UFC Rio (134) Results

Hm. Think I took a bath on this one... Let's see.

Anderson Silva def. Yushin Okami (KO 2)
Honestly. What are these guys thinking? I'm big, I'm a wrestler, I think I'll stand and bang with Anderson Silva. Are you f***ing retarded? Think. We know wrestling works against Silva - why do people insist on standing back and waiting to be knocked out? Ridiculous. Waste of a fight. (1-0)

Mauricio Rua def. Forrest Griffin (KO 1)
Again, what was this guy thinking? Griffin should have taken down Rua fast and worn him out, but instead stands with another heavy hitter and gets put on his ass. Way to go. Anyone else think Forrest might retire soon? Although I'm not sure what else he'd do... (1-1)

Minotauro Nogueira def. Brendan Schaub (KO 1)
Schaub had Nogueira hurt but couldn't finish before getting caught. Schaub doesn't make the leap into the top echelon of the division, but still looked like he could hang with Nogueira. (1-2)

Edson Barboza def. Ross Pearson (split)
Finally an upset that paid off. Pearson pressed the action, but Barboza had the more effective strikes, I thought. I gave it to him on a thin decision. (2-2)

Stanislav Nedkov def. Luiz Cane (TKO 1)
Cane looked good early and had Nedkov on the ropes but did not finish and got caught. (2-3)

Thiago Tavares def. Spencer Fisher (TKO 2)
Fisher is in trouble, dropping too many of these fights. The stoppage may have been premature, what with Fisher taking no damage (though he was turtled), but he wasn't exactly lighting up Tavares. (2-4)

Rousimar Palhares def. Dan Miller (unanimous)
Palhares looked as good as you can without finishing a fight. He didn't seem to go for too many submissions but he beat the crap out of Miller for most of the fight and got either two 10-8s or an unheard-of 10-7 from one judge. (3-4)

Paulo Thiago def. David Mitchell (unanimous)
Didn't see it, but it sounds like Thiago dominated. (4-4)

Raphael Assuncao def. Johnny Eduardo (unanimous)
Assuncao didn't impress much, it seems, but got the nod in the end. The fight might have been closer than the scorecards suggested. These failed upsets are killing me! (4-5)

Yuri Alcantara def. Felipe Arantes (unanimous)
Whatever. (5-5)

Yves Jabouin def. Ian Loveland (split)
This fight was close, it seems, with Loveland providing wrestling while Jabouin looked for highlight finishes. Strangely, Jabouin gets the decision despite one judge giving all three rounds to Loveland. (6-5)

Somehow I missed the Erick Silva vs Luis Ramos fight in my picks. This had a wicked KO with Silva getting the win.

So, 6-5 is not terrible and better than I thought I was going to do, considering many of my upsets didn't pan out. I'm not gonna celebrate, though. :P

UFC Rio picks

So apparently this event is so cool that they aren't giving it a number? Whatever. (It's UFC 134) Let's get to the picks.

Anderson Silva vs Yushin Okami (middleweight)
It's nearly impossible to go against Silva these days, especially because few fighters in the division have the tools to beat him. Sonnen is at least one fight away, so Silva gets another sacrifice. Does Okami have a chance? Sure, if he presses the action. But I bet he gets KTFO before he gets close. I'm picking Silva.

Forrest Griffin vs Mauricio Rua (light heavyweight)
I hate betting against Griffin, but I don't like his chances in this one. Rua is coming off big fights while Griffin has been MIA promoting books and such. Still, I'll pick Forrest just so that I don't root against him.

Brendan Schaub vs Minotauro Nogueira (heavyweight)
Schaub has KO power and that's his key to victory. He won't outwrestle Nogueira and he certainly can't BJJ the guy. Can Nog get Schaub down? Maybe. But I think Nogueira is way past his prime these days and Schaub will connect. I'm picking Schaub in the upset.

