Can Rory MacDonald emerge from GSP's shadow?

With GSP gone for now, can Rory MacDonald take the limelight?

by Chris Marzella @ChrisMarzella

There is but one man who could stand to benefit from the recent semi-retirement of the longtime UFC welterweight king Georges St.Pierre.
Rory "Ares" MacDonald was the long time protégé of GSP. Always living in his shadow, taking a back seat to, quite frankly, the greatest welterweight of all time.
As GSP sails off into the sunset, at least for now, MacDonald now finds himself in a position where he can legitimately make a run at the UFC title.
For as long as St.Pierre ruled at 170-pounds, MacDonald would always be an after thought when you think of Canadian fighters, hell even Tristar fighters, and was certainly firmly behind the eight ball when it came to the UFC's consideration of top contenders due to his and GSP's unwillingness to get in the octagon and fight.
Now with the path clear MacDonald can re-focus himself and finally attempt to get his hands on the title so familiar to all at Tristar.
The first step in his attempt to bounce back from his split decision loss to title contender Robbie Lawler begins this Saturday night as he gets set to take on Demian Maia at UFC 170.
Perhaps the one criticism levelled at MacDonald on too many occasions is what seems to be his willingness to "play it safe" and play a point scoring game. Dana White recently publicly slated Alistair Overeem for doing the very same thing in his victory over Frank Mir at UFC 169 and it is that type of performance which could very well hold back the 24-year-old Canadian.
It would seem then that MacDonald has some way to go before he can convince the powers that be that he is the man to get a crack at either Johny Hendricks or Robbie Lawler. A Lawler win at UFC 171 against Hendricks for the vacant title would push MacDonald further away from that precious number one contender spot given the manner of his win over MacDonald.
A win however, is far from a foregone conclusion on Saturday night. Maia himself was edging close to title contention since his move from middleweight until he was dominated by Jake Shields at UFC Fight Night 29 last October.
What Saturday night does present for MacDonald is his first opportunity to realistically stake his claim for consideration to be a future UFC welterweight title contender.
A door that has always seemed firmly shut has suddenly opened and with GSP offering no definite retirement, it could be the case that MacDonald must impress now and get his opportunity before St.Pierre returns to claim back his crown.
A move away from the recent technical performances and a shift towards a win with riskier, more offensive strategy could see him catapulted back towards the top spot, a win of any kind will still be a huge feather in the cap, a loss pushes a title shot to one side at least for now.
If MacDonald ever had aspirations for the title then UFC 170 is the time to begin planning a route to his chance.
UFC 170 takes place Saturday 22nd February from the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas.

Kingdom MMA review of UFC 169

UFC 169: Barao vs Faber II

by Sam Heard @SamHeard_

Boasting two title fights with a brace of the UFC’s most dominant champions topping off a stacked card, UFC 169 certainly promised a lot and in many ways failed to live up to this lofty expectation. Not only were UFC records broken for the most fights to go to decision – ten of the twelve fights would hit the judge’s scorecards – but the night ended in an unsatisfactory manner with a questionable referee stoppage. The disappointing nature of the night is reflected in the distribution of the bonuses with one fight taking all the honours. The Trujillo/Varner matchup would pick up not only the Knockout of the Night bonus for Trujillo but also an augmented Fight of the Night bonus as a result of the lack of a ‘Submission of the Night’ – a whopping $125,000 in bonuses for Abel Trujillo.

Renan Barao (32-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) VS. Urijah Faber (30-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC)

The UFC’s marketing of this fight was such that Faber had a 50% chance of toppling the newly crowned undisputed Bantamweight champion. Not only did Joe Rogan explicitly say this in the promo but they were also very shady about revealing the fact that the two had fought before and that Barao in his decision victory Barao had outscored Faber 50-45 on one judge’s scorecard.

