3 weeks, 3 cards lined up back to back. I mean, is it possible to overload from all this MMA? Sad it say, it is. But that's ok because I still have another week until the start of the Strikeforce Grand Prix (which will be enticing).
Anyway, looking up and down this card, it is definitely stacked. In addition to the Spike TV prelim fights, there are also 2 being streamed live on Facebook starting at 8.
I went 3 out of 4 last time i played MMA predictor. Let's see if I can run the table this time :
Let's start with the main event, Vitor Belfort vs Anderson Silva. A lot is riding on the line besides the title here. In addition to Silva winning his 15th straight fight (which would already add to a UFC record for consecutive victories) is a potential superfight with welterweight kingpin Georges St. Pierre should "The Spider" prevail.
Don't get it twisted; People might say that Chael Sonnen was only able to push Silva to the limit due to a rib injury by the champ and Sonnen's subsequent suspension for illegal substances, but everybody knows one thing : Anderson Silva has horrible wrestling skills and is merely so-so off of his back. Vitor's best chance to win this fight is to crowd Anderson and go for a takedown. From there, he may be able to secure a chance to finish through Ground and Pound.
In contrast, Silva's chance to win this fight is to do what he's always done : By giving Belfort angles and not backing down from what "The Phenom" throws. While Vitor has one punch KO power, Silva has enough of a chin he could take more than a few shots. It would be nice if we could see Silva force the issue and take him down and show more of his Jiu-Jitsu skills that he showed in his fight against Sonnen.
The Pick : Vitor might throw a ton of punches in the early going, but it will be only a matter of time before he "gives up" and allows Silva to take over. I'm taking Anderson by submission.
Next, we have a fight between former champions from the Middleweight and Light Heavyweight divisions, between Forrest Griffin and Rich Franklin. Franklin hasn't fought since he played Shawn Michaels to Chuck Liddell's Ric Flair and retired him last June, While Griffin has battled a rash of injuries that have prevented him from fighting since beating Tito Ortiz (of all people),
in a rematch of their first fight in November of 2009.
Let's get it straight folks : this won't be a ground fight, but rather a stand up war. Both competitors come from stand up backgrounds and expect to see a lot of leg kicks from Griffin in the early going. That being said, Franklin might be able to do enough to check his leg kicks and may throw with some of his own. He also punches really hard, and as we saw in his fight against Anderson Silva, Forrest's jaw doesn't like hard punches.
Expect this fight to go all 3 rounds, with a split decision victory for Franklin.
Our third fight brings us 2 of the young studs of the 205 lb. division, with what I think are 2 of the best nicknames in the sport, that being Ryan "Darth" Bader and Jon "Bones" Jones. Bader is coming off a decision victory over Antonio Rogerio Noguiera last September, while the always game Jones dismantled Vladimir Matyushenko in his last fight in August. Bader comes into the fight 12-0, while Jones' only loss came via disqualification, at a point in a fight where he was in full control.
Stylistically, these 2 match up very well : Bader is a guy who likes to muscle and bully his opponents, while Jones' raw athleticism (he might be the most athletic fighter in MMA today in my opinion) gives him all kinds of angles to throw spinning backfists and elbows. Expect a war for about a round, until Jones takes control and wins via ground and pound.
Our 4th fight brings us Jake Ellenburger, who has stated nobody wants to fight Jon Fitch "more than he does" in an interview with MMAJunkie, take on prospect Carlos Rocha. Ellenburger might be looking forward a little too much to Fitch, and I think Rocha might take him via submission.
Well those are my picks. How about yours? Agree or disagree? anything else you want to get back to me on? Hit me up at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com or tweet me at twitter.com/mmarmaggedon
Until next t ime, fight fans.
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