15 Bold MMA Predictions for the Second Half of 2012

Mixed martial arts is not only the purest sport in the world, but it's one of the most unpredictable.

Key injuries to top fighters, lengthy suspensions and deep weight classes are all responsible in making MMA a truly wild ride.

As we move into the latter half of 2012, these tendencies are bound to shape the world of fighting yet again.

Taking that into consideration, along with the dynamic bouts already scheduled for the next six months, here are 15 bold predictions for the remainder of the year.

Gilbert Melendez Will Not Come to the UFC

There's nobody in the mixed martial arts world that doesn't want to see Gilbert Melendez fight in the UFC as early as tomorrow.

But the fact of the matter is that he's the biggest draw for Strikeforce. Without him, why even have it?

I'm aware that he currently ranks as a top-five lightweight in the world, but if Zuffa wants to keep interest flowing throughout their non-UFC commodity, Melendez has to be part of it.

While a distant signing isn't out of the question, a crowded UFC lightweight title picture should hold off the Diaz brothers' training partner until at least 2013.

Ed Herman Will Upset Jake Shields

This seems like the perfect recipe for an upset.

Ed Herman is coming in hot off a submission victory at UFC 143 and has really never looked better amidst a three-fight win streak.

Jake Shields, on the other hand, has dropped two of his last three bouts and hasn't looked like an elite fighter since stealing a decision from Martin Kampmann back in 2010.

This is the quintessential crossroads scenario.

Herman is on the rise while Shields is on the decline. Anything can surely happen, but "Short Fuse" is due to take out a talented contender.

Because every ginger will have his day. Unfortunately for Shields, UFC 150 will mark Herman's uprise.

Shane Carwin Will Move to Strikeforce

Strikeforce has been able to showcase world-class talents on a consistent basis. Fedor Emelianenko, Josh Barnett, Gilbert Melendez, Dan Henderson and Jake Shields are just a few of those names.

But in order to prolong its relevance in a sport being swallowed whole by one thriving entity (UFC), Strikeforce desperately needs somebody to counter the ever-evolving Daniel Cormier.

Cormier has become one of the most respected heavyweight fighters in the world, but after dismantling Josh Barnett and Antonio Silva within the past year, the power wrestler is in need of an immediate, yet worthy, opponent.

That's where Shane Carwin comes into play.

With recent heavyweight signings, the UFC no longer needs Carwin to take any more punches for their benefit, making him an obvious choice to headline one or two Strikeforce events in the coming year.

Hector Lombard Will Attain No. 1 Contender Rights

Despite not being widely known amongst current UFC fans, ex-Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard has all the natural tools to make a UFC title run in the near future.

And after signing with the UFC back in April, Lombard is on the fast track to doing exactly that.

First scheduled to fight Brian Stann at UFC on Fox 4 and now set to battle Tim Boetsch at UFC 149, Lombard seemingly needs one win in order to gain No. 1 contender rights.

Because with Michael Bisping and Vitor Belfort on the shelf, Mark Munoz fresh off recovery and Chris Weidman being too raw, there's really nobody left to face the winner of Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II.

With a quick KO of Boetsch, Lombard will definitively be the next guy in line to fight for middleweight gold.

Urijah Faber Will Submit Renan Barao

No Dominick Cruz, no problem.

After suffering an ACL tear while training, bantamweight champion Cruz will step aside and let Renan Barao take his place.

His opponent, the always formidable Urijah Faber, will be losing his opportunity to avenge a previous title loss to Cruz back at UFC 132.

However, an interim title is on the line, so Faber's winning mentality shouldn't change too much when he squares off against Barao at UFC 149.

And even though many people believe Barao's standup will prove too much for "The California Kid," Faber's guillotine choke will ultimately take the Octagon reins.

Faber wins via second-round submission.

Ben Askren Will Sign with the UFC and Fight Josh Koscheck

Bellator is starting to look like a gold rush for the UFC, who seems ready to sift and shake every talent out of the promotion's hands.

Hector Lombard was the first, and welterweight champion Ben Askren will be the next.

Askren has successfully made a name for himself outside of Zuffa promotion, which is an accomplishment in itself.

The wrestling-based ground specialist is currently undefeated at 10-0. He hasn't finished many fights, but that has been a direct product of smothering his opponents fight to fight.

The UFC will eventually get their hands on Askren to bolster down an already impressive welterweight division, throwing Josh Koscheck into the lion's den to welcome the new contender.

Junior dos Santos Will Not KO Cain Velasquez

To save my butt, Junior dos Santos can still beat Cain Velasquez via TKO and I'd still technically be right.

But to make this a bold prediction, which is the overall point in creating this list, I'm sticking to my guns and saying that the current UFC heavyweight champion will do neither.

That either means Dos Santos will win via submission, decision or not win at all.

I'm fairly confident that Velasquez can progress from his mistakes in their first fight, which didn't even last past the first round, and make this at least a championship-round fight.

Because when it comes down to it, how can you ignore the romping Velasquez put on Antonio Silva?