In their second match-up it was all too clear that since they last met in the Octagon, Barao is the more improved of the two fighters. The first two or so minutes of the fight saw some fairly even striking exchanges between the two fighters with Faber’s tutelage under Duane Ludwig clearly giving him the confidence to kick-box with the dangerous Brazilian fighter. However, standing with Barao proved to be a mistake as a solid straight right connected directly with Faber’s jaw, dropping him and allowing Barao to swarm all over him. Somehow Faber was able to get to his feet but the Brazilian blitz continued, a typhoon of knees, uppercuts and body shots. The relentless pressure from Barao paid off as he once again dropped the dazed Alpha Male captain. Faber clung to Barao’s leg and was guarding the Brazilian’s rapid hammerfists but Herb Dean had seen enough, despite Faber having given him the thumbs up. In fairness to Faber, he did seem like he was able to continue and after the fight was stopped he was immediately up challenging the controversial decision.

This ending was undesirable to both Bantamweights – Faber was denied the opportunity to continue in the fight while Barao, who had looked amazing in the fight, couldn’t get the definitive stoppage he may have needed to get his name right up the p4p rankings.

Result: Renan Barao def. Urijah Faber via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:42

Jose Aldo (24-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) VS. Ricardo Lamas (13-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC)

Some have expressed disappointment in Jose Aldo for not picking up a victory in the distance. I am not one of these people. While he failed to stop Lamas, Aldo looked completely dominant in his unanimous decision victory and showed some of the most technically appealing combinations of strikes I’ve ever seen.

Aldo chained together long, accurate combinations throughout the fight which nearly always finished with one of his renowned thunderous leg kicks. The Brazilian champ also displayed exceptional takedown defence to ruin Lamas’ strategy to outwrestle him. Lamas was mostly unable to threaten Aldo – the only round he won on the judges’ scorecards was the fifth where he was fortunate enough to find himself on top of Aldo in a scramble. Even in this position he didn’t really trouble Aldo who was clearly content to remain on his back and let the judges give him his sixth consecutive UFC win. Critics of Aldo will attribute his losing the fifth round to his tendency to fade towards the end of fights. I tend to disagree with this as he hadn’t slowed down at all until being taken down.

At the post-fight press conference it was revealed that now Aldo has defeated all the top featherweight contenders he would be interested in moving up to 155-lbs to fight Pettis for his Lightweight belt.

Result: Jose Aldo def. Ricardo Lamas (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)

Frank Mir (16-9 MMA, 14-9 UFC) VS. Alistair Overeem (37-13 MMA, 2-2 UFC)

In what was probably the most disappointing fight on the main card we saw one of the least competitive heavyweight fights in recent memory. Most expected Overeem to come out, rock the shaky chin of Mir immediately and finish him for a quick return to the dressing room. We saw domination of a very different, far more boring kind, however. Clearly in fear of getting tagged as he has been in his past two fights, Overeem fought ultra-conservatively despite having several openings to easily finish Mir. Instead, he lay on top of Mir for large sections of the fight landing just enough ground-and-pound for the ref to not stand it back up. What could have been one of the most exciting fights on the card turned out to be boring and highly uncompetitive. Bad match-making on the part of the UFC.

Result: Alistair Overeem def. Frank Mir via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Ali Bagautinov (13-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) VS. John Lineker (23-7 MMA, 4-2 UFC)

This clash of two rising flyweights certainly seemed to be a fight for the number 1 contender spot, pitching the world-class sambo of Bagautinov against the brute power of John Lineker.

The fight was extremely back-and-forth throughout: Bagautinov, as we had seen in his last fight, was comfortable enough on his feet to throw combos at the Brazilian while mixing in takedowns while Lineker was able to cause some visible pain to the Russian, particularly with body shots in the second. Despite this, it was an easy fight to score in the end with Bagautinov’s domination on the mat able to comfortably win the first and third rounds while Lineker’s power shots in the second frame won him a round back. Bagautinov certainly seems like a worthy challenger to take on Mighty Mouse next – he was able to make a man who has been knocking out talented flyweights left, right and centre look slow, plodding and one dimensional.

Result: Ali Bagautinov def. John Lineker via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Abel Trujillo (12-5 MMA, 3-1 UFC) VS. Jamie Varner (21-9-1 MMA, 3-4 UFC)

This fight was easily the most entertaining on the whole card and there really isn’t much which can be said about it other than that you should watch it as soon as you get chance.

