UFC 126: Full Card Predictions That You Can Take to the Bank!

I am back after a long hiatus and people asking me every day “When are we going to get another prediction article? I need to know who to bet on!” Well no fear sir, because I am back and ready to make you beautiful readers some money. Now in case you have forgotten or you are new to Bleacher Report, I have gone 17-4 with my predictions in the past (hold the gasps for after the article please) and I am ready to take on UFC 126. As per usual I will be making my predictions on the full card. So let’s go!

Kyle Kingsbury (9-2) vs. Ricardo Romero (11-1)

Some of you will remember Kingsbury as the guy who ate pee out of a fruit plate or more fondly as the guy who, um, used his “man juice” for revenge. Either way you slice it, Kingsbury is 2-1 in the UFC. The only problem I have with him is that he is not consistent enough as a growing fighter. Three fights in almost two-and-a-half years is nothing impressive for a guy who is fighting his way onto the main card. I’d like to see him be more active.

With that being said, he did give a fight of the night performance back in September against Jared Hamman. Kingsbury has a great camp in AKA and is HUGE for the 205-pound division. Romero is another guy who has been battling some injuries and has not been able to fight as actively as he would like. His first and only fight in the UFC was against Seth “I beat Kimbo! I beat Kimbo!” Petruzelli. Romero showed promise in that fight. He ate big punches from Petruzelli and he took them like a New Jersey zombie. He then kept his composure and came back with an arm bar to end the fight.

All of Romero’s wins are by stoppage; none have seen the cards. His lone loss is an illegal knee DQ. When I first saw this matchup, I made the mental choice right away and I picked Kingsbury. After realizing that Kingsbury has not fought a guy in the UFC yet who has a great top and guard game, I decided to go with Romero, probably after he gets beat up for a few minutes.

Winner: Ricardo Romero Submission Arm Bar Round 2.

Kenny Robertson (10-0) vs. Mike Pierce (11-3)

Pierce has a 3-1 UFC record, with the only loss coming from perpetual No. 1 contender Jon Fitch. Pierce has one finish inside the UFC cage. I think that is the only thing holding him back from getting a shot at some of the well-established guys in the 170-pound division. He has since been taking on UFC newcomers, although in his last fight at UFC 118 he did finish Amilcar Alves with a beautiful straight arm bar.

Robertson, unlike Pierce, is a finisher. In his 10 W’s only one has made it to the cards, but that was not in the UFC. Robertson is making his UFC debut on February 5 and the UFC jitters are real. This kid looks promising and I actually think this fight will be potential fireworks; I see Pierce grinding out another decision. But hopefully Robertson can show something desirable, UFC is not shy about cutting fighters who do not perform.

Winner: Mike Pierce Unanimous Decision.

Gabe Ruediger (17-6) vs. Paul Taylor (10-6-1)

Now to me it feels like Taylor has fought in the UFC 100 times and is never finished and seems to never win, but yet he is still here. In reality though, Taylor has eight fights with the company and holds an unimpressive 3-5 record. Taylor is exciting to watch, but he needs to start winning fights.

Gabe Ruediger is probably best known for the “Cake Incident” in the Ultimate Fighter house, or best known for getting absolutely destroyed by Joe Lauzon in Boston. Regardless of how you know him, he is a talented fighter. I think he was overwhelmed by Lauzon, being Gabe’s first fight back with the UFC and fighting in Boston, which is a lot to handle. I still see Gabe as a talented fighter who could do well if he relaxes and performs like he does in the smaller shows.

This is an old school, loser leaves the company match. I can’t see either guy sticking around after a loss. If Gabe is smart and grapples with Taylor he should have no problem winning. The only thing is Gabe seems to choke while fighting on the big stage. Fun fact though, this is Gabe’s third fight in the UFC and his first fight that is not going to be televised. So maybe with that pressure off his shoulders he will be able to perform, but regrettably I don’t see it happening that way. I look for Taylor to win a close decision.

Winner: Paul Taylor Split Decision.

Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto (18-3) Vs Demetrious Johnson (7-1)

Kid Yamamoto is finally gracing the UFC octagon. It is a long time coming for the superstar fighter to get his chance to showcase his exciting style to the mainstream MMA fans. If you haven’t seen Kid Yamamoto fight, YouTube some of his fights, or at least highlights, he is pretty amazing. He is coming off a little bit of a skid; he is 1-2 in his last three fights. He won his most recent one by KO, but he lost a close decision to reigning Bellator Champion Joe Warren. I still believe that Yamamoto has what it takes to become champion at 135 or 145 pounds; he is that talented and that deadly.

