Evan Tanner Vs. Kendall Grove
(Kendall Grove Wins by Split Decision at 5:00 in the 3rd round )
Tanner has been sharing with everyone about his coming back journey, but Grove is really hungry for a win. Tanner’s chin was shown during his last fight with Okami. I think Grove can sneak a couple of strikes in with his reach to get a TKO. If not I don’t think Tanner will be able to get past those legs if it goes to the ground. I think Grove wins via TKO in the second.

Amir Sadollah Vs. CB Dollaway
(Amir Sadollah Wins by Submission (Arm Lock) at 3:02 in the 1st round by arm bar)
I am not a big fan of rematches. I really don’t know why this needs to be played out again. A much better fight would have been between Creduer and Amir. During the show CB would just lay and pray. His cardio was even questionable a couple of times. Amir has the most room for improvement out of the two. I do also think CB will be taking this very seriously and will train pretty hard for it. Amir will probably take everything CB will throw at him and wait until CB gets tired to catch him. I think Amir will win via submission in the third round.

Diego Sanchez Vs. Luigi Fioravanti
(Diego Sanchez Wins by Technical Knock Out at 4:07 in the 3rd round )
Luigi is not seeing himself as the underdog in this fight, but he probably is. I believe Sanchez is still getting better as a fighter and is still improving. With that said we have not seen everything from him. Luigi does good at weathering storms, but I think Diego will bring it hard for this fight. I think Diego will win via TKO in the first round.

Spencer Fisher Vs. Jeremy Stephens
(Spencer Fisher Wins by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 in the 3rd round )
This will be a fun fight to watch. Fisher can have remarkable stand up when someone is not trying to take him down. I think Stephens will probably try to bang with him so we will probably get to see a three round striking war. If that happens I think Fisher will win via decision.

Matt Riddle Vs. Dante Rivera
(Matt Riddle Wins by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 in the 3rd round )
I was impressed with Riddle on the show. He has alot of raw talent that could make him a great fighter. With this time off from the show I believe he has probably gotten alot better. Dante will probably fight his same fight. I think Riddle will win via decision.

Matt Brown Vs. Matt Arroyo
( Matt Brown Wins by Technical Knock Out at 3:30 in the 2nd round )
This will probably be a good fight. Matt Brown has already defeated Arroyo via TKO before in the past so I think Arroyo will be ready to avenge his previous loss. I still think with Brown’s recent training with TUF he will come in the better fighter. I think Brown wins via TKO again in the second.

Jeremy Horn Vs. Dean Lister
( Dean Lister Wins by Submission (Choke) at 3:58 in the 1st round by guillotine)
I really wish this one was on the main card. Lister has also fought Horn in the past and lost via decision. I know Horn has been around for a while and may not draw the big crowds, but a fight between two veteran submission specialists would be a good watch. Lister has been trying to prove his stand up in the octagon so this one will probably go the distance with both fighters not being able to finish the other. Probably Lister will win via decision.

Tim Credeur Vs. Cale Yarbrough
(Fight Cancelled)
I wish this one was on the card too. Tim showed alot of veteran moves in his fights with being able to come back in them and win. Tim improved with his stand up during the show and got to finally show it with CB in his last fight. Cd didn’t seem to press the action the whole fight and only got Tim in trouble one time. Tim just doesn’t quit. I think Cale will be outclassed in the fight and probably fall victim to a submission in the first round.

After alot of fighters being shuffled around for these fights I think there is gonna be a good card.

 

 

Matt Hughes Vs. Thiago Alves
(Thiago Alves Wins by Technical Knock Out at 1:02 in the 2nd round )
Hughes is taking this fight after a lot of switching around that had gone on in the UFC office as far as the main card goes. Both of these guys could use this fight. I am not really sold on Hughes trying to get to the top of the class again to be the champion three times like the commercials have been saying. If he loses this one he can probably not bet on being the champ again or getting a another title shot. I really don’t think he has anything more to prove as a fighter, but those paydays make it hard to leave the sport, so I can understand. Alves has done well in his last few fights against some good opponents, so why not put him up against the ex-champ to test his contendership. Alves is explosive and fast with strikes and takedowns. Hughes will likely try to out-wrestle Alves to get in the more dominate positions to strike out a TKO. If Alves can catch him with something explosive it might go another way. I see this one going to a decision with Hughes fighting the smart three round fight by getting the takedowns and controlling Alves.

 

 

Michael Bisping Vs. Jason Day
(Michael Bisping Wins by Technical Knock Out at 3:42 in the 1st round )
This fight will be Bisping’s biggest test. Day fights extremely well on his back, but I don’t see Bisping taking this to the ground or at least trying to get it there. Bisping will probably out strike Day, but lacks the KO power to knock him out. So this fight style could favor Day if he can bring it to the ground and work Bisping. I see Day defeating Bisping via submission in the second.

