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UFC Lightweight Division Fight
Gray “The Bully” Maynard (6-0-0) vs. Jim Miller (13-1-0)
Gray Maynard got started in the UFC after becoming a cast member on the UFC Ultimate Fighter 5, which was won by Nate Diaz. After competing to a no contest against Robert Emerson at the UFC Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale, Gray Maynard has been on a four fight win streak in the UFC. Those four victories for Gray Maynard have come over Joe Veres, Denis Siver, Frankie Edgar and Rich Clementi. Before coming to the UFC, Gray Maynard competed in the debut event for the Title Fighting Championships promotion, defeating Josh Powell. Gray Maynard is a fighter known for taking the fight the distance, with four victories coming by way of decision. Jim Miller came to the UFC after the International Fight League folded, with victories over David Baron and Matt Wiman thus far in the UFC. The lone fight in the International Fight League for Jim Miller was a victory over Bart Palaszewski in April 2008. Prior to coming to the UFC, Jim Miller was also a veteran of the Reality Fighting and Ring Of Combat promotions. Jim Miller will be looking to put this fight on the ground, with nine victories coming by way of submission.
My Prediction: Jim Miller
UFC Light Heavyweight Division Fight
Matt “The Hammer” Hamill (5-2-0) vs. “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Mark Munoz (5-0-0)
Matt Hamill is one of the rare fighters to have all of his professional MMA fights occur in the UFC and was a cast member of the UFC Ultimate Fighter 3. Matt Hamill started off his UFC career with three straight victories, with wins over Jesse Forbes, Seth Petruzelli and Rex Holman. The next four fights for Matt Hamill saw him defeat Tim Boetsch and Reese Andy, while losing to Michael Bisping and Rich Franklin. Matt Hamill is the only fighter who is deaf and currently competes in the UFC, which is a pretty amazing accomplishment. Matt Hamill will be looking to use his striking skills to gain the victory, with four wins coming by knockout. Mark Munoz will be making his UFC debut in this fight, after the WEC abolished their light heavyweight division last December. During his stint in the WEC, Mark Munoz has defeated Chuck Grigsby and Ricardo Barros, both by knockout. Mark Munoz is also a veteran of the Palace Fighting Championships, where he defeated Austin Achorn and Tony Rubalcava. Mark Munoz will be looking to use his striking skills to gain a victory, with three prior wins coming by knockout.
My Prediction: Matt Hamill
UFC Welterweight Division Fight
Pete “Drago” Sell (8-4-0) vs. “The Immortal” Matt Brown (8-7-0)
Pete Sell is a longtime veteran of the UFC, in which he debuted with at UFC 51 by defeating Phil Baroni by submission. After that victory, Pete Sell lost four straight fights to Nate Quarry (twice), Scott Smith and Thales Leitas. Pete Sell then took a year off from professional MMA competition before returning at UFC 90 to defeat Josh Burkman. Pete Sell is also a longtime veteran of the Ring Of Combat promotion, where he defeated Chris Liguori (twice), Ted Govola, Derek Johnson and Landon Showalter. Pete Sell will be looking to put this fight on the ground, with three victories coming by way of submission. Matt Brown started out in the UFC as a cast member of the UFC Ultimate Fighter 7, then debuting in the UFC with victories over Matt Arroyo and Ryan Thomas, with a lone UFC loss coming to Dong Hyun Kim. Outside of the UFC, Matt Brown has fought top MMA fighters like UFC veterans Pete Spratt and Chris Lytle. Matt Brown is a fighter who is comfortable wherever the fight ends up, with eight victories coming by submission and knockout.
My Prediction: Pete Sell
UFC Heavyweight Division Fight
Gabriel “Napao” Gonzaga (10-3-0) vs. Shane Carwin (10-0-0)
Gabriel Gonzaga entered the UFC and won four straight fights over Kevin Jordan, Fabiano Scherner, Carmelo Marrero and Mirko Cro Cop. Gabriel Gonzaga then got a UFC Heavyweight Title opportunity at UFC 74, losing to Randy Couture by TKO in the third round. Gabriel Gonzaga would lose his next fight to Fabricio Werdum at UFC 80, but would hen win two straight in the UFC over Justin McCully and Josh Hendricks. A victory for Gabriel Gonzaga could make him a top contender for the UFC Heavyweight Title again after the Brock Lesnar/Frank Mir unification fight is over. Gabriel Gonzaga is a fighter who is comfortable wherever the fight ends up, with ten victories coming by knockout and submission. Shane Carwin is an undefeated fighter who has won two straight fights in the UFC over Christian Wellisch and Neil Wain. In an interesting career note, none of Shane Carwin’s ten MMA fights have gone past the opening round, with the opening fight going a little over two minutes. Before coming to the UFC, Shane Carwin was a veteran of Extreme Wars, World Extreme Cagefighting and Ring Of Fire. Shane Carwin is a fighter who is comfortable wherever the fight ends up, with ten victories coming by knockout and submission.
My Prediction: Shane Carwin
UFC Light Heavyweight Division Fight
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (29-7-0) vs. “The Dean Of Mean” Keith Jardine (14-4-1)
Quinton Jackson is the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, a title he won after defeating Chuck Liddell at UFC 71. Quinton Jackson would lose the title over a year later to Forrest Griffin at UFC 86 by unanimous decision. Besides those fights, Quinton Jackson also holds victories in the UFC over Marvin Eastman, Dan Henderson and Wanderlei Silva. Quinton Jackson is also a longtime veteran of the PRIDE promotion, where he fought Kevin Randleman, Murilo Bustamante, Ricardo Arona, Chuck Liddell, Wanderlei Silva, Murilo Rua and Mauricio Rua. Quinton Jackson will be looking to use his striking skills to gain the victory, with fourteen wins coming by knockout. Keith Jardine got into the UFC after a stint as a cast member on the UFC Ultimate Fighter 2, which was won by Joe Stevenson and Rashad Evans. During his time in the UFC, Keith Jardine defeated Kerry Schall, Mike Whitehead, Wilson Gouveia, Forrest Griffin, Chuck Liddell and Brandon Vera, while suffering losses to Stephan Bonnar, Houston Alexander and Wanderlei Silva. Prior to his time competing in the UFC, Keith Jardine fought UFC veteran Travis Wiuff, whom he lost to be knockout at Extreme Challenge 46. Keith Jardine will be looking to use his striking skills to gain the victory, with six victories coming by knockout.
My Prediction: Quinton Jackson
You can contact David Tees at bigtees360@yahoo.com
