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Category: Sports
JonoG’s UFC 97: “Redemption” Picks MAIN CARD (televised) Anderson Silva (23-4) vs. Thales Leites (14-1) Anderson Silva is the best fighter in the UFC and maybe MMA depending on what Fedor does next. Thales Leites has a great submission game but I don’t see him submitting Silva. Instead, I see Silva smashing Leites to prove the Patrick Cote fight was a fluke.My Pick: Anderson Silva by first round KO. Chuck Liddell (21-6) vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (17-3) Chuck Liddell has lost his last 3 of 4 fights! Liddell has been answering retirement talk all week but I think he’s ready to show that he’s not ready for retirement. Shogun has not lived up to his expectations since coming over to UFC from Pride. Shogun’s cardio has been questioned repeatedly since he defeated Mark Coleman at UFC 93. I don’t see Liddell’s cardio being a problem. My Pick: Chuck Liddell by second round TKO. Krzysztof Soszynski (16-8-1) vs. Brian Stann (6-1) Brian Stann will be making his UFC debut against the former IFL veteran Krzysztof Soszynski. Stann was awarded the Silver Star in Iraq and he’s the former WEC light heavyweight champion. Since Stann’s loss to Cantwell at WEC 35, he has been training with Greg Jackson’s Team. Soszynski is on a 4 win streak, he has too much experience for Stann. My Pick: Krzysztof Soszynski by second round submission Cheick Kongo (18-4-1) vs. Antoni Hardonk (8-4) This is a heavyweight matchup of two dudes that like to bang. Hardonk is on a 3 win streak in the UFC, while Kongo is on a 2 win streak. Both guys have questionable ground games but this fight won’t go to the ground. My Pick: Cheick Kongo by second round TKO Luis Cane (9-1) vs. Steve Cantwell (7-1) Cane has looked great devastating in all his fights since coming to the UFC. After winning the WEC belt, Cantwell is looked great in his UFC debut win by breaking Razak Al-Hassan’s arm at UFC Fight for the Troops. I think Cane will have too much UFC experience to lose to Cantwell. My Pick: Luis Cane by second round TKO PRELIMINARY CARD (un-televised) Vinicius Magalhaes (3-3) vs. Eliot Marshall (6-1) These guys have competed against each other before in a BJJ match. Magalhaes got the better of Marshall in that matchup. I think Marshall will keep this standing and get the victory. My Pick: Marshall by first round TKO Xavier Foupa-Pokam (20-8) vs. Denis Kang (31-11-1) Denis Kang is an experienced Pride veteran who lost his UFC debut to Alan Belcher. Xavier is a hungry up and comer winning 12 of his last 13 fights. I think Xavier will get the UFC jitters and Kang will pick up his first UFC victory. My Pick: Denis Kang by first round submission Jason MacDonald (21-11) vs. Nate Quarry (10-3) MacDonald has good submission skills but I question his standup game. Quarry suffered his first submission loss of his career against Demian Maia. Maia also submitted MacDonald too! I think Quarry will bounce back with a KO. My Pick: Nate Quarry by third round KO. Ed Herman (14-6) vs. David Loiseau (18-8) This is a big fight for both Loiseau and Herman. I want to give the win to Loiseau because I love his crazy elbow strikes. On the other hand, Herman has lost his last two fights, losing to UFC middleweight contenders Demian Maia and Alan Belcher. I think that Herman will spoil The Crow’s Montreal homecoming. My Pick: Ed Herman by TKO in the second David Bielkheden (13-6) vs. Mark Bocek (6-2) Bocek has impressed me with his last two fights in the UFC Mac Danzig and Alvin Robinson. Also, Bocek has been training with the guys over at American Top Team. Sweden’s Bielkheden is a well rounded fighter but I think Bocek can neutralize his skills. My Pick: Bocek by decision. Ryo Chonan (16-8) vs. T.J. Grant (13-2) This is a tough fight to call but a three of Chonan’s UFC fights have gone the distance going 1-2. This will be Grant’s debut in the UFC. I think Grant will defeat the Pride veteran by submission because he has won 12 of 13 by submission. My Pick: Grant by second round submission. Sam Stout (13-5-1) vs. Matt Wiman (10-4) This lightweight matchup should be a good slugfest. Wiman’s won his last 4 out of 5 fights, while Stout has lost 3 in his last 5 fights. I think Wiman will bounce back from his last fight, where he lost a three round decision to Jim Miller. My Pick: Matt Wiman by second round TKO Make sure to checkout TheMMAspace.com for all your UFC 97 coverage. Create a free profile and join us for Live Chat during UFC 97.
4:51 AM
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