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By Nut, Loyal MMATorch reader Well Sunday is the official start of "Couture vs. Lesnar" week, so I thought we'd get it kicked off with a guest preview from our friend from the message boards, a man known simply as "Nut" (although he did tell me his real name, but that secret dies with me).
"My picks and thoughts. Please remember, these babblings come from a guy who calls himself nut, so don't take them too seriously : )
Randy Couture beats Brock Lesnar by TKO in Rd. 3.
The biggest advantage I see for Couture is his clinch game. He has had so long to adapt it to MMA, I just don't think Brock will be able to compete. Couture can defend Brock's take-down attempts from that position, as well as deal big damage with upper-cuts and knees. It won't be quick, but it seems to me to be inevitable. Brock will take too much damage, and be unable to continue.
Joe Stevenson beats Kenny Florian by unanimous dec.
Kenny is (mainly) a ground guy with a disadvantage in strength. That isn't so bad against a guy who is clueless on the ground, but Joe is far from that. Kenny is probably the more talented fighter of the two, as I think his striking and submissions are both very good. However, he doesn't seem to do so well against opponents like Joe. Sanchez and Sherk had strength advantages over Kenny, and also the ability to fend off subs. All they had to do was secure a take-down, and start GnP'ing. I think if Joe goes for a quick takedown, and doesn't lose position (trying for a stupid heel-hook or something), he will easily earn a decision or TKO.
Amir Sadollah beats Nick Catone by TKO in Rd. 1.
I say Catone is the better athlete, he has a purple belt in BJJ, and has good striking. I think that he will be able to fend off subs on the ground, and dominate the standup. Eventually he will rock Amir, and then it is just a matter of time.
Gabriel Gonzaga beats Josh Hendricks by RNC in Rd. 2.
Wasn't there a time when Gonzaga was ranked right up there with Couture. Well, he isn't THAT good, but he's not too far from it in my opinion. The only guys that have beaten Gonzaga are Couture and Werdum (twice). It seems to me that everything that Hendricks does well, Gonzaga does better. I think Gonzaga can beat most of the heavywieghts in the UFC, and that's not the kind of guy anyone would want to face as their debut fight in the UFC.
Nate Quarry beats Demian Maia by TKO in Rd. 1.
As I see it, Maia is another ground guy with a strength disadvantage to his opponent. Nate won't (and by won't, I mean SHOULDN'T IN HIS WILDEST DREAMS) go to the ground with Maia, and I don't see what Maia can do about it. Maia is too much of a competitor to run away from Quarry, and too skilled/tough to get quickly KO'd. I see the fight as going like this:
Step 1. Maia gets rocked and falls down.
Step 2. Maia gets back up.
Step 3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until the ref can't see for the blood that's splattering in his eyes.
Dustin Hazelett beats Tamdan McCrory by armbar in Rd. 2.
As it turns out, Hazelett is from a small, coal mining town in the appalachian region of KY. I also am from a small, coal mining town in the appalachian region of KY. This (apparantly) means that he will win. War Junie? Seriously though, I think he has a skill advantage on the ground, and that should be enough.
Jorge Gurgel beats Aaron Riley by RNC in Rd. 1.
I think Gurgel was embarassed by his loss to Cole Miller, by way of triangle choke. I think he will take this fight as an opportunity to showcase HIS BJJ talent, which is great. If he does that, this should be a short fight.
Rafael dos Anjos beats Jeremy Stephens by armbar in Rd. 1.
OK, dos Anjos has an 11 - 2 record, but the 2 were split decisions, and long ago (3 years) to boot. He may not have experience against UFC fighters yet, but he has a big skill advantage on the ground. Stephens has already lost twice by submission, to fighters with much less ground skill than dos Anjos. Unless Stephens can land something big, and quick, I think he will lose.
Alvin Robinson beats Mark Bocek by RNC in Rd. 1.
Alvin has a win against Gurgel, and I think that's impressive, even if it was a decision victory. If he can beat Gurgel by decision, he should have no problem imposing his will on Bocek.
Matt Brown beats Ryan Thomas by unanimous decision.
Brown fought Dong Hyun Kim to a split decision, and I highly respect that. I have a lot of respect for Kim's skills, and if Brown can compete on that level, he should be able to beat Thomas with no problem."
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