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.
