This Hot Fire

UFC 113 picks: Kevin vs Dean

By Kevin Rogers and Dean Xanttopulos

Ok. So Kevin sucked it up big time with his WEC picks last time so we’re battling it out for UFC 113: Machida vs. Shogun II. These my friends are Deano Mac’s picks!

Thanks for that intro Deano, yes, I did suck it up last time, but as I’ve stated, im not perfect and if you checking out my picking record, im somewhere around 80% for UFC fights, which is my bread and butter. So I’ll take a 0 for 0 in the WEC any day to smash you in the UFC.. it’s game time buddy. Let’s see what you got.

Alan Belcher vs. Patrick Cote

Patrick Cote had rifled off 5 straight victories before injuring his knee in a loss to Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. Belcher on the other hand is coming of a TKO win over Wilson Gouveia. Belcher has a pretty good submission game and is a decent striker, but he’s not half the striker that Cote is. Cote might have a little bit of cage rust but even with that I still believe that he’s a better fighter than Belcher.

My Prediction: Patrick Cote defeats Alan Belcher in the 2nd round via TKO.

While Deano is correct here in that Cote has a better stand up game than Belcher, he does leave out that Belcher was fought and beat better competition than Cote has.  Belcher has stood toe to toe with some much better strikers than Cote.  The fact that Cote is coming off almost a 2 year lay off is going to be terrible for a guy who has never been known for his cardio..  The fact is this is going to be a warm up fight for Cote, with Belcher who can go the distance with some tough fighters.

Winner via Split Decision Alan Belcher

Kimbo Slice vs. Matt Mitrione

This is a match of two Ultimate Fighter 10 contestants. While I believe that Kimbo Slice is legitimately trying to learn and become a better fighter, this is pretty much just a fight for the casual MMA fan to watch and talk about. People only want to see him knock somebody out. Mitrione has one professional fight which was a win at the Ultimate Fighter 10 finale over fellow contestant Marcus Jones. Neither fighter is very impressive, nor will either ever be a serious heavyweight contender.

My Prediction: Kimbo Slice defeats Matt Mitrione in the 3rd round via TKO.

Alright, kid’s this fight is going to be over quick, and I have a pretty good feeling it’s going to be a “slug fest”.  Mitrione is probably going to come out swinging on Kimbo trying to steal himself some thunder. Kimbo of course is going to give him the chance to punch that trademark beard.  The fact is this fight holds little meaning to the heavyweight division but should be one “slobber knocker”. I side with Deano on this one kiddies.

Winner via KO in the 1st round Kimbo Slice

Jeremy Stephens vs. Sam Stout

This has the making to be a very exciting fight. Both guys like to bang and Stout has been in 4 “Fights of the Night”. Stephens is coming off of a nice TKO victory over Justin Buchholz and Stout has 2 straight unanimous decision victories. Stephens is the stronger fighter but Stout has a quickness advantage and better cardio with a good amount of power himself. Stout’s big downfall is that he doesn’t always finish fights.

My Prediction: Sam Stout defeats Jeremy Stephens via decision.

Alright Deano this is possible the only fight we can whole heartedly agree on. Stout has quickness over Stephens as well as better accuracy.  The fact is Stout has this fight wrapped up for the most part. Stephens can certainly come into this and win, but I think it would be a long shot.

Winner via split decision Sam Stout

Paul Daley vs. Josh Koscheck

Here is the most built up fight of the night. These two guys have been trash talking since their signatures hit the paper. Both fighters are very exciting and this fight will most definitely start and end with a bang. Daley is a fighter with extreme power behind every punch he throws. He could knock out anybody with a clean punch. Koscheck on the other hand has good punching power and great wrestling. This is a very tough match for me to pick because I really like both fighters. Daley has struggled against great wrestlers like Jake Shields and Nick Thompson, and Koscheck may be a better wrestler than both guys so I’m giving the edge to him.

My Prediction: Josh Koscheck defeats Paul Daley in the 2nd round via submission (rear naked choke).

Deano, Deano, Deano, I see where you can draw the logic for Koscheck here, but I’m going to shoot you down. The fact is Koscheck’s ground game is solid, but it’s wrestling at it’s origin, Daley is a bigger fighter with much more experience than Koscheck.  Koscheck has stated that he’s going to try and take this fight to the ground and submit Daley. I just don’t see that happening.  Daley is a world class striker, which works against Koscheck, he will be punched and kicked in the face. Either way I agree that this fight will be a good one.

Winner via 1st round KO Paul Daley

MAIN EVENT -  LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

This is the rematch that every big MMA fan has been waiting for. Myself included! These two first fought late last year in a great fight that Machida won by unanimous decision. It was a very close fight and there are many people that think that Rua won the fight which is why Dana White pretty much made an immediate rematch for these two. Now…on to the fighters. Machida is the reigning champion and is undefeated in 16 professional fights. He comes from a karate background and has a great striking ability. He can be criticized at times for not being as exciting of a fighter as many others in the light heavyweight division and does a lot of counter striking. Rua on the other hand is an aggressive striker who has enjoyed a lot of success in his career. There was a time where Rua was one of the most exciting and feared fighters in MMA. This fight stands to be an epic battle of a very patient Machida and an aggressive Rua. This is another tough fight to call as it could be very close like the first. While Rua aggressivness could be the end of him with Machida always able to pick people apart, I think Rua’s big fight experience will bring him back to greatness and he will hand Machida his first loss of his career.

My Prediction: Mauricio Rua defeats Lyoto Machida in the 4th round via TKO

I’m so tired of this Shogun Rua bandwagon. It stop here tonight.  Shogun was a solid fight 3-4 years ago. Since he’s come to the UFC he’s had a terrible fight with Forrest Griffin, a Terrible fight with Mark Coleman, a worthless fight with Chuck Liddell, then given a un deserved title shot against Machida.  Yes I agree that the first fight was hotly contested and that Rua could have won, but he didn’t, And he will not win this time.  I am no Machida fan myself, but I’ve got to be honest that he is a monster in the cage.  The fact is Machida is a counter puncher at heart, and with Rua’s looping overhand punches it does make it hard for him to use that skill.  Machida will come in well better prepared this time and im fully confident that he takes this fight. Expect either a decision or a Rashad Evans style sleepy party.

Winner via 2nd round TKO Lyoto Machida

UFC 112: INVINCIBLE

Alight kiddies; guess who’s back to blow your mind with amazing knowledge and moneymaking picks for your bank account? That’s right Kevo is back.  So go ahead and pick your panties up off the floor ladies, I’m married now.  Let’s do this, ladies and gents, I present my preview of UFC 112.

-Anderson Silva (25-4; #1 Middleweight) vs. Demian Maia (12-1; #7 Middleweight)

Let’s start with the main event of this card, Anderson Silva “the god king of all the men of Persia’ against Demian “less of a shot than me VS Chuck Norris and Dolph Lungren in a fight” Maia. Let’s really be honest here, does anyone honestly thing Maia has a shot in this one? For those who don’t know Maia is a ground-fighting specialist, his ground skills are second to none in the middleweight division. For Maia to have a shot in this fight he is going to have to take Silva to the ground, which is not going to happen.  This fight is going to turn out like Thales Lietes, Silva toying with Maia like a cat and mouse.  The more interesting story here is going to be if Silva will step up and finish Maia in this fight. Personally I think he will, but this fight may end up being a boring one. I believe Maia will try to play the ground game on Silva the whole fight, but Silva won’t bite, and near round 4 or 5 he will get frustrated and then punched in the face.

Winner via 4^th round TKO, Anderson Silva

-B.J. Penn (15-5-1; #1 Lightweight) vs. Frankie Edgar (11-1; #9 Lightweight)

This fight is the one I’m more interested in than any other fight on this card.  BJ Penn who is regarded as one of the best fighters in the world is known for an all around amazing fight game. His bread and butter is his ground game, but his stand up is just as deadly.  Frankie Edgar may not be known to all as an elite fighter but he will be soon enough.  6 of Edgar’s 11 wins come by way of decision, so you know he’s got the heart to stand in a fight. Edgar’s biggest win so far of his career is when he beat former champion Sean Sherk. Edgar also has some solid power in his fists that he’s not afraid to use it.  I think this fight holds many different layers that come into play.  First being BJ Penn’s dedication.  No one can argue that over BJ’s last 2 fights he has shown the amazing abilities that he has in his arsenal.  However BJ Penn’s always been known as a guy who can’t stay on the straight and narrow for long.  I think you also have the tag line of BJ making a case to get another fight with Georges St. Pierre.  After this fight there is not much more competition for him at the lightweight division.  Either way, this fight is shaping up to be a good one. I know BJ Penn has been on a tear of late, but this would be a bet worth taking. All this being said…

Winner via 2^nd round TKO, Frankie Edgar

-Matt Hughes (43-7; #5 Welterweight) vs. Renzo Gracie (13-6-1)

UFC hall of famer Matt Hughes makes his “long awaited”? Return to the octagon against veteran and always-dangerous Renzo Gracie. This fight really doesn’t mean anything in terms of rankings or title shots. This is a one of those fights that people always wanted to see. It’s just too bad they wanted to see this fight 10 years ago.  The fact is this fight is probably going to be boring.  I see a 3 round ground battle, with Renzo trying to take down Hughes and Hughes stuffing those take down attempts. Matt Hughes doesn’t have much of that same explosive movement he used to have in any aspect of his game. This is a pretty easy one to call for the most part, Renzo hasn’t had a fight since 2007, and he is pushing 45 years old. Matt Hughes doesn’t have much left, but I think he’s got enough to take this one.

Winner via Unanimous Decision, Matt Hughes

-Terry Etim (14-2) vs. Rafael Dos Anjos (13-4)

I’ll be honest, I’m not the most familiar person with these two fighters, its’ an interesting fight to put onto the main card of a PPV match-up.  However looking at both of these guys in comparison I can see why they did it. This fight is going to be fireworks. Etim who is a European based fighter with 14 wins, 11 of those wins are by submission. Dos Anjos has 13 wins, 6 of which by submission.  Both of these guys have an excellent ground game and are going to put it to the test here. This fight is going to play out like an exhibition jiu jitsu match.  Both guys are going to come out and go down quick.  Like I was saying I don’t have much film on these two guys, but I will tell you that Etim is the better fighter all around.

Winner via rear naked choke, Terry Etim

-Mark Munoz (7-1) vs. Kendall Grove (11-6)

Kendall Grove is a fighter who most believe hasn’t come close to his full potential. Many people think of him as a BJ Penn type fighter who never truly develops into that superstar.  Grove is a ground fighter with a strong stand-up game with some knock out power.  His past couple of fights has certainly showed he’s picking up his dedication to the sport. Mark Munoz is a fairly new fighter to the sport; with only 8 fights under his belt his first fight was in 2007.  Munoz has only 1 loss on his record now and that’s to Matt Hammill. Munoz hasn’t shown much in the way of stand out talent, as he’s really just a lower end fighter who the UFC throws at guys to put on a good show.  Grove should have no problems beating a guy like Munoz.

Winner via 2^nd round KO, Kendall Grove