UFC 179
Predictions
October
23, 2014
By Ryan
Porzl
Showing posts with label MMA Predictions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MMA Predictions. Show all posts
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Monday, October 20, 2014
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Friday, September 26, 2014
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Monday, September 15, 2014
Monday, September 8, 2014
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Friday, August 29, 2014
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Bellator 122 Predictions
Bellator
122 Predictions
July
17, 2014
By Ryan
Porzl
Kelly
Anundson vs. Phelipe Lins
Nickname: Crossface | Monstro
Height: 5'11 | 6'2
Age: 29 | 28
MMA
Record (BMMA): 7-2 (2-0) | 9-0 (2-0)
Arm
Length: 72 in. | 79 in.
Team: American Top Team | Nova
Uniao
Weight
Class: Light Heavyweight (205 pounds)
Notes:
Bellator Summer Series 2014 Light Heavyweight Tournament Semifinals
Predictions:
Lins. Lins is considered one of Bellator's brightest prospects and
not just in the Light Heavyweight division. Anundson has shown great
wrestling and submission skills but it may be hard for him to use
that against Lins. Lins is a big, strong Light Heavyweight so he
could be hard for Anundson to control. He's got a very long reach and
if he uses it then he should be able to keep Anundson at bay. He's
probably one of, if not, the biggest opponent Anundson has faced.
He's a good striker with knockout power and he's got very good
jiu-jitsu as he's showed in his Bellator run. He specifically has
used the rear-naked choke in both of his Bellator appearances and
that could help him here since he has long limbs. In his last fight
he also showed patience as he took his time sinking the choke in
against Heidlage.
Liam
McGeary vs. Egidijus Valavicius
Nickname: None | None
Height: 6'6 | 6'0
Age: 31 | 35
MMA
Record (BMMA): 7-0 (4-0) | 27-10 (2-0)
Arm
Length: 81 in. | 75 in.
Team: Team Renzo Gracie | Flawless
MMA
Weight
Class: Light Heavyweight (205 pounds)
Notes:
Bellator Summer Series 2014 Light Heavyweight Semifinals
Predictions:
McGeary. Like Lins, McGeary is another one of Bellator's biggest
prospects. To date, McGeary hasn't shown many or any weaknesses yet
for Valavicius to exploit as he's never lost nor has been put in a
situation where he's been in any danger. The only time he showed
weakness was when he lost his first amateur fight by submission but
that was six years ago. He's got one punch knockout power. He's able
to just swarm in on an opponent and finish them quickly. He has a
huge size and reach advantage which should at least frustrate
Valavicius. McGeary also has good jiu-jitsu as he trains with Renzo
Gracie. He's also a well-rounded fighter with four wins by knockout
and three wins by submission. Though all of his Bellator fights
haven't gone beyond 91 seconds, McGeary has had long fights as his
debut fight went 4:45 into the third round and his third fight went
into the second round (though it did end in 41 seconds).
Phil
Baroni vs. Karo Parisyan
Nickname: The New York Bad Ass | The Heat
Height: 5'9 | 5'10
Age: 38 | 31
MMA
Record (BMMA): 15-17 (0-0) | 23-10, 1NC (1-1)
Arm
Length: 72 in. | 75½ in.
Team: American Kickboxing Academy | Team Hayastan
Weight
Class: Welterweight (170 pounds)
Notes:
Baroni's Bellator debut
Predictions:
Parisyan. Parisyan has had his issues but he should still take this
one. Barring Baroni from hitting a great punch or kick quickly, I
can't see how Baroni wins. Baroni is 38 years old, hasn't competed in
fourteen months, and is falling apart badly. His Bellator debut was
delayed by two months because of an injury and prior to that, he lost
to Nobutatsu Suzuki when his ankle caved in on him. Baroni has good
striking and power but his ground game isn't that great and his
cardio is his biggest issue. More times than not, if Baroni can't
knock someone out in 120 seconds or less then he'll likely get tired.
Parisyan has an excellent ground game and he could submit Baroni if
he can get this fight to the ground. Even if he can't submit him,
Parisyan could just take him down and grind a decision. As the fight
goes on, Baroni won't be able to get up as he'll likely be too tired.
Time is on Parisyan's side as his chances for victory increase the
longer the fight goes.
Andrey
Koreshkov vs. Adam McDonough
Nickname: Spartan | Big
Gunna
Height: 6'0 | 5'10
Age: 23 | 28
MMA
Record (BMMA): 16-1 (7-1) | 11-0 (3-0)
Arm
Length: 74 in. | 66
in.
