...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!
By: Dan Moore, MMATorch UK Contributor
One year removed from their first trip to Sweden; the UFC makes its return to Scandinavia with another UFC on FUEL event. Only this time after an exhausting few days of speculation and one "not very funny" April Fools joke; Alexander Gustafsson won't be the star attraction in the main event, and neither will Wanderlei Silva. Despite the last minute upheaval there's still plenty to look forward to this weekend. Any fight involving Brad Pickett usually always ends up exciting and we'll also get to witness the highly anticipated debut of former Cage Warriors double champion, Conor McGregor.
I'll be at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm this weekend covering the event for Torch. Be sure to follow @MMATorch for live updates from yours truly, both for the weigh-ins this Friday, followed by the full 13 fight card on Saturday.
Ilir Latifi vs. Gegard Mousasi (Light Heavyweight)
Gustafsson vs. Mousasi had the potential to be an excellent main event, but sadly for those in attendance they won't be seeing it live this weekend. I'm convinced that had the co-main event been considerably stronger in name value, the UFC would have simply pulled Mousasi and re-scheduled their fight for a later card next month. Poor planning on their part however, meant it wasn't a feasible option and Mousasi needed a replacement. What happened next with Wanderlei Silva ended up as an embarrassing mess, largely for Silva himself. Other names were touted, including Europe based Jimi Manuwa and Tom Lawlor (already on the card), but still no announcement right up until Tuesday night.
Then it was announced that Gustafsson's training partner Ilir Latifi had agreed to replace his team mate and fight Mousasi. One man's misfortune is another man's opportunity and win or lose, in the words of Andy Warhol; this opportunity will be Latifi's fifteen minutes of fame. Commence panic from most MMA media all hurriedly doing research on Latifi via a Google or Wikipedia. For the record he's currently on a three fight win streak and his most notable opponent to date is current Bellator contender Emmanuel Newton, who beat Latifi via unanimous decision back in July 2011.
If Latifi beats Mousasi, it will surely go down as one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, but it's just not going to happen. I was actually favouring Mousasi to beat Gustafsson so I can't see any way Latifi wins this one. With notable boxing pedigree and a wealth of experience, Mousasi shouldn't take too long to light up Latifi. His striking is extremely polished and the moment he sees Latifi in trouble, as we've seen many times before, he won't hesitate to finish the fight in rapid fashion. Add that to his extra conditioning thanks to preparing for a five round fight, and Latifi should make the most of the limited minutes he'll get in the Octagon. Those fifteen minutes of fame might just turn out to be fifteen seconds!
PREDICTION: Mousasi via TKO in the first round
Ross Pearson vs. Ryan Couture (Lightweight)
It was a major disappointment when the UFC announced this fight would be stepping up to the co-main event slot. In no way shape or form is that a slight on Ross Pearson. After all he delivered a superb performance against George Sotiropoulos in the main event of TUF Smashes last December. My frustration is solely directed at whoever decided Ryan Couture was worthy of a co-main event slot as a scheduled debutant of the organization. I know, I know, others have had that honour bestowed upon them before. However, that's usually because of their own respected reputation in MMA, and not that of their father.
I'm certainly not saying that Couture is the worst fighter in the world, but I'm sure Pearson must have been a little disappointed not to get a fight against someone with a little more to offer. I'll admit to only having seen Couture fight once, but despite him winning, I wasn't impressed. Unlike the judges who scored his fight with K.J. Noons, I certainly didn't have him as my winner on the night. He's certainly learnt the art of grappling from his decorated father, but at this moment in time, his wrestling pedigree is the only thing that will present a problem for Pearson.
Pearson is excellent in his movement and has no doubt worked tirelessly to eradicate the mistakes he made in defeat to Cub Swanson last year. Sotiropoulos barely tested him in the stand up last year and it's likely that Couture will want to take the fight to the ground at every conceivable opportunity. Grinding out a result over 3 rounds is his best chance to win against someone like Pearson. It's hard to see what anyone stands to gain from this fight apart from it being another win in the positive column of Ross Pearson.
PREDICTION: Pearson via TKO in the second round
Matt Mitrione vs. Phil De Fries (Heavyweight)
This is another one of the fights on this card where the loser gets his marching orders. Although Mitrione's two defeats have come at the hands of the very experienced Cheick Kongo and Roy Nelson, the former NFL Defensive Tackle hasn't exactly lit the UFC on fire with his recent performances. Still, at least this fight is actually taking place. These two were both supposed to fight at UFC 155 but Mitrione was moved into the fight with Nelson after an injury to Shane Carwin. Mitrione had also been scheduled to fight another Englishman, Rob Broughton, but again that fight was also scrapped.
