The Ultimate Fighting Championship presents UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera on Saturday from the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester, England. The event will air on tape delay on Spike TV beginning at 8 p.m. and feature five bouts. Here are my picks for the five featured fights:

Light Heavyweight (205 lbs) – Randy Couture (16-10) vs. Brandon Vera (11-3) – This fight features two former heavyweights that have dropped down to light heavyweight after struggling in the larger weight class. Couture is a Hall of Fame fighter that has won multiple titles in both divisions, but has lost his last two matches. The key in this fight will be whether the fight remains standing or if it goes to the ground. Couture has the edge on the ground while Vera has the edge standing. I expect Vera to come out highly motivated and on top of his game, using his speed and extensive strikes to get the best of Couture, who seems to be lacking in the ability to control fights right now. Look for Vera to win a second or third round TKO.

Welterweight (170 lbs) – Mike Swick (14-2) vs. Dan Hardy (22-6) – This match is a No. 1 contenders match, with the winner getting to fight UFC champion Georges St. Pierre in their next match. Both fighters will look to strike as each thinks they have faster and stronger hands than their opponent. The key for this fight will be which fighter has the ability to win the battle on the ground as that is likely where it will end up in the later rounds. I like Swick’s quickness and takedown ability to earn him a decision win over the game Hardy.
Middleweight (185 lbs) – Michael Bisping (18-2) vs. Denis Kang (32-11-1) – Bisping is coming off his first knockout loss at UFC 100 and how he handles that loss will be the key in this fight. Sometimes after losing by knockout, fighters come back tentative and unwilling to mix it up for fear of getting knocked out again. Bisping has to trust his abilities in order to beat Kang, who is an experienced and well-rounded fighter. Bisping was becoming a tentative fighter prior to his KO loss, and I expect him to be the same in this fight, which will allow Kang to control the fight and earn a decision win.

Welterweight – James Wilks (7-2) vs. Matt Brown (12-7) – Wilks is making his UFC debut after winning the Ultimate Fighter Season Nine. His first fight isn’t easy, as he gets the ultra tough Brown, who can take the fight anywhere. Wilks will be looking for a submission while Brown will be looking to strike. The key in this fight is Wilks lack of experience against marquee fighters, which Brown has been able to establish in his last year with the UFC. Brown’s toughness should be able to carry him past Wilks, who will put up a good effort before getting over-powered by Brown in a third round TKO.

Lightweight – Ross Pearson (11-3) vs. Aaron Riley (28-11-1) – Like Wilks, Pearson is making his UFC debut after winning the Ultimate Fighter Season Nine. Pearson also steps into a tough first fight, as he faces Riley, who has 40 professional fights in his career. Like Wilks, Pearson lacks experience against a fighter of Riley’s caliber, while Riley has faced plenty of fighters with equal talent to Pearson. Pearson is a submission specialist, but Riley has the defense to counter Pearson’s strength. Look for Riley to simply out-class Pearson on his way to a decision win.

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]]> http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/11/14/ufc-105-picks-predictions/feed/ 1 http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/06/20/ultimate-fighter-live-finale/ http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/06/20/ultimate-fighter-live-finale/#comments Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:49:45 +0000 Administrator http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=20266

The Ultimate Fighter Nine Finals take place tonight with the live Ultimate Fighter Finale on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET. The main card will feature five fights including the two championship bouts for the Ultimate Fighter reality show. Overall, it is a nice card featuring the lighter weights in the UFC, which tend to provide stronger fights and better pacing. Here is a breakdown of the card and my predictions (I was 5-for-6 last weekend!!) for tonight’s show.

Lightweight bout (155 lbs) – Diego Sanchez (23-2) vs. Clay Guida (25-9): This fight should be a war as both fighters have great motors and even better stamina. Sanchez has lost just two times in his career, both by decision, but is in just his second fight at lightweight in the UFC. His previous fight was a lackluster decision win over Joe Stevenson where Sanchez picked Stevenson apart on their feet. Guida won’t be quite that easy. The rocker has a fighting style and energy that makes it hard for you to not cheer for him and I think he will be the first fighter to really push Sanchez around in terms of pacing and octagon control. The key in this fight will be if Guida has the size to control the bigger Sanchez on the ground and if he can fight off his back. I would like to say I see Guida winning this fight, but I think Sanchez’ size and speed will ultimately earn him another decision win.

