Nate Quarry Vs. Demian Maia
Nate is a veteran of the first season of the Ultimate Fighter. He was a favorite to win the 185lb division before injury struck him down. He has battled back from major back surgery and has won his last two post operation fights. Demian Maia is undefeated and skilled at submissions. This will be a real test for Quarry. Maia has finished Ed Herman, a former Team Quest teammate of Quarry’s. Maia, perfect in eight fights, has finished five in the first round, four of those by submission. For Nate to win this fight, he will need to depend on his wrestling defense and improved stand up game. Maia may be too much for him. Look for a late submission by Maia.
Gabriel Gonzaga Vs. Josh Hendricks
This may very well be a showcase fight for Gonzaga to rocket him back into the title picture. Gonzaga is coming off a quick TKO win over Justin McCully, but lost against Fabricio Werdum and Randy Couture. Werdum just lost and has been booted from the UFC, and now they need someone to step up in title contention. Josh Hendricks isn’t a walk through fight. He is 15-4 with 10 submission wins, but the competition he has faced hasn’t been that stiff. Expect a refocused Gonzaga to do some damage standing before finishing this fight with a TKO in round 2.
Amir Sadollah Vs. Nick Catone
Amir is the beloved recent TUF Champion. Catone is the TUF sacrificial lamb. Catone is a wrestler with a 5-0 record who has finished most of his fights inside the first round. Amir has already beaten a stand out wrestler in CB Dollaway, Twice! Catone’s 5-0 record may sound good, but his opponents have a combined 24-28 record, and his last 3 opponents have only gone 13-24. This will be a good test for Amir, and a big chance for Catone to see if he can take out the reality show winner. Look for Amir to be resilient in the first round and counter punch while looking for an opening. Sadollah will finish Catone with a submission before the end of the 3rd round.
Kenny Florian Vs. Joe Stevenson
A battle of lightweight contenders, Florian and Stevenson have both had shots at the light weight belt. Florian had his shot against Sean Sherk back in 2006. The fight went all 5 rounds with Sherk wrestling out a win. Since then Florian has gone on a tear. He has improved his striking and his conditioning with striking master Mark DellaGrotte. He has become a truly well rounded fighter. Joe Daddy Stevenson had his shot against current champion BJ Penn. No one gave Joe much of a chance against the Prodigy, and BJ painted the canvas with Joe’s blood in route to a 2nd round rear naked choke loss for Joe. Since that fight Joe has come back and beaten ATT,’s Gleison Tibau. The standup edge would have to go to Kenny. On the ground the fight should be pretty even. Kenny is a BJJ black belt, and Joe was just awarded his. Experience has to go to Joe. Stevenson has been fighting men since he was a kid and his 29-8 record proves it. Florian has momentum on his side, unbeaten since his loss to Sherk. He was expecting a title shot after he beat Roger Huerta, but BJ Penn wants to avenge a controversial loss to GSP. KenFlo, not wanting to sit out, steps up again to risk his contender status. Florian is the favorite in this fight, but I believe Joe will pull out the upset with a 2nd round submission win.
Randy Couture Vs. Brock Lesnar
This is a battle of ageless legend vs upcoming monster. This fight is happening for one reason, money. Brock Lesnar doesn’t deserve a title shot. He is 1-1 in the UFC and 2-1 in MMA. The UFC has an estimated 1.2 million reasons to put this fight on. That is the number of pay-per-view buys they expect to generate. That said, Brock Lesnar has the potential and talent to pull out a victory. He is the most athletic man to cut to 265lbs I have ever seen in the cage. He is an outstanding college wrestling champion. He is also cocky enough to not be worried about Randy Couture. The Natural has lots of experience on his side. He is a master at putting together a flawless game plan for victory. People keep betting against him, and he proves them wrong over and over. Expect more of the same in this fight. Randy Couture will take this fight into the late rounds and tire out Brock. Watch Randy tame the beast with a fast pace that frustrates Lesnar until he makes a mistake and loses via 4th round TKO.
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