UFC 146 Predictions: Stefan Struve vs. Lavar Johnson

After knocking out Pat Barry earlier this month, Lavar Johnson steps in to replace an injured Mark Hunt on a few weeks' notice to face Stefan Struve on the main card.

Johnson will be carrying some momentum into this bout following his win over Barry at UFC on FOX 3 and could raise his stock significantly if he is able to pick up back-to-back wins in a span of 21 days. 

Johnson boasts a lot of power in his strikes, especially in his uppercut, and he will look to turn this bout into a brawl and try to rough up the 6'11" Danish heavyweight. Acquired from Strikeforce earlier this year, Johnson has recorded 15 of 17 of his victories via KO/TKO and has only spent an average fight time of 4:06 throughout his career. Johnson is a powerhouse and will attempt to land early and finish the fight as soon as possible.

Struve has quietly been making a name for himself throughout the heavyweight rankings, as the 24-year-old owns 28 career victories. Seven of those wins have come inside the UFC and three of them via submission, tallying his submission total to 15.

In addition to being a submission specialist, Struve is also a effective kickboxer. He tends to throw a lot kicks from the outside and maintaining distance from his opponents, utilizing as much of his 81" reach as he can.

However, Struve has yet to effectively use his height and reach to his advantage and he does not understand how to judge distance very well. His long limbs might help him on the ground, but this does not bode well against a high-volume striker like Johnson. 

Look for Johnson to test Struve early and cut off the distance to get inside and land on his opponent to force a first-round stoppage.

Prediction: Lavar Johnson via technical knockout in the first round.