 

 

Marcus Davis Vs. Mike Swick
(Mike Swick Wins by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 in the 3rd round )
This is gonna be a great fight. Swick is coming off a pretty boring fight with Burkman, so he has something to prove in the middleweight class. Davis probably holds the record for fight bonuses because of his fighting style. I don’t think Davis will be able to submit Swick. Davis has gotten wobbled legs in a couple of his UFC fights so we know his chin isn’t impervious. Davis just seems to always find a way to win when he is losing even in the first round. Swick hasn’t been able to finish his last three fights. I think Davis wins via some kind of unforseen move.

 

 

Nate Marquardt Vs. Thales Leites
(Thales Leites Wins by Split Decision at 5:00 in the 3rd round)
Leites know some good submission moves, but Nate is just hard in the stand up and on the ground. I just don’t see this fight going Leites’ way. Nate the Great wins via submission in the third.

 

 

Fabricio Werdum Vs. Brandon Vera
(Fabricio Werdum Wins by Technical Knock Out at 4:40 in the 1st round )
A good fight here. I really don’t know if Werdum is gonna play it safe in the clinch or if he is gonna come in swinging. Vera wants some blood after his last fight I am sure so this fight should be explosive. I see Vera wins via TKO in the first round.

Pretty good night for the headlining fights. I am sure everyone will be tuning in mostly for the Serra Vs. GSP fight to see if the “fluke” in Houston, TX was real or not. Some decent under card match ups and some familiar fighters trying to make name for themselves and climb up the ranks.

 

 

Matt Serra Vs. Georges St-Pierre
(Georges St-Pierre Wins by Technical Knock Out at 4:45 in the 2nd round)
One of Serra’s coaches Ray Longo said that they will be using the same game plan as before. We did not see alot of it since the fight did not last very long. At the time of the last fight I do remember hearing Longo’s words of wisdom to Serra that if he knocked Pierre down not to rush in for the ground game, but to sit back and pick his shots. This was pretty clever, but it is only relevant if he happens to catch GSP again with a hook behind the ear. Pierre will have a solid plan A, B and C. Pierre has never been accused of fighting a boring fight, but even if he wanted to he proved with Josh Koscheck that he can take down and hold anyone of any ground fighting pedigree. He has made statements that he will fight an exciting fight with Serra and will not be afraid of being knocked out. Those words might just be for the press, because Greg Jackson has shown some serious gamesmenship with his top fighters as of late winning even the thought fights. I will go with the 10-1 odds that were used in their last fight together saying that GSP will win via Montreal, Canada.

 

Travis Lutter Vs. Rich Franklin

(Rich Franklin Wins by Technical Knock Out at 3:01 in the 2nd round)

Lutter is a simple guy and his fight analysis of this fight was pretty simple as well. He said that he was gonna try to take Rich down and if he did he would win. If he could not take Rich down he would lose. Well I would have to agree and think that this is how it will go down. Each guy is known for each others strong suit, but both of these guys like many MMA fighters train in striking or ground fighting so even if it does not go in each others world of expertise I would not count out the MMA X-Factor that shows up from time to time. I will go with Lutter winning via submission in the second.

 

Nate Quarry Vs. Kalib Starnes

(Nate Quarry Wins by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 in the 3rd round)

I am sure we will see some blood in this fight for sure. Both of these guys have the tendency to cut and brawl when they are losing. I really don’t know between these two since there power and standup seems to be the same. Quarry is a little bit better wrestler so maybe Nate via decision after hopefully some good sluggin in between.

 

Charles McCarthy Vs. Michael Bisping

(Michael Bisping Wins by TKO Stoppage (Referee) at 5:00 in the 1st round)

I just think Bisping is gonna pick apart McCarthy. Bisping in his last few fights hasnt had alot of power in his punches, but maybe we will see a renewed Englishman in the middleweight division Saturday night. I think he was to light powered in the light heavyweight class and he will probably find more power in the octagon fighting at 185. McCarthy is just gonna be the first one to witness it. Bisping wins via TKO in the first round.

 

Mark Bocek Vs. Mac Danzig

(Mac Danzig Wins by Submission (Choke) at 3:48 in the 3rd round by rear naked)

It will be good to see Danzig fight in the Octagon in his regular weight. In a short summary Mac is just way more well rounded a fighter and excels in any spot this fight might end up. Mark is just gonna have a hard time holding on to this fighter. Mac wins via RNC after some punches.

