Ryan Scope "I dont want to take easy fights, thats why I am fighting Arish"

Ryan Scope talks to Kingdom MMA ahead of BAMMA 15 fight against Ali Arish

by Ben Heather @benheather

Ben: How has your camp gone for this fight and who have you been working with?
Scope: Yeah its gone really well, obviously I fought not so long ago (Feb 22nd) so I only had one week off training before I got back in to it. For this fight I've been sparring with all the guys at the gym like Ross Pearson, Colin Fletcher and Phil De Fries.

Ben: You're fighting Ali Arish on Saturday, would you say he is the best/ toughest fighter you have faced in your career?
Scope: Yeah definitely 100%. I mean hes 20-2 for a reason but I want to fight the best as I want to make a point. I want to get somewhere this year.

Ben: Have you spent much time studying Arish?
Scope: I have only watched a couple of his fights, to be honest everyone knows what he is going to do and he's very good at it but I think I've got the right game plan to stop what he does.

Ben: Do you think you have figured out where 20 of his opponents have gone wrong?
Scope: Yes regarding the defensive wrestling I know what they have all done wrong. None of them have got very much movement, everyone tries to walk forward but then get taken down so its all about the movement.

Ben: Hows the weight looking and whats left for the camp?
Scope: Well I'm a small welterweight so I won't have to cut much and I'm probably going to go to lightweight at some point. For this last week, all the hard work is done I will have my last hard session on Monday and I'll be doing some sprints then I will have a light sparring session Tuesday and then its about getting the weight down.

Ben: When you made your BAMMA debut at BAMMA 12 you were a big underdog and you are again this weekend? Does this spur you on to succeed?
Scope: Yeah definitely I've always been the underdog. I think after this fight when I win I wont be the underdog anymore but I like being the underdog though, there is no pressure and you prove everyone wrong when you win. You would think for an 8-0 pro that people would take notice but they haven't.

That being said though I don't want to take any easy fights, that's why I am fighting Arish. I want to fight the best, fighters that will get me noticed and make a name for myself. You don't see many fighters queueing up to fight Arish. I pride myself on the on taking the tough fights, there are too many fighters who take fights just to pad out their record. If you want to get anywhere you have to put the work in and test yourself, Ali is the best wrestler in MMA hands down so I want to test myself and put my record up against his as in the bigger picture I will be coming up against more wrestlers.

Ben: Since going the distance in your debut you have finished your opponent in all the other fights, is this something you pride yourself on and how prepared are you to push yourself for 3 rounds against Arish?
Scope: I am ready to go, obviously I finished those fights but I am always ready to go the distance. I expect the fight to be a grinding, tough fight.

Ben: Everyone knows his game plan, do you think he will stick to that or try and surprise you on Sat?
Scope: Yeah I would think he will stick to his normal game plan, he might try and stand with us at the start but when he realises that I have too much for him on the feet and I am too fast he might go back to the takedown.

Ben: Other than his wrestling what do you think he does well and do you think he has any areas you have the advantage?
Scope: I'd say his Jui Jitsu, I think I'm better technically but he is just strong when he is on top, again movement is the key for this fight. If I stop moving that's how I am going to get taken down.

Ben: Do you think a win over Arish puts you next in line for the winner of Murray vs Edwards?
Scope: Yes BAMMA have said that's the case but it could also be the step to something different, maybe something bigger you know what I mean. Arish holds wins over both the champion and the challenger so as far as rankings go there is only Paul Daley, Cathal Pendred and Jimmy Wallhead who are above so we will see what happens.

Ben: At the weekend both yourself and Colin Freakshow Fletcher are coming to London to fight are we expecting a big travelling support?
Scope: Yeah we always bring a good crowd so there will be a lot of people coming down.

Ben: You have been scheduled to fight Walter Gahadza in the past, is this a fight you are still interested in?
Scope: I know Walters been saying some shit about me pulling out of the fight because I had a broken hand. He bottled it online when called out by Jake Bostwick so he can't say Ive been dodging a fight when he has been publicly humiliated online so he cant say anything to be honest. I will fight Walter but if I beat Ali, whats the point.

Ben: I read in an interview you did last year that you aim to be in the UFC by the end of this year, how many wins do you think you are you from that now?
Scope: I think its only a couple. Again, if you look at the rankings there isn't many above Arish who is fourth so if I beat him I'm right up there. Obviously Paul Daley isn't getting back in the UFC, Wallhead has just signed for Cage Warriors and Pendred is now signed for the UFC so there would only be those above me and I am only 21. So that will look good for the UFC, up and coming fighter just beat number 4 in the country.

