UFC 127 Penn vs Fitch Picks

In a bit of a hurry, so gonna have to make this quick.

BJ Penn vs Jon Fitch (welterweight)
I honestly don't know how Penn earned this number one contender's fight. He loses to GSP and Hughes, drops to lightweight, gets another crack at GSP for some bizarro reason, gets slaughtered, loses his lightweight title to Frankie Edgar, loses AGAIN to Edgar to prove it wasn't a fluke, moves back up to welterweight and beats Hughes - a fighter who can't seem to beat any top ten fighter these days - and he gets this fight as a reward? WTF? How about beating some real fighters first? Fitch, meanwhile, has stayed in the top 5, beaten tough guys, but still hasn't earned a rematch with GSP, probably because he got smoked the last time out. Since losing to GSP, he has beaten Thiago Alves, Paulo Thiago, Ben Saunders and Mike Pierce. Penn has beaten Hughes. WTF? If Penn wins, he theoretically gets GSP for a third time (though that won't happen, whether GSP wins or loses). Penn getting a shot only makes sense if GSP beats Jake Shields, moves up to middleweight and vacates the belt. THEN a victorious Penn might deserve to fight for the title against...uh...who? Penn might jab Fitch to death the way GSP did, but if Fitch fights smart, he'll take this to the ground and wear Penn out. I'm picking Fitch.

Michael Bisping vs Jorge Rivera (middleweight)
Two fighters who have never really been to the top of the middleweight heap. Bisping hasn't improved all that much since his UFC debut. He still has no KO power to speak of, relying on a quick pace to get him through his fights. This is usually accomplished by running backwards and getting decisions. Rivera, on the other hand, is on his way up in the twilight of his career. A top guy? No, not really, but dangerous. If Rivera catches Bisping, it may end quick. If Bisping can keep his distance and fight his usual fight, he could get the decision. I'm gonna go with the upset and pick Rivera.

George Sotiropoulos vs Dennis Siver (lightweight)
This is a step back for George. He deserves to be ranked higher than Siver, which means he probably has more to lose than to gain from this fight. If he can submit Siver quickly, maybe he gets more respect from the match makers. I'm picking Sotiropoulos.

Chris Lytle vs Brian Ebersole (welterweight)
Lytle's original opponent (highly-touted Carlos Condit) had to back out, so in steps the experienced but relatively unknown Ebersole. Ebersole's biggest win may have been his recent decision nod over former UFC champ Carlos Newton; not exactly a top dog these days. He seems like a relatively dangerous fighter with submission skills, but I'm still picking Lytle.

Kyle Noke vs Chris Camozzi (middleweight)
A TUF reunion. Camozzi has a decent record, but Noke has fought tougher guys. He holds a win over George Sotiropoulos (a loss, too) and Brian Ebersole who is fighting Lytle. I'm picking Noke.

Ross Pearson vs Spencer Fisher (lightweight)
This could be fun. Pearson has done well, but Fisher is a tough test. Fisher has had a tough time recently, it seems, but is coming off a win, whereas Pearson is coming off a loss. Fisher lost to Siver, while Pearson beat him. Toss up. I feel a war coming, with a decision in the balance... I'm picking Fisher.

James Te Huna vs Alexander Gustafsson (light heavyweight)
Gustafsson is super dangerous, having only lost to Phil Davis by choke (no shame there). Otherwise, he destroys guys in the first or second round. Te Huna is decent, too, but hasn't faced anyone tough. I'm picking Gustafsson.

Nick Ring vs Riki Fukuda (middleweight)
Gotta go with the Canadian in this one. I'm picking Ring.

Anthony Perosh vs Tom Blackledge (light heavyweight)
Who? Both are 10-6. Perosh is a BJJ guy who wins or loses fast, Blackledge is a banger who wins or loses fast. I've heard of Perosh. I'll pick Perosh.

Tiequan Zhang vs Jason Reinhardt (featherweight)
The lighter boys. Reinhardt was undefeated until he fought Joe Lauzon at lightweight in his UFC debut. Tough start. ALL of his wins were in the FIRST ROUND. Wow. Zhang is 12-1 with some WEC experience. I like Reinhardt, so I'll pull for him.

Mark Hunt vs Chris Tuchscherer (heavyweight)
BIG boys. Chris has a good record, but, from what I understand, ought to be 0-3 in the UFC, what with his controversial win over Tim Hague. Hunt is coming off 6 straight losses (against some top Strikeforce guys, mind you) but SOMEHOW is getting a UFC spot. WTF? Oh...he's from New Zealand and the card is in Australia. See, this is where the UFC gets itself in trouble. Hunt has NO BUSINESS on this card. The UFC promotes itself as the best of the best and they bring in this guy? I call bullshit. I'm picking Tuchscherer.

Maciej Jewtuszko vs Curt Warburton (lightweight)
Who? MJ is a tough dude with an unblemished record. CW is a British banger who can knock you out, but has been submitte din less than a minute. I'm picking Jewtusko.

And I'm outta here!