BJ Penn Vs. Joe Stevenson
While the experience clearly favours Stevenson, the real key is quality over quantity. Penn has fought higher calibre opponents in his career, which includes championship bouts. Penn is a better striker, grappler and is next to impossible to take down to the mat. Cardio is a big thing here so look for Penn to win early or Stevenson to squeak out a five round judges decision.
Gabriel Gonzaga Vs. Fabricio Werdum
Contrary to popular belief, this is a very difficult fight to call. Werdum won the original fight but Gonzaga has come a long way since then. I believe he is the better striker so I look for him to garner a KO, while stifling Werdum’s takedown attempts.
Jess Liaudin Vs. Marcus Davis
Davis is riding a high after his spectacular win in his last bout vs Paul Taylor. Liaudin is a highly respected fighter but I believe Davis’ pace will get the better of him. I look for Davis to win via ref stoppage as Liaudin will eventually succumb to the ‘Irish Hand Grenade’s’ assault.
Wilson Gouveia Vs. Jason Lambert
This is a very even match-up on paper but I see Lambert pounding Gouveia into frustration. Lambert will take this fight to the ground and pound away to a unanimous judges decision.
Jorge Rivera Vs. Kendall Grove
Jorge Rivera is a journeyman who will unfortunately land in a town called ‘Elbowville’, where Mayor Kendall Grove reigns supreme. Look for the lanky Grove to use his reach advantage to force Rivera to ‘want’ this fight to hit the ground. From there, Grove will pound away with his elbows until he sets up a submission or the ref ends up stopping the fight.
Antoni Hardonk Vs. Colin Robinson
Hardonk looks to rebound from a loss and will use Robinson as his bouncing point. Hardonk will use his powerful leg kicks to weaken Robinson, eventually landing a KO blow in the third round
Paul Kelly Vs. Paul Taylor
This battle of welterweight Brits will be nothing short of exciting, with serious potential to be ’fight of the night’. With both lads fighting in their home country, neither wants to be remembered has the guy who lost this all English UFC battle. Unfortunately, only one person can win, and on paper it looks to be Paul Taylor. His striking prowess coupled with his pin point accurate power shots will most likely get the better of Kelly, who is making his debut in the UFC.
James Lee Vs. Alessio Sakara
Lee will be making his UFC debut in this fight vs a Sakara, who is dangerously close to being released from the organization. Sakara is 1-3 in his last four fights, with his last loss being a devastating KO at the hands of Houston Alexander. He has never proven to be smart in fights, often times challenging his opponents by matching strengths vs strengths. This is what consistenly costs him precious victories and I worry the same will happen vs Lee. If Sakara chooses to brawl with Lee, as opposed to being patient and picking his shots, there is a very good chance he will be overwhelmed and fall victim to a TKO.
Per Eklund Vs. Sam Stout
Per Eklund will become the first swedish fighter to ever grace the Octagon, and comes with a solid resume and reputation of finishing fights. His opponent, Canadian Sam Stout has been in a variety of wars with quality opponents and I believe this is the key to this fight. It appears the Stout has the edge in the stand-up battle with the ground game perhaps going to Eklund. But the UFC experience, fighting in the big show under the bright lights generally has a way of playing itself into the final result. This will be Stout’s fourth fight on the big stage, while Eklund will be battling nerves, butterflies while treading in uncharted waters. Look for Stout to pound away a unanimous judges decision.
Don’t forget to check back for the full results and analysis. To be fair to all, especially those who will not be able to watch the live 3pm broadcast and will watch the 10pm airing instead, I will not post the results until after 1am, Sunday morning.
