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By Frank Hyden, MMATorch contributor Quick Picks:
Dan Evensen vs. Pat Barry- Evensen by Decision
Ryo Chonan vs. Brad Blackburn- Chonan by Submission in the 2nd round
Matt Hamill vs. Reese Andy- Andy by TKO in the 1st round
Antoni Hardonk vs. Mike Wessel- Wessel by Decision
Yushin Okami vs. Dean Lister- Okami by Submission in the 2nd round
Televised Fights:
Cheick Kongo vs. Mostapha Al Turk- Kongo has gone to a Decision 4 of his last 5 fights. I think this fight follows that pattern and Kongo gets a well-fought victory. I don't know a lot about Al Turk but Kongo has 3 times the fights that Al Turk has and I think that experience helps Kongo get the win. This should be a close and tough match but, in the end, Kongo prevails.
Prediction- Kongo by Decision
CB Dollaway vs. Mike Massenzio- This fight is actually listed as 3rd from the top on the UFC website but I'm much more excited to see Wanderlei Silva vs. Quinton Jackson so I'm putting this fight here. CB hasn't impressed one bit in his time with the UFC. On The Ultimate Fighter show he got submitted by Amir Sadollah by an armbar. CB edged out Tim Credeur to advance to the TUF Finale because of Jesse Taylor's drunkenness and got submitted by the exact same fighter (Amir) with the exact same move (armbar). It was even quicker the second time. Massenzio hasn't set the world on fire either but this is a good matchup for him. I think Massenzio works for and gets a submission to end this fight.
Prediction- Massenzio by Submission in the 1st round
Wanderlei Silva vs. Quinton Jackson- If this is anything like their other 2 fights than it'll probably be the fight of the night. If you haven't seen those fights then Youtube at least the highlights. Wanderlei got the ref stoppage in the 1st fight after throwing about 3,000 unanswered knees. And in the 2nd fight Rampage almost had Silva beaten but Wanderlei fired back and again started raining the knees onto Jackson, knocking him out and halfway through the ropes. Both fights were hellacious battles and worthy of any gladiator montage the UFC can cook up. The only reason I'm not as excited for this fight as I would be otherwise is because I don't know where Rampage's mind is at. I fully expect this fight to be waged standing up. Both guys just plain don't like each other. I'm giving Rampage credit for training hard but I still don't know where he's at mentally. I expect a huge slugfest that I'm going to love watching.
Prediction- Silva by TKO in the 2nd round
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir- Despite Mir's claims to being the superior athlete I believe he's the major underdog in this fight. Nogueira has over twice the amount of fights that Mir does. And Nog hasn't just fought a bunch of bums, he's beaten guys like Tim Sylvia, Josh Barnett, Fabricio Werdum and he's fought Fedor Emelianenko a few times. That kind of experience isn't something to be taken lightly. Both guys are black belts in BJJ so it'll take a while but I think Nog will capitalize on a small mistake that Mir will make. This has the potential to be a very tedious match that's fought on the ground but I think Nog comes out on top regardless of where the fight is contested. I don't think conditioning will be a problem for either man but they do have to be careful of tiring their arms going for submissions. I think Mir will burn his arms out going for a guillotine or something and Nog pounces for the TKO victory.
Prediction- Nogueira by TKO in the 3rd round
Forrest Griffin vs. Rashad Evans- I think this fight will ultimately come down to the championship rounds. While Rashad has won a good number of decision victories he's never had to deal with the 4th and 5th rounds of a fight. On the other hand, the same was also true of Forrest before his win over Rampage. One of Rashad's strong points is his wrestling ability. However, Forrest is better on the ground and is capable of slapping on a submission from nearly anywhere. Another of Rashad's strengths is his punching power. Forrest has shown that he can take punches but Rashad is not a normal striker, he's got huge power and he knows how to use it. Neither man can afford a significant mistake so I expect the fight to start cautious and warm up as the fighters get to know each other. Forrest's experience on the ground is big here and he'll be waiting for Rashad to make a misstep that he can take advantage of. I think the fight will stay on the feet for a while but eventually Rashad will get a takedown and when the fight transitions into a groundgame Forrest has the edge. This could give Silva vs. Jackson a run for Fight of the Night but I give the nod to Forrest.
Prediction- Griffin by Submission in the 4th round
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