Ross Pearson vs Edson Barboza (lightweight)
I like Pearson, but he isn't god's gift to MMA. Barboza is relatively unknown but TKO's guys with kicks! That's crazy. This ought to be a slugfest and I'm picking Barboza.

Luiz Cane vs Stanislav Nedkov (heavyweight)
Stanislov who? The guy hasn't fought in over a year and was rarely fighting before that. Great record, but you'd think he'd need more seasoning... Anyhow, he's a BJJ black belt and knocks guys out fast. But with the ring rust... Cane is dangerous but has underperformed in the past. He, too, is a BJJ black belt with KO power. Not sure where to go here. I'll pick experience and go with Cane.

Thiago Tavares vs Spencer Fisher (lightweight)
Could be fight of the night. Both of these guys were impressive a few years ago, but have fallen on hard times since. I expect this to go to decision with Fisher getting the nod.

Rousimar Palhares vs Dan Miller (middleweight)
Both of these guys have black belts in BJJ but Palhares is on a different level. His kneebars and ankle locks are sick. Can Miller avoid them? We'll see. I'll pick Palhares.

Paulo Thiago vs David Mitchell (welterweight)
Thiago was a rising star not so long ago, but has lost two in a row - usually signifying a must win match. Mitchell is a submissions guy who won a decision in his UFC debut. I think he's being thrown to the wolves here, though - I'll pick Thiago.

Raphael Assuncao vs Johnny Eduardo (featherweight)
Assuncao is a bit of a name, though he has lost a few recently. Eduardo is a nobody but has a string of victories and is used to fighting in Brazil. Neither of these guys blows me away. I'll go with the upset again and pick Eduardo.

Yuri Alcantara vs Felipe Arantes (featherweight)
This is getting ridiculous. The UFC featherweight division is so thin that neither of these guys has a profile on the website. Alcantara has a sick record and finishes guys fast. Arantes doesn't even appear on Wikipedia. Fuck that guy, I'm picking Alcantara.

Yves Jabouin vs Ian Loveland (bantamweight)
Loveland has been doing well recently and has some power, but gets submitted easily. Good thing for him, Jabouin is a striker, too. Jabouin really needs a win. Since I hate going against Canadians, even transplanted ones, I'll pick Jabouin.

UFC 122 Results

This card turned out to be ok, or at least not as bad as it looked on paper. Strange judging, though, perhaps due to the German location. It seemed little credit was given for takedowns, which are gold elsewhere.

Let's see how I did.

Yushin Okami def. Nate Marquardt (unanimous)

Prime example of takedowns meaning little. One judge had it 30-27 Okami. Okami was doing well on his feet, but never really had Marquardt in any serious danger. Not the most exciting fight, and Dana White pulled no punches afterwards. White claimed Marquardt "choked" and it was probably his corner's fault. Take that, Greg Jackson. I don't see Okami giving the Spider much trouble. Waste of a title fight, probably. (0-1)

Jorge Rivera vs Alessio Sakara (middleweight)

This fight didn't happen as Sakara came down with flu-like symptoms the day of the fight. Apparently, they both got paid. WTF? And Rivera gets Bisping in his next fight. Great for Rivera, not so much for Bisping. Gives you an idea of where his star is at.

Dennis Siver def. Andre Winner (sub 1)

It says submission, but this was really a TKO. Siver knocked Winner out, who flashed back when he was hit again. But he was still in dream land when Siver locked on an awkward rear naked choke. Siver was puny next to Winner; if he can drop weight classes, he probably should. (1-1)

Amir Sadollah def. Peter Sobotta (unanimous)

Sadollah eeked out another decision. Give the guy credit for having great cardio. Sobotta looked lost, backing up throughout the fight. (1-2)

Krzysztof Soszynski def. Goran Reljic (unanimous)

I was surprised KSos got the decision so easily. He was taken down a couple of times, which, again, appears to have been given no credit. He looked decent, but not great. He might need a better gym. (2-2)

Kyle Noke def. Rob Kimmons (sub 2)

Didn't see it. (2-3)

Vladimir Matyushenko def. Alexandre Ferreira (KO 1)

Guess the Janitor isn't dead yet. Interesting. (2-4)

Pascal Krauss def. Mark Scanlon (unanimous)

Fight of the Night. Too bad I missed it. Let's hope it shows up on Unleashed. (2-5)

Duane Ludwig def. Nick Osipczak (split)

Only saw the third round when Nick was gassed. It sounded like he was winning the fight, though, so a bit surprised by the decision, especially the 30-28 score for Nick. How the eff does that happen? There's NO WAY he won the third round, so how did he get a 30? I'm assuming that was misrepresented. (3-5)

Karlos Vemola def. Seth Petruzelli (TKO 1)

Vemola is a MONSTER. This guy is huge and threw Petruzelli around. Watch out for this guy's power. (4-5)

Carlos Rocha def. Kris McCray (sub 1)

McCray was lost in this one. Outclassed. Rocha did well. (5-5)

So it was a wash. Great. Next!!

UFC 122 Picks

Ok, I’ll admit it, I’ve been slacking off recently. Well, no, not really – I’ve been really busy right around event time (in fact I’ve missed a couple) and, frankly, the cards have been a little on the weaker side. So sometimes I’m not all that inspired to get my picks in on time. But even though this weekend card is one of the weakest in memory (that’s what you get for going to Europe and having to air the event free on Spike), I’m determined to make some quick picks. By the way, why is this an official UFC numbered event instead of simply a Fight Night or some sort? Anyways, here are my picks:

Nate Marquardt vs Yushin Okami (middleweight)

Marquardt is that really solid fighter who seems to have a hard time getting to the top of the mountain. But he’s a tough hombre for others to get through on their way there, too. Okami has been a pretty solid fighter who has not impressed beyond mid-card status. I’m really hoping to see Marquardt get another shot at Anderson Silva, so I’m picking Marquardt.

Jorge Rivera vs Alessio Sakara (middleweight)

Talk about inconsistent mid-carders. The fact that these two are the co-main event is really indicative of the weakness of the card. Rivera seems like a nice guy but he was not that impressive on TUF and has been schooled in the past. He does have a couple of flashy knockout wins under his belt and voila – co-main event. Sakara will always be remembered by me as one of the guys who got destroyed by Houston Alexander. Alexander is out of the UFC now, but Sakara remains. I’m not sure how he stuck around after getting beaten by Chris Leben to make it 2 for 6 with no impressive wins, but then he reeled off three straight including a TKO over a returning James Irvin, so voila – co-main event. Sad. Both like to stand and bang but Rivera TKO’d Nate Quarry so I’m gonna give Rivera the edge.

Dennis Siver vs Andre Winner (lightweight)

Winner hasn’t beaten anybody of note with the exception of perhaps his decision win over Rafaello Oliveira. Siver is a mid-carder, really, but has been in with some of the best including Gray Maynard, Paul Kelly and Spencer Fisher. Neither one of these fighters turns my crank but I’ll give Siver the edge.

Amir Sadollah vs Peter Sobotta (welterweight)

Sadollah is still a kid in this sport, but he’s a workhorse who can grind out a decision. Sobotta has lost his two UFC fights after building up a decent record, both by decision. This does not bode well for Sobotta. Sobotta should win, but I’m not going to count Sadollah out. Sadollah could find a way to secure the victory by boring decision. …But I’m gonna pick Sobotta by TKO.

Krzysztof Soszynski vs Goran Reljic (middleweight)

I think this fight is at middleweight, though Soszynski has fought at light heavyweight and even heavyweight. The Polish Experiement has had an up and down career but is easy to cheer for due to his good nature. Reljic is also dropping down, so this ought to be an interesting match-up. Reljic has a good style for beating Soszynski, but the Winnipegger has heart – but he needs a good coach. The fighter that comes in with the best game plan will win. Here’s hoping that’s Soszynski.

