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UFC Middleweight Division Fight
Jesse Taylor (6-2-0) vs. CB “The Doberman” Dollaway (6-1-0)
Last month at the UFC Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale, it was supposed to be Jesse Taylor taking on Amir Saddollah in the reality series finals, but a severe attitude problem caused UFC President Dana White to remove Jesse Taylor from the finals. Jesse Taylor made his professional debut in the King Of The Cage promotion and has already fought UFC veteran Jesse Forbes. It has nearly been a year since Jesse Taylor has competed (November 2007) and it could become a mental issue for Jesse Taylor, who was supposed to already have competed last month in the show finale. Jesse Taylor will want to keep the fight on the feet, where he secured three victories by way of knockout. The man who replaced Jesse Taylor in the reality show finale was CB Dollaway, who lost twice to Amir Sadollah on the show. It will be less than a month since the last fight for CB Dollaway, who lost to Amir Sadollah at the UFC Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale last June. Like Jesse Taylor, CB Dollaway will want to use his striking skills to gain victory, with four victories coming by knockout.
My Prediction: CB Dollaway
UFC Welterweight Division Fight
Kevin Burns (6-2-0) vs. Anthony “Rumble” Johnson (5-1-0)
Kevin Burns started off his career in less than spectacular fashion losing to UFC veteran John Neer, but recently picked up the biggest win of his career over Roan Carneiro at UFC 85. In the eight professional fights Kevin Burns has competed in, none of them went the distance, which speaks to the finishing power of Kevin Burns. Kevin Burns is currently on a four fight winning streak, but last competed in June, so his conditioning could come into question. Kevin Burns is a comfortable with the fight standing or on the ground, with all six career victories coming by knockout and submission. Anthony Johnson is a fighter who has been rising in the ranks of the UFC, but a loss to Rich Clementi at UFC 76 halted that. Anthony Johnson rebounded at UFC Ultimate Fight Night 13 by defeating UFC Ultimate Fighter 6 finalist Tommy Speer. Anthony Johnson is a fighter who is becoming well known for his striking ability, with three victories coming by knockout, but is susceptible to submissions, which is how he suffered his only loss.
My Prediction: Anthony Johnson
UFC Heavyweight Division Fight
Jake O’Brien (10-1-0) vs. Cain Velasquez (3-0-0)
It has been an interesting year for Jake O’Brien, who was first released by the UFC after a loss at UFC 82 to Andrei Arlovski, then resigned by the company earlier this Summer. Jake O’Brien burst on the UFC scene by defeating Heath Herring, Josh Shockman and Kristof Midoux before dropping the fight to Andrei Arlovski at UFC 82. Jake O’Brien has also competed in World Extreme Cagefighting and is one of the most respected amateur wrestlers in the UFC. Despite the awesome wrestling credentials, Jake O’Brien has won eight career fights by knockout and the other two by decision. Cain Velasquez is in his make or break fight in the UFC, because a win over Jake O’Brien can solidify him as a heavyweight contender or as someone on the outside looking in. In his short MMA career, Cain Velasquez has already fought in Strike Force and Bodog Fight before coming to the UFC. Like opponent Jake O’Brien, Cain Velasquez is known for his excellent wrestling skills, but has gotten all his victories by knockout.
My Prediction: Jake O’Brien
UFC Lightweight Division Fight
Frankie “The Answer” Edgar (8-1-0) vs. Hermes Franca (18-6-0)
Frankie Edgar was easily one or two victories away from earning a UFC Lightweight Title fight, but a loss to Gray Maynard at UFC Ultimate Fight Night 13 halted everything. Prior to the loss, Frankie Edgar came out of nowhere to become a rising UFC star with victories over Tyson Griffin, Spencer Fisher and Mark Bocek. Before suffering that first loss to Gray Maynard, Frankie Edgar was on an eight fight winning streak that lasted nearly three years. Despite the wrestling credentials, Frankie Edgar has achieved four of eight victories by knockout and submission. Hermes Franca saw the biggest moment of his career, a UFC Lightweight Title fight with Sean Sherk, become his biggest failure after suffering a five round decision loss at UFC 73. Then it got even worse for Hermes Franca, because he tested positive for illegal substances by the NSAC. Prior to the dark times of his career, Hermes Franca was one of the best lightweight fighters in the world, having competed against Caol Uno, Yves Edwards, Jamie Varner, Nate Diaz, Spencer Fisher and Sean Sherk. Hermes Franca is known for his very unorthodox striking ability and sound submission game, which has given him eleven victories by submission.
My Prediction: Frankie Edgar
UFC Light Heavyweight Division Fight
Brandon “The Truth” Vera (8-2-0) vs. Reese Andy (7-2-0)
After becoming a rising star in the UFC Heavyweight Division by defeating the likes of Frank Mir and Justin Eilers, two straight losses to Tim Sylvia and Fabricio Werdum have forced Brandon Vera to drop a weight class to the UFC Light Heavyweight Division. With the exception of his first two fights, Brandon Vera has spent all of his career in the UFC and World Extreme Cagefighting. In his UFC debut at UFC Ultimate Fight Night 2, Brandon Vera stated that he wanted to win championships in the UFC Heavyweight and UFC Light Heavyweight divisions, so this could be his biggest step yet. Brandon Vera is a fighter known for his incredible striking skills, with six victories coming by knockout. Another future MMA star to come from the International Fight League is Reese Andy, who won five of six fights during his time in the promotion. Despite being a not well known name, Reese Andy has defeated top MMA fighters like current Strike Force Middleweight Champion Kala Hose, Justin Levens and Aaron Stark. Unlike Brandon Vera, Reese Andy will want to gain victory by taking the fight to the ground, where he has achieved two victories by submission.
My Prediction: Brandon Vera
Non-Title Fight
UFC Light Heavyweight Division Fight
Anderson “The Spider” Silva *UFC Middleweight Champion* (21-4-0) vs. “The Sandman” James Irvin (14-4-0)
Anderson Silva is easily the best pound for pound fighter, not only in the UFC, but in the entire world of mixed martial arts. The list of fighters that Anderson Silva has fought includes Hayato Sakurai, Roan Carneiro, Carlos Newton, Jeremy Horn, Ryo Chonnan, Jorge Rivera, Yushin Okami, Tony Fryklund, Chris Leben, Rich Franklin, Travis Lutter, Nate Marquardt and Dan Henderson. Besides fighting in the UFC, Anderson Silva has also spent time fighting in PRIDE, Shooto and Meca World Vale Tudo. Anderson Silva is considered to also be one of the most dangerous strikers in MMA, with twelve career victories coming by way of knockout. James Irvin has yet to become a breakthrough fighter in the UFC Light Heavyweight Division, but now gets that chance against Anderson Silva. The list of fighters that James Irvin has competed against is stacked as well, with fighters like Bo Cantrell, Scott Smith, Mike Kyle, Doug Marshall, Terry Martin, Stephan Bonnar, Thiago Silva and Houston Alexander. James Irvin does have an advantage by the fact that he is not the fighter who is changing weight classes entering the fight. Like Anderson Silva, James Irvin is a fighter known for his striking ability, with ten victories coming by knockout.
My Prediction: Anderson Silva
You can contact David Tees at bigtees360@yahoo.com
