UFC 147: Info and Predictions for Every Fight on the Main Card

What a difference a couple of months made for UFC 147. Originally slated to take place in Rio De Janeiro as the grounds for Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II, the card has undergone many changes. Due to issues stemming from a United Nations conference, Silva/Sonnen 2 was moved to UFC 148 in Las Vegas. The rest of the card was moved from Rio to Belo Horizonte, Brazil. 

Many are calling this the worst UFC PPV since UFC 55, and they aren't being pessimists. The card suffers from a lack of name value outside of the main event. Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort were expected to fight at the end of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil season, but an injury forced Belfort out and Rich Franklin was tabbed as the replacement. 

The rest of the card is essentially a TUF finale, except with less recognizable names, as TUF: Brazil has just started airing on FUEL TV only recently. As with all UFC cards, it is very possible this event ends up being very exciting, but it just will be difficult to find viewers due to the lack of names. 

Hacran Dias vs. Yuri Alcantara

Yuri Alcantara faces UFC newcomer Hacran Dias in the opening bout of UFC 147. 

Yuri Alcantara made his debut for Zuffa at WEC 53 against Ricardo Lamas and finished the fight quickly in the first with a TKO. Since then, he's been on an absolute tear and slowly made a name for himself in the featherweight division.

He is pretty well-rounded and more than capable of finishing opponents on his feet and on the ground. He's had trouble finishing fights since making his debut in the UFC, but that may be a good thing, as it has demonstrated that he has solid conditioning. 

Hacran Dias was originally pegged to be a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, but chose to forgo the competition, and instead, he signed a three-fight deal with the UFC. Dias is a member of Nova Uniao and trains regularly with Jose Aldo and Marlon Sandro.

He's a versatile fighter, but lately seems to be favoring fighting on his back. Besides one fight in South Korea, he's spent his entire career fighting in Brazil for smaller promotions. 

I'm interested in seeing how Dias does in his UFC debut. The UFC is much different than fighting in Shooto Brazil and the bright lights may cause nerves. I think that training with a better camp will help him get over Octagon jitters.

Prediction: Hacran Dias via unanimous decision

Mike Russow vs. Fabricio Werdum

Mike Russow and Fabricio Werdum face off in heavyweight action. 

Russow made waves in MMA when he became the first man to stop Todd Duffee. That may be underselling the stoppage, as Duffee was on his way to an easy unanimous decision win before Russow unloaded with a knockout punch out of nowhere and followed it up with the exact opposite of the Dan Henderson dive-bomb punch.

Since that win, he's picked up two more wins in the UFC and holds a record of 4-0 in the promotion. He may have the most underwhelming undefeated record in the UFC, but he's effective in fights. He's a very strong and smothering wrestler who surprisingly took to submission grappling pretty well. 

Werdum will forever be known as the first man to beat Fedor Emelianenko (sorry, TK), when he submitted the Russian fighter with a triangle choke. Though he's known for his world-class Brazilian jiu-jitsu (yes, it is world-class), Werdum has become a very effective striker likely due to time spent training with Mirko Cro Cop and the Chute Boxe Academy.

Against Roy Nelson at UFC 143, he displayed creativity in the clinch and brutalized the former Ultimate Fighter winner with knees and elbows from the clinch. I don't think there are any concerns heading into this bout besides whether he will be able to stop Russow from taking him down and keeping him on the ground. 

This is a great fight for Werdum. Russow doesn't present the same dangers as other opponents because of how weak he is on his feet. This will allow Werdum to trade punches on his feet without much worry about getting caught in an exchange with a strong striker. As I said above, the only way Russow wins this fight is via a smothering unanimous decision. I just don't see that happening.

Prediction: Fabricio Werdum via submission in the second round

Rony "Jason" Mariano Bezerra vs. Godofredo "Pepey" De Oliveira

Rony "Jason" Mariano Bezerra faces Godofredo "Pepey" De Oliveira in the featherweight finals of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil.

Bezerra impressed early on in his bout to make it into the TUF house. His first-round TKO definitely showed that he can live up to his moniker, "Jason," an ode to the horror-movie antagonist.