Kyle Noke vs Rob Kimmons (middleweight)

Kimmons has a ton of experience and finishes guys off fast. No big wins, though. Good thing for him, he isn’t fighting a big name. Noke is decent, but not overwhelming. He has a split decision win over George Sotiropoulos (in the latter’s fourth fight) but a loss to him as well. A respectable record, but no big wins. I’m picking Kimmons.

Vladimir Matyushenko vs Alexandre Ferreira (light heavyweight)

Matyushenko is still alive? Huh. This guys has been around forever. He’s a wrestler who tends to win by decision. Ferreira is making his Octagon debut and has reeled off a string of quick submissions. This guy is slick but does not appear to have much of a gas tank. I’m picking Ferreira to put on a show.

Pascal Krauss vs Mark Scanlon (welterweight)

Two guys who don’t have a picture on the UFC website. Great. One guy doesn’t even have a record showing. WTF…? Both are undefeated though and Scalon won his last fight by head kick in ten seconds. Both guys seem to have an arsenal of submissions and power. After a 17-month layoff this is Scanlon’s FOURTH fight this year. OK, I’m picking Scanlon.

Duane Ludwig vs Nick Osipczak (welterweight)

Whoever loses this fight is getting cut for sure. Both are coming off a pair of losses. Neither has looked particularly good or has any big wins. Ludwig has a ton more experience, but Nick will have a height and reach advantage. I like Nick, but not his chances. I bet Ludwig knocks him out.

Seth Petruzelli vs Karlos Vemola (light heavyweight)

Vemola wins fights fast. He’s dropping down in weight after a decision loss to Jon Madsen. Petruzelli, the Kmbo Slice and EliteXC killer, also tends to avoid decisions. He has the greater pedigree, but I’m gonna go with Vemola in the upset anyways.

Kris McCray vs Carlos Rocha (middleweight)

McCray did not impress me at all on TUF, but he does have a decent record. Rocha appears to be a very dangerous submission artist. I’m gonan pick the new guy – Rocha.

UFC Fight Night Results

I thought this event might suck and it did, for the most part - at least the telecast version.

Jon Jones vs Vladimir Matyushenko
Jones dominated, looking a lot like Anderson Silva in his awkward, gangly approach. He got top position and started dropping some elbows to Vlad's head and it took Herb Dean about 3 seconds to jump in and stop the fight. While Vlad was in deep trouble, he wasn't hurt. This was a premature stoppage in my books. Still, Jones was clearly the better fighter. If Silva ever goes back up to 205, I'd love to see him fight Jones because their styles are so similar. (1-0)

Mark Munoz vs Yushin Okami
Boring as hell. Munoz had a terrible gameplan, attempting lazy single-leg takedowns from five feet away. Okami just had to stuff the takedowns, lie on top of Munoz (who wouldn't let go) and hit him with hammer fists to get the win. Ridiculous. (1-1)

John Howard vs Jake Ellenberger
Howard looked goods until he got smacked in the eye and it swelled shut in an ugly way. He clearly had an injury there and the doctor wisely stopped the fight. Too bad for Howard. (1-2)

Tyson Griffin vs Takanori Gomi
Another pretty dull fight for all that it lasted. Give Gomi credit for turning the lights out on Griffin. (1-3)

Paul Kelly vs Jacob Volkmann
This wasn't aired. I wouldn't mind seeing it to see how the two performed. Once again Volkmann screwed me over. :P (1-4)

DaMarques Johnson vs Matthew Riddle
Should have stuck with my boy Riddle. Johnson is overrated. (1-5)

James Irvin vs Igor Pokrajac
I think the Sandman may be done. Another poor performance. Seems he's a one trick pony. (1-6)

Brian Stann vs Mike Massenzio
Finally! Another win! Massenzio loses to CB Dolloway and then gets submitted by Stann? Dunno if he'll escape getting cut. (2-6)

Darren Elkins vs Charles Oliveira
I didn't know these guys before, but I know Oliveira now. That was quick and impressive. Dunno if he'd catch many UFC vets in such a straightforward triangle that easily, but he has probably earned another couple of fights in the UFC. (2-7)

Rob Kimmons vs Steve Steinbeiss
Steinbeiss has probably earned his walking papers with this one. As I said before, his record is less than impressive. (3-7)

Wow. 3-7. That sucks. Thank goodness I fare better at PPV's when it really counts, right? :P

UFC Fight Night predictions

Can't say I'm terribly excited about this event. Still, let's pick some winners, ok?

