Randy Couture vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Hwt.)
Randy Couture finally takes on Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in a battle of MMA heavyweight legends. What does Nogueira have left after the loss to Mir? He looked terrible in the defeat, but soon after the fight, rumors started circulating amount Nogueira having multiple ailments including a staph infection that should have precluded him from fighting. However, we shouldn’t forget that Nogueira also looked poor against Tim Sylvia before pulling off the submission. It’s impossible to question Nogueira’s heart or, for that matter, his MMA skill. He’s fantastic on the ground, and he is a technically sound boxer. On the other hand, Couture is an awesome MMA fighter. He has no glaring weakness except for submissions, and he prepares extremely well for all of his fights. Couture’s edge is going to be standing where he’ll have the ability to strike or slow the fight down by pushing Nogueira into the cage. Based on their past few fights, Couture is just in better shape than Nogueira. For that reason, the pick is Randy Couture by unanimous decision.
Keith Jardine vs. Thiago Silva (Light Hwt.)
There is a better chance of the Titanic coming back than either fighter going for a takedown. Jardine vs. Silva has knockout of the night written all over it. Both guys will look to throw bombs for as long as the fight goes. Jardine is a little more tactical, but Silva has more power. Silva has the unenviable task of trying to recover from a vicious knockout loss to Lyota Machida in his last fight. On the other hand, Jardine is coming back from a close decision loss to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. The fight should be very exciting, but I’ll take the more strategic Jardine to wear Silva down. Jardine wins knockout of the night with a third round TKO.
Chris Leben vs. Jake Rosholt (Mwt.)
Rosholt is getting no easy passes in the UFC. His first fight was a loss to Dan Miller, and now, his second match-up is with veteran banger Chris Leben. Rosholt has excellent wrestling skills, but he really needs to be brought along slower. If he’s able to use his ground skills the entire fight, he’ll be fine, but with his minimal experience level, he’s likely to make a mistake. That’s where the slugger Leben has his best chance. He’s certainly better on the feet than Rosholt, but Leben has definitely had some trouble on mat (see: Leben’s loss to Jason MacDonald). The question is can Leben knock Rosholt out? I’m going to say no. In a mild upset, Rosholt wins by unanimous decision.
Nate Marquardt vs. Demian Maia (Mwt.)
Marquardt vs. Maia has a chance to be an awesome fight. They have completely contrasting styles, but both fighters bring an aggressive style to the cage. Marquardt is a powerful striker with a good ground game. On the other hand, Maia is possibly the best jiu-jitsu fighter in the business, and he is not the type of fighter that will flop to his back and hope Marquardt follows him to the mat. He will stand with Marquardt and wait for a mistake that he can capitalize on. Where Maia is lacking against Marquardt is in the strength area. Marquardt should be able to dictate where the fight takes place, and, at some point, he’s likely to catch Maia with a big right hand. The winner of this fight will be second in line for a middleweight title shot, and that will be Marquardt. In the fight of the night, Marquardt wins by third round KO.
Brandon Vera vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (Light Hwt.)
Hopefully, Soszynski can bring some excitement out of Vera. To say Vera has looked unimpressive since defeating Frank Mir close to three years ago would be a serious understatement. He really needs a highlight reel performance, or he could be on the way out. Although Soszynski was on The Ultimate Fighter show, he’s definitely not new to the sport. Soszynski’s had 25 professional fights, and he’s won 16 of them. He’ll constantly be looking for his patented kimura, but I don’t think he’ll get one. As much as Vera needs a big win, Soszynski is too tough to get run over. Vera should still get the victory, but it will be by a close decision.
Ed Herman vs. Aaron Simpson (Mwt.)
Herman is a UFC level fighter, but that’s it. Whenever he’s stepped up the competition (Demian Maia, Jason MacDonald, Alan Belcher, Kendall Grove), Herman has lost. However, Herman has also won four fights against lower tier opposition. He’s very strong technically on the ground, but he does like to slug it out even though it’s not always the best idea. Simpson is definitely going to be looking to slug with Herman, and Simpson is also a powerful wrestler so that could be a detriment to Herman’s ground game. While the fighters are close in overall skill-level, Simpson is just a bad match-up for Herman. Simpson wins by unanimous decision.
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Chris Tuchscherer (Hwt.)
This is as big a mismatch and you’ll see in the UFC. Gonzaga is better in every way imaginable. Tuchscherer boasts an impressive record at 17-1, but at closer look, his record includes two wins in YAMMA Pit Fighting. Unless Gonzaga gets lost on the way to the cage, he is going to win. Gonzaga wins by first round knockout.
Justin McCully vs. Mike Russow (Hwt.)
Russow has been on an incredible tear as of late. He’s won his last seven fights and none of the match-ups went past the first round. Russow is at his best when he’s on the mat going for submissions. That’s not good for a wrestler like McCully. McCully is going to look to take Russow to the mat, but Russow is also an accomplished wrestler. I can’t see where McCully defeats Russow unless Russow tires. This is Russow’s first UFC fight so that is possible, but I expect Russow to be prepared. Russow wins by second round submission.
Tim Hague vs. Todd Duffee (Hwt.)
This fight will be a heavyweight slugfest. I am hoping this makes television because it will be exciting. Both guys will be looking for the knockout. The fighters’ are a combined 14-1 in their careers against middle-tier competition, and the match-up will be a good test to see who should take the next step in their UFC careers. The fight is very evenly matched so I think the difference will be Duffee’s training camp. He works out at the famed American Top Team so he’ll likely come in with a better game plan. Either way, let’s hope this makes TV. Duffee wins by first round knockout.
Nick Catone vs. Mark Munoz (Mwt.)
Mark Munoz is a pretty good prospect. He had a good amount of success in WEC going 2-0, but he was rushed into too high profile of a fight against Matt Hamill. Hamill scored the KO victory in the first round. Now, he gets a chance to redeem himself against Nick Catone. After losing to Tim Credeur in April, Catone is fighting for his UFC life. Well, its about to end. Munoz wins by first round knockout.