Team: RusFighter Sport Club | Get Sum
Athletic Compound
Weight
Class: Welterweight (170 pounds)
Notes:
Bellator Season 10 Welterweight Tournamaent Finals
Predictions:
Koreshkov. McDonough has proven to be a good prospect but his
Cinderella story ends here. McDonough is tough but I don't give him
much of a chance against Koreshkov. To me, this reminds me of season
nine with Justin Wilcox where he got some upset wins and surprised
many only to get destroyed in the finals. Koreshkov is a beast in the
standup. He's got nasty knockout power and he's a good striker on top
of that. Like his mentor Alexander Shlemenko, Koreshkov is also very
good at mixing up his attacks as he'll use punches and kicks along
with body shots. Koreshkov also has a very good chin as well with his
only loss being a TKO after being outwrestled and ground and pounded
for three and a half rounds. Koreshkov will also have a huge reach
advantage which should allow him to beat McDonough to the punch.
Brett
Cooper vs. Brandon Halsey
Nickname: Fudoshin | Bull
Height: 6'0 | 5'11
Age: 27 | 27
MMA
Record (BMMA): 20-9 (7-3) | 6-0 (4-0)
Arm
Length: 72 in. | 72
in.
Team: Reign MMA | HB
Ultimate
Weight
Class: Middleweight (185 pounds)
Notes:
Bellator Season 10 Middleweight Tournament Finals
Predictions:
Cooper. I've learned from watching Cooper that you never count him
out. Cooper is mentally tough as he's the kind of fighter that can be
down two rounds and still fight to win. He clearly lost the first
round to Kendall Grove but bounced back and knocked him out in round
two. In the Dan Cramer fight, he lost the first two rounds but came
back and knocked Cramer out in the third round. In other words, if
Halsey wants to win then he can't take his foot off the gas pedal at
any time during this fight. Cooper has knockout power and could knock
Halsey out as well. While Halsey is the better wrestler, Cooper
trains at Reign MMA with Mark Munoz and the rest of the team so he
has good wrestling and should be ready for Halsey. Cooper should also
be the toughest fight in Halsey's career but Cooper has faced tougher
fighters like Steve Carl, Alexander Shlemenko, Kendall Grove, and
Doug Marshall.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
UFC 175 Predictions
UFC 175
Predictions
July 1,
2014
By Ryan
Porzl
Kevin
Casey vs. Bubba Bush
Nickname: King | The
Fighting Texas Aggie
Height: 5'11 | 6'0
Age: Unknown | 28
MMA
Record (UFC): 8-3 (0-1) | 8-2 (0-0)
Arm
Length: 77 in. | 72
in.
Team: Black House |
Brazos Valley MMA
Weight
Class: Middleweight (185 pounds)
Notes:
Bush's UFC debuts.
Preview:
Casey is riding a three fight win streak. His recent win was over
Andrew Sanchez by KO at RFA 15 (June 6, 2014). Bush is riding a four
fight win streak. His recent win was over Alfonso Gonzales by
submission at Legacy FC 31 (June 13, 2014).
Predictions:
Casey. As is the case with most prelims on Fight Pass, I'm not
familiar with either fighter. But I'll go with Casey. Casey is
training with Black House so he should have better trainers and
sparring partners. He's trained with Rickson Gracie in Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu and is a black belt. He's had an even amount of knockout
and submission wins with three each. He has a big reach advantage
with his arms being five inches longer. All of his losses have come
by TKO but he could still win with the reach advantage if he knows
how to use it and possibly getting better training. Then there's the
case that this is Bush's UFC debut. Fighters who move to the big
leagues tend to get nervous and Bush has never competed in a big
company before. Casey has been on the Ultimate Fighter and he has
competed in the UFC, Strikeforce, and K-1 Hero's so he has been on
big stages before. Casey has also faced named fighters as he has
fought against Minowaman and Matt Lindland.
Luke
Zachrich vs. Guilherme Vasconcelos
Nickname: None | Bomba
Height: 6'2 | 6'0
Age: 32 | Unknown
MMA
Record (UFC): 13-3 (0-1) | 3-1 (0-0)
Arm
Length: 74.5 in. | 72
in.
Team: Ronin Training Center | Titi Jiu
Jitsu
Weight
Class: Middleweight (185 pounds)
Notes:
Vasconcelos' UFC debut.
Preview:
Zachrich is coming off a loss to Caio Magalhaes by TKO at UFC on FOX
11 (April 19, 2014). Vasconcelos is riding a two fight win streak.
His recent win was over Elizeu dos Santos at Jungle Fight 54 (June
29, 2013).
Predictions:
Zachrich. For one, Zachrich has the experience as Vasconcelos has
only competed in four professional fights. Vasconcelos has also not
competed in more than a year. He's making his debut in the UFC which
could make him nervous. It's very common for fighters to get nervous
fighting on a big stage especially when they've had so few of fights.