Enter Johnson, A 5’3" 135 pound soon to be 125-pound pitbull. I have never been more impressed with a guy who lost than I was with Johnson when he fought Brad Pickett. A lot of people are counting Johnson out in this fight as he has not had the experience and the fact that Yamamoto has a huge fan following.

I am not one of those people. I think Johnson’s style and speed will really be a factor. Yes, Kid Yamamoto is fast, but Johnson is faster. Yes, Kid Yamamoto has more experience, but Johnson has fought more actively and is putting together an impressive winning streak. I see this fight being an early candidate for fight of the night. Both these guys are going to get after it. I see Johnson winning by decision, but a very close decision and also a pretty big upset.

Winner: Demetrious Johnson Split Decision.

Spike TV prelims

Chad Mendes (9-0) vs. Michihiro Omigawa (12-8-1)

Omigawa is becoming a giant star in Japan. The Japanese born fighter is currently on a five-fight win streak, with four of those fights ending before the cards. Omigawa had a rocky start to his MMA career; he jumped in the deep end right away and paid for it. He is finally hitting his full potential as we have seen in his past fights.

Omigawa has fought in the UFC before, but in the 155-pound division where he was just too small. He got bullied around and was just out-grappled in both his UFC fights. He is fighting this time in the 145-pound division which will suit him well; Omigawa is fighting a wrestling machine in Mendes, though.

Mendes might have one of the best power double legs in MMA. He is a very talented fighter who surrounds himself with talented fighters in team Alpha Male. Mendes is accused of being boring but I see it differently. His fight with Javier Vasquez was very exciting and Mendes showed great wrestling, great hands and even better guard passes. Mendes also has a big win over rising star Eric Koch.

This fight is really interesting because Omigawa is on the rise and so is Mendes. Both guys have good hands but very good grappling. I know Omigawa is the No. 4 ranked Featherweight in the world, but I just see Mendes controlling everything and be able to win a decision. I hope Omigawa trained a lot off his back, because I think he will be put there all three rounds.

Winner: Chad Mendes Unanimous Decision.

Paul Kelly (11-3) vs. Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone (13-3)

This fight will be contested on its feet for the majority of the fight, but it will end by submission. I like Cowboy a lot and he has impressed me in his last two fights. He destroyed Jamie Varner and made Chris Horodecki look thoughtless for taking him down. What impresses me even more about Cowboy is how he snagged former WEC ring girl and current UFC ring girl Brittany Palmer. Well done sir, well done.

Kelly has never impressed me to the point where I want to see him fight. He is a tough guy with good hands and okay wrestling. I see these guys banging it out on the feet, Cerrone getting the better of the exchanges and Kelly shooting and getting submitted by either a triangle or arm bar. Cerrone is a killer off his back and Kelly has been submitted before. Should be a good night for the “Cowboy.”

Winner: Donald Cerrone Submission Round 1.

Main Card

Miguel Torres (38-3) vs. Antonio Banuelos (18-6)

Torres is a former 135-pound kingpin and my current favorite MMA fighting tweeter. Torres' tweets are usually filled with witty humor or really deep, motivational quotes. Either way it’s well worth it when you follow Torres.

Now, aside from his ability to make me laugh or keep me motivated, Torres is a legit fighter. He has an incredible record of 38-3 and was the former WEC bantamweight champion. He had back-to-back ugly losses that saw him get written off the pound for pound rankings. He rebounded in his last fight when he choked out Charlie Velencia. He looked fantastic in that fight.

Banuelos is a scrappy fighter who trains with Chuck Liddell’s camp in California. These fighters have fought some of the same guys, most notably Velencia, whom Torres defeated and Banuelos lost to by KO. I do not believe in MMA math but I do think Torres will win. He looked so calm and precise in his last fight with Velencia that I think he is ready to become a top dog again at 135.

I’d love to see an Urijah Faber/ Dominick Cruz fight just like everybody else, but maybe we can squeeze in Torres/Faber first. I hate to write off Banuelos in this fight but I think Torres brings too much to the table.

Winner: Miguel Torres Submission Round 2.

Ryan Bader (12-0) vs. Jon “Bones” Jones (11-1)

This is the fight that most hardcore fans are talking about and are interested in seeing the outcome. Whoever wins is going to be catapulted into the shark-infested 205-pound division. The loser will have to fight a couple more mid-tier light heavyweights to make it back to the top.

Jones is saying and doing all the right things to make sure he becomes a superstar in the world of MMA. He is a likable guy with supreme talent. Bader is similar to Jones as well, a well-spoken, polite, likable fighter who just so happens to be a wrecking machine inside the cage. Jones has the flashy style while Bader is more of a grinder with daunting power. On paper, and if you ask the casual fan, Jones is the better fighter with a better striking game, longer reach and has a lot more hype behind him.