Ben: Its recently been announced that your training partner Ross Pearson has been signed up to fight Diego Sanchez, what do you think of that fight?
Scope: Yeah its gonna be a good fight that one. I think Ross will be too clever on the feet for Diego. Diego is game, he is tough you know but Ross is technically better than him. I like watching Diego fight but he fights with too much emotion. You have to go in there and be chilled.

Its a good fight for Ross and will be a statement if he can finish the fight. Its a good first fight back from Ross' injury. Its in Diego's home town so they are probably expecting Ross to get beat but Ross has a great shot.

Ben: Finally one last question, How do you see yourself winning?
Scope: I'm going to say a second or third round stoppage. Its not going to be like my last couple of fights. TKO stoppage in the second or third.

Kingdom MMA would like to thank Ryan for his time and we wish him all the best for his fight at BAMMA 15.

Ross Pearson Out, Melvin Guillard Now Meets Michael Johnson

Ross Pearson Out, Melvin Guillard Now Meets Michael Johnson
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Ross Pearson has been forced to withdraw from his highly anticipated rematch with Melvin Guillard at UFC Fight Night 37 with a knee injury which requires surgery. The UFC confirmed earlier today that Melvin Guillard now meets Ultimate Fighter Finalist Michael Johnson in London:

“With Ross Pearson unable to compete due to injury, No 13 ranked lightweight Michael ‘The Menace’ Johnson will face Melvin ‘The Young Assassin’ Guillard in the co-main event March 8 in London."

 UFC Fight Night 37 takes place March 8 at London’s O2 Arena, and will stream on the UFC's new online subscription service, Fight Pass. Ticket go on general sale on Friday the 31st of January, with UFC newsletter subscribers able to purchase on the 30th, and UFC Fight Club members able to purchase on the 29th.

On some-what of a resurgence Michael Johnson has ratted off impressive back-to-back victories over Joe Lauzon and Gleison Tibau, to earn his place in the top 15 of the UFC's lightweight rankings. The 10 fight UFC veteran holds a professional record of 14-8, with 9 of his 14 victories coming inside the distance.

Interestingly Gulliard and Johnson are former training partners during Guillard's 5 fight with the Blackzillians.

Stay tuned to KingdomMMA.co.uk for all the latest on UFC Fight Night 37

Brad Pickett Making His Flyweight Debut at UFC Fight Night London in March

Brad Pickett announces his fight with Ian McCall in London

by Tommy Strong @strong_tea

So now its been confirmed, Brad Pickett will be making his flyweight debut when he takes on Ian McCall in London when the UFC returns to England in March.

Pickett has had a mixed bag of results since signing for the UFC. Having a 3-3 record in the Bantamweight division since making his UFC Debut back in 2011 at UFC 138. Pickett has always produced the goods and become a firm favourite with the fans and Dana White. In those six fights he has managed to earn himself four fight of the night awards and one knockout of the night bonus.

Though I'm sure Pickett would like to be known for more than just a 'rockem sockem robot' and get to that title shot and the belt he's been longing after for so long, whilst coming so close, so many times.

His latest defeat came at the hands of Michael McDonald in August, which ended in a second round stoppage via triangle choke. Pickett will be the first to admit he's just dropped short when getting in great positions to fight for the tittle.

His opponent Ian McCall has only won 1 of his 4 fights in the UFC, though still ranked number 3 in the division after getting his first UFC win over IIiarde Santos in August and putting on a very impressive performance.

With the flyweight division one of the least stacked division this could be just the medicine for Pickett after all he already holds a win over the current champ. That being said, cutting that extra 10lbs won't be easy for him.

A win for Pickett would leap frog him up the flyweight ranking and ever nearer that title shot he's been after for so long!

UFC Fight Night London will be headlined by light heavyweights Alexander Gustafsson vs Jimi Manuwa , other fights confirmed are:

Ross Pearson vs Melvin Guillard
Cyrille Dabate vs llir Latifi
Gunnar Nelson vs Omari Akhmedov
Danny Aranha vs Igor Araujo

UFC 167 Pro Picks: Twitter Weighs In

UFC 167 Pro Picks: Twitter Weighs In
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Everyone from fans to fighter are buzzing for tonight's 20 year anniversary UFC show - UFC 167, and there seems to be a mixed bag of predictions coming out from MMA's elite - GSP or Hendricks, Sonnen or Evans - who you got?

