Staff Predictions For “Diaz Vs. Guillard”

Published on September 15th, 2009. | Written by Adam Dicker | Filed under Editorials.

UFN 19 Poster

Guillard vs. Diaz

The UFC Fight Night 19 card is headlined by Melvin Guillard (22-7-2) and Nate Diaz (10-4), mainly because the UFC did not want to showcase Roger Huerta since it seems he will pursue dreams of becoming an actor. Diaz and Guillard will both look to capitalize on Huerta’s loss.

In a battle of two of the biggest mouths in the UFC’s lightweight division, one guy will have his jaw closed (momentarily). Diaz, who challenged the UFC to give him top level competition, got what he asked for; he is 0-2 since. The Cesar Gracie student got his wish and could not capitalize when he fought Clay Guida and Joe Stevenson. He needs to avoid a 3 fight losing streak to stay relevant in the 155 pound picture.

Guillard, also known for talking a big game, comes into the fight on a 3 bout winning streak, his latest a very controversial win over Gleison Tibau. Guillard hit very hard, and is always a threat to knockout his opponent.

Diaz has a big ego, and if he lets that get the best of him, he will wake up after the fight is over and not remember what happened. If Diaz fights the smart fight, he will look to take Melvin down and submit him. I believe Diaz is smart enough to put his ego to the side and intelligently pick apart Guillard’s weaknesses. Diaz submits Guillard midway through the second round after some scary moments on the feet early on.

Maynard vs. Huerta

A match that should be headlining the card pits Gray “The Bully” Maynard (7-0) against former UFC poster boy, Roger Huerta (20-2-1). This is another fight that shows how stacked the lightweight division actually is. Gray is a very strong wrestler, and proved that he is also a solid boxer when he outclassed Jim Miller in his last octagon appearance. Gray will look to smother Huerta and use his strength and athletic ability to force the referee to rescue Huerta.

Huerta’s best chance to win this fight will be to fight exactly like Kenny Florian did when the two of them hooked up. Huerta must pick and choose his shots and then quickly get out of the way. I do not see Huerta being able to control this fight. Maynard will bully Huerta right out of the UFC as he dominates him for a three round decision.

Condit vs. Ellenberger

Carlos Condit (22-5) will look to get back to doing what he does best…winning. This is a matchup served to Condit to get the W. Jake Ellenberger (21-4) is coming in on late notice and is facing a fighter who is superior in every way to his skill level. The only thing Ellenberger has going for him is that he has nothing to lose in this fight. Nobody expects him to win, and that could make for a very exciting slugfest. With that said, Condit knows this is a must win for him and he will finish Ellenberger with strikes to raise his hype within the UFC once again.

Quarry vs. Credeur

Both fighters are not the cleanest of strikers, but they definitely like to bang. Nate Quarry (11-3), always known as a knockout artist will look to add Tim Credeur (12-2) to his list. Credeur is better on the ground than he is standing, but he will throw bombs with bad intentions that will make the bout interesting.

Brent Todd, founder of mmarecap, was at the weigh-ins and reported that Quarry looked very drained from the weight cut, which should frighten his fans. This leads me to believe Quarry will be looking to end this one quickly before he gases out due to a bad weight cut. Credeur is a smart fighter, and I am sure he noticed his opponent’s position. I still will be picking Quarry to hand Credeur his first UFC loss, but my confidence in this pick has dropped drastically.

Quick Picks

Adam Dicker: Nate Diaz, Gray Maynard, Carlos Condit, Nate Quarry

Brent Todd: Nate Diaz, Gray Maynard, Carlos Condit, Tim Credeur