>UFC 106 Predictions

UFC Predictions (100-102, 104-105): 20-35 - last card: 6-5

Preliminary Card Bouts
Brock Larson def. Brian Foster
3rd Round Submission

Caol Uno def. Fabricio Camoes
2nd Round TKO

George Sotiropoulos def. Jason Dent
1st Round KO

Spike TV Preliminary Bouts
Ben Saunders def. Marcus Davis
2nd Round Referee Stoppage (strikes)

Kendall Grove def. Jake Rosholt
2nd Round Submission

Main Card Card Bouts
Amir Sadollah (170) vs. Phil Baroni (170)
-Baroni needs to prove why he should still be doing this for a living and Amir needs simply to shake off his loss at UFC 101. The stoppage was more than questionable and I don't think the UFC's resident funny man needs to prove anything at this point. If his mind frame is in the right place and not back in the summer, then Sadollah should be too young and spry for Baroni to handle. Sadly, that is a big 'if' at this point in Amir's career.
Sadollah by Unanimous Decision

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (205) vs. Luis Cane (205)
-The long awaited debut of 'Little Nog' won't be so eventful and with all respects to Luis Cane, it shouldn't take long. This is almost going to be the worst fight on the main card.
Nogueira by 3rd Round TKO

Paulo Thiago (169) vs. Jacob Volkmann (170)
-There is a reason this wasn't on the main card until 24 hours prior to the event. Also a reason that Da Spyder/Rosholt or Hand Grenade/Saunders should have been moved up to the main card. Might be a blood bath.
Thiago by 1st Round KO

Josh Koscheck (171) vs. Anthony Johnson (170)
-I am impressed by Johnson's ability to get down to 170 after missing weight for his VERY recent last fight. That shows that he was invested in this match, where the winner can also lay some claim to the next shot at GSP. In fact, the winner facing Dan Hardy and the loser facing Mike Swick should be in the works no matter what in my opinion. Let me say, I dislike no fighter much more than Koscheck, but he is always much improved over his previous match. But he also fights too often out of emotion and can't afford to get caught. If he does, recent off a win or not, Johnson will knock him out with one punch (damn I want to see that). Koscheck's best bet is to go old school, boring, wrestler Josh Koscheck. If he stands and exchanges, it may become my favorite moment in UFC in 2009 with him out staring up at the lights.
Johnson by 2nd Rounds KO

Forrest Griffin (205) vs. Tito Ortiz (204)
-If the Vera/Couture match last week had question marks, then this fight is the definition of the form of punctuation. Nobody knows if Forrest will ever be the same again, but like last week with Bisping, until he shows otherwise, there is no reason to believe that his loss to Anderson Silva has ruined the former light heavyweight champ. And Tito, is he the same? Is he better? Has it been too long? The only thing I really know is that when you fight with emotion, you might get caught....so what happens when they both do? This is going to be a slugfest of (hopefully) epic, history making moments. Neither will leave a damn thing in the cage. So what wins out: Revenge or Retribution? Love both of these guys, but I think the fans will always love one as he continues a solid career and the other will make another legit run at the division's shiny gold belt...
Ortiz by Unanimous Decision

> UFC 101 Predictions

How does the UFC follow up "the greatest card in the company's history"? Well, they have set the bar pretty high with UFC 101: Declaration. My UFC 100 predictions weren't so spot on (sorry, Michael Bisping) and even if these are equally as wrong...at least I am pretty sure this will be one hell of an event. Last time out I was 4-7 with my picks with two being spot on (unanimous decisions for Jim Miller and Georges St. Pierre).

>PRELIM FIGHTS
Jesse Lennox Vs. Danillo Villefort
Should be a strong welterweight fight with WEC guys making their UFC debuts. Considering the pace that is natural in WEC, I (like most people) expect a slugfest here.
-Villefort by TKO in Round 1

George Sotiropoulos Vs. George Roop
A lot of former TUF competitors on the card tonight, including three winners on the main card. In this match of of TUF 6 and TUF 8 fighters, I'm going to take the old Team Serra favorite just because he has so many more tools than Roop at this point even though I think Roop will enjoy more longterm success.
-Sotiropoulos by TKO in Round 2

Matthew Riddle Vs. Dan Cramer
These two guys both need the win and will want it since the loss will be a first for either of them in their short careers. Experience has most giving the edge to Riddle, but for some reason I just have never been able to see him as a serious fight. Cramer WILL make the most of this chance while Riddle only 'might.'
-Cramer by Unanimous Decision

Thales Leites Vs. Alessio Sakara
Quick and to the point: Sakara is boring.
-Leites by KO in Round 1

Tamdan McCrory Vs. John Howard
Howard must be six shades of stupid to accept a fight with a guy who is NINE inches taller and likely in his last welterweight fight before moving up to middleweight. No slugfest, just a smashfest. With the reach advantage huge here, it's hard to not expect a KO, McCrory likes his ground game and I don't think it will take him long to stop Howard.
-McCrory by submission in Round 1

Shane Nelson Vs. Aaron Riley
Because of the ending of their previous fight, I would assume there is no lack of dislike between these two here and that may be the difference. At the end of the day, Nelson seems like the more poised person and fighter who can't put all other things aside and just fight.
-Nelson by submission in Round 3

>MAIN CARD
Josh Neer Vs. Kurt Pellegrino
This is an interesting fight in the fact that both men have so much to win and also so much to lose in this fight. Neer however is just more talented on the ground and if this one goes there, he's top dog. But Kurt won't be so easy to be taken down, even if Neer is a bit bigger.
-Neer by submission in Round 2

Kendall Grove Vs. Ricardo Almeida
No secret to anyone I talk MMA with, I am a huge Kendall Grove fan. That said, this opinion (kind of unlike my UFC 100 predict of Michael Bisping) has nothing to do with that fandom. Many people have analyzed this fight as what Grove has to do either on the ground or to avoid getting hit hard in his sometimes questionable chin. But nobody is analyzing it how it should be: what is Almeida going to do to outwork Kendall Grove? Grove is an amazing striker who uses his intense reach to his advantage especially with high kicks and cutting knees out of his clinch. On the ground, he's long and flexible and hard to submit. All of that aside, Grove is right up there as one of the best workers in the fight game period. Alemeida just does not have enough for the old Kendall Grove (c. 2006) and he sure as hell doesn't have anything for the guy who's last fight ended in a highlight reel knockout. It may not be dominant for Kendall like his last two fights, but he doesn't need to be.
-Grove by Unanimous Decision

Amir Sadollah Vs. Johny Hendricks
Sadallah has a habit of facing guys calmly even though that guy talks way too much...and then submitting them (see CB Dollaway and...well, CB Dollaway again). Amir has been waiting a long time for a true, non-TUF, UFC debut and I'm going against the grain in the thought that Hendricks will frustrate and finish Amir. Mostly because I just don't see Sadollah getting frustrated ever. Hendricks is underestimating him.
-Sadollah by submission in Round 2

Anderson Silva Vs. Forrest Griffin
Forrest Griffin likes getting hit and hitting back...Anderson Silva will hit him. It's widely believed that it will take a miracle upset for anyone in the UFC to beat Anderson Silva...Forrest Griffin loves being a miracle upset. What does this mean? Hell if I know because this is a toss up. If Silva needs a highly contested wake up fight, he's got the right guy. No matter what, this won't go anywhere near a decision.
-Silva by TKO in Round 2

BJ Penn Vs. Kenny Florian
We might as well call this Penn/Florian I because I see this becoming a staple over the next several years. Fact is with the recent influx of Affliction heavyweight fighters, the lightweight division may be the UFC's weakest. So, other than Diego Sanchez, I don't see any other real possible challengers arise for the winner of this fight for a while. While that's nice and I see the third fight being the rubber match in the long run if it goes that route, nothing changes that Kenny Florian has worked too hard to get here. I believe that BJ Penn woke up after the GSP fight and isn't just resting on his laurels now, but I still think that KenFlo has put more effort, more passion and more drive into this run. This is so so so far from the Season One TUF runner-up Kenny Florian, it's unbelievable. You want BJ's belt? You get BJ's belt.
-Florian by submission in Round 4 to become the new UFC Lightweight Champion

> UFC Top Ten Fights

Tomorrow night, the UFC will finalize their 'Ultimate 100 Greatest Fights' countdown on Spike with the top 10 all time. I, for one, am currently baffled by Mike Goldberg's continuous question of what will be number one because in my mind it's a clear cut choice. But already in the countdown, there have been some I have questioned, which has motivated me to write this column on my personal favorite ten fights that I have ever seen in the UFC.

First note, these are strictly UFC fights so don't count any of the other fights I have seen in other organizations. Sorry, Urijah Faber/Mike Brown II, you would have been high on my list.

Second note, I like many started getting into the UFC with and because of The Ultimate Fighter. So, any fights that I have seen (and there are many) from pre-Ultimate Fighter days have only been seen in retrospect and not when they originally happened. The exception to that are fights from UFC 1-3, which I saw at a friend's house on VHS as a teenager. So without furthur delay, these are the Top 10 UFC fights I have ever seen:

10. Clay Guida vs. Roger Huerta
- Guida and Huerta put on an all-out war, which is usual of both men's fights. Guida has done it countless times, Huerta did it with Leonard Garcia and others. An even fight is usually one that will be decided not by who catches who first, but by who makes the first mistake. That's how Huerta finished this one.