This card is so stacked with talent. I wish they could show all of the fights, but maybe we will get lucky and some first round KO’s will happen.

 

 

Kenny Florian Vs. Joe Lauzon

(Kenny Florian Wins by Technical Knock Out at 3:28 in the 2nd round)

The Main fight of the night between two good lightweights that have proven themselves already. This fight will help put them in contender-ship positioning in the UFC’s lightweight division. Lauzon has stated that his striking is better, but Florian’s kicks are better. In the stand up arena these guys might cancel each other out enough to make a good reason for Lauzon to want to take this to the ground. Although Kenny is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Joe seems able to control his opponents with a vicious ground and pound that fighters have trouble with. I am going with Lauzon getting a TKO or dazed RNC in the third round for the win.

 

Thiago Alves Vs. Karo Parisyan

(Thiago Alves Wins by Technical Knock Out at 0:34 in the 2nd round)

This is gonna be so cool if Karo is well conditioned. Both of these guys really bring the “heat.” Karo usually excels at controlling the fight and the fighter, but Alves is too explosive to hold in a box. I really don’t know who will win this one. Gonna go with a guess that Karo will win yet again via decision.

 

Matt Hamill Vs. Tim Boetsch

(Matt Hamill Wins by Technical Knock Out at 1:25 in the 2nd round ) 

Everybody is wanting to see Boetsch back in the octagon after he man-handled David Heath. Hamill is not one of those guys that loses the clinch game, so this will be a good challenge for Boetsch. I hope to see some new moves from Hamill, but I think he will probably grind out a decision win over Boetsch.

 

Kurt Pellegrino Vs. Nate Diaz

(Nate Diaz Wins by Submission (Choke) at 3:06 in the 2nd round by triangle choke after double fingers and flexing his guns) 

This is gonna be a cool fight between two good ground fighters. Kurt proved that he has more than just ground skills in his last fight by getting a TKO. Even though Diaz is one of my favorite fighters, he hasn’t yet showcased his skills with his stand up. Hopefully, both of these guys’ ground games will cancel out and they will be forced to stand up. Maybe Diaz wins via submission in the second.

 

Gray Maynard Vs. Frank Edgar

(Gray Maynard Wins by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 in the 3rd round )

Frankie Edgar is a good fighter with an all go-no-play attitude. Maynard is a lightweight with with tons of power. Both of these guys can wrestle with the best of them. I really don’t know who will win this match between these two similar opponents. Maybe Edgar wins via decision.

 

James Irvin Vs. Houston Alexander

(James Irvin Wins by Technical Knock Out at 0:08 in the 1st round )

Alexander is back in the ring for the first time since his defeat, so I think he will come with it hard. He knocked out two guys before his defeat and a lot of people were thinking he was THE up and comer. I think he will want to get back to this ascent soon, but it all starts with Irvin in his way. James Irvin just seems to run out of steam in many of his fights. None of us have seen Alexander out of the first round inside the octagon, so this will be something new to see. Can Irvin keep it up after the first round and can Alexander finish in the first like his other fights? Stay tuned until April 2nd. I am going with Alexander winning via TKO first round.

Doug Marshall Vs. Brian Stann

(Brian Stann Wins by Technical Knock Out at 1:35 in the 1st round )

This WEC card doesn’t appear to be the greatest, but that may be due to all the past cards being so exciting, we are finally getting a lull. This fight, though, should be explosive. Both of these fighters are first round killers. We haven’t seen a lot of Stann on the ground, but, wow, he has some power in his punches. Marshall is probably the best guy to test himself in the WEC and will in this fight. I think maybe Stann wins via TKO in the second. Not to say he might not finish in the first like he always does, but Marshall is a tough dude.

 

Chael Sonnen Vs. Bryan Baker

(Chael Sonnen Wins by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 in the 3rd round )

Bryan is one tall dude at 6′3″ with a well rounded game. Everybody probably saw Sonnen in his last controversial fight with Filho. I am pretty sure he will keep his mouth shut in this fight to not attract any attention from the ref. This will be a good fight. Sonnen has much to prove in his ground game defense. I am going with Baker and Sonnen going the distance with decision in favor of Sonnen.

 

Ed Ratcliff Vs. Marcus Hicks

(Marcus Hicks Wins by Submission (Choke) at 1:42 in the 1st round by guillotine choke)

Marcus Hicks is a fun ground guy to watch and Ratcliff is a TKO machine with some bombs in his gloves. I really don’t know who will dominate in this fight, but I will go with Hicks winning via submission.

 

Steve Cantwell Vs. Tim McKenzie

(Steve Cantwell Wins by Submission (Choke) at 2:13 in the 1st round by rear naked choke.)

