Ultimate Fight Night - Swick v. Burkman will come to you LIVE on Spike TV on Wednesday, January 23. On that night, MMA Torch will be running it's two hallmark contests that YOU can participate in. Check the main page for main details.

But for now, I'll put my soon-to-be MMA Torch Prediction Championship winning picks out there for discussion. I realize that our Champion, Mike Jarsulic must be getting fatigued having to defend both belts, so I consider this a humanitarian and benevolent move by myself to relive Mr. Jarsulic of this burden.

Anyway...

1 - Justin Buchholz (7-1, 3 TKO, 3 Sub) vs. Matt "Handsome" Wiman (8-3, 3 TKO, 2 Sub)

Well, the rules got me here and if you think I'm abandoning them now, you're as loopy as a squirrel with cabin fever. Wiman is 2-1 in the UFC and also has the distinction of going 15 minutes in a decision loss to Roger Huerta. Strong work indeed. Buchholz is untested (formally) in the UFC. Wiman has faced a far more impressive resume of opponents and should win this fight handily. The pick is Wiman by first round TKO.

2 - Joe Veres (4-2, 1 TKO, 1 Sub) vs. Corey Hill (1-0, 1 TKO)

Here's the chink in the rules. Hill is the beanpole-sized fighter you remember from TUF. He will have about 10 inches in height on Veres for this fight. It'll be Hill's UFC debut, while Veres has nine seconds of UFC experience prior to being KOed by Gray Maynard. Hill's extravagant size should cause some problems for Veres. Is it enough to count over Veres' previous UFC experience? Yup. I don't see Veres being able to get inside easily. If he does and gets it to the mat, I'm betting Hill has learned enough ground defense and has long enough arms to nullify Veres on the ground and get some standups. I'll take Hill by third round TKO.

3 - Jeremy "L'il Heathen" Stephens (12-2, 8 TKO, 2 Sub) vs. Cole "Magrino" Miller (13-2, 3 TKO, 8 Sub)

Hmmm, let’s see about this one. Both have some experience in the Octagon. Miller has a few more submissions than Stephens, but Stephens has the edge in TKOs. Both have been very active over the last 18-24 months. This should be a pretty nice matchup if it makes it to TV. Miller has the advantage in height and reach and can fight well on the ground. I think this will be the difference as Miller controls the pace from the ground and finds his way to a second round submission win.

4 - Dennis Siver (11-4, 3 TKO, 6 Sub) vs. Gray "The Bully" Maynard (3-0, 1 TKO, 1 NC)

You may recall Maynard from the thrilling no contest match against Rob Emerson back at TUF Finale 5. Since then, Maynard has pounded out Joe Veres. Siver has come down to lightweight for this fight and carries some UFC experience with him. Oddly, Siver is a HUGE underdog, but Maynard still has a lot to prove in the UFC. This is a dangerous fight for Maynard, but an important step if he expects to move up the lightweight food chain. Siver can win from a number of spots here, but I see Maynard grinding out a unanimous decision win with takedowns and work on the ground.

5 - Alberto Crane (7-1, 7 Sub) vs. Kurt "Batman" Pellegrino (10-3, 1 TKO, 8 Sub)

Tell me if you feel bad for Alberto Crane. Here’s your UFC ticket, bud. Up first, you can take on our poster boy, Roger Huerta. He doesn’t need to see you to hit you with elbows. Good try, how about taking on Kurt Pellegrino? Geez. Crane gassed badly against Huerta, which isn’t surprising given Huerta’s incredible endurance. Well, it doesn’t get any easier here against Pellegrino, who fights with a furious pace. Crane is a crafty fighter who had Huerta in plenty of trouble. It would not be surprising to see him challenge Pellegrino here, but ultimately I think Pellegrino has the skill and cardio to have his way and carry the day with a third round TKO.

6 - Michihiro Omigawa (4-5, 2 TKO) vs. Thiago Tavares (12-1, 1 TKO, 10 Sub)

I’m not sure what to say on this one except it looks like a Tavares come-back sort of fight. After a hard fought decision loss to Tyson Griffin back in September, he gets Omigawa who was last seen in the cage getting knocked out by Matt Wiman. Tavares is a huge favorite and I suspect that he will take Omigawa down and get a submission in, as Mike Goldberg would say, the very first round.

7 - Alvin "Kid" Robinson (9-2, 8 Sub) vs. Nate Diaz (7-2, 2 TKO, 5 Sub)

This looks like another good matchup for this free card. Robinson scored an impressive win against Jorge Gurgel on Gurgel’s turf at UFC 77. Diaz is coming off of a submission victory against Junior Assuncao back in September. This is a tough one to call. Diaz is very comfortable working off his back and it is likely Robinson will put him there. The odds of a submission finish are very good here. I was pretty impressed with Robinson’s last fight, but Diaz’s win over Assuncao was darn nifty also. I’m going to go along with Robinson here to get a unanimous decision victory, but I’m looking forward to a close fight.

8 - Patrick "Predator" Cote (11-4, 5 TKO, 3 Sub) vs. Drew McFedries (6-2, 3 TKO, 1 Sub)

Could 2008 be the year of French-Canadian success in the Octagon? McFedries will be coming down to 185 for this bout and has heavy hands. This should be a fun one to watch as neither guy will likely be looking for a ground and pound win. Cue the fireworks and let’s go. The rules will have me lean towards the fighter who is coming down in weight and, in this case, that’s McFedries. So, before I talk myself out of it, McFedries by first round TKO.

9 - Mike "Quick" Swick (10-2, 5 TKO, 2 Sub) vs. Joshua "The People's Warrior" Burkman (9-4, 2 TKO, 3 Sub)

Speaking of coming down in weight, we have Mike Swick for your consideration. Swick was last seen losing a decision to Yushin Okami in April 2007. Burkman has never really been able to string wins together in what may be the deepest division in the UFC. Frankly, I’ve never been terribly impressed with Swick. The rules say go with Swick as he is moving down in weight. Burkman is a wrestler, however, and the rules say lean towards the wrestler in the Octagon. The Prediction title could rest on this, so it’s a weighty decision. Grrrr. Burkman went the distance with Karo Parisyan not too long ago. Plus, I have the grappling rule to fall back on. Let’s go with Burkman by unanimous decision.

And, there they are. Your soon-to-be Championship winning picks. Remember the rules, friends, follow them faithfully and, perhaps, someday, you too may contend for the MMA Torch Prediction Championship.