Thiago Alves was the bigger fighter on Friday night against Martin Kampmann at UFC on FX 2. Just hours after weigh-ins, the welterweight who has in the past struggled to make weight was weighing in at a loft 197 pounds; a gain of 27 pounds. Alves in the past has used his size to his advantage and that was the case in the fight against Kampmann.

Kampmann has in the past come out slow, but decided that would be a mistake against Alves. He landed an uppercut and then quickly tried for a takedown. When that didn’t come he scored a massive front kick to the chin of Alves. He looked for a takedown, got it, but then Alves stood up. Alves did eat a knee for his trouble, but there was little damage shown to him.

For nearly the rest of the fight it was all Alves. He seemed to score at will with his strikes and takedowns. In the first round he gained the mount and threw punches at Kampmann. In the second Alves landed straight rights that bloodied up Kampmann. Kampmann looked for the front kick again, but couldn’t connect.

The third round both fighters were landing punches and kicks and Alves’s face started to show signs of the fight. With a minute left Alves landed a big right hand and then immediately went in for the takedown. Unfortunately he left his neck out and Kampmann grabbed a guillotine choke and rolled over for a mounted version. Alves tried to fight out, but was forced to tap.

With the victory Kampmann puts himself on a two-fight win streak. And while he is 4-2 in his last six fights, many thought he won his two losses to Diego Sanchez and Jake Shields.

Kampmann is trying to earn his way to a title shot and there are a couple of possibilities. Because Carlos Condit is waiting for Georges St. Pierre, he won’t be defending his interim title. A possible fight with Jake Ellenberger makes sense as does a rematch with Jake Shields whom Kampmann lost a split decision too.

As for Alves he was once supposed to fight Diego Sanchez and for whatever reason that fight hasn’t materialized yet. With both fighters coming off a loss, now seems like a good time for that.

Kampmann is an excellent counter striker, but when his opponent has a reach advantage it can be a bit tricky. We saw him struggle to land much against Alves once he got inside, and thus he should work more on taking angles and striking much like Dominick Cruz does.

Now that Alves has his weight under control he just needs to polish up his skills a bit more. The former number one contender is just 2-4 in his last six fights and will need to make a good run before being considered for that position again.

Photo from TapouT.com

In the down-under world of Sydney, Australia, two of the best welterweight strikers will do battle, for a scheduled 25-minutes of Mixed Martial Arts action. Thiago “Pitbull” Alves will “draw a line in the sand” against Martian “The Hitman” Kampmann at the Allphones Arena in front of a sellout crowd of over fifteen thousand drinking screaming MMA fans.

This match-up is a Muay Thai fan’s wet dream that has come true. Nearly twenty years of professional Muay Thai fighting experience will be in the octagon during the main event of the evening (afternoon local time). Alves (19-8 MMA, 12-4 UFC) has been fighting since mid 2001 and Kampmann (18-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) as been fighting since 2003. Both are known for their aggressive style with kicks, knees, punches and elbows; all eight limbs of their shared discipline. I do not see anyone attempting a takedown early on in the fight. They are both confident fighters, but they are also not stupid. If one of them starts landing powerful shots, the other will find a different way to win. This is such an even match-up in my book. Both are great at Muay Thai and if need be, can take the fight to the ground. From there they have their choice of either pounding your body or face for a technical knockout or softening you up until you give up one of your limbs for a submission.

Leading up to this fight, both Alves and Kampmann have stated that they have learned from their former mistakes and will be better than their previous selves on the night when it matters most. Kampmann has learned to start faster and not get sucked into a trading battle if he is losing it. His fan-disputed lose to Diego Sanchez last year, almost to the date, proved that strategy wont work. Alves has bounced back from brain surgery and learned to control his weight with a proper diet, inside and outside of training camps. He has also brought in new coaches that he feels has put him in the best spot to win.

Both competitors are on a one-fight win streak. Alves with a submission win over an up-and-coming Papy Abedi at UFC 138 last November. Kampmann defeated a once fast rising Rick Story via a unanimous decision at UFC 139 later that same month. A win for either man will put them back into ‘the mix’ of the ‘dual-champ’ welterweight division.

Ways to Win…
This goes for both fighters… hit the other guy first and make him shy. It’s that simple for these two high level strikers. Alves should be heavier than Kampmann on fight night and that should give him the edge when working against the cage. Again only if he feels that Kampmann is winning the Mauy Thai battle will he try to find Kampmann’s hips. If Alves does get on top of Kampmann, I feel that “The Hitman’s” bottom game will be enough to get out and back to his feet. He will have to avoid taking any damage on the ground from Alves’ heavy hands and knees.

Prediction…
Only one man will double his new win streak after the dust settles. This will be one heck of a striking battle if both men decide to stand in front of each other and trade. I will give the advantage to Alves for his size and being the shorter fighter will help him in the long run.

Pick: Alves via Unanimous Decision

Miesha Tate - photo for Fight Magazine

In what may be the biggest female fight in MMA history, Strikeforce champion Meisha Tate takes on Ronda Rousey in the main event. Strikeforce: Tate vs Rousey takes place in Columbus, Ohio on March 3rd. The battle has started before the event with Rousey sounding off, firing up Tate, who claims that Rousey isn’t even deserving of a title shot.

When one thinks of the biggest female fight in MMA history, only one rival comes to mind; Carano versus Santos. Now that both of them have taken a leave of absence in the MMA spotlight, Rousey came in to stir the pot. She is the most exciting prospect in women’s MMA, and she is getting her crack at the title right away because of it.

