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I’m definitely looking forward to UFC 117 although I think these two headliner fights could play out in one of two different ways: Action packed from start to finish or uneventful and boring depending on how the fighters approach it.

I’m hoping that Chael Sonnen wins the belt that night by finishing Anderson Silva. What I definitely don’t want to see is Silva dancing around the cage for twenty minutes waving his arms in the air and doing his shake and bake stuff pretending to want to attack. Hopefully for the fans, he’ll be out in good form and fight hard for the entire fight.

With the Fitch/Alves, ideally we’ll see some good ground work by Fitch and some slick striking by Alves throughout in a match that ends by either KO or submission. Both guys are tough competitors and will without a doubt be ready to fight hard all three rounds.

I’m picking Sonnen and Fitch to win. Who you going with?

Here’s the promo vid for the card…

Thanks to everyone who entered the UFC 114 (Evans vs. Jackson) Pick’em contest.

The results were very close however the top spot was shared by three people all of who picked 9 of 11 winners correctly! Great job guys. I’ve decided to give you each a free video workshop instead of just the first to get their picks in.

If you’re one of the following three winners, I’ll be sending you an email very soon to find out which workshop you would like.

Andy
Art
Dmo171

Next UFC I’ll be having another contest so get your picks ready!

Thought I’d ad a little more excitement to an already great night of fights happening this weekend at UFC 113.

If anyone can pick all 11 winners correctly I’ll give them free access to any one of the video workshops (your choice) found in my premium content shop. It doesn’t matter how each of your picks gets the victory as long as they win.

Post your picks on this post by commenting.

Good luck!

Here are all 11 match-ups set for Saturday night:

Lyoto Machida (16-0) vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (18-4)
Josh Koscheck (14-4) vs. Paul Daley (23-8-2)
Jeremy Stephens (16-5) vs. Sam Stout (15-5-1)
Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson (4-1) vs. Matt Mitrione (1-0)
Alan Belcher (15-6) vs. Patrick Cote (13-5)
Joe Doerksen (44-12) vs. Tom Lawlor (6-2)
Jonathan Goulet (22-10) vs. Marcus Davis (16-6)
Yoshiyuki Yoshida (11-4) vs. Mike Guymon (11-3-1)
Tim Hague (10-3) vs. Joey Beltran (11-3)
T.J. Grant (15-3) vs. Johny Hendricks (7-0)
Jason MacDonald (24-13) vs. John Salter (4-1)

Here’s what I’m feeling for the upcoming UFC 113 Fight Card in Montreal, Quebec…

Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua – Shogun by Decision

Josh Koscheck  vs. Paul Daley  - Koscheck by TKO

Jeremy Stephens  vs. Sam Stout – Stout by Decision

Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Fergusonvs. Matt Mitrione - Kimbo by TKO

Alan Belcher vs. Patrick Cote – Cote by Decision

Who are you picking?

Thought I’d throw up some last minute predictions. Looking forward to watching Jon Jones fight.

• Jon Jones vs. Brandon Vera  - Jones by decision
• Junior Dos Santos  vs. Gabriel Gonzaga – Dos Santos by KO
• Cheick Kongo  vs. Paul Buentello - Kongo by Decision
• James Irvin vs. Alessio Sakara – Sakara by Decision

Who are you picking?

Here are my UFC 109 predicitons, who are you picking?

Randy Couture  vs. Mark Coleman = Randy Couture by decision
-Nate Marquardt  vs. Chael Sonnen = Nate Marquardt by submission
-Demian Maia  vs. Dan Miller = Demian Maia by submission
-Matt Serra vs. Frank Trigg = Matt Serra by Decision
-Paulo Thiago  vs. Mike Swick = Mike Swick by TKO

There are some pretty even matchups on this card. Tough to choose but here goes…

Rashad Evans  vs. Thiago Silva – Rashad Evans
Paul Daley  vs. Dustin Hazelett – Paul Daley
Joe Lauzon vs. Sam Stout – Joe Lauzon (although I’m hoping Stout wins)
Duane Ludwig  vs. Jim Miller – Jim Miller
Junior Dos Santos vs. Gilbert Yvel – Junior Dos Santos

Who you picking?

Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

I’m excited about this bout mainly because I like watching Machida fight. He seems to be gaining more confidence with every fight and I believe that will give him an edge over his opponent, tough Brazilian fighter Mauricio Rua. Hopefully Lyoto pulls off a footsweep or some other rarely used technique during the fight to make things extra exciting. When all is said and done I see Machida having his hand raised high in victory.

