UFC 127 Picks and Discussion

Not the best card we've seen in terms of talent, but this card could potentially surprise many with the solid match-making from Joe Silva and the UFC. The main event will give us a new #1 contender at 170, but it's not entirely clear how this will work out considering current 170 champ, GSP, is one fight away from moving up to 185. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out, but even with this being a weaker card and having a lot of lingering questions, I can't help but be excited to see how a lot of these fights play out.

Kyle Noke vs. Chris Camozzi: I haven't seen Camozzi fight at all, so I'm kind of hesitant to make a serious pick for this fight. I have seen Noke fight one two occasions, a KO loss to Scott Smith, and a submission victory over Rob Kimmons. Noke also holds a win over George Sotiropoulos and took Bellator's 185 champ, Hector Lombard, to a draw. Camozzi is coming off a win over Dongi Yang, but also has lost fights to UFC cast offs Jesse Forbes and Jesse Taylor. I'm going to take Noke by submission based of the fact that he has faced and beaten better competition, but that pick is essentially a blind guess.

Chris Lytle vs. Brian Ebersole: This was originally slated to be Chris Lytle vs Carlos Condit, which was a fight I was VERY excited to see. Condit was forced to bow out due to a knee injury and Ebersole took the fight on about 2 weeks notice. Once again, I have never seen Ebersole fight, but after checking out his record it is quite clear that he is Australia's journeyman. The man has over 40 wins in his career, but I don't think he'll be adding to those wins this coming Saturday. Chris Lytle has completely revamped his career in the past couple of years. Not only is he one of the most exciting fighters to watch, but he is clearly expanding his game. His submission victories over Brian Foster and Matt Brown have shown that while Lytle is not afraid to stand, he is equally savvy on the ground and can pull off things on the mat that I have never seen before. I'm taking Lytle via submission just due to the fact that at this point the guy is doing what he wants.

George Sotiropoulos vs. Dennis Siver: I've talked about this fight on Tom Van Stone's radio show on Wrestleview.com and as much as I love Sotiropoulos, I can't really get excited for this fight. I don't really think Siver has done enough to deserve a fight against an opponent of this magnitude. Sotiropoulos has beaten guys like Joe Stevenson, Kurt Pellegrino, and Joe Lauzon. Siver, on the other hand, has reached the peak of his wins by beating guys like Andre Winner and Spencer Fisher. I think this is simply a fight that George is expected to win in his home country to set him up for a big fight or a title show. Siver does have good striking, so he could surprise me, but I see George weathering an early storm en route to a slick submission victory.

Jorge Rivera vs. Michael Bisping: This is another fight with some strange match-making. I understand that this fight came out of Rivera calling Bisping out, but I think both fighters are in very different points in their careers as Rivera is likely reaching the end of his while Bisping is likely in his peak. Bisping is the better technical striker as his attack is much more varied and precise, but his footwork and pulling of his punches really causes him to lose a lot of power. Rivera is far less technical, but what he lacks in finesse he makes up for in power. I originally thought that this fight might be a bit of a step back for the Brit, but when I thought about it, I asked myself....who has Bisping beaten that he wasn't expected to beat soundly? All three of Bisping's losses have come when he's taken on a step-up in competition. I'm picking Bisping to win a decision here, but it's not because I think he's a top guy taking on a gatekeeper, but rather because Rivera falls right into that group of fighters than Bisping is designed to beat.

BJ Penn vs. Jon Fitch: I LOOOOOVE this fight. When I heard that BJ wanted to move back to 170 and then walked right through Matt Hughes, I was a little worried that he would get an immediate title shot. While I do think Penn would need at least one more quality win in addition to a win over Fitch to deserve a shot, I'm happy that he at least has to go through someone at the top of the welterweight dog pile. Penn is the better striker, but Fitch is not only much longer than Penn, but he will have a significant size advantage. Penn is walking around at 160-165 while Fitch has to cut to 170. We've also seen Fitch handle grapplers in the past and fighters who are much larger then him a la Thiago Alves. Fitch just has too many advantages in this fight and while I think he'll have a tough time finishing Penn I do think he'll win a one-sided decision and finally earn that title shot he's been promised for close to a year.

