UFC 162: Silva vs. Weidman Review

Main Card on PPV:

Middleweight Championship: Anderson Silva (33-5) vs. Chris Weidman (10-0)
Result: Weidman wins via TKO (punches) at 1:18 of round 2 to win the Middleweight Championship.

Chris Weidman shocked the world and he made a lot of people very happy while doing it. Do I think he's a better fighter than Silva for winning this fight? NO!

Silva fought like he has fought on many occasions. He felt he was a lot better than his opponent and this time he finally got caught. Some people think Anderson was fighting stupid but he's been fighting like this for a long time. I guess it's only stupid when you get caught.

I thought Silva was winning the fight prior to getting caught with that punch. I want to see a rematch and think it has to happen. He's the best fighter I've ever seen and he hadn't lost in the UFC prior to this defeat. If he wants a rematch he should get one.

The fans booing after the fight just shows how people jump from one person to another. If he wins this fight they'd be going nuts for him, but because he lost this way he's hated. It was a disrespectful way to fight, but don't just jump on every bandwagon.

I don't really know where either fighter goes from here after this fight. The only thing that makes sense is a rematch. No one should be challenging for the championship at this point because no one's really earned a title shot. I don't understand Silva not wanting to fight for the title. This could mean he's going to drop down and fight St-Pierre or possibly go up after Jones. 

Either way congrats to Chris Weidman on becoming the first fighter to defeat Anderson Silva in seven years.

Featherweight: Frankie Edgar (16-4-1) vs. Charles Oliveira (16-4, 1NC)
Result: Edgar wins via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27).

How can people not like Frankie Edgar? Edgar looked impressive and was able to get his first win since late 2011. I had him winning all three rounds with him being the most impressive during the third. He was finally starting to connect late in the fight.

Oliveira is a guy that might end up becoming champion in a couple of years. He's only 23 years old and if he works on his cardio and takedown defense he could end up being a force at featherweight. His size is perfect for this weight class as he should have a height and reach advantage over most fighters in the division.

Edgar was able to win this fight with his boxing and takedowns. His takedowns started to worry me though as I thought he was taking the fight to where Oliveira was strongest. Oliveira wasn't able to do too much off of his back so Edgar's decision didn't come back to bite him.

I think Edgar should fight Swanson to determine the number one contender. Both guys looked good tonight and a fight between the two could show which one is more ready for a second chance at the champion. I know Aldo fights "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung next, but I just don't see him losing that fight.

Oliveira should remain in the UFC at this weight class. He needs to work on his takedown defense a good amount before he steps in the Octagon with a wrestler of Edgar's caliber again. I'd like to see him go up against someone in the division with good wrestling skills so that Oliveira could get some practice in defending takedowns.

Middleweight: Tim Kennedy (16-4) vs. Roger Gracie (6-2)
Result: Kennedy wins via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).

Once again a Gracie steps into the Octagon and doesn't come out the victor. I had Kennedy winning this fight 29-28. Kennedy didn't really do too much in the first round so I gave that one to Gracie who controlled more of it.

Neither guy really impressed me, but Gracie really unimpressed me. He looked lost when he was striking, he was too slow, and his cardio was shot midway through the second round. If he wasn't so tall, Kennedy would've probably knocked him out in the third. His height advantage was the best thing he had going for him in this fight.

Kennedy looked alright. I was surprised he wanted to grapple so much. I thought he was a much better striker so why even attempt to grapple with someone with the last name Gracie. He should get a top 15 middleweight in his next bout. I don't think he's top 10 and I'm not sure if he'll ever be a fighter at the top of the division.

Gracie has to move up to light heavyweight in my opinion. He should gain 10 pounds and go up to 205 where he doesn't have to cut as much weight. He's probably cutting 20 pounds to get down to 185 which gassed him a lot. If he only had to cut 10-15 pounds to get to 205 that would suit him much better. If he does go up I'd love to see him fight against Robert Drysdale who has recently joined the UFC.

Middleweight: Mark Munoz (13-3) vs. Tim Boetsch (16-6)
Result: Munoz wins via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-28).

Very good performance by Mark Munoz. Had him winning 29-27. Thought Boetsch did a little more than him in the first round but the rest of the fight was all Munoz. Second round I even gave Munoz a 10-8 because he dominated the entire five minutes.

