UFC Live 5 Predictions

DAN HARDY VS CHRIS LYTLE

PREDICTION: Hardy (TKO, round 3)

BEN HENDERSON VS JIM MILLER

PREDICTION: Miller (unanimous decision)

CHARLES OLIVEIRA VS DONALD CERRONE

PREDICTION: Cerrone (rear naked choke, round 2)

AMIR SADOLLAH VS DUANE LUDWIG

PREDICTION: Sadollah(unanimous decision)

For a free UFC event, this fight card has some exciting fights. The headliner is Dan Hardy against Chris Lytle. I’ve never been a huge fan of Dan Hardy, but I think he’s hungry for a win (as he better be). Lytle on the other hand is planning on retiring after this fight. Not the best way to go out, but there can only be 1 winner. Henderson and Miller is probably the fight I’m most looking forward to. Miller is on a 7 fight win streak and pushing for a title shot. Henderson was the WEC Lightweight Champion and has a lot of quality experience. However, Miller is a superior fighter in my opinion. Next is Charles Oliveira against the Cowboy, Donald Cerrone. Oliveira is a dangerous fighter who has never allowed a fight to go to a decision, but Cerrone is stronger and should be able to control him. Last up is Sadollah against Ludwig and this should be an easy win for Sadollah. Every time I see him fight he gets even better, and he’s already lightening quick and extremely technical.

UFC 133 Predictions

RASHAD EVANS VS TITO ORTIZ

PREDICTION: Evans (KO, Round 2)

VITOR BELFORT VS YOSHIHIRO AKIYAMA

PREDICTION: Belfort ()

DENNIS HALLMAN VS BRIAN EBERSOLE

PREDICTION: Ebersole (unanimous decision)

JORGE RIVERA VS CONSTANTINOS PHILLIPPOU

PREDICTION: Phillippou (TKO, round 3)

MIKE PYLE VS RORY MCDONALD

PREDICTION: Pyle (rear naked choke, round 2)

As much as I like Tito, he’s facing someone who has 1 loss in their career. Tito is also coming off what some would consider a lucky win. As cool as Yoshihiro’s nickname is (Sexyama) he’s been disappointing in the UFC while Vitor is still a top fighter in the middleweight division. Hallman and Ebersole have a combine 129 fights between them. Ebersole has never been knocked out and is more unorthodox. I think he sneaks another decision. Jorge Rivera is a name that frightened fighters . . . 3 years ago. I don’t think Phillippou is a great fighter, but Rivera has lost a step. Last up is Pyle and McDonald. Rory is incredibly young and has had a nice rise so far in the UFC. Pyle has bounced around different promotions, but all due to his choice. He’s stepped up in the UFC so far and I think his experience is the X Factor.

Need a second opinion? Check out the video below of my buddy Jason. He’s been watching MMA since the PRIDE days and he’s the person I credit for getting me into it. He’s been predicting fights for a while but just started making videos.

UFC 131 Predictions

Somebody is getting knocked out.

JUNIOR DOS SANTOS VS SHANE CARWIN

PREDICTION: Carwin (KO, round 1)

KENNY FLORIAN VS DIEGO NUNES

PREDICTION: Florian (submission, round 3)

DEMIAN MAIA VS MARK MUNOZ 

PREDICTION: Maia (unanimous decision)

JON OLAV EINEMO VS DAVE HERMAN

PREDICTION: Einemo (unanimous decision)

DONALD CERRONE VS VAGNER ROCHA

PREDICTION: Cerrone (submission, round 2)

The main event has some serious expectations behind it. Both Junior and Shane have never been knocked out and usually finish the fights round 1. Both love to let their hands go and it’s going to be extremely difficult to predict a winner. I like Junior, but Carwin has been a beast and should have beat Brock. Florian against Nunes seems like a fight Dana White set up to give Ken-Flo another title shot. I think he uses his length and strength to bully Nunes. Maia is a BJJ legend, but Munoz has amazing hands and a wrestling background making this an extremely difficult match-up for Maia. Jon Olav was supposed to fight Shane Carwin before he upgraded and Herman took his place. Sounds like a talent discrepancy to me. Last fight is Cowboy Cerrone against the new guy Vagner Rocha. Cerrone is one of the most underrated lightweights to me and Rocha is too inexperienced to me. It doesn’t hurt that15 of his 18 fights he’s won via submission.

