UFC Fight Night 52 Preliminary Card Predictions
Get ready for a late/early one folks. The UFC is back in Japan on Saturday, and if you are in America, you will be catching the fights late.
UFC Fight Night 52, headlined by Mark Hunt and Roy Nelson, should be a good one. There are great matchups throughout the card that should deliver on the entertainment.
As for the prelim predictions, I have been pulling up the nose lately, boosting my record with some good recent performances. We will try to continue that here with our six-fight preliminary card.
Without further ado, here are the picks for the undercard bouts.
2014 Riley's Record: 128-76
Last Event: UFC Fight Night 51 (4-1)
Maximo Blanco vs. Dan Hooker
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Kicking off the card is a pair of featherweights, as Maximo Blanco looks to hand Dan Hooker his first UFC blemish.
Blanco is a wrestler known for his power and ability to put men to sleep with his ground-and-pound. However, he is also known for his inconsistency in the UFC, as he has gone just 2-3 since entering the company.
When he has won, Blanco has looked legit. In fact, his wins over Sam Sicilia and Andy Ogle were not only impressive but quite entertaining. However, getting into brawls sometimes becomes the detriment for Blanco, as seen in losses to Felipe Arantes and Akira Corassani (where he got too excited and drilled him with a fight-ending illegal knee).
As for Hooker, he is similarly a ground fighter, though he looks for far more submissions than Blanco. His UFC debut saw him stop Ian Entwistle with ground-and-pound after almost getting tapped out on a couple of occasions.
Hooker has never faced a typhoon of a man like Blanco, who uses pressure and power to make opponents uncomfortable. Blanco will engage in a brawl, eventually ground Hooker and pound him out with strikes.
Prediction: Blanco def. Hooker via TKO
Kazuki Tokudome vs. Johnny Case
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Moving on, we jump up a weight class from the previous bout to the lightweight division, as Japan's own Kazuki Tokudome takes on RFA veteran and UFC debutant Johnny Case.
Tokudome is a well-rounded fighter, though his striking has been on display the most in his UFC tenure. In his three-fight stint with the company, Tokudome has bested Cristiano Marcello while falling to Norman Parke and Yui Chul Nam.
Case enters the UFC with an outstanding 18-4 record and an eight-fight winning streak. The Iowa native is a striker as well, though he does have some wrestling in his back pocket he can fall back on if Tokudome brings the heat.
This should be a highly entertaining bout, given that both men have complementary styles. In an early Fight of the Night contender, Case will outgun Tokudome narrowly to score a decision victory that has the Saitama Super Arena on their feet.
Prediction: Case def. Tokudome via decision
Michinori Tanaka vs. Kyung Ho Kang
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Moving on, we head to the bantamweight division, as Michinori Tanaka makes his sophomore appearance against Curt Hennig's favorite fighter "Mr. Perfect" Kyung Ho Kang.
Kang is a top-game grappler who is large for the weight class and physically strong. He is very suffocating from that top position and has good choke holds, as demonstrated in his last bout where he dominated Shunichi Shimizu en route to an arm-triangle choke.
Tanaka is also a grappler, though he may be more technical than Kang. In his UFC debut, he met black belt judoka Roland Delorme and completely dominated his fellow grappler on the mat, earning a win via decision.
Sometimes, grapplers cancel each other out and engage in a striking battle. However, these two will be doing a lot of clinching and grappling regardless, which means the better man on the ground will prevail. That man will be Tanaka.
Prediction: Tanaka def. Kang via decision
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Hyun Gyu Lim vs. Takenori Sato
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Moving on, we head to the welterweight division, as Korean star Hyun Gyu Lim looks to get back into the win column against Japan's own Takenori Sato.
Lim is a power striker who is looking to pick up the pieces after a short-notice loss to Tarec Saffiedine. In that bout, he took a five-round beating from Saffiedine and never quit, showing his huge heart.
Lim has a very powerful striking game, especially in the clinch and with his knees. In fact, both of his wins in the UFC came via knockout from knee strikes.
As for Sato, he is a grappler who seems a little undersized for the welterweight division. The normal lightweight has seen his biggest struggles come against strikers who are able to keep the fight upright and tag Sato with punches.
Lim is being rebuilt up here, as the UFC recognizes his star power in Asia and South Korea. He should make quick work of Sato, putting him down with strikes.
Prediction: Lim def. Sato via TKO
Katsunori Kikuno vs. Sam Sicilia
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The featherweights are up next, as Katsunori Kikuno makes the drop from lightweight to take on Sam Sicilia.
Sicilia is a member of the Sikjitsu camp that is home to Julianna Pena and Michael Chiesa. That said, you know he will have a solid submission game and underrated boxing ability.
He has been inconsistent in his six-fight UFC career. Despite wins over Cristiano Marcello, Godofredo Pepey and Aaron Phillips, he has failed to break to the next level in losses against Rony Jason, Maximo Blanco and Cole Miller.
As for Kikuno, the karate fighter is a quick-hit type of guy, sticking and moving on opponents. That was seen in his debut victory, where he beat up Quinn Mulhern. However, he is looking to recover from a devastating knockout loss against Tony Ferguson.
This fight will be interesting in terms of where the action will take place. Upright, Kikuno is more technical, while Sicilia is more powerful. Sicilia is likely better on the ground, but I don't think he can get Kikuno there.
Prediction: Kikuno def. Sicilia via decision
Alex Caceres vs. Masanori Kanehara
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Capping off the prelims are the bantamweights, as Alex Caceres looks to give Japanese fighter Masanori Kanehara a rude welcome to the UFC. Caceres fills in for Urijah Faber, who was supposed to be in this fight originally.
Kanehara is a well-rounded finisher who has been in the ring with some stiff competition overseas. He has always managed to find tough opponents over there and has seen some positives with the negatives.
If not for a disqualification in his most recent outing, Kanehara would have a nice winning streak going. He will need to shut down Caceres' striking in this bout and make him uncomfortable on his back.
Caceres is looking to jump back into the win column after a submission loss to Faber in his most recent outing. Previous to that, the rising star had not lost in five fights, though one of his wins was overturned due to a hot drug test.
This is actually a very strong matchup. Both are entertaining guys who look for the finish early and often. However, Caceres is a very strong competitor at this point and will show Kanehara what the UFC is all about.
Prediction: Caceres def. Kanehara via decision
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