Picks For This Weekend's UFC & Strikeforce Events

This coming Saturday, we will not only see a new Ultimate fighter crowned, but we will also see a solid card from Strikeforce. I didn't watch to much of the Ultimate Fighter this season, but I'll do my best to make some intelligent choices. Lets get right to the picks.

UFC Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale

Leonard Garcia vs. Nam Phan: I'm glad to see Phan going back down to 145 as he was pretty undersized at 155. This may be Phan's first UFC fight, but he has a lot of experience and has fought for K-1, Strikeforce, and Sengoku. Garcia is heavy handed and usually goes for broke and throws haymakers. Phan showed on TUF that he has some pretty crisp striking, and if he can avoid the winging punches of Garcia, I think he'll take a close decision as Garcia will gas himself out.

Rick Story vs. Johny Hendricks: I think this has fight of the night written all over it. Both fighters are up and comers in the welterweight division and are looking to get some big tme exposure and possibly a main card spot on a big PPV. Both have good wrestling, but Hendricks will likely have the advantage in that department. I would say that Story might have slightly better striking, but Hendricks has a lot of power. Story is very capable with submissions, though, something I'm not sure Hendricks is well-versed in at this early stage of his career. Bit of a coin flip, but I'm going with Story. Hendricks could very well put a beating on Story with his big big power, but I just think Story's tenacity will win out.

Kendall Grove vs. Demian Maia: While this seems like an easy pick, an upset in Grove's favor is not out of the realm of possibility. Maia's striking has improved significantly, but Grove will not only have a striking advantage, he will also have a significant reach advantage. Maia is a BJJ ace and has great takedowns as well. In order to win this fight Maia may have to absorb a few shots to get close to Grove and get him to the mat. Even then, Grove is a talented grappler in his own right and could be a threat should the fight go to the ground, even on his back. I'm a big Maia fan, and think his BJJ is just too good for him to not win this fight. Grove could certainly make it interesting, but I don't think it'll be enough to stop Maia from winning via late submission or decision.

Jonathan Brookins vs. Michael Johnson: As I stated earlier, I didn't watch enough of this season of tough to get a good feel for these guys. From what I've seen, though, Brookins is a strong grappler and Johnson is more of a straight wrestler. The only fight I've seen with either guy is Brookins's loss to Jose Aldo. Given that Brookins has fought at 145, I'm thinking Johnson will be the bigger fighter. No idea who to pick here, so I'm just going to say Johnson by decision.

Stephan Bonnar vs. Igor Pokrajac: I'm not entirely sure why this is headlining the show given that Pokrajac is relatively unknown in the UFC and Bonnar only has one win in his past 4 fights. Bonnar rarely has a boring fight, though, so maybe UFC officials think this fight will end up be more exciting than the potential grapple fest that Maia/Grove could end up being. Pokrajac lost his first two fights in the UFC before submitting James Irvin at UFC on VS 2 in an impressive showing. Both men are pretty well-rounded, but Bonnar is a UFC veteran who has faced tougher competition over his career. I'm taking Bonnar by decision in a fight that will likely see Pokrajac get his walking papers.

Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu

Benji Radach vs. Ovince St. Preux: Tough fight for me to call since I've never seen St. Preux fight, but I do know he recently won at a Challengers event over Antwain Britt, and has an 8 second KO over UFC veteran Jason Day. Radach hasn't fought since he lost to Scott Smith back in April of 2009. Radach has some good striking and big power, but he's coming back from a lot of injuries and is taking this fight on short notice. I'm going with St. Preux, just because I don't think he's facing a 100% Razor.

Mike Kyle vs. Antonio Silva: Kyle is a late replacement for Valentijn Overeem and is stepping into a real tough fight. Kyle is undefeated in his last 6 fights, but has most recently fought at 205 pounds. Silva is coming off of a big win over Andrei Arlovski and even his most recent loss to Fabricio Werdum was an impressive showing. Given that Kyle is taking a fight on this short of notice against a bigger, more talented opponent, I can't see this fight ending any other way than with a TKO in Silva's favor.

Robbie Lawler vs. Matt Lindland: This is a test for both men to see if they can stay relevant in the fight game. Lawler is 2-2 in his last four fights with wins over Scott Smith and Melvin Manhoef and losses to Jake Shields and Babalu. Lindland recently broke a 2 fight losing streak with a win over Kevin Casey at a Challengers event. Lindland will be the better wrestler by far, but Lawler possesses big power in his hands, and Lindland's chin is certainly a factor. I'm taking Lawler as I think he'll be able to defend the takedown and will eventually connect on Lindland and knock him out.

Paul Daley vs. Scott Smith: This fight has huge potential to result in fireworks and a highlight reel KO. Smith has a habit of getting beat up before pulling a win out of nowhere, but I don't think it'll happen here. Daley strikes are just too hard to withstand for an extended period of time. I think Smith is extremely tough, but a fighter who takes as much punishment as he does will not likely last long with a striker as technical and powerful as Daley. I'm taking Daley by KO.

Dan Henderson vs. Renato "Babalu" Sobral: This is a rematch from a 2000 Rings bout that saw Henderson walk away with the win via a majority decision. Henderson brings heavy hands and stellar wrestling to this fight while Babalu brings a more varied striking approach with high level BJJ and submission skills. Henderson didn't look great in his last fight against Jake Shields, but stated his poor peformance was due to a difficult weight cut as a result of pain killers. Henderson now returns to 205 and shouldn't have much trouble making a cut this time around. Babalu most recently defeated Robbie Lawler in what was mostly a kickboxing match. I was hoping Babalu was stick around at 185, but maybe he'll return after this fight. I'm having a tough time picking a winner here as Henderson could land a bomb of a right hand or he could grind out an ugly decision with takedowns and top control. Babalu could keep it safe on the feet with quick punches and kicks or could very well catch Hendo in a submission. I'm hoping for a Babalu win, but I think Henderson will be too strong and will grind out a decision win.