UFC 111 Preview/Picks

This card is very good and very interesting. All kinds of upsets could happen. Will they? Let’s find out…

SPIKE TV BOUTS

Ricardo Almeida vs. Matt Brown

The “Immortal” Matt Brown returns!! Everyone rejoice! How can you not like this man? All he does is win and win with style and class. I’m one of those that thinks he’s undefeated in the UFC (He lost a Split Decision to Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 88) and I don’t think he’ll lose this one. He’s beaten some impressive fighters and Almeida is another impressive fighter that will go down. Brown has tremendous heart to go along with his Muay Thai, his brown belt in Judo, and his blue belt in BJJ. Now that the Matt Brown love fest is over, I’ll give my prediction.

Winner: Brown, Rd 2, TKO

Nate Diaz vs. Rory Markham

Nate Diaz moves up in weight for the first time. This bout is a catchweight of 177lbs. His ultimate destination is welterweight (170lbs), but before that, he’ll be taking on Rory Markham. Rory is a game opponent for anyone. He has great striking, and his ground game is okay. Nate’s ground game is great, but his stand up is just okay. One would want to think Nate would be wise to take this to the ground so he could submit Markham. I think his length will play a huge role in this fight, but I think in the end Rory will close the gap and land the necessary punches that will grant him the win.

Winner: Markham, Rd 2, KO

PPV Bouts

Jim Miller vs. Mark Bocek

Bocek is a great submission artists. Six of his eight wins have come by way of submission, his last being Submission of the Night. He’ll be bringing that along with his 3 fight win streak against a step up in opponents this Saturday night. Jim Miller is a really good fighter. He has great wrestling and his submission game is pretty close to Bocek’s. I’m thinking Miller get’s his fourth victory in a row, as he’ll try to keep the game standing where he has the advantage.

Winner: Miller, Rd 2, KO

Jon Fitch vs. Ben Saunders

Jon Fitch vs Thiago Alves 2, errr….scratch that. On Thursday Dana had to scramble to replace Alves because doctors found a brain irregularity in his CAT scan. Alves says he’s fine, but the New Jersey Athletic Commission are not comfortable allowing him to fight. Whatever. In steps Ben Saunders. As soon as he heard the news he called Dana up and asked for this fight. I think it’s a pretty decent replacement. Saunders has great striking and is still a very dangerous opponent for Fitch. He’s not quite the same striker as Alves, but he uses his knees very well. I think Jon will win this fight just by sure will and he’ll eventually land the strikes to end it. I would’ve picked against Fitch had Alves been on the opposite side of the cage.

Winner: Fitch, Rd 2, TKO

Kurt Pellegrino vs. Fabricio Camoes

This fight got pushed up because of Thiago Alves failing a CAT scan, or not failing according to him. Either way Kurt gets the spotlight and I’m sure he’ll take advantage of it. He’s on a 3 fight win streak, beating Thiago Tavares, Rob Emerson, and Josh Neer. Not bad at all. Camoes is coming off a draw against Caol Uno at UFC 106. Yes, I said draw. Judges in MMA are horrible. Both these fighters are BJJ specialists, but I think it’ll be Pellegrino’s wrestling that garners him the victory.

Winner: Pellegrino, Rd 2, Submission

Frank Mir vs. Shane Carwin

This ought to be very interesting. Carwin has yet to see minute 2 of any fight and has 11 knockouts. That’s right, all of his wins are KOs. Impressive. Helps to have XXXXL gloves. Mir’s plan, no doubt, is to try to look for an opening and test Shane’s stamina. He’ll go for the kill early if it’s there, if not, he’ll wait for Carwin to tire and then go for a submission. For some reason, I’m leaning towards Carwin. Carwin is huge, like Lesnar, and like Lesnar, he’s a great wrestler. Wrestlers > Mir. He just can’t get around it. He says he’s been training for it, so I’ll guess we’ll see. My entire MMA mind says to go with the veteran, but something tells me Shane lands one of those boulders he calls hands and ends this fight similar to his other 11.

Winner: Carwin, Rd 1, KO

Georges St. Pierre vs. Dan Hardy

I really want to give Hardy a real chance, but all I can muster is a puncher’s chance. He definitley has power, and he could definitely catch Georges, but that’s all it’ll be, a catch. He’s not going to go in there and outstrike GSP and he’s not going to go in there and out wrestle GSP. So pretty much, I’d only give him like a 5% chance of pulling out this victory. In order for him to win he’ll have to defend the takedown over and over again, and if Thiago Alves couldn’t do it, no way Hardy can.

Winner: GSP, Rd 3, TKO

So there you have it. Wanna pick against me? Leave it in the comments. Winner gets a pat on the back.