UFC 130 Predictions

RAMPAGE JACKSON VS MATT HAMILL

PREDICTION: Rampage (unanimous decision)

 

FRANK MIR VS ROY NELSON

PREDICTION: Nelson (TKO, round 3)

 

STEFAN STRUVE VS TRAVIS BROWNE

PREDICTION: Struve (KO, round 1)

 

THIAGO ALVES VS RICK STORY

PREDICTION: Alves (unanimous decision)

 

BRIAN STANN VS JORGE SANTIAGO

PREDICTION: Stann (unanimous decision)

Rampage versus Hamill will be interesting. Hamill is slow and stagnant on his feet, but Rampage is vulnerable to takedowns. If Rampage can defend the takedowns, he can pick Hamill apart standing up. I like Frank Mir and Big Country has grown on me so this should be an interesting fight. Both take pride in their hands, but Mir has struggled against bigger opponents and is definitely susceptible to the knockout. Browne is in for a rude awakening against Struve, who has dangerous hands. I originally put Story as the winner, but it’s just too hard to go against Alves, especially after his renewed commitment to making weight and the 170 lb division. Last fight is Stann against Santiago. A former US Marine fighting on Memorial Day Weekend? No chance in hell I’m going against that.

Has Been Of The Month: Tito Ortiz

So this is how he's still in the UFC . . .

Tito Ortiz has always been second to Chuck Liddell and ironically it’s the same way on the Has Been Of The Month feature. Tito Ortiz was thrown into the fire when it comes to the UFC and he responded in a positive way winning 4 of his first 5 fights. He was known as a world class submission wrestler before his time in the UFC, but developed a good set of hands and had knockout ability early on. This balance made him a dangerous fighter. He lost his first shot at the title to legend Frank Shamrock, but was able to wrangle away the lightweight belt from Wanderlei Silva. He ended up defending the belt a grand total of 5 more times before eventually losing the belt to Hall Of Famer Randy Couture. He would lose another fight to Chuck Liddell before going on a winning streak and gaining another rematch with Chuck, but this time for the belt. He ended up losing via TKO in round 2 in one of the most famous UFC fights to date. At this point, it was all down hill. Ortiz has had 1 fight every year since his loss December 2006 and has either lost or tied. It didn’t help Strangely enough, Dana Warren keeps giving Tito more tough fights and Tito keeps losing. His next fight is against Ryan Bader who’s a top 10 lightweight. The one positive he does have going for him is he is dating Jenna Jameson (or is that another negative?). Still, it’s just about time for Tito to hang up the gloves and move on.

UFC 129 Predictions

Over/Under: Jake Shields throws 5 punches total.

GEORGES ST PIERRE VS JAKE SHIELDS

PREDICTION: GSP (unanimous decision)

JOSE ALDO VS MARK HOMINICK

PREDICTION: Aldo (unanimous decision)

RANDY COUTURE VS LYOTO MACHIDA

PREDICTION: Machida (submission, round 3)

VLADIMIR MATYUSHENKO VS JASON BRILZ

PREDICTION: Brilz (TKO, round 3)

MARK BOCEK VS BEN HENDERSON

PREDICTION: Henderson (submission, round 2)

GSP against Shields should be a fight that’s on the ground a lot. Shields is king of the lay-and-pray technique while GSP is the best fight in MMA. He should continue his reign as champion. Speaking of top fighters, people will find out real quick Aldo is also one of the best fighters in MMA and I don’t see him losing for quite some time. Sucks too because Hominick is a really good fighter and incredibly technical. I like Couture for fighting at his age, but Machida is prime to return and is way to active of a fighter defensively to lose. I doubted Brilz once before and he almost beat Noguira. Vlad is on the downswing and I don’t think he has enough to stop Brilz. As for the final fight, Henderson is a badass and should have no problem dominating the fight.