Whilst lacking in skill and technique, Mitrione generally makes up for it with brute strength and good movement for someone so big. His lack of experience has only been exposed in the previously mentioned defeats against better rounded opponents. Phil De Fries isn't a top tier heavyweight and despite a good win over fellow Englishman Oli Thompson, he was comfortably outclassed in his other two UFC fights. Both Stipe Miocic and Todd Duffee comfortably finished him in the very first round. De Fries could very well pose problems for Mitrione if the fight turns into a grappling contest, but I still expect ‘Meathead' to get the win and banish De Fries back to one of the many British MMA promotions.
PREDICTION: Mitrione via TKO in the first round
Brad Pickett vs. Mike Easton (Bantamweight)
It's no wonder Dana White considers Brad Pickett to be one of his favourite fighters to watch. Irrespective of whether he's on the receiving end of a decisive loss (vs. Barao) or earning himself a 'knockout of the night' bonus (vs. Jabouin); he's guaranteed to provide the entertainment factor. However, despite the 'One Punch' moniker his ability to finish fights in that manner is a rarity, even if he did live up to it in the previously mentioned Jabouin fight.
Easton was on an eight fight win streak heading into his last fight with Raphael Assuncao. Throughout the fifteen minutes his weaknesses became apparent for all to see and he was outclassed for all three rounds. Easton has an extremely odd stance and his fighting style is based towards quantity over quality. Six of his wins in that eight fight streak came via decision and he's yet to show any decisive finishing power in his stand up. That will no doubt encourage Pickett to get in close and expose Easton's weaknesses.
Easton will look to keep his distance and dominate when takedown opportunities present themselves. Pickett is as equally adept on the ground as he is standing, so Easton will need to keep him very close if he does decide to go down the grinding takedown route. Easton is tough to finish standing so I'm more inclined to believe that Pickett will at least rock Easton and then execute a submission to get back to winning ways.
PREDICTION: Pickett via submission in the second round
Diego Brandao vs. Pablo Garza (Featherweight)
If Pablo Garza continues to fight using his all too obvious size advantages, much like he did against Mark Hominick last year, this fight really could go either way. The odds makers heavily favour the Brazilian but if Garza remains in good form, he's more than capable of springing a surprise. Much like Stefan Struve at Heavyweight, Garza can be incredibly frustrating to watch, especially when he doesn't always utilize his vast height and reach advantage against distinctively smaller opponents.
With a five inch height and four inch reach advantage, he should be more than capable of keeping Brandao's heavy hands at bay. Both are excellent Jiu-Jitsu practitioners and Garza's flying triangle choke submission win over Yves Jabouin remains one of the best finishes I've ever seen. Brandao is more than capable of landing multiple power strikes, and if inclined also taking Garza down, providing he can get inside that superior range. This one really could go either way but I believe Garza has learnt to apply himself tactically, and with his clear advantages, he has what it takes to upset Brandao.
PREDICTION: Garza via decision
Akira Corassani vs. Robbie Peralta (Featherweight)
Both Corassani and Peralta are coming off wins at the UFC on FUEL 5 event in Nottingham last year. Corassani defeated Englishman Andy Ogle via decision in a very closely fought contest. On the night whilst watching ringside I scored the fight in favour of Ogle, but on closer inspection when watching the fight again on TV, I gave it to Corassani. It was extremely close but in my opinion the right man did just enough to earn victory on the night. Despite the win his weaknesses were all too apparent and someone as capable as Peralta will present an even bigger challenge to Corassani.
No need for replays in the fight between Peralta and Jason Young. This one lasted only 23 seconds when Peralta caught the Englishman flush to earn his first UFC stoppage. I love watching Peralta and I'm really looking forward to this one. I've ranked Peralta on the outskirts of my top 15 in the division and as he starts to approach his peak he's got plenty more to offer, if he could only fight more consistently. I can't envisage anything other than another decisive finish for Peralta. He'll be too quick and too powerful for Corassani to handle even if he does take longer than one round to get into his groove.
PREDICTION: Peralta via TKO in the second round
Preliminary Card Quick Picks
* Michael Johnson over Reza Medadi via submission in the third round
* Tor Troeng over Adam Cella via TKO in the first round
* Chris Spang over Adlan Amagov via decision
* Conor McGregor over Marcus Brimage via TKO in the second round
* Ryan LaFlare over Ben Alloway via decision
* Tom Lawlor over Michael Kuiper via decision
* Papy Abedi over Besam Yousef via TKO in the second round
Agree or disagree with my picks? Let me know on Twitter, @MMATorchDan
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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