Zachrich is also a pretty well-rounded fighter with four wins coming
by way of knockout and seven by submission. Vasconcelos is very
decorated in Brazilian jiu-jitsu but Zachrich does have a brown belt
in BJJ so he can hold his own on the ground.
George
Roop vs. Rob Font
Nickname: None | None
Height: 5'10 | 5'8
Age: 32 | Unknown
MMA
Record (UFC): 15-10-1 (5-6) | 10-1 (0-0)
Arm
Length: 72 in. | Unknown
Team: Apex MMA | Team Sityodtong
Weight
Class: Bantamweight (135 pounds)
Notes:
Font's UFC debut.
Preview:
Roop is coming off a win over Dustin Kimura by unanimous decision at
UFC The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale (April 16, 2014). Font is
riding a nine fight win streak. His recent win was over Tristan
Johnson by KO at CES MMA 23 (April 25, 2014).
Predictions: Roop. I'll admit, I know
nothing of Font. Roop is a huge bantamweight. He has very good
striking defense, very good takedown accuracy, and takedown defense.
He's got good standup with TKO wins coming by punches, body shots,
and head kicks. Roop has faced tougher competition including Hatsu
Hioki, Brian Bowles, Mark Hominick, Korean Zombie, and Cub Swanson.
His record can be deceiving. At first look, 15-10 doesn't look good.
But when you look at closely and see he's beaten talent like Korean
Zombie and Brian Bowles while his losses coming from Eddie Wineland,
Mark Hominick, Hatsu Hioki, and Cub Swanson you'll see he's won and
lost to top competition. Font's 10-1 but outside of a loss to current
top Bellator featherweight Desmond Green early in both men's career,
he hasn't fought anyone notable. Font's taking a big step up in his
career.
Chris
Camozzi vs. Bruno Santos
Nickname: None | Carioca
Height: 6'3 | 5'9
Age: 27 | 26
MMA
Record (UFC): 19-7 (6-4) | 13-1 (0-1)
Arm
Length: 75.5 in. | 72
in.
Team: Factory X Muay Thai/MMA | Ze Mario Team
Weight
Class: Middleweight (185 pounds)
Notes:
Preview:
Camozzi is riding a two fight losing streak. His recent win was over
Lorenz Larkin by unanimous decision at UFC Fight for the Troops 3
(November 6, 2013). Santos is coming off a loss to Krzysztof Jotko by
unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Bigfoot (December 7,
2013).
Predictions: Carmozzi. He's got good Muay
Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He's very good defensively in regards
to striking and takedowns. He's a very big middleweight with a two
and half inch reach advantage. Camozzi has been a submission magnet
but doesn't have to worry about being finished as Santos has only one
win by knockout and one by submission and the knockout win was a
corner stoppage. Both finishes were also years ago as well.
Carmozzi's recent losses were to very good fighters like up and comer
Lorenz Larkin and top fighter Ronaldo Souza.
Kenny
Robertson vs. Ildemar Alcantara
Nickname: None | Marajo
Height: 5'10 | 6'2
Age: 30 | 31
MMA
Record (UFC): 13-3 (2-3) | 20-6 (3-1)
Arm
Length: 74 in. | 78
in.
Team: Central Illnois Combat Club | Marajo
Brothers Team
Weight
Class: Welterweight (170 pounds)
Notes:
Robertson is replacing Santiago Ponzinibbio.
Preview:
Robertson is coming off a win over Thiago Perpetuo by submission at
UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Henderson 2 (March 23, 2014). Alcantara
is coming off a win over Albert Tumenov by split decision at UFC
Fight Night: Machida vs. Mousasi (February 15, 2014).
Predictions: Alcantara. Alcantara is a
massive welterweight at 6'2 and once competed at Light Heavyweight.
He has a big reach for a welterweight and four inch reach advantage
against Robertson. He has a lot of advantages over Robertson. He's
has better takedown defense and takedown accuracy than Robertson. His
striking defense is better. He's very skilled with submissions as
he's able to get rear-naked chokes, armbars, and kneebars. He's never
been submitted in his career and the two times he lost by TKO were in
bigger divisions. On top of that, one was by leg kicks and not
because he was knocked out. The other was against heavyweight
Geronimo dos Santos. These losses were also years ago as well.
Urijah
Faber vs. Alex Caceres
Nickname: The California Kid | Bruce Leeroy
Height: 5'6 | 5'9
Age: 35 | 26
MMA
Record (UFC): 30-7 (6-3) | 10-5, 1NC (5-3, 1NC)
Arm
Length: 69 in. | 70
in.
Team: Team Alpha Male | MMA
Lab
Weight
Class: Bantamweight (135 pounds)
Notes:
Preview:
Faber is coming off a loss to Renan Barao by TKO at UFC 169 (February
1, 2014). Caceres is coming off a win over Sergio Pettis by
submission at UFC on FOX 11 (January 25, 2014).
