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Anthony “Rumble†Johnson (7-2-0) vs. Yoshiyuki “Zenko†Yoshida (11-3-0)
Anthony Johnson has spent the majority of his career in the UFC, attaining victories over Chad Reiner, Tom Speer, Kevin Burns and Luigi Fioravanti, while suffering losses to Rich Clementi and Kevin Burns. Anthony Johnson also spent time in the RMN MMA promotion, defeating both Rich Moskowitz and Keith Wilson in the same evening. Anthony Johnson will be looking to use his striking skills to win the fight, with five victories coming by knockout. Yoshiyuki Yoshida has had a successful run in the UFC, with victories over War Machine and Brandon Wolff, while suffering a single loss to Josh Koscheck. Before entering the UFC in mid-2008, Yoshiyuki Yoshida achieved a victory over UFC veteran Dan Hardy at Greatest Common Multiple - Cage Force 5. Yoshiyuki Yoshida will be looking to use his striking skills to win the fight, with six victories coming by knockout.
My Prediction: Anthony Johnson
UFC Lightweight Division Fight
Joe “Daddy†Stevenson (30-10-0) vs. Spencer “The King†Fisher (23-4-0)
Joe Stevenson got into the UFC after winning the UFC Ultimate Fighter 2, where he defeated Luke Cummo by unanimous decision in the finals. Since that victory, Joe Stevenson has gone onto defeat Yves Edwards, Dokojonosuke Mishima, Melvin Guillard, Kurt Pellegrino, Gleison Tibau and Nate Diaz, while suffering defeats to Josh Neer, BJ Penn, Kenny Florian and Diego Sanchez. Joe Stevenson will be looking to put the fight on the ground, with fourteen victories coming by way of submission. Spencer Fisher is a victory away from a potential UFC Lightweight Title fight, with UFC victories over Thiago Alves, Aaron Riley, Matt Wiman, Dan Lauzon, Sam Stout, Jeremy Stephens, Shannon Gugerty and Caol Uno, while suffering defeats to Sam Stout, Hermes Franca and Frankie Edgar. Spencer Fisher is a fighter who is comfortable wherever the fight ends up, with nineteen victories coming by knockout and submission.
My Prediction: Spencer Fisher
UFC Lightweight Division Fight
Gleison Tibau (19-6-0) vs. Josh “The Dentist†Neer (25-8-1)
Gleison Tibau has had a successful run in the UFC, gaining victories over Jason Dent, Jeff Cox, Terry Etim, Rich Clementi and Jeremy Stephens, while suffering defeats to Nick Diaz, Tyson Griffin, Joe Stevenson and Melvin Guillard. Very early in his professional MMA career, Gleison Tibau defeated former UFC Welterweight Title top contender Thiago Alves at Champions Night 2 in mid-2001. Gleison Tibau will be looking to put the fight on the ground, with nine victories coming by way of submission. Josh Neer is a longtime veteran of UFC competition, defeating Melvin Guillard, Joe Stevenson, Din Thomas and Mac Danzig, while suffering losses to Drew Fickett, Josh Burkman, Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz and Kurt Pellegrino. Josh Neer enters this fight as a replacement for Sean Sherk, who pulled out of the fight after suffering a shoulder injury during training. Josh Neer is a fighter who is comfortable wherever the fight ends up, with twenty one victories coming by submission and knockout.
My Prediction: Josh Neer
UFC Heavyweight Division Fight
Cain Velasquez (6-0-0) vs. Ben Rothwell (30-6-0)
Cain Velasquez is an undefeated fighter who has already gained victories in the UFC over Brad Morris, Jake O’Brien, Denis Stojnic and Cheick Kongo. Many people in the MMA universe believe that a fifth straight victory in the UFC could potentially earn Cain Velasquez a UFC Heavyweight Title fight. Cain Velasquez also fought in the Strikeforce promotion, where he defeated Jesse Fujarczyk by knockout. Cain Velasquez will be looking to use his ground and pound skills to win the fight, with five victories coming by way of knockout. Ben Rothwell will be making his UFC debut in this fight, but he is a longtime veteran of the International Fight League. While in the International Fight League, Ben Rothwell defeated the likes of Kryzstof Soszynski, Bryan Vetell, Wojtek Kaszowski, Devin Cole, Matt Thompson, Roy Nelson, Travis Fulton and Ricco Rodriquez. Ben Rothwell also made a lone appearance in the Affliction promotion, where he fought former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski. Ben Rothwell will be looking to use his striking skills to win the fight, with seventeen victories coming by knockout.
My Prediction: Cain Velasquez
UFC Light Heavyweight Title Fight
Lyoto “The Dragon†Machida (15-0-0) *Champion* vs. Mauricio “Shogun†Rua (18-3-0)
Lyoto Machida has had an unbelievable run in the UFC, going undefeated with victories over Sam Hoger, David Heath, Kazuhiro Nakamura, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Tito Ortiz, Thiago Silva and Rashad Evans. Before entering the UFC in early 2007, Lyoto Machida achieved victories over UFC veterans Stephan Bonnar, BJ Penn, Vernon White and Rich Franklin. Lyoto Machida also has a small link with professional wrestling, as he competed in a pro wrestling/MMA joint card put on by New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2003, defeating Kengo Watanabe in an MMA bout. Lyoto Machida will be looking to use his striking skills to win the fight, with five victories coming by knockout. Mauricio Rua has had a successful run in the UFC, defeating Mark Coleman and Chuck Liddell, while suffering a defeat to Forrest Griffin. Mauricio Rua is a longtime veteran of the PRIDE organization, where he fought top MMA fighters like Akihiro Gono, Quinton Jackson, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Allistair Overeem, Ricardo Arona, Cyrille Diabate, Kevin Randleman, Mark Coleman and Kazuhiro Nakamura. This fight against Lyoto Machida will mark the third fight of 2009 for Mauricio Rua, who hasn’t fought more than twice a year in over three years. Mauricio Rua will be looking to use his striking skills to win the fight, with fifteen victories coming by knockout.
My Prediction: Lyoto Machida
(Note: I will be providing live coverage of UFC 104: Machida vs. Shogun right here on PWInsiderXtra this Saturday Night October 23rd at 9pm EST.)
You can contact David Tees at bigtees360@yahoo.com