UFC Fight Night: Seattle Predictions

 

Can Rumble make a successful return to the octagon?

ANTONIO ROGERIO NOGUEIRA VS PHIL DAVIS

PREDICTION: Davis (unanimous decision)

DAN HARDY VS ANTHONY JOHNSON

PREDICTION: Johnson (TKO, round 2)

AMIR SADOLLAH VS DAMARQUES JOHNSON

PREDICTION: Sadollah (unanimous decision)

LEONARD DAVIS VS CHAN SUNG JUNG

PREDICTION: Davis (TKO, round 3)

I completely forgot there was a fight tonight. I guess I was looking too much towards UFC 130. Anyways, 4 fights are on the undercard and I’m actually more interested in the some of the undercard fights to be honest. The top fight is Little Nog against Phil Davis and I’m thinking upset here. His fights in the UFC have steadily declined and Phil Davis is a physical specimen. If he comes out hungry and fights like he can, Davis can shoot himself up the light heavyweight ladder. I’ve never liked Hardy and always been a fan of Johnson. It scares me he hasn’t fought in a while, but when healthy he’s a top contender at his weight class. The only way Hardy wins this if he comes in with a ‘must win’ attitude and Rumble shows some serious ring rust. I’ve never seen Johnson fight, but Sadollah always impresses me. He’s quick, technical, and knows how to win. The final fight is a rematch of the 2010 fight of the year. I doubt it will be as exciting, but it can’t hurt. Davis throws haymakers every single punch and Sung Jung can take an exuberant amount of damage. What more could you ask for?

UFC 128 Predictions

I came to bring the pain hardcore from the brain . . .

 

MAURICIO SHOGUN RUA VS JON BONES JONES

PREDICTION: Jones (TKO, round 2)

URIJAH FABER VS EDDIE WINELAND

PREDICTION: Faber (unanimous decision)

JIM MILLER VS KAMAL SHALORUS

PREDICTION: Miller (unanimous decision)

NATE MARQUARDT VS DAN MILLER

PREDICTION: Marquardt (KO, round 1)

MIRKO FILIPOVIC VS BRENDAN SCHAUB

PREDICTION: Schaub (submission, round 3)

I’m writing this before I go to South by Southwest, so here’s bulletpoints real quick. Jones wrestling and elbows are dangerous. Shogun is returning from an injury. Faber is just an animal in his weight division and should be champ soon. Miller just always finds a way to win, easy choice there. Marquardt always chokes the big fights but looks good in the ones that don’t matter. I always root for my fellow Croatians, but Cro Cop has been average at best in the UFC and Schaub is fierce.

UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann Predictions

DIEGO SANCHEZ VS MARTIN KAMPMANN

PREDICTION: Kampmann (TKO, round 3)

CB DOLLOWAY VS MARK MUNOZ

PREDICTION: Munoz (unanimous decision)

ALESSIO SAKARA VS CHRIS WEIDMAN

PREDICTION: Sakara (TKO, round 1)

BRIAN BOWLES VS DAMANICO PAGE

PREDICTION: Bowles (rear-naked choke, round 2)

This is a quick post while I’m at work so forgive the sentence on each fight. Sanchez wants to push the pace and take the fight down to the ground while Kampmann will wait for Diego’s lack of defense to shine through. I think Sanchez slips up and Kampmann puts him to sleep. Dolloway is a traditional wrestling/grappler and Munoz is a striker and one of the fast risers. Mark has a wrestling background as well and is much better standing up so I think he gets the win. Sakara is known for going balls to the wall which either gives him an exciting win or an exciting loss (duh). Weidman is an impressive newcomer, but fighting someone dangerous on short notice. Advantage: Sakara. Bowles and Page shouldn’t be a fight. Bowles is a former champion in the WEC and Page has trouble stringing together 2 wins.