An Olympic medalist in Judo, Rousey is no amateur in combat sports. Her grappling credentials are some of the best women’s MMA has ever seen. The largest hurdle that she faces is the magnitude of this fight. Rousey has never had such a high profile competition in her career. Her MMA career is young, with four wins an no losses.

With that said, her fights have been anything but competitive. Rousey has literally run right through every opponent she has ever faced. Her official fight times have been 0:25. 0:49. 0:25, and 0:39.  All arm-bar wins and all in the first round. This adds up to two minutes and eighteen seconds of professional career competition time. Her opponent, Tate, is about the polar opposite.

Tate has been fighting professionally since 2007, racking up an impressive 12-2 record. She most recently submitted Marloes Coenen for the 135-pound Strikeforce women’s title. She is a well-rounded fighter, but usually bests opponents by taking them to the ground and dominating them with her superior wrestling and jiu jitsu.

Rousey will be an odd opponent for Tate due to her grappling experience. Because of this fact, Tate may want to keep the fight standing, taking her shot at the untested striking of Rousey. One can only guess how a striking bout would turn out between the two, including Rousey herself, who has yet to really trade with an opponent in MMA.

This is a crazy fight to pick due to all of the question marks that come up about how Rousey will deal with her first “real” opponent. The popular pick is Rousey, who has given no one any reason to think she can’t take any opponent down, mount them, and arm-bar them in under a minute.

I will base my pick off of the proven skills of the veteran Tate, and say that she either out-strikes or out-wrestles Rousey to an eventual TKO victory.

Photo from themmanews.com

On Saturday, March 3, from the Nationwide Area in Columbus, Ohio, the MMA world will tune into Showtime for the Strikeforce card entitled “Tate vs. Rousey.” The trash-talk between the two main event fighters has drawn more media and general fan attention than Scott Coker could have hoped for. Prior to the top bantamweight women fighting for the title, a lightweight (155 lbs.) bout with two contenders of K.J. Noons and Josh Thomson will enter the hexagon as the co-main event of the evening.

Noons (11-4 MMA, 3-2 Strikeforce) has won only one fight in his last three, which was a unanimous decision over Bill Evangelista in December of 2011. During that bout Noon showed that he is not just a striker, but can also secure takedowns. When Evangelista had him against the cage early in the fight, Noons also showed great balance to remain on his feet. He will need those skills again when he faces Thomson. Noons defiantly allowed Evangelista to take control of the center and make himself dance around against the cage. He needs to be more aggressive and dictate the pace against Thomson.

Thomson (18-4-1 MMA, 9-2 Strikeforce, 2-1 UFC) will be entering the cage on Saturday with a recent loss to Japan’s Tatsuya Kawajiri in December of 2010 at Dream’s Dynamite!! 2010 show. Injuries have plagued his career and kept him out of action all of 2011. Thomson will defiantly have ‘cage rust’ and will need a few minutes to get acclimated to the fast pace sport. Luckily for him Noons didn’t push the pace in his last fight to where Thomson cannot keep up with him. Kawajiri showed excellent takedown offense to where he took Thomson down at will and with a verity of techniques. Noons can take a page out of that book if he feels Thomson is getting better of the striking. However, Thomson showed great activity from the bottom and was able to cause damage to Kowajiri. Noons has to be careful of this as well.

The striking battle is where the fans will be highly entertained. Both men have exciting styles of punches and kicks that will sure to please the folks at home. Here is where the real battle will take place because these are the two men’s strengths. Noons coming from karate and boxing back ground where he studied those disciplines at a very young age. Thomson will be using a kickboxing and wrestling style on the night of the fight.

Prediction…
With the long layoff to Thomson, I see Noons winning this fight via a unanimous decision. The action will be great on the feet and I see Noons edging out the victory in the end.

On the main card of UFC on FX 2, Court McGee and Constantinos Philippou will face off in a battle of rising welterweights. The event takes place March 3 at Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia.

McGee won season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter, and since then, has yet to be defeated. Philippou is fresh off of two UFC wins himself, showing off his dangerous striking on both occasions. The pair have agreed to “scrap” from bell to bell Saturday night.

McGee is riding an impressive eight-fight win-streak into this bout. He is a wrestler, but once he gets on top of his opponent, he becomes a jiu jitsu fighter. McGee has seven submission wins to his record, with four decisions and three knockouts.

As of late, his hands have improved greatly, leading him to have a perfect 3-0 record in the UFC. McGee’s only loss was a decision to UFC veteran Jeremy Horn, who has over 100 professional MMA fights. To beat Philippou, he needs to take him to the ground and control him from the top.

Philippou was decisioned by Nick Catone in his UFC debut, but since has put two impressive wins together. He is a striker with five knockouts to his credit. He most recently dismantled Jarred Hammon, finishing him via punches in the first round.

This fight may depend on how well Philippou can defend takedowns. He will be trying to sprawl-and-brawl against McGee. He has never been submitted in his MMA career, and McGee is looking for that to change.

If McGee can get the takedown, I believe that he may be able to submit Philippou. Expect him to test the waters on the feet, but shoot when the time comes. If Philippou can catch McGee with strikes, he could easily end the fight, as he is now comfortable in the octagon and seems to be sharper than ever.

It will be a close fight, but I believe that McGee will take a unanimous decision.

Ian McCall - via MMA Junkie

Now at UFC on FX 2 at the Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia, the first round of a tournament to crown a new flyweight champion will take place. Opening the semi-final round is former number one bantamweight contender Demetrious Johnson taking on the UFC debuting Ian McCall.