McKenzie is a WEC veteran and actually has a pretty recent win over Doug Marshall before his reign as the lightweight champ. McKenzie is well rounded with some heavy hands. Cantwell just doesn’t have the stand up to last long in this fight with McKenzie. I am going with McKenzie wins via TKO in the second.

 

Hiromitsu Miura Vs. Blas Avena

(Hiromitsu Miura Wins by Technical Knock Out at 2:35 in the 1st round)

Avena is exciting to watch, with a good submission game. Miura doesn’t fall prey to submissions though, so this will more than likely be a clinch fest with a bunch of wrestling. I really don’t know who has the better ground game so the fight might go to a decision maybe with Avena getting the win.

 

UFC 82 has alot of popular fighters in the card. Hopefully some of the fights end fast so we can see more of them on the PPV airing.



Anderson Silva Vs. Dan Henderson
(Anderson Silva Wins by Submission (Choke) at 4:52 in the 2nd round by rear naked choke.)
RESULTS: Henderson pretty much controlled Silva the first round, but then Silva activated his superior game plan in the second blowing through Henderson and dazing him at one point which was probably the main reason he caught Henderson in a RNC.

What a sweet fight. Partly because Anderson Silva has been so dominate since arriving to the UFC. Dan Henderson makes a comment about this on Jim Rome is burning show by saying he remembers when Silva used to lose in PRIDE. Dan said he would use his Greco alot, but be careful not to leave any space between him and Silva when the were in the clinch. Dan also said that in his first fight in a cage he was a little clumsy and tripped on the cage a little bit. A few pride fighters even like Wanderli commented on the sutle differences in using the cage. Anyway Silva does have dangerous strikes and Dan is aware of that, but he said that he personally hits very hard as well. Henderson said that a lot of the other guys Silva has fought very not good styles for Silva’s fighting game, but that his wrestling would help him control the fight. I think Dan will in fact control the fight and take Silva down and at one point TKO Silva. Dan via TKO in the second round.

Heath Herring Vs. Cheick Kongo
(Heath Herring Wins by Split Decision at 5:00 in the 3rd round)
RESULTS: Herrings cardio was much improved like he said it would be. He did some pretty neat reversals a couple of time, but wasnt able to do much else. Kongo did have a much improved ground game really showing some new skills he picked up.

What a good comeback fight this would be for Herring. He has had some bad luck and poor conditioning in his last fights inside the octagon. His strength, size and technique in the past have been very impressive, but he has not been able to get any traction inside the octagon. Kongo impressed everyone with his last fight in defeating Mirko Cro Cop. His fights haven’t always been the most exciting, but he may be turning a corner as of late. I hope Herring brings his A-game and makes this an all out brawl like the old days. I will go with Herring winning via decision.

Alessio Sakara Vs. Chris Leben
(Chris Leben Wins by Technical Knock Out at 3:16 in the 1st round)
RESULTS: Leben and Sakara came out to bang in this fight. It was clear in the first few seconds of the round that this one would not make it past the first round. Leben caught Sakara in the chin one time and followed up with a couple more when Sakara hit the ground. Sakara kept his hand down by his waist for the first two punches so the ref stopped it. Rogan said that he could see it being a early stoppage, but for once I don’t agree with this. Sakara wasn’t defending the punches to his face and his hands were not doing anything else either.

Leben and Sakara have had some mixed success in the octagon. I think with there styles this will be a really good fight. Leben showed his all go no quit attitude in last fight with Terry Martin where his was losing the fight until the end of the fight where he knocked down Martin in a shocker KO. I might have to go with Leben getting a TKO in the third round.

Yushin Okami Vs. Evan Tanner
(Yushin Okami Wins by Knock Out at 3:00 in the 2nd round)
RESULTS: This fight was really similiar to the Silva/Hendo fight. Okami got dominated or I should say controlled by Tanner the first round and wasn’t able to mount his game plan. Then in the second Okami came awake in a clicnh and caught Tanner cold with a knee out of nowhere.

Welcome back Even Tanner. Tanner is a true veteran dating back to UFC 18. He has had some problems in the past with some of his “adventures” as he likes to call them, but he has of late been living and breathing MMA to prepare him for this fight. Tanner will be fighting Okami a very dominate and big middleweight. Okami will most likely put Tanner on his back, but he better watch for Tanners sick Triangle Choke. Okami might be one tough dude, but a choke is a choke. know I always tend to go with the veterans, but I would have to say that Tanner will submit Okami in the second round.