As always check me out on Twitter @JustinCohee, the Go To Sleep MMA Blog page on Facebook, and Wrestleview's Tom Van Stone Show.

(Image from Hooked on MMA)

Billy's Take On UFC 126

Remember last night when Forrest Griffin worked his way tooth and nail past former middleweight champion Rich Franklin after a 14 month layoff? How about when Jake Ellenberger almost got the brakes put on his run to a welterweight contendership spot by an up in coming fighter no one gave half a chance to leading up to the fight, including Ellenberger? Of course you recall sharing that sense of surprise and overcoming excitement with Light heavyweight prodigy Jon Jones when Joe Rogan announced, unannounced to 99.999% of the onlookers, including Jones, that he would replace his training partner Rashad Evans as the number 1 contender set to face Shogun in under 2 months. How could you forget? These events ranked anywhere from curiously amusing to monumental as they are still fresh in our mind's, yet what do you think will be the one thing we will all collectively pull away from UFC 126 and remember with such "where were you when..." vigor, in years to come? How about the biggest middle weight fight ever in the UFC and possibly the biggest fight in all of Brazil ending with such quick, unbalking violence from, wait for it...a theep. The equivalent of smashing the game 7 world series winning homerun off of C.C. Sabathia with a perfect bunting technique. A big part of the game but certainly the acquired results were unexpected.

The "Theep" or "Push/Front Kick" can be described as a foot-thrust weapon and is executed by bending at the knee, then quickly extending your leg to use foot or heel to attack the target. In Muay Thai "Theeps" are different from any other attacks becuase of their objective. Foot-thrust will be mainly used as offensive technique to block the opponent's attack. The foot-thrust also use for make the opponent off balance and take a chance to attack. These kicks are typically aimed at targets below the chest: abdomen, thighs, knees or lower. In Kung Fu, a front kick to the face is a sign a disrespect as would be a slap in the face. Now, Anderson Silva seemed to mean no disrespect when crushing Belfort's mug with the base of his foot but what an embarrassing way to go for the former Heavy and Lightheavyweight champion.

So what's next? My guess is some sort of foot stomp, shoulder attack, or heel kick to the kidney while in your opponent's guard KO. If we wait patiently though I could see Koji Oishi's technique of blocking his opponent's punches with his own fists lead to some devastating highlight reels very shortly. What ever it is, we will always remember UFC 126 not for the first 5 hours but the last 5 minutes.

Post Fight Thoughts: UFC 126

A lot went down at UFC 126 and it's really going to be interesting to see where the UFC goes from here. Here are my thoughts on what went down and where I see some of the fighters going.

Kyle Kingsbury quickly finished Ricardo Romero in devastating fashion in a performance that is certainly the most impressive of his UFC career. Kingsbury is one of those guys who is in great shape and a great athlete, but I'm not sure how far he's going to be able to take his MMA career. Some MMA journalists are calling for a step up in competition for Kingsbury, but I'm not 100% sure he's ready for it. The biggest step up I'd give him without getting too aggressive would be someone like Krzysztof Soszynski.

Gabe Ruediger has no business being in the UFC. His stand-up is awful and his stand-up defense is even worse. Paul Taylor beat him silly and finished it off with a beautiful headkick that will certainly be accompanied by Ruediger's walking papers.

Kid Yamamoto's UFC debut went pretty much like I expected. Demetrious Johnson's speed is seriously one of the craziest things I've ever seen as he was able to avoid Kid's power shots and transition into takedowns seamlessly. Johnson is one of those guys who would seriously benefit from the addition of a 125 pound weight class, but I expect that he'll continue to have success in the UFC. If Joe Benavidez gets past Ian Loveland in his next fight I'd love to see him and Johnson fight. As for Kid, I think you keep him around for at least one more fight and give him a gimme fight to let American fans see what all the hype was about.