Imagine two Wanderlei Silva clones slugging it out in the Octagon if you want the best description of this bout. The two had each other hurt on multiple occasions and indeed it seemed Varner had all but beaten Trujillo until he got caught by a massive counter-right which sent him down immediately like a felled tree.

Once again, if you haven’t watched this fight yet, watch it.

Result: Abel Trujillo def. Jamie Varner via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 2:32

UFC 169 predictions

Kingdom MMA predictions for UFC 169

by Ben Heather @benheather and Chris Marzella @ChrisMarzella

For this event we will be predicting the fights for UFC 169 including a write up for the big 3 fights on the card and then picking our winners for the rest of the card. Let us know if you agree with our picks.

Barao vs Faber

Chris: The UFC always tends to really stack this card and I'm glad to see this year is no exception. I was disappointed when Dominick Cruz had to pull out, but it says a lot that there is still a buzz about this card. Faber just may be the most popular UFC fighter to never hold the title and I can't really see that changing come Saturday night. Renan Barao is special. I mean seriously, who goes on a 31 fight winning streak? That is ridiculous.

I'm going to go with a Barao decision in this one.

Ben: I really have been struggling to pick a winner for this fight, my head says Barao but my heart is picking Faber. I would love nothing more than to see Urijah Faber crowned the champ he has been on a tear and beats 99% of the division. I think he knows this is probably his last shot and I think it may well be the time that Team Alpha Male finally have a champion in the team.

I'm not confident at all but will go with Faber by decision.

Aldo vs Lamas

Chris: In the co-main event I can't see past Barao's stablemate. Aldo is quite simply a cut above anyone else at 145lbs. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Ricardo Lamas fan and his shot has been a long time coming, but I don't see a specific area of his game where I think he's better than Aldo. Aldo is about as devastating a striker as we have in the sport right now and it'll be interesting to see how Lamas copes with that.

My money has to be an Aldo TKO, probably in the second or third round.

Ben: I agree completely with Chris, I like Lamas and love seeing him fight. However, right now there is two divisions within the featherweight division.... Jose Aldo and everyone else. It wouldn't matter to me who Aldo was fighting if its at 145lbs I am backing him. As i predicted at the start of the year, I think Aldo will end the year as the UFC lightweight champion and on Saturday night we will see him defeat Lamas and then vacate his title. As he moves up for the super fight against Anthony Pettis.

It has to be Aldo by TKO Round 2

Mir vs Overeem

Chris: The most intriguing fight on the card for me has to be Frank Mir vs Alistair Overeem. Billed as a looser leaves town match I really think, with a loss here, we may see the last of Mir. Overeem still has a point to prove and just needs the win more. If Josh Barnett can do what he did to Mir with strikes, I fear what Overeem may be able to do.

I predict an Overeem KO.

Ben: Since Overeem has been in the UFC we have not seen him tested on his back, if Mir gets the fight down he will surely have an advantage as he does against most guys in the division but I just don't see the fight getting there. I think like Chris that Overeem is going to come in to this fight so focused and his preperation in Thailand will be put to get use on Saturday night.

Overeem by KO Round 1.

Predictions for the remainder of the Card

Bagautinov vs Lineker

Chris: Bagautinov    Ben: Lineker

Varner vs Trujillo

Chris: Trujillo          Ben: Varner

Makdessi vs Patrick

Chris: Patrick          Ben: Makdessi

Cariaso vs Martinez

Chris: Martinez        Ben: Cariaso

Catone vs Watson

Chris: Watson         Ben: Watson

Iaquinta vs Lee

Chris: Iaquinta         Ben: Iaquinta

Hester vs Enz

Chris: Hester           Ben: Hester

Martin vs Magomedov

Chris: Martin           Ben: Magomedov

Magny vs Umalatov

Chris: Umalatov      Ben: Magny

Frank Mir vs Alistair Overeem Added To UFC 167

UFC 167 MIR VS OVEREEM , EVERYTHING TO LOSE?

