look Cody McKenzie, just a guy who, very predictably, goes for the same thing for every fight. Sass is another story though. Beating someone as good as Volkmann is truly impressive. Volkmann is a very strong and technical wrestler who was quickly rising up the ladder but Sass put that rise to sleep with that deadly “Sassangle”. Sass clearly needs to work on his standup but once his standup is good enough to get himself safe enough to either takedown or pull guard, he should really do some damage in the lightweight division.

Possible Matchup for Sass: A really good grappling match, one that serves tow purposes: entertainment and to show who is ready for a step up. Would be a fight with Mark Bocek. I think this fight would be not only very fun to watch these two brilliant BJJ guys go at it, but also to see how good Sass’ ground game truly is.

Possible matchups for Volkmann: Volkmann is a really good fighter. He has amazing wrestling, some of the most technical in his weight class. That’s why he was able to hang with guys at welterweight, despite a big size disadvantage. I can see Volkmann eventually getting up into title talks in the next 2 years, so if he will one day, then his next fight has to be a rebound one, but against someone with a name that means something.  A fight against the always entertaining Paul Taylor would be a good rebound fight for Volkmann, once Taylor is finally fully healed.

Dan Hardy vs. Duane Ludwig: This was one of the fights on this card that I wasn’t 100% about going into it. Neither more nor my brother were sure about our picks. I thought I was going to be right with my prediction with in the first minute when Ludwig caught Hardy, but clearly Hardy was the better fighter. I can guarantee you that Hardy will never go back into title contention, but he will certainly stay around for a while, being a part of some really entertaining bouts.

Possible matchups for Hardy: Obviously, Hardy will stick around at the level in which he will fight people with name value but wont really move him up anywhere in the welterweight ladder. Rich Attonito could certainly be that type of fight, once he gets healed after pulling out of his fight with Rick Story. Hardy versus Attonito would certainly be entertaining.

Possible matchups for Ludwig: Clearly, Ludwig is starting to falter. His chin is weakening and the doors are closing in on him in his MMA career. If he wants to keep his career rolling, he should do it against someone like Matt Brown, whom he could definitely out strike on the feet. It also has a ton of entertainment value in it.

CB Dollaway vs. Jason Miller: This fight was gross. I have never, and will never, be a fan of CB Dollaway. He complains and puts on boring fights in the ones that he wins. It was also a very sad fight. Miller looked really good at the weigh-ins and the beginning of the first round but clearly his knee was hurt coming into the fight. He had some Sakuraba tape around his knee and he feel on it and was blatantly limping. CB won pretty handily, but it certainly wasn’t pretty. Miller retired and was cut following the loss.

Possible matchups for Dollaway: Dollaway is making his way up after this win against Miller. A fight against Brad Tavares would show who has the chops to take a step up in competition.

Jamie Varner vs. Edson Barboza: This fight was absolutely shocking. Varner blitzed Barboza in the first round. Not even Varner saw that coming. It literally surprised everyone, including the WINNER. I have to be honest though, I was cheering for Varner coming into this fight. I always love a good comeback story, career or fight wise. Barboza was in the middle of title talks following his breathtaking KO of Terry Etim. Varner came in as an extremely heavy underdog, but he made those betting for him some rich people.

Possible matchups for Varner: The person that came to mind was Donald Cerrone, but that would not make any sense, it would only happen for entertainment purposes. Since Varner, rather easily, dispatched one of the top contenders in the lightweight division, it only makes sense that he gets another good fighter, but not as high up the ladder as Barboza. A fight against Jeremy Stephens will not only help out with the lightweight ladder, but it would also be a guaranteed FOTN.

Possible matchups for Barboza: Barboza is still one of the best in his division, with some of the fastest and technical standup in the game. He needs a rebound fight. Plain and simple. Matt Wiman, who is a very good fighter, could prove to be a good test for the (still) rising star in Barboza.

