UFC 117 - Silva vs. Sonnen Preview and Predictions

The second UFC event in August kicks off this Saturday night in California, with a very impressive fight card that should have fans very excited. A Middleweight title fight headlines the card as legendary Anderson Silva takes on challenger Chael Sonnen. A welterweight rematch involving Jon Fitch and Thiago Alves, as well as a heavyweight fight between Junior Dos Santos and Roy Nelson to determine the next contender for the title complete a impressive fight card. Let's preview the main card fights and look into predictions:

UFC 117 - Silva vs. Sonnen

 Oracle Arena,
Oakland, California, United States 

Anderson Silva  vs. Chael Sonnen  

Jon Fitch  vs. Thiago Alves  

Clay Guida vs. Rafael dos Anjos
Matt Hughes vs. Ricardo Almeida
Junior dos Santos  vs. Roy Nelson
Dustin Hazelett vs. Rick Story
Phil Davis vs. Rodney Wallace
Johny Hendricks vs. Charlie Brenneman
Stefan Struve vs. Christian Morecraft
Tim Boetsch vs. Todd Brown
Ben Saunders vs. Dennis Hallman

  

Junior "Cigano" Dos Santos

Junior Dos Santos comes into this fight riding a very impressive six fight win streak, with Cigano finishing all six opponents. The impressive win streak includes victories over Stefan Struve, Gabriel Gonzaga, Mirko Filipovic, Fabricio (the Fedor beater) Werdum and Gilbert Yvel. Dos Santos sports a fantastic skill set, and his best weapon is his amazing stand up. He has very heavy hands, very quick boxing and the ability to finish just about anyone.

VS

Roy "Big Country" Nelson

If you have ever seen Roy Nelson, you understand where exactly his nickname came from. His surprisingly un-athletic looking body seems to clash with the idea that he is an MMA fighter (and a successful one at that). Looking past how Nelson looks, he carries a lot of power in his hands, and is a competitive grappler. His two fights in the UFC so far were both KO victories over the likes of Stefan Struve and Brendan Schuab.Nelson might not have the gas tank that some fighters have but his weight advantage can be helpful from the top position.

Analysis: Both Dos Santos and Nelson have the power to knock out most MMA fighters, but against each other, Dos Santos has the advantage of faster hands,better boxing and counter punching. Both fighters have the obvious puncher's chance but it seems more likely that Dos Santos will overwhelm Nelson sometime in the fight.

Prediction: Junior Dos Santos 2nd Round TKO

Matt Hughes

 Matt Hughes, one of the greatest veterans of the sport, rides a two fight win streak into this bout, with wins over Renzo Gracie and Matt Serra. Despite his last two victories, Hughes is not as dominant as he once was. He sports a excellent 44 - 7 record, but is probably closer to retiring then ever. His signature slams are long gone, and his take downs have looked lack luster as of late. Hughes is a two time Welterweight champion and sports the kind of experience few other fights have earned.

VS

Ricardo Almeida

Ricardo Almeida sports a 3 fight win streak coming into this match, with wins over Kendall Grove and Matt Brown. Almeida is a very successful BJJ practitioner and wrestler with good take-downs and top game. This is Almeida's second stint in the octagon and a win over Hughes could give him some big name recognition on his way up towards the title.

Analysis: Hughes is one of the best Welterweight fighters of all time, but clearly his best years are behind him at this point. The fight is not impossible for him to win, but it is highly likely he will fall victim to Almeida's wrestling and BJJ Saturday night.

Prediction: Ricardo Almeida 2nd Round Submission

Clay "The Carpenter" Guida

Clay Guida is coming into this bout with a victory in his last fight over Shannon Gugerty, but being 1 - 2 in his last 3 UFC fights. Guida has the advantage of having cardio superior to most MMA fighters, and can keep a ferocious pace throughout the entire fight. he employs a ground and pound style that takes advantage of his good top control, cardio and explosiveness. He also has a very solid chin, and has never been finished via TKO or KO in his career.

