On August 8th, UFC 101 will be taking place in Philadelphia, PA. In my opinion the card is nothing extraordinary. I am however really looking forward to the main event match-up between B.J Penn and Kenny Florian. I’ll get a little more into that bout and several other within my fight breakdowns below.

Kurt Pellegrino vs. Josh Neer

Coming off a submission victory vs. Mac Danzig in his last outing, Josh Neer has set himself up to begin climbing the ranks of the lightweight division . His opponent, Kurt Pellegrino is already well on his way in doing just that as he attempts to collect his third consecutive win this Saturday.

I think this fight is going to be one of those all over the place, back and forth scraps that crowds love to watch. Mix in a little blood and this fight may be a candidate for “Fight of the Night”. In the end I think Pellegrino will employ a ground based attack to secure a victory by decision.

Inferno’s Pick – Kurt Pellegrino (Decision)

Ricardo Almeida  vs. Kendall Grove
Both Almeida and Grove have similar pro records but they are drastically different in body type and fighting style.

Without a doubt Ricardo Almeida, who is many inches shorter than his ultra-tall opponent, is going to look to secure a submission hold early into this fight. He’s tapped a few opponents out with the “Arm-in” guillotine variation and that’s something Grove will have to constantly look out for.

Grove, who possesses a more diverse arsenal than Almeida will be a threat in every round due to his lengthy strikes and aggressive style.  Add in the fact that he’s probably drilled his submission defences more than ever before and I think this match-up may go the full three rounds.

I have a gut feeling that Grove will land some strong strikes early into the match that will cause problems for the talented Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt Almeida.  I think Groves will win this one by TKO sometime within the 3rd round.

Inferno’s Pick – Kendall Grove (TKO)

Amir Sadollah  vs. Johnny Hendricks

Every card, there is a fight where I really don’t know too much about either fighter. This is one of them. I haven’t watched the “Ultimate Fighter” Show since season 3, so I haven’t had the chance to watch Amir Sadollah fight. I haven’t seen his opponent Johnny Hendricks fight either.  I’m glad I’ll get the chance to see them both in action this coming weekend.

Hendricks has done very well is the WEC, scoring back to back wins, and now looks to duplicate that success in the world’s best MMA organization, the UFC.  I’m going to pick him to win this one by decision based on his strong wrestling background. Even though it’s his first fight in the UFC, he’s already had the chance to fight in a big cage in front of some large crowds in the WEC. That type of experience will certainly pay off during this fight.

Inferno’s Pick – Johnny Hendricks (Decision)

Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin

This fight could turn out to be a great one but for some reason I’m not very excited about it.

Forrest always fights hard to please the crowd and brings a truckload of heart and grit to the cage every time he steps into it. Anderson Silva, who in many people’s eyes is one of the greatest — pound for pound — fighters in the world, has had many moments of brilliance in the cage. He has also shown some passivity during some of his recent bouts, employing a cautious fighting style, vastly different from his usual calculated ferociousness.

I anticipate this fight will be a stand-up battle with both fighters carefully picking their moments to attack. This definitely won’t be the toe to toe scrap that many fans are salivating over the thought of. In the end I believe Anderson Silva will do what he does best which is finding a way to win fights. How will it end? I’m thinking stoppage due to cut.

Inferno’s Pick – Anderson Silva (TKO)

B.J. Penn vs. Kenny Florian

Oh yeah! I am pumped for this one. Kenny Florian is easily one of my favourite fighters in the sport of MMA.  Yes, he’s a nice guy with great skills but what I like more is the fact that he is always working to improve in all combat disciplines. With a super technical ground game and an ever improving striking game, he’s a great example of the benefits of hard work and dedication.

His opponent, UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn is a unique adversary. His freakish flexibility, superb balance and excellent timing are extremely difficult to replicate in training. You pretty much have to solve that puzzle within the twenty five minutes – if it lasts that long – of fight time.

Another thing to keep in mind is that this is a lightweight fight. At lightweight is where I believe BJ will be the most difficult to beat. Matched up against fighters that possess similar builds, he will not have to put on extra weight during training. We get to see a lean, quick, strongly conditioned BJ Penn come fight time.

Who will win? Difficult to say but I’m going with Kenny Florian. He’s worked hard, been through some tough battles and has fought for five full rounds in the past. It’s his time.

Inferno’s Pick – Kenny Florian (Decision)

Who are you picking?


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