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Vancouver hosts is very first UFC pay per view in three years, and with it comes an outstanding welterweight native looking to make a splash in his long abscene away from his home province. Demetrious Johnson will be looking to make his fourth successful UFC title defense and his first of the year against former two time Sambo world champion Ali Bagautinov in a clash for the UFC's Flywieght Championship. Rory MacDonald looks to stay in the win column as he returns to his home province to face off against former All American wrestler Tyron Woodley, who'll be looking to add another impressive knockout to his resume. In other action, Ryan Bader and Rafael Cavalcante will square off in a light heavyweight bout, Andrei Arlovski makes his long awaited return to the octagon against the always impressive Brendan Schaub, and home country native Ryan Jimmo will be hunting for another first round knockout against an unblemished in the octagon Ovince St-Preux. Ladies and gentlemen this is your UFC 174 prediction thread!
Hello everyone! I'm Alex Cochrane here with your official UFC 174 prediction thread. Demetrious Johnson came into the UFC on a hot streak in the UFC's bantamweight division, racking up wins over Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto and Miguel Torres, and earning himself a title shot against then champion Dominick Cruz. Although he lost to Cruz decisively, the move prompted Johnson to drop down to the newly created 125 pound Flyweight division. There he has been undefeated, winning the inaugural championship tournament and defending it against John Dodson by decision, John Moraga by submission, and Joseph Benavidez (whom he defeated in the tournament finals by split decision) for a second by stellar first round knockout. Standing across from him is Ali Bagautinov, a grappling specialists whose resume includes two Sambo world championships, five Sambo national championships, brazilian jiu jitsu national championship, and a russian national greco-roman silver medalist. Bagautinov followed his team mate Rustam Khabilov to Greg Jackson's submission fighting in Albuqueque New Mexico, and since joining the UFC has defeated Marcos Vinicius, Tim Elliot, & John Lineker. Tonight, the two will meet head to head in match to determine who is the best 125 pound fighter in the world. In the co main event, Rory MacDonald who grew up Kelowna BC moved to Tristar Gym after his last fight in Vancouver which was a TKO loss to Carlos Condit and started training alongside ex-UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. Tonight, he returns to the scene of his very first loss in hopes of regaining himself against the heavy handed Tyron Woodley who is just coming off a win over Carlos Condit, a win over Woodley will hopefully brush the stain of that defeat away. Other fights on the main card include former Arizona Sun Devil Ryan Bader who's coming off of a win over Anthony Perosh, against Rafael Cavalcante who will looking to add another knockout to his 12 knockout win resume, Andrei Arlovski who hasn't fought in the UFC since March 2008 will finally return to the octagon to face off against Brendan Schaub who'll be making his second appearance in the Great White North, and Light Heavyweight finishers Ryan Jimmo and Ovince St-Preux will look to do battle in a crawling match for in the UFC's Light Heavyweight division. Let's take a look at who I think will come out on top for this week's fights.
Flyweight (125 lbs) Championship: Demetrious Johnson(c) vs Ali Bagautinov
Demetrious Johnson is ranked number 4 on the UFC's official pound for pound rankings, and for a good reason. Since becoming the UFC's very first flyweight championship with a split decision win over Joseph Benavidez at UFC 152 in Toronto, he's showcased his well rounded skill set by earning fight of the night with a win over John Dodson, submission of the night with a win over John Moraga, and knockout of the night with a second win over Benavidez. However, Bagautinov is a whole new challenge for the very first time Johnson will be facing a grappling specialist. Bagautinov will post problems in the grappling department for Johnson as we've seen some of MMA's greatest grapplers get tossed around by these Russian fighters with ridiculous Sambo pedigrees. However, they seem to lack in the ability to do any damage on the ground which is I believe will play a large factor in this. If memory serves right from watching guys like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Rustam Khabilov, it's that their takedowns are top notch but once they reach the final rounds they seem to gas. I believe that will play a big part, seeing as Johnson's conditioning and pace is second to none going in five round wars with all three of his previous challengers, and in the end will come out with a finish in the 4th round.
