UFC 144: 10 Predictions You Can Take to the Bank

Another fantastic UFC PPV is upon us.

Within the next week we will witness one of the most historic events in MMA history.  With names like Frankie Edgar, Rampage Jackson, Jake Shields, Ryan Bader, Cheick Kongo, Yoshihiro Akiyama and Benson Henderson on the main card, UFC 144 in Japan can't disappoint.

How can it?

Edgar is one of the most well-rounded fighters in the world today, Rampage is one of the most popular fighters in MMA history, and the UFC is finally bringing its top talent overseas in order to market MMA where other sports fail to do so.

Come Saturday, there are a few things that are bound to happen.  Quick KO's, impressive submissions and upset victories are only part of the pie.

Here are 10 predictions for UFC 144 that you can take to the bank.

Rampage Jackson vs. Ryan Bader Will End in a KO

Rampage Jackson and Ryan Bader are two of the most powerful strikers that the light heavyweight division has to offer.

And since both guys are hungry to get back on track for a title shot, sparks are going to fly.  Not to mention the magnitude of the event being in Japan and all.

Quite honestly, if you're thinking about shelling out your weekend bar money for this PPV, you're probably going to do it because of this fight.

Anthony Pettis Will Secure a First-Round Victory over Joe Lauzon

Anthony Pettis hasn't lived up to his "Showtime" potential since making his Octagon debut back in June. 

It's as simple as that.

But the 25-year-old is way too talented to not take care of business this Saturday, even against a respectable opponent like Joe Lauzon, who has pulled off upset after upset in his UFC career.

Pettis' standup is more diverse than any fighter Lauzon has faced in the past, including Melvin Guillard and Jens Pulver.

Unless Lauzon takes Pettis down in the first few minutes, this fight isn't lasting past the first.

Yushin Okami Will Be the Only Japanese Fighter to Win on the Main Card

Here are the three fights involving a Japanese fighter on the main card for UFC 144.

Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Jake Shields

Yushin Okami vs. Tim Boetsch

Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski

If you're intelligently looking at these fights, it's possible that all three Japanese fighters can lose.

Shields is a top-notch grappler, Boetsch can hurt anyone with his ham hands, and Palaszewski is one of the best gamers in the featherweight division.

While Dana White, Joe Silva and the UFC decided to give Japan a handful of fighters to cheer for, that doesn't mean they're going to win.

With that said, Okami seems to be the only Japanese fighter on the main card who has momentum going into his bout.  Chalk it up to his awesome name or Boetsch's inability to show up sometimes, but he's the guy you want.

Cheick Kongo Will Win KO of the Night

Mark Hunt is certainly no slouch, but when you give a dynamic striker like Cheick Kongo six inches on his opponent, a KO is bound to happen.

Also, considering Kongo is coming off two impressive victories over Matt Mitrione and Pat Barry, the heavyweight veteran will be looking to do anything to prolong his winning efforts in order to regain title-contention consideration.

The fight can obviously go either way.  It's a fight.  But the fact is that Kongo poses a bigger threat on his feet than Hunt does, thus resulting in a devastating KO.

I'm thinking an epic head kick in Round 2.

Jake Shields vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama Will Go All Three Rounds

I don't know what it is about Jake Shields, but the guy doesn't like to finish fights early.

Over his past four fights, disregarding his recent KO loss to Jake Ellenberger at UFN 25, Shields has gone the distance in every single bout.  That includes two five-round championship fights when he was with Strikeforce.

The fact is that Shields needs a win.  He's not going to take any unnecessary risks against Yoshihiro Akiyama because he needs a victory, impressive or not, in order to put himself back in contention for a welterweight title shot.

There's no arguing that Shields is more equipped to win this fight than Akiyama, but he's not going to try to wow the crowd when all he's trying to do is get the W.

It'll probably happen on the ground, so expect a classic Shields fight that features him lying on his opponent for 15 minutes.

Benson Henderson Will Stun Frankie Edgar in the First Round

Frankie Edgar has been stunned before in a title fight.

Whether he won that bout or not, which he did, it's alarming that a UFC champion can get caught so often in the first round.

It could be due to the fact that Edgar tries to figure out his opponents to time his takedown attempts. But his lack of success in defending strikes is nonetheless a disadvantage.