Chris Wilson Vs. Jon Fitch
(Jon Fitch Wins by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 in the 3rd round)
RESULTS: Wilson didn’t threaten Fitch as much with submissions as I thought he would until at the end of round one with a triangle. I know Fitch is on a really important win streak, but the UFC isn’t only about wins.

Fitch is riding a super big winning streak inside the octagon. He may have the record for the most wins in a row soon. Hopefully Fitch will be in line soon for the welterweight title along with all the other guys that deserve a shot. Fitch is aware that Wilson has long legs and likes to tangle his opponents up in submission. I really do not think that Wilson will be a match for Fitche’s raw strength and ability to control his opponent. I am going with Fitch winning RNC in the second round.

Jake O’Brien Vs. Andrei Arlovski
(Andrei Arlovski Wins by Technical Knock Out at 4:17 in the 2nd round)

This fight could win boring fight of the night. O’Brien in his last fight just kept taking Herring down and laying on him to get a decision. Herring was pissed, but didn’t do much himself to get out from under him. Arlovski should start to feel his back up against a wall and should come out in this fight as if it was his last. I will go out on a limb and say that Arlovski might catch Jake in a transition with a punch and get a TKO.

Luigi Fioravanti Vs. Luke Cummo
(Luigi Fioravanti Wins by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 in the 3rd round)

Both of these are exciting to watch laying out all on the line each time they fight. Cummo has been having the most luck latley with his improvements in each appearance inside the Octagon. I will go with Cummo winning via decision.

Dustin Hazelett Vs. Josh Koscheck
(Josh Koscheck Wins by Technical Knock Out at 1:24 in the 2nd round )
RESULTS: Hazelett had some killer standup and frustrated Koscheck for the first round. KOS did pretty good considering he did not have the reach advantage.

Josh was on a warpath before he got man handled by GSP. For a wrestler I was very surprised that he got tooled so bad against GSP. I heard Josh make a comment one time that he didn’t need to power lift anymore since he does it in some form of training. Alot of fighters are realizing that strength is still an important in the fight game. Dustin’s strength is his submission game, but the only guy to catch KOS in a submission was Drew Fickett, but after he was dazed by a strike. I think this one will probably go the distance with KOS winning via decision mostly on take downs.

David Bielkheden Vs. Diego Sanchez
(Diego Sanchez Wins by Submission (Other) at 4:23 in the 1st round by strikes)

Sanchez is coming into this fight to redeem his winning ways. He has been training hard a new camp and has re-introduced strength training back into his mix after the last fight against Fitch. Bielkheden is making his debut in the Octagon, but I think he will probably be overwhelmed by Diego. Sanchez via TKO in the first round.

Good night of fighters again. The WEC and UFC Fight Night both free I might add, are becoming better than the PPV events. I think a couple of these match ups could go either way so that equals good fights.

Carlo Prater Vs. Carlos Condit
(Carlos Condit Wins by Submission (Choke) at 3:48 in the 1st round by guillotine choke)
It has been almost four years since Condit lost to Prater via Triangle choke, but I am sure it has been burning in the mind of Condit ever since. Both of these guys have fought some of the best and done have done well. This will be a match up so even that it will be hard to figure the winner. Both of these guys like submissions so it might end up being a standup war. It seems like that always happens. Condit has calmness about him while he fights that helps him look for mistakes in his opponent. Prater is a Houston guy so I know he doesn’t make any mistakes. So I would have to go with Prater winning via Submission in the first.

Jamie Varner Vs. Rob McCullough
(Jamie Varner Wins by Knock Out at 2:54 in the 3rd round)
This will probably be my favorite fight of the night. McCullough is just a bad KO machine. Varner is a slick dude with killer instinct submission skills and a tough chin. Both of these guys finish people very fast so it will so fun to watch these two guys lock up. Varner says that he does have a lot of striking skills even though everyone is saying that this fight will be a striker vs. a wrestler. He might use this fight to prove it, but I hope he stays safe and goes where he needs to depending on the fight. I really have no idea who will win this one. I will guess on Varner getting the upset with a slick submission in the second.

Miguel Torres Vs. Chase Beebe
(Miguel Torres Wins by Submission (Choke) at 3:59 in the 1st round by guillotine choke) - More like an upside down RNC like Mir stated
Beebe is so fun to watch because he actually gets tougher and more energized as the match goes on. He has fought some tough BJJ guys like Yahya and been able to get out of every submission hold. That knee bar especially was so sick, but Beebe was able to tough it out like the crazy guy he is. Torres has a great ground game getting a lot of people with submissions. The only submission that he needs to focus on are ones that will make Beebe pass out. Any pain ones and Beebe will probably power out of it like he did that knee bar. I think Beebe will wear him out and catch one of Torres’s long arms. Beebe is so tough so I am going to have to go with Beebe via arm bar in the third.