Expected this fight to be much closer than it was, but Munoz just proved to be the much better wrestler. Boetsch just couldn't handle Munoz's wrestling skills at all.

I think Munoz should definitely be on his way up at middleweight now. I would love to see him get a rematch with Yushin Okami if Okami is able to defeat Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza. Munoz should be able to get by Okami the next time around as he has gotten that much better since the first fight.

I don't really know where Boetsch goes from here. He won his first four fights at middleweight and has now lost two straight. Another loss in a row and he could be on his way out. I'm guessing the UFC gives him a lower level opponent so that he's able to get back on the winning track.

Featherweight: Cub Swanson (20-5) vs. Dennis Siver (21-9)
Result: Swanson wins via TKO (punches) at 2:24 of round 3.

Wow that fight was good. I had the fight tied going into the last round with Siver getting the first and Swanson getting the second. Swanson made sure the fight didn't go to the judges scorecards with a very impressive knockout.

I was extremely impressed with Swanson's performance. He didn't let Siver use the spinning kick or get too much of an offense going. The only time Swanson struggled was when he ended up on his back during parts of the first round.

He should definitely be in the consideration for a rematch against Jose Aldo if he gets by the "Zombie" next month. As I mentioned earlier, if the UFC doesn't go that route I think a match-up with Edgar down the road would be a good fight to determine who gets the next title shot.

As for Siver, I think he needs to consider losing some muscle if he's going to stay at featherweight. If he's not going to lose any weight then he should go back up to lightweight because he seemed winded way too early into the fight. After the first round he just didn't seem to have it anymore.

UFC 162: Silva vs. Weidman Preview

Main Card on PPV:

Middleweight Championship: Anderson Silva (33-4) vs. Chris Weidman (9-0)
Prediction: Silva wins via 1st round KO

Last 3 Fights for Silva:
UFC 134: Yushin Okami II - Win by TKO (punches) at 2:04 of round 2 for Middleweight Championship
UFC 148: Chael Sonnen II - Win by TKO (knee to the body & punches) at 1:55 of round 2 for Middleweight Championship
UFC 153: Stephan Bonnar - Win by TKO (knee to the body & punches) at 4:40 of round 1

Last 3 Fights for Weidman:
UFC 139 - Tom Lawlor - Win by technical submission (d'arce choke) at 2:07 of round 1
UFC on FOX 2 - Demian Maia - Win by unanimous decision
UFC on Fuel TV 5 - Mark Munoz - Win by KO (elbow & punches) at 1:37 of round 2

The greatest MMA fighter of all time is looking to continue his streak of 17 straight wins and I just don't see anybody stopping him at this point. I used to try and root for the underdogs against him, but at this point how can you tell me that he is going to lose a fight? He's made almost everyone he's fought in the UFC look absolutely stupid.

I still remember when I saw Anderson Silva come into the UFC and absolutely destroy Chris Leben in his first fight. Then he destroyed Rich Franklin twice and he's been on a roll ever since. The only two fights that even make sense after the Weidman fight are fights against the Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre and the Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones.

While I believe Weidman is a really good fighter, I just don't think he's great yet. His best wins are over Mark Munoz (struggles against the best of the division) and Demian Maia (moved down to welterweight). There wasn't anyone that really deserved a title shot at Silva yet so I'm okay with the UFC giving it to the undefeated Weidman.

The only way Weidman is going to win this fight is by taking this fight to a decision. If he is able to control Silva on the ground like Sonnen did in their first fight then maybe he comes out the winner. I don't see that happening though as Silva will likely end this fight pretty early. Weidman has superior wrestling skills, but Silva is so much better at everything else and he's already been here, a lot.

If you like highlight finishes you will probably get what you're looking for in this fight. Silva is the best striker that the sport has ever seen and expect him to end this fight in impressive fashion. Not sure how he'll end it, but I'm sure it'll be by a knee, leg, elbow or fist. Just watch it and enjoy "The Spider."

Featherweight: Frankie Edgar (15-4-1) vs. Charles Oliveira (16-3, 1NC)
Prediction: Edgar wins via unanimous decision.