Winner: Demetrious Johnson by Submission in Rd. 4
Welterweight (170 lbs) Bout: Rory MacDonald vs Tyron Woodley
Number 2 and number 3 welterweights - Rory MacDonald and Tyron Woodley will both be hunting for a statutory win while returning to MacDonald's home province. Although the match was originally announced to be a title eliminator bout for the next person to face Johny Hendricks, Dana White has stated that the next fighter will be determined with a bout between Matt Brown and Robbie Lawler later this year. However, regardless, I believe we are going to see the best Rory MacDonald yet, although being criticized for his lack of "killer instinct" I believe MacDonald is doing all he can to win and possibly get a finihs, but that won't be easy against a guy like Tyron Woodley. Woodley's only two losses are a knockout loss to Nate Marquardt which occured in championship rounds and a very narrow split decision over recent UFC departing Jake Shields. Since then, Woodley has shown drastic improvement, knocking out Josh Koscheck and although his finish against Carlos Condit was controversial, he certainly put in the work in that round before the horrendous finish. Woodley mostly relies on his power which will involve him having to close the distance against the taller MacDonald. Which will be a nearly impossible gameplan seeing as that's how Rory neutralized Jake Ellenberger this year, and I personally think that Rory's variety of strikes will play a large part in preventing Woodley from doing any kind of significant damage, leading Rory to outstrike Woodley en route to a unanimous decision win.
Winner: Rory MacDonald by Unanimous Decision
Light Heavyweight (205 lbs) Bout: Ryan Bader vs Rafael Cavalcante
Our midway point bout will feature two light heavyweights looking to keep their recent comebacks alive, Bader was knocked out by Glover Teixeira last year before turning himself around with a win over Anthony Perosh. The same could be said about Cavalcante who rebounded with TKO win over Igor Porkrajac after being knocked out by Thiago Silva last year. Although Cavalcante loves to knock people out as evidence seeing as all 12 of his victories are by knockout, we know that Bader has a distaste for taking punishment on the feet which will play a factor in this, and one thing Bader does have that Cavalcante doesn't is a wrestling pedigree which I believe he will used to his advantage, grinding out a unanimous decision victory.
Winner: Ryan Bader by Unanimous Decision
Heavyweight (220-265 lbs) Bout: Andrei Arlovski vs Brendan Schaub
The wait has been too long for Andrei Arlovski to return to the octagon as the last time he did so was a win over Jake O'Brien in March 2008. And at the moment he could not have asked for a better time to return, going 6-1 with 1 no contest in his last 8 fights, Arlovski is riding high with 4 of those victories coming from some form of knockout. He's one of the best at it, which is not a good sign for Schaub. A Colorado native who loves to trade but not to take, most recently we've seen Schaub taking fight to the ground as a result of his easily penetrable chin but the same could be said for Arlovski who although owns 15 wins by knockout also possess a equally devastating loss record of 7 knockouts. This one comes down to who will be the first one to get the lucky punch, and with experience being on his side, I believe it will be Arlovski.
Winner: Andrei Arlovski by KO in Rd. 1
Light Heavyweight (205 lbs) Bout: Ovince St-Preux vs Ryan Jimmo
Both Ryan Jimmo and Ovince St-Preux are just one win away from cracking into the top 10, and win for each of these competitors could easily spell that fortune for them. Ovince St-Preux has an advantage on the ground but Jimmo has an advantage on the feet. Jimmo has had 8 wins come by knockout and if OSP isn't careful he could easily end up in that category, however OSP also has a granite chin as shown in his debut fight against Gian Villante and can take a lot of punishment. I personally believe that this one will be slugfest which will be prevented by Jimmo's takedown defence who will cruise to a unanimous decision.
Winner: Ryan Jimmo by Unanimous Decision
Well WP, I've had my say, now let's here yours!
Vancouver hosts is very first UFC pay per view in three years, and with it comes an outstanding welterweight native looking to make a splash in his long abscene away from his home province. Demetrious Johnson will be looking to make his fourth successful UFC title defense and his first of the year against former two time Sambo world champion Ali Bagautinov in a clash for the UFC's Flywieght Championship. Rory MacDonald looks to stay in the win column as he returns to his home province to face off against former All American wrestler Tyron Woodley, who'll be looking to add another impressive knockout to his resume. In other action, Ryan Bader and Rafael Cavalcante will square off in a light heavyweight bout, Andrei Arlovski makes his long awaited return to the octagon against the always impressive Brendan Schaub, and home country native Ryan Jimmo will be hunting for another first round knockout against an unblemished in the octagon Ovince St-Preux. Ladies and gentlemen this is your UFC 174 prediction thread!
Hello everyone! I'm Alex Cochrane here with your official UFC 174 prediction thread. Demetrious Johnson came into the UFC on a hot streak in the UFC's bantamweight division, racking up wins over Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto and Miguel Torres, and earning himself a title shot against then champion Dominick Cruz. Although he lost to Cruz decisively, the move prompted Johnson to drop down to the newly created 125 pound Flyweight division. There he has been undefeated, winning the inaugural championship tournament and defending it against John Dodson by decision, John Moraga by submission, and Joseph Benavidez (whom he defeated in the tournament finals by split decision) for a second by stellar first round knockout. Standing across from him is Ali Bagautinov, a grappling specialists whose resume includes two Sambo world championships, five Sambo national championships, brazilian jiu jitsu national championship, and a russian national greco-roman silver medalist. Bagautinov followed his team mate Rustam Khabilov to Greg Jackson's submission fighting in Albuqueque New Mexico, and since joining the UFC has defeated Marcos Vinicius, Tim Elliot, & John Lineker. Tonight, the two will meet head to head in match to determine who is the best 125 pound fighter in the world. In the co main event, Rory MacDonald who grew up Kelowna BC moved to Tristar Gym after his last fight in Vancouver which was a TKO loss to Carlos Condit and started training alongside ex-UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. Tonight, he returns to the scene of his very first loss in hopes of regaining himself against the heavy handed Tyron Woodley who is just coming off a win over Carlos Condit, a win over Woodley will hopefully brush the stain of that defeat away. Other fights on the main card include former Arizona Sun Devil Ryan Bader who's coming off of a win over Anthony Perosh, against Rafael Cavalcante who will looking to add another knockout to his 12 knockout win resume, Andrei Arlovski who hasn't fought in the UFC since March 2008 will finally return to the octagon to face off against Brendan Schaub who'll be making his second appearance in the Great White North, and Light Heavyweight finishers Ryan Jimmo and Ovince St-Preux will look to do battle in a crawling match for in the UFC's Light Heavyweight division. Let's take a look at who I think will come out on top for this week's fights.
Flyweight (125 lbs) Championship: Demetrious Johnson(c) vs Ali Bagautinov
Demetrious Johnson is ranked number 4 on the UFC's official pound for pound rankings, and for a good reason. Since becoming the UFC's very first flyweight championship with a split decision win over Joseph Benavidez at UFC 152 in Toronto, he's showcased his well rounded skill set by earning fight of the night with a win over John Dodson, submission of the night with a win over John Moraga, and knockout of the night with a second win over Benavidez. However, Bagautinov is a whole new challenge for the very first time Johnson will be facing a grappling specialist. Bagautinov will post problems in the grappling department for Johnson as we've seen some of MMA's greatest grapplers get tossed around by these Russian fighters with ridiculous Sambo pedigrees. However, they seem to lack in the ability to do any damage on the ground which is I believe will play a large factor in this. If memory serves right from watching guys like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Rustam Khabilov, it's that their takedowns are top notch but once they reach the final rounds they seem to gas. I believe that will play a big part, seeing as Johnson's conditioning and pace is second to none going in five round wars with all three of his previous challengers, and in the end will come out with a finish in the 4th round.