Who is headlining this event anyways? With the main card being a title fight it weird that most of the posters I see have Mir and Lesnar on them.

 

Tim Sylvia Vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

(Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Wins by Submission (Choke) at 1:28 in the 3rd round by guillotine choke.)

The Nogger and the Maine-iac lock horns for the interim belt. Both of these guys had some pretty boring fights in their last octagon appearances. The Nog is safe and good at handling big guys on the ground and Tim is wonderful at clinching guys against a cage. After this fight fans will probably be talking about the penalties that Pride used to do. Anytime a fighter was not pressing the action and being safe the ref would pull out a yellow card and dock 10% of the fighters pay. I hope either of these guys explode their A-game and finish the fight early because since this is a championship fight in could go five rounds. I really hope one of them comes in really wanting it. I know Tim wants it bad, but will he play it safe just to get the belt? Tim was able to stay out of anything Randy and Vera threw at him, but those guys weren’t as good as Nog on the ground. This fight will be a good litmus test for Tim if he ever ends up fighting Mir again. If he can stay out of danger from submission I think he can win a decision on points. I don’t want it to go five rounds so I am hoping for a good ole Sylvia beat down, but given Nogs history of never getting TKO’ed I would have to say Sylvia wins via decision.

Frank Mir Vs. Brock Lesnar
(Frank Mir Wins by Submission (Leg Lock) at 1:30 in the 1st round by ankle lock)
I think this should be the main event. Did UFC get the fights mixed up or something? OK maybe it is right since the main card is a title fight, but this match up to me is more exciting. I am putting up the pic of Mir Vs. Lesnar in protest. Mir is one of my old time favorites. I think he is finally back in his old form. It is also always fun to see an icon from another sport try his hand in MMA or some type of fighting. I don’t believe that the UFC is making a mockery of MMA by letting Lesnar in the Octagon at all. Lesner is a true threat in MMA with his wrestling background and he has also been training hard for the last two year. A lot of MMA guys have been successful in MMA after only training for a short while, but these guys have been without talent. Lesnar obviously has talent in some athletic fashion, but I just don’t think it will be enough to beat Mir. Frank Mir is a student of the sport with a calculating mind for in the ring decisions while being hit. Lesnar hasn’t really been tested in a fight yet. I think Mir will prove to be a temporary gate keeper and knock Lesnar back down the stairs to his training gym. I think Lesnar will prove to be a threat in MMA if he sticks with it, but as of now I will have to say Mir wins via a sneaky submission round one.

Jeremy Horn Vs. Nate Marquardt
(Nate Marquardt Wins by Submission (Choke) at 1:37 in the 2nd round by guillotine choke)
Wow, horn returns into the Octagon against a hard hitter. I think both of these guys will hang with each other for the three rounds for sure. Expect a fun technical fight with some heart. Nate wins via decision.

Rob Yundt Vs. Ricardo Almeida
(Ricardo Almeida Wins by Submission (Choke) at 1:08 in the 1st round by guillotine choke)
Yundt you say? I heard this guy trains with Doug Evans. He has a good MMA record, but no real competition yet as they say. What else do they say? Alemeida is back with the UFC signing a six fight contract. I hope he does well because we will probably be seeing a lot of him. I have no idea what Yundt has or if Almeida still has it. Almeida has beat some good guys and lost against some good guys. Almeida has more to lose in this fight so I think he will fell the wall touching his back and pull out a win. Not sure how, but maybe a decision win for Almeida.

Gleison Tibau Vs. Tyson Griffin
(Tyson Griffin Wins by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 in the 3rd round )
Why is this a under-card fight? They could switch this fight with the Yundt fight and I think everybody would be ok with it. Maybe if somebody knocks out someone else on the main card we will get to see it. Griffin is so fun to watch. Lets just forget about this fight and talk about a possible Huerta and Griffin match up? Right wouldn’t this be a fight of all fights? I think if these two locked up Penn would have his hands full with either one. I mean Griffin has beat Guida and so has Huerta. I know there are alot of other guys, but these guys are exciting contenders. To watch them fight would be like watching a championship. Ok back to the real world, Griffin wins via TKO in second.

This should be called TUF Alumni night instead of Fight Night. A lot of the fighters were on past seasons of TUF. Maybe that is part of the UFC plan to bring them up slower in the fight night.