McCall fought under the Zuffa banner in the old WEC in the bantamweight division. He made his debut at WEC 30 and defeated Coty Wheeler then loss back-to-back WEC fights against Charlie Valencia and Dominick Cruz.

After the losing skid he left the promotion and moved down to flyweight. He has compiled a four-fight win streak, finishing two of his opponents and winning the Tachi Palace flyweight title along the way. He will vacate the title to compete in the largest fight promotion in the world.

His opponent is no stranger to the octagon. Johnson has fought three times under the UFC banner and twice for WEC before it was merged into the fold. Johnson made his UFC debut at UFC 126 against Norifumi Yamamoto earning a unanimous decision. He followed it up with another decision victory over Miguel Torres at UFC 130 earning him a title shot against Dominick Cruz.

Unfortunately for Johnson, he wasn’t able to defeat Cruz and suffered the second loss of his career. The question of what was next for “Might Mouse” was debated, but when the UFC put the wheels in motion to get the flyweight division going, it was easy.

McCall has been pushing hard for his chance to shine in the UFC, even declaring himself the best flyweight in the world. And he might be right. The winner of this tournament will likely be ranked number one.

The question is can he prevent the takedown of Johnson and earn a shot to the finals? UFC debuts are a funny thing as “octagon jitters” are a real thing. Even with him competing for the WEC, there’s still nothing like competing in the UFC for the first time.

There are two things I am almost certain of with this tournament. Both semi-final fights will be so entertaining that one will likely win the Fight of the Night award. The other is that they will also both go the distance.

With that said, as far as prediction is concerned, McCall has the momentum on his side and I am going to have to with him to win the unanimous decision 29-28 in the opening round.

Henderson (Left) competes for the Lightweight Championship against Edgar (Right) from Fight Nation

The first trip to Japan for the Ultimate Fighting Championship under the Zuffa banner did not disappoint. Fighters on this card turned out an impressive array of victories out of hard fought competition. The excitement was high leading to the main event of UFC 144: Japan; a title fight for the undisputed lightweight championship between the current UFC Champion Frankie “The Answer” Edgar versus the former WEC champion, Benson “Smooth” Henderson.

The major questions coming into this fight was weather or not Edgar could deal with the size, flexibility, kicks of Henderson and ultimately finish someone who has not been finished in his last 15 professional fights. The questions for Henderson were if he could be the first person to finally put Edgar away after being “rocked.” Edgar had shown in his last two title defenses that it takes more than just landing punches on the chin. This was excellent match making of two highly skilled mixed martial arts competitors.

The entire fight was back and forth with both men giving as good or better than they were receiving. Edgar was able to time Henderson’s kicks well enough to catch them against his body. Edgar tried several times to counter off the caught leg with hand strikes, leg kicks, leg sweeps or takedowns. These attempts were very valid and frequent, but never really contributed to neither damage nor Octagon control. When Edgar got his challenger to the ground, he tried to take the back, but Henderson was able to find a small opening and escape back to the feet. According to FightMetric.com, the official stat partner of the UFC, Edgar was 5 of 12 for takedowns and Henderson was one-for-one. Anytime a fighter is less than 50% of takedowns, I award the other fighter with great defense and Octagon control.

The most telling moments of the fight came from the blue corner. Henderson landed a huge and damaging up kick at the end of the second round. That kick opened a cut on the bridge of Edgars’ nose and the blood started to flow. This of course was nothing new for Edgar and is now almost expected from fans when Edgar fights. This is part of Edgar’s charm as a fighter; taking damage and keep moving forward. Another moment was Henderson’s deep guillotine submission attempt in the middle of the fourth round. This attempt was easily the closest attempt that could have ended the fight. Edgar was calm and worked his way free to continue the fight. Again, this is what Edgar does, bounces back from being down. Lastly, was the fact that Henderson out struck the Champion in total strikes with 100 to Edgar’s 81. Henderson also won in the significant strikes department with 87 to Edgar’s 68. The damage was done to Edgar’s face with an almost swollen shut left eye and a cut on his nose that spotted blood all over the canvas. While Henderson, on the other hand, left with no visible damage and a smile on his face.

Official Result:
Benson “Smooth” Henderson defeated Frankie “The Answer” Edgar via a unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 49-46)

Next Opponent:
For Henderson the talks are either an immediate rematch with Edgar or a WEC championship rematch with the last WEC lightweight champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis. A rematch with Edgar does not make too much sense to me because Edgar was not as dominate as a champion as BJ Penn when Penn lost the title to Edgar nor was the result of Edgar/Henderson controversial. It makes more sense for the UFC, marketing wise, to make the Pettis/Henderson II fight later on this year.

For Edgar there is a lot of talk from outside sources, including the President of the UFC Dana White, that he should drop down to 145 or even 135 and challenge Jose Aldo and/or Dominick Cruze. Needless to say that he has several options. I think he will stay in the lightweight division to try and regain his title. His next opponent could be Clay Guida or the loser of the Jim Miller/Nate Diaz fight in May.

Ramapge Jackson and Ryan Bader Face Off - via MMA Junkie

In the co-main event of UFC 144, Ryan Bader coasted to a decision win over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson – though his neck might be a little sore because of it. Rampage had lots of pre-fight mishaps, and Bader took advantage of a Rampage who, for the most part, just didn’t seem like his old self.

Rumors of an injury were floating around, and sure enough, Rampage missed weight. He came in at 211 pounds, six pounds over the 205-pound weight class. A common trend is that when a fighter misses weight, they have trouble in their fight. Unfortunately for Rampage, this trend became his reality.

