UFC 128 Fight Card: Full Predictions That You Can Take to the Bank

Well, well, well. UFC 128 is around the corner, and it brings us a very exciting card. As you know, I pride myself on being the best prediction guy on Bleacher Report as it pertains to anything MMA related. Now, I took UFC 127 off because my life was jammed with so much awesomeness I did not have time to go over the card and give my full attention to detail predictions.

I don’t just flip a coin, people. I do research on every fight, and I would be doing you a disservice if I didn’t give it my all. UFC 126, however, I went 9-2 on my picks. But with UFC 128 coming up, I feel as it is only right that I bring you guys home a perfect 11-0, and maybe you gamblers can win some money and donate to my “Poor college student fund”. Just a thought.

Prelims

Constantinos Philippou (7-1) Vs. Nick Catone (8-2)

This is a late replacement fight for the main card jumping Dan Miller. Constantinos is a Matt Serra/ Ray Longo trained fighter. He is durable and is a very tough fighter. His standup is okay, but he really stands out with his grappling. Philippou has fought two guys from the gym I train at (Team Vision MMA), he has a win over a young Victor O'Donnell and a No Contest on the rising star Marcus Finch. He is a gritty fighter and worthy of this UFC shot.

With that being said, I have some doubts on the shape that he is in. This fight is at a catch weight of 195 instead of his original weight of 185. It is a short notice fight, but that tells me that he might be out of shape a bit and couldn't cut the weight.

Nick Catone has had an up and down run in the UFC, but I think he will out work Philippou and win by late stoppage.

Winner: Nick Catone TKO second round

Erik Koch (11-1) Vs. Raphael Assuncao (16-3)

The exciting featherweight division will be on display in this classic striker vs. grappler fight. Erik Koch has improved his game so much since his only defeat to Chad Mendes. I don’t know if it is because of Duke Roufus, who is one of the most underrated trainers in the game and Koch has the privilege of training with him? Or that him and Anthony Pettish are roommates and practice Ninja kicks late at night? You can choose what you want to believe.

Either way, Koch has been impressive as of late. His only loss was to Mendes, who, in my most humble opinion, is the best wrestler at 145. He is fighting a grappler in Assuncao, but I don’t think Assuncao has the wrestling of a Mendes. I see Koch controlling with punches, punishing Assuncao when he tries to move forward and stuffing the take downs. I see this being a three round assault, with Koch being the winner.

Winner: Erik Koch Unanimous Decision.

Joseph Benavidez(13-2) Vs. Ian Loveland (14-7)

Ian Loveland is on a seven fight win streak. He has had only one fight with the UFC, and it was an impressive win over the very tough Tyler Toner. Loveland is a very tough guy with a lot of experience for being considerably young. He put the boots to Toner, who in his own right is a talented