Predictions: Faber. Caceres has continued
to make improvement since moving to the MMA Lab but you can't predict
him beating Faber. Faber is an elite fighter and not only become
known for beating just about anyone that's not the champions but he
does it very easily. Faber has the whole package as he can strike,
he's got great wrestling, very skilled with submissions, good cardio,
very strong for a bantamweight, good jiu-jitsu, and good power for a
bantamweight. I don't see how Caceres can win this fight. He doesn't
have knockout power and Faber doesn't have a bad chin. He's not
submitting Faber as Faber has never been submitted in his career and
Caceres won't be the first to do it. Finally, Caceres will not beat
Faber on points. Faber's better in all areas. He's a better striker
than Caceres and is on a whole other level on the ground. If this
fight goes to the ground, then Faber will win this. Faber is not only
the better grappler but Caceres has suffered multiple losses by
submission while Faber has never been submitted. Overall, Caceres has
been improving and been successful but this is a huge step up in
competition.
Marcus
Brimage vs. Russell Doane
Nickname: The Bama Beast | None
Height: 5'4 | 5'7
Age: 29 | Unknown
MMA
Record (UFC): 6-2 (3-1) | 13-3 (1-0)
Arm
Length: 71 in. | 69.5
in.
Team: American Top Team | Hawaii
Elite MMA
Weight
Class: Bantamweight (155 pounds)
Notes:
Preview:
Brinage is coming off a loss to Conor McGregor by TKO at UFC on Fuel
TV: Mousasi vs. Latifi (April 6, 2013). Doane is riding a two fight
win streak. His recent win was over Leandro Issa by technical
submission at UFC Fight Night: Saffiedine vs. Lim (January 4, 2014).
Predictions: Doane. Doane has a lot of
advantages going into this fight. He's has the better standup with
better striking accuracy and defense than Brimage. His takedown
defense is very good and should be difficult to take down. He's also
a finisher with eleven of his thirteen wins being finishes. He's got
power and he's able to submit opponents. Brimage, on the other hand,
has a ton of disadvantages. He's given away a lot of size in this
fight so it will be difficult for him to control Doane with grappling
especially since Doane has very good takedown defense. Brimage is
also coming off fifteen month layoff after he lost to Conor McGregor
by TKO in only 67 seconds. He's not much of a finisher as he hasn't
shown a lot of power with only two wins by TKO and he's never
submitted an opponent. This could also benefit Doane since most of
his losses (two) have been by submission.
Uriah
Hall vs. Thiago Santos
Nickname: Prime Time | Marreta
Height: 6'0 | 6'0
Age: 29 | 30
MMA
Record (UFC): 8-4 (1-2) | 9-2 (1-1)
Arm
Length: 80.5 in. | 76 in.
Team: Reign Training Center | Tata Fight
Team
Weight
Class: Middleweight (185 pounds)
Notes:
Preview:
Hall is coming off a win over Chris Leben by TKO at UFC 168 (December
28, 2013). Santos is coming off a win over Ronny Markes by TKO at UFC
Fight: Shogun vs. Henderson 2 (March 23, 2014).
Predictions: Hall. This fight is one of,
if not, the wildcard fight on this show. Hall's positives and
negatives are well documented in that he's a very talented fighter
but at times lacks a killer instinct that's cost him fights. However,
Hall should still take this. He's a devastating striker with scary
power. He good with kicks and has a reach advantage which is
important since both are primarily strikers. Hall is also the more
accurate striker and better defensely. Santos has also been very
inconsistent since coming to the UFC. His debut fight against Cezar
Ferreira saw him get submitted in less than a minute. His next fight
then saw him defeat Ronny Markes by TKO in less than a minute. So
while Hall can come off as hit or miss, Santos can too.
Stefan
Struve vs. Matt Mitrione
Nickname: Skyscraper | Meathead
Height: 7'0 | 6'3
Age: 26 | 35
MMA
Record (UFC): 25-6 (9-4) | 7-3 (7-3)
Arm
Length: 84.5 in. | 82 in.
Team: Team Schrijber | Blackzilians
Weight
Class: Heavyweight (265 pounds)
Notes:
Preview:
Struve is coming off a loss to Mark Hunt by TKO at UFC on Fuel TV:
Silva vs. Stann (March 3, 2013). Mitrione is coming off a win over
Shawn Jordan by KO at UFC The Ultimate Fighter China Finale (March 1,
2014).
Predictions: Struve. Yes, Struve is coming
off a sixteen month layoff. Yes, he is coming off a heart condition.