Jackson and Bader kick boxed for the majority of the opening frame. Bader landed more strikes, but nothing noteworthy. It was Bader’s failed take-down attempts that actually won him the round, because a lot of clock time was spent with Rampage being pressed into the fence. Bader took it 10-9.

A little over a minute into round two, Bader was clinched by Rampage against the fence. Rampage waited for a knee to come up, hoisted Bader in the air, spun him around 180 degrees, and slammed him into the mat. Though many did not realize it, the move is actually illegal, and is considered “spiking”. Regardless, this was the greatest highlight Rampage has had in years, and Bader was clearly rocked. To my amazement, Rampage felt little urgency to finish Bader. Even considering his knee injury, the “Pride Rampage” needed to wade in with strikes. Instead, Rampage let Bader off the hook, and was taken down and laid upon for the rest of the round. Amazingly, Rampage managed to lose the round, 10-9.

In round three, Rampage came out with a bit more aggression, but less technique. His punches were slow and easy to move away from. Bader lined up a double-leg, finished it, and rode Rampage out until the bell. Little ‘riding’ was needed, because Rampage seemed quite content lying on his back and taking a slow beating until the round expired. Bader won the round, 10-9, and the fight, 30-27.

For Bader, this was a monumental victory. Beating Rampage was probably the biggest win in his MMA career. He is one of the largest light-heavyweights in the world, and with a continually evolving game, he is forming into a top-5 threat. His next fight is likely against another big name, and as long as his striking becomes more dangerous, his mix of kickboxing and wrestling will be potent for any of the division’s hierarchy.

Rampage looked bad; even his boxing. I am convinced that his left knee was injured because of his inability to throw powerful punches in a timely fashion, something he has never had trouble with before. This coupled with the anxiety of missing weight, having 20% of his purse taken, and an opponent who didn’t get him fired up, translated into a poor, half-hearted performance.

The fight has many people calling for retirement for Rampage, but I disagree. I think he is still a high-level fighter, but he needs to gut-check himself. His heart was non-existent while he was under Bader, and if he is not going to fight with a sense of urgency to win and to finish when an opponent is hurt, then he shouldn’t. If Rampage goes home, rests, gets a great training camp under him, and wants to compete more, then power to him. He says he will be back, and I hope that he is with a fire.

Frankie Edgar - Art By JMC - Drawn by Justin McAllister

Frankie “The Answer” Edgar  and Ben “Smooth” Henderson headline one of the best fight cards in recent memory; a fitting role for two of the most exciting fighters in MMA. UFC 144: Edgar vs Henderson, will be held at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. PRIDE FC captivated audiences for years with spirited fighters like Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, and now the UFC will look to fill that spot with their organization, bringing Rampage back and showcasing some of the best talent the lightweight division has ever seen.

Edgar is the toughest lightweight champion in the history of the UFC. His two bouts with Gray Maynard elevated him to another level, a true champion, and earned him the respect of a great. Initially a wrestler with developing boxing, Edgar has taken and defended the lightweight title with his hands, winning two decisions, a draw, and a knockout in his past four championship fights. Amazingly, many think his challenger wont be phased.

Henderson is certainly as “smooth” as they come. His mix of striking, wrestling, athleticism, and submission defense shot him into the spotlight in the WEC, where he won the lightweight title. Since moving to the UFC, he has racked up three high-profile wins against top competition in Mark Bocek, Jim Miller, and Clay Guida. Henderson has shown that in the UFC, he can out-grapple the grapplers. A parade of hype now surrounds him, propelling him to be an even bet against the champion.

Edgar is going to test just how good Henderson’s striking has become. He represents the best striking Henderson has come across since his loss to Anthony Pettis in the WEC. Edgar has speed on his side, while Henderson has reach on his. It’s close, but Edgar should be able to win the exchanges between these two.

This leads to the wresting, which I am forced to leave up in the air. It would appear on paper that Edgar is the better wrestler; he has a much more decorated carer, has excellent technique, and has even coached wrestling at a division-one level. The reason I wont call the wrestling for Edgar is because of Henderson’s recent success handling grapplers. Henderson is bigger and taller than Bocek, Miller, Guida, and now Edgar. He imposes his size advantage by using an excellent controlling clinch, powerful take-downs, and superb under-hooks to stop shots.

On the ground, neither can afford to be on their back. It is very unlikely that either can submit the other from a guard position, because they have two of the best top games in the lightweight division. Whoever is taken down needs to scramble up immediately, and I expect both men to be able to avoid being held down. If a submission does happen, you can bet that it will be in a scramble.

Bigger, younger, and stronger sometimes just aint’ enough. I’m going to predict that Edgar out-boxes Henderson to a Unanimous Decision win.

“I could give a rat’s ass about defeating Ryan Bader. I just want to put on the best show the world as ever seen.” – Jackson

Live on Saturday night (in the USA, Sunday afternoon in Japan) the Ultimate Fighting Championship will host a seven fight main card from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The co-main event will feature an up-and-coming light heavyweight who was one fight away from a title shot last year in Ryan “Darth” Bader. He will try to silence the Japanese crowd and spoil a “homecoming” for Quentin “Rampage” Jackson.

