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MAIN CARD
Light Heavyweight Championship Bout: Jon Jones (c) vs Rashad Evans
Welterweight Bout: Rory MacDonald vs Che Mills
Heavyweight Bout: Brendan Schaub vs Ben Rothwell
Bantamweight Bout: Miguel Torres vs Michael McDonald
Featherweight Bout: Mark Hominick vs Eddie Yagin
Lightweight Bout: Mark Bocek vs John Alessio
PRELIMINARY CARD (FX)
Heavyweight Bout: Travis Browne vs Chad Griggs
Welterweight Bout: Matt Brown vs Stephen Thompson
Lightweight Bout: John Makdessi vs Anthony Nijokuani
Lightweight Bout: Mac Danzig vs Efrain Escudero
PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)
Welterweight Bout: Keith Wisniewski vs Chris Clements
Featherweight Bout: Marcus Brimage vs Maximo Blanco
Featherweight Bout: Marcus Brimage vs Maximo Blanco
Dolph'sZiggler Outlook:
As the UFC tends to do, they've watered down the main card bouts outside of the main event because they know that Jones vs Rashad can sell PPVs without a strong supporting cast of fights. The matchups aren't terrible, but it's far from a stacked card on fights 1-4 on the main card. The good news is the preliminary fights being shown on Facebook are very intriguing, so that helps make up for it quite a bit in my book.
Most Anticipated Fights:
1.) Jon Jones vs Rashad Evans- while I do believe this fight is being a bit OVER-hyped, it's still the clear cut #1 fight on this card. UFC is trying to sell it as the most ill-willed feud in UFC history and biggest fight in history, but that is far from the truth. That being said, the storyline is certainly intriguing, as is the match up. Former friends and training partners in Greg Jackson's camp, there does seem to be quite a bit of animosity between the two at this point.
Jones has run through a who's who list of former LHW Champions including Lyota Machida, Rampage Jackson, and Shogun Rua, but many feel Rashad will be his biggest test. Rashad posses better wrestling and takedown ability than anyone Jones has faced up to this point, and it would be very interesting to see Jones on his back, as it's not something we've seen much, if at all up until this point in his career. I believe Rashad will want to make this an ugly fight, utilize his grappling, and shrink the distance between the two. If Jones is able to keep his distance and put his huge reach advantage into effect, Rashad will struggle in this fight.
Prediction: Jon Jones by TKO
2.) Matt Brown vs Stephen Thompson- Simply put, I want to see Wonderboy Thompson in action again. His UFC debut was a very impressive knockout via a beautiful head kick. His family runs a karate academy, and his kickboxing is flat out marvelous to watch. Matt Brown is a solid fighter, but nothing more than a gate keeper. He is also a striker, but not nearly as proficient of one. I don't think he will make it out of round 1, and basically view him as a stepping stone for Wonderboy, who will become a main card mainstay if he performs in this fight like I expect him to.
Prediction: Stephen Thompson by KO
3.) Rory MacDonald vs Che Mills- MacDonald is one of the hottest prospects in all of the UFC, and viewed by many as the next big thing at 170 pounds. His only loss came to current Interim Champion Carlos Condit in a fight that MacDonald was winning after two rounds, before getting finished by Condit by a series of punches and elbows. While this is a pretty lame 'co main event' and I don't foresee the Englishman Che Mills providing too much of a problem for Rory, anything can happen when a dangerous striker like Mills gets a shot at a step-up in competition.
Prediction: Rory MacDonald by submission
4.) Travis Browne vs Chad Griggs- Browne is a VERY interesting HW fighter, currently sitting undefeated at 12-0-1, having drawn with Cheick Kongo. His superman punch knockout of Stefan Struve was one of the highlights of 2011. He is most noted for his standup, but also has good wrestling and submission defense. Griggs is another promising HW, mostly noted for his quickness, striking, and superb mutton chops. Griggs holds victories over Bobby Lashley (lol) and Alistair Overeem's brother Valentin, and has only been defeated once in his career (submitted by a kimura). If the fight stays on it's feet, he has a chance to win this fight despite having a reach disadvantage of 5 inches. I expect that it will be a standing slugfest, and either guy could drop at any time.
Prediction: Travis Browne by decision
5.) Miguel Torres vs Michael McDonald- No, not the lead singer of the Doobie Brothers, this is a different Michael McDonald, and he loves to scrap. 8 of his 14 victories as a professional have come by way of knockout, as has his only defeat. At only 21 years of age, he will be a decade younger than his opponent, and has been in about 30 less fights. Torres is the more well rounded of the two, and is the most experienced fighter currently residing in the 135 pound division in the UFC. If Torres can win this fight, he could likely find himself in a contenders match for the Bantamweight Title, currently held by Dominic Cruz who is set to defend the belt against Urijah Faber at the conclusion of this season of The Ultimate Fighter. McDonald is in a 'nothing to lose' fight in my opinion, and I expect him to fight like that. The outcome of this fight will come down to where it takes place. If McDonald can keep the fight standing, I like his chances of winning. If Torres is able to dictate the pace of the fight and bring McDonald to the ground, it will likely be his fight to lose.
Prediction: Torres by decision
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Also be sure to hit me up on fight day if you need a way to see the fights.[/size]
