UFC 126: Predictions You Can Take to the Bank
Breaking down the upcoming UFC 126 card was harder than usual. We've been treated to a stacked night of fights—check out all of the sweet things we have in store for us:
• A middleweight title fight
• One of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world (Anderson Silva)
• Two of the most popular guys in the sport going at it (Griffin vs. Franklin)
• Two of the best prospects in all of MMA (Jones vs. Bader)
• The UFC is taking advantage of the WEC merger to the highest extent so far
This is one hell of a night of fights we have to look forward to, so go ahead and give UFC matchmaker Joe Silva a big ol' hug next time you see him.
Here are some predictions for UFC 126.
Mike Pierce vs. Kenny Robertson
1 of 11
Mike Pierce has never had a bad showing inside the Octagon, going 4-1 with his lone loss to top-five ranked welterweight Jon Fitch.
Even in defeat, Pierce stole a round from Fitch, rocking him on the feet in the third. This is Kenny Robertson’s UFC debut.
Expect Pierce to finish Robertson early, as Robertson is overmatched and will likely suffer from some Octagon jitters.
Kyle Kingsbury vs. Ricardo Romero
2 of 11
Kyle Kingsbury is 2-1 in the UFC with a win over Jared Hamman in his last fight at UFC Fight Night 22, a fight that earned him Fight of the Night honors.
Romero hasn’t fought since a come-from-behind submission win over Seth “The Kimbo Killer” Petruzelli at UFC 116.
Romero had some trouble with Petruzelli on the feet, but Kingsbury hasn’t show that he has knockout power against top competition yet.
Expect some entertaining exchanges early, before Romero takes it to the ground and lands a submission.
Paul Taylor vs. Gabe Ruediger
3 of 11
Paul Taylor is just 3-5 in the UFC and is likely still around due to his ability to make any fight entertaining. Ruediger is still looking for his first UFC win after being dominated by Joe Lauzon at UFC 118.
This is a loser-gets-cut fight and it looks to me like the UFC would like to keep Taylor around a little longer.
Taylor will win a lopsided decision and stay alive in the competitive 155lb division, even with a losing record in the Octagon.
Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto vs. Demetrious Johnson
4 of 11
Kid Yamamoto was once considered to be one of the top 145lb fighters in the world before back-to-back losses to Joe Warren and Masanori Kanehara sent him tumbling down the rankings.
He is now trying to make some noise in the bantamweight division in his UFC debut while Demetrius Johnson is trying to make it three straight after wins over Nick Pace and Damacio Page.
Yamamoto has a chance to make some noise in the UFC’s 135lb division and I still think that "Mighty Mouse" Johnson is just a bit too small for 135lbs, not that there is anything he can do about it. (This is where I would normally beg the UFC for a flyweight division, but alas, there is no time.)
I’m taking Yamamoto by a big KO early in the second.
Chad Mendes vs. Michihiro Omigawa
5 of 11
Chad Mendes is undefeated and one of the best prospects the UFC has in any weight class. He is probably a win or two away from a shot at Jose Aldo’s belt.
Omigawa is 8-2-1 since dropping to 145 and is on a five-fight win streak, returning to the UFC after a three-year absence.
Omigawa has done well for himself in Japan, but the UFC is considered the premier organization in the world for a reason.
Mendes’ wrestling will be far too much for the Japanese standout and the Team Alpha Male fighter will walk away with a decision victory.
Donald Cerrone vs. Paul Kelly
6 of 11
Donald Cerrone is making his UFC debut after a very successful WEC stint where he earned himself two title shots.
Paul Kelly has traded wins and losses in his last four fights, beating TJ O’Brien at UFC 123 in his last outing.
Neither of these guys are ever in a boring fight and this will be an early favorite for Fight of the Night honors, as these two trade punches for three rounds.
Expect Cerrone to use his jab to set up combinatons to win a close split-decision.
Miguel Torres vs. Antonio Banuelos
7 of 11
Miguel Torres is one of the bigger names coming over from the WEC and was the 135lb champion and a pound-for-pound ranked fighter just 18 months ago.
Antonio Banuelos went 3-1 in the WEC, with his only loss to former title challenger Scott Jorgensen.
This fight looks a little mismatched to me, and I have no problem picking Torres to finish this one early: I’ll say Torres by first-round submission after rocking Banuelos on the feet.
Jake Ellenberger vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha
8 of 11
Jake Ellenberger is entering his fourth UFC fight, with wins over John Howard and Mike Pyle on his resume.
Carlos Eduardo Rocha is undefeated in his MMA career, with no fight making it past the second.
This is a tough fight for Rocha, who has great submissions, as evidenced by his slick kneebar of Kris McCray at UFC 122. Ellenberger is just too well rounded and will keep the fight on the feet and likely finish by TKO in the third.
Jon Jones vs. Ryan Bader
9 of 11
The two top prospects in the 205lb division will finally square off!
Jon Jones has dominated everyone he has faced thus far in the UFC, while Ryan Bader has been equally impressive and owns the biggest name of the two, having beaten Antonio Rogerio Nogueria at UFC 119.
The world is riding the Jonny "Bones" Jones bandwagon right now and I’ve been on it since his fight with Stephan Bonner. However, Bader is a very tough matchup for Jones and will test his cardio with constant pressure and clinch work against the cage.
I still see Jones getting the victory, but it will be a lot closer than most anticipate.
Rich Franklin vs. Forrest Griffin
10 of 11
If I were making a list of the most popular fighters in the world, these two would be high on the list, and I’m sure there are plenty of fans torn over whom to root for.
Both men have been sidelined by injuries for a while—Griffin hasn’t fought since November of ’09 and Franklin since June.
This is one of the most even fights in recent memory, as both guys are good at everything but aren’t great at anything.
The fight is almost guaranteed to stay on the feet and I’m going to bank on a decision win for Franklin, because the only people he’s lost to are Machida, Silva, Henderson and Belfort. That’s a damn good list.
Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort
11 of 11
We’ve been waiting over a year for this fight to happen, but after numerous cancellations by both fighters, we finally get to see Anderson Silva fight an elite striker inside the Octagon.
Ring rust may play a factor, since Belfort hasn’t fought since UFC 103 in September of ’09.
I don’t understand the hype surrounding this fight. Silva has destroyed every single striker the UFC has put in front of him, and the fight with Belfort will be no different.
Silva will take a round to get Vitor’s timing down and end the fight with a barrage of punches in the second. Take that one to Vegas.
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