Miguel Torres vs. Antonio Banuelos
Miguel Torres will finally make his UFC debut on Saturday night when he takes on Antonio Banuelos. At one point in time Torres was considered the best bantamweight fighter in the world and one of the top pound for pound fighters currently competing, however after suffering back-to-back losses against Brian Bowles & Joseph Benavidez, Torres lost all the momentum he had built up and he has now had to begin the road to regaining his title. After snapping that losing streak in his last fight with a win over Charlie Valencia, Miguel will now need to keep the win streak alive with a definitive victory over Banuelos. Antonio will not make this fight easy for Torres as he knows a win here will catapult him into contention for a title shot. Torres will need to be wary of Antonio’s power and his wrestling, but if he is able to utilize his reach advantage & his superior submissions then I think there’s a very good chance he will walk away with the win.
My Prediction: Miguel Torres via decision.
Jon 'Bones' Jones vs. Ryan 'Darth' Bader
In a fight that could easily be a co-main event Ryan ‘Darth’ Bader will put his undefeated record on the line against the up & coming Jon ‘Bones’ Jones. Bader is coming off of the biggest win of his career to date, a unanimous decision victory over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, and he knows that if he can become the first man to stop Jon Jones then a title shot will surely be in his immediate future. Jon Jones is coming into to this fight with a lot of hype and there’s good reason for this, with only 1 loss on his record (which was a DQ against Matt Hammill for using illegal elbows) Jones has looked extremely impressive every time he has stepped into the Octagon. With both fighters looking so impressive thus far into their UFC careers, this should be a very exciting fight. Bader will present some interesting problems for Jones, with his excellent wrestling and massive KO power Jones will need to remain focused at all times and cannot afford a lapse in concentration or it could be lights out. Likewise Jones will pose some difficult problems for Bader, Jones is very well-rounded & confuses a lot of his opponents with his unorthodox strikes. Another big factor to consider is Jones’ 84 inch reach which will give him a huge advantage in the stand-up as Bader will be forced to close the distance if he wants to have any chance of connecting. Even though Bader has done very well since coming off of The Ultimate Fighter, I think Jones is one of those fighters that comes around very rarely and he has the kind of potential to go on to dominate the sport for a long time if he continues to improve the way he has so far. With his all-around game & physical advantages I think Jones will walk away the victor in this bout.
My Prediction: Jon Jones via TKO.
Jake Ellenberger vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha
In the featured welterweight bout of the evening Jake Ellenberger will look to extend his 2 fight win streak when he takes on the undefeated submission specialist Carlos Eduardo Rocha. Ellenberger has made an impressive start to his UFC career to date with a loss to Carlos Condit, the only blemish on his record. If he is able to take out Rocha in this fight then he will be well on target for the goal that he has set himself, which is to get a title shot at the end of the year. With Rocha only having one fight in the UFC so far it’ll be interesting to see how he does against a relatively experienced welterweight in Ellenberger, with 8 submission victories in 9 fights it’s clear that Rocha’s strengths are his submissions & ground game but he’s going to need to use all of his skills if he wants to catch Jake. With Jake’s wrestling ability he should be able to control where this fight takes place, although he usually looks to take his fights to the ground where he can use his ground & pound he may choose to keep this fight standing against someone as dangerous as Rocha is on the ground. With all the experience that Ellenberger has, I think it’ll be difficult for Rocha to get a result in this fight and I can see Jake putting in a dominant performance and handing the Brazilian his first professional loss.
My Prediction: Jake Ellenberger via decision.
Rich 'Ace' Franklin vs. Forrest Griffin
In the co-main event of the evening Forrest Griffin will take on Rich Franklin in the light heavyweight division. Forrest will obviously be the much bigger fighter in this bout, with Franklin still relatively new to the 205lbs weight class after spending much of his career at 185lbs, he will be significantly outweighed come fight night as Forrest routinely cuts down from 220lbs plus. The big question will be whether Forrest can use his size effectively come fight night, he has been inactive for over a year now and there is bound to be some ring rust which could play a big part in the outcome of the fight. With Franklin’s confidence running high after the Liddell KO, he will want to continue to stack up the wins in order to move up in his new division. Both fighters possess similar skills so it’ll be interesting to see who gets the upper hand, with Franklin’s southpaw style I can see him taking the fight to Forrest in the early stages especially as Griffin will be looking to get his timing back. If Rich is able to connect with some solid shots then his confidence will continue to grow and he may take a lead on the judges scorecard. I have a feeling Forrest will come back into the fight in the later stages but it may be too late to get the victory, with the long layoff i’m having a hard time seeing Griffin coming into this fight in peak condition and for that reason i’m going with Franklin by decision.
My Prediction: Rich Franklin via decision.
Anderson 'The Spider' Silva vs. Vitor 'The Phenom' Belfort
In the main event of the night Anderson Silva will put his middleweight title on the line against fellow Brazilian Vitor Belfort, who has found a new lease of life since moving down to middleweight. Vitor has put together an impressive KO streak in his last 3 fights and this main event against Silva has the potential to end just as suddenly as those previous fights if either fighter lands cleanly. Vitor will pose a very different threat to the fighters that Anderson has faced thus far in his UFC career, with KO power in each hand and lightening fast hand speed Belfort is capable of KO’ing almost any fighter in the MMA if he connects. The fact that he’s also a southpaw makes him one of the most dangerous opponents Anderson has faced. Despite all of Vitor’s strengths in the striking game, I still feel that Anderson is the better technical striker and has the better timing. As long as Anderson circles and avoids heading back in a straight line then he should be able to counter Vitor pretty effectively. Vitor is at his most dangerous in the opening stages of the fight and if you stand in front of him then he will blitz right through you with his quick combinations. Even though I think this will be a tough test for Anderson I still expect him to come through it with flying colours, he will weather Vitor’s early storm before putting on a clinic & stopping the ‘Phenom’ in the 2nd or 3rd round.
My Prediction: Anderson Silva via TKO.
