UFC 131 Predictions

Junior Dos Santos vs. Shane Carwin
It is prety certain that this fight will have people on edge, no matter who wins.  Personally, I find Carwin's knockout power to be much more likely to end this fight early, while Dos Santos would have an edge later in the fight with his technical game.  Carwin via TKO, round 2

Kenny Florian vs. Diego Nunes
I would be concerned about this weight cut for KenFlo, but he did look just fine at weigh-ins.  I suspect he will be as near 100% as possible, and but probably won't finish this fight.  Still, I don't think it looks like Nunes can pull off a win.  Florian via unanimous decision

Demian Maia vs. Mark Munoz
Did I hear correctly that Munoz says he is going to submit Maia??  Crazy talk...  In a perfect world, Maia would submit him just for that comment.  However, Maia hasn't pulled off a submission in his last 5 fights, so it does not seem all that likely.  Maia via unanimous decision

Sam Stout vs. Yves Edwards
I think this fight will end up being much closer than anyone is predicting.  Stout has had a string of close finishes lately, and Edwards has a long, long career in MMA.  This fight goes to the judges, no matter what.  Stout via split decision

Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Mike Massenzio
Lately we have seen the Polish experiment slug it out, but he has the more impressive ground credientials in this case, with a brown belt in BJJ.  Look for a definite submission this time around.
Soszynski via submission, round 3

Donald Cerrone vs. Vagner Rocha
Cerrone has had some strange losses lately, but it seems like he has worked out some of the trouble spots.  Look to see him back at his prime, but not likely to be a submission.
Cerrone via unanimous decision

Joey Beltran vs. Aaron Rosa
Several people have told me they expect Rosa to finish this fight, but I just don't see how.  No fighter has recently knocked Beltran out, so the only chance Rosa would have is on the ground.  Bad.  Bad.  Idea.
Beltran via submission, round 3

UFC 129 Predictions

Georges St-Pierre vs. Jake Shields
A lot of people are saying that it would be a big mistake to underestimate Shields in this fight, and there is no doubt that he will be one of the toughest fighters GSP has faced in awhile.  But so was Dan Hardy, and GSP has little troubles getting a hold or an armbar against Hardy, regardless of Hardy refusing to tap.  There seems to be little chance of Shields being able to rely on superior ground skills, and his standup simply doesn't compare to GSP.
GSP wins by decision

Jose Aldo vs. vs Mark Hominick
Hominick is certainly an exciting fighter to watch, and very skilled.  Howver, I was suprized at this match, as Aldo is a fantastic fighter, and is clearly on another level compared to Hominick.  The match against Faber proved that in my book.
Jose Aldo wins, round 2 submission


Randy Couture vs. Lyoto Machida
This is supposedly going to be Randy's last fight, and I have to wonder how many people out there are picking Randy for the simple reason of retiring on a win.  The fact that they are ignoring is that Machida has lost 2 in a row and really needs a win.  Add to that the fact that Randy's strategy is based on keeping people down or in a corner, and Machida is an extremely elusive fighter on stand-up.
Lyoto Machida wins by decision


Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Jason Brilz
Apparently, a lot of people have Brilz as the favorite in this one, and with his last fight against Nog with little notice, I can see why.  However, Brilz has had 11 months off since then, and has been plagued with a back injury.  It pays to do your homework on this fight, as Vladimir is a veteran who will certainly take advantage of any ring rust.
Vladimir Matyushenko wins, round 3 TKO

Mark Bocek vs. Ben Henderson
Bocek is a B.J.J. black belt, and will certainly dominate on the ground.  However, Henderson is simply the more experienced, all around fighter.  It will certainly be a good fight to watch.
Ben Henderson by split decision


Undercard:

Nate Diaz vs. Rory MacDonald
Nate Diaz wins by decision


Sean Pierson vs. Jake Ellenberger
Seems very likely Jake will pull off the win, the only question is how.
Jake Ellenberger, round 3 TKO

Jason MacDonald vs. Ryan Jensen
Jason MacDonald has a height and reach advantage here, and his fighting style will play well to that advantage.
Jason MacDonald wins, TKO in round 2

UFC 128 Predictions

Mike "Quicksand" Pyle vs. Ricardo Almeida
Both fighters have plenty of experience in other organizations, but both are getting up there in age.  I would be surprised to see this fight end early.  Pyle is the more experienced fighter, although not in the UFC as long, and seems to have a better submission game, so look for Pyle to pick up a decision victory.  This fight is also going to be broadcast on Facebook, so check it out there.