Chad Mendes taking a decision over Michihiro Omigawa wasn't really that much of a surprise to me. Mendes is likely very close to a title shot while Omigawa is likely in the same position as Kid...he needs a gimme fight to justify why American MMA fans should give a shit about him.

Donald Cerrone's win over Paul Kelly looked a lot like his other wins in that he took some early punishment but survived it and turned it into a nice win. Kelly pulled a pretty BS move by trying to punch Cerrone during the opening fight glove tap, but ended up getting choked out in the end. It's pretty obvious Cerrone needs to be brought up nice and easy as he didn't look great in this fight, so a fight with Terry Etim or Joe Lauzon makes sense. Cerrone could be a potential draw, but he can't be thrown into the deep waters too early.

Miguel Torres got the win in his UFC debut but he certainly didn't look great doing it. A fight with Demetrious Johnson or the winner of Page/Bowles makes the most sense, but Torres needs to be impressive in his next appearance if he hopes to earn back the hype he had back when he was the WEC champ at 135.

Ellenberger learned that to be successful in the UFC he's going to have to learn that his wrestling will only get him so far and that strong submission specialists are going to be able to put him in danger even though he's on top. A fight with Mike Pierce could be a way to go, but a fight with fellow wrestler Charlie Brenneman makes a lot more sense to me.

Jon Jones got surprised with a title shot thanks to a Rashad Evans injury, and I can't help but be even more excited. I'll be at UFC 128 so the thought of getting to see Jones and Shogun facing off in the cage is already giving me goosebumps. Jones once again walked through an opponent that was supposed to be his stiffest test yet. Bader looked lost when he got put on his back, and Jones's striking is obviously well above and beyond most fighters in the division. I don't think this will hurt Bader too much as Jones has a reputation for embarrassing people, so a fight with fellow loss-sufferer Rich Franklin makes sense. As for Jones we know he'll be getting the next shot against Shogun, and I can't help but love his chances.

Forrest Griffin defeated Rich Franklin in a fairly uneventful one-sided decision. Griffin's size and strength made the difference in the fight and on top of that it looked like Franklin's age is starting to catch up with him. Franklin was obviously down on the scorecards yet he fought with zero urgency. I suggested Franklin be matched up with Bader next and I'd like to see Griffin face off against Lyoto Machida should he get by Randy Couture or Little Nog if he gets past Tito Ortiz.

Anderson Silva KO'd Vitor Belfort with a friggin front kick...Wow. Apparently if GSP gets past Jake Shields then Silva/GSP will finally come true. That's pretty unfortunate for Yushin Okami, who once again is being forced wait for his title shot. At this point I just think Jon Fitch should move up to 185 and he and Okami can fight each other for the rest of their careers. I look for the Silva/GSP fight to come to fruition as I don't think Shields is the guy to dethrone GSP. Belfort is an interesting case as he's a draw, but his career has pretty much peaked as it's apparent he's not able to to hang with the new age top of the food chain fighters. At this point in his career I think you just put Belfort in fights that are more about flash and excitement rather then trying to get him to the top of the division. I could also see Belfort moving back to 205 as his last cut to make 185 was around 30pounds. If he stays at 185 then fights with Leben, Wanderlei Silva, Akiyama, and Marquardt all options. If he goes to 205 then fights with Forrest Griffin, Randy Couture, Machida, or Thiago Silva would all be fun as well.

Follow me on Twitter @JustinCohee!!!!!

(Image from HeavyMMA)

UFC 126 Predictions

Bout that time for the newest edition of the GTS fight predictions. UFC 126 is one of the most stacked cards I've seen in awhile and I am thoroughly excited to watch the action this Saturday. On to my picks...

