Dennis 'Superman' Hallman vs. 'Bad Boy' Brian Ebersole
Brian Ebersole had to wait a long time to finally get his shot in the UFC, however when it finally happened at UFC 127 he grabbed the opportunity with both hands, earning a unanimous decision win over long-time UFC veteran Chris Lytle. Now he will need to prove himself against another tough veteran in Dennis Hallman. Both of these fighters have been around the sport a long time with over a 100 professional bouts between them and they both have similar strengths with their wrestling abilities. This is a tough fight to predict, however I think that Ebersole’s elusive striking may be the key factor in this fight, his style is very unorthodox and even though Hallman has a lot of experience I think this style may prove too difficult for him. Ebersole has also never been stopped in his MMA career, which is a pretty amazing fact when you consider he has had 63 fights, taking this into consideration I think Ebersole will have enough to get the unanimous decision win.
My Prediction: Brian Ebersole via decision.
Vitor 'The Phenom' Belfort vs. Yoshihiro 'Fukama' Akiyama
This will be a must win fight for both Yoshihiro Akiyama & Vitor Belfort. For Vitor he will need to win to erase the shocking KO loss he suffered to Anderson Silva in his return fight at UFC 126. For Akiyama, he needs the W in order to put an end to the 2 fight losing streak he is currently on. Both fighters are rarely in boring fights so i’m expecting fireworks in this bout aswell, Belfort was on a very impressive run prior to his loss to Silva & he is one of the best strikers in the division. With his lightning quick hand speed and KO power he is a real threat to anyone fighting at Middleweight, so Akiyama will definitely have his hands full with the Brazilian. If Akiyama is to win this fight I think he needs to use his Judo to get this fight to the ground where he can then work from the top and use his ground & pound to wear Vitor down. Even though he possesses good striking & an iron jaw I think it would be a mistake for Akiyama to decide to stand and trade with ‘The Phenom’. This is another tough fight to pick, but with Vitor’s striking i’d tend to favour him over most Middleweights and I think he’ll be able to get the win on Saturday night.
My Prediction: Vitor Belfort via TKO.
'Sugar' Rashad Evans vs. 'The Huntington Beach Bad Boy' Tito Ortiz
In the main event of the evening Tito Ortiz will be looking to build on the momentum he gained after defeating Ryan Bader at UFC 132 when he takes on Rashad Evans in a re-match from their controversial draw at UFC 73. This will be Evans’ first fight in over a year, with his last fight taking place at UFC 114 where he defeated Quinton Jackson to earn the number 1 contender spot. A win in this fight will cement Rashad’s status as the next guy to get a shot at the light heavyweight title so he will no doubt be taking this fight very seriously. Likewise Tito knows that a win against Rashad will suddenly put him into the title mix, which would be a remarkable turnaround considering just over a month ago it looked as though his career could be over if he lost to Bader. I’m expecting a totally different fight on Saturday than we witnessed the first time these fighters met, Rashad has improved considerably since the first meeting and he is one of the most well-rounded fighters in the division. Tito on the other hand is coming close to the end of his prime, buthe is not to be taken lightly as evidenced in his last fight where he proved that there is still life in ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ and we all know he is desperate to hold that light heavyweight title one more time before he’s done so this will not be an easy fight for Evans. In order for Ortiz to get the win in this fight, I think he is going to need to rely on his takedowns & strength to get the fight to the ground where he can work his trademark ground & pound. Rashad’s striking is excellent and he also has power to go along with his quick hands. Look for Evans to mix up his strikes with takedown attempts which is what he did so well in his fight against Rampage. These transitions are part of what makes Rashad so difficult to beat and Ortiz will need to use his takedown defence to ensure he stays off his back. With Evans being out for a year this is a difficult one to pick, however as much as I want to see Tito make one last run for the title my head is telling me that this will be a step too far.
My Prediction: Rashad Evans via decision.
