Tomorrow night Fuel TV hosts their fourth live UFC event and we’ve got our predictions for all the fights for you below.
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Main Card:
Mark Munoz vs Chris Weidman
This is a well balanced match-up between two middleweight’s who are looking to put themselves firmly into the title contention mix with a victory here after four wins a-piece in the UFC.
For my money Munoz is the bigger, stronger fighter of the two and he’s a powerful striker who’s particularly deadly with his ground and pound. For all that Weidman is the younger, less experienced fighter I think he blends his striking, wrestling and BJJ together better than Munoz though. Munoz still has trouble getting comfortable with his range in the striking department and surprisingly given his wrestling credentials his takedowns can be a little cumbersome at times.
Nevertheless, while this could end up being a very close fight, Munoz is the fighter who’s best equipped to end this fight inside of five rounds and I’m tipping him to do just that and strengthen his case to be the next challenger for Anderson Silva.
Mark Munoz to win by TKO in Rd3.
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James Te Huna vs Joey Beltran
This looks like been a stand-up battle between these two light-heavyweight sluggers. Beltran’s finally moved down to 205lbs which could be beneficial to him, but he’s not shown a great deal of skill during his long stay at heavyweight, instead relying on being extremely durable and swinging for the fences to earn his keep.
Te Huna doesn’t look like he’s going to be a standout in the division either, but he’s proven to be an effective striker and in a fight that could go either way I’m favoring him to do enough to claim a decision victory.
James Te Huna to win by decision.
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Aaron Simpson vs Kenny Robertson
Simpson moves down to welterweight and after originally being paired up with Jon Fitch he’s ended up with a less daunting prospect in the shape of Robertson.
That’s not to completely discount Robertson, but this looks like a much more winnable match-up for Simpson with his superior wrestling looking like it’ll be his key to controlling this fight and earning a decision victory.
Aaron Simpson to win by decision.
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Karlos Vemola vs Francis Carmont
Carmont is a big physical presence in the middleweight division, though that shouldn’t put off Vemola who originally joined the UFC as a heavyweight.
There’s some hype surrounding Carmont since he’s a training partner of GSP’s, but I wouldn’t read too much into that. His offense is better than his defense on the mat and he’s been somewhat vulnerable to submissions in the past which I think that could prove to be Vemola’s route to victory.
Karlos Vemola to win by submission in Rd2.
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T.J. Dillashaw vs Vaughan Lee
Dillashaw was certainly a stand-out on TUF 14 with a fairly well rounded game and strong wrestling in particular. Lee can be quite flashy on his feet and has a good submission game which makes him fun to watch, but I think he’ll struggle here.
He lacks the wrestling to stop Dillashaw’s takdowns and will struggle to keep up with the grinding pace he pushes. I see him getting roughed up and bullied on the mat before being finished, most likely by ground and pound, though being submitted is also a possibility.
T.J. Dillashaw to win by TKO in Rd2.
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Rafael Dos Anjos vs Anthony Njokuani
The opening fight on the main card is a clash of styles with Njokuani being a dangerous striker with particularly effective kicks, while Dos Anjos is deadly on the ground with his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
If the fight stays standing for the full three rounds then Njokuani should emerge the victor, but Dos Anjos is the more well-rounded fighter of the two and can afford to spend some time striking in order to set up his takedowns. If he can get his opponent down, and I think he will, then he should be able to take full advantage of Njokuani’s vulnerabilities on the mat.
Rafael Dos Anjos to win by submission in Rd2.
Prelims:
Damacio Page vs Alex Caceres
Chris Cariaso vs Josh Ferguson
Rafael Natal vs Andrew Craig
Marcelo Guimaraes vs Dan Stittgen
Rapahel Assuncao vs Issei Tamura