Last 3 Fights for Edgar:
UFC 144 - Benson Henderson I - Loss by unanimous decision for Lightweight Championship
UFC 150 - Benson Henderson II - Loss by split decision for Lightweight Championship
UFC 156 - Jose Aldo - Loss by unanimous decision for Featherweight Championship

Last 3 Fights for Oliveira:
UFC on Fox 2 - Eric Wisely - Won by submission (reverse calf slicer) at 1:43 of round 1
Ultimate Fighter 15 Finale - Jonathan Brookins - Won by submission (anaconda choke) at 2:42 of round 2
UFC 152 - Cub Swanson - Loss by KO (punch) at 2:40 of round 1

The scene above can pretty accurately describe Edgar's most recent year and a half. He lost his belt to Henderson and then lost again in the rematch. He moved down to featherweight to challenge Jose Aldo for his title and came up short again. Edgar can't afford to lose this match tonight and I don't expect him to.

His opponent tonight is Charles Oliveira who has gone in a slightly similar route to Edgar. Both started off in the UFC's lightweight division and moved down to featherweight where their size better suits them. Oliveira isn't on the same level as Edgar and will likely be heavily outmatched in this fight.

Oliveira is also coming off a loss for this fight so he really can't take another one. If he loses tonight I could see the UFC giving him the ax. Oliveira is well-versed in BJJ and Muay Thai, but I'm not sure if he'll be able to use either all that successfully tonight.

Expect Edgar to come out and use his takedowns to keep Oliveira off balance for the majority of the fight. When he takes him to the ground I don't see Oliveira being able to do much as Edgar is one of the best wrestlers in the sport. I don't see this fight ending before the final bell, but expect Edgar to finally have his hand raised once again.

Middleweight: Tim Kennedy (15-4) vs. Roger Gracie (6-1)
Prediction: Gracie wins via 1st round submission.

Last 3 Fights for Kennedy:
Strikeforce Fedor-Henderson - Robbie Lawler - Win by unanimous decision
Strikeforce Rockhold-Kennedy - Luke Rockhold - Loss by unanimous decision for Strikeforce Middlweight Championship
Strikeforce Marquardt-Saffiedine - Trevor Smith - Win by submission (guillotine choke) at 1:36 of round 3

Last 3 Fights for Gracie:
Strikeforce Barnett-Kharitonov - Muhammed Lawal - Loss by KO (punch) at 4:33 of round 1
Strikeforce Rockhold-Kennedy - Keith Jardine - Win by unanimous decision
Strikeforce Marquardt-Saffiedine - Anthony Smith - Win by submission (arm triangle choke) at 3:16 of round 2

It's been a very long time since a Gracie was victorious in the UFC. You have to go all the way back to UFC 4 to see one have their hand raised at the end of a fight in the Octagon. At that event Royce won the UFC 4 Tournament, making him the first and only three-time UFC Tournament winner.

Since that event Royce has returned to draw with Dan Severn and lose to Matt Hughes. Renzo recently came over to the UFC and lost to Hughes as well. Rolles lost in his UFC debut back in 2010 to Joey Beltran and hasn't been back since. Tonight Roger hopes to put the Gracie name back in the UFC win column.

Roger is the typical Gracie fighter. He has great submission skills and not much of a stand-up game. He has recently come over to the UFC after Strikeforce was officially closed up and I think he has the potential to make a big splash in the UFC's middleweight division. He has to improve his stand-up game as he goes along and needs to primarily rely on getting fighters to the ground where he has the major advantage.

His opponent tonight is another fighter that is making his UFC debut after the collapse of Strikeforce, Tim Kennedy. Kennedy is a well-rounded fighter that twice challenged for the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship, coming up short on both occasions to Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza and Luke Rockhold. Kennedy will have the advantage standing up so expect him to try to avoid the ground at all costs.

While Kennedy is a really good fighter, I just see Gracie being able to get a hold of him on the ground long enough to end the fight. Kennedy has good submission skills, but they just aren't on the level of Gracie's. I see this ending in the first round with Gracie pulling off an armbar.

Middleweight: Mark Munoz (12-3) vs. Tim Boetsch (16-5)
Prediction: Munoz wins via unanimous decision.

Last 3 Fights for Munoz:
UFC 131 - Demian Maia - Win by unanimous decision
UFC 138 - Chris Leben - Win by TKO (corner stoppage) at 5:00 of round 2
UFC on Fuel TV 5 - Chris Weidman - Loss by KO (elbow & punches) at 1:37 of round 2

Last 3 Fights for Boetsch:
UFC 144 - Yushin Okami - Win by TKO (punches) at 0:54 of round 3
UFC 149 - Hector Lombard - Win by split decision
UFC 155 - Constantinos Philippou - Loss by TKO (punches) at 2:11 of round 3

Both fighters are ranked by the UFC in the top 10 of contenders for Anderson Silva's UFC Middleweight Championship. Munoz is currently ranked 8th and is coming off a loss to tonight's challenger for the title in Chris Weidman. Tim Boetsch is ranked 10th and is also coming off a loss as he was defeated by Constantinos Philippou late last year.

These two guys match up very well in my opinion. Both guys come from wrestling backgrounds with Munoz having the much higher level of wrestling as he was a D-1 all-american while in college. Both fighters have lost to guys at the top of the division and were on rolls before their most recent defeats.

Munoz has the slightly better striking game with Boetsch having a better submission game. I don't see this fight ending early as both fighters styles will keep them from doing what they want to to end the fight. I think Munoz is a slightly better fighter and he should be able to come out victorious tonight. His slightly better wrestling skills might give them the extra takedown or two that will allow him to earn the victory in a close decision.

Featherweight: Cub Swanson (19-5) vs. Dennis Siver (21-8)
Prediction: Swanson wins via unanimous decision.

Last 3 Fights for Swanson:
UFC on FX 4 - Ross Pearson - Win by TKO (punches) at 4:14 of round 2
UFC 152 - Charles Oliveira - Win by KO (punch) at 2:40 of round 1
UFC on Fuel TV 7 - Dustin Poirier - Win by unanimous decision

Last 3 Fights for Siver:
UFC 137 - Donald Cerrone - Loss by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:22 of round 1
UFC on Fuel TV 2 - Diego Nunes - Win by unanimous decision
UFC on FOX 5 - Nam Phan - Win by unanimous decision

This will likely be the fight of the night. Both guys know they are a win or two from a shot at the featherweight championship and I can't see either of them not showing up tonight. They both have enough experience in the Octagon by now that they shouldn't let the Octagon jitters get to them. Swanson and Siver are currently ranked fifth and sixth respectively in the UFC's featherweight division.

Both fighters can finish the fight on their feet and on the ground so I could see this fight being a war everywhere it goes. I'm not sure if either guy is that much better than the other at any point in the fight so I think this one will go the entire fifteen minutes. Swanson has been at this weight for most of his career and this will only be Siver's third fight in this division. I'm expecting Swanson to be slightly more used to the cut and him having the slight advantage because of it.

The winner of this fight will likely call out Aldo in the end and my guess is it will be Swanson. He won't finish this fight, but I'm expecting him to want this fight slightly more as he wants to avenge his loss to Aldo which seemingly put Aldo on the map.

UFC 156: Aldo vs. Edgar

Tonight is UFC 156: Aldo vs. Edgar. Tonight's main card on PPV features five fights including a featherweight championship fight and three possible number one contender fights. There are also four fights being aired live on FX, as well as two on Facebook.

UFC 156 Predictions:

Main Card on PPV:

Featherweight Championship: Jose Aldo (21-1) (Champion) vs. Frankie Edgar (14-3-1)

Aldo hasn't lost a fight since 2005 and has run through everyone he has fought. While in the WEC he defeated Alexandre Franca Nogueira, Jonathan Brookins, Rolando Perez, Chris Mickle and Cub Swanson before defeating Mike Brown for the WEC Featherweight Championship. He then defended it against Urijah Faber and Manny Gamburyan before the WEC was completely brought in to the UFC.

Most people thought that he'd receive better challenges once he came to the UFC, but he has gone 3-0 and has been just as deadly as before. With unanimous decision wins over Mark Hominick and Kenny Florian, he has most recently defeated Chad Mendes by KO almost a year ago.

Frankie Edgar is making his debut in the UFC Featherweight division after already having held the UFC Lightweight Championship. In Edgar's first UFC fight everyone found out who he was when he won against Tyson Griffin at UFC 167 in what was the fight of the night. He won his next two fights over Mark Bocek and Spencer Fisher before losing against Gray Maynard in what was the first matchup between the two.

After his loss he went on a roll where he defeated Hermes Franca, former champion Sean Sherk and Matt Veach before defeating B.J. Penn for the UFC Lightweight Championship. Many thought that the result was controversial so the two fought for a second time in which Edgar won again. Edgar then fought Gray Maynard a second and third time, drawing in the second fight and winning the third to remain champion.

After finally proving that he was the #1 lightweight in the world for good he then lost his title to Benson Henderson, who he then rematched and lost against again for a second time. Edgar is coming in to this fight on a two fight losing streak but has fought twice in the time that Aldo has had off so he won't have as much ring rust.

For tonight's actual fight you can throw out any possible chance of these guys getting tired. Both of them have gone the full five rounds before and haven't had endurance trouble. When it comes to standing the slight advantage will go to Aldo because of his more versatile striking, however on the ground I give the edge to Edgar due to his wrestling.

While most of the guys that have fought Aldo haven't been able to get him to the ground, I think Edgar is the best fighter that Aldo will have ever fought. I see Edgar's wrestling being the key to this fight. If he is able to get Aldo on his back, Edgar will win this fight. If this fight stays standing then this fight will more than likely go Aldo's way.

My prediction: Edgar wins via TKO (round 3)

Light Heavyweight: Rashad Evans (17-2-1) vs. Antonio Rogerio "Lil Nog" Nogueria (20-5)

Evans won the second Ultimate Fighter Tournament and is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Nogueira is a legend from the now defunct PrideFC that has competed against some of the best in the world and has beaten them.

Evans' notable wins include Stephan Bonnar, Michael Bisping, Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, Thiago Silva, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Tito Ortiz.

Nogueira's notable wins include Guy Mezger, Kazushi Sakuraba, Alistair Overeem twice, Dan Henderson, Luiz Cane and Tito Ortiz. He also had a fight against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in the 2005 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix that is regarded as one of the greatest fights of all time.

The current rumor circulating the internet is that with a win Evans would then drop down and challenge Anderson Silva for the UFC Middleweight Championship. This would mark the first time that Evans would ever step foot in the middleweight division and is something that might actually suit him better because of his small size.

While many are thinking Evans will walk through Nogueira, I'm expecting Nogueira to pull out the victory. If Evans tries to stand with Nogueira he will find out the hard way that his boxing is not at the level of Nogueira's who won has had a very successful amateur boxing career, having won gold for the South American Championships in 2006.

My prediction: Nogueira wins via KO (round 2)

Heavyweight: Alistair Overeem (36-11, 1 NC) vs. Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva (17-4)

Overeem was coming into the UFC as the guy that would eventually take over the decision. He ends up beating Brock Lesnar which makes him the #1 contender and everyone realizes that he is going to be a force in the heavyweight division. Afterwards he ends up failing a drug test due to having too high of testosterone levels. This will be his first fight in over 13 months now and the likelihood of him coming into this fight as big as he previously has is very slim. Anyone could tell you that putting on about 50 pounds of muscle within 2 years is going to look fishy. Across the Octagon from him will be another guy with a history of testing positive for steroids. "Bigfoot" Silva tested positive for boldenone in 2008 while in the EliteXC.

Steroids and other drugs have been a problem with sports everywhere including the UFC as of late and is something that I think should be tested for more often. If these guys are being tested more frequently, then they won't have the opportunity to take anything in between drug tests and won't be able to get away with anything.


Overeem's five most notable wins include Vitor Belfort twice, Igor Vovchanchyn, Fabricio Werdum and Brock Lesnar. Silva's five most notable wins include Wesley "Cabbage" Correira, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski, former PrideFC Heavyweight Champion and arguably the greatest fighter of all time Fedor Emelianenko and Travis Browne.


As for tonight's fight, steroids aside, I see this one ending quickly. Both of these guys are going to stand in front of the other and just throw bombs at each other. In Overeem's last 11 fights only 1 has gone past the first round. He hasn't lost any fights since 2007 when he was knocked out by Sergei Kharitonov. "Bigfoot" has only been to the decision 3 times in his career and his last five fights have all avoided going to the final bell.

My prediction: Silva wins via TKO (round 1)

Welterweight: Jon Fitch (24-4-1, 1 NC) vs. Demian Maia (17-4)

Don't expect a knockout in this fight. If this fight stays standing you will more than likely want to turn away. If this fight goes to the ground you will be in for a treat between one of the best wrestlers in the world and one of the best submission experts in the world.

Fitch is coming into this fight having just beaten Erick Silva while Demian Maia has won his first two fights in the welterweight division. Fitch and Maia have both challenged for UFC Championships in their careers with Fitch losing to Georges St-Pierre at welterweight and Demian Maia losing to Anderson Silva at middleweight.

