UFC 142 Predictions: Erick Silva vs. Carlo Prater

Erick Silva vs. Carlo Prater is one of the most overlooked fights on the UFC 142 fight card.

Silva is a legitimate prospect. At age 27, he is 13-1 (1 no contest), has a great skill set, and trains with the Nogueria brothers.

His opponent, Prater, is a vastly more experienced competitor with a 29-10-1 record, having fought such competitors as Carlos Condit, Spencer Fisher, Brock Larson and Melvin Guillard.

So who wins between the two lightweight up-and-comers?

It should be noted that Prater has almost always lost when he faced good competition, so if Silva is the real deal, Prater might not be able to handle him.

However, Silva hasn't really fought anyone that great either, so it's difficult to tell if he actually is going to be something, or if he's nothing but a glorified can-crusher.

Both fighters are about even in the striking game, with Silva having three victories by way of (T)KO and Prater having two victories by the same method.

Both men are more grapplers than strikers. 

Silva has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo, while Prater has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Luta Livre (a grappling style comparable to catch wrestling), and a brown belt in Judo.

Prater has excellent chokes, with 12 of 16 submission victories coming by way of one kind of choke hold or another.

There is only three years of age difference between the two, with Silva 27 and Prater 30.

This should be an evenly-matched fight that will either end in a decision victory, likely for Silva since he has better training partners and Prater has historically folded in big situations, or by a submission from Silva.