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Josh “The Dentist†Neer (25-7-1) vs. Kurt “Batman†Pellegrino (13-4-0)
Josh Neer is a fighter who is always near top contender status in the UFC Lightweight Division, with victories over Melvin Guillard, Joe Stevenson, Din Thomas and Mac Danzig, while suffering losses to Drew Fickett, Nick Diaz and his younger brother, Nate Diaz. Josh Neer has also spent time in the International Fight League, competing against UFC veteran Mark Miller. Before coming to the UFC, Josh Neer fought other UFC veterans like Spencer Fisher, Joe Jordan, Derrick Noble and the aforementioned Mark Miller. Josh Neer is a fighter who is comfortable wherever the fight ends up, with twenty one victories coming by knockout and submission. Kurt Pellegrino has had an interesting run in the UFC with victories over Junior Assuncao, Nate Mohr, Alberto Crane, Thiago Tavares and Rob Emerson, while suffering losses to Drew Fickett, Nate Diaz and Joe Stevenson. In an interesting career note, Kurt Pellegrino made his professional MMA debut against UFC Ultimate Fighter 6 winner Mac Danzig, whom he defeated at WEC 4 in 2002. Kurt Pellegrino will be looking to put this fight on the ground, with nine previous victories coming by way of submission.
My Prediction: Josh Neer
UFC Middleweight Division Fight
Kendall “Da Spyder†Grove (10-5-0) vs. Ricardo “Big Dog†Almeida (10-3-0)
Kendall Grove got into the UFC after winning the UFC Ultimate Fighter 3 by defeating Ed Herman via unanimous decision. Following the victory, Kendall Grove gained victories over Chris Price, Alan Belcher, Evan Tanner and Jason Day, with losses coming to Patrick Cote and Jorge Rivera. Before coming to the UFC in 2006, Kendall Grove fought top MMA fighters like Joe Riggs, Savant Young and Hector Ramirez. Kendall Grove will be looking to put this fight on the ground, with six previous victories coming by way of submission. Ricardo Almeida is currently on his second run in the UFC, holding victories over Rob Yundt and Matt Horwich, with a loss coming to Patrick Cote. In his initial run in the UFC, Ricardo Almeida fought the likes of Matt Lindland, Eugene Jackson and Andrei Seminov. Ricardo Almeida also went undefeated in both the PRIDE and Pancrase promotions with notable victories over Yuki Sasaki, Nate Marquardt and Ryo Chonan. Ricardo Almeida will be looking to put the fight on the ground, with four prior victories coming by way of submission.
My Prediction: Ricardo Almeida
UFC Welterweight Division Fight
Amir Sadollah (1-0-0) vs. Johny Hendricks (5-0-0)
Amir Sadollah entered the UFC following a victory in the finals of the UFC Ultimate Fighter 7, where he defeated CB Dollaway after a controversial submission. It has been more than a year since Amir Sadollah competed in the UFC following various training injuries, as he was scheduled to face Nick Catone in two separate UFC events. Amir Sadollah will be looking to put the fight on the ground, with his lone MMA victory coming by submission. Johny Hendricks enters the UFC after the abolishment of the WEC Welterweight Division, where he went undefeated. In those two fights in the WEC, Johny Hendricks achieved victory over both Justin Haskins and Alex Serdyukov. The other three victories in the career of Johny Hendricks came over Victor Ratcliff, Spencer Cowley and Richard Gamble. Johny Hendricks will be looking to use his striking skills to gain victory, with three wins coming by knockout.
My Prediction: Johny Hendricks
UFC Light Heavyweight Division Fight
Anderson “The Spider†Silva (24-4-0) vs. Forrest Griffin (16-5-0)
Despite competing against Forrest Griffin in the UFC Light Heavyweight Division, Anderson Silva is the current UFC Middleweight Champion. During his time in the UFC Middleweight Division, Anderson Silva has defeated Chris Leben, Rich Franklin, Travis Lutter, Nate Marquardt, Dan Henderson and Patrick Cote, while defeating James Irvin in his lone UFC Light Heavyweight Division fight. Anderson Silva is currently riding a ten fight undefeated streak that has lasted over three years, with his last loss coming to UFC veteran Yushin Okami. Anderson Silva will be looking to use his striking skills to gain the victory, with fourteen career victories coming by knockout. Forrest Griffin is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion who got into the UFC after winning the UFC Ultimate Fighter 1. After entering the UFC, Forrest Griffin defeated Stephan Bonnar, Bill Mahood, Elvis Sinosic, Hector Ramirez, Mauricio Rua and Quinton Jackson, with losses coming to Tito Ortiz, Keith Jardine and Rashad Evans. Prior to coming to the UFC, Forrest Griffin fought top MMA stars like Dan Severn, Jeff Monson, Chael Sonnen and Jeremy Horn. Forrest Griffin will be looking to use his ground and pound skills to gain the victory, with seven victories coming by way of submission.
My Prediction: Forrest Griffin
UFC Lightweight Title Fight
“The Prodigy†BJ Penn (13-5-1) *Champion* vs. Kenny “Ken-Flo†Florian (11-3-0)
BJ Penn is the only other fighter in the UFC other than Randy Couture to hold two titles in two different weight classes, as he is the current UFC Lightweight Champion and former UFC Welterweight Champion. During his two runs in the UFC, BJ Penn has defeated Joey Gilbert, Din Thomas, Caol Uno, Paul Creighton, Matt Serra, Matt Hughes, Jens Pulver, Joe Stevenson and Sean Sherk, while suffering losses to Jens Pulver, Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre. BJ Penn is also one of the few fighters to hold victories over two different members of the Gracie Family, with a victory over Rodrigo Gracie and Renzo Gracie. BJ Penn is a fighter who is comfortable wherever the fight ends up, with ten victories coming by both knockout and submission. Kenny Florian got into the UFC after a successful run on the UFC Ultimate Fighter 1 and fought Sean Sherk at UFC 64 when the UFC Lightweight Title was brought back into the company. Thus far in the UFC, Kenny Florian has defeated Alex Karalexis, Kit Cope, Sam Stout, Dokojonosuke Mishima, Alvin Robinson, Din Thomas, Joe Lauzon, Roger Huerta and Joe Stevenson, while suffering losses to Diego Sanchez and Sean Sherk. Before coming to the UFC, Kenny Florian was a veteran of the Mass Destruction promotion, where he defeated Jason Giroux and Bobby McAndrews. Kenny Florian will be entering the fight on a six fight winning streak, with his last loss coming to Sean Sherk at UFC 64. Kenny Florian will be looking to put the fight on the ground, with seven victories coming by way of submission.
My Prediction: Kenny Florian
(Note: I will be doing live coverage of UFC 101: Declaration right here on PWInsiderXtra.com at 10pm EST. on Saturday August 8th.)
You can contact David Tees at bigtees360@yahoo.com