Diego Brandao vs. Darren Elkins: Elkins was just one of the two examples that toughness and cardio always beats out a blitz like the one in the first round. Elkins was another hefty underdog prior to the fight, so whoever bet on him and Varner is quite the rich man (or woman). I really wanted to pick Elkins; I have always thought that Brandao is an incredibly overrated fighter. He gasses after the first round, at featherweight. 145ers are not supposed to gas out after the first round. Elkins is an underrated fighter; it’s mainly because of his quick loss to Oliviera and one-sided win (loss) to Omigawa. He is solid wrestler and is tough as nails. I personally scored the fight 28-27 for Elkins. 8-10, 10-9, 10-8.

Possible matchups for Elkins: Elkins needs a step up in competition. He could really do some damage in his division if he continues to fight smart. He could very well fight the loser of the Hioki/Lamas fight. A win over Brandao is huge for Elkins.

Possible matchups for Brandao: This overrated maniac will only be a tough gatekeeper at featherweight. A fight against Robbie Peralta would either be good rebound fight for Brandao or a career launcher for Peralta.

UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Mir Predictions

Sam’s Picks

Main Card

Junior Dos Santos vs. Frank Mir: This has been considered one of the most unwarranted title shots in UFC history and I can’t help but agree with that. Mir KO’d Cro Cop in one of the worst main events of all time, dominated Roy Nelson in a grueling match that they both struggled in, and submitted Nogueira after nearly being KO’d himself. Dos Santos has not shown a single weakness in his UFC thus far. Mir has no chance in this fight! = Dos Santos by 1st round KO. My pick for KOOTN!

Antonio Silva vs. Cain Velazquez: Cormier destroyed Silva by KO in the first round. Velazquez is just a better, larger version of Cormier. I’m still really happy to see Silva in the UFC though, he will be a good gatekeeper at heavyweight in the UFC = Velazquez by 2nd round TKO.

Dave Herman vs. Roy Nelson: This is a really hard fight to pick. Nelson has looked absolutely horrible lately. Herman is such an unpredictable fighter, that you can never tell whether he will look really good, or like a piece of crap. The safer pick would be Herman. Nelson almost lost to Cro Cop, dominated by Mir and Dos Santos, and annihilated by Fabricio Werdum. I see Herman playing it smart, and utilizing his reach, picking him apart = Herman by unanimous decision. My 3rd pick for FOTN!

Shane Del Rosario vs. Stipe Miocic: I am very excited for this fight. They are both up and coming undefeated heavyweights really looking to make names for themselves. Miocic has an extremely bright future ahead of him. He was a very good NCAA D-1 wrestler and a Golden Glove champ. That is a very good MMA background. Del Rosario, on the other hand, has very sloppy kickboxing and an okay ground game. Miocic should win this one handily = Miocic by 3rd round TKO.

Lavar Johnson vs. Stefan Struve: This fight is one of the few fights that could literally go either way. It could either be Johnson by early KO or Struve by first or second round submission. The safer pick would be Johnson, but the possibly smarter choice would be for Struve. Johnson has one of the most shameful ground games under the ZUFFA banner. Is he even a Mixed Martial Artist? It doesn’t even seem that he trains for submission defense. All he does is power his way out; at least Barry used a little technique while defending against the armbar in the Morecraft fight. Struve has all the qualities to become a future champ, but his chin betrays him often. That’s the danger. This is a scary one = Struve by 1st round submission (RNC). My pick for FOTN!

Prelims
Diego Brandao vs. Darren Elkins = Brandao by 2nd round KO (another hard one)
Edson Barboza vs. Jamie Varner = Barboza by split decision. My 1st pick for FOTN!
C.B. Dollaway vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller = Mayhem by 2nd round submission (arm)
Dan Hardy vs. Duane "Bang" Ludwig = Ludwig by unanimous decision. My 2nd pick for FOTN!
Paul Sass vs. Jacob Volkmann = Volkmann by split decision
Kyle Kingsbury vs. Glover Teixeira = Teixeira by unanimous decision
Mike Brown vs. Daniel Pineda = Brown by split decision