UFC 127 Predictions

BJ PENN VS JON FITCH

PREDICTION: Fitch (unanimous decision)

MICHAEL BISPING VS JORGE RIVERA

PREDICTION: Bisping (unanimous decision)

GEORGE SOTIROPOULOS VS DENNIS SIVER

PREDICTION: Papadopoulos (kimura, round 2)

CHRIS LYTLE VS BRIAN EBERSOLE

PREDICTION: Lytle (triangle choke, round 3)

KYLE NOKE VS CHRIS CAMOZZI

PREDICTION: Torres (TKO, round 3)

BJ against Fitch will be interesting at first, but Fitch’s famous “lay and pray” style will probably help him grind out a win. White just needs to give him a rematch against GSP already. I went Bisping because Rivera is 38 years old. Bisping just needs to avoid the knockout and be the technical fighter than he is and he’ll win. Sotiropoulos against Siver is the fight I want to see. Sotiro is up and coming while Siver is always dangerous (his spinning back-kicks are badass). However, I think Sotiro will be ready and will be the more dominant fighter. Lytle is fighting a new fighter to the UFC with 62 fights under his belt. New fighters are always dangerous, but Lytle is a solid fighter. Noke against Camozzi is a battle of TUF season 11 alumni. Noke is a safe fighter who waits for his openings and is smart. Camozzi is a balls to the wall fighter who lets it all hang loose. It’s no wonder that Camozzi got hurt in his first fight while Noke lost in the quarterfinals for playing it too safe.

 

UFC 126 Predictions

ANDERSON SILVA VS VITOR BELFORT

PREDICTION: Silva (KO, round 2)

FORREST GRIFFIN VS RICH FRANKLIN

PREDICTION: Franklin (unanimous decision)

JON JONES VS RYAN BADER

PREDICTION: Jones (unanimous decision)

JAKE ELLENBERGER VS CARLOS EDUARDO ROCHA

PREDICTION: Rocha (triangle choke, round 3)

MIGUEL TORRES VS ANTONIO BANUELOS

PREDICTION: Torres (unanimous decision)

This card is stacked from top to bottom. First you have Anderson Silva, arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world against Vitor Belfort. This will be Belfort’s first fight in over 15 months and I don’t think that’s the best way to face one of the best in the world. Silva might toy with him but in the end I think it’s an easy win. Griffin against Franklin is more so a fight for the fans. Both are fan favorites who are respectful and like to put on a good show. I think it will be a brawl and could go either way, but I’m siding with Franklin in an epic decision. Bones Jones and Bader is definitely the fight I’m most looking forward to. Jones is one of the fastest risers in the sports while Bader is one of the most underrated. Both have a great wrestling background while Jones has deadly elbows and Bader has some power in his hands. I think it spends a bit too much time on the ground, but in the end Jones should come out on top. Ellenberger vs. Rocha doesn’t seem too crazy on paper; BJJ vs wrestling. Rocha will look to catch Ellenberger in a bad position to submit him. However, Ellenberger has experience so it won’t be easy. I still think Rocha finds a way to pull it off towards the end. Last fight on the card is Torres vs. Banuelos who are both WEC carry-overs. This one seems a bit lop-sided to me and Torres was WEC bantamweight champ for a good little while and has a great record. Banuelos will put on a good show, but I think he gets out-classed.

UFC 125 Ends In . . . A Draw?

Sorry Pettis, Maynard earned a rematch.

