Penick's Take
UFC FIGHT NIGHT 49 PREVIEW: Penick's main card quick thoughts and fight picks for "Henderson vs. Dos Anjos" event
Aug 23, 2014 - 1:00:35 PM UFC FIGHT NIGHT 49 PREVIEW: Penick's main card quick thoughts and fight picks for "Henderson vs. Dos Anjos" event

DISCUSS ALL THIS IN OUR NEW MMATORCH FORUM

...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

With one event out of the way today, the UFC returns tonight with another, as Benson Henderson fights for the third time in 2014 when he takes on Rafael dos Anjos at UFC Fight Night 49. The six-fight main card hits Fox Sports 1, and there are a few solid matchups set for the event. Here are some quick thoughts with fight picks for tonight's main card fights:


Benson Henderson vs. Rafael dos Anjos (Lightweight): Henderson is coming off his first stoppage win in four years, submitting an overmatched Rustam Khabilov in June. Dos Anjos isn't entirely overmatched here, but he's got a very difficult stylistic matchup to deal with.

Dos Anjos' April loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov sticks out badly as far as this matchup is concerned. He got out-grappled in that fight, losing a clear decision, and given Henderson's wrestling game, that's an issue.

Dos Anjos can hang on the feet with Henderson, and if he can keep the fight standing, that's where he can score some points and win some rounds. But that's easier said than done against Henderson.

Henderson can be beat, he's been barely edging past some competition over the last couple of years, but it's been against top level opponents. I'm not convinced dos Anjos is there, and it would be both surprising and extremely impressive to see him pull off a win here. Henderson by decision.


Jordan Mein vs. Mike Pyle (Welterweight): We've got two heavy handed fighters with exciting overall games hoping to gain some momentum in the division. Mein had a bit of a rougher time with Hernani Perpetuo in his last fight than expected, and he's now coming into Saturday with some added distractions after his father's arrest.

As for Pyle, he's proven to be able to pull off some damned exciting performances in the last several years, but a couple of stoppage losses stand out. That said, they came against top fighters in Rory MacDonald and Matt Brown, and Mein may not be in that same ilk here on Saturday night.

We know both fighters can be stopped, and we know both fighters are more than willing to slug it out until one of them goes down. So it comes down to which of them is going down first, and right now, signs point to Mein. Pyle by TKO in the second round.


Francis Carmont vs. Thales Leites (Middleweight): Carmont's on a downswing after decision losses to Jacare Souza and C.B. Dollaway, and he's got another very good grappler set to keep him going in that direction. Leites has been on a hell of a run since returning to the UFC, and he'll look to keep that going here. I think he gets it done in similar fashion to Carmont's last two opponents. Leites by decision.


Max Holloway vs. Clay Collard (Featherweight): Holloway's three UFC losses are to very good fighters, and he's looked excellent against the rest of the field that he's faced. Collard, while he's compiled a good run the last several years, is stepping into this fight on short notice, and isn't close to the level of a Dennis Bermudez or Conor McGregor. This should be another showcase for the 22-year-old Holloway. Holloway by TKO in the second round.


James Vick vs. Valmir Lazaro (Lightweight): Vick, who appeared on the live season of The Ultimate Fighter, made an impressive debut last year when he defeated Ramsey Nijem by submission to keep his professional record perfect at 5-0. He's got finishing ability, and against a debuting Brazilian with plenty of stopping power himself, this makes for an interesting matchup. Honestly not sure how this one is going to go down, especially with Vick having been out of action a full year. Coin flip. Lazaro by TKO in the second round.


Chas Skelly vs. Tom Niinimaki (Featherweight): Niinimaki got tripped up by a highly impressive performance from Niklas Backstrom in his last outing, snapping a 12-fight winning streak. Skelly dropped a majority decision to Mirsad Bektic in his first career defeat. This is a tough matchup for both, and while I like Niinimaki's game, Skelly's got a good submission game, and he might pull off something impressive here tonight. Skelly by submission in the second round.