However, he could still take this. For one thing Struve has very
great Brazilian jiu-jitsu especially for a heavyweight. He's great on
top of opponents and even off his back. He can always go to that if
necessary. If Branden Schaub can control Mitrione and submit him then
Struve can too. Before the Mark Hunt loss and the heart condition,
Struve was riding a four fight win streak and considered by fans and
some MMA sites to be a Top Ten heavyweight. While he hasn't put
everything together, Struve has a lot of skills. Despite not being
the most comfortable standing up and having suffered some brutal
knockouts, Struve is still a threat standing. He has shown power and
can knock fighters out. Probably his most impressive standup
performance was against Stipe Miocic who is a very good prospect and
a former golden gloves champion yet Struve defeated him by TKO and
handed him his first loss. Struve is also tough mentally as he can
get dominated in one round and come back the next. He's not the type
to fold. Mitirione is not a bad fighter but he's a middle of the pack
fighter at best. He's also not great at anything. There's really no
area that he's great at that he can take the fight. He's not a great
striker or grappler. Mitrione has also gone the distance only two
times in his career with the last being nearly three years ago
against Cheick Kongo.
Ronda
Rousey vs. Alexis Davis
Nickname: Rowdy | Ally-Gator
Height: 5'7 | 5'6
Age: 27 | 29
MMA
Record (UFC): 9-0 (3-0) | 16-5 (3-0)
Arm
Length: 66 in. | 67
in.
Team: Glendale Fight Club | Cesar
Gracie Fight Team
Weight
Class: Women's Bantamweight (135 pounds)
Notes:
For the UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship
Preview:
Rousey is undefeated with nine wins. Her recent win was over Sara
McMann by TKO at UFC 170 (February 22, 2014). Davis was riding a five
fight win streak. Her recent win was over Jessica Eye by split
decision at UFC 170 (February 22, 2014).
Predictions: Rousey. Rousey is a dominant
champion and it's hard to predict against her when she's most of the
women in the division. Davis is a good fighter with a very good
ground game but Rousey is a big, strong bantamweight with Olympic
level judo. Unless Rousey gets careless, it will be difficult to for
Davis to submit Rousey. Rousey has obviously been working on her
striking as she's shown in her last two fights to show she's more
than a one trick pony. Davis has never been submitted before but that
hasn't stopped Rousey since she became the first to submit Miesha
Tate and nearly broke her arm off. Even when Rousey comes off as the
predictable one trick pony, she's still proven she's capable of
pulling off her trick.
Chris
Weidman vs. Lyoto Machida
Nickname: The All-American | The Dragon
Height: 6'2 | 6'1
Age: 30 | 36
MMA
Record (UFC): 11-0 (7-0) | 21-4 (13-4)
Arm
Length: 78 in. | 74
in.
Team: Serra-Longo Fight Team | Black
House
Weight
Class: Middleweight (185 pounds)
Notes:
For the UFC Middleweight Championship
Preview:
Weidman is undefeated with eleven wins. His recent win was over
Anderson Silva by TKO at UFC 168 (December 28, 2013). Machida is
riding a two fight win streak. His recent win was over Gegard Mousasi
by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Mousasi
(February 15, 2014).
Predictions: Machida. Machida has mostly
been his best against wrestlers. He's usually great in being elusive
and preventing wrestlers from grabbing him or striking him and
frustrate them to making mistakes. Machida has fought two times in
middleweight including a five round fight against Gegard Mousasi so
he's used to making the weight and go five rounds without getting
tired. Machida also has a lot of knockout power and can score a
knockout at anytime. His ground game is very underrated as he has
good wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and takedown defense. He's able to get
back up get off the cage in the clinch. He has very good balance as
he has trained in sumo. Weidman is undefeated but Machida has gone
through this before. He derailed the Sokoudjou hype train as he
defeated Sokoudjou in Sokoudjou's UFC debut while Sokoudjou was
riding high with big wins over Little Nog and Ricardo Arona. He's
also handed Thiago Silva and Rashad Evans their first losses in
spectacular fashion back to back.
Monday, June 30, 2014
WSOF 11 Review
WSOF 11
Predictions
June
23, 2014
By Ryan
Porzl
Cody
Bollinger vs. Pablo Alfonso
Nickname: Bam Bam | The
Hurricane
Height: 5'10 | 5'8
Age: 23 | 31
MMA
Record (WSOF): 15-3, 1NC (1-0) | 9-6 (1-0)
Arm
Length: 67 in. | 69
in.
Team: Joe Stevenson's Cobra Kai | MMA Masters
Weight
Class: Bantamweight (135 pounds)
Notes:
Preview:
Bollinger is riding a two fight win streak. His recent win was over
Tyson Nam by unanimous decision at WSOF 8 (January 18, 2014). Alfonso
is riding a three fight win streak. His recent win was over Miguel
Torres by unanimous decision at WSOF 6 (October 26, 2013).