Fitch's most notable wins include Thiago Alves twice, Diego Sanchez, Paulo Thiago and Erick Silva. Maia's most notable wins include Nate Quarry, Chael Sonnen, Kendall Grove, Jorge Santiago and Dong Hyun Kim.

Fitch is a fighter that takes guys to the ground and usually wins by decision. The main concern for him this fight is that if he wants to do the same thing he always does, he will be putting himself in the most danger. Having Maia underneath him will give Maia the best chance to win because Maia has won nine fights by submission. I don't think Fitch will be able to keep Maia on his back for 15 minutes without something bad happening to him.

My prediction: Maia wins via submission (round 2)

Flyweight: Joseph Benavidez (16-3) vs. Ian McCall (11-3-1)

As I stated last week during the flyweight championship, Flyweights=Speed. These two guys are both coming into this fight off of losses against the current champion Demetrious Johnson. Benavidez has only lost to current UFC champions in his career in Johnson and current bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz. McCall has also lost to Cruz and Johnson along with Charlie Valencia in his early WEC days.

Before coming to the UFC McCall had a stint in the WEC where he went 1-2 in the bantamweight division. Without a flyweight division at the time McCall left and went to Tachi Palace Fights where he won three straight fights including a fight against Darrell Montague for the Flyweight Championship. Upon the UFC implementing a flyweight division he was brought in immediately. He has also defeated Jussier Formiga who at the time was considered the best flyweight in the world.

Benavidez has had a great career so far, but has fallen short in big fights. He has lost in a title-eliminator to Cruz, and the two times he fought for the title he has lost as well (Cruz and Johnson). While he has struggled in the biggest fights of his career he has defeated Jeff Curran, Miguel torres and Eddie Wineland.

Tonight's fight will likely determine who will fight Demetrious Johnson next for the title. These guys are probably the second and third best guys in the division as of right now and both guys are looking for revenge. I see this fight going the full 15 minutes as I don't see either of them giving up or being knocked out.

My prediction: Benavidez wins via unanimous decision 


Preliminary Card on FX:

Lightweight: Gleison Tibau (26-8) vs. Evan Dunham (13-3)
Welterweight: Tyron Woodley (10-1) vs. Jay Hieron (23-6)

These are the two main fights on FX and I see them both going the same way. Neither fighter in both fights is that much better than the other and both fighters in these fights fight very similarly of their opponents. I don't think anyone will be finished in either of them and expect both of them to go the full 15.

My predictions: Dunham and Hieron win via unanimous decision

Lightweight: Jacob Volkmann (15-3) vs. Bobby Green (19-5)

Volkmann has had a relatively successful UFC career so far. He has gone 6-3 in the UFC, losing to Paulo Thiago and Martin Kampmann at welterweight and Paul Sass at lightweight. The Sass fight is his only loss at lightweight and has gone 6-1 since dropping down to 155. Green is coming into this fight on a four fight win streak against relative nobodies while in Strikeforce. Every time he has fought someone of any notoriety he has ended up losing in the fight. I don't think this Green will last long in the UFC.

My prediction: Volkmann wins via submission (round 1)

Lightweight: Yves Edwards (42-18-1) vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg (13-3-1)

Edwards has been around MMA and the UFC for a long time now. He's been fighting since 1997 and made his UFC debut back in 2001 against Matt Serra. While hasn't had the most successful UFC career he has definitely done more in his career than his opponent. Vallie-Flagg is making his UFC debut after defeating Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante in Strikeforce. Vallie-Flagg hasn't lost in over five years but I'm pretty sure if Edwards fought those same guys he wouldn't have lost either.

My prediction: Edwards wins via submission (round 3)


Preliminary Card on Facebook:

Catchweight (139.5): Chico Camus (12-3) vs. Dustin Kimura (9-0)

For this fight I'm picking Kimura to win by kimura. The amount of bad jokes Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg will probably make about that will probably make the fight worth watching.

My prediction: Kimura wins via submission (round 2)

Bantamweight: Edwin Figueroa (9-1) vs. Francisco Rivera (8-2, 1 NC)

This is the first fight of the night between two guys that are coming off of a lengthy layoff. Figueroa was out for awhile due to injury over the last year while Rivera was suspended for testing positive for a stimulant in his last fight. Figueroa is the better fighter and should win this one.

My prediction: Figueroa wins via KO (round 1)