Jon Jones vs Vladimir Matyushenko
Vlad is the old dog, facing off against the new blood. Don't know too much about him, which is odd considering this is the main event. His record is impressive, but he is getting up there (39) and most of his fights go to decision. Can he hang with the energetic Jones? I'm gonna say no. I'm picking Jones.

Mark Munoz vs Yushin Okami
Two guys who have good records but who have stumbled when it matters most. Munoz is on Matt Hamill's highlight reel and Okami fell to Rich Frankin, climbed the ladder again, then fell to Chael Sonnen. This could be a close fight, but I'm gonna go with Munoz in a bit of an upset.

John Howard vs Jake Ellenberger
I've missed most of Howard's fights, but he has been impressive, I hear. He has power and submission skills, while Ellenberger is a wrestler. If it goes to decision, I'd pick Ellenberger, but if it stops before the distance, then I'd bet on Howard. This could be an exciting finish or dull as hell. I'm gonna hope for exciting and pick Howard.

Tyson Griffin vs Takanori Gomi
Gomi has been less than impressive since coming over to the UFC from Japan where he was revered. He has lost three of five and four of eight. Not good. Sounds like he's living off his reputation. Griffin is a mystery and is coming off a loss. He seems to be a skilled fighter but never seems to have a good game plan. He has 10 UFC fights, though, and has won fight of the night in five of those fights. That's impressive. I'm not sold on Gomi, so I'm gonna pick Griffin.

Paul Kelly vs Jacob Volkmann
I picked Volkmann once and he let me down. Bet against him the next time and he won a fight he shouldn't have. What to do? Kelly's a tough boy. I'm picking Kelly.

DaMarques Johnson vs Matthew Riddle
I like Riddle, but he's a bit green. Johnson has more experience and I bet that's gonna serve him well. I'm picking Johnson.

James Irvin vs Igor Pokrajac
The Sandman returns. I hope he is all healed up and this won't be another disappointing and brief outing. He was brutalized by Anderson Silva then had to quit when Alessio Sakara punched him in the eye. I don't know much about Pokrajac other than his record is ok and he has beaten no one of consequence. It seems both of these guys can bang. I don't like Irvin's chances on the ground, but I'll pick him anyway.

Brian Stann vs Mike Massenzio
Stann is a pretty tough guy but has a mediocre UFC record. I know squat about Massenzio other than he tends to finish fights early and has lost to CB effing Dollaway for Pete's sake. If Dollaway can TKO this guy, so can Stann. I'm picking Stann.

Darren Elkins vs Charles Oliveira
Who...? Both of these guys have terrific records and finish fights early. maybe they haven't faced tough enough competition? Well, we'll see who responds to the pressure. Elkins or Oliveira? Elkins has fought once in the UFC so I'm gonna bet that helps. I'll pick Elkins.

Rob Kimmons vs Steve Steinbeiss
What is Steinbeiss doing in the UFC? He has lost his last two (one in WEC, one in UFC) and has lost to BILL EFFING MAHOOD for Pete's sake!! WTF? Kimmons has four UFC fights (2-2) with losses to Dan Miller and Jorge Rivera. Something tells me the loser is going home. I'm picking Kimmons for giggles.

This event might totally suck. We'll see.