Kurt Pellegrino vs. Gleison Tibau
Aside from seeming to be the fan favorite, Pellegrino also seems to be the more well rounded fighter although both specialize in BJJ.  Despite having fewer fights under his belt and not fighting in the last 8 months, Pellegrino is still the more veteran figher, so look for him to pull off a Submission or TKO in round 3.   This fight is also going to be broadcast on Facebook, so check it out there.

 
Brendan Schaub vs. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic
I like Cro Cop.  I respect his career.  Almost everyone can say the same.  But he just isn't able to perform nearly as good as he used to.  Schaub has been on an impressive roll lately, beating Gabriel Gonzaga.  Look for a round 2 TKO from Schaub.

Kamal Shalorus vs. Jim Miller
Not only does Jim Miller have much more experience, he has also fought a higher caliber of fighters in the UFC.  Even though Miller has had troubles finishing fights lately, he should manage a relatively easy decision.


Eddie Wineland vs. Urijah "The California Kid" Faber
Faber is the favorite of almost everybody.  Even though Faber is new to bantamweight, he seems to be doing even better now.  Its tough for anybody to bet against this former NCAA champ, so look for Faber to finish this fight.


Dan Miller vs. Nate "The Great" Marquardt
Marquardt seems to be the experienced fighter here, but also always seems to be 'on a comeback'.  Still, Marquardt's skills are more diverse with splitting his training across multiple camps and always shows some promise towards the belt.  Look for Marquardt to snag a TKO or decision.

Jon Jones vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
Everyone seems to be split on this fight, with slightly more going for Jones.  However, Shogun definitely has the skills to pick up the victory.  Shogun is also the much more rested fighter, with Jones just fighting 2 months ago.  As long as Shogun manages the balance of having his knees strong enough for this war, and not getting ring rust, I give a small edge to Shogun.

UFC 126 predictions

My UFC 126 predictions: 

Silva via decision - I think a lot of people are picking with heart and not their heads on this one.  Vitor *was* a great standup fighter, and forced a lot of people to change around their standup game.  But he left in pretty much his prime, and even though he looked good when he returned, he is not the same fighter.  As long as Silva avoids an early TKO and plays a smart game, he will get the decision.

Franklin via decision - A tough call, but despite looking good Griffin hasn't found in awhile, and he has always had a harder time with a southpaw.

Jones via TKO - As long as Jones keeps it standing, and keeps confusing Bader, he should be able to get a TKO.

Ellenberger via TKO - What can I say?  Ellenberger is just a higher caliper fighter, plain and simple.

Torres via TKO - An easy call, Torres will be able to dominate on the ground and standing up.

Cerrone via decision - This fight is tough to call, while Kelly would win in an all out brawl, I don't see the fight going that way.

Mendes via split decision - Almost an impossible call, almost anything can happen in this fight.  Omigwa has been on a roll lately, but his streak has to be ending soon.

GSP - No Strength and Conditioning Training?

I found an interesting post today about Georges St. Pierre, in which GSP says that he does not train strength and conditioning for his fights.  My own opinion from knowing and training with martial artists and grapplers for several years, is that GSP is right, but misleading at the same time.  He says that he only lifts weights he make himself look his best, so he is more marketable.  I would agree with this, weights alone will do very little to help you in MMA unless do a ton of reps as well.  GSP says that he does some exercises to build explosive power, which really is the same as lifting weights, but with a variety of excersizes built in.  However, if GSP means that he does not train in conditioning to prevent gassing out in a match, it's complete B.S.  Every fighter I've ever known personally does some type of MMA oriented cardio, such as water exercises, or stairs, or dog laps.

Betting Odds for UFC 118

Betting odds that are available so far for UFC 118:

BJ Penn = -350
Frank Edgar = +250

Randy Couture = -700
James Toney = +450

Kenny Florian = -160
Gray Maynard = +130

Nate Diaz = -210
Marcus Davis = +165

Nick Osipczak = -140
Greg Soto = +110

Andre Winner = -120
Nick Lentz = -110

Bobby Lashley - Hospitalized?

There has been a lot of talk after Bobby Lashley lost his first MMA match against Chad Griggs.  At first, the rumor was that Lashley was taken to the hospital not long after the fight for a laceration above his left eye.  This morning, reports from Strikeforce were saying that he indeed was taken to the hospital, but it was from severe dehydration.  They said that overnight he was given several bags of IV fluids to help him rehydrate, and was released this morning.  I'm wondering how much of his dehydration was from the stand-up, and how much of it was from trying to cut too much weight in too short a time frame before the fight??