UFC On FOX 12 takes place this weekend in San Jose and you can check out our predictions for all the fights below.
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Main Card:
Robbie Lawler vs. Matt Brown
The is a fun fight to cap off what’s turned out to be an entertaining month in the UFC. I favor Lawler strongly here, but Brown has been doing a great job of proving people wrong throughout his remarkable winning run, so it would be foolish to completely rule him out.
That being said, I feel like Lawler is all-round the better fighter, with heavier hands, a more versatile offensive arsenal, better cardio and is just as tough as ‘The immortal’. Brown has shown a vulnerability to body shots recently and Lawler can capitalize on that with punches in particular, but also kicks or knees, and as his nickname suggests, Lawler is ‘Ruthless’ when it comes to finishing opponents when he has them hurt.
Whether this turns into a toe-to-toe brawl, or Lawler being more patient and using his counter striking, I think it’s the ‘Ruthless’ one who’s going to come out on top here and Brown will go out on his shield before this fight hits the championship rounds.
Robbie Lawler to win by TKO in Rd2
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Anthony Johnson vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
The injury prone veteran ‘Lil Nog’ returns after a 15 month layoff for only his third fight in as many years, and for that reason alone it’s hard to have a lot of confidence in the 38 year-old.
He’s also going up against a resurgent ‘Rumble’ Johnson who looks to have a new lease of life at light-heavyweight and wields a serious power advantage going into this fight.
Nogueira is the more technical boxer, but really his best chance here would to get the fight to the ground where his BJJ skills would put Johnson at a major disadvantage. Unfortunately for him Johnson’s takedown defense is good and Nogueira’s wrestling is not so much, so it looks like this one will be won and lost on the feet, and I believe ‘Rumble’ can add another KO to his resume here.
Anthony Johnson to win by KO in Rd1.
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Clay Guida vs. Dennis Bermudez
Guida has shown some signs of getting back to form recently against Tatsuya Kawajiri, but with six wins in a row under his belt Bermudez is the fighter on-form coming into this one.
Both fighters are good wrestlers, so I think this one might actually end up playing out on the feet instead and despite Guida being super-tough and always energetic, I’ve never been a big fan of his offensive output.
I think Bermudez will prove to be the better, more accurate striker of the two and will be able to keep up with the pace that Guida sets while fighting with more finesse to earn a close decision victory.
Dennis Bermudez to win by decision.
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Josh Thomson vs. Bobby Green
Green’s proven himself to be a very capable fighter during his time in the UFC so far, but coming in at short notice against an opponent of Thomson’s caliber is a big ask.
Thomson is very well-rounded, so there’s no real area of the fight that Green is likely to excel in. I think all options are on the table for Thomson here – I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s able to put together a combination of strikes to get a finish by TKO or slap on a slick submission on the mat, but outclassing Brown over three rounds to earn a decision win is also a possibility.
Josh Thomson to win by submission in Rd2.
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Prelims:
Jorge Masvidal vs. Daron Cruickshank
Kyle Kingsbury vs. Patrick Cummins
Hernani Perpetuo vs. Tim Means
Michael De La Torre vs. Brian Ortega
Arbarh Arreola vs. Tiago dos Santos
Steven Siler vs. Noad Lahat
Andreas Stahl vs. Gilbert Burns
Juliana Lima vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