Georges St-Pierre vs. Carlos Condit Will Not Go Five Rounds

Georges St-Pierre is notoriously a five-round fighter.

His welterweight title defenses rarely end early, which is a product of St-Pierre's willingness to showcase his world-class cardio.

But considering GSP hasn't fought in over a year and seemingly has something to prove to the UFC community, he'll probably come out a different fighter when he meets interim champion Carlos Condit at UFC 154 in November.

What red-flags this fight even more as an early victory for either fighter is the fact that Condit is a straight-up killer inside the Octagon.

He'll have problem attacking St-Pierre and making him finish the fist prematurely, something he hasn't done since his "greasing" episode against BJ Penn back in 2009.

Martin Kampmann Will KO Johny Hendricks

I'm such a Martin Kampmann fan it's not even funny.

The guy oozes championship blood.

Whenever "The Hitman" seems outmatched and overwhelmed inside the cage, he pulls out a victory.

He did it against Jake Ellenberger at TUF 15 Finale after getting rocked early in the first round and he did it against Thiago Alves at UFC on FX 2 with 0:48 left in the fight.

If you're a Vegas guy, how could you ever bet against Kampmann? It'd be ill-advised.

With that said, taking into consideration that Johny Hendricks has one of the best power punches in the welterweight division, I'm predicting Kampmann once again gets rocked early in the fight.

Only to regroup, reassess his position and layeth the smacketh down on Hendricks' ass.

BJ Penn Will Come Back Full-Time After Beating Rory MacDonald

Nobody really knows how long BJ Penn plans to come back for.

It could just be for his upcoming fight against budding star Rory MacDonald, or it could be longer.

Well, look no further. Bleacher Report has the scoop.

Once Penn teaches the young gun a lesson at UFC 152, he'll come back full-time.

This means yet another welterweight title installment for "The Prodigy," and one more reason to start following the UFC if you aren't already on board.

Who knows, we could even see Penn vs. St-Pierre III by the end of next year.

Jon Jones Will Submit Dan Henderson in the First Round

As good as Jon Jones has been, he hasn't finished a fight before the second round in nearly two years.

Now while that's directly a product from an increase of competition, Jones is due nonetheless.

Unfortunately for Dan Henderson, who seems to be the only light heavyweight contender left to take on "Bones," he'll be the beneficiary of a first-round submission when the two meet at UFC 152 in September.

It may not be that big of a leap considering how much a freak Jones is, but since Henderson has only been defeated once in the first round in his career, I'd chalk this prediction up as extra bold.

Anderson Silva Will KO Chael Sonnen

Is this truly an out-of-this-world prediction?

Not really, but it's a gutsy one nonetheless.

I never like to doubt Chael Sonnen's talents inside the cage because he rarely falters, but we're talking about Anderson freaking Silva here.

The guy is more than likely the best fighter to ever step inside the Octagon. To think he can't build off his disappointing victory (if that's a real thing) to Sonnen back at UFC 117 is downright moronic.

Silva has to be better than the first fight, right?

I mean, I like Sonnen, but when you give the ultimate striker two years to fix his problems, somebody is getting knocked out.

Brock Lesnar Will Return to the UFC

Even though he's the most entertaining WWE star on the planet, Brock Lesnar belongs in the UFC.

His knack for PPV sales, hyped propaganda and merchandise sales is borderline legendary.

Hell, even the great Randy Couture believes Lesnar should be in the Hall of Fame.

If health wasn't an issue, I'd like to believe he'd still be in the UFC.

But considering Lesnar is the ultimate businessman, it's possible he retired in the fashion he did in order to build up a return one year later.

I'd like to believe the latter. Consider his comeback imminent.

Fedor Emelianenko Will Sign with the UFC

Let's be realistic.

While Fedor Emelianenko's potential for world dominance may be over, his professional career is not.

I realize he left Strikeforce after losing thee straight fights, but you have to read between the lines.

Emelianenko got submitted by the best heavyweight submission expert in the world (Fabricio Werdum), had the doctor stop a fight against a much larger Antonio Silva and happened to get caught by a heavy-handed Dan Henderson while winning the fight.

Those hardly seem like debilitating loses to me. As a matter of fact, that stretch seems unreal.

I'm not certain if he can beat an Alistair Overeem or Junior dos Santos, but Emelianenko still belongs in the UFC, and that's where he'll find himself by year's end.

MMA Will Be Legalized in New York State

It's about time.

New York has sat idly by for far too long.

As one of the biggest sports markets in America, if not the most prolific, New York needs to dip its hands into the mixed martial arts jar sooner rather than later.

With prominent cash cow revenues like Madison Square Garden at their disposal, "The Big Apple" would instantly rival Las Vegas and other key MMA outlets in revenue, scheduling and overall appeal.

For a fairly liberal state like New York to wait in the wind while other major cities reap immediate benefits from mega promoters like the UFC doesn't make much sense.

You'd have to think the boxing warlords have something to do with it, but who really knows.

Nonetheless, through legislation and moral roadblocks, MMA will become legal in New York by the end of the year.

Because when it comes down to it, if there's money to be made, well, money is going to be made.

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