I have been back and forth on this fight and to me it comes down to their records.  Jones has an impressive record but I feel like Bader has fought more of a diverse range of fighters. The Little Nog win for Bader was huge and Jones stopped “The Janitor” in his last fight and before that Brandon Vera. Those are good names, but neither of them I think are on the same level as Nogueria. Many people think that I am taking crazy pills but I am going to pick Bader to win by decision. I feel like he will be able to hurt Jones with punches at least a few times in the fight and I think he will control with his wrestling. If Jones comes out and finishes Bader then I will never pick against him again.

Winner: Ryan Bader Unanimous Decision.

Carlos Eduardo Rocha (9-0) vs. Jake Ellenberger (22-5)

Ellenberger is a guy that I am keeping a close eye on. He is going to be a top five guy in the world within a year. He has great cardio, great chin, power in both hands, great submission defense and offensive wrestling. He is 24 years old and has 27 fights already. Staying active and gaining experience when you’re a young fighter is so important. He has three fights with the UFC and holds a 2-1 record. His only loss was to Carlos Condit in his UFC debut, where he had Condit almost out in the first round but Condit, being tough as nails, battled back and Ellenberger gassed. He has since then picked up two stoppage wins against Mike Pyle and John Howard, both guys who are top of the line fighters.

Rocha has only one fight in the UFC, a submission win over Ultimate Fighter finalist Kris McCray. Most of Rocha’s fights have been in Germany and all of his nine wins, except one, have been by submission. Rocha is indeed a submission specialist and anything can happen come Saturday, but I think Ellenberger is too much too soon. I think Jake is going to control the fight and use his power to either stop Rocha within two or beat him up for the full 15 minutes. I think Ellenberger will see his fair share of submissions, but in his 27 fights he has only one loss by submission.

Winner: Jake Ellenberger TKO Round 2.

Forrest Griffin (17-6) vs. Rich Franklin (28-5)

This is the fight that I am most excited about. I am from Cincinnati, so naturally I am a big Franklin fan. Furthermore, Franklin just so happened to teach at my high school, Oak Hills. I unluckily did not have him as a teacher, but did see him break up a fight once when I was freshman, which was pretty awesome.

I am going to try and remain unbiased and try to keep my integrity as a writer. Rich is coming off a big win over Liddell, a fight in which many wrote him off since Chuck was making his comeback and was in great shape. Rich broke his arm in that fight and with only a few seconds to go, knocked him out with his other arm (funny enough, Griffin did the same thing in a smaller show). Rich is flying under the radar at 205 pounds, as nobody is giving him much of a chance to reach any kind of title contention, which I feel like is ridiculous.

When Rich knocked out Chuck, everybody said Liddell is washed up, doesn’t count. But pre-fight everybody was talking about how Liddell was born again and looked to be in the best shape of his life. And during the fight Liddell looked better than he has in years and still got caught. My argument is that the champion, Shogun Rua, knocked out Chuck and received a title shot. Before the Liddell fight, Shogun went 1-1 in the octagon, and not an impressive 1-1 either. I do believe Shogun is the No. 1 fighter in the weight class, I just don’t want Rich to be overlooked for what he has done thus far.

Whew! Now that I have that off my chest let’s talk about the fight. Forrest has not fought in over a year and half. A long layoff and coming back from injury is never a good thing, especially with a fighter who tends to put on a lot of weight between fights. Both these guys are mirror images of one another. It is a 50-50 toss-up on who wins. It could go either way but, I truly feel Rich will be a little too much for Forrest. I see Franklin winning by some type of stoppage So much for being unbiased.

Winner: Rich Franklin Doctor Stoppage from Cut.

Vitor Belfort (19-8) vs. Anderson Silva (27-4)

The battle of the Brazilians; Anderson is the man and Vitor use to be the man. Both of these guys are explosive and both have a very high knockout ratio. Both of these guys have trained with the same coaches and both of them have trained together in the past.

Vitor is coming off a bit of a layoff and a shoulder injury while Anderson is coming off a rib injury and a beating back in August. I don’t think this is going to be one of those classic fights where it’s a brawl and both guys go down and both guys get back up. I see it being a slower pace with both of them respecting each other. I just don’t trust Vitor in the main event with pressure on. He has choked before and I think he will again. Anderson will frustrate him by picking him apart with jabs and low kicks. I see Anderson maybe getting a stoppage late or winning all five rounds.

Winner: Anderson Silva TKO Round 4.

As always you can follow me on Twitter  @brianpetriemma