VS

 Rafael Dos Anjos

Rafael Dos Anjos comes into Saturday night's fight with a 3 fight win streak in the octagon. His grappling and BJJ are excellent (BJJ Black Belt) and he has won half his fights by submission and has never been submitted.He won submission of the night in his last victory by arm bar over Terry Etim. A win over Guida would likely help Dos Anjos climb up the lightweight division.

Analysis: Guida has the cardio and chin to force any fighter to wear out and go the distance, but he loses some of his advantage to Dos Anjos because of his superb BJJ and grappling. Guida will look to take Dos Anjos down and control and pound him, but could easily fall prey to the black belt Brazilian fighter.

Prediction: Rafael Dos Anjos 3rd Round Submission

Jon Fitch

Jon Fitch is a superior force in the lightweight division and rides a four fight win streak into his rematch with Thiago Alves.The only downfall of Fitch's win streak, maybe only according to fans, is that they all were decision wins.He holds tremendous wrestling ability, but lacks a superb stand-up or finishing power of other fighters.He beat Thiago in their first fight, thought that was four years ago.

VS

 Thiago "The Pitbull" Alves

Thiago Alves last fought in 2009 when he challenged GSP for the Welterweight title, losing a unanimous decision. He has vicious power, winning 10 of his fights by (T)KO, including finishing opponents Chris Lytle(won fight of the night) ,Matt Hughes (won knock out of the night), and Karo Parisyan. He has good take down defense, cardio, and the ability to finish any opponent.

Analysis: Jon Fitch is a great MMA fighter, and uses his specific strategy to neutralize opponents and grind out wins, but this might not work on Alves. The Pitbull's stand up is far better than that of Fitch, and his TDD has improved vastly since the last time they fought.

Prediction: Thiago Alves 2nd Round TKO

Anderson "The Spider" Silva

Anderson Silva is one of the best fighters to ever come into the UFC, if not the best. He is undefeated in the octagon, and is the longest reigning champion in the promotion's history. He has defeated numerous talented fighters such as Rich Franklin (twice), Chris Leben, Forrest Griffin, and Dan Henderson. He has amazing striking ability and some of the best counter punching in the business and has won knock out of the night and fight of the night twice each. As of late though, he has seemed a little complacent in the cage, even forcing Dana White to reprimand Silva harshly in his last fight, telling him that if he repeated such a performance, he would be cut from the promotion.

 VS

Chael Sonnen

Chael Sonnen is currently the #2 Middleweight in the UFC and is stepping up to fight Anderson Silva for the belt this Saturday night. Sonnen rides a three fight win streak into the title match, with victories over Nate Marquardt, Yushin Okami, and Dan Miller. Sonnen is also the only fighter ever to defeat Paulo Filho, a former WEC Middleweight champion. Sonnen employs superior wrestling in his fights (NCAA Division I All-American wrestler at the University of Oregon), and a good top game. In the months leading up to the fight, Sonnen has been incredibly open about his views of the fight and Anderson Silva, letting immense amounts of trash talk fly.

Analysis: Realistically, Silva is leagues above Sonnen in ability (though Silva is leagues above everyone), and will most likely take this fight easily. But Sonnen does provide an interesting match up in that his wrestling is very good, and time and time again the key to beating Silva is believed to be taking him to the mat and controlling him for the fights entirety. Sonnen has the wrestling to take him down and keep him there, but he lacks the stand up to mess around much on the feet, and is also very susceptible to submissions.Big money would be put on Silva's head, but with Silva's complacency and  desire for octagon dance-offs, Sonnen's hilarious and ridiculous trash talk and being the underdog of the ages; I'm going to bite the bullet and believe the impossible.

Prediction: Chael Sonnen Unanimous Decision

Results to follow event

UFC Live On Versus 2: Jones vs. Matyushenko Results and Analysis

It was an interesting night of fights Sunday at the San Diego Sports Arena, during the UFC's second stint providing a free event via the Versus channel. The bout between Jones and Matyushenko did not disappoint and headlined a night of intense mixed martial arts. Lets's look at the results, the analysis of each fight and if the predictions held any truth:

Takanori "The Fireball Kid" Gomi VS Tyson Griffin

 Result: Takanori Gomi came into the octagon with a purpose, and that purpose was fulfilled a minute into the fight when Gomi throws a mean right that drops Griffin to the mat, where Gomi punched him out until the ref intervened.

