UFC 123 Predictions

What's up everybody, I know it has been a while but between work, job hunting, etc. the blog has suffered, but I really hope to change that over the coming weeks. A lot has gone on during my little absence, particularly the merger of the UFC and WEC. I plan on writing a little something about it, especially some fantasy match-ups I'd like to see. For now, though, I'm just going to do some quick predictions for the fights this weekend.

Also, I'm going to be doing some guest spots on Thomas Van Stone's Internet radio show on Wrestleview.com. The site is primarily directed towards pro-wrestling, but the radio shows covering everything from pro-wrestling to MMA as well as other sports and even politics. Only VIP members of the site can listen, but at only $4.99 a month it's not a bad deal at all and you'll get to hear MMA talk from yours truly. Anyways on to my predictions.

Gerald Harris vs. Maiquel Falcao: Since joining the UFC, Harris has gone 3-0 against highly touted UFC newcomers, and on Saturday night Harris gets his fourth prospect. I have not seen Falcao fight, but from what I've read he's a Chute Boxe member with 21 knockouts in 25 career wins. Falcao seems to be a quick starter as most of his wins come early in the first round. If Falcao wants to win here he'll need get that early finish, because a longer fight favors Harris greatly and he'll be able to use his wrestling, slams, and ground and pound to out work Falcao. Falcao could come out and bull rush Harris, but I'm taking the guy with more octagon experience. I'll take Harris via 2nd or 3rd round TKO.

Tim Boetsch vs. Phil Davis: Both men have wrestling backgrounds, but Davis has All-American caliber wrestling from his time spent at Penn State, while Boetsch has turned into more of a brawler. Boetsch will likely be the better striker as that is an area that Davis is still working on, but unless Boetsch catches Davis, I don't see how he can win this fight. I look for Davis to take Boetsch down, work top control and GnP, and maybe even try to sneak in a submission. Boetsch is a tough fighter, but it won't be enough to stop Davis from finishing him in the 3rd or taking a commanding decision.

Joe Lauzon vs. George Sotiropoulos: I love this fight, as it's not only a great match-up, but it could also have some title shot implications. Both fighters are coming off big wins as Lauzon ripped through Gabe Ruedigger in the most dominant win of his career and Sotiropoulos has gone 6-0 since joining the UFC and holds wins over Joe Stevenson and Kurt Pellegrino. Lauzon has good striking to go with great takedowns and a smooth ground game. Sotiropoulos has boxing experience and also has some super slick BJJ thanks to his time spent at 10th Planet with Eddie Bravo. Sotiropoulos will be the bigger fighter and I think that will make a difference in this fight. Sotiropoulos can hold his own on the feet and should the fight hit the mat Sotiropoulos has some of the best transitions I've seen, and he's great off his back. Lauzon can certainly hold his own on the mat, and mixes his strikes and takedowns very well, but I think Sotiropoulos is on too much of a hot streak right now and will win a close decision and maybe a title shot.

Matt Hughes vs. BJ Penn: When this fight was first announced I had a little trouble getting excited for it, but over time I've warmed up to it. Hughes is certainly winding down in his career, but we're still unsure as to where Penn is. Is Penn winding down as well, or did he just find his foil with Frankie Edgar? Personally, I would have liked to have seen Penn take some more fights at 155 first, but it makes sense for him to take big fights like this and make the big money. Hughes has been on a roll as of late and has some much-improved striking in those bouts, but I'm still don't think his boxing will match up well with Penn's. Penn's jab is just too good at this stage of his career and if the fight stays on the feet, it will be a long night for Hughes and end up looking like the Sherk/Penn fight. Should the fight hit the mat, though, Hughes could use his size and strength advantage to keep Penn on his back. This is my coin flip fight of the night, but I'm leaning towards Hughes to take a decision or late TKO. I just think he'll be able to take Penn down and tire him out. If Penn defends the takedown, though, he'll just pick Hughes apart.

Lyoto Machida vs. Rampage Jackson: For the main event of the evening we get a match-up between two former champions who are coming off of losses, looking to get back into the title picture. Machida most recently lost by brutal KO to Shogun Rua while Rampage lost a one-sided decisions to Rashad Evans. Rampage is much more of a power puncher/boxer, but still manages to show good defense, something he will certainly need here. Machida's elusiveness and counter-striking have given several UFC fighters trouble in the past, and we could very well see more of the same come Saturday. Rampage may think that bull rushing Machida will work like it worked for Rua, but Rampage's attacks aren't nearly as varied as Rua's and Rampage will come in swinging first instead of making Machida punch first like Rua did as well. I see this fight being a typical Machida fight as Rampage will come in swinging and Machida will peck away at him over three rounds. If Machida does finish Rampage it'll be late in the fight, but I look for it to be a decision in Machida's favor.

Image From Bleacherreport.com