It’s fight day in the Land Down Under, as UFC 110: Nogueira vs Velasquez is set to go off at the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia tonight at 1opm EST.
There are nine bouts on the docket, so let’s breakdown each bout and get your take on who you believe will emerge victorious:
First things first – if you missed it, the all-Australian bout between Elvis Sinosic and Chris Haseman has been pulled from the prelims, while “Big” Ben Rothwell was diagnosed with a stomach virus when he landed in Australia, and has since been replaced by Anthony Perosh, who will fight Mirko Cro Cop.
Sinosic was forced to withdraw with a shoulder injury and it’s terrible for the “King of Rock’n'Rumble”, as he and Haseman are MMA pioneers in Australia and it would have simply been golden for both of these guys to tangle in the octagon. Sinosic was one of the very first fighters that I ever sponsored, and was the very first “Showdown Fighterwear” athlete to make it to the UFC, at one point even tangling with Tito Ortiz for the title at UFC 32 in June of 2001.
Alright – let’s get to the predictions for tonight’s event:
Main Event: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (106k/234lbs) vs. Cain Velasquez (110k/242 ½lbs)
The winner of this heavyweight tilt will be placed on standby for a chance to take on Brock Lesnar, should the winner of UFC 111′s interim title bout between Frank Mir and Shane Carwin be unable to take on the champ.
Nogueira is typically a slow starter and could find himself in serious danger against the fast-paced Velasquez. On paper, Big Nog is a better striker and submission specialist but Cain is the power puncher with superior wrestling. I see Cain winning the first two rounds, but Nog pulling off a surprise submission in round three. If it does go the distance, Velasquez should be able to pull off the upset.
Co-Main Event: Wanderlei Silva (84k/185lbs) vs. Michael Bisping (84k/185lbs)
This is my first candidate for Fight of the Night. How will Silva handle his first fight at middleweight vs Bisping, a guy looking to prove why he believes Silva is past his prime? I see this bout similar to “The Axe Murderer’s” bout against Keith Jardine. He explodes once the bell is rung, and goes in for the quick finish. But, with that being said, the longer this bout goes, the more I favour “The Count”. If Silva doesn’t stop him within the first two rounds, Bisping may just pull this one off. As for a prediction, I’ll go with Silva in a late, first round KO.
Joe Stevenson (70k/154lbs) vs. George Sotiropoulos (70k/154lbs)
While Stevenson is the heavy favourite in this bout, do not discount hometown hero Sotiropoulos. The Aussie lightweight has the tools to catch “Joe Daddy” with a submission, but I firmly believe that Stevenson will end this fight within two rounds via TKO.
Keith Jardine (93k/205lbs) vs. Ryan Bader (93k/205lbs)
It appears Jardine could be in big trouble if he loses this fight – he runs the risk of being cut from the organization should he suffer a defeat at the hands of “Darth Bader”. This light-heavyweight bout will be an explosive affair and I see the undefeated Bader pulling off a TKO in round two.
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (106k/234lbs) vs. Anthony Perosh (98k/216lbs)
Facing Perosh may be a blessing in disguise for Cro Cop, as I was going to go out on a limb and pick Rothwell in an upset. Now that’s he’s facing Perosh, Cro Cop has no excuse whatsoever, and should win this bout handily. With Cro Cop, I’m now at the point of “I’ll believe it when I see it”, as his last few fights have shown that the former Pride FC tournament champion has lost some of that killer instinct and will to win from his prime in Japan.
With Perosh taking this bout on just 2-3 days notice, all the Aussie can do is get this fight to the ground as soon as he can, and hope for a submission. There was a rumour that Cro Cop suffered a bad cut in training, which required a bunch of stitches, but based on what I saw at the weigh-ins, he looks perfectly fine; so much for Perosh hoping to work on that “supposed” cut. I’m going to pick Cro Cop by TKO in round one.
Preliminary Bouts:
Stephan Bonnar (93k/205lbs) vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (93k/205lbs)
I can not see this fight going more than two rounds. After the debacle that was Bonnar’s performance against Mark Coleman at UFC 100, all signs are pointing to Soszynski winning this bout. I almost feel “The Polish Experiment” will dominate “The American Psycho” from the onset, and I’m predicting the referee will step in and save Bonnar in the second round.
Chris Lytle (77k/170lbs) vs. Brian Foster (78k/171lbs )
This welterweight scrap is my other prediction for an early “Fight of the Night” candidate. Neither fighter shows any history of quitting, so I predict a three round war, likely in Lytle’s favour. While I do believe Foster has the skills to submit Lytle, I’m not sure he’s at that skill level just yet. Expect a war in this bout, and while I’m picking Chris, I will definitely not be surprised if Foster shocks the UFC brass with a victory.
Goran Reljic (84k/185lbs) vs. C.B. Dollaway (84k/185lbs)
Many are saying that Dollaway is also in serious jeopardy of being cut should he lose to Reljic. I sort of agree, but I don’t believe “The Doberman” is getting the credit he deserves here. He has all the skills to finish off Reljic, and while I’ve told many that Reljic will win this fight, I’m changing my tune today. I’m going to go with Dollaway by split decision.
Igor Pokrajac (205lbs) vs. James Te Huna (93k/205lbs)
It’s a light heavyweight showdown that will kick the night off at the ACER Arena. This bout has all the markings of a fast paced first round but will likely slow going into rounds two and three. Pokrajac’s UFC debut was a decision loss to Vladimir Matyshenko at UFC 103 in September, but this experience alone gives him a slight edge over Te Huna. Considering the UFC rooking jitters and jinx is such a crazy trend, look for Igor to overwhelm James early in hopes he will not be able to recover from the inital onslaught. I’m picking Pokrajac by submission in round two.
Time for your picks…who do you have and why?
-Showdown Joe Ferraro
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