Inferno’s pick – Lyoto Machida (2nd round TKO)

Cain Velasquez vs. Ben Rothwell

This is a tough fight to pick. Many people believe that Velasquez is one of the biggest threats to UFC champ Brock Lesnar but in order to get closer to that opportunity he has to beat veteran fighter and IFL standout Ben Rothwell on Saturday night. This will be no easy task as Rothwell has gone 14-1 in his last fifteen fights and has faced some tough opponent. Going with my gut feeling, I’m picking Rothwell to win this fight by decision.

Inferno’s pick – Ben Rothwell (Decision)

Josh Neer vs. Gleison Tibau

This fight has the potential to be a great battle, both standing and on the ground. Neer has the edge in experience but Tibau comes into the cage as a pretty big lightweight. I see Josh Neer winning this fight in the final round by TKO.

Inferno’s pick – Josh Neer (3rd round TKO)

Joe Stevenson vs. Spencer Fisher

Oh yeah! I pick this one for fight of the night. Two lightweights with ultra aggressive styles pitted against one another. What more could you ask for? Each of them possesses a wealth of experience and strong skill sets. Stevenson may have an edge on the mat while Fisher has the stronger striking technique but it’s a guarantee that this match will be exciting wherever it goes. Who will pull out the win? I say Fisher. How will he do it? It will be by decision.

Inferno’s Pick – Spencer Fisher (decision)

Anthony Johnson vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida

Although Yoshida has more wins than his opponent, I do not believe it will play much of a factor in this bout. Johnson is a tall, strong welterweight fighter that many believe will someday become a champion. I’m very certain that Yoshida will look to take this fight to the ground. I’m also certain that Johnson will know this and proceed to stop any such attempts made by his Japanese opponent. Once the takedown is stopped I don’t think the fight will last very much longer as I see Johnson pulling out the victory sometime during the 2nd round.

Inferno’s Pick – Anthony Johnson (2nd round TKO)
Who are you picking to win on Saturday night?

Here we go! Another UFC pay per view event. There are some good matchups on the card but for me it’s a few of the names on the card that builds my anticipation; Randy Couture, Demian Maia, Chris Leben and Kyzysztof Soszynski to name a few.

I like Randy because of his “age don’t mean @#$%” competitiveness and fighting spirit. Demian Maia is refreshingly slick on the ground which makes me always look forward to his fights. Chris Leben’s head of stone tends to make for great drama and Kyzysztof is a friend of mine so I love seeing him kick some ass.

Here’s how I think the matches will play out on Saturday night

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Randy Couture
Both of these warriors need a win and I think this fight will probably go the distance before a victor is declared. Randy will score some big takedowns on Nogueira throughout the bout, the first soon after spending a short time pinning and grinding the Brazilian fighter against the cage. Nogueira will search out submissions and sweeps all of which I believe Randy will do a great job of avoiding. In the end I see Randy pulling off a victory by decision.

Inferno’s Pick – Randy Couture (Decision)

Keith Jardine vs. Thiago Silva
I hope this fight stays standing. Both Silva and Jardine have the potential to win by KO which makes me think they may want the same. I think Silva is quicker and slightly more balanced with his striking which should prove to give him a small advantage while on the feet. Will this battle go the distance? I don’t believe so as I am picking Thiago Silva to win by KO at some point during the 2nd round.

Inferno’s Pick – Thiago Silva (KO)

Jake Rosholt vs. Chris Leben
Coming off a loss, the only blemish on his record, in his first UFC fight makes me think that Rosholt will be more relaxed in the cage his second time around. That being said, his gritty granite chinned, hard hitting opponent Chris Leben is no easy prey. In fact I think Lebens vast experience and improved skill set will render him victorious on Saturday night. How will he do it? In my opinion, a knockout after nullifying a few solid takedown attempts by Rosholt.

Inferno’s Pick – Chris Leben (KO)

Nate Marquardt vs. Demian Maia
This will be the fight of the night in my opinion. Each of these two fighters possesses solid skill sets. The edge in terms of striking ability and wrestling goes to Nate and Maia will be the better of the two on the ground in my opinion. This makes for an ultra interesting match-up. Maia has been unbeaten up to this point but I think after tonight I think that stat will change. After a hard fought battle I see Nate Marquardt winning this one by decision.

Inferno’s Pick – Nate Marquardt (Decision)

Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Brandon Vera
This is a cool matchup. I’m going to pick Krzysztof without explanation. Just because I think he’s going to take it.

Inferno’s Pick – Krzysztof Soszynski (Decision)

Who are you picking?

On August 8^th, 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 3^rd 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?