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UFC Middleweight Division Fight
Steve “The Hooligan” Steinbeiss (4-2-0) vs. Ryan Jensen (13-5-0)
Steve Steinbeiss is coming over from the UFC from the WEC, where he fought and lost to Carmelo Marrero at WEC 36 by split decision. Steve Steinbeiss is also a veteran of the now defunct Bodog Fight promotion, where he has competed in three times before. In those three fights in Bodog Fight, Steve Steinbeiss defeated Jeff Ford and Antony Rea, while losing to Bill Mahood. Steve Steinbeiss will be looking to use his striking skills to gain the victory, with three prior wins coming by knockout. Ryan Jensen is a longtime MMA veteran that has fought top names like Brock Larson, Thales Leitas, Damien Maia, Joey Villasenor and Wilson Gouveia. Ryan Jensen has already fought twice in the UFC, losing to the aforementioned Damien Maia and Wilson Gouveia. Ryan Jensen enters this fight on a little bit of a down note, losing four of his last six professional MMA fights. Ryan Jensen will be looking to put this fight on the ground, with eight career victories coming by submission.
My Prediction: Ryan Jensen
UFC Middleweight Division Fight
Tim “Wrecking Machine” McKenzie (12-5-0) vs. Aaron “A-Train” Simpson (4-0-0)
Tim McKenzie comes to the UFC after a stint in the WEC, where he fought six times in his professional MMA career. While in the WEC, Tim McKenzie defeated John Appleby, Doug Marshall and Jeremy Lang, while losing to Alex Stiebling, Scott Smith and Steve Cantwell. Tim McKenzie is also a longtime veteran of the International Fighting Championship, where he went undefeated in the promotion with five total victories. Tim McKenzie will be looking to use his striking skills to gain the victory, with seven professional victories coming by knockout. Like Tim McKenzie, Aaron Simpson is coming to the UFC after a successful run in the WEC promotion, where he fought once. In that lone WEC appearance, Aaron Simpson defeated David Avellan by knockout at WEC 36: Faber vs. Brown. In his other three professional fights, Aaron Simpson defeated Travis Degraw, Scott Dingman and Tim Coulson. Aaron Simpson is looking to use his striking skills to gain the victory, with all four previous victories coming by knockout.
My Prediction: Tim McKenzie
UFC Middleweight Division Fight
Rob “The Rosedale Reaper” Kimmons (21-4-0) vs.. Joe “The Doctor” Vedepo (7-2-0)
Rob Kimmons is a UFC veteran with two fights in the promotion under his belt, with a victory over Rob Yundt and a loss to Dan Miller. Rob Kimmons is also a longtime veteran of the Titan Fighting Championships promotion, where he defeated Kenny Stevens, Mike Van Meer, Sean Huffman, Charlie Kropf, Jasper Mayfield and Fernando Rivera. In an interesting career stat, in twenty five career fights, only four of them for Rob Kimmons have gone past the opening round. Rob Kimmons will be looking to put this fight on the ground, with thirteen career victories coming by submission. Joe Vedepo made his UFC debut at UFC Ultimate Fight Night 15, where he lost to Alessio Sakara by knockout. Joe Vedepo has also fought in the Extreme Challenge promotion, where he defeated Todd Carney by knockout. Joe Vedepo started off his MMA career with a five fight undefeated streak that last nearly two complete years. Joe Vedepo is a fighter who is comfortable wherever the fight ends up, with six victories coming by both knockout and submission.
My Prediction: Rob Kimmons
UFC Middleweight Division Fight
Jorge “El Conquistador” Rivera (15-7-0) vs. Nissen Osterneck (5-1-0)
Jorge Rivera is a longtime veteran of the UFC, who has fought David Louiseau, Lee Murray, Rich Franklin, Dennis Hallman, Chris Leben, Edwin Dewees, Terry Martin, Kendall Grove and Martin Kampmann while in the promotion. Jorge Rivera took a break from mixed martial arts to deal with personal issues and returns to action after a nine month break. Jorge Rivera is a fighter who is known for finishing fights, with his last six fights ending within the first round. Nissen Osterneck comes to the UFC after a short stint in the WEC, where he lost to Jake Rosholt at WEC 36. Prior to the loss to Jake Rosholt, Nissen Osterneck was on a five fight undefeated streak, with victories over Tremayne Robbins, Franz Mendez, Chris Myers, Jorge Rodrigues and Freddie Espiricueta. In six professional fights, Nissen Osterneck has yet to have a fight go past the second round, which speaks to his finishing abilities. Nissen Osterneck will be looking to put this fight on the ground, with four victories coming by submission.