TUF 9 Lightweight Finals (155 lbs) – Ross Pearson (8-3) vs. Andrew Winner (9-2-1): Pearson and Winner both come from the United Kingdom team of the Ultimate Fighter, but that means nothing in this fight. Winner looked impressive in the show, winning all his fights in the first round while Pearson has had to grind out his wins, but is tough as nails. Pearson will need that toughness to take out Winner, who seems to be the better athlete with better all-around skills. I don’t think Winner wins as convincingly as he has on the show, but I will take him by stoppage from strikes in the second round.

TUF 9 Welterweight Finals (170 lbs) – Damarques Johnson (9-6) vs. James Wilks (5-2): Wilks doesn’t have the experience that Johnson has and his fights on the way to the finale were not nearly as difficult, yet Wilks didn’t look impressive in them either in my opinion. Wilks will need to get the fight to the ground to win, but Johnson will look to demolish the UK fighter. In 15 pro fights, Johnson has only gone to decision twice, so he likes to see a finish win or lose. I will take Johnson by TKO in round two.

Lightweight bout (155 lbs) – Joe Stevenson (31-10) vs. Nate Diaz (13-3): Just 17 months ago, Stevenson was fighting for the lightweight title, and now he stands as a man fighting for his future after losing three of his last four fights in convincing fashion. Stevenson has seemingly started to believe that his stand-up game is on par with the best in his weight class, and that has clearly not been the case in the last year. In desperation, Stevenson changed fighting camps, joining Greg Jackson in New Mexico . Jackson is arguably the best fight strategist in MMA, and he will need to come up with a good plan for Diaz, whose height at 6 feet, and long reach, allow him to pick apart fighters before finishing them off with a submission through his Gracie submission training. I think Stevenson can get Diaz to the ground and get the win if he avoids getting caught in a triangle choke. I think Stevenson is hungrier for a win, which is the same reason Diaz lost to Guida at UFC 94. I will take Stevenson to grind out a split decision.

Welterweight bout (170 lbs) – Kevin Burns (7-2) vs. Chris Lytle (28-17-5): Kevin Burns is relatively new to the UFC scene, with this being his fourth fight, while Lytle is a UFC-mainstay, taking part in his 14th fight with the organization. Lytle has lost three of his last five, and has become a bit of a gatekeeper in the division for up-and-coming fighters. Burns has won two of his three UFC fights and a win over Lytle would cement his place with the organization. This fight will be exciting and a good scrap, as any Lytle fight is, but I think Burns will score the decision win with a stronger ground game and submission attempts.

–Written by TSR MMA contributor Drew Ellis

Here’s a weekly rundown of MMA content from Ben Goldstein of CagePotato.com:

- Jake Shields choked out Robbie Lawler, Nick Diaz dominated Scott Smith, and Brett Rogers scored a 22-second KO over Andrei Arlovski at the Strikeforce show last Saturday. Afterwards, Rogers shared his feelings about Kimbo Slice and Nick Diaz humiliated a reporter.

- A day later, the WEC one-upped Strikeforce by putting on one of the greatest cards of the year, highlighted by Mike Brown’s five-round war with Urijah Faber, Jose Aldo’s latest highlight-reel finish, and possibly the last appearance of Jens Pulver. If only the fighters got paid what they’re worth…

- Team U.K. swept the lightweight bracket on Wednesday’s episode of the Ultimate Fighter; Andre Winner and Ross Pearson will throw down at next Saturday’s finale show on Spike.

- The upcoming title fight between Gina Carano and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos will be contested at 145 pounds. Cross your fingers.

- EA is prepping its own MMA video game to compete with “UFC Undisputed.” Can they succeed without the involvement of MMA’s most powerful brand?

- We looked back at MMA’s first superstars.

- Wanderlei Silva explained to us how life was like a bicycle.

- UFC 99 goes down today [Saturday] in Cologne, Germany, starting at 3 p.m. ET. Swing by CagePotato.com for our liveblog, and get familiar with some of the storylines here.