UFC 142: Final Main Card Predictions

The UFC returns to Brazil this weekend for UFC 142, and the Brazilian fans will once again get a chance to see some of the best fighters from their country fight on their home turf.

While this event may not have the star power of UFC 134 last year, which featured Anderson Silva, Shogun Rua, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, the card is still stacked with entertaining fights.

The featherweight title is on the line in the main event, Vitor Belfort and Anthony Johnson have the potential to create some fireworks and two of Brazil’s best young prospects are on the main card in Erick Silva and Edson Barboza.

Edson Barboza vs Terry Etim

This fight could easily end up earning these two a bonus check by the time they leave Brazil.

Both Barboza and Etim have extremely exciting fighting styles and should put on a quite a show for the fans.

Barboza is going to have a significant advantage on the feet, and although Etim’s striking has continued to improve, he still gets most of his wins by submission.

Barboza has fought almost exclusively strikers since he has been in the UFC, the lone exception coming in his UFC debut against Mike Lullo.

Although Barboza dominated the fight, Lullo was able to successfully pull guard on numerous occasions, or at least force a tie up that led to the fight getting to the mat.

From there Lullo was able to put Edson in some very dangerous spots, including almost locking in a  gogoplata at one point.

Look for Etim to push the pace early and try to lure Barboza onto the mat, where he will pull off a submission victory.

Terry Etim by 2nd Round Submission

Erick Silva vs Carlo Prater

Originally set to fight Siyar Bahadurzada, Erick Silva will face former WEC veteran Carlo Prater on short notice.

Prater won’t prove to be as much of a problem on the feet as Siyar would have, but he is a seriously experienced fighter and should prove to be a tough test for Silva in his sophomore bout inside the Octagon.

Prater has a very good ground game that has claimed victims such as Carlos Condit and Melvin Guillard in the past, and it would be in Silva’s best interest if he avoided the mat at all costs.

Silva has a pretty decent ground game himself, and could probably hold his own on the mat, but it will be on the feet where he earns his victory as he strikes Prater en route to a unanimous decision win.

Erick Silva by Unanimous Decision

Rousimar Palhares vs Mike Massenzio

This is a match up between two Brazilian ju jitsu black belts, but Palhares is likely the best ju jitsu specialist that Massenzio has ever dealt with.

Palhares doesn’t just go for submissions, he looks to rip your limbs off, something that is nearly impossible to prepare for unless you plan on getting hurt in sparring every day.

Furthermore, Palhares showed some much-improved stand up during his last bout with Dan Miller, landing several solid combinations throughout the fight and even rocking the durable Miller with a head kick that probably should have ended the fight.

Palhares’ Achilles heel has always been his mental game, but against an opponent such as Massenzio he will likely feel very comfortable in the cage and it won’t take long for him to lock in a fight ending leg lock.

Rousimar Palhares by 1st Round Submission 

Vitor Belfort vs Anthony Johnson

When this fight was first announced, the majority of MMA fans probably started imagining an unbelievable striking battle that only lasted as long as it took for one of these two powerful strikers to land a knockout blow.

But the longer the fight has been discussed, the more likely it seems that Johnson will play it safe and work to out grapple his opponent.

Belfort is a black belt in BJJ, but the fact is that he hasn’t submitted an opponent in over 10 years and it will take a lot of effort to try and create some distance with a massive “Rumble” Johnson on top of him.

As much as I’d love to see a war on the feet, it isn’t going to happen and Johnson will score takedown after takedown to secure a one sided unanimous decision win.

Anthony Johnson by Unanimous Decision

Jose Aldo vs Chad Mendes: UFC Featherweight Championship Bout

Anyone who has seen these two fight knows that this bout comes down to one thing and one thing only: Can Jose Aldo keep Chad Mendes from taking the fight to the mat?

Aldo is one of the best pure strikers in MMA, and anyone in the 145 lb division is in huge trouble if they try and stand and trade with “Scarface”, (Just ask Mark Hominick).

However Mendes is one of the best wrestlers in the sport and is by far the toughest challenge Aldo has ever had to deal with in his MMA career.

The Team Alpha Male member has one of the most explosive shots in MMA and has had no trouble dragging any of his previous opponents to the ground.

Aldo has extremely good takedown defense and should be able to keep Mendes at bay for at least a round or two, but the constant threat of a takedown will make him less likely to use his aggressive style and will make it tough to finish “Money”.

Jose has had a tough time making the weight cut in his past few fights, and it will finally catch up to him here, as Mendes will put the pressure on him and after scoring a few takedowns, Money will earn a TKO victory in the championship rounds and take a belt with him back to Sacramento.

Chad Mendes by 4th Round TKO