Clay 'The Carpenter' Guida vs. 'The Fireball Kid' Takanori Gomi
In the first bout of the main card Clay Guida will look to make it 3 victories in a row when he takes on the former PRIDE Lightweight champion Takanori Gomi. Gomi didn’t exactly take the UFC by storm in his debut when he lost to Kenny FLorain via submission, however his most recent performance showed that there may still be some life left in the ‘Fireball Kid’ as he scored a KO of the night against tough lightweight veteran Tyson Griffin. Gomi will now want to build on that impressive victory as he looks to begin a run toward the UFC Lightweight title. This will not be an easy fight for Gomi as Guida’s grinding style can be very overwhelming. Clay is relentless with his takedown attempts and his cardio lasts for days, so if Gomi is to get the win in this fight he is going to need to stop Guida decisively. In order for Clay to win this fight he will need to take Gomi down and eliminate his main strength which is his striking, while also being careful not to get caught by one of those huge power shots. If Guida can get Gomi to the ground then I think he may just be able to grind out a decision. Of course with the power that Gomi possesses he always has that ability to end the fight in an instant and that is what’s making this fight difficult for me to predict. I’d like to believe that Gomi has what it takes to make a run at the title and for that reason i’m going with ‘The Fireball Kid’ via KO.
My Prediction: Takanori Gomi via KO.
Nate Diaz vs. Kim Dong-hyun
Nate Diaz has looked very impressive since making the move upto the Welterweight division and if he keeps putting on the kind of performances that have earned him victories over Rory Markham & Marcus Davis then it won’t be long before he is challenging the top fighters in the division. Kim Dong-hyun is another welterweight fighter who is close to breaking into the elite of the division but he will need to bring his ‘A’ game against Diaz if he wants to move up the rankings and keep his 13-0-1 record intact. This should prove to be a very interesting fight as Dong will be the biggest Welterweight that Diaz has faced so far and the Korean’s strengths could make this a very long night for the Stockton native. Dong has excellent Judo throws and grappling ability, which in most cases enables him to take the fight where he feels most comfortable. I think Nate holds the advantage in the striking and jiu-jitsu in this match-up but his grappling is no-where near the level if Kim’s and to be honest I think this could play a huge part in the outcome of this fight. If Kim sticks to using his throws to get the fight to the ground and manages to avoid the submission then I think it’s very likely that he can get the decision.
My Prediction: Kim Dong-hyun via decision.
Brandon 'The Truth' Vera vs. Thiago Silva
It seems crazy to think that Vera could end up being cut from the UFC after Saturday night however that possibility is very real if he loses to Thiago Silva in what could be his 3rd straight loss in a row. Silva will also be looking to get back to winning ways but not as desperately as Vera. With the talent that Vera possesses it’s strange to see him in this position but unless he starts being more aggressive and gets a winning streak together then he may never achieve his goal of winning a UFC title. This fight against Silva should give Brandon the chance to show off his striking ability as the Brazilian is not one to back down from a brawl, which should make this an entertaining fight for the fans. Silva definitely has the power to end this night early for Vera, however I think that Vera has the better technique in his strikes along with KO power and this should be his fight to lose. Vera’s back is against the wall in this fight and I fully expect him to come out all guns blazing to get back in the win column.
My Prediction: Brandon Vera via TKO.
Chris 'The Crippler' Leben vs. 'All American' Brian Stann
In the co-main event of the night Chris Leben will look to continue his winning streak as he takes on Brian Stann in the Middleweight division. Leben has been extremely impressive recently, earning 3 straight victories with his latest coming at UFC 116 against Yoshihiro Akiyama and another win here will surely set-up a fight with one of the top contenders in the middleweight division. Both of these fighters tend to prefer the stand-up game so I expect to see fireworks from the outset, with Leben’s iron chin & the KO power he has in his fists I think it’ll be difficult for Stann to get the W in this match-up. Don’t get me wrong anything can happen in this sport as we’ve seen time and time again however I think this really is a fight that Leben should win. Once he lands one of those huge bombs I think it’ll just be a matter of time before it’s all over.
My Prediction: Chris Leben via KO.
Frankie 'The Answer' Edgar vs. Gray 'The Bully' Maynard
In the main event of the evening Frankie Edgar will defend his Lightweight title against the only man to defeat him thus far in his professional career ‘The Bully’ Gray Maynard. Frankie is currently on a 5 fight win streak and is coming off of back-to-back victories over BJ Penn, however despite this he is still considered an underdog by a lot of people going into this fight. His opponent Gray Maynard is undefeated in his career with a record of 10-0-1 and as mentioned previously holds a victory over the champ, earning a unanimous decision when they fought in 2008. Even though Gray won the last encounter, both fighters have evolved a lot since then so this should be a very interesting re-match. I expect Frankie to use a similar strategy to the one he used against Penn, using his superior quickness to land combinations before getting out of range and not letting Gray have a chance to land any of his power shots. One thing that he will need to watch out for however are Gray’s takedowns, even though Frankie is an outstanding wrestler himself Gray has world class wrestling and will be the more powerful of the two fighters. If Edgar is able to avoid the takedowns and keep the fight standing then I think he will be able to get the decision victory. However if Gray is able to complete his takedowns then I think he will take the judges votes so this is a difficult fight to call. I’ve bet against Frankie the last few fights i’ve predicted and he’s always proved me wrong as he’s continued to improve every time we see him in the Octagon. This time i’m going to go with the champ and say that he takes a unanimous decision after 5 rounds of action.
My Prediction: Frankie Edgar via decision.