Demetrious Johnson vs. Kid Yamamoto: I'm very excited to see Kid make his UFC debut, and I'm very happy the UFC decided to air it on Facebook. That being said, I'm not sure I see Kid getting the win here. Johnson, despite his smaller stature, has looked very good as of late, especially in submission victory over Damacio Page. Kid hasn't fought since May in a victory over 4-3 Frederico Lopez, which was his first win since 2007. I just think Kid's best days are behind him and we'll see that as Johnson grinds out an impressive, one-sided decision.

Chad Mendes vs. Michihiro Omigawa: It's funny to think that back in 2008 I watched Omigawa lose a fairly boring decision to Thiago Tavares and his job in the UFC. Fast forward to 2011 and Omigawa has dropped to 145, won 8 of his last 11 fights, and has a 5 fight win streak going. Mendes is a member of Team Alpha Male and has used his smothering wrestling to maintain an undefeated recorded and earn 4 victories in the WEC. Omigawa has certainly turned his career around since his first run in the UFC, but Mendes is quickly becoming the Sherk or Fitch of his weight class. His methods and wins aren't exciting, but they're effective and I think those methods will be able to smother Omigawa en route to a decision victory.

Paul Kelly vs. Donald Cerrone: Cerrone is taking this fight on short notice and is getting a nice little test right out of the gate with Paul Kelly. Cerrone is the much longer fighter and will likely have the advantage in the stand up department. Kelly has pretty good takedowns and grond and pound, but Cerrone has really worked on his takedown defense, is good with submission off his back, and has added takedowns to his own arsenal. Basically, Cerrone is just a little better than Kelly in just about every department and it will earn him a late TKO or submission victory.

Antonio Banuelos vs. Miguel Torres: Let's be honest from the get go, this fight was set up to be Torres's UFC coming out party. Banuelos is a game opponent as he's pretty happy to stand and trade with an opponent, which is exactly why he was matched up with Torres. Torres will use his reach advantage and pinpoint striking to pick Banuelos apart and take a TKO victory or a commanding decision win.

Ryan Bader vs. Jon Jones: Aside from the main event, this is the fight that I am most excited for. Both guys are up and comers in the weight class and are looking to break into the top ten and start making noise for title shots. Bader is coming off the biggest win of his career over Little Nog at 119 and Jones most recently ran through the Janitor at UFC on VS 2. The only loss between the two is Jones's DQ loss to Matt Hammill in a fight that Jones was absolutely dominating before making the mistake with the downward elbows. Jones is freakishly long and is the better striker, so I'll think he'll pick Bader apart if the fight stays standing. Bader is very strong physically and is likely the better traditional wrestler, so it'll be interesting to see if he can put Jones on his back and keep him there. Jones's takedowns are far more creative and unorthodox, so I'm curious to see if Jones will take Bader down and see if Bader can do anything off of his back. When it comes down to making a decision, though, I can't help but go with Jones. I think his striking is worlds better than Bader's and I don't think Bader's wrestling is going to be a major difference maker. Jones is a fantastic wrestler himself, and is also good with submissions, and on top of that I think his cardio is going to be significantly better. In Bader's fights that we've seen him go three rounds, it was apparent that the longer the fight goes, the more tired he gets and the lower his hands drop. Jones may have to weather an early storm, but as the fight goes on Bader will start to wilt and Jones will finish him on the feet.

Jake Ellenberger vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha: I can't say too much here as I've only seen Rocha fight once and it was a quick submission victory. Ellenberger has impressed the hell out of me as of late and I think his wrestling and ground and pound will earn him a definitive TKO victory.