Winner: Demetrious Johnson by Submission in Rd. 4
Welterweight (170 lbs) Bout: Rory MacDonald vs Tyron Woodley
Number 2 and number 3 welterweights - Rory MacDonald and Tyron Woodley will both be hunting for a statutory win while returning to MacDonald's home province. Although the match was originally announced to be a title eliminator bout for the next person to face Johny Hendricks, Dana White has stated that the next fighter will be determined with a bout between Matt Brown and Robbie Lawler later this year. However, regardless, I believe we are going to see the best Rory MacDonald yet, although being criticized for his lack of "killer instinct" I believe MacDonald is doing all he can to win and possibly get a finihs, but that won't be easy against a guy like Tyron Woodley. Woodley's only two losses are a knockout loss to Nate Marquardt which occured in championship rounds and a very narrow split decision over recent UFC departing Jake Shields. Since then, Woodley has shown drastic improvement, knocking out Josh Koscheck and although his finish against Carlos Condit was controversial, he certainly put in the work in that round before the horrendous finish. Woodley mostly relies on his power which will involve him having to close the distance against the taller MacDonald. Which will be a nearly impossible gameplan seeing as that's how Rory neutralized Jake Ellenberger this year, and I personally think that Rory's variety of strikes will play a large part in preventing Woodley from doing any kind of significant damage, leading Rory to outstrike Woodley en route to a unanimous decision win.
Winner: Rory MacDonald by Unanimous Decision
Light Heavyweight (205 lbs) Bout: Ryan Bader vs Rafael Cavalcante
Our midway point bout will feature two light heavyweights looking to keep their recent comebacks alive, Bader was knocked out by Glover Teixeira last year before turning himself around with a win over Anthony Perosh. The same could be said about Cavalcante who rebounded with TKO win over Igor Porkrajac after being knocked out by Thiago Silva last year. Although Cavalcante loves to knock people out as evidence seeing as all 12 of his victories are by knockout, we know that Bader has a distaste for taking punishment on the feet which will play a factor in this, and one thing Bader does have that Cavalcante doesn't is a wrestling pedigree which I believe he will used to his advantage, grinding out a unanimous decision victory.
Winner: Ryan Bader by Unanimous Decision
Heavyweight (220-265 lbs) Bout: Andrei Arlovski vs Brendan Schaub
The wait has been too long for Andrei Arlovski to return to the octagon as the last time he did so was a win over Jake O'Brien in March 2008. And at the moment he could not have asked for a better time to return, going 6-1 with 1 no contest in his last 8 fights, Arlovski is riding high with 4 of those victories coming from some form of knockout. He's one of the best at it, which is not a good sign for Schaub. A Colorado native who loves to trade but not to take, most recently we've seen Schaub taking fight to the ground as a result of his easily penetrable chin but the same could be said for Arlovski who although owns 15 wins by knockout also possess a equally devastating loss record of 7 knockouts. This one comes down to who will be the first one to get the lucky punch, and with experience being on his side, I believe it will be Arlovski.
Winner: Andrei Arlovski by KO in Rd. 1
Light Heavyweight (205 lbs) Bout: Ovince St-Preux vs Ryan Jimmo
Both Ryan Jimmo and Ovince St-Preux are just one win away from cracking into the top 10, and win for each of these competitors could easily spell that fortune for them. Ovince St-Preux has an advantage on the ground but Jimmo has an advantage on the feet. Jimmo has had 8 wins come by knockout and if OSP isn't careful he could easily end up in that category, however OSP also has a granite chin as shown in his debut fight against Gian Villante and can take a lot of punishment. I personally believe that this one will be slugfest which will be prevented by Jimmo's takedown defence who will cruise to a unanimous decision.
Winner: Ryan Jimmo by Unanimous Decision
Well WP, I've had my say, now let's here yours!
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