Prediction:
Bollinger. Bollinger has more going for him. He has an even amount of
knockout, submission, and decision wins so he should be comfortable
no matter where the fight goes. He's faced tough competition in the
past including Din Thomas, Shahbulat Shamhalaev, and Tyson Nam.
Alfonso is mostly a submission grappler so his strategy shouldn't be
hard to figure out for Bollinger. He's only won by knockout or TKO
twice so he's not much of a striker or wields a lot of power. Also
training with Joe Stevenson and the other trainer should help since
Stevenson has been a very successful fighter in the past.
Melvin
Guillard vs. Gesias Cavalcante
Nickname: The Young Assassin | JZ
Height: 5'9 | 5'8
Age: 31 | 30
MMA
Record (WSOF): 31-13-2, 2NC (1-0) | 18-7-1, 2NC (2-1)
Arm
Length: 71 in. | 71
in.
Team: American Top Team | Blackzilians
Weight
Class: Lightweight (155 pounds)
Notes:
Guillard's WSOF debut.
Preview:
Guillard is winless in his last two fights (1 loss, 1 no contest).
His recent fight was a loss to Michael Johnson by unanimous decision
at UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Manuwa (March 8, 2014). Cavalcante
is coming off a win over Tyson Griffin by TKO at WSOF 4 (August 10,
2013).
Prediction:
Cavalcante. Cavalcante may not be the same elite fighter he once was
during his days in K-1 HERO'S but he's still a very talented and
consistant fighter. Outside of an injury, you know what to expect
from Cavalcante. Guillard is a talented fighter but he's one of the
most inconsistant fighters of his generation. Guillard is one of
those head cases where he doesn't always show up mentally for fights,
gets careless and gets himself hurt, and constantly switches gyms
with ATT being the fourth gym Guillard's called home in three years.
Guillard is dangerous standing up but his ground game isn't the best.
Not only are nine of his thirteen losses by submission but he's been
caught and submitted when he's winning fights or out of nowhere only
minutes into a fight. Guillard has seen himself time and time again
have a fight won only to get caught with something and lose by
submission or knockout. Cavalcante has a lot of good skills. He's a
very well-rounded fighter with a near equal amount of knockout and
submission wins. He's a very good grappler who's won with a variety
of submissions including guillotine chokes, kimuras, armbars, and
achilles locks. He's also a good striker and can hold his own in the
stand up. Cavalcante also has never been submitted and only knocked
out once which also including his trips into kickboxing. In his
prime, Cavalcante has also shown a lot of dynamite as he's knocked
out or TKOed Michihiro Omigawa, Hiroyuki Takaya, Nam Phan, and Vitor
Ribeiro in fights that lasted less than a minute.
Jon
Fitch vs. Dennis Hallman
Nickname: None | Superman
Height: 6'0 | 5'10
Age: 36 | 38
MMA
Record (WSOF): 25-6-1, 1NC (1-1) | 53-14-2, 1NC (0-0)
Arm
Length: 74 in. | 72 in.
Team: American Kickboxing Academy | Victory Athletics
Weight
Class: Welterweight (170 pounds)
Notes:
Hallman's WSOF debut. Hallman is replacing Rouismar Palhares, Jake
Shields, and Josh Burkman.
Preview:
Fitch is coming off a win over Marcelo Alfaya by split decision at
WSOF 6 (October 26, 2013). Hallman is riding a three fight win
streak. His recent win was over Aleksey Shapovalov by submission at
Union of Veterans of Sport: Cup of Champions (December 21, 2013).
Prediction:
Fitch. For one thing, Hallman is taking this fight on only three
weeks notice which is not a lot of time to prepare a fight especially
for a fighter like Fitch. Fitch hasn't looked elite in a long time
but he should still take this. In his last fight against Marcelo
Afaya, he showed some improved striking which should help him in this
fight and he even dropped Afaya. He's a very good wrestler and
grinder who is capable of taking fighters down and keeping them down
for fifteen minutes. He's also a big welterweight while Hallman is
more of a lightweight and hasn't competed in Welterweight in a long
time. Hallman is also a grappler and has won most of his fights by
submission but Fitch is well known for his submission defense. Even
the highly decorated grappler Demian Maia couldn't submit him in
fifteen minutes despite trying. While Fitch has lost to Josh Burkman
last year by technical submission, Burkman rocked him before the
guillotine choke. The problem for Hallman is he doesn't have the
power Burkman has and probably won't be able to stun him like
Burkman.
Justin
Gaethje vs. Nick Newell
Nickname: None | Notorious
Height: 5'11 | 5'10
Age: 25 | 28
MMA
Record (WSOF): 11-0 (4-0) | 11-0 (2-0)
Arm
Length: 70 in. | 74 in.
