Penick's Take
UFC FIGHT NIGHT 57 PREVIEW: Penick's main card breakdown and fight picks for "Edgar vs. Swanson" event
Nov 21, 2014 - 10:00:00 PM UFC FIGHT NIGHT 57 PREVIEW: Penick's main card breakdown and fight picks for "Edgar vs. Swanson" event

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

UFC Fight Night 57 comes to Austin, Texas, on Saturday night, with Frankie Edgar and Cub Swanson fighting it out to stake their claim at a title fight with Jose Aldo. Here's a quick look at what's on tap Saturday night on Fox Sports 1, and how I see things playing out:

Frankie Edgar vs. Cub Swanson (Featherweight): Edgar looked like he hadn't lost a step in his last fight with B.J Penn, despite spending a year out of the cage. In fact, he arguably looked better than he ever has, systematically breaking Penn down before stopping him with ground and pound in the third round. Swanson has been quite good in a number of areas during his current six-fight winning streak, and he's got serious power that can put Edgar in a bad spot if he connects. However, this is a five round fight, and Edgar is one of the most durable fighters to have ever competed inside the Octagon. As this one continues on, I think it really favors Edgar, because he's just massively well rounded with a very good gas tank who seems to get stronger the longer fights go on. Swanson's been really good in his own right, but I really favor Edgar's overall game to get the job done. Edgar by decision.


Bobby Green vs. Edson Barboza (Lightweight): Barboza is capable of stopping just about any fight, but he's gotten tripped up in a couple of fights, and he has a tendency to throw defense out the window at times. Green is on a tear with eight straight wins, and he's been as consistent as they come at 155 lbs. However, he enters this event with some very real and personal distractions, and it's hard to know how well he's been able to prepare with everything that's gone on. This one kind of depends on whether or not Green can keep the pressure on Barboza through the majority of the fight. I think he's likely to do that, and he's durable enough to avoid the stoppage. Green by decision.


Brad Pickett vs. Chico Camus (Flyweight): 36-year-old Pickett has looked very slow compared to his opponents in his last several fights, and the cut to 125 lbs. hasn't improved that at all. Camus made the cut for the first time this week, and though he's coming in off a loss, that was in a fight against a bigger, stronger grappler in Chris Holdsworth. Pickett's capable of picking grinding out a couple of rounds here, but I think Camus can out-work him. I think he'll be faster, and he'll be able to deal with Pickett's game at 125 lbs. Again, another fight likely edged out by a slightly superior fighter. Camus by decision.


Jared Rosholt vs. Oleksiy Oliynyk (Heavyweight): Oliynyk's got some slick submissions, but Rosholt's a more than capable grappler with a suffocating wrestling game. This one's not likely to be pretty, but I think Rosholt ends Oliynyk's winning streak here. Rosholt by decision.


Joseph Benavidez vs. Dustin Ortiz (Flyweight): I really like Ortiz as a fighter. He's got a lot of raw talent, and he's looked quite good in his four UFC bouts to date. However, Benavidez is on a completely different level from those he's faced thus far. While Benavidez got stopped by Champ Demetrious Johnson just a year ago, Ortiz isn't the guy to pull off a similar feat. Benavidez is just ahead of the rest of the pack, even if he's under "Mighty Mouse," and there's a significant skill and experience edge in his favor here. This is just too big a leap for Ortiz, and if he pulls off the upset it will be a massive statement. I just don't see it happening. Benavidez by submission in the second round.


Matt Wiman vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg (Lightweight): Vallie-Flagg has had two competitive decisions go against him in his last two fights, while Wiman's been out of the cage for nearly two years after a brutal loss to T.J. Grant. Enough time has passed that his chin's not really an issue here, and IVF hasn't been that much of a finisher in his own right on the big stage, so I expect this one to be competitive overall, and the decision could go either way by the end of it. Coin flip, IVF by decision.