UFC 125 may not of had the star power like UFC 124 had with Georges St. Pierre, but it still was a solid card from top to bottom. The main card included a nice submission from Clay Guida, a surprise knockout by Brian Stann, and the main event was n different. Frankie Edgar got the chance to avenge his only UFC loss by facing the undefeated Gray Maynard for the belt. You couldn’t have asked for a better start in round 1 where Maynard rocked Edgar several times and throwing a whopping 97 punches on him. I don’t think Edgar was able to stand up straight once that entire round, but somehow he survived the round. After that, the entire fight was back in forth. Edgar bounced back in round 2 proving just how tough he is rocking Maynard with some nice combinations and even throwing a power slam against him. Rounds 3, 4, and 5 were very indecisive and could have gone either way in many people’s eyes. They read off the scores “48-46 Maynard, 48-46 Edgar”. Normally excitement is built going into the 3rd score as it’s the tiebreaker. Instead, the normally excited Bruce Buffer said “47-47 declaring this bout a draw”. You could break down the frame by frame and see the look of disappointment on both their eyes. The question no becomes what to do? WEC lightweight champion needs to get his chance and the belts need to be unified. However, Maynard proved he has what it takes to be the champ. Dana White originally gave the next lightweight championship fight to Pettis, but recently reconsidered saying “how can you not give it to Gray”? To be honest, this is the right answer after what might be the fight of the year when all is said and done. So what about Pettis? If he doesn’t get the fight as expected, does he get another fight in preparation or do you shelve him for several months? It all depends on how ready Edgar and Maynard will be read for their rematch. Anything after March and I think Pettis needs to be given a non-title fight with the understanding his fight after that will be for the title unless he puts up a disappointing effort. Only 2 days into 2011 and this year of the UFC is off to a great start.

UFC 125 Predictions

Can Frankie Fast-Hands avenge his only career loss?

FRANKIE EDGAR VS GRAY MAYNARD

PREDICTION: Edgar (split decision)

CHRIS LEBEN VS BRIAN STANN

PREDICTION: Leben (TKO, round 3)

BRANDON VERA VS THIAGO SILVA

PREDICTION: Silva (TKO, round 2)

NATE DIAZ VS DONG HYUN KIM

PREDICTION: Hyun Kim (unanimous decision)

CLAY GUIDA VS TAKANORI GOMI

PREDICTION: Guida (triangle choke, round 3)

Edgar against Maynard will be awesome; despite Edgar being the champ, his only loss is to Maynard. Frankie will have to prove he can handle his kryptonite going against a bigger, stronger wrestler. Still, I don’t think Gray does enough to get the belt. On the next fight, I think Leben is too much for Stann unless he’s distracted by a pending DUI he has against him. As for the next fight, it’s completely up to Silva if he wins. If he pushes the fight and keeps the pressure on Vera, he should win. If he stays outside the pocket, this is all Vera. Diaz versus Dong is a typical wrestler against boxer. I always tend to give the edge to wrestlers and this fight is no different. Dong comes up big (couldn’t resist). The last fight is the one I’m actually looking forward to the most. Guida is the most energetic fighter in the UFC and is a ball of energy while Gomi has one-punch knockout power. However, Guida never gets knocked out so I think he grinds out another win.

UFC 124 Predictions

GEORGES ST PIERRE VS JOSH KOSCHECK

PREDICTION: GSP (Kimura, round 4)

The hero against the villain; it’s the best way to describe this fight. GSP is the consummate professional who is polite and modest. Koscheck loves pissing people off and is disrespectful. There is no gray between the two. As far as the fight goes, the styles they use are pretty interesting and pretty similar. Koscheck is a college wrestling champ who’s become a knockout fighter. GSP also is a dominant wrestler who doesn’t have as good hands, but has great kicks and is keen on submissions from the ground. Honestly, the only way Koscheck wins this is if he catches GSP with a big punch, but I doubt that happens as GSP has never been more motivated.

STEFAN STRUVE VS SEAN MCCORKLE

PREDICTION: McCorkle (TKO, round 1)

Struve definitely has a bright future in the UFC; he’s only 22 years old and is already 4-2 in the UFC. However at 6’11” and only 247 pounds, he still lacks the strength. McCorkle is one of those fighters that has brute strength and the size to beat Struve (he claims he hasn’t weighed 265 since high school). Struve’s best bet is to use his size and try and lock in a submission. McCorkle on the other hand needs to take Struve down and dominate him on the ground. I really want Struve to win, but I just don’t see it this weekend.