Team: Grudge Training Center | Fighting
Arts Academy
Weight
Class: Lightweight (155 pounds)
Notes:
For the WSOF Lightweight Championship
Preview:
Gaethje is undefeated with eleven wins. His recent win was over Rich
Patishnock by TKO at WSOF 8 (January 18, 2014). Newell is undefeated
with eleven wins Sabah Fadai by submission at WSOF 7 (December 7,
2013).
Prediction:
Gaethje. Gaethje has a lot of things going for him. He's a very good
striker with a ton of power. He's training at Grudge Training Center
with Trevor Wittman who is a very good striking coach. He's also a
southpaw which could throw Newell off. He's also a decorated wrestler
and can be very explosive. Newell is a talented fighter but has a lot
of problems going into this fight. For one, he mostly uses his
wrestling to get fighters to the ground and submit them. However,
Gaethje is a very good wrestler in his own right and is probably the
best wrestler he's faced to date. If he can't get the fight to the
ground then he'll be in trouble because he's a one armed fighter and
it's doubtful he'll outstrike Gaethje. Newell is also not very
familiar with long fights. With the exception of one fight, every
other fight has not gone beyond the first round. If this fight goes
to the second, third, and beyond it's unknown how Newell will
perform. Gaethje has also been in big fights as he's main evented
shows before and he's faced name fighters like Drew Fickett, JZ
Cavalcante, and Dan Lauzon. Newell has done neither. The fact the
pressure could be too much is something to consider since he's never
main evented a show like WSOF or faced someone the caliber of
Gaethje.
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Bellator 121 Predictions
Bellator
121 Predictions
June 1,
2014
By Ryan
Porzl
Rodney
Wallace vs. Kelly Anundson
Nickname:
Show Nuff the Master | Crossface Height: 5'9 | 5'11
Age: 32 | 29
MMA Record (BMMA): 21-8-1 (1-0) | 7-2 (1-0)
Arm Length: 72 in. | 72 in.
Team: Chute Boxe Piraju | American Top Team
Weight Class: Light Heavyweight (205 pounds)
Notes:
Bellator MMA Summer Series 2014 Quarterfinals. Anundson was
originally scheduled to face Carlos Eduardo.
Preview:
Wallace is riding a two fight win streak. His recent win was over
Ariel Gandulla by unanimous decision at Hard Knocks 36 (May 10,
2014). Anundson is riding a four fight win streak. His recent win was
over Volkan Oezdemir by submission at Bellator 115 (April 4, 2014).
Predictions:
Wallace. This one is the hardest for me to predict since I know
almost nothing about either fighter and have gone back and forth.
However, I go with Wallace. Wallace is the more experienced fighter
as he's competed much more than Anundson has. He's also more
well-rounded as he can box and is a former state wrestling champion.
Anundson is more of a wrestler and I'm not sure how his striking is.
He doesn't show a lot of power as he's only won one fight by
knockout. Wallace has also shown very good takedown defense in his
fight with Carlos Eduardo. If he can prevent Anundson from taking him
down then he should have a very good chance of winning this fight.
Anundson has only gone the distance once and that was his debut four
years ago. It's possible that if he can't finish Wallace then he
could tire out especially if he keeps trying takedowns and can't get
them.
Carlos
Eduardo vs. Egidijus Valavicius
Nickname:
Cachorrao | NoneHeight: 6'2 | 6'1
Age: 32 | 35
MMA Record (BMMA): 11-3 (1-1) | 26-10 (1-0)
Arm Length: 74 in. | 75 in.
Team: Nova Uniao | Flawless MMA
Weight Class: Light Heavyweight (205 pounds)
Notes:
Bellator MMA Summer Series 2014 Quarterfinals. Eduardo was originally
scheduled to face Kelly Anundson. Valavicius was originally scheduled
to face Mikhail Zayats.
Preview:
Eduardo is coming off a loss to Rodney Wallace by unanimous decision
at Bellator 116 (April 11, 2014). Valavicius is riding a two fight
win streak. His recent win was over Atanas Djambazov by TKO at
Bellator 110 (February 28, 2014).
Predictions:
Valavicius. Valavicius is a longtime veteran with a lot of skills.
He's a good striker with a lot of power as fifteen of his wins are by
knockout. He has six submission wins under his belt as well so he's
dangerous on the ground. His chin is very reliable as he's only lost
two times by TKO and one was by doctor's stoppage. Half of his losses
have been by way of submission but he hasn't been submitted in eight
years. Eduardo is a prospect but his performances aren't what he
would've wanted. He won his debut fight but got clipped by his
opponent. Valavicius is far more experienced and if he clips Eduardo
then he'll finish him. In his recent fight against Rodney Wallace, he
didn't seem to have any answer when his takedowns were blocked.
Eduardo does have wins by knockout but doesn't seem as comfortable
standing as he is on the ground.
