This is a make or break fight for both of these fighters, Reljic is coming off of 2 consecutive losses and will surely be cut if he loses a 3rd straight fight. Soszynski is also coming off of a loss in his latest fight so there’s a lot at stake and each fighter will desperately want to leave with their hand raised at the end of the night. I think that Soszynski will be the more well rounded fighter in this bout and as a result will have more tools to win, Reljic has decent stand-up but his speciality is his ground game and if he is able to get Soszynski down then he could very well get a submission locked in. However I think that Soszynski will ultimately overpower Reljic in the stand-up and will end up getting a TKO victory.My Prediction: Krysztof Soszynski via TKO.
This will be another one of those fights where each fighter will be looking to get back into the win column. Amir Sadollah lost a unanimous decision to Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 114, whereas Peter Sobotta has lost both of his UFC fights to date. Sadollah has had a tough time since winning the Ultimate Fighter 7, after winning the show, he suffered the first loss of his professional career against Johnny Hendricks before he managed to come back and put together a 2 fight win streak against Phil Baroni and Brad Blackburn respectively. Now Sadollah will once again have to rebound from a loss when he takes on Sobotta. This is a fight that I think Amir should win, his stand-up is constantly improving and he has shown that he can be dangerous off of his back. I think the only weakness that could be exposed is his grappling ability, if Amir is able to keep the fight standing though then this should be the fight that gets him that W he so badly wants.My Prediction: Amir Sadollah via decision.
Andre Winner will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing performance at UFC 118 where he was out-wrestled for 3 rounds and lost a unanimous decision to Nik Lentz. Whereas his opponent Denis Siver will be looking to build on his recent victory over Spencer Fisher and look to send out a message to the lightweight division. Siver is one of the more powerful fighters in the lightweight division and he has a devastating spinning back kick which he has used to end fights in the past, taking this into account Winner will need to be fully aware of his kicks and will need to avoid getting into a clinch with the German. Andre Winner’s main strength is his striking and if he is able to keep the distance and avoid Siver’s kicks then I think he stands an excellent chance of out-striking Siver and taking a unanimous decision victory.My Prediction: Andre Winner via decision.
Jorge Rivera will be coming into this fight on one of the most impressive win streaks of his career to date, after losing to Martin Kampmann at UFC 85 many began to wonder just how much the then 36 year old Rivera had left in the tank. Since that fight Jorge has rattled off three consecutive victories over Nissen Osterneck, Rob Kimmons & Nate Quarry. An impressive win against Sakara may very well see Rivera get a top 10 opponent in his next fight. Alessio Sakara is also having his most impressive run since being in the UFC & he is also coming into this bout on a 3 fight win streak. Sakara has always been known to have some of the best hands in MMA, he throws fluid combinations and also has KO power in his punches, however he has had trouble in the past when he’s come up against powerful strikers. If Sakara is able to keep the distance then he has the ability and speed to out-box Jorge, but I think Rivera will look to clinch pretty quickly and then work his muay-thai. This is a tough fight to call but I think Rivera’s power in the clinch will be the deciding factor and he will get the TKO victory.My Prediction: Jorge Rivera via TKO.
In the main event of the evening Nate Marquardt and Yushin Okami will battle to earn the right to become the number 1 contender for the UFC Middleweight title. Marquardt recently ran straight through Rousimar Palhares in just one round at UFC Fight Night and he will no doubt want to do the same to Okami so that he can finally get another shot at the Middleweight belt. Okami is coming into this fight with 2 wins in his last 2 fights and he will be desperate to win this fight and get his first opportunity at UFC gold. This should be a very interesting fight, Okami has very good takedown defence, excellent wrestling and very good technical striking. Marquardt on the other hand is a very strong middleweight with big power in his strikes & excellent submissions. With both fighters being so well rounded I think we’ll see most of the fight take place on the feet, Okami will look to use his superior technique to land his strikes and counter Nate’s power punches. Nate on the other hand will be looking to land one of those big bombs to end Yushin’s night early , he definitely has the power to finish Okami if he lands but he will need to watch out for any counter’s that may come his way. At the end of the night I think Nate’s aggression and tendancy to come out firing from the opening bell will be the difference and I can see him coming away from this fight with his hand raised after stopping Okami in his tracks.My Prediction: Nate Marquardt via TKO.