Though he didn't show it this season, Jason is a finisher and can stop an opponent on both the feet and on the ground. He holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is a member of Team Nogueira. One thing to note is that he lost a very close split decision to Renan Barao which could have gone either way. 

De Oliveira is currently an undefeated featherweight fighter who has spent his entire career fighting in Brazil. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, "Pepey" has finished every fight with only one opponent making it out of the first round.

He specializes in arm locks and is equally as good on his back as he is when working in his opponent's guard. Since he's only left the first round once (officially), we have no idea how his cardio will hold up against a tough opponent like Jason.

This is a really interesting fight between two legitimate prospects from Brazil. Jason is just a bit more UFC-ready, as he not only has more experience, but also has fought better opposition. I'm worried that if Pepey can't get the fight to the ground that he'll be extremely overwhelmed by Jason. That's actually what I believe will happen on Saturday night.

Prediction: Rony "Jason" by TKO

Cezar "Mutante" Ferreira vs. Serginho Moraes

Cezar "Mutante" Ferreira faces Serginho Moraes in the middleweight final for The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil.

Ferreira is a disciple of Vitor Belfort, who has been his head coach since 2010. He's a member of Xtreme Couture, and though he holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, he's much more comfortable when fighting on his feet.

He has power in his hands, and judging by the knockout that sent him to the finale, he's more than capable of stopping an opponent with his feet as well. That knockout also secured "Mutante" the "Knockout of the Season" bonus, which earned him $45,000 Brazilian real. He also picked up another bonus for spending the least amount of time in the cage. Though he is comfortable exchanging punches, he has been knocked out before in fights.  

Moraes is stepping in for the injured Daniel Sarafian, who was forced out of the finals due to an arm injury. Moraes was another semifinalist and actually lost to Sarafian by knockout in the bout to secure a spot in the finals.

He's a multiple-time world champion in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is affiliated with the Alliance Jiu-Jitsu team. He's a very dynamic grappler and extremely dangerous when fighting off of his back. He's also very capable of setting up and sweeping opponents whenever the opportunity presents itself. There are some questions bout how he handles himself when he gets punched, as he doesn't seem comfortable in exchanges.

Mutante was pegged early on as a favorite in the season. He's extremely skilled and much more UFC-ready than Moraes. Both fighters train at very successful gyms, so it will really come down to whoever doesn't suffer those Octagon jitters. While American media have been pegging UFC 147 as a disappointing card, they will still be fighting in a much larger venue than the Pearl at the Palms. 

Prediction: Cezar "Mutante" Ferreira via TKO

Rich Franklin vs. Wanderlei Silva

In the main event of the evening, Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva square off once again at a catchweight of 190 pounds. 

Silva spent an entire season of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil coaching opposite Vitor Belfort. The fight would be a rematch of their UFC Brazil bout where Belfort starched Silva within 44 seconds of the first round. Fans criticized the rematch, as they believed the UFC set Silva up against a better striker who would test his chin.

Due to his fading chin, Wanderlei has reinvented himself since rejoining the UFC roster. No longer the über-aggressive fighter who wildly threw tight hooks and knees to the head, Silva now fights relatively tactfully. It also seems apparent that he no longer possesses the same power in his hands that he had in PRIDE.

Rich Franklin, forever the company man, stepped up on short notice to fill in for Belfort at UFC 147. Franklin is making his return to the Octagon after being sidelined for over a year due to a shoulder injury. At one point in time, he was one of the most well-rounded fighters on the UFC's roster.

He has solid kickboxing and wrestling skills, though he never really excelled in any single area of MMA. He's incredibly tough, and it's been said that there has never been a boring Rich Franklin fight. Ring rust will definitely play a factor, as Franklin no longer fights with any sort of regularity and has been out for over 17 months.

If Franklin was fighting multiple times a year, I'd probably say this is a relatively easy win for him. The fact is that neither fighter is a real threat to the best in the division and both should be relegated to fighting on the proverbial "Senior" circuit.

Don't take that the wrong way, though, as this fight will not disappoint. The first fight was incredibly exciting, and though Franklin won a unanimous decision, the case can be made that Silva could have taken the bout. 

Prediction: Wanderlei Silva by split decision. Franklin's ring rust will be a huge factor.