9. Sam Stout vs. Spencer Fisher I
- I know their second fight is universally regarded as the better because Fisher was seen more on his game. Yes, he cut a lot of weight quick in taking this fight late, but that makes it even more impressive in my mind. Stout/Fisher II was good and it was neccesary because

8. Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida
- This was the last fight the UFC had and it still even made the top 15 on the UFC Ultimate 100 countdown. That's for good reason because the pace rarely let up and neither man quit even bloody and/or battered. In my opinion, heart makes good fights and few, if any, have bigger hearts than these two.

7. Kendall Grove vs. Ed Herman
- UFC Magazine recently referred to this Ultimate Fighter 3 middleweight title fight at "Griffin/Bonnar on the ground." And they were right. These guys went to battle for three rounds as the best two fighters on the seasons. It doesn't matter than Herman went on to flop and Grove's career has been up and down. When two guys roll around and you never know who's going to catch who in a possible fight closing submission, it's almost equally exciting as a slugfest.

6. Tito Ortiz vs. Frank Shamrock
- This was one of the first fights for both fighters to really showcase a barrage of the different techniques of MMA. It really launched Tito Ortiz as a superstar and while striking was getting more important in the sport, it was Frank Shamrock's submissions that helped keep BJJ and old school shoot fighting in the forefront too.

5. Randy Couture vs. Tim Sylvia
- Fact is that Couture dominated this match, but that didn't make it less great. What makes it great is that, no matter his age, he didn't let up for the entire fight and didn't let five rounds faze him. This fight was one of the most important in the transition period of the UFC to mainstream.

4. Georges St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch
- Another fight where one guy (GSP) was just dominant and really showed that Fitch wasn't on his level. But in this one, unlike with Sylvia, Fitch proved that he was still a beast. When you can pretty much get your ass handed to you and still come out looking like a monster, then the fight was a classic. GSP went to town, Fitch didn't back down.

3. Forrest Griffin vs. Rampage Jackson
- The best five rounder I have ever witnessed by far. The fact that you could make an argument for Griffin, Rampage or even a draw in the decision makes that clear. Both men had scouted eachother well, no matter what excuses Rampage makes now. What stood out was who was willing to go outside of their normal gameplan the most and that was Forrest with his leg kicks. Rampage didn't adjust and Forrest took advantage and Jackson's title.

2. Jared Rollins vs. Jon 'War Machine' Koppenhaver
- Ok, so here is where I rant a little. How the hell is this #81 on the Ultimate 100 countdown? I'm sure part of it is the UFC's biased (you know that entire thing can't be fully by fan vote) because they don't exactly have a good relationship with Koppenhaver. You saw how bad they've talked about Ortiz, who they likewise aren't buddies with, even though he's one of the UFC greats. The rest of it may be the fact that fans are gonna vote for big names and be more inclined to forget about two guys who don't fight in the UFC anymore who were on the undercard of an Ultimate Fighter Finale.

These two guys were not the best fighters on the Team Hughes/Team Serra season and there is a reason that they weren't fighting for the contract. But never in a million years would you have thought that watching them. If you had watched the season's first episode to see who was competing then not tuned in again until the finale, you would have thought this was the title fight. I don't know if I have ever seen two guys who wanted to lose less. There was no way that either guy was going to tap in this one and going to the judges would have been heartbreaking if it wasn't ruled a draw. Luckily War Machine took care of that for them, but only seconds of being on the verge of losing by TKO himself. It will forever stand as one of the greatest slug fests in UFC history. And it doesn't hurt that it was a bloody, bloody affair.

1. Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar I
- Here's your answer Mike Goldberg...the ONLY fight that can be number one. Fight! Magazine named it such, UFC Magazine named it such, I'm naming it such and if the Ultimate 100 Countdown doesn't name it as such, then the voting UFC fans should all be stoned.

Forget that it was for the second contract ever awarded by the UFC to an Ultimate Fighter winner (most people refer to Griffin as the original Ultimate Fighter, when Diego Sanchez took home his title first that night). Forget that this show and this fight launched the UFC and MMA into the mainstream and made it acceptable by many people worldwide who had written the sport off years and years ago. Even forget that this show was the first live UFC event to ever appear on cable television.

All of that aside, take what Griffin and Bonnar did on April 9, 2005 as what it was- it was a fight. There is a line in the movie Rocky Balboa where Rocky asks "what's so crazy about standing toe to toe with someone saying 'I am'?" That is what these two did. They didn't roll around, they didn't get technical, there was Muay Thai, there was no BJJ. There was Griffin, Bonnar and flurry of fists. It was a fight in the purist, most glorious form. It changed the face of the sport and made MMA what it is that we all see today. But even without that, even if it didn't do anything to help the UFC really establish itself, the fight stands alone as THE best ever.

(honorable mention: Griffin/Bonnar II, Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva, St. Pierre vs. BJ Penn II and Nate Quarry vs. Pete Sell)