By Tommy Strong @strong_tea

There seems to be no signs of slowing up as the UFC continue to add big names and fights to the UFC's 20th anniversary show, UFC 167 which will take place at the MGM Grand on November 16th in Las Vegas. 

With the recent announcement that former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir will face former Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem. With more than just a win or loss on their records this fight could determine whether its the end of the line in their UFC career for the loser. 

Mir (16-8) currently ranked 8th in the official UFC rankings has seen himself slide down the ladder since losing to Junior De Santos for the UFC heavyweight championship belt at UFC 146. Mir has since gone onto lose his next two fights, firstly to Daniel Cormier and more recently being stopped by Josh Barnett via first round TKO less than 2 weeks ago. With 3 straight losses on his record , Mir will know a loss to Overeem could well see his 12 year fight career in the UFC come to an abrupt end!

Overeem (36-13-1) came to the UFC as the Strikeforce heavyweight champion and on an 8 fight winning streak. Proving in his debut fight against Brock Lesnar putting on a clinical display defeating him inside the first round at UFC 141 and earning himself a shot at then heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos.

This is where Overeem's career has rapidly gone downhill. Firstly testing positive in a random pre fight drugs test for elevated levels of testosterone forcing the UFC to pull him from the fight and Overeem being handed a 9 month suspension. 

On his return from suspension at UFC 156 in February , he faced Antonio Silva dominating the first two rounds Overeem became over confident and showed a lack of respect for 'Big Foot's' punching power and in doing so paid the ultimate price by being knocked out in the third round.

Then against Travis Browne only last month, Overeem started out the better of the two fighters and on the verge of victory, only to gas himself out within the first round. Browne somehow recovered from the onslaught and took full advantage of Overeem gassing, to land a front kick and punches to win via TKO. 

Could the loser of this fight be heading for pastures new?

Already confirmed for UFC 167:

Welterweight:           Georges St. Pierre  vs  Johny Hendricks

Light Heavyweight:  Rashad Evans        vs  Chael Sonnen

Welterweight:           Rory MacDonald   vs  Robbie Lawler

Welterweight:           Josh Koshcheck     vs  Tyron Woodley

Lightweight:             Donald Cerrone     vs  Evan Dunham

Welterweight:           Brian Ebersole       vs  Rick Story

Josh Barnett set to meet Frank Mir in UFC return at UFC 164

Barnett v Mir on for UFC 164

by Jack Broadey @J3cK_b

The UFC yesterday announced a heavyweight addition to the UFC 164 card on August 31st in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Frank Mir will take on Josh Barnett in his UFC return.

This will mark Barnett's return to the organisation after an 11 year absence. His last fight in the UFC was a win over Randy Couture where Barnett won UFC Heavyweight gold. He was later stripped of the title due to testing positive for banned substances. This would also be Barnett's last fight with the company as he would leave to fight in Japan after this fight.

Barnett was initially hesitant to sign a contract with the UFC after his Strikeforce folded. He was expected to go and fight on the Japanese circuit again where he could do Pro Wrestling as well. Barnett had a change of heart and has since signed with the UFC again.

They both have a common opponent as both were defeated by Daniel Cormier in there last fight. Frank Mir was supposed to head over to Strikeforce to fight Cormier but due to injury this was scrapped and they fought in the UFC on Cormier's debut. Mir is currently on a 2 fight losing steak after losing in a title fight to Junior Dos Santos and then dropping a decision to Cormier in his UFC debut.

He will welcome Barnett back to the UFC as well in what should be a great ground battle. It's a classic Wrestler vs grappler match and will no doubt be very exciting to see who comes out on top.

UFC on Fox 7 - A final thought - Fights to make after UFC on FOX 7

Fights to make after UFC on FOX 7

by Ben Heather @benheather and Chris Houten @Houts4thewin

Benson Henderson

Benson Henderson vs winner of TJ Grant vs Gray Maynard has been announced so we expect this to be the next time we see Henderson defend his belt in the octagon.

However, I want to see Henderson vs Melendez 2. Although the winner of TJ Grant and Gray Maynard is expected to get the next shot at the lightweight belt, this is the fight to make at the top of the lightweight pile now. Why, because it was so damn close – the fans just need to see it again.

Don't get me wrong, I'm the last guy you will hear saying that champ/ challenger should get an immediate title shot, they clog the division up and kill off top contenders – just see what happened with Pettis vs Guida, but as a fan how can we all be happy with Melendez going away to fight his way back up the contender ladder when he should actually be the champion right now depending on who you ask.

 For me this fights a no brainer and I'm sorry for the Grant vs Maynard winner but you are simply going to have to get in line with the Pettis' of this world and wait for your shot.

Gilbert Melendez

If Melendez doesn't get the rematch (which at this time is looking very unlikely) then I think that Melendez should fight another champion, this time the former Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez.

Yes, I know what you are all thinking Alvarez has not signed with the UFC yet and I agree at this point in time it needs everything to align perfectly for this fight to happen but I think not only could it happen it has the name power to easily headline a UFC event.

In any other division the thought of putting two legitimate contenders in the cage together could be thought of as lunacy as your eliminating a top name from the title picture but in a stacked division like the lightweight division anything could happen.

Daniel Cormier vs A Top Light-Heavyweight

Cormier's victory over Frank Mir was impressive, not so much for the way he won the fight, but for the way he was able to control the two time UFC heavyweight champion Mir for most of the fight. But one has to think “Cormier isn't prepared to fight Cain Velasquez that is the frigging point”!

If anything the Mir fight has introduced Cormier to a larger audience and that's about it. I feel now is the time to either step up and say “I'll fight anyone” Jon Jones style when presented with the possibility of fighting Rashad Evans or get on the phone to Mike Dolce, and work out how your gonna get down to 205, while avoiding the same problems with his Kidneys he did during the Olympics.

All things at present indicate to the latter, which if I'm honest suits me, Jon Jones is crying out for challengers at the moment (and not those that fight at MW). I'd like to see Cormier take on the winners of either Henderson vs Evans or Shogun vs lil Nog. Both options would give Cormier a real telling warm fight whether he deserves a shot at the Light Heavyweight belt.

If Daniel Cormier stays at Heavyweight

If however Cormier stays at heavyweight and agrees in the long run that him and Cain would fight I want to see him fight the winner of the Werdum vs Big Nog fight. The winner of that fight should then become the next heavyweight number 1 contender.

Frank Mir

The next time we see Frank Mir enter the octagon a fight vs Overeem would makes sense, both are coming of losses but are still very marketable guys. In a styles vs styles match up the winner of Mir vs Overeem would be back on track at making a run in the heavyweight division. This fight would make a great co-main of any numbered event.

Josh Thomson

Although I predicted a Josh Thomson victory on Saturday night, the manor in which it came was far from to be expected.

Thomson looked awesome, and of all the Strikeforce guys on the card that night he quite possibly showed himself to be the biggest stand out going into the so called big leagues.

The Lightweight division is a stacked division right now and a fight between the winner of Miller vs Healy would not only work in terms to scheduling, it would also be a fight which would take the winner one step closer to a title fight.

Realistically Thomson has just beat the #4 ranked guy in Nate Diaz and a fight versus the winner of this weekends showdown could be made for the next number 1 contender. If Henderson is set to fight either Maynard or Grant than this could be made on the same card to make the next challenger. If not, Thomson vs Miller would make a great fuel headliner if you ask me.

Nate Diaz

For me I can only see one fight which has to be made next for Nate Diaz, that's Diego Sanchez.

Diego started calling for the fight with Nate after he beat Takanori Gomi in Japan saying how he has already beat Nick and wants to be the first person to beat both Diaz brothers. Plus, if both turn up and bring their A games then it will be an incredible fight!! The fact that Nate is now coming off back to back losses makes this fight a possibility again. When Sanchez called him out it didn't look likely but now I really want to see this fight.

However Chris would like to see, Nate Diaz vs Matt Wiman.
I know Diaz has flirted with a move to welterweight citing their are no challenges for him at the weight anymore, but that excuse doesn't go down to well after you get knocked out. Diaz didn't really look himself on Saturday and maybe that can be attributed to the fact that two of his training partners have had the biggest fights of their careers just weeks apart of each other.

No doubt about it Diaz is one of the best lightweights in the world, but at this stage he is on a two fight losing streak and should take a step down in competition. Enter the fighter formally known as handsome - Matt Wiman.

 A fight with Wiman makes a lot of sense. Both guys would enter the fight coming off loses, Wiman gives Diaz the step down in competition he needs right now but still has a good enough record to make the fight sellable. This fight feels like a war!

Matt Brown

I want to see Matt Brown fight Dong Hyun Kim in a rematch of their UFC 88 battle which finished in a split decision win for Kim. The fact Kim has only lost to Condit and Maia and is now on a 2 fight winning streak makes the timing for this fight very good and could easily push the winner in to contendership and well inside the top 10.

Another possibility would be for Brown to fight the Hathaway vs Erik Silva winner.
I had a little chuckle on Saturday night when Bruce buffer introduced Matt Brown as a technical brawler, but damn that dude is on a tear! Now on a 5 fight winning streak having bounced back from losing 3 on a bounce, Matt brown is proof that the UFC should stick by their fight.

Matt brown has knocked out his last 3 opponents as part of his win streak and in any other division it's be hard to argue with a title shot, but if Johnny Hendricks can't get a title shot what hope does Matt Brown have? I'd like to see Matt Brown take on the winner of next months welterweight match up between prospects John Hathaway and Erik Silva.

The winner of this fight will prove a stern test for Brown as he looks towards a title fight, and likewise a fight with Matt Brown will show what the future will hold in the careers of either Hathaway or Silva.

Jordan Mein

Jordan Mein vs Brian Ebersole, Jordan Mein was expected to beat Matt Brown on Saturday and unfortunately it looks like the hype train has been derailed ever-so-slightly. He's young and there is still plenty of time to break the top 10. It's likely Mein will find himself on the undercard of PPV even, or possibly the main card of a fuel / fx card and a fight with Brain Ebersole would make sense - similar skillsets, position in the rankings and both coming off losses.

UFC on FOX 7 Main Card Results - Frank Mir vs Daniel Cormier

Daniel Cormier defeats Frank Mir by Unanimous Decision

by Ben Heather @benheather

If you was expecting this fight to become Daniel Cormier's grand entrance to the UFC and make him easily promotable as the new big contender in the UFC for either the Heavyweight or Light Heavyweight division you were sadly wrong.

In every round Cormier did all he could to hold Mir against the cage and while he was there was able to get off some big shots working both Mir's body and his head. When the fight got separated by Herb Dean, Mir only attempted to get the fight down to the canvas once and that came to nothing. It seemed that Mir was trying to outstrike Cormier but every time was out wrestled and then the fight went back to the cage.

The only real time Mir seemed to have an advantage was in the third when he landed a couple of body kicks but nothing to the extent to hurt Cormier. Rightfully so all three judges scored the fight 30-27.

I think Cormier will want and in my opinion need to show the UFC fans just how good he was in Strikeforce in his next fight. Not all UFC fans have seen what Cormier has done up until now and if he puts on another show like he did on Saturday night against Mir then it may be at least a couple of fights before he gets that title shot everyone has spoke about. Yes he is now 12-0 and yes he completely stopped Mir from trying to implement his game plan on Saturday but I didn't see the exciting Cormier that we all know from his Strikeforce days.

The question now is what weight will we see Cormier fight in next and where does Frank Mir go from here?

UFC on Fox 7 Main Card Predictions

Kingdom MMA: UFC on FOX 7 Main Card Predictions

by Ben Heather @benheather

On Saturday night it will mark the 7th time that the UFC will be on FOX and this fight card has a real UFC vs Strikeforce feel to it all the way through. I really like how the UFC has put this card together and if the introudction most of the Strikeforce fighters have put on up until now is anything to go by, we will be in for a treat on Saturday night.

Below you will find the predictions from all the guys at Kingdom MMA for the main card.

Benson Henderson (18-2) #1 LW vs. Gilbert Melendez (21-2) #2 LW

Scott: There are not many who can significantly challenge Ben Henderson for his UFC lightweight title with Jose Aldo and Anthony Pettis heading up this group. Unfortunately for Saturday's main event Gilbert Melendez is not in this group. Henderson is stronger than him everywhere and his skills are to the point where he is proving to be an innovator within the sport. Melendez was lucky to come away with the Strikeforce lightweight championship in a closely fought fight with Josh Thomson and Henderson is a huge step up in quality that I don't think he'll be able to handle.

This fight will be very similar to Henderson's previous versus Melendez teammate Nate Diaz as we will see another superb display of technique and aggression from "Smooth" that will overwhelm the challenger. Henderson won't lose his tag as having on average the longest fights in the UFC, but who cares when he is such a joy to watch.

Prediction: Henderson by Unanimous Decision

John: This will be a close one to call, Henderson is the champion but to be honest he's never really impressed me that much. I still don’t think he beat Edgar either time. On the other hand Melendez was the Stikeforce champion and is coming in off a seven fight win streak, so he's defiantly got some momentum going. I think the fight will go to a decision and I see Melendes edging it.

Prediction: Melendez by Split Decision

Ben: I predict only one thing in this fight, a Henderson victory!! I don't think Henderson gets anywhere near the credit he is due. In his first fight with Edgar he clearly won the fight in my opinion and their shouldn't have been a rematch. The rematch was a lot closer but I still gave him the win. This guy has beat a who's who of lightweight contenders on the way to getting his shot and now as champ has beat Nate Diaz and Frankie Edgar twice.... who else can say they have done that. Nobody!!

I agree with Scott, I am not sure if he finishes him but I do know he will put on a show as he always does.

Prediction: Henderson by Unanimous Decision

Chris: Melendez is an excellent fighter, who can definitely cut it with top 5, top 10 guys in the world, but I'm not as enthusiastic about his chances in this fight as some of his supporters .

Both fighters have similar skillsets but I think Henderson has a wrestling advantage, handles offensive pressure better, and definitely has more kicks in his arsenal.  I think this fight will be a little bit closer than the Diaz fight was, but I think Henderson takes this one quite easily.

Prediction: Henderson by Unanimous Decision

Frank Mir (16-6) #5 HW vs. Daniel Cormier (11-0) #3 HW

Scott: Daniel Cormier came out of almost nowhere to win the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix and announced himself to the world in a big fashion. So much so that he goes into his UFC debut as a heavy favourite against veteran Frank Mir. Cormier's striking has looked on point in his recent fights and I think he'll have the advantage there over Mir. The big question is whether Cormier will utilise his excellent wrestling game against the division's best submission artist. Cormier wasn't afraid to go there with Josh Barnett, but Mir is a different proposition. Cormier will dictate this fight, but there is always the chance of a flash of inspiration from Mir a la his brutal submission of Big Nog in December 2011.

Prediction: Cormier by Unanimous Decision

John: I’m picking this out for fight of the night. Cormier comes in unbeaten and Mir comes in off a loss and will be desperate to get the win so with that I see this being a war. Both fighters have great stand up and are both comfortable on the ground so it will be hard for either fighter to get an advantage. I see this fight going back and forth going the distance with Cormier getting the decision.

Prediction: Cormier by Unanimous Decision

Ben: I think I must be the only person (as i was last week when i predicted that Kelvin would beat Uriah Hall) who thinks that Frank Mir has a decent chance. The odds for this fight baffle me... Yes Cormier has looked very good in his days in Strikeforce and has possibly the biggest hype train of any fighter making his debut in the UFC. But he has not fought anyone with BJJ like Mir.

I predict one of two things, either Mir tries to get Cormier down and in the process gets knocked out or the more likely happening in my opinion. Mir gets hold of one of Cormiers limbs and forces the submission victory. Welcome to the big show Cormier.

Prediction: Mir by Submission Round 2

Chris: I don't see how Cormier loses this one if I'm honest. Sure Frank Mir is an excellent opponent, and one of Cormiers toughest to date, but when you look at the 3 core skills in MMA - wrestling, striking, ju-jitsu, Cormier has beaten guys who are better than Mir in each facet: Striking: Silva and Poa, Wrestling: Barnett and Ju-jitsu: Jeff Monson. I like Cormier to keep this fight on the feet, using his speed advantage to win a Unanimous decision

Prediction: Cormier by Unanimous Decision

Nate Diaz (16-8) #5 LW vs. Josh Thomson (19-5)

Scott: These two bellicose fighters could well put on the night's best fight in what is sure to be a fast paced encounter. Both are holders of BJJ black belts and could cancel each other out in that department bringing things down to the striking and wrestling departments. Thomson likely has the better wrestling, but will he want to risk taking Diaz to the ground. Ben Henderson did, but he had to do a lot of work to escape submission attempts when he wanted to pour on some ground and pound. Diaz has the striking advantage here and I think this will be the most important aspect of the fight and Thomson could well play into Diaz's hands (no pun intended) here as he looks to go toe-to-toe with him.

Prediction: Diaz by Unanimous Decision

John: This one's easier for me to pick, I think Diaz will bounce back from his loss to Benson Henderson and defeat Thomson and make another run for the title. Thomson has been a bit inconsistent over the last few years so I see Diaz winning this one.

Prediction: Diaz by Submission Round 2

Ben: Thomson pushed Melendez all the way in the fights they have had and so has a good reputation and rightfully so. However I feel in this fight, like in the main event it may be a rude awakening and a case of welcome to the UFC. I am predicting that Diaz picks his shots and keeps Thomson at range then when he see's the opportunity he goes for a submission.

Prediction: Diaz by Submission Round 3

Chris: Josh Thomson might be flying under the radar a little bit to the casual fan down to injury problems in the past, but he has beat some quality opponents - Gilbert Melendez, Pat Healy, Dauane Ludwig, Hermes Franca and stands a really good chance here.

Thomson goes into this bout with a clear cut wrestling advantage and if he can exercise a similar game to that of Rory MacDonald or Ben Henderson when they fought Diaz, its conceivable Thomson can win this fight. Sure, it wont be easy, Thomson will need to avoid stay on the outside where Diaz can pick him apart with his much better boxing. He also has to be careful not to fall into the guard of Diaz but if he can do that, I see Thomson walking away with the upset.

Prediction: Thomson by Unanimous Decision  

Matt Brown (16-11) vs. Jordan Mein (27-8)

Scott: Matt Brown has come back from three consecutive defeats and an inevitable release to post a 5-1 record in his last 6 fights winning the last 4 in a row. The self proclaimed "technical-brawler" will find his toughest test to date on that run as he faces Jordan Mein who has fought 35 times professionally at only 23. Both will be ready for an absolute war and Brown's iron chin will be significantly checked by Mein who became the first man to finish Dan Miller in his last bout. Brown's achilles heel is his submission game as he has been finished 9 times by this method and Mein could capitalise on this shortcoming and continue to make a name for himself in the UFC.

Prediction: Mein by Submission Round 2

John: I’m going Jordan Mein for this one, I don't see it being a long fight and don't think it will get out the first round. Mein steps in for an injured Dan Hardy, I think that would have been a lot better fight. However  even with Mein stepping in and having less time to prepare for a tough opponent I think Mien will come in stronger and win in the first round.

Prediction: Mein by KO Round 1

Ben: Again for the second time on this card I am picking the underdog. I think Matt Brown has been on a roll and I dont see it stopping. The way he has finished Swick on Fox 5 impressed me so much and I predict he will do the same against Mein.

Mein did look very impressed and the big stage did not get to him when he finished Dan Miller only a few weeks ago but I think coming in on short notice and against Brown on the run he is on is a combinatin for failure.

Prediction: Brown by KO Round 2

Chris: Fair play to Matt Brown, from a 3 fight losing streak, and 1 fight away from being cut from the UFC, he goes on a run winning 4 of 5, and picking up some impressive KO's along the way. Unfortunately I don't see him being able to continue that run against up-and-coming Jordan Mein. I expect Mein to be able to control the fight from the outside with his crisper striking, and I can see Mein overpowering Brown when he does go inside or in the clinch.

Prediciton: Mein by KO Round 2