The pros take to twitter and weigh in:

Really looking forward to the fights today.Im going with gsp, sonnen, lawler, koscheck, cerrone. Who you got?
— dean amasinger (@deanamasinger) November 16, 2013

Got my coffee on the ready for tonight. Staying up to watch UFC 167! My picks - GSP, Sonnen, McDonald, Koscheck and Cerrone.
— Brendan Loughnane (@Brendan264) November 16, 2013

My #UFC167 picks: Hendricks (but don't count GSP out), Sonnen, Lawler(I hope), Woodley, Elliott, Cerrone, Leites, Ebersole, Perez.
— Tim Kennedy (@TimKennedyMMA) November 16, 2013

Going to try pull an all nighter to watch the fights!! Who u got winning? My picks Kos,McDonald,Sugar,GSP
— Ross Pearson (@RossTheRealDeal) November 16, 2013

@DanHazlehurst GSP, lawyer , rashad
— curt warburton (@curtwarburton) November 16, 2013

Gsp has gota stay away from JH and try control him for 25mins, JH has 25mind to land one punch, I'm goin Hendricks
— Brett Bassett (@Brettbass_MMA) November 16, 2013

@fraz1001 chael and gsp
— Robert Whiteford (@Flyinjudoka) November 16, 2013

@JamesH3aton I think GSP mate
— Davey Grant (@DaveyGrantMMA) November 16, 2013

@CarolinePearce @GeorgesStPierre @JohnyHendricks @ufc @btsport @btsportufc I can't see Gsp getting beat but Hendricks is his biggest threat
— STORMIN NORMAN PARKE (@norman_parke) November 16, 2013

@Mmanarchy GSP, Lawler, Woodley, Evans are my picks mate, not necessarily who I want to win but who I think will.
— Jack Mason (@JackStoneMason) November 16, 2013

@RichieKinsella Big Rig Hendricks - sonnen - and Robbie Lawler :-D why not ha
— Paul Redmond (@RedserMma) November 16, 2013

Think Gsp tonight, (peds will b the diff) wants sonnen but going Evans, McDonald and kos
— rob sinclair (@robc4sinclair) November 16, 2013

“@Garyhop: @bisping who's going to win Hendricks or GSP? #votebisping”Hendricks
— michael (@bisping) November 16, 2013

"@CaptainPlanck: @KelvinGastelum who do you have for this fight? I'm guessing you have sonnen but for the GSP fight"GSP
— Kelvin Gastelum (@KelvinGastelum) November 16, 2013

@TheMMaRanter GSP ,Evans,MacDonald,Woodley,Elliott.

— Mauro Ranallo (@mauroranallo) November 16, 2013

Andy Ogle vs Cole Miller Scheduled For Manchester

FIGHT NIGHT 30 SEE'S THE RETURN OF ANDY OGLE! 

By Tommy Strong @strong_tea

HELS BELS Photography

The UFC has announced a featherweight bout in Manchester England that will see Englishman Andy Ogle pick his wits against American Cole Miller at next months event, Fight Night 30 on Oct 26th.

Ogle (9-2) hasn't fought since February 16th, where he defeated John Grispi via unanimous decision in London, England. He was expected to fight Conor McGregor at UFC Fox Sports 1 in August, but was forced to pull out of the fight due to an injury and was replaced by Max Holloway.

Miller (19-8) a former 'TUF' 5 contestant has been around the UFC a lot longer, making his debut back in 2007 at the finals defeating Andy Wang inside the first round, since then Miller has gone on to have a further 13 fights inside the octagon.

Miller returned to featherweight last year and is now (1-3) , he will coming into the fight on the back of a close decision loss to Manny Gamburyan only last month and will be eager to keep his UFC career alive.

UFC Fight Night 30 in Manchester, will be headlined by middleweight title contenders Michael Bisping vs Mark Munoz, with the co-main event which will see a lightweight clash between Ross Pearson vs Melvin Guillard.

UFC Manchester: Bisping v Munoz finalised

UFC Manchester 2013 is now official

by Jack Broadey @J3cK_b

The long rumoured second UK event of the year has now been officially announced. Michael Bisping vs Mark Munoz will headline the event at the newly renamed phones4u arena. Also it has been announced that Ross Pearson will fight Melvin Guillard in a lightweight showdown in the co main event.

