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UFC Welterweight Division Fight
Roan “Juncao” Carneiro (12-7-0) vs. Ryo “Piranha” Chonan (14-8-0)
This fight will actually be a rematch of a prior fight both fighters had against each other in February 2005 at DEEP 18th Impact, where Ryo Chonan defeated Roan Carneiro by TKO in round three. Roan Carneiro has had an interesting run in the UFC, going two and two with victories over Rich Clementi and Tony DeSouza, with losses to Jon Fitch and Kevin Burns. Roan Carneiro has fought an impressive list of fighters in Anderson Silva, Matt Horwich, Fabio Negao and the aforementioned UFC fighters. Roan Carneiro will be looking to put this fight on the ground, with six of twelve victories coming by submission. Prior to making his American MMA debut at UFC 78 in a loss to Karo Parisyan, Ryo Chonnan has primarily competed in the PRIDE and DEEP promotions. It has been nearly a year since Ryo Chonnan has competed in MMA competition, so conditioning could become a factor. Ryo Chonnan has also competed against the MMA elite like Anderson Silva, Dan Henderson, Phil Baroni, Carlos Newton, Paulo Filho, Joey Villasenor, Ryuta Sakurai, Hayato Sakurai and Ricardo Almeida. Although Ryo Chonnan has gained most of his career victories by decision, it is his striking game that will get him his biggest advantage.
My Prediction: Ryo Chonnan
UFC Middleweight Division Fight
“The Punisher” Jason Lambert (23-8-0) vs. Jason “The Athlete” MacDonald (20-10-0)
This is going to be a very interesting middleweight fight as Jason Lambert makes his UFC Middleweight Division debut against Jason MacDonald. Jason Lambert was on his way to becoming a top contender for the UFC Light Heavyweight Title after defeating Renato Sobral UFC 68, but two consecutive losses to Wilson Gouveia and Luiz Arthur Cane. Jason Lambert has fought the best MMA has to offer like Marvin Eastman, Renato Sobral, Rashad Evans, Marco Ruas, Tim Sylvia, Wesley Correira, Chael Sonnen and Terry Martin. Prior to debuting in the UFC, Jason Lambert was once a King Of The Cage Light Heavyweight Champion. Despite being known as a wrestler, Jason Lambert has finished the majority of his opponents by knockout, with twelve career victories coming by knockout. Jason MacDonald was known as the “TUF Killer” in his early days in the UFC, but losses to Rich Franklin and Yushin Okami put Jason MacDonald’s hopes of being a middleweight top contender on the shelf. Upon entering the UFC, Jason MacDonald defeated UFC Ultimate Fighter alumni Chris Leben, Ed Herman and Rory Singer. Jason MacDonald will be looking to put this fight on the ground, with sixteen of twenty career victories coming by way of submission.
My Prediction: Jason MacDonald
UFC Welterweight Division Fight
Dong Hyun “Stun Gun” Kim (10-0-1) vs. Matt Brown (7-6-0)
Prior to making his UFC and American MMA debut at UFC 84, where he defeated Jason Tan, Dong Hyun Kim fought primarily in the DEEP and Spirit MC promotions. The one draw in Dong Hyun Kim’s career took place a DEEP 32 in a rematch with Hidehiko Hasegawa in October 2007. The last three fights of Dong Hyun Kim’s career have gone to the third round, which goes to show that stamina will not become a factor in this fight. Dong Hyun Kim is an undefeated fighter primarily to his ability as a striker, with six career victories coming by knockout. Matt Brown is known by most UFC fans for his stint on the UFC Ultimate Fighter 7, which was coached by Quinton Jackson and Forrest Griffin. Despite his lackluster record, Matt Brown has fought top MMA fighters like Pete Spratt, Chris Lytle and Matt Arroyo. Prior to entering the UFC via the UFC Ultimate Fighter, Matt Brown nearly took a whole year off from active MMA competition. Matt Brown has never won a fight by decision, with all seven of his career victories coming by submission and knockout.
My Prediction: Dong Hyun Kim
UFC Light Heavyweight Division Fight
Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch (7-2-0) vs. Michael Patt (12-2-0)
Tim Boetsch entered the UFC with a ton of momentum after defeating David Heath by knockout at UFC 81, but suffered a setback after losing to Matt Hamill at UFC Ultimate Fight Night 13. Prior to entering the UFC, Tim Boetsch fought in the 2007 International Fight League Light Heavyweight Grand Prix, losing to Vladimir Matyushenko in the semi-finals. Besides competing in the UFC and IFL, Tim Boetsch has also competed in Extreme Challenge and Reality Fighting. Tim Boetsch has yet to achieve a victory by decision, but has gained all seven career victories by knockout and submission. Michael Patt is making his UFC debut, but has fought on the big stage before in MMA, fighting three times in the now defunct Bodog Fight promotion. At two different points in his career, Michael Patt had winning streaks of four straight victories and six straight victories. It will have been less than a month since Michael Patt’s last fight, a victory over Jarred Taylor at Urban Rumble Championships, so conditioning could become a factor in this fight. Michael Patt will be looking to put this fight on the ground, with nine of twelve career victories coming by way of submission.
My Prediction: Tim Boetsch
UFC Lightweight Division Fight
Thiago Tavares (13-2-0) vs. Kurt “Batman” Pellegrino (11-4-0)
When the UFC signed Thiago Tavares in 2007, the UFC expected Thiago Tavares to skyrocket up the UFC Lightweight Division, but it hasn’t quite happened that way. Before suffering the fight loss of his career to Tyson Griffin at UFC 76, Thiago Tavares was on a twelve fight undefeated streak. During his time in the UFC, Thiago Tavares has defeated Jason Black, Naoyuki Kotani and Michihiro Omigawa, while losing to Tyson Griffin and Matt Wiman. Thiago Tavares will be looking to immediately ground Kurt Pellegrino, with ten of twelve career victories coming by submission. Kurt Pellegrino is a very underrated fighter who has taken on top MMA names like Mac Danzig, Drew Fickett, Junior Assuncao, Nate Mohr, Joe Stevenson, Alberto Crane and Nate Diaz. Kurt Pellegrino has also fought in top MMA promotions like World Extreme Cagefighting, Pancrase, Ring Of Combat, Reality Fighting and the UFC. Kurt Pellegrino does have the wrestling skills to neutralize the ground skills of Thiago Tavares, with eight of eleven career victories coming by submission. This fight between Thiago Tavares and Kurt Pellegrino could have huge implications in the UFC Lightweight Division.
My Prediction: Kurt Pellegrino
You can contact David Tees at bigtees360@yahoo.com
