Sorry about the lateness of this post. My schedule has been extremely busy, to say the least. None the less I always make time to flip out a few predictions here and there. The hard thing about the Fight Nights is that besides one or two featured fights, the remainders of the fighters are relatively unknown. Though this does provide a good show since all the fighters are trying to prove something, it makes it equally difficult to predict. My last UFC predictions were not stellar as I predicted correctly 4/6 of the notable fights. The two exceptions are the Crop Cop and Jackson fights, which in my books have the highest weighting. I received some comment on how I did not take the time to predict every fight. This will normally be the case, as I choose the most interesting fights to focus on. However, I will try to throw out some general predictions for those fights below. Here are my predictions for tonight’s fight. Don’t forget the Ultimate Fighter is on right after the show.
Kenny Florian vs. Din Thomas
Kenny Florian is working his way back up from a loss to Sean Sherk at UFC 64. He has had two very respectable wins over Dokonjonosuke Mishima and Alvin Robinson. His Jujitsu has shown improvement over the last two fights, and he has shown ability to deliver in the clinch and the guard with vicious elbows. Din Thomas is a ruthless striker, with good patients and a killer instinct. Thomas also has proved that he can deliver on the ground. With all that being said, he has yet to deliver any devastating knockouts to supplement his striking ability. He does deserve credit for a win against Matt Serra at UFC 41 and some in ring experience with BJ Penn. Overall both fighters have had reputable opponents. Thomas’s lack of ability to close a fight up top, and Florians Jujitsu ability make this fight look favorably toward Kenny Florian. Do not underestimate Din Thomas though, his ruthless athletic ability may be the deciding factor on the ground. Overall I see this fight being waged on the ground and won on the ground.
Prediction: Kenny Florian
Chris Leben vs. Terry Martin
This is a surprisingly easy fight to call. Chris Leben is a household name after his antics on the Ultimate Fighter. Terry Martin is a relatively unknown fighter, even though his record is similar to Leben’s. This will be Lebens 7th Fight Night appearance, with a current record of 6-1 at the event. His ground game has been less impressive with time, and has been his undoing in previous fights. His two most recent losses have come to reputable fighters Jason Macdonald and Anderson Silva. That experience alone is worth something, though both fights ended in knockouts for Leben. Being that Lebens strength is his stand up, this is discouraging fact. Terry Martin on the other hand has been improving with every fight. He lacks the Fight Night experience that Leben holds, but he has the same relative style as Leben. Martin is bigger, stronger and has a great feel for the stand up game. He is coming off a win over a well respected Ivan Salaverry, while Leben is coming off a questionable loss to Kalib Starnes. This will be an entertaining fight, overall Martins size and strength should be the advantage.
Prediction: Terry Martin
Leonard Garcia vs. Cole Miller
Both fighters are relatively new to the UFC. I’ve only seen Miller in a single fight, during the Ultimate Fighter. He lost a fight against Nate Diaz that was questionable at best. Though Garcia has had two win in his last three fights, his most impressive feat has been his loss to Roger Huerta. Roger is becoming one of my favorite fighters, not to mention a ruthless opponent similar to Diego Sanchez. Garcia managed to hold 3 rounds with Huerta before loosing to a unanimous decision. Not bad for a new fighter. Cole Miller has impressive submission and a good feel for his stand up, while Garcia is tough and excellent on the ground. Though this fight can go either way, I expect it to go the full three rounds. Look for Garcia to grab a unanimous decision over Miller.
Prediction: Leonard Garcia
Kuniyoshi Hironaka vs. Thiago AlvesHironaka is relatively under-rated. The name Thiago in the UFC is quickly becoming associated with “upset” so it is not surprising that Alves has the apparent upper hand. Hironaka has a win over Nick Diaz, and Fitch has two impressive wins over John Alessio and Tony DeSouza. Both fighters have lost to Jon Fitch. I am going to stick with Thiago on this one, due to his improving stand up game.Prediction: Thiago Alves
Nate Diaz (W) over Junior Assuncao (L)
Nate Quarry (W) over Pete Sell (L)
Edilberto Crocota (W) over Luke Cummo (L)
Joe Veres (W) over Gray Maynard (L)
Leave a Comment
No comments yet.
Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI
