Staff Standings:
Ben Kohn: 17-6 .739
Josh Hall: 15-8 .652
Luke Irwin: 21-14 .600
Nolan Howell: 14-10 .583
TC Engel: 13-10 .565
Earl Montclair: 18-17 .524
Dan Galvan: 5-6 .455
Middleweight Bout: Gegard Mousasi (34-3-2) vs. Lyoto Machida (20-4)
Luke Irwin: Mousasi’s performance against Ilir Latifi was hardly inspiring. He couldn’t put away a 24-hour training partner fill-in, but he’s going to be debuting at a new weight class against perhaps the greatest striker in MMA today? Nah. Machida via R1 TKO.
TC Engel: I’m the staff Mousasi apologist. Mousasi is going to get shit on. Machida via UD.
Ben Kohn: My breakdown, read it, it’s good and stuff. Also counter-point to Luke, he’s ignoring that Mousasi had a blown out knee. Lyoto Machida by Unanimous Decision.
Nolan Howell: This fight could be bunches of fun or frustration. Mousasi is inconsistent. Machida can be prone to being very boring if his opponent doesn’t play his game. While this could be an elite striking matchup with flashes of fun standing grappling, I’ve learned to expect better. This will be a timid contest that Machida will take with more tools. Machida by unanimous decision.
Middleweight Bout: Francis Carmont (22-7) vs. Ronaldo Souza (19-3)
Luke Irwin: Your chickens are coming home to roost, Francis. No more gift decisions for you. Chomp chomp. Souza via R1 submission.
TC Engel: Carmont is a person that lost to Tom Lawler, so he’s just not going to win this fight, ok? Souza via Brabo choke, round 2.
Ben Kohn: LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL. But seriously….LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL. Ronaldo Souza by Submission Round 1.
Nolan Howell: Jacare’s striking aginast Yushin Okami looked scary. His ground game is even more scary. However, something tells me these last two fights are gonna be ugly. Jacare won’t be able to get a takedown going and Carmont will stick and move his way to an ugly win. Carmont by split decision.
Welterweight Bout: Erick Silva (15-4) vs. Takenori Sato (17-8-7)
Luke Irwin: This is going to be pretty nasty. Sato is a Pancrase veteran who gets stomped whenever he tries to take even the most modest step up in competition. Silva isn’t a modest step up. Silva via R1 KO.
TC Engel: lol. Silva via KO, round 1.
Ben Kohn: This is a bounceback fight for Silva plain and simple. He may have been knocked out last fight but, if he’s not completely fucked mentally from it, he should easily beat a guy who’s been knocked out a bunch of times in his career already. Erick Silva by KO Round 1.
Nolan Howell: Takenori Sato is the last student of Kazushi Sakuraba. So, he’s coached by a zombified legend, I guess. I literally see no reason Erick Silva should lose this fight, unless he does that awesome thing where his brain short circuits while beating the bejesus out of someone. Silva by first-round TKO.
Welterweight Bout: Nicholas Musoke (11-2) vs. Viscardi Andrade (17-5)
Luke Irwin: Two pretty good-sized welterweights that can both throw some hands and can both slap on submissions. This is a very, very tight bout to pick. Think this will be a fun, fun scrap, however. A good darkhorse FOTN right here. Musoke via UD.
TC Engel: Erm. Musoke via UD.
Ben Kohn: Musoke should be able to take this one in a hard fought decision. Both won their debuts but I still put Alessio Sakara at a higher level than Bristol Marunde. Nicholas Musoke by Unanimous Decision.
Nolan Howell: Nicholas Musoke really impressed me against Alessio Sakara, who is certainly a lot better competition than Bristol Marunde. Musoke looks to be pretty violent and I think he will blitz Andrade early to take him out. Musoke by first-round TKO.
Featherweight Bout: Andy Ogle (9-3) vs. Charles Oliveira (16-4)
Luke Irwin: Ogle is a moderate talent who probably isn’t UFC-caliber. Aloe Vera is so much better on every level and only loses to the cream of the crop. Oliveira via R1 submission.
TC Engel: Andy Ogle is still employed, what the fuck. Oliveira via TKO, round 2.
Ben Kohn: Another fight for a prospect coming off a loss to bounce back on. Ogle is not that great and Oliveira was relatively competative against Frankie Edgar in his last fight. I expect im to drop Ogle and sub him on the mat with an RNC. Charles Oliveira by Submission Round 1.
Nolan Howell: While Andy Ogle is serviceable in every area, Charles Oliveira is a notch above in nearly every category except maybe wrestling. This should be a beating that gets stopped when Ogle slows down and gets caught by or in something. Oliveira by second-round submission.
Lightweight Bout: Cristiano Marcello (13-5) vs. Joe Proctor (8-2)
Luke Irwin: Marcello has some serious miles on him, and though Chute Boxe guys are warriors, Marcello can get slept. I think Proctor has the striking chops to put Marcello down. Proctor via R2 TKO.
TC Engel: Proctor via UD.
Ben Kohn: A fight between two guys who aren’t really around for any reason other than the UFC needs fighters to fill cards like these. Joe Proctor doesn’t have the power of Sicilia which is why I don’t think he will get the KO but Cristiano is old, and not very good. Joe is a little less not very good. Joe Proctor by Unanimous Decision.
Nolan Howell: Proctor by second-round TKO.
Lightweight Bout: Ivan Jorge (25-3) vs. Rodrigo Damm (11-6)
Luke Irwin: Interesting situation, as Rodrigo Damm has the striking capabilities of just about nothing and can be felled by strikes fairly easily against anyone that has any striking acumen…which Jorge doesn’t really posess. As is the case with two submission specialists, either it’s a five-star ground battle…or a shitty kickboxing match. I’m going with the latter. Damm via SD.
TC Engel: Jorge via TKO, round 2.
Ben Kohn: I mean…I don’t really know what to think about this one. Damm is quite a bad striker but Jorge isn’t exactly Petrosyan. Damm has experience against much better competition though so I guess he gets the experience edge. This is also a matchup where the UFC can keep both guys regardless of who wins so good job UFC. Rodrigo Damm by Unanimous Decision.
Nolan Howell: Damm by unanimous decision.
Lightweight Bout: Francisco Trinaldo (13-3) vs. Jesse Ronson (13-3)
Luke Irwin: Two fights ago, Ronson defeated a K-1 MAX Semifinalist in the second round, so obviously, Trinaldo is going to have to do his work on the ground, but Ronson is solid enough and a good enough wrestler to avoid getting into any trouble and cruises to a decision. Ronson via UD.
TC Engel: Trinaldo via UD.
Ben Kohn: Holy shit this will be fun. Trinaldo is going to take Ronson down and sub him ASAP. Francisco Trinaldo by Submission Round 1.
Nolan Howell: Trinaldo by unanimous decision.
Bantamweight Bout: Iuri Alcantara (28-5) vs. Wilson Reis (17-4)
Luke Irwin: Alcantara is a tough, tough dude that has faced and defeated some legitimate dudes. Reis pulled off a pretty big upset when he beat Ivan Menjivar, and is a good story, but I just think one-half of the Brothers Alcantara unloads on Reis. Alcantara via R2 TKO.
TC Engel: Alcantara via KO, round 1.
Ben Kohn: After Reis’s last performance, they are using Alcantara to put Reis on the undercard for a long time and end any chances of him moving up the rankings. Alcantara just went the distance with Faber, something Reis would not be able to do. Iuri Alcantara by KO Round 1.
Nolan Howell: Alcantara by second-round TKO.
Featherweight Bout: Felipe Arantes (15-6-1) vs. Maximo Blanco (9-5-1)
Luke Irwin: These two have had strange UFC careers so far. I pick that to continue. Blanco via SD.
TC Engel: Arantes via UD.
Ben Kohn: Blanco is a complete head case but he’s a violent guy and is capable everywhere. Arantes is a good fighter who’s never been finished by strikes but I think that happens against Blanco. Maximo Blanco by KO Round 2.
Nolan Howell: Blanco by first-round TKO.
Welterweight Bout: Albert Tumenov (12-1) vs. Ildemar Alcantara (19-6)
Luke Irwin: Tumenov’s last five fights have been first-round stoppages by TKO, so obviously the dude has some power in his fists, but Alcantara doesn’t rattle or fold easily. The man won submission of the night in his UFC debut…AT LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT! I think the other half of the Brothers Alcantara withstands an early onslaught and finds a russian leg to bend. Alcantara via R2 submission.
TC Engel: Tumenov via UD.
Ben Kohn: The bigger brother of Iuri (literally) is not nearly as talented as his smaller brother. He looked very bad in his last fight and Tumenov is a solid prospect from the Russian motherland looking to make a statement and I think he will. Albert Tumenov by KO Round 2.
Nolan Howell: Tumenov by first-round TKO.
Featherweight Bout: Douglas Silva de Andrade (22-0) vs. Zubair Tuhugov (15-3)
Luke Irwin: Unlike most foreign can-crushers, Andrade has fought and fought violently in legit promotions. Jungle Fight and Shooto Brazil are the top-two promotions in Brazil and he’s been tearing through him. The time is right, and he’s going to punctuate his debut. Andrade via R1 TKO.
TC Engel: Tuhugov via TKO, round 2.
Ben Kohn: Damn 22-0-1 with 18 by way of KO. Nuff said. Douglas Silva de Andrade by KO Round 1.
Nolan Howell: Andrade by first-round TKO.
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