We have a nice little fight card set for UFC Fight Night 8 taking place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Florida on Thursday, January 25 @ 8pm on Spike TV.
This will be a good warm-up to the upcoming UFC 68 on Feb 3.
Here are my predictions:
Rashad Evans 14-0-0 Vs. Sean Salmon 9-1-0
Rashad Evans is slowly growing on me. Rashad gained notoriety by winning the Heavyweight fight against Big Brad Imes in The Ultimate Fighter 2 finale.
Since then, Rashad has dropped down a weight class to the Light Heavyweight ranks (205 Lbs) where he stands a good chance at contending for the title in a year or so. Rashad is a wrestler with decent strikes and quick foot work.
In his last fight, he knocked out a tough opponent in Jason Lambert (22-5-0) in the second round. I expect Rashad to bring the same intensity to this fight against Sean Salmon. Rashad is used to the bright lights and the national attention of Spike TV and the UFC so I am giving a huge edge to Rashad as long as he stands on his feet and trades punches with Salmon who will be quick to chute for the takedown.
Unfortunately for Salmon, Evans' takedown defence is solid so expect a pugilistic match that will see Rashad's undefeated record remain with his arm held high in the air.
It's important to note that UFC Junkie is sponsoring Sean Salmon and I am a huge fan of the Junkie's insights. Check him out.
Prediction: Rashad Evans by TKO over Salmon.
Jake O'Brien 9-0-0 Vs. Heath Herring 26-11-1
I am soooooooooo excited about this match-up that Heath should have been the one plastered front and center on the UFC Fight Night poster instead of Rashad.
Heath is a devastating striker with a solid ground game. Heath has learned how to lose from the very best that MMA has to offer in the Heavyweight division and those include Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mirko Filipovic, Vitor Belfort, and the amazing Fedor Emelianenko.
They say the true test of a fighter is to see if he will learn from his losses and bounce back quickly and stronger than the previous fight. Well, this is the case for the Texas Crazy Horse and how could you not learn from going toe to toe with fighters that would embarrass the current UFC Heavyweight line-up.
I expect big things from Heath because of his explosive fighting style and never quit attitude. At 28 years old, expect Health to add depth and athleticism we haven't seen since the Pitbull Andre Arlovski was the champ.
Prediction: Heath all the way... Sorry Jake, you will lose the match and also your unbeaten 9-0 record however, as Heath's career has shown, in order to be the best, you have to learn how to be beaten by the best. School is in session for ya!
Hermes Franca 17-5-0 Vs. Spencer Fisher 20-2-0
What can I say? Fisher all the way!!!! Spencer has more depth in terms of fight experience than Franca and he is currently being trained in the MFS (Miletich Fighting Systems) style a la, Jeremy Horn, Matt Hughes & Tim Sylvia. Not bad training partners.
Hermes Franca hasn't risen to the challenge in a big fight. He came close in his split decision loss against Yves Edwards a couple of years back but still has not had the fight that could put him on the 155 map of contenders.
Franca, this is your shot to propel your career into overdrive. Be sure to duck when you see the flying knee that Spencer likes to dish out.
Prediction: Spencer Fisher by KO in the 3rd.
Dean Lister 9-4-0 Vs. Nate Marquardt 27-6-1 (May not be broadcast)
Wanna see a lob sided match? Well, you ain't gonna 'cause this one is not televised and thank goodness for that. Dean Lister has to be the most boring and ill equipped fighter in MMA today.
Everything he has is mediocre at best. Nothing stands out as his strength and we will see Dean where he belongs after this fight, out of the UFC and back training real fighters with skill.
Lister just sucks. His decision win against Yuki Sasaki was an embarrassment to MMA. Too bad I couldn't highlight Nate's skills, it's just that Lister sucks sooooooo bad that an octagon girl could knock him out with her fight round number card.
Prediction: Nate Marquardt without breaking a sweat in the first round by submission.
Quick Untelevised Picks:
Chad Reiner 13-1-0 Vs. Josh Burkman 18-3-0
Prediction: Burkman
Ed Herman 13-4-0 Vs. Chris Price 8-1-0
Prediction: (toss a coin) I'm going with the Short Fuse merely due to the fact that if Ed Herman does not win, he'll be out of the MMA circuit indefinitely and possibly joining his buddy Chris Leben. It's do or die for the Short Fuse.
Clay Guida 21-3-0 Vs. Din Thomas 21-7-0
Prediction: I like Clay to win by submission. This is my underdog pick and I hope Din Thomas goes away quietly.
Ross Pointon 4-8-0 Vs. Rich Clementi 22-6-0
Holy TUF series rematches Batman!
Prediction: Ross Pointon will go back to the island he came from and continue to work as a punching bag for up and coming UK fighters. Ross should have been matched up with Dean Lister... then we'd all go back to watching the Golf Channel. Rich Clementi all the way by KO 'cause Ross doesn't know any different
"Ja know what I mean?"
Monday, January 15, 2007
UFC Fight Night 8 Predictions
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Interesting story on Heath that I found on NBC's site.
ReplyDelete"Casual UFC fans might not know much about Herring, but he's a very experienced fighter who's fought throughout the world. He was also part of one of mixed martial-arts' most infamous and bizarre episodes. On December 31, 2005, on a K-1 fight card, Herring was engaged in a typical pre-fight staredown with opponent Yoshihiro Nakao, when Nakao suddenly and unexpectedly leaned in and kissed him on the lips. A shocked Herring reacted by punching Nakao in the face and knocking him out. The fight never took place and was ruled a no-contest. "