Jackson debuted at Pride 15 almost 11 years ago with an already impressive 10-1 record, but lost his opening bout. He certainty bounced back with a record of 11-4 in the same organization. During his career there, he gave the fans some of the most memorable moments in MMA history. We all remember where we were when we saw Jackson’s slam on Ricardo Arona to end the match. Jackson also put on member able performances against Kevin Randleman, Chuck Liddell, Wanderlei Silva and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Some fans forget that he brings this experience into the UFC’s Octagon every time he fights. Jackson is a true veteran and almost nothing surprises him. With that said, he knows what got him his fans and fame and that is knocking people out. Jackson stated in a recent interview with Fighters Only Magazine “My fans don’t pay to watch me submit people.” Needless to say that Bader better keep his chin down and find a way around Jackson’s reach.

Bader has shown heavy hands of his own in the past as well. He won The Unltimate Fighter season eight show for the light heavies by knocking out Vinny Magalhase in the first round. His most recent TKO victory was this past November at UFC 139 over Jason Brilz, and he did it again in round one. Bader also has a great wrestling background that he can use to dictate where the fight goes. However, Jackson showed in his recent fight with Matt Hamill that he could land punches and stuff takedowns from good MMA wrestlers. If Bader cannot get Jackson to the ground early in the round, then Japanese crowd just might get a taste of the Jackson from the Pride days.

What concerns me about this fight is that Jackson is focused on pleasing the Japanese crowd and not fighting a smart fight against a skilled opponent. Jon Jones and Rashad Evans controlled Jackson with their wrestling. Do I think Bader’s wrestling is on par or better than Jones’ or Evans’; no. I am just pointing out that Jackson has struggled with wrestlers in the recent past and that is Bader’s strength.

Ways to Win…
Jackson needs to settle his nerves and enter the cage like it is just another fight in Las Vegas. I see Jackson walking Bader down, stuffing takedowns and swinging hard at Bader’s chin with hooks. Jackson’s best shot at winning is to swarm on Bader and do it with in the first minute or two of the fight.

Bader needs to set up his takedowns with punches and kicks. If he can make Jackson respect his technic and power, then the takedowns will be open for him. Bader needs to do this early and not let Jackson find his range and feel comfortable in the Octagon. This will only fuel Jackson’s fire to impress the crowd.

Prediction…
Jackson will be too much for the less experienced Bader and land hard punches early. I see Jackson winning in the second round via TKO.

An interesting note between the two fighters is that they both have a neck submission lose to the current Light Heavyweight champion, Jon “Bones” Jones.

When the UFC announced they would be holding a show in Japan, the idea was to put at least one fighter in each fight who made a name for themselves in the Asian mma scene. Mark Hunt fits that profile with 11 of his fights happening overseas. His opponent Cheick Kongo meanwhile has had fifteen fights in the UFC alone, more than Hunt has had his entire career.

Hunt made his way to the UFC not because he had fought and won enough to gain a spot, but because he had a contract with PRIDE that carried over when the UFC purchased the struggling promotion. The UFC even offered to just buy out his contract, but Hunt was insistent on fighting and earning the paycheck.

His UFC career has been one of a fan resurgence having lost his debut to Sean McCorkle and then winning back-to-back fights against Chris Tuchscherer and Ben Rothwell. Hunt is starting to make a name for himself with the US fan base for his entertaining fight style.

If one was to look at the caliber of opponents alone, one would immediately give the edge to Hunt. Being that his five previous fights to get into the UFC were against Gegard Mousassi, Melvin Manhoef, Alistair Overeem, Fedor Emelianenko and Josh Barnett; all top fighters at the time. Hunt even holds victories over a prime Wanderlei Silva and Mirko Cro Cop which in and of itself is impressive.

Kongo as of late has been getting a lot of slack for his low kicks to the groin. Some even going so far as to call him “Cup Cheick Kongo”. Kongo has been in some wars through out his UFC career showcasing his powerful striking game. When it comes to fighters in the top of the division, that is where Kongo has faulterd in his career.

Hunt is not in the upper echelon of the heavyweight division and thus this should be a fight that Kongo wins. Kongo has shown an ability to come back from being rocked and land devastating punches. Hunt has shown his submission defense is weak, having lost 86% of his fights from submissions and I highly doubt that Kongo will suddenly implement a new and improved submission game.

Being that both fighters are heavy handed and have shown to have solid chins, I am expecting this fight to go the distance. I don’t think Hunt has turned the proverbial corner just yet and I think he will lose on the score cards. Cheick Kongo to win by unanimous decision in decently entertaining battle for heavyweights.

After three consecutive losses in the middleweight division, Yoshihiro Akiyama decided he needed to drop down to the welterweight division. His first test will be at UFC 144 when he meets former number one contender Jake Shields.

At first glance one has to question why are these two being put together. Many are quick to remember Shields and his rise to stardom outside the UFC which included a run in the middleweight division. He had put together one of the longest winning streaks in the welterweight division and there was a lot of high hopes for Shields.

Akiyama on the other hand has a massive fan following and fans wonder who he has upset in the UFC based on the competition he has faced since signing with the leading promotion. His promotional debut he fought a dangerous striker in Alan Belcher winning a split decision. It was then followed up with three losses in a row to Chris Leben, Michael Bisping, and Vitor Belfort. All arguably some of the best strikers the UFC has to offer.

And some fans were left scratching their head when it was announced that he would be fighting Shields at UFC 144. Upon further dissection of this fight thought, it makes sense for Akiyama to fight Shields.

Shields has lost two fights in a row, the first time in his career that has happened. After putting together a fifteen fight win streak, Shields winning ways was snapped when he fought Georges St. Pierre for the welterweight title. Shields had little answer for St. Pierre’s striking and wrestling and lost a unanimous decision. The only plus he was able to take away from the fight was he won two rounds according to the judges’ scorecards.

