UFC 98: Fight Predictions

UFC Fight Preview and Predictions

UFC 98 takes place Saturday May 23, 2009 in Las Vegas and the card is stacked from start to finish.  Here is a preview on what promises to be an eventful evening.

Dave Kaplan vs. George Roop

It is surprising to see the UFC putting a low-level bout on such a highly touted PPV card, but these two relative unknowns will be the recipients of great exposure. Neither Kapalan nor Roop have had their hands raised in the Octagon, but that will all change Saturday. If experience means anything, Roop’s 8-4 MMA record should give him the advantage over Kaplan, who’s far behind at just 2-2. See UFC Odds for this fight.

Brandon Wolff vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshia

The next match features two welterweight warriors coming off two of the most crucial beat downs in UFC history at Fight for the Troops last December. Wolff caught a vicious face full of knees by Ben Saunders, while Yoshida suffered a brutal KO at the hands of Josh Koscheck. One of these fighters will redeem themselves, and Yoshida’s submission skills should make him the clear-cut favorite. See UFC Odds for this fight.

Andre Gusmao vs. Krzysztof Soszynski

Coming into the league with high expectations, 5-1 Andre Gusmao was soaring until running into the grappling skills of Jon Jones and suffering his first loss.  Soszymiski enters the bout on a five-match winning streak and an impressive victory over Brian Stan. Though Gusmao went toe-to-toe with Jones and lost by unanimous decision, Soszynski’s experience makes him the favorite as he has over 20 MMA fights under his belt. See UFC Odds for this fight.

Brock Larson vs. Chris Wilson

It has been a bumpy road in the UFC for Chris Wilson. At 14-5, he has losses to tough competitors in Nick Thompson, John Howard and Jon Fitch. Larson on the other hand, is dominating the competition with only two losses in his seven year career. One of the best fighters to grace the WEC ring, Larson shouldn’t have a difficult time procuring a win against Wilson. See UFC Odds for this fight.

Pat Barry vs. Tim Hague

Here’s another matchup featuring two relatively unknown fighters. Barry showed that he possesses good striking skills in his first UFC outing against Dan Evensen, while Hague will be making his octagon debut. Though Hague is slightly more experienced, Barry should be able to take this one as long as he can keep a vertical base. See UFC Odds for this fight.

Kyle Bradley vs. Phillipe Nover

Phillipe Nover was highly praised by Dana White as being the next great lightweight but a stunning loss to Efrain Escudero put many of those aspirations to bed. Be that as it may, Nover hasn’t been rattled too much in his 5-1-1 MMA career and Kyle Bradley just looks overmatched, yet to see past second round in two UFC appearances. See UFC Odds for this fight.

Drew McFedries vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam

Foupa-Pokamn has an MMA record of 20-10 and has gone head-to-head with tough guys like Chael Sonnen and Dennis Kang. McFedries is 7-5 in MMA competition and while powerful, he has shown to be terribly inconsistent in his 12 fights. Look for McFedries to get overzealous and lose because of it. See UFC Odds for this fight.

Chael Sonnen vs. Dan Miller

Sonnen vs. Miller should be a classic battle of two seasoned submission masters. Miller is 11-1 in MMA competition, but Sonnen should definitely serve as worthy competition due to his experienced background of more than 30 professional fights. This is one that might go the distance but don’t be surprised to see Sonnen tapping out to Miller’s gripping guillotine choke. See UFC Odds for this fight.

Frank Edgar vs. Sean Sherk

Edgar vs. Sherk could be one of the most entertaining bouts on the UFC 98 card. A top contender in the lightweight division, Edgar has looked dominant and is hoping to build on a convincing victory over Hermes Franca last year. Sherk just has that edge to him with 10 years in MMA, 34 fights, and only three losses. Though Sherk is the favorite, look for this one to be explosive throughout. See UFC Odds for this fight.

Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra

Hughes and Serra will finally come to blows and hopefully put an end to a feud congested with more unbelievable twists than a soap opera. Similar to the Ice Man, both of these fighters are past their glory days, but Hughes is still the stronger of the two. Unless Serra can secure the knockout, he could end up tapping or losing in a long and boring decision. See UFC Odds for this fight.

Lyoto Machida vs. Rashad Evans

Machida and Evans bring two entirely different styles into would could be the knockout of the night. Rashad is a cocky wrestler with dangerous hands, while Machida excels by turning great defense into even better offense. Both can be aggressive counter fighters but Machida comes off as the more composed of the two. Look for Evans to slip up, suffer the knockout, and lose his light heavyweight crown. See UFC Odds for this fight.

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