Fight Night Live : Florian vs Gomi Results

Kenny Florian def. Takanori Gomi (sub3) – Takanori Gomi? More like Tacky Origami. The Japanese import was either overhyped or he folded under the UFC pressure. Can’t say I was impressed. He was barely a threat to Florian who seemed to be in awe of his opponent in the pre-fight build-up. Sure, Gomi had some dangerous swings, but they were wild and are ineffective against a mixed martial artist who knows the game. It’ll be a while before Gomi gets his desired rematch against Penn, I think. Florian, while essentially unchallenged, still managed to prove he is one of the very best in the lightweight division. (1-0)

Roy Nelson def. Stefan Struve (KO 1) – I picked Struve for fun, but I knew Nelson would probably squish him. I was a bit surprised he got such a clean knockout, though. I thought Struve would be smarter and use his reach to keep Nelson at bay until a takdown came, but Struve looked like an amateur. When you have an insane reach advantage, you don’t fight on the inside. Silly. (1-1)

Jorge Rivera def. Nate Quarry (TKO 2) – Another one where my pick disappointed. Quarry never looked like he was into this one, backing off and crumpling at the slightest touch. It didn’t look like Jorge was putting that much power into his shots, but Quarry went down like a $2 whore. Pretty stunning, actually. (1-2)

Ross Pearson def. Dennis Siver (unanimous) – Pearson looked good. He was faster than Siver and more effective than the kickboxer. It was a smart, steady, skilled victory and yet still managed to entertain. The fight was closer than the verdict would suggest, but Pearson certainly deserved the nod. (2-2)

Andre Winner def. Rafaello Oliveira (unanimous) – This was a dark match, so I can’t really comment. Apparently Winner controlled the fight. (3-2)

Jacob Volkmann def. Ronys Torres (split) – I hear this one was ugly and the scores (30-27, 30-27 and 28-29) would seem to support that. I’m surprised Torres couldn’t pull this one out. I wouldn’t mind seeing it. I thought Torres would outclass Volkmann for sure. (3-3)

Nik Lentz def. Rob Emerson (unanimous) – Dunno if Emerson will survive the next round of cuts. (4-3)

Gleison Tibau def. Caol Uno (TKO 1) – Caol Uno is a shadow of his former self. Seriously. He looked pathetic. It’s hard to believe this guy was once considered a serious threat in the UFC. Tibau should be fighting tougher guys. (5-3)

Yushin Okami def. Lucio Linhares (TKO 2) – Okami picked Linhares apart in this one, avoiding takedown attempts and using his precision striking to great effect. Linhares was cut so badly that the ref stopped the fight in the second round. It’ll be interesting to see if the UFC decides to give Okami another title push after this and pit him against top dogs. (6-3)

Gerald Harris def. Mario Miranda (TKO 1) – Looks like this might have been the most entertaining fight with two guys trying to knock each other’s heads off. Harris managed to get the upper hand and finished his opponent within the first round. (7-3)

Charlie Brenneman def. Jason High (unanimous) – This might have been a fun one to watch, too, with the two newcomers putting on a spirited show. High couldn’t secure a pair of guillotines and Brenneman got the decision on points. (7-4)

Another event, another winning record (7-4). Not bad.

TUF 11 kicked off last night as well. Some impressive fighters. Let’s see how it plays out.

Big event coming up on April 10. Stay tuned for picks.

UFC Fight Night : Florian vs Gomi Picks

Another week, another Fight Night. Busy times for the UFC. Ok, let’s have a look at this one…

Kenny Florian vs Takanori Gomi (lightweight) – I can’t say I know much about Gomi, but apparently he’s a legend in the Japanese circuit (and Pride). He has lost to BJ Penn and Nick Diaz, but has wins over Jens Pulver, Duane Ludwig and Marcus Aurelio. 31-5-1NC is a very impressive record, but this will be his debut in the cage, which is a much different animal than the Pride fighting ring. Florian, meanwhile, has really come into his own following his days on The Ultimate Fighter. He has lost to Sean Sherk and BJ Penn, both title fights. Wins over the likes of Clay Guida, Roger Huerta, Joe Stevenson, Din Thomas and Sam Stout put Florian deservedly in the top ranks of the lightweight division. I’d love to see a rematch with Diego Sanchez someday before a rematch with BJ Penn. This is a tough fight to call having never seen Gomi fight. I’ll pick Florian.