No other bouts have been announced as of yet but they should steadily get released over the next week or so. Tickets will go on sale on August 19th from Ticketmaster and the phones4u arena website. Prices range from £75-£450.

There will be a host of UK talent hoping for the call up for this card on UK shores. Pretty much all the top UK stars would be available to fight on the card apart from Brad Pickett who fights next weekend. News on Dan Hardy has been quiet of late, after recent health problems so he may be considered for the card. John Hathaway has also had health problems which hopefully he is now over and he can get back in the Octagon after missing over 9 months of action now. Tom Watson has just suffered a tough loss to Thales Leites and this event may come to soon for him.

Phil Harris was supposed to fight at UFC 163 but a concussion forced him off the card. After an impressive win at Wembley early this year Harris will be hoping for a trip up North to Manchester. Vaughan Lee and Mike Wilkinson both suffered tough losses to top prospects in Brazil last time out but they deserve another shot here.

Rosi Sexton is the UK's first female fighter and could also be in the UK's first UFC women's fight. TUF Smashes winner Norman Parke toughed it out to win his second UFC bout against Tokudome and this will offer him a chance to fight in front of his UK fans. TUF Samshes runner up Brad Scott will be moving up to Middleweight and should get his first chance after taking winner Rob Whittaker all the way.

Chael Sonnen's number 1 pick Luke Barnatt was a popular member of the last TUF series and won his UFC debut against cast mate Colin Hart and he will be wanting to get on the card in Manchester. Andy Ogle was due to take on Conor McGregor but injury forced him out of that fight in Boston however he may be ready for this card instead.

We have a whole host of deserving fighters to make up the nucleus of an undercard here. Jimi Manuwa has been very quiet of late but he could face a step up in competition and take a main card slot.

Stay tuned as we expect matchups to be announced fairly quickly this week and as soon as they do we will bring them to you. Hit us up at @KingdomMMA to let us what you think of all things UFC Manchester. Potential match ups, what you'd like to see and who you think will win.

Ross Pearson to co main event UFC's return to Manchester against Melvin Guillard

Ross Pearson vs Melvin Guillard set for UFC's return to the UK

by John Haigh @JohnBJayHaigh

Ross Pearson vs. Melvin Guillard has been agreed for the UFC Fight Night co main event. Fresh off his victory at the recent UFC on Fox 8 in Seattle, Melvin Guillard has agreed to step into the UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Munoz co-main event to square off with Ross Pearson. The bout was announced on UFC Tonight on Tuesday night.

UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Munoz will be the first live UFC event on Fox Sports 2, which is a re-branding of Fuel TV. The event is slated for October 26th, and will be the promotion’s return to Manchester having not held an event there since UFC 105 in November 2009.
Guillard (31-2-2) knocked out The Ultimate Fighter 6 winner Mac Danzig on July 27 in Seattle. Having lost four of his last five fights, and coming off of back to back losses entering the fight, Guillard himself admitted that he knew his UFC career was on the line against Danzig.
Pearson (15-6) the Englishman has recently won consecutive bouts since returning to lightweight, following a 1-1 trip to the featherweight division. Pearson fought at lightweight when he won the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter and clearly feels more suited in that division.
Pearson will be fighting on his home turf with the fight being held in the north of England, the fight is Guillard’s first trip to the U.K.
Middleweight contenders Michael Bisping and Mark Munoz headline the October 26th event, in what many are saying could be a potential No 1 contender fight.
Ticket details are yet to be announced.

Ross Pearson discusses the UK MMA Expo and his seminar on Sunday

Ross Pearson talks to Kingdom MMA about his seminar at the UK MMA Expo

by Ben Heather @benheather

The UK MMA Expo is now less than a week away. The Expo which is taking place in Manchester will happen this weekend July 20th -21st. As part of the expo not only will you be able to meet some of the best UK MMA fighters but you can also train with some of them too. For all the details on the expo go to www.ukmmaexpo.co.uk

We have been bringing you some interviews with these fighters. The fighters will be discussing what they will be doing in each of the seminars and also how they believe the UK MMA Expo can help to promote the sport of MMA in the UK. We all love MMA and know how great a sport it is and hopefully the UK MMA Expo will go a long to to educating more people in the UK. Guys who come along as a casual fan or with a friend who loves MMA and go away wanting to know more about it, watch a live event or even decide that they would like to take it up as a hobby.

