Aside from the main event and maybe the Jim Miller/Charles Oliveira fight I'm not terribly excited about this fight card, but I'll do my usual picks for the show.
Mac Danzig vs. Joe Stevenson: This is the battle of two Ultimate Fighter winners who are fighting for relevance in a stacked UFC 155 division. In all honesty, both of these fighters could likely make 145, a move that wouldn't hurt either fighter with the UFC and WEC merging. Stevenson hasn't fought since his loss to Sotiropoulos and Danzig's most recent fight ended in a controversial technical submission loss to Matt Wiman. I look for Stevenson to use his size and strength advantage to take Danzig down and wear him out. I'm taking Stevenson by late TKO or unanimous decision which will either lead to Danzig's dismissal or move to 145.
Jim Miller vs. Charles Oliveira: Part of me is very excited for this fight considering how talented both men are, but part of me is also disappointed that more time wasn't spent building Oliveira up. Miller is coming off an impressive win over Gleison Tibau and Oliveira submitted Efrain Escudero the same night. Oliveira is an extremely talented grappler but I don't think he is as well-rounded as Miller nor do I think he has faced the level of competition that Miller has faced. Miller's experience and all around skill set are going to be the difference in this fight, so I'm taking him to win via unanimous decision.
Sean McCorkle vs. Stefan Struve: Hard for me to call this fight considering McCorkle's only UFC fight was a quick submission victory over Mark Hunt. Struve is 4-2 is the UFC with those losses coming to top contenders Junior Dos Santos and Roy Nelson. McCorkle will be the much stronger fighter, but I think Struve's length and ability to take a beating will be the difference maker. Morecraft and Buentello really beat up on Struve and he still came out with victories, and that's what I think will happen here. Struve will be on the receiving end of a beatdown from McCorkle but will eventually pull one of his tricks out when McCorkle gets careless or tired.
Thiago Alves vs. John Howard: While this fight has the potential to be pretty exciting, it doesn't make much sense to me considering how it's a major step up for Howard when he's coming off a loss and it's a pretty major step down for Alves after fighting GSP and Fitch. Both men like to stand and trade, but Howard also has some good takedowns and top control. While Howard can take Alves down, Alves will certainly be the better striker and, despite what we saw in the last fight with Fitch, has some good takedown defense. I look for this fight to be pretty back and forth to start with Howard scoring a takedown, but eventually getting finished on the feet when he gets baited into an exchange with the Pitbull.
Georges St. Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck: While Koscheck certainly holds some big power in his hands and is a decorated collegiate wrestler, I'm still struggling to think of a way he wins this fight. GSP is a much better MMA wrestler in that he's always looking to improve his position, he's active with ground and pound and submissions, and his takedowns and takedown defense are second to none. While Koscheck may have more power in his strikes, he's not nearly as crisp or technical as GSP and I can only imagine that GSP has gotten better since their first fight as he has spent more time at Tristar and Jackson's as well as with Freddie Roach. That being said, I don't see GSP losing this fight or even ending up in trouble at anytime. GSP has already beaten Koscheck once and since then GSP has beaten a better striker (Alves) and a better wrestler(Fitch), so I look for GSP to take a commanding win either by late stoppage or one-sided decision.
As always follow me on Twitter @JustinCohee and listen to me on the Tom Van Stone Show on wrestleview.com. Thanks and enjoy the fights!
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