It's USA Vs Brazil as International Fight week hosts two UFC events from the Mandalay Bay Event Center. The middleweight championship is on the line as Chris Weidman returns to Las Vegas in hopes of creating another shocking upset at the expense of Anderson Silva's training partner - Lyoto Machida. And Ronda Rousey will be looking to upstage yet another explosive finish as the takes on Canadian grappling expert Alexis Davs. Other action on the main card includes Stefan Struve who will be making his first octagon appearance in 16 months will be looking to finish Blackzillian Ultimate Fighter Alumni Matt Mitrione, Uriah Hall is hunting another knockout against Thiago Santos, and Marcus Brimage makes his Bantamweight debut after a disappointing loss to Conor McGregor against Russell Doane. Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present to you - your UFC 175 prediction thread!
Hello everyone, I'm Alex Cochrane here with your UFC 175 Prediction thread which goes down this Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. July 6th 2013; Chris Weidman shocked the world but knocking out Anderson Silva in the first round, he later followed that up in December, and although the finish was controversial he still proved the point of victory. As Weidman became champion, Silva's training partner Lyoto Machida dropped from the light heavyweight division where he won the title down to middleweight where he knocked out Mark Munoz and went 5 rounds with Gegard Mousasi. This fight was originally scheduled to go down at UFC 173 where TJ Dillashaw shocked the world in just as equal fashion to Weidman, and beat Renan Barao for the title. But Weidman pulled out of the bout getting knee surgery, and the bout was pushed back to this weekend. Tonight - Lyoto Machida looks to get to the top of the 185 pound mountain, and dethrone Chris Weidman, but we can doubt Weidman will be willing to let up. Also in the co main event - we have Ronda Rousey who's fresh off another fast first round finsh over Sara McMann, going one on one with Alexis Davis who is currently on a 5 fight win streak. The other portion of the main card features Stefan Struve returning from the octagon from a lengthy layoff and he'll be looking to make a statement at the expense of knockout hungry Matt Mitrione, who is just coming off of a first round knockout over Shawn Jordan himself. Uriah Hall looks to bring his destruction Ultimate Fighter tactics to the octagon against Thiago Santos, and Marcus Brimage coming down from featherweight to bantamweight against expert finisher Russell Doane, it's live it's free it's UFC 175 on pay per view. Let's take a look at who I think will walk out the victors of this match.
Middleweight (185 lbs) Championship: Chris Weidman(c) vs Lyoto Machida
Our main event of the evening is for the UFC's middleweight championship, and it couldn't get any bigger than this. Chris Weidman started as a two time NCAA division 1 wrestling champion from Hofstra University, as well as being on the National Junior All American team in both years. Within three months of training brazilian jiu jitsu, he won the East Coast Grappler's Quest in his division and absolute division. He then made the transition into MMA where he was undefeated upon enterting the octagon, and has stayed that way since. In his undefeated streak; he's defeated the likes of Uriah Hall, Alessio Sakara, Demian Maia, and Mark Munoz before pulling the ultimate upset and defeating Anderson Silva for the UFC's Middleweight championship. Shortly after Weidman became champion, Lyoto Machida faced Light Heavyweight standout Phil Davis, and put up a dominating effort only for the judges to award the victory to Davis. The move prompted Machida to drop to middleweight division where he knocked out Mark Munoz in the first round with a vicious head kick. Three and a half months later; he was matched up with Gegard Mousasi who he dominated over the course of 5 rounds to earn the win and his second fight of the night performance during his UFC career. This is a good fight for Lyoto Machida stylisticlly because he's used to having other competitors chase him, however, he also has yet to be confronted with someone who's got a wrestling pedigreen like Chris Weidman; and I believe that'll be the difference maker in this fight. If my predcition is right; after a lengthy feeling out process in the first and somewhat through the second round; Weidman will start to mix his striking up with takedowns, put Lyoto Machida on his back and pound out a TKO victory, defending the title.
Winner: Chris Weidman by TKO in Rd. 2
Women's Bantamweight (135 lbs) Championship: Ronda Rousey(c) vs Alexis Davis
Ronda Rousey is without a doubt the most dominant woman in all of Mixed Martial Arts, with an troubling Judo game and a deadly armbar to match, she's finished 8 of her 9 opponents via armbar with 7 of those being in the first round. It's no wonder that she's recently taken to the tabloids recently to say that she'd beat anybody brazilian jiu jitsu practictioner at her own craft. However, a Canadian BJJ practictioner currently stands in her way from Ronda making her fourth successful UFC title defense - in Alexis Davis. Since enterting the octagon at UFC 161, Davis has gone the distance with Rosi Sexton, Liz Carmouche (who Rousey defeated in her octagon debut), and Jessica Eye on the same event in which Rousey most recently defeated Sara McMann on. It's safe to say that this one will definitely set some standards, as Davis enters a huge underdog in this one. We have yet to see how Ronda handles the deep waters of the championship round, and Davis is a cardio freak who has gone the distance in all of her wins; that is one of the best ways that she will win. As much as I'm rooting for my home province girl here, I hate to say that Rousey will dominate the majoraty of this match on the feet before throwing Davis to the mat and securing her patented armbar in the second round.
Winner: Ronda Rousey by Submission in Rd. 2
Heavyweight (220-265 lbs) Bout: Stefan Struve vs Matt Mitrione
It's been 16 months since Stefan Struve was last seen opposite Mark Hunt inside the octagon. While also sustaining a knockout loss from the Super Samoan - he also recieved a broken jaw that would leave him to have his jaw wired. Struve was ready to return to the octagon until he once again ran into a complication - this one a heart condition which would prevent him from even training let alone fighting. But months later he has been returned to action, and he's got a handful for himself - Matt Mitrione. The former Ultimate Fighter competitor caught our attention on the show and has been a forced to be reckoned with since. Although he posts an unimpressive record of 7-3 (all of his fights being in the UFC) he has knocked out 6 of those 7 opponents with his most recent two coming in the first round. It certainly doesn't spell out well for Stefan Struve whose four octagon defeats have all come by way of knockout. I see this one being a similar fight for Skyscraper who will have an unpleasent welcome back into the octagon.
Winner: Matt Mitrione by KO in Rd. 1
Middleweight (185 lbs) Bout: Uriah Hall vs Thiago Santos
Another Ultimate Fighter standout who caught our attention last year, but has had somewhat of a slow start inside the octagon. Uriah Hall stunned audiences with his spinning wheel kick knockout of Adam Cella followed by his quick 9 second knockout of Bubba MacDaniel, but Hall was unable to put on such like performances when he reached the big time, losing razor thin split decisions to Kelvin Gastelum and John Howard. But back at UFC 168, we saw the mean Uriah Hall that we saw on the Ultimate Fighter brutalize Chris Leben forcing him to call the fight in between the first and second round. Now, he looks to unleash the beast on Thiago Santos - who proved in his last bout against Ronny Markes that he is just as devastating of an opponent. This one could end in a split second or loss but I believe this one will see a late finish from Hall who will have the definite edge in cardio.
Winner: Uriah Hall by KO in Rd. 3
Bantamweight (135 lbs) Bout: Marcus Brimage vs Russell Doane
To kick off the broadcast we have Marcus Brimage looking to make his debut in the bantamweight division against Russell Doane who's coming off a very impressive finish over Leandro Issa. Doane definitely has my eye in this bout, who imposes a 50% striking accuray while also absorbing only 1.7 strikes per minute. Where as Brimage is coming off a very disappointing loss over Conor McGregor last year. It'll be interesting to see how much faster Brimage is at 135 for he'll have to deal with the speed advantage of Doane, who is capable of ending the fight at any point in the round. With that being said, I also believe that Brimage will have the advantage in cardio, and that will help him pull out the unanimous decision win for the night.
Winner: Marcus Brimage by Unanimous Decision
Hello everyone, I'm Alex Cochrane here with your UFC 175 Prediction thread which goes down this Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. July 6th 2013; Chris Weidman shocked the world but knocking out Anderson Silva in the first round, he later followed that up in December, and although the finish was controversial he still proved the point of victory. As Weidman became champion, Silva's training partner Lyoto Machida dropped from the light heavyweight division where he won the title down to middleweight where he knocked out Mark Munoz and went 5 rounds with Gegard Mousasi. This fight was originally scheduled to go down at UFC 173 where TJ Dillashaw shocked the world in just as equal fashion to Weidman, and beat Renan Barao for the title. But Weidman pulled out of the bout getting knee surgery, and the bout was pushed back to this weekend. Tonight - Lyoto Machida looks to get to the top of the 185 pound mountain, and dethrone Chris Weidman, but we can doubt Weidman will be willing to let up. Also in the co main event - we have Ronda Rousey who's fresh off another fast first round finsh over Sara McMann, going one on one with Alexis Davis who is currently on a 5 fight win streak. The other portion of the main card features Stefan Struve returning from the octagon from a lengthy layoff and he'll be looking to make a statement at the expense of knockout hungry Matt Mitrione, who is just coming off of a first round knockout over Shawn Jordan himself. Uriah Hall looks to bring his destruction Ultimate Fighter tactics to the octagon against Thiago Santos, and Marcus Brimage coming down from featherweight to bantamweight against expert finisher Russell Doane, it's live it's free it's UFC 175 on pay per view. Let's take a look at who I think will walk out the victors of this match.
Middleweight (185 lbs) Championship: Chris Weidman(c) vs Lyoto Machida
Our main event of the evening is for the UFC's middleweight championship, and it couldn't get any bigger than this. Chris Weidman started as a two time NCAA division 1 wrestling champion from Hofstra University, as well as being on the National Junior All American team in both years. Within three months of training brazilian jiu jitsu, he won the East Coast Grappler's Quest in his division and absolute division. He then made the transition into MMA where he was undefeated upon enterting the octagon, and has stayed that way since. In his undefeated streak; he's defeated the likes of Uriah Hall, Alessio Sakara, Demian Maia, and Mark Munoz before pulling the ultimate upset and defeating Anderson Silva for the UFC's Middleweight championship. Shortly after Weidman became champion, Lyoto Machida faced Light Heavyweight standout Phil Davis, and put up a dominating effort only for the judges to award the victory to Davis. The move prompted Machida to drop to middleweight division where he knocked out Mark Munoz in the first round with a vicious head kick. Three and a half months later; he was matched up with Gegard Mousasi who he dominated over the course of 5 rounds to earn the win and his second fight of the night performance during his UFC career. This is a good fight for Lyoto Machida stylisticlly because he's used to having other competitors chase him, however, he also has yet to be confronted with someone who's got a wrestling pedigreen like Chris Weidman; and I believe that'll be the difference maker in this fight. If my predcition is right; after a lengthy feeling out process in the first and somewhat through the second round; Weidman will start to mix his striking up with takedowns, put Lyoto Machida on his back and pound out a TKO victory, defending the title.
Winner: Chris Weidman by TKO in Rd. 2
Women's Bantamweight (135 lbs) Championship: Ronda Rousey(c) vs Alexis Davis
Ronda Rousey is without a doubt the most dominant woman in all of Mixed Martial Arts, with an troubling Judo game and a deadly armbar to match, she's finished 8 of her 9 opponents via armbar with 7 of those being in the first round. It's no wonder that she's recently taken to the tabloids recently to say that she'd beat anybody brazilian jiu jitsu practictioner at her own craft. However, a Canadian BJJ practictioner currently stands in her way from Ronda making her fourth successful UFC title defense - in Alexis Davis. Since enterting the octagon at UFC 161, Davis has gone the distance with Rosi Sexton, Liz Carmouche (who Rousey defeated in her octagon debut), and Jessica Eye on the same event in which Rousey most recently defeated Sara McMann on. It's safe to say that this one will definitely set some standards, as Davis enters a huge underdog in this one. We have yet to see how Ronda handles the deep waters of the championship round, and Davis is a cardio freak who has gone the distance in all of her wins; that is one of the best ways that she will win. As much as I'm rooting for my home province girl here, I hate to say that Rousey will dominate the majoraty of this match on the feet before throwing Davis to the mat and securing her patented armbar in the second round.
Winner: Ronda Rousey by Submission in Rd. 2
Heavyweight (220-265 lbs) Bout: Stefan Struve vs Matt Mitrione
It's been 16 months since Stefan Struve was last seen opposite Mark Hunt inside the octagon. While also sustaining a knockout loss from the Super Samoan - he also recieved a broken jaw that would leave him to have his jaw wired. Struve was ready to return to the octagon until he once again ran into a complication - this one a heart condition which would prevent him from even training let alone fighting. But months later he has been returned to action, and he's got a handful for himself - Matt Mitrione. The former Ultimate Fighter competitor caught our attention on the show and has been a forced to be reckoned with since. Although he posts an unimpressive record of 7-3 (all of his fights being in the UFC) he has knocked out 6 of those 7 opponents with his most recent two coming in the first round. It certainly doesn't spell out well for Stefan Struve whose four octagon defeats have all come by way of knockout. I see this one being a similar fight for Skyscraper who will have an unpleasent welcome back into the octagon.
Winner: Matt Mitrione by KO in Rd. 1
Middleweight (185 lbs) Bout: Uriah Hall vs Thiago Santos
Another Ultimate Fighter standout who caught our attention last year, but has had somewhat of a slow start inside the octagon. Uriah Hall stunned audiences with his spinning wheel kick knockout of Adam Cella followed by his quick 9 second knockout of Bubba MacDaniel, but Hall was unable to put on such like performances when he reached the big time, losing razor thin split decisions to Kelvin Gastelum and John Howard. But back at UFC 168, we saw the mean Uriah Hall that we saw on the Ultimate Fighter brutalize Chris Leben forcing him to call the fight in between the first and second round. Now, he looks to unleash the beast on Thiago Santos - who proved in his last bout against Ronny Markes that he is just as devastating of an opponent. This one could end in a split second or loss but I believe this one will see a late finish from Hall who will have the definite edge in cardio.
Winner: Uriah Hall by KO in Rd. 3
Bantamweight (135 lbs) Bout: Marcus Brimage vs Russell Doane
To kick off the broadcast we have Marcus Brimage looking to make his debut in the bantamweight division against Russell Doane who's coming off a very impressive finish over Leandro Issa. Doane definitely has my eye in this bout, who imposes a 50% striking accuray while also absorbing only 1.7 strikes per minute. Where as Brimage is coming off a very disappointing loss over Conor McGregor last year. It'll be interesting to see how much faster Brimage is at 135 for he'll have to deal with the speed advantage of Doane, who is capable of ending the fight at any point in the round. With that being said, I also believe that Brimage will have the advantage in cardio, and that will help him pull out the unanimous decision win for the night.
Winner: Marcus Brimage by Unanimous Decision
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