Rich Franklin vs. Forrest Griffin: I have no idea who to pick in this fight. Griffin hasn't fought since UFC 106 in a split decision victory over Tito Ortiz and before that he was smashed by Rashad Evans and Anderson Silva. Franklin most recently KO'd Chuck Liddell at UFC 115, but it wasn't his most impressive showing as he was rocked and dropped several times. Franklin's key to victory is to keep his distance and pick apart Griffin with his cleaner striking. Griffin's key to victory is to use his size, press Franklin up against the cage in the clinch and eventually put Franklin on his back. This fight is a coin flip for me, but I'm going to guess that ring rust will be a factor and Franklin will be able to peck away at Griffin and earn a decision victory.

Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort: I have to admit that this fight didn't have me too excited until I watched the weigh-ins. Belfort hasn't fought since UFC 103 when he KO'd Rich Franklin, so he's going to have some ring rust, and on top of that I read that he had to cut 30lbs for this fight, so I was thinking that this fight could end up being very one-sided in Silva's favor. After I watched the weigh-ins, though, and they both got in each others faces and start shit-talking I got goosebumps. These guys genuinely do not like each other and I think it's going to show in this fight. Silva looked awful in his last fight against Sonnen up until the miracle submission, but hopefully he's recovered from any injuries and is in top shape, otherwise Belfort could have a serious chance. Both men are feared strikers, but Silva is a little more varied and volume-based while Belfort is all about power. I'm going with Silva to win by TKO as I think he'll be able to pick his spots when Belfort goes from the home run swing, but if Belfort can put the pressure on Silva early, he very well could walk away with a devastating KO win.

As always thanks for checking out my blog and be sure to follow me on Twitter @JustinCohee.

UFC Fight for the Troops 2: Post Fight Thoughts

This past Saturday the UFC held another Fight for the Troops event to benefit wounded soldiers. I commend the UFC for putting together such events and apparently they raised well over a million dollars to go towards treating soldiers with serious head injuries. Now onto the fights....

Charlie Brenneman vs. Amilcar Alves: Not much to comment about this fight. Brenneman is a stellar wrestler and he used to it to constantly ground Alves and wear him out with top control and ground and pound.

Waylon Lowe vs. Willemy Freire: See comments from Brenneman fight.

Rani Yahya vs. Mike Brown: When the tale of the tape came up on the screen I made the comment that I had no idea Mike Brown was 35 years old. Despite his age I felt like Brown was going to walk through Yahya thanks to his superior striking. I also thought that Brown's strength would allow him to get out of any trouble he got into on the mat. Boy was I wrong. Brown played right into Yahya's gameplan and was simply outgrappled for three rounds. Brown really didn't offer anything in this fight and I worry that his days as an elite fighter are behind him.

DaMarques Johnson vs. Mike Guymon: I don't know how Johnson didn't win submission of the night. Body triangle subs are pretty rare and are pretty friggin sweet. Johnson is one of those guys who will continue to put on good fights, but will never really crack into the elite. I'd love to see the guy fight Matt Brown. For those of you who didn't see the post-fight backstage video, Mike Guymon seemingly retired from fighting in a pretty heart-breaking moment. Best of luck to whatever he chooses to do from here.

Yves Edwards vs. Cody McKenzie: A lot of people are giving McKenzie some love for hanging tough in this fight. I on the other, hand feel as if that praise is unjustified. Edwards destroyed McKenzie on the feet and even when McKenzie got Edwards down to the mat his ground work seemed sloppy. He even took Edwards's back several times and could do nothing with the position despite being touted as some ground expert. In the end Edwards got the better of McKenzie and choked him unconscious with a rear naked choke.

Matt Wiman vs. Cole Miller: I wasn't all that excited for this fight but was immediately intrigued when Wiman and Miller were talking shit to each other from across the cage. As for the fight, all I can say is wow. I've always been kind of "eh" in regards to Matt Wiman. I've never really been particularly impressed with anything he's done aside from get knocked out by Spencer Fisher, but he looked like an absolute animal in this fight. Miller looked like he got hit early in the 1st and was shook for the rest of the fight. From there it was all Wiman dominating with some brutal ground and pound.