His follow up fight was supposed to put him right back in the mix in the welterweight division. He faced Jake Ellenberger at UFN 25 who at the time was on a four-right win streak finishing three of his opponents. But days prior to the fight Shields’ father passed away. Regardless of how physically prepared Shields was for Ellenberger, the loss of his father had to play a factor in his mental game. Shields ended up getting knocked out with a brutal knee and subsequent follow up punches.

So now both fighters are on the verge of losing their place in the UFC. Akiyama with a three-fight losing skid and Shields on a two-fight. If there’s one thing that’s been proven with fights like these, it’s when a career is on the line, the fighter brings it.

One will undoubtedly give the striking advantage to Akiyama and the wrestling advantage to Shields. The question that needs to be answered is who’s submission game is better. Akiyama has some sick Judo skills but hasn’t been putting them on display. Shields has a very aggressive jiu jitsu game as seen during his time in Strikeforce but since in the UFC hasn’t been able to showcase it as much either.

This is going to be a statement fight, and unfortunately for Akiyama I think it will be his last in the UFC. Shields will likely come out of the gate and swarm Akiyama rather than even try and trade punches. His top game is going to be so overwhelming I am expecting Akiyama to break early in the second round and Shields will be able to grab a submission for the victory.

There’s always a question of what to do with a fighter after he losses a title shot. Do you give him a fight with another top five opponent to put him back into the mix right away or do you put him against a fighter who is making a splash in the division? The later is what is holding true for Yushin Okami as he faces Tim Boetsch in Japan.

Boetsch is coming into the fight a heavy underdog and rightfully so. He is after all facing a former number one contender and Boetsch is just scratching the surface of the top ten.

After a crushing loss to Phil Davis at UFC 123, Boetsch decided he needed to change things up and dropped down to the middleweight division. His first foray was against Kendall Grove where he earned a unanimous decision. Grove was then subsequently cut from the UFC for the loss.

Boetsch followed up the victory with another unanimous decision over Nick Ring. For a guy who had never went to a decision outside of the UFC, Ring was his third. This isn’t a knock so to speak on Boetsch, rather an observation that against the lower tiered guys he has trouble finishing.

Okami meanwhile is coming off his TKO loss to Anderson Silva. Silva has a habit of making good fighters look like terrible fighters. Okami is what many call a grinder, a fact that has played into why it took so long for him to earn his title shot.

Okami’s game plan will be to take Boetsch down and do enough to get the victory while Boetsch will likely try to stand and trade.

In predicting this fight the first thing that came to mind was that this wasn’t going to be an exciting fight for the American fans, but it will likely be exciting for the Japanese fans in attendance. American fans are prone to want more violence and don’t appreciate the little intricacies that can go into a fight.

The safest prediction for this fight is rather boring, much like the fight will likely be, in that Okami wins by unanimous decision.

Bart Palaszewski - drawn by Justin McAllister

To the common fan, the featherweight fight between Bart Palaszewski and Hatsu Hioki probably doesn’t stand out. And that is sad. But the reality is, it is because both guys have only had one fight inside the UFC though both fighters took different paths to get there.

Like Pettis and Lauzon, Palaszewski and Hioki both competed at the same card at UFC 137 in October of 2011. And like Pettis and Lauzon, one finished the fight in the first round, while the other squeezed out split decision.

Hioki made a name for himself competing in Shooto and Sengoku against top competition. Prior to his UFC debut, he put together a four-fight win streak. The win streak wasn’t just against nobodies in the featherweight division as it included wins over Takeshi Inoue and Marlon Sandro.

Prior to the Inoue fight, Hioki lost a split decision to Michihiro Omigawa in a fight many thought he won. Prior to the loss he went 8-0-1 finishing six of his eight opponents.

Hioki’s debut for the UFC was against George Roop and it came with a little bit of controversy. Roop was able to keep his distance and picked Hioki apart, but when Hioki was able to get his hands on Roop fireworks exploded. The fight was a back-and-forth battle and Hioki barely got the nod via split decision.

Palaszewski made not only his UFC debut, but his featherweight debut at UFC 137 against former top 10 lightweight and now featherweight fighter Tyson Griffin. He stated prior to the fight that he was going to knock Griffin out and that is what he did.

Less than three minutes into the fight Palaszewski saw his opening and the Team Curran fighter capitalized on it. He unloaded a barrage of punches knocking Griffin out while standing.

Prior to his UFC debut, Palaszewski went 3-1 in his second stint in the WEC. The run includes a victory over Anthony Pettis and finishes over Karen Darabedyan and Zachary Micklewright.

A lot of people will be quick to give Hioki the advantage in the grappling department. The problem with that is that Palaszewski is a black belt in jiu jitsu, he just doesn’t tend to show off those skills. Even if Hioki does have the advantage on the ground, the question is, can he get it there.

Palaszewski lost a split decision to Kamal Shalorus, a fight that made him look hard at his wrestling. His fight against Griffin many gave Griffin a huge advantage for possibly being able to get the fight to the ground. He never got it there and Palaszewski earned a knockout of the night bonus.

Hioki was able to get dropped quite a bit in Shooto, but because there was a standing eight count, he could recover. Unless Hioki can recover in about half a second, he’s going to have a very rough night against Palaszewski. Thus I am predicting another first round knockout for Palaszewski

Joe Lauzon - photo via BJPenn.com

This isn’t the first time Lauzon has been called out and subsequently took a fight. Prior to his last fight, Melvin Guillard had expressed an interest in fighting Lauzon after putting together a five-fight win streak and was waiting to get a title shot. Guillard thought that a fight with Lauzon would be an easy win for him and would rebound him to a title shot. Unfortunately Lauzon had other plans.