My Prediction: Jorge Rivera
UFC Middleweight Division Fight
Tim “Crazy” Credeur (11-2-0) vs. Nick Catone (6-0-0)
Tim Credeur is undefeated in UFC competition, with victories over Cale Yarbrough at UFC Ultimate Fight Night 14 and Nate Loughran at UFC Ultimate Fight Night 16. Tim Credeur is also a veteran of the King Of The Cage and Bodog Fight promotions, where he fought Joey Villasenor and Chael Sonnen. Tim Credeur is currently on a five fight winning streak that has lasted over two years, with his last loss coming to Chael Sonnen in August 2006. Tim Credeur will be looking to put this fight on the ground, with seven career victories coming by submission. Nick Catone is an undefeated fighter who made his UFC debut at UFC Ultimate Fight Night 17, where he defeated Derek Downey. Nick Catone is a longtime veteran of the Ring Of Combat promotion, where he defeated Dan Whalen, Ben Knight, Mitch Whitesel and Eric Tavares. Nick Catone also fought in the Cage Fury Fighting Championships promotion, where he defeated John Howard by unanimous decision. Nick Catone is a fighter who is comfortable wherever the fight ends up, with five victories coming by knockout and submission.
My Prediction: Tim Credeur
UFC Welterweight Division Fight
Brock Larson (24-2-0) vs. Jesse “Iron Jaw” Sanders (20-4-0)
Brock Larson is a longtime veteran of the WEC promotion, who is coming over to the UFC after the WEC Welterweight Division was abolished. While in the WEC, Brock Larson fought Erik Apple, Kevin Knabjian, Carlos Condit, John Alessio and Carlo Prater. Brock Larson does have previous UFC experience, facing Jon Fitch and Keira Nakamura in his time within the promotion. In the WEC Welterweight Division wasn’t abolished, Brock Larson would’ve fought Carlos Condit for the WEC Welterweight Title at WEC 40 in April. Brock Larson will be looking to put this fight on the ground, with sixteen victories coming by way of submission. Jesse Sanders will be making his UFC debut in this fight, but is a longtime veteran of the Extreme Challenge and Iowa Challenge promotions. Jesse Sanders is currently riding a six fight winning streak, with his last loss coming in October of 2007 to Anthony Porcelli. In fact, in his last fourteen professional fights, only one of Jesse Sanders fights have gone past the first round. In another interesting career note, Jesse Sanders fought in nine professional fights in the year 2007 alone. Jesse Sanders will be looking to put this fight on the ground, with twelve victories coming by way of submission.
My Prediction: Brock Larson
UFC Middleweight Division Fight
Ricardo “Big Dog” Almeida (9-3-0) vs. Matt “Suave” Horwich (22-11-1)
Ricardo Almeida is a well traveled MMA veteran who has fought in promotions like the UFC, PRIDE and Pancrase. During his time in the UFC, Ricardo Almeida fought Matt Lindland, Eugene Jackson, Andrei Semenov, Rob Yundt and Patrick Cote. During his time in the PRIDE and Pancrase promotions, Ricardo Almeida fought top stars like Nate Marquardt and Ryo Chonnan. Ricardo Almeida returned to professional MMA action after a four year absence from mid-2004 to early 2008. Ricardo Almeida will be looking to put this fight on the ground, with four victories coming by way of submission. Matt Horwich made his UFC debut at UFC 90, losing to Dan Miller, but is a longtime veteran of the now defunct International Fight League. During his time in the IFL, Matt Horwich fought Jamal Patterson, Mike Pyle, Ryan McGivern, Kazuhiro Hamanaka and Benji Radach. Matt Horwich also fought in the Strikeforce promotion, where he lost to Brian Ebersole by unanimous decision. Matt Horwich will be looking to put the fight on the ground, with eighteen career victories coming by submission.
My Prediction: Matt Horwich
UFC Lightweight Division Fight
Gleison Tibau (16-6-0) vs. Jeremy “Lil’ Heathen” Stephens (14-4-0)
Gleison Tibau is a longtime veteran of the UFC and he has fought top fighters like Nick Diaz, Jason Dent, Jeff Cox, Terry Etim, Tyson Griffin, Joe Stevenson and Rich Clementi. Early in his career, Gleison Tibau competed in the Bitetti Combat Nordeste promotion and DEEP, where he defeated Paulo Boiko and Fernando Terere, while losing to Eiji Mitsuoka. This will be the second fight in under two months for Gleison Tibau, so conditioning could play a factor. Gleison Tibau will be looking to put this fight on the ground, with eight victories coming by way of submission. Jeremy Stephens has also spent a lot of time in the UFC, fighting such top names as Din Thomas, Diego Saraiva, Cole Miller, Spencer Fisher, Rafael Dos Anjos and Joe Lauzon. Early in his career, Jeremy Stephens went on an eight fight undefeated streak, which lasted a little over two years. Jeremy Stephens is also a veteran of the Midwest Cage Championships promotion, where he went unbeaten in four fights. Jeremy Stephens will be looking to use his striking skills to gain the win, with ten victories coming by knockout.
My Prediction: Jeremy Stephens
You can contact David Tees at bigtees360@yahoo.com
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