Rameau
Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Terry Davinney
Nickname:
The African Assassin | The
PunisherHeight: 5'10 | 6'0
Age: 30 | Unknown
MMA Record (BMMA): 14-12 (0-0) | 10-7 (1-0)
Arm Length: 78 in. | Unknown
Team: Team Quest | Team Shoot
Weight Class: Light Heavyweight (205 pounds)
Notes:
Sokoudjou's Bellator debut
Preview:
Sokoudjou is riding a two fight losing streak. His recent loss was to
Konstantin Erokhin by KO at Fight Nights – Battle of Moscow 14
(December 7, 2013). Davinney is riding a two fight losing streak. His
recent loss was to Travis Wiuff by TKO at Driller Promotions –
O-Town Throwdown (April 12, 2014).
Predictions:
Sokoudjou. This could be a toss-up since I don't know anything about
Davinney and I do know about Sokoudjou's weaknesses. However, this
fight seems like a stylistically favorable fight for Sokoudjou.
Sokoudjou's does have a lot of good skills as he's a very decorated
judoka and is a good striker with a lot of power. Having a 78 inch
reach advantage should also be helpful. Davinney shouldn't be too
much of a threat either. Sokoudjou has lost most of his fights by
knockout but Davinney isn't much of a knockout fighter as only two of
his wins have come via knockout. Davinney is also easy to finish as
six of his seven losses have been by way of stoppage. He's been
knocked out three times and submitted three times. Sokoudjou has a
lot of power so he shouldn't have too much trouble knocking Davinney
out. Davinney is mostly a submission fighter but Sokoudjou hasn't
been submitted in over five years and his two submission losses were
to Lyoto Machida and Renato Sobral.
Austen
Heidlage vs. Phelipe Lins
Nickname:
None |
Monstro Height: 5'11 | 6'2
Age: 24 | 28
MMA Record (BMMA): 7-0 (0-0) | 8-0 (1-0)
Arm Length: Unknown | 79 in.
Team: Unknown | Nova Uniao
Weight Class: Light Heavyweight (205 pounds)
Notes: Heidlage's Bellator debut. Heidlage is replacing Joey Beltran.
Preview:
Heidlage is undefeated with seven wins. His recent win was over Matt
Gauthier by submission at Three River Throwdown (April 26, 2014).
Lins is undefeated with eight wins. His recent win was over Travis
Clark by submission at Bellator 116 (April 11, 2014).
Predictions:
Lins. Lins is one of Bellator's biggest prospects and should go far
in this tournament. He's a big, strong light heavyweight with a huge
reach. Lins has displayed knockout power when he competed in his
native Brazil with half of his wins coming by way of knockout. Lins
has also shown submission skills by not only winning his recent
Bellator debut by submission but it was the fastest submission win in
the history of Bellator's light heavyweight division at only 40
seconds. As for Heidlage, there's not much to get behind. For one,
he's taken this fight on short notice so it's unknown how prepared he
is. Second, I have no idea what his reach is or where he's even
training for this fight. Lins will be training at Nova Uniao which is
one of the best gyms in the world and he should be ready for this
fight.
Eric
Prindle vs. James Thompson
Nickname:
The American Soldier | MegapunkHeight: 6'4 | 6'5
Age: 37 | 35
MMA Record (BMMA): 8-5, 1NC (3-4, 1NC) | 19-14, 1NC (0-0)
Arm Length: 79 in. | Unknown
Team: CSW | Team Trojan
Weight Class: Heavyweight (265 pounds)
Notes:
Thompson's Bellator debut
Preview:
Prindle is riding a two fight losing streak. His recent loss was to
Javy Ayala by TKO at Bellator 111 (March 7, 2014). Thompson is
unbeaten in five fights (4 wins, 1 no contest). His recent win was
over Colin Robinson by submission at UXC II (March 1, 2014).
Predictions:
Prindle. Prindle is the last of a dying breed in Bellator given the
evolution of the heavyweight division. Despite being a lummox, he
should be able to pull this off. Thompson is definitely a good
stylistic opponent for Prindle. While Thompson has a lot of tools for
victory, he has a lot of flaws as well. His chin has been considered
one of the weakest in the history of the heavyweight mma and it
shouldn't take much for Prindle to knock him out. Another problem is
the fact that he'll bull rush right to his opponents and fight
extremely careless. This type of behavior got him knocked out in only
eleven seconds against Alexander Emelianenko in his PRIDE debut. Say
what you will on Prindle but he can take a punch. He's only lost by
TKO once in his career and that was a doctor's stoppage so Prindle
does have a very good chin. He's also a good boxer as was very
successful as an amateur where he won many titles in the army.
Prindle will also want to win more since his back is against the
wall. He's currently winless in his last five fights in Bellator and
is on a two fight losing streak. Another loss will see him get
released from the promotion so he should be more motivated for this
fight.
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