Pat Barry vs. Joey Beltran: Not the coming out party it should have been for Barry, but a win is a win I suppose. Barry definitely had a look in his eyes that he was going to be more aggressive and look for the finish, but unfortunately that didn't translate into smart fighting. Barry was getting hit with a lot of punches when Beltran threw wild combos, and when Barry had Beltran hurt with the legs kicks he didn't continue to throw them. Barry is a talented fighter but he barely got past a mediocre heavyweight at best and even then he didn't look all that impressive.

Mark Hominick vs. George Roop: The only thing I got out of this fight was ... well there's Jose Aldo's next victim.

Matt Mitrione vs. Tim Hague: I understand that a lot of people think it's a little too late for Mitrione to be a top-level fighter due to his age and lack of experience, but I still have high hopes for the guy. He's aggressive, he's athletic as hell, and he has some big power. Hague isn't a UFC caliber fighter, but he's definitely a step up over guys like Big Baby and Kimbo and Mitrione still passed the test with flying colors. I'm very excited to see this guy take a step up in competition and I think he'll do very well.

Melvin Guillard vs. Evan Dunham: Holy shit that was one hell of a beating. Dunham is fairly notorious for being a slow starter and he certainly paid for it in this fight. Guillard has improved leaps and bounds since his early days, but I think any mention of him getting near a title shot is way way way premature. I still have memories of the guy getting handled by grapplers, so I'd like to see him get by a high level grappler before we start talking about his chances of wearing gold.

MMA Mind Dump

Well once again work and other things have kept me from posting as much as I would like. This is just going to have to be one of those things where my levels of effort making need to rise and I promise that is what I'll do. Since a lot has gone on in MMA since my last post I'm just going to post a bunch of quick thoughts and come back with some more well-planned and detailed articles, as well as some contributions from Billy and Brian.

The Strikeforce Heavyweight tournament rules have been announced and I think the biggest surprise is that Overeem's title will not be on the line. The winner of the tournament will get a shot at Overeem's title, which seems silly to me considering Overeem could win the tournament, thus leaving no title match to set up, or Overeem could not win the tournament, meaning he lost a fight at some point yet remained champion. The Strikeforce Heavyweight title doesn't have much legitimacy as is, and this set up could only make things worse.

Junior Dos Santos and Brock Lesnar will be the coaches on the next season of the Ultimate Fighter, which will be an all welterweight season. The coaches will then fight at the end of the season to determine who will face Cain Velasquez for the UFC Heavyweight Title when the champ returns from injury. I have two thoughts when it comes to this decision: 1) It's a brilliant move by the UFC to put Lesnar in as a coach. While he is still fairly new to the sport he will bring monster ratings to a show in need of help and just because he has limited experience, he will bring a stellar cast of assistant coaches from the Minnesota Mixed Martial Arts Academy. 2) I'm not sure why Lesnar is getting the chance for another title show so soon, especially since he lost the title in a very one-sided fight. Also, if we learned anything in the fight between Cain and Brock it was that Brock doesn't take a punch to well. Not being able to react well to getting hit is something that might come back to bite Lesnar once again as he will be facing the UFC's most dangerous heavyweight striker.

Earlier this week I bought a ticket to UFC 128 which will take place in Newark, New Jersey, and will feature a Light-Heavyweight Title fight between Shogun Rua and Rashad Evans, Urijah Faber's UFC debut against Eddie Wineland, Brendan Schaub versus Mirko Cro Cop, Jim Miller versus Kamal Shalorus, and Yoshihiro Akiyama versus Nate Marquardt. I'll be tweeting live during the fights so be sure to follow me at @JustinCohee.

Rumors have been going around that Shinya Aoki is considering retiring from MMA after his KO loss to kickboxer Yuichiro Nagashima in an exhibition match at K-1 Dynamite!!! 2010. Aoki has always had a bit of an attitude problem, so hearing this really doesn't surprise me, but I'll be shocked if he actually goes through with it. Aoki didn't seem to take the fight to seriously and he paid for it, but I have trouble believing he'll end his career on such a sour note.

Shane Carwin is set to return to the UFC after successful neck surgery at UFC 131. Carwin's opponent has yet to be announced, but options are looking limited. Lesnar and Dos Santos are obviously tied up with each other, Carwin already walked through Frank Mir, and Roy Nelson is rumored to be facing Mir next anyways. Carwin is coming off a loss, but it only came after he dominated the then-champ for a round. I'd like to see Carwin take on Cheick Kongo next. Most of the top guys are already tied up and a fight with the imposing Kongo would be easy to sell. Kongo isn't my favorite fighter in the world, but it's hard to deny that he's a talented striker with big power.

UFC 125 Picks

What's up guys, here are my picks for UFC 125!! Since ION is airing a bunch of the prelims I'll just fire off a bunch of quick picks versus my usual longer discussion of fewer fights.

Phil Baroni vs. Brad Tavares: If Baroni wants to win this fight he'll have to do so some time in the 1st round. I commend Baroni's attempts to revitalize his career by spending time in Thailand, but his gas tank has been and probably always will be his weakness. Tavares is younger and likely a little more well-rounded. I'll take Tavares by UD.

Josh Grispi vs. Dustin Poirier: This is Grispi's fight to lose as he is being groomed for his eventual title shot against Jose Aldo. I haven't seen Poirier fight so it's tough for me to make a fair assessment, but Grispi has a lot of tools to win and I think he'll continue his string of submission victories.

Marcus Davis vs. Jeremy Stephens: I've been reading a lot of predicitions on the web and I'm surprised as to how few people are picking Davis to win. Stephens has balls out power, but Davis packs quite a punch himself and it much more technically sound in my opinion, and we that Stephens can fall victim to technique in the fight with Guillard. This will be Davis's first fight at 155, so the cut could drain him, but I'm taking Davis by UD.

Takanori Gomi vs. Clay Guida: This is the fight I'm having the most trouble picking a winner for. Gomi has tons of power in his hands and also has good wrestling. Guida will be the better wrestler, but his short reach really limits his striking. I'm leaning to wards Guida as I think takedowns and GnP will play a difference, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Gomi pull out the win.

Nate Diaz vs. Dong Hyun Kim: This is a tough tough fight for Diaz and will be his first real test against a 170 fighter who plays right into his weakness. Diaz has trouble guys who can take him down and utilize smothering top control, and that exactly what Kim loves to do. Diaz's striking has come a long way since his UFC debut, and he's always dangerous with submission, but I think Kim will be too strong for Diaz to shake off the top. I'm taking Kim by UD.

Thiago Silva vs. Brandon Vera: Pretty funny how had this fight occurred a year or two ago it could have been for a title shot, but now it could be for jobs. Both men are dangerous strikers, but Vera has seemed to lose his edge and is hesitant to pull the trigger. Silva can be a force, but injuries have hampered him in the past and who knows if he is fully recovered. Both men are so-so on the mat, but Silva's GnP is just vicious. I'll take Silva via TKO just because I think Vera is a bust.

Chris Leben vs. Brian Stann: So Leben asks for Wanderlei Silva and gets Brian Stann. I'm not too excited for this fight as I was hoping to see Leben take some leaps in competition, and I think this is Leben's fight to lose. Both men prefer to keep fights standing, and while Leben will take some damage, his granite chin will keep him upright. Stann has been dropped and finished before and if he trades with Leben enough it'll happen again. I'll take Leben via UD or late TKO.

Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard: As much as I hate to say it, I don't see this fight going much differently than the first one. Edgar has definitely progressed more as a fighter, but Maynard's strength and wrestling are just extremely difficult to deal with. Edgar could shock the would once again and pepper Maynard with shots as he did with Sherk and Penn, but I look for the Bully to continually take Edgar down and grind out one of his typical decision wins.