Analysis: Gomi's first fight in the UFC against Florian was lackluster, but this second fight is a good a bounce back as any. Tyson Griffin has never been stopped until now, and Gomi made it look easy, decking Griffin and putting him away early in the first round. Gomi could be on his way up the UFC ladder.

Takanori Gomi Victory by 1st Round Knock Out

Jake Ellenberger VS John "Doomsday" Howard

Result: Ellenberger used excellent takedowns along with some vicious elbows to put away John Howard midway through the 3rd round. The TKO was a doctor stoppage, a big elbow (possibly breaking or fracturing Howard's orbital bone) caused Howard's left eye to swell shut.

Analysis: Ellenberger looked impressive against the heavy handed Howard, and neutralized him for most of the match. He could be a dominant force in the division if he continues to fight like he did sunday night. 

Jake Ellenberger Victory by 3rd Round TKO

Yushin "Thunder" Okami VS Mark "The Philippine Wrecking Machine" Munoz

Result:Yushin Okami earned a big victory over a very credible foe in Mark Munoz on Sunday night. The decision was close, but Okami did enough to sway the judges in his favor at the end of the night. Okami's striking was superior that night and his sprawl neutralized Munoz.

Analysis: Munoz, a great wrestler with superb takedowns as well as ground and pound, looked very sub par versus Yushin Okami. Okami defended just about every single one of Munoz's takedown attempts and outpointed him in the standup. It was a very disappointing fight for the up and coming Munoz.

Yushin Okami Victory by Split Decision

Jon "Bones" Jones VS Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko

Result: Jon Jones continues time and time again to impress fans and fighters alike, and sunday night was no different when he ran through Matyushenko. Not even 2 minutes into the round, Jones takes Matyushenko to the mat, moves into position for a crucifix, and starts raining at least a dozen clean elbows to the head before the ref intervenes.

Analysis: Vladimir Matyushenko is no pushover, yet Jones won finished him easily, almost too easily. If anyone has any doubts left about Bones, it's probably along the lines of what would happen when he's not winning a fight so effortlessly? At this point I'm sure his next fight will be someone much higher up the rankings, and I'm excited to see how Jones performs in that test. Really, the only disappointment that could be said of this fight, was that Jones finished the fight too early and we didn't get to see as much of his crazy striking. 

Jon Jones Victory by 1st Round TKO

Total Prediction Record for UFC Live On Versus 2 : 1 - 3

UFC Live On Versus 2: Jones vs. Matyushenko Preview and Predictions

Ladies and Gentlemen, this Sunday night you are in for a real treat (and a FREE one at that.) This weekend Jon Jones fights Vladimir Matyushenko on the main event of a very promising second edition to the UFC's "Live on Versus" fight card series.

The main card of this Versus event looks like it will promise some great action, intense fights, and maybe some highlight reels. Lets get straight into previewing the top four fights of the night and my predictions on the winners:

 UFC LIVE: Jones Vs Matyushenko

 Aug 1st, San Diego Sports Arena, SD CA

Jon Jones

Jon "Bones" Jones has burst into the UFC, emerging as one of the Light Heavyweight divisions most talented prospects, seemingly with unlimited potential. His excellent 10 - 1 record includes breaking Brandon Vera's face,  outpointing Stephen Bonnar and submitting Jake O'Brien. The only blemish to his career so far was a DQ loss to Matt Hamill when he accidentally utilized a vertical illegal elbow (all of the fight up to the disqualification, Bones was throwing Hamill around much like a silver back gorilla might toss around an unconscious infant)

                         VS

Vladimir Matyushenko

Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko is an respected MMA veteran and has fought in the UFC several times over the duration of his career. He rides a three fight win streak into his bout with Jones, and has notable wins over Pedro Rizzo, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, and has only been finished twice in the past seven years. Matyushenko is recognized as the first and only IFL Light Heavyweight champion, and his extensive wrestling background has helped him though his twenty four career wins

