Fight Night 12
2 big fights to kickoff the filming of the new TUF season. Swick vs Burkman will help define where Swick will rank in his new weight class, Cote vs Mcfedries will establish a new title contender.
SWICK vs BURKMAN
Swick is a very well rounded fighter with crazy power and the ability to inflict a rabid pace against his enemies. Now at 170 he will combine that with a strength, reach and size advantage. Burkman basically was swick before he ran into a wall named Jon Fitch. since that fight Burkman hasn’t looked the same. A win for either fighter means relevance. a win for swick would put him in the title hunt. And i think with the experience of training with Kos and Fitch he will be ready for the better wrestler. Swick by KO in the 2nd
COTE vs MCFEDRIES
Cote is uber hot right now and Mcfedries is asexy pick for a title contender with his combo of impressive size, handspeed and KO power. Cote has is a great gameplanner and used amaing gameplans against both Leben (that didn’t work) and Scott Smith. Mcfedries is a larger fighter than smith so i think the Gamplan will be akin to what his plan was with leben. Use his great size and strength to strangle the fight out of mcfedries. That gameplan will go out the window quick. The winner will be the first fighter to land the big shot. I think MCfedries is to big to be bullied by Cote and too quick to be out boxed. It all depends how Cote handles adversity in the biggining of the fight and how Mcfedries handles the lay off and emotional baggage. my guess is it will be a slugfest. I’ve seen Cote take some shots and he never even apeared dazed. Cote by KO 3rd.
DIAZ vs ROBINSON
Robinson is a game opponent with good striking and a win over great BJJ specialist Jorge Gurgel. Diaz is a great technical bjj guy with good hands and a long body. The winner in this fight will be the better striker as i don’t see Diaz really going for a takedown in this fight. Alvin i think is at a huge size disadvatage and that will really hurt. I think Robinson will fight a gutsy 2 rounds before getting tripped for a takedown and subbed in the 2nd. Dont count out the upset though ALvin could win a UD if he can close the distance regulary and a avoid the ground. Diaz RNC end of the 2nd round
TAVAREZ vs OMIGAWA
This is a show case fight for the brazillian. Omigawa has been overwhelmed in all of his fights at 155 in the US and failed to look impressive in most. at 145 Omigawa might be a competitive fighter but right now he is the only fighter int he UFC with a bad record overall and i think that is telling. TAVAREZ armbar in the first.
CRANE vs PELLIGRINO
Both fighters gassed in their last fights. and being that they are the only 2 UFC lightweights to do so notably it won’t be a bright future for either unless they fix that. Pelligrino has a great combo of wild strikes with excellent BJJ and maybe the 3rd or 4th best wrestling at lw in the ufc. I think that will be the difference. Crane had almost no answer for Huerta standing and couldn’t submit a guy that wasn’t nearly as competitive or active on the ground than Pelligrino though can close. I think pelligrino will out box crane then beat him with agressive ground and pound in the 2nd round.
MAYNARD vs SIVER
Gray maynard impresses me and he has been training with a camp that has made good fighters great and great fighters legendary. Siver looked good in his last fight but not near as impressive as Maynard’s 9 second KO. I think Maynard’s coming out party against Emerson was not where near the beginning. I’m picking Maynard by gnp in the first.
MILLER vs STEPHENS
One of ATTs best kept secrets is out and Cole Miller looks like a beast, but in Stephens he is fighting an active striker with a ton of heart. Stephen’s loss to Thomas showed he needed to work on his ground game and Thomas trians with Miller in florida. If Cole cna consistantly get the fight to the ground he can win, not to mention the exceptoinal reach advantage Miller has that will make head kicks easier to land. I predict one of the years best fights in an up and down 3 round war. with Cole miller winning by SD or UD.
HILL v VERES
Either Veres has no Chin or Gray has dynamite in his hands either way the guy went down quick. If Hill has been working on a clinch game and wrestling i think this could be an easy first MMA win for Hil. Hill KO 1st.
BUCHHOLZ vs WIMAN
Wiman has been impressive but has yet to really test himself. The move from Elitexc to UFC will be a tough one for Buchholz who is the less experienced and less tested fighter. a win will move Wiman’s ufc record to 3-1 and a potential remtch with Fisher or Huerta. I think thats what we’ll see wher in Buchholz first test he is dismanteled by the better striker and ground fighter in Wiman. Wiman by Choke in the 2nd
Those are my picks look for my picks for ufc 81 next week.
Leave a Reply