Dave’s Picks

Main Card

Junior Dos Santos vs. Frank Mir: Frank Mir’s record is 16-5 with all 5 of those losses coming by way of KO. JDS is 14-1 with 10 of those wins coming by way of KO. If that doesn’t tell you something right there then you’re crazy. But Mir is a threat to anyone. He does have punching power and he is one of the best grapplers in the world. If it goes to the ground, especially with Mir on top, JDS could definitely be in trouble. However, JDS has never been taken down and he has fought some great wrestlers and grapplers. Cain Velasquez, Shane Carwin, Roy Nelson, Gonzaga, Struve, Werdum. These are all top level fighters and grapplers. And no one could even come close to doing anything to him. In my head I see JDS knocking Mir’s head off his body. And that is truly the most likely scenario. I feel very safe with this pick. = JDS by KO in round 1. My Pick for KO of the Night!

Antonio Silva vs. Cain Velasquez: Bigfoot is coming off a big KO loss to Daniel Cormier. Cormier is a smaller heavyweight with decent striking and great wrestling who trains at AKA. Well, that sentence also works for Cain Velasquez. They are very similar and train together, that’s huge. Silva has yet to fight in the UFC but I don’t think he will get the jitters. But I see Cain emulating Cormier’s game plan but mixing in more wrestling. There is a good possibility that Silva could KO Cain but as long as Cain plays it smart he should win. = Cain by unanimous decision. 

Dave Herman vs. Roy Nelson: So, Herman is taking this fight on short notice and it scares me a bit. Herman has not looked great in his two fights in the UFC. He beat Einemo but got clipped way too much by a BJJ guy. He started off okay against Struve but was finished in the 2^nd round. Herman also has never really faced top level competition outside of Struve. Nelson has had a UFC career of mixed results. He has had some major highs and major lows. However, he has power and if Herman lets himself get punched in the face, as much as he has in his other fights, he will go to sleep. Plus I think Nelson has the advantage on the ground as long as he is on top. Anything can happen in this fight but if JDS, Mir and Werdum can’t KO Nelson then I don’t think Herman can either. I'm struggling with this one but I'm going with my gut. Probably will be a close one. = Herman by unanimous decision. My Pick for Fight of the Night!

Shane Del Rosario vs. Stipe Miocic: Shane looks to have a big future in this sport. He has great potential and hopefully will accomplish a lot. But there are a few major factors to consider. He has fought twice in the last 2 years and hasn’t fought at all since February 2011. And the other factor is due to a horrible injury. Plus, he will be making his UFC debut and we all know that can play a factor. Stipe is also a great talent in his own right. He has good striking and kicks with power in both. His wrestling is very good too. I see this fight going exactly like this: they come out standing, Stipe starts landing bombs, Shane goes in for a sloppy takedown and it gets stuffed, Stipe unloads and the ref steps in. = Stipe by TKO in round 1. 

Lavar Johnson vs. Stefan Struve: So, originally Struve was supposed to fight Mark Hunt who is a deadly kick boxer but Hunt was injured a couple weeks ago. So, Lavar Johnson is stepping in. Lavar is bigger and stronger but has less tools. Lavar rarely kicks and his ground game is much worse than Hunt’s. Struve is my boy! I talked to him for a bit in December before his fight with Dave Herman. He told me that he will fight smarter from now on. And he did against Herman. If this stays standing Lavar can KO Struve but if it goes to the ground Lavar will be finished within 1 minute. And I see Struve playing it smart and taking it to the ground and finishing it quick. = Struve by submission in round 1. My Pick for Submission of the Night!

Prelims

Diego Brandao vs. Darren Elkins: Diego by TKO in round 2.

Edson Barboza vs. Jamie Varner: Barboza by TKO in round 3.

C.B. Dollaway vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller: Mayhem by unanimous decision.

Dan Hardy vs. Duane Ludwig: Hardy by split decision.

Paul Sass vs. Jacob Volkmann: Volkmann by unanimous decision.

Kyle Kingsbury vs. Glover Teixeira: Kingsbury by split decision.

Mike Brown vs. Daniel Pineda: Brown by majority decision.

UFC 146 Schedule of Events