Mike Swick Vs. Josh Burkman
(Mike Swick Wins by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 in the 3rd round)
RESULTS: Boy was this fight kinda flat. I think they broke the record for clinch up and having the ref split them up. I think it was like six times. Swick said he cut to much and should have lost more in the days before instead of losing to much gradually. Josh used his power to hold the clinch and basically Swick stuffed every single takedown.

This is gonna be a good fight. Josh had a relentless power in his wrestling and Swick is quick as he likes to say. I think this is the first fight at 170, but I might be wrong. After Swick battled with Okami at 185 he thought twice about competing again at 185. It will be neat to see Swick in this new world. Both of these guys are hard and relentless, but I feel like Swick has more technique when things go bad so I will go with Mike getting a swick-atine in the 2nd.

Patrick Cote Vs. Drew McFedries
(Patrick Cote Wins by Technical Knock Out at 1:44 in the 1st round)
RESULTS: I was really pulling for Drew for all he has been going through. Even Cote mentioned it at the end of the fight. Both of these guys through hard, but Cote had the stronger chin.

Wow this could be a main card easily. I still remember Drew’s KO over Jordan Radev. Cote has knock out power too; just ask Grove. Both of these guys are coming off fights in which they got KO’s in a dominating fashion. I hope Cote is on the comeback, but who knows with Drew’s power. This should be a good stand up battle for sure. I would have to guess and say Cote gets the decision.

Alvin Robinson Vs. Nate Diaz
(Nate Diaz Wins by Submission (Choke) at 3:39 in the 1st round by triangle choke)
RESULTS: I was very impressed with Diaz in this coming out. He came out looking like he put on some muscle. He was more aggressive in this fight and held the dominate position on top more. Alvin should have known better than to lay in the guard of somebody that has long legs, like Diaz. That Triangle was all too easy for Diaz to cinch up. He asked at the end of the fight for some contenders next. I think he is showing signs of good progression.

Ole Nate is, once again, going to battle against a brown belt in jiu jitsu. Both of these guys are great grapplers, so they will probably take a couple of shots and then both go to the ground. My thinking is that they will have an all out war standing up. So, if it happens, thank me for working Murphy’s law in reverse. Diaz via triangle in the first.

Michihiro Omigawa Vs. Thiago Tavares
(Thiago Tavares Wins by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 in the 3rd round)
RESULTS: Omigawas strength alone kept many of Tavares’ attacks at bay. Nothing to spectacular in this fight.

Easy one: Thiago Tavares via submission in the first round.

Alberto Crane Vs. Kurt Pellegrino
(Kurt Pellegrino Wins by Technical Knock Out at 1:55 in the 2nd round )
RESULTS: I couldn’t believe that Alberto Crane never even came close to getting a submission. He did get an awesome shin kick to Pellegrino’s head that rocked him hard. If Crane would not have rushed in and fell on top of his guard, he may have been able to finish him off, but instead he got to close to him and Pellegrino was able to tangle him up and stall.

Both of these guys came up through the world renowned BJJ tournaments. I am hoping this will be a BJJ clinic with punching. It will be cool just to see what Crane has learned after his last fight with Huerta. Crane stuck to BJJ only in this fight, and paid the price for it. He did well, putting Huerta in trouble a couple times, but you can’t go into a MMA fight and not throw a punch. Somebody will get submitted in this match for sure. Crane by submission in the third.

Dennis Siver Vs. Gray Maynard
(Gray Maynard Wins by Unanimous Decision at 5:00 in the 3rd round )

It will be interesting to see how these men progress with each fight. They show so much potential, but you can see where they lack some of the tools that they will learn with every fight. Maynard via decision.

Jeremy Stephens Vs. Cole Miller
(Jeremy Stephens Wins by Technical Knock Out at 4:44 in the 2nd round)

Another TUF alumni in Cole Miller. This will probably be his toughest fight yet. Stephens is a tough fighter with intensity to match. Cole has super long legs and can put you in trouble if you even get near his guard though. This will probably go to the judges since both of these guys are really good fighters. Since Cole fights more of a counter style I would think Stephens will score more points on take downs and such. Stephens wins via decision.

Joe Veres Vs. Corey Hill
(Corey Hill Wins by Technical Knock Out at 0:37 in the 2nd round )

A new and improved Corey Hill? That is what everyone is saying and I hope they are right. I agree that he improves with every fight. When he was on the TUF show, he was almost starting from scratch. The height difference in the fight is going to be huge with Veres being 5′6″ and Corey at 6′4″. This will be just a learning fight for Corey Veres shouldn’t put him in much danger. Once Corey figures out a strategy mid-fight, he will probably finish with some move that he has been working on. Corey via submission in the 2nd.