And whether you think he's going to reign victorious or not at UFC 144, Benson Henderson is arguably the most dynamic striker Edgar has ever faced, albeit B.J. Penn. 

That could prove deadly for Edgar, who is going to be coming into this fight as the smaller fighter.

Henderson brings a relentless pace, solid hands, excellent kicks and great power for a lightweight.  It just seems natural that he'll catch Edgar early in this five-round title bout.

However, that doesn't mean he's going to win.

Rampage Jackson and Joe Rogan Will Get into It

Over the past week or so, Rampage Jackson has been all over Joe Rogan for his presumably "biased" commentating.

Rampage called out Rogan for putting on a front when he interviews guys post-fight, right after he ridiculed their fighting techniques during the bout.

While Rampage has a relatively decent point, we all know that Rogan calls the fights as he sees them.

If he's the one who doesn't know what he's talking about, what does that make Mike Goldberg?

Regardless of whether you believe Rogan favors jiu-jitsu-based fighters or not, due in part because he himself is a well-known practitioner of the popular MMA style, it's important to remember who's spitting this trash at the UFC's best vocal asset.

It's Rampage Jackson.  The guy loves to talk about anyone who thinks he still isn't the best fighter in the world, or that his Octagon abilities have slightly declined.

For whatever it's worth, win or lose, you have to expect something is going to be said at UFC 144 between these two characters.  Because not for nothing, Joe Rogan doesn't take crap from anybody.

Steve Cantwell Will End His Four-Fight Losing Streak

While Steve Cantwell's bout with Riki Fukuda at UFC 144 isn't the most desirable matchup on the card, it's still very important for the 25-year-old's UFC career.

Cantwell has never been a serious threat in the middleweight division as far as a title shot is concerned, but the guy is pretty talented.

With that said, considering he's coming into this bout riding a four-fight losing streak, Cantwell seemingly needs a win to secure his career within the UFC.

How often do you see a middle-of-the-pack guy stick around after losing five straight fights?

Exactly.  Never.

Frankie Edgar Will Remain the UFC Lightweight Champion

Whether Frankie Edgar gets caught in the first round by Benson Henderson or not, and he probably will as previously predicted, he still has what it takes to weather the storm.

Remember, Edgar not only nearly defeated Gray Maynard twice, but he out-wrestled and out-struck MMA legend B.J. Penn on two different occasions as well.

And even though he's not the biggest lightweight in the UFC, his small stature, excellent wrestling and top-level cardio provide him with championship capabilities to perform well inside the cage.

At this point in his career, Edgar still remains the best fighter at 155 pounds.  He is easily one of the most well-rounded strikers around, especially when it comes to being patient and making his shots count.

With a guy like Henderson, that patience is going to do wonders.  Even though the No. 1 contender can land some serious leg kicks, Edgar's wrestling is going to be the deciding factor in securing his third-straight title defense.

Rampage Jackson Will Announce His Retirement If He Loses

First and foremost, this is strictly an assumption.

Rampage Jackson may still have some gas left in the tank, maybe to finish out 2012, but the fact is that the MMA legend hasn't really been the same dominant force that he once was.

Over his last four victories, stretching from 2008-2011, Jackson has ended only one fight via KO.  For a KO fighter, one who is continuously renowned as one of the best of all time, that's not a good statistic.

But besides the lack of explosion fans have seen from Jackson over the past couple of years, his age is the biggest factor in his possible retirement.  He's 33, doesn't match up well with the array of power wrestlers in the light heavyweight division (Jon Jones, Rashad Evans and Phil Davis), and has seemingly lost his Octagon swagger.

On top of all of that, Jackson has already stated that he'd be more than willing to call it quits and test his abilities as an MMA legend turned professional boxer.  While that may not be the main reason why he'd hang up his gloves for heavily-padded mittens, it's alarming that his focus has turned somewhere else.

Barring a victory over Ryan Bader at UFC 144 in Japan, Jackson could be on the fast track to retirement.  If he feels he's not going to stack up well against the top fighters in the world over the next two years, why wouldn't he try boxing or continue making Hollywood blockbusters?

Like it or not, Bader could be ending a legend's career Saturday night.

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