JIM MILLER VS CHARLES OLIVEIRA

PREDICTION: Oliveira (Rear Naked Choke, round 2)

I like the potential this fight has because it’s such a clash of styles and fighting tendencies. Miller is a blue-collar wrestler who I doubt will ever be outworked. He tends to lend himself to decisions as of late and is a very meticulous fighter. Oliveira on the either hand has been all or nothing. Only 2 of his 14 fights have gone to the 3 round and he’s only had 1 decision ever. I hate to say it, but Miller needs to use the famous “lay and pray” strategy if he wants to grind out another win.

JOE STEVENSON VS MAC DANZIG

PREDICTION: Stevenson (Guillotine Choke, round 3)

I hate to say it, but this fight is really do or die. Whoever loses this fight will most likely be released as both have unimpressive UFC records which is sad as both won The Ultimate Fighter. In this fight I lean towards Stevenson because he’s shown the potential lately since switching to Greg Jackson’s camp. The interesting thing is both tend to lean towards using submissions so this could turn into a battle for superior position. In the end, I think Stevenson’s pace is the X factor.

THIAGO ALVES VS JOHN HOWARD

PREDICTION: Alves (TKO, round 3)

Banger versus banger; if you like muay thai, big punches, and knockouts, then this is the fight to watch. Alves puts bad intentions behind everything he throws (kicks included). Howard is very similar in style and very aggressive. However, Alves gets the striking advantage. The only thing that’s working against Alves is that he sucks at cutting weight and struggles against wrestlers. However, Howard said he wants and trade with Alves stand so I doubt the wrestling is on display plus Alves Thiago is one loss away from being forced to middleweight.

Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale Predictions

JONATHAN BROOKINS VS MICHAEL JOHNSON

PREDICTION: Brookins (rear naked choke, round 2)

After watching the Ultimate Fighter season 12, this should be a good fight albeit one Brookins should win. Johnson always seemed to fight only slightly better than his opponent and squeak out wins. However, Brookins ran through his opponents making it look easy. He’s quicker, more athletic, and has more ways of beating his opponent. Unless Johnson catches him with a big punch, Brookins wins this.

IGOR POKRAJAC VS STEPHAN BONNAR

PREDICTION: Bonnar (TKO, round 3)

As much as I want to pick a fellow Croatian, they just haven’t had much success in the UFC. Bonnar’s record is deceiving, but he’s been in every fight he’s had. As much as both fighters tend to lend themselves to decision fights, Bonnar’s UFC experience should lend itself. Despite this, I expect Bonnar to come out swinging and dominate the pace.

DEMIAN MAIA VS KENDALL GROVE

PREDICTION: Maia (triangle choke, round 3)

I give Grove credit for winning The Ultimate Fighter, but he’s not even in Maia’s league and he yet again made his life in the UFC difficult by taking a fight he shouldn’t have. Maia is a submission guru which lends itself well as Grove has never been submitted, but Maia has transformed into a more complete fighter and can take the fight to the ground at will. I think he’s got too much to use not to win.

RICKY STORY VS JOHNY HENDRICKS

PREDICTION: Hendricks (unanimous decision)

Both fighters are riding a solid winning streak and flying under the radar in the UFC. However, one thing I’ve noticed is that Story tends to struggle against dominant wrestlers. With Hendricks big hands (he knocked out Amir Sadollah) and his ability to control the fight on the ground, he should have no problem winning unless Story catches him in a submission.

NAM PHAN VS LEONARD GARCIA

PREDICTION: Phan (unanimous decision)

Nam Phan looked good in The Ultimate Fighter house. It wasn’t until later that I realized he was fighting 10 pounds over his normal weight class. He’s got great hands and is a very technical fighter. Garcia is a straight banger who comes out swinging and tends to throw technique to the wind. He probably had the fight of the year against Chan Sung Jung. Phan should win this easy as long as he stays smart and true to his game.