Roy Nelson vs Stefan Struve (heavyweight) – If Struve were ever able to cut weight to 205 he’d be a force, but at heavyweight he is susceptible to the sheer weight of his opponents. I like the kid and hope he wins, but I can see Nelson getting inside, taking him down and lying on top of the poor helpless bastard. My brain says to pick Nelson, but I'm gonna go with the upset special and root for Struve.

Nate Quarry vs Jorge Rivera (middleweight) –Not sure how Jorge has managed to stick around the UFC for this long. He’s not going anywhere within the division and seems to lose at least every other fight (3 of 8 actually). Jorge seems to like to stand and bang which is Quarry’s strong suit, too. I like Quarry and his power, so I’ll pick him.

Ross Pearson vs Dennis Siver (lightweight) – Siver is no joke. He can win on his feet or the ground and has a very decent record. Pearson is a fan fav from TUF 9. I like his style and relentless attack. This should be a very entertaining fight. I like Pearson, so I’ll pick him.

Andre Winner vs Rafaello Oliveira (lightweight) – Andre Winner looked good during TUF 9, but his opponent is no slouch himself and has a better record. Both of these guys tend to go to decision. Oliveira is known for pushing the pace. Tough call. I’ll pick Winner for fun.

Jacob Volkmann vs Ronys Torres (welterweight) – Torres looked awesome his last time out (a decision loss to Melvin Guillard) while Volkmann was less than impressive. I’ll pick Torres.

Rob Emerson vs Nik Lentz (lightweight) – I’m not sure how a guy with a 9-8 record stays in the UFC – unless of course he was on TUF. Emerson is 2-2-1NC in the UFC and that’s if you buy the double KO decision rendered at the TUF 5 finale. If you ignore the 2-6 start to his career, maybe he looks a little better. I like Emerson, but I won’t pick him to win this fight. I’ll pick Lentz.

Caol Uno vs Gleison Tibau (lightweight) – Caol Uno is a shadow of his former self (3-4-1 in his last 8 against mid-card fighters). It’s sad, really. Tibau, meanwhile, is a stud with decent success against tough opponents (7-4 in the UFC). I’ll pick Tibau.

Yushin Okami vs Lucio Linhares (middleweight) – Okami has a very respectable; record in the UFC (7-2) but has lost key fights against Rich Franklin and Chael Sonnen that have set him back from title shots. He doesn’t have the most exciting style, often boxing his way to a decision. Linhares, meanwhile, has fought mostly in M-1 and lost his UFC debut last time out (to Rousimar Palhares). He has no significant victories, but very seldom goes to a decision. So it appears the winner will be largely determined by when the fight ends. A decision will likely go to Okami, while a submission would go to Linhares. Since Okami is the wrestler, he ought o be able to decide where the fight takes place. That means standing, that means a decision, that means Okami will likely win.

Gerald Harris vs Mario Miranda (middleweight) – …Who? Research, research research… Ok, Harris is listed as a wrestler but most of his fights end with him getting a submission or a knockout. Clearly, this guy has skills – and a 14-2 record. Miranda, meanwhile, is undefeated (11-0) with a variety of finishes. He also has a wrestling background. Interesting. Neither has fought anyone of note, but this is Miranda’s UFC debut, while Harris has a UFC victory and KO of the Night honours. Impressive. I’ll pick Harris to spoil Miranda’s party and record.

Charlie Brenneman vs Jason High (welterweight) – Another battle of good records and UFC debutants. High has a victory over Kevin Burns, granted by doctor stoppage. Brenneman tends to win by TKO or decision, while High has a fair number of submissions and has made it to the DREAM welterweight Grand Prix finals. I’ll pick High.

With no heavyweights or even light heavyweights on the card, this ought to be an exciting, fast-paced event. We’ll see.

Note also: The Ultimate Fighter XI (Liddell vs Ortiz) starts tonight!