 Analysis: Matyushenko is a very accomplished veteran mixed martial arts fighter, with a talent for wrestling that should in no way be taken lightly. On the other hand, Jon Jones is an incredibly unorthodox striker and wrestler, whose creative gameplan including spinning back fists, unorthodox throws and sweeps are hard to prepare for, and even harder to counter. Matyushenko definitely has a good chance in this fight, as he is still a very talented fighter, but I see Jones using this fight to continue showing the UFC that he needs to be fighting better competition. Hopefully we will see some more of Bones ridiculously creative striking. (here's hoping for a spinning back fist KO)

Prediction:  Jon Jones (2rd round TKO )

Mark Munoz

  Mark "The Philippine Wrecking Machine" Munoz is a former two-time California State Wrestling Champion, sporting  a near unblemished 8 - 1 MMA record with the only lose coming from a loss to Matt Hamill. Munoz comes into this bout with a three fight win streak looking to climb further up the Middleweight ladder. Munoz won Fight of the Night honors for his last fight in which he TKO'd the dangerous Kendall Grove. Munoz is a master of the takedown  and has finished his opponent in five of his eight wins

                               VS

Yushin Okami

Yushin "Thunder" Okami is currently ranked eighth in the world in Middleweight division, holding a fantastic record of 24 - 5. Okami holds notable victories over Alan Belcher,  Mike Swick, and Evan Tanner, and a strange win over the legendary Anderson Silva through Silva's DQ. He was last beaten by current Middleweight title contender Chael Sonnen at UFC 104.  With great wrestling and kickboxing, he presents a suitable challenge for anyone in the 185 pound weight class.

 Analysis: Okami is no easy opponent, but Munoz is looking fierce at this point in his career. Munoz should have the advantage of being able to take "Thunder" down and finish him before the bell.

 

 Prediction: Mark Munoz (3nd Round TKO)

Jake Ellenberger

  

Jake Ellenberger is looking for his second win in the octagon after his mediocre record of 1 - 1 in the UFC. His overall MMA career is a respectable 22 - 5, but he dropped his UFC debut to fellow Welterweight Carlos Condit in a close split decicion, in which he took the fight on short notice. He bounced back in his next fight with a TKO victory over Mike Pyle. Ellenberger comes from a wrestling background and also utilizes effective striking and jiu-jitsu. 

                         VS

John Howard

 John "Doomsday" Howard comes into this bout with a very impressive seven fight win streak, with four of those wins coming via KO or TKO. Sporting an overall record of 14 - 4, this will be Howard's 5th fight in the octagon, and a win would no doubt send him closer to contender status. In his UFC debut Howard earned Fight of the Night honors defeating  Chris Wilson, and also earned Knock out of the Night honors when he KO'd Daniel Roberts in his last fight.

Analysis: Ellenberger is a talented prospect in the UFC, but Howard's combination of striking prowess and overall power put him in a perfect situation to put him out cold if given the smallest chance.

Prediction: John Howard (2nd round KO)  

Takanori Gomi

 

Takanori "The Fireball Kid" Gomi is one of the msot established  lightweight fighters in MMA, holding the Pride LW belt when it disbanded, and winning four All Japan Combat Wrestling championships and former Shooto Welterweight champion. He is currently coming off a loss as he produced a sub bar performance in his bout with Kenny Florian that ended in Gomi submitting to a Rear Naked Choke in the 3rd round.  This will be Gomi's second UFC fight.

VS

Tyson Griffin

Tyson Griffin is also coming into this bout off a loss, losing a recent decision to Evan Dunham. Griffin does hold notable victories over Clay Guida, Urijah Faber, and Rafael Dos Anjos. Griffin holds five Fight of the Night honors and one Submisson of the Night honor. His extensive wrestling and strength based skillset aid him greatly in his MMA fights.

Analysis: Gomi seems to have hit a bit of a rut, dropping 3 of his last 5 fights, and Florian simple outclassed him. Look for Griffin to use his strength and wrestling to at least grind out a win over "The Fireball Kid".

Prediction: Tyson Griffin (UD) 

Results to follow event