Nearly everyone had given Guillard the advantage while standing. And why wouldn’t they when Guillard had finished nearly two-thirds of his fights with strikes while Lauzon had only finished five opponents with his hands. It seemed though that people had forgotten about Lauzon’s UFC debut knocking out Jens Pulver in one of the biggest upsets of 2006.

Everyone that is except Lauzon who did nearly the same thing. He landed a massive left hand that sent Guillard to the canvas. Instead of finishing him with strikes, Lauzon was patient and immediately took the back of Guillard. He got both of his hooks in and almost instantly secured his arm under the chin of Guillard and forced a tapout.

Earlier that same night at UFC 136, Anthony Pettis fought and looked to rebound off his loss to Clay Guida. Pettis fought an extremely hard fight against a very game Jeremy Stephens that went all three rounds.

The back and forth fight was nearly anyone’s guess as to who won. Many had Stephens winning the first round and Pettis winning the second. The third round was extremely close and in the end, two judges scored it for Pettis, while a third scored it for Stephens.

A short time after the fight, Pettis was interviewed and asked whom he wanted to fight next. His answer was Joe Lauzon and the video became a viral hit. Lauzon saw the video and said he was down for the fight. Sometimes Sean Shelby and Joe Silva have a very easy job like in this case when the fighters not only call each other out, but also verbally agree to the fight before being presented with a contract.

This fight is an intriguing one to predict. Lauzon has powerful hands and his striking has improved since his UFC debut. Pettis has also shown impressive abilities with his strikes as seen during his fight with Ben Henderson.

Both fighters have a slick ground game, Pettis is crafty and likes to bait fighters who are inside his guard into falling for a triangle choke. Lauzon has enough experience to avoid the submissions and be able to threaten with his top game.

Both fighters are extremely close skill wise, and because of that, one must look at prior experience and the point of their career. Pettis is arguably one of the most naturally talented fighters inside the octagon but he is still relatively young in his career. Lauzon seems to be coming into his career, mixing up his heavy hands and his aggressive jiu jitsu. For that reason I am predicting Lauzon to win this fight and hand Pettis his first submission loss by the end of the second round.

UFC on Fuel TV 1 Poster

UFC on FUEL TV is set with an explosive main event as welterweights Jake Ellenberger and Diego Sanchez are set to collide. A wrestler who has recently been showing off his hands, Ellenberger is a man on a mission, working for a UFC title shot. He is up against a tough, gritty veteran in Diego Sanchez, who is back to a healthy, party-less lifestyle leading up to the bout.

With a stunning first-round knockout of former top-contender Jake Shields, Ellenberger opened a spot for himself an the top of the welterweight division. It was his fifth straight win in the UFC, and the highest profile fight to date. At 26 years old, the sky is the limit for “The Juggernaut”. Known as a wrestler, Ellenberger has actually ended 22 of his 26 victories by way of knockout or submission. He is in for a tough fight against a durable Sanchez. If Ellenberger can impressively defeat Sanchez, he is sure to be on the cusp of a title shot.

Sanchez is a true UFC veteran. He bust onto the scene after The Ultimate Fighter Season 1, fighting in multiple divisions and racking up 12 UFC wins. Sanchez recently topped Paulo Thiago and Martin Kampmann by way of decision. He has admitted to being too involved with a party-first lifestyle, and for the past couple years has been fighting sub-par to his full potential. He believes that with a combination of dedicated months of training and an aggressive opponent, this will be his finest showing.

It seems that Sanchez will look to stand and turn this into a striking match. Sanchez’s grappling is at a high level, but he usually presses forward with a boxing approach. I could see Ellenberger standing and seeing what he can accomplish on the feet as well. Ellenberger is the better wrestler, and I believe that if he wants to grind out a decision with take-downs and submission defense, he can. Based on Sanchez’s last few showings, I can see him hanging tough with Ellenberger, but I’m not convinced that he will find a TKO victory. While I expect Sanchez to strike, his best chance to win this fight may be by submission.

With Ellenberger holding the choice of deciding where this fight takes place, I will predict the fight in his favor. I believe that Ellenberger will win via Unanimous Decision.

Dave Herman - photo by MMA Junkie

Heavyweights will collide in the co-main event for UFC on Fuel TV 1 as Dave Herman takes on Stefan Struve. The night of action takes place on Wednesday, February 15th at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska and will be headlined in a welterweight fight between Diego Sanchez and Jake Ellenberger.

Struve is the tallest UFC fighter on the roster standing at 6’11” and he has used his reach advantage in several of his fights. At just 23 years old, Struve is still very new to the sport, but has shown maturity and growth in his nine UFC fights.

Struve has had an up and down career inside the octagon starting his UFC career with a knockout loss to Junior Dos Santos. He rebounded with three straight victories; submitting Denis Stojnic and Chase Gormley while earning a unanimous decision against Paul Buentello.

He then suffered a first round knockout loss to Roy Nelson, before rebounding again with back-to-back victories over Christian Morecraft and Sean McCorkle. He finished both fighters, splitting the difference with a knockout over Morecraft and submitting McCorkle.

In his last two fights, Struve lost to Travis Browne by TKO in the first round, while submitting Pat Barry in the second round. If there’s one thing that his record shows, Struve is susceptible to heavy handed fighters.

Herman meanwhile is only fighting his second UFC fight of his career, though he has nearly as many fights as Struve. Herman has fought in several big promotions prior to his UFC debut with fights in Sengoku and Bellator.