Justin Buchholz Vs. Matt Wiman
(Matt Wiman wins by submission (Choke) at 2:56 in the 1st round by rear naked choke)

This is Justin’s first time out in the UFC, but he is no joke at all. He trains with Faber and has ended his last five fights in the first round. Wiman won’t be ready for this dude. Wiman is a serious scrapper though. I really don’t know on this one. Toss up: coin says Justin.

UFC 80 will be held on January 19th LIVE at the Metro Radio Arena in England.

U.S. SHOW TIME INFO:UFC 80 will play LIVE at noon pacific, 3pm eastern on pay-per-view nationwide. UFC 80 will be re-played at 7pm pacific, 10pm eastern on pay-per-view nationwide.

BJ Penn Vs. Joe Stevenson

What a match this will be. BJ and Joe will be fighting for the lightweight title in this match after the CSAC held up a ruling that Sean Sherk tested positive for steroids. Everybody knows and hears the hype about Penn’s great flexibility and that he is a great grappler. He has never been submitted in his MMA career. Even so I think BJ will try to keep this standing up because he is so strong with his stand up. He really should be known as one of the best strikers in the lightweight and welterweight division in my book. Look at GSP’s face after BJ pounded on it for three rounds. BJ also has unique ways to defend the take down in his past fights. He is so flexible and has such good balance he usually stays up on one leg while giving his opponent fits. I think BJ staying in the lightweight division for now is good because it keeps him training harder and more to keep the weight in check. Stevenson is no joke on the ground. He can tap most lightweights with his speed, strength and most of all, technique. Joe also does not lose easily. Most of his recent losses have all been from decision and in a weight class he probably should not have been in. I would say look for Joe to try to keep it on the ground with BJ stuffing a lot of take downs. Who knows maybe Jo will last until the end, but keep in mind this is a five round championship fight so both of these guys better be conditioned. If BJ doesn’t catch Joe with a KO I think he will catch Joe in some sort of crazy hold while he pounds out a TKO maybe in the second.

Gabriel Gonzaga Vs. Fabricio Werdum

I am hoping this will be a good fight. Gonzaga had a different style when he fought Werdum the first time. I think Gonzaga is a lot more aggressive then he used to be and knows how to stay on the offense as opposed to the way he used to fight. Gonzaga is for real now and should be respected for what he did in the fight with Randy Couture. I mean the guy broke Randy’s arm with a kick and he was doing ok until Randy head butted Gonzaga in the nose. Not that Randy did it on purpose, but I would like to have seen how the fight would have went if that didn’t happen. Having a broken nose can completely effect your breathing and take everything out of a fighter so I think it ended up being an advantage that should have not been there. Not that Randy probably wouldn’t have won a decision in the end, but you like to see fights on an even playing field so you really know who wins. Werdum has beat Gonzaga in their last match with a TKO, but I am sure he is aware of Gonzaga’s new style as has prepared for it. In Wedum’s last fight him and Andrei Arlovski had a lackluster decision fight with Andrei coming out on top. I really don’t think this fight will go to the judges. I think Gonzaga is still very underestimated at this point in his career. Look for a lot of cage clinching with Gonzaga opening Werdum up and Gonzaga ending it with a TKO in the second round.

Jess Liaudin Vs. Marcus Davis

Both of these guys are coming into this fight off of good winning streaks. Davis has fought some of the tougher opponents as of late and has some really good hands due to his pro boxing career. Davis has fought his last few fights in the UK & Ireland so he isn’t a stranger to the cage or overseas fighting. Liaudin has fought in the UK as well under the UFC banner so this fight should have no excuses. Davis is quick and dangerous and he showed a lot of heart reversing the fight against Paul Taylor where he was about to lose. I will have to go with Davis on skill and heart for this fight. I think Davis will probably continue to showcase some newly learned submission skills and get Jess in something to end this fight with a submission in the first.

Wilson Gouveia Vs. Jason Lambert

Lambert has fought some of the best and knocked them out. The only thing with him is he hasn’t fought since March of 2007. One year is a lot of ring rust in the MMA community, but I think he will be ok. Gouveia has had some mixed success fighting the tougher guys in MMA, but he is one of the few with a win over Jon Fitch. I think Lambert is to much of a beast and will probably knock Gouveia out with something in the third.

Jorge Rivera Vs. Kendall Grove

I was wondering where Jorge went since he hasn’t fought since UFC 67. I guess he is back in the mix and against a tough opponent. Grove and him are coming off of losses so both of these guys should show a good fight in this one. Grove relies on his striking so I think he will clinch alot and work his Muay Thai knees into it, but Rivera can stand as well so this might end up on the ground. If it does I think Grove will work those long legs and get a triangle or some kind of submission in the second or third.