We have already interviewed Rob Sinclair, Jo Jo Calderwood, Che Mills and Jimi Manuwa and now in the latest interview of the series I caught up with UFC lightweight fighter Ross Pearson to discuss his seminar at the UK MMA Expo.

Ross will be hosting a training seminar which takes place on the 21st July at 14:15pm. That seminar is a one hour seminar led by Ross and I recently asked him what will be involved in the seminar.

"My seminar is mainly based on the transitions in MMA striking to wrestling -wrestling to ju-jitsu - ju-jitsu to striking, a lot of drills so participants to take drills away with them & work on them in there own gym."

"I try touch base on all areas of MMA  because not one area in MMA is better than the other, you need to work on all areas to be the best "

I know a lot of the UK fans are very excited at the prospect of being able to train with Ross Pearson so I also discussed with him who the seminar was aimed at, can anybody turn up and take part or do the people buying tickets to take part need some experience in MMA?

"All levels are welcome I try to keep drills as simple as possible so people feel like they have taken something from the seminar & not thinking like they have forgetting the little details what makes the move perfect."

I asked Ross how he felt to be asked to hold a seminar at the UK MMA Expo for his fans.

"It's awesome! I'm very excited to show the UK fans just some of the things I've learnt on my travels and training with the best fighters & coaches in the world."

Finally we spoke about how in his opinion the UK MMA Expo is helping the sport of MMA in the UK.

"Expos are huge for the growth of MMA in the UK because the fans get to see what really goes on in a fighters life, the sport,the business, they also get to meet there favourite fighters and support them in all there future fights, spreading the word about MMA/fighters causing more talk more interest in watching the sport & there favourite fighters." 

So there you have it, that's Ross Pearson giving his opinion of the UK MMA Expo and if you would like to take part the details for his seminar are below.

Ross Pearson Training Seminar
Date - 21st July 14:15PM
Ticket Cost
Seminar Only Entry £25
Seminar + Sunday Expo Entry £30
Seminar + Weekend Expo Entry £35

PLEASE NOTE: Seminar only tickets will not get you access into Event City as the seminars are held inside the Expo. All seminar tickets must be bought in conjunction to an Expo ticket to allow entry into Event City. Only buy the option of without Expo entry if you already have an Expo entry ticket for the same day or are also buying Expo entry for the same day with another seminar ticket.

Video: Ross Pearson's Top 5 Current UK Fighters

Video: Ross Pearson's Top 5 Current UK Fighters

UK Lightweight Ross Pearson gives you a run down of his top 5 UK fighters currently plying their trade around the world.

Shout outs to Rick J Lee for this one - follow him on Twitter - @RickJLee

UFC Sweden Aftermath: Where does Ross Pearson Go From Here?

What's Next For Ross Pearson?
by Jack Broadey - @j3ck_B

Pearson finds himself in an intriguing position at the moment, he's exciting to watch whoever he is put in with, but you just get the sense he is never going to be in title contention.

Following his win on Saturday, its safe to say Pearson looks to be back in his proper weight class now after a brief  unsuccessful jaunt to Featherweight where he went 1-1 losing by knockout for the 1st time in his career and arguably losing to Junior Assuncao who is no where near the level of Pearson.

Lightweight is Pearson's home. He looks most comfortable there and always looks the strong man in the cage whoever he's matched up against. I was impressed with Pearson's performance In his last fight before dropping down in weight against Edson Barboza. This got me thinking, "is it best to put Pearson in fun matchups?"

Fun matchups are often meaningless to the division as a whole though. Fights like George Sotiropolous, fights like Ryan Couture both yielded fantastic KO victories for Pearson but did nothing for him in terms of advancing him in the division, they did however advance his reputation as a fun fighter.

In my opinion the UFC need 'fun fighters' guys like Joe Lauzon and Chris Lytle who are never going to be close to winning a title but always help sell a card and put on exciting fights.

Is this Pearson's calling card? I believe it can be if he embraces it. I would like to see him in with someone like Joe Lauzon, Nate Diaz or Donald Cerrone in the future - An exciting, stand up fight that brings the best out of him.

Only time will tell Pearson's true status in the division, personally I would like to see Pearson in with the Evan Dunham-Rafael Dos Anjos winner, or even Jamier Varner, and lets see if Pearson is just a fun fighter or if he is ready to start moving up the division again.

Competiton - Win a Signed Ross Person Photo

 RT and Win 

To celebrate Ross Pearson's win over Ryan Couture on Saturday, we are giving away this signed photo of The Real Deal himself:

To be in with a shout, all you must do is follow us on Twitter - @kingdommma and RT the following Tweet:

To Celebrate @rosstherealdeal win on Satuday we are giving away this signed photo. To Enter RT and Follow #mmaukchat twitter.com/KingdomMMA/sta…
— Kingdom MMA (@KingdomMMA) April 9, 2013

Competition closes 19.04.2013 at 23.59

UFC on FUEL TV 9 Main Card Results - Ross Pearson vs Ryan Couture

Ross Pearson defeats Ryan Couture by TKO - Round 2, 3:45

by Scott Cumming @tummidge

Pearson overcomes astute game-plan to KO Ryan Couture

Ryan Couture will have to wait a bit longer to prove to everyone he is in the UFC on merit and not just for his famous surname. He was knocked out by Ross "The Real Deal" Pearson in the second round of their co-Main Event bout after employing a game plan of constant movement and wrestling against the cage that nullified Pearson's striking game in the first round and for part of the second.

The first round was definitely Couture's as he pushed for a takedown early and kept Pearson pinned to the fence before trading with unorthodox striking and movement that limited Pearson's striking output. It was only towards the end of the round that Pearson got a couple of combinations together after landing a solid knee to body of Couture.

The second round saw a similar game plan from Couture, but Pearson steadily built his way into the fight managing to land more of his shots. He still wasn't getting off on his combinations though as Couture's movement continued to stifle him. That all changed when Pearson grabbed Couture's ankle when he went for a kick and finally got him to stop moving. Pearson landed several shots to a turtled up Couture and had him rocked as Couture got back to his feet. Pearson didn't let up after this and landed a series of left hands to knock Couture down and swarmed with several more to get the referee to step in and take the TKO win.

Pearson now has 2 consecutive wins under his belt since returning to lightweight from a brief flirtation with the featherweight division and puts himself in a position for a good fight next time out in what is still the UFC's most stacked division.

UFC on Fuel TV 9 Main Card Picks

UFC Stockholm 2013 Main Card Picks

by Ben Heather @benheather

Gegard Mousasi vs Ilir Latifi

Chris: By all accounts Latifi has pretty descent wrestling, and has been able to translate his skills to MMA with good effect, but Mousasi is one of the best 205ers in the world. Sure, if he does have a weakness its his takedown defence but Mousasi showed his improvement in this area of his game in the Jardine fight, and I doubt very much Latifi's wrestling is on Lawals level.

While I can image the Swedish fans who love a Rocky style victory, I cant see it happening – Mousasi by first round TKO.

Prediction: Mousasi TKO Rd 1

Ben: Before we get to the prediction of this fight (which will come as no surprise) I would like to say that I have got so much respect for Latifi. For a fighter to step up on 4 days notice and not only fight in the UFC for the first time but to headline the card in your home country takes some balls and I hope Dana rewards him for this fact and gives him another fight after this.

But for this fight I struggle to see anything other than Mousasi dominate until he finally finishes Latifi, I cant see anyway in which Mousasi loses this fight unless he gets in the cage and just is not focused on the fight. I predict heart alone will see Latifi get out of the first round but then I see Mousasi finishing him in the second with a TKO.

Prediction: Mousasi TKO Rd 2

Ross Pearson vs Ryan Couture

Chris: Fact – Ryan Couture is not on Ross Pearson's level. Sure he is durable, and hasn’t done too bad so far in his MMA career (certainly better than I expected), but I don't see how he wins this fight. Pearson has fought, and finished better fighters and I expect him to do the same in this bout.

Prediction: Pearson

Ben: Some people have said that Ryan is being punished by Dana because of the beef between Dana and his dad. I don't think that is the case however I really do think that Pearson will be too powerful for Couture. Just look at the last fights of both fighters, Couture won on the final Strikeforce card but that was a split decision win over K J Noons (a fight which many thought Noons should have got the decision win). Now compare that to the last fight Pearson had where he destroyed George Sotiropoulos. Ross did not rush in when he had George rocked in the first round but instead kept a cool head and knew he had him beat it was just a matter of when.

I accept that Couture is a very good wrestler and may be able to test Pearson in that area but i think that Pearson will come in to this game with a plan for that which give him another third round TKO win and back to back wins for the first time since 2010. Pearson's experience in the UFC will prove ultimately too much for him.

Prediction Pearson TKO Rd 3

Matt Mitrione vs Phil De Fries

Chris: I know Ben isn't keen on this fight, but I can see this one being a pretty descent battle, one which could ultimately prove to be a loser goes home fight. I know most people are backing Mitrione going into this one, making him a sizeable favourite with the book makers, but I like De Fries to stay in Mitrione's face, push him against the cage, work for takedowns and grind out a unanimous decision.

Prediction: De Fries UD

Ben: As Chris said I am not really a fan of either of these fighters and i really believe that this is a fight between two guys who's jobs are on the line. The loser in my opinion will be cut from the UFC, and if they are not then they certainly should be. De Fries started his career 8-0 but now finds himself 9-2 after a 1-2 run in 2012 with defeats to Stipe Miocic and Todd Duffee. As for Mitrione, who has only ever fought for the UFC as a professional fighter, he also started his career with a 5-0 run but has lost his last 2 fights and is now 5-2. Mitrione's last win in the octagon was way back in June 2011. 

I believe De Fries has the better chance of winning this fight but it is not a fight that i am looking forward to going in to this card and the fact it is the third from last fight on the card proves the card doesn't have much depth to it. I predict this fight as a good time to go and refill your drinks or pop to the toilet and wait for the Pearson fight. I do however think that De Fries will have enough to eek out a Unanimous Decision victory.

Prediction: De Fries UD

Brad Pickett vs Mike Easton

Chris: Mike Easton is a talent guy, but is it me or does it feel like he holds back in his fights? Not taking anything away from Easton, I think this fight could go either way, both guys are great on the ground, but Pickett is definitely the better boxer – he has better movement and throws better combinations.

Prediction: Pickett

Ben: This is my prediction for fight of the night, we all know all Pickett wants to do is get in to a scrap and have a stand up war, if this happens I think will win the fight and potentially even finish Easton.

However Eddie Wineland proved how to beat Pickett in his last fight so if Easton comes out and does the same again it will ultimately be very disappointing for the crowd and all the fans watching around the world.

I still think that Easton will want to come out and put on a show so this will be great for all of us fans, just not so good for him in my opinion.

Prediction: Pickett TKO Rd 3

Diego Brandao vs Pablo Garza

Chris: This is a flip a coin fight for me. Part of me can see Brandao going out there and absolutely destroying Garza, another part of me can see Garza weathering the storm, using his experience and awkward frame, tiring Brandao out and getting the decision – either way I see this fight as a fight of the night contender. I'm picking Brandao. I think he look great against Joey Gambino, he can credit Jacksons MMA for his ever improving game (takedown defence), and as a rule of thumb I find it hard to back against Brazilians.

Prediction: Brandao

Ben: After seeing Diego fight on the ultimate fighter i thought this guy was going to be a real contender and then his first fight after the show he came out the blocks flying before getting tired early which cost him the fight vs Darren Elkins. I cant see Diego letting that happen again especially against Garza.

Garza ended a two fight losing streak with his win against Mark Hominick but i think this fight will see Brandoa steam roll through Garza and pick up the first round KO. This fight also has a lot of potential to put on a show for the fans and should be a fun fight.... while it lasts.

Prediction: Brandao KO Rd 1

Akira Corassani vs Robbie Peralta

Chris: While it appears Corassani has come a long way since his time on the ultimate fighter – his ground game is greatly improved, I wasn't too impressed with him in his win over Ogle, a fight which I scored for Ogle. His opponent Peralta is a fast, aggressive fighter who enter the bout unbeaten in his last 9 fights. While the home town crowd with be all over the Swede Corrassani, I like Peralta to spoil the parade just as he did in Nottingham either winning by TKO or decisive unanimous victory.

Prediction: Peralta

Ben: Both of these fighters last fought at UFC on Fuel TV 5 and on that night they both picked up wins but in very different circumstances. Peralta won via a 23 second knock out in the very first fight of the night which got people talking about his power. Whereas Corassani won a split decision against Andy Ogle in a fight which i still think Ogle won.

Seeing those fights live, being in the arena in Nottingham was a great experience and it changed my opinion on both of these fighters. If this fight took place 12 months ago I would have predicted Corassani to win but after seeing how powerful Perelta was i cant look past that. I see this fight going the distance but Peralta will disappoint the home crowd in Stockholm and take a Unanimous Decision win.

Prediction: Peralta UD

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