In his UFC debut Herman had a back-and-forth battle with John Olav-Einemo that was one of the most fun fights to watch at UFC 131. The fight started out with a frantic pace, almost one of a lightweight, but both fighters quickly slowed. When the gas tanks were spent, it was all either fighter could do to compile more than one punch.

Herman kept at it however and in the second round he was able to best Olav-Einemo earning him the TKO victory and the fight of the night bonus.

The fight has some intriguing details to consider when predicting a winner. Herman has won over 70% of his fights by TKO, while Struve has won the majority of his fights by submission. But this stat is a little misleading as Struve has long limbs that excel at wrapping up an opponent into submission after he has been hurt by a punch and his opponent gets sloppy.

The big issue however is Struve’s chin. Of his five losses, four have come by (technical) knockout. Herman has shown his knockout power in not only his UFC fight, but fights outside the organization.

For Struve, he needs to be able to weather the storm that Herman will likely bring as Herman has shown his gas tank can empty quickly. A likely scenario is that if the fight ends in the first half of the fight Herman’s hand is being raised, and if it ends later than that, Struve will likely be the victor.

Being that this is the first fight for Fuel TV and fighters are always wanting to make statements for new shows, I am expecting fireworks in this heavyweight clash. For that reason, I am predicting Herman to win by TKO late in the first round.

An intriguing middleweight fight is set for the debut offering of UFC on Fuel TV. Aaron Simpson will take on Ronny Markes at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska. The event takes place on Wednesday, February 15th.

Markes made his UFC debut at UFC on Versus 5 against Karlos Vemola when he stepped in for an injured Stephan Bonnar. Markes applied constant pressure to Vemola through out the fight, seemingly taking him down at will.

The only downside was that Markes didn’t have much of answer for what to do next. Vemola tried to escape and did at times, forcing Markes to clinch and take the fight to the ground time after time. The fight was a unanimous decision for for Markes, but not an impressive one.

After the fight, Markes stated that he would be dropping down to the middleweight division for the duration of his UFC career.

Simpson is riding a three-fight win streak into the fight with victories over Eric Schafer, Brad Tavares, and Mario Miranda. Prior to the win streak, Simpson suffered back-to-back losses to Mark Munoz and Chris Leben.

Simpson entered the UFC in early 2009 and showed that his wrestling ability is extremely dangerous and to look out for it. He used it to earn a come-from-behind victory over Tom Lawlor to earn the Fight of the Night bonus.

What makes this fight so intriguing is that Markes has shown he likes to take people down and hold them there, but Simpson posses the wrestling knowledge and skills to avoid the takedowns. The adage of wrestlers dictate where the fight ends up, likely will apply here, but will most likely mean that the two stand and throw leather instead of take the other down. Much like Tyson Griffin versus Sean Sherk, this could become an exciting slug-fest for that reason.

While I don’t think all the action will take place standing, I am expecting one fighter to be successful with his takedowns. I am looking for Simpson to generate enough damage on the feet to be able to take Markes down and grind out a decision.

 Bantamweight fighters T.J. Dillashaw and Walel Watson are likely fighting for their UFC career at UFC on Fuel TV 1. The event takes place on Wednesday February 15th at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska.

Dillashaw was a member of the season 14 Ultimate Fighter. He surprised many by defeating Matt Jaggers to earn his entry into the house. From there he was selected as part of Team Bisping. Dillashaw defeated Roland Delorme and Dustin Pague to earn his way to the finals.

At the finale he made his UFC debut against John Dodson. Dodson stunned everyone with his technical knockout victory over Dillashaw spoiling Dillashaw’s plans to be the next Ultimate Fighter.

Watson meanwhile is one-and-one in his UFC career. Making his debut at UFC on Versus 6, Watson made a splash on the bantamweight division with his quick finish over Joseph Sandoval. He needed just under ninety seconds to earn the TKO victory.

In his second UFC fight, he took on Yves Jabouin at UFC 140. The fight was extremely close with either the first or second round being able to be scored in Watson’s favor. The final round of the fight was clearly Watson’s and it was left to the judges. Only one judge scored the fight for Watson, with the other two giving Jabouin the split decision victory.

Bantamweights are a hard breed to predict. Due to their size, speed, and stamina it is more rare for a finish with strikes from them. Their punches have to be that much more precise and their ground game that much more complete. In what could be the difference maker between the two fighters could be their conditioning. I am going to predict that Dillashaw wins the unanimous decision and it is the fight of the night.

Philip De Fries - photo by Josh Hedges/UFC/Zuffa

Miocic has been dubbed a “Little Cro Cop” due to the style of fight shorts he wears. It also helps that of his seven victories, five have come by way of knockout and his one submission was due to leg kicks he delivered.

In his UFC debut Miocic took on Joey Beltran at UFC 136 in a back-and-forth striking battle. The three-round fight was close to call round by round, but Miocic was able to do enough to earn the victory.

De Fries made his debut at UFC 138 against Rob Broughton. Like Miocic, De Fries earned a unanimous decision in his debut. However unlike Miocic, the rest of his victories have come by way of submission.

De Fries trains out of Alliance with the likes of Dominick Cruz, Phil Davis, and Brandon Vera.

Both fighters are undefeated heading into the fight, and one will likely walk away with a loss on their hands. The question that needs to be answered is can De Fries take Miocic down before Miocic lands a heavy strike?

I think that he can and will. In what I am expecting to be a surprise, I am expecting De Fries to almost bullrush Miocic and score a quick takedown. When Miocic is trying to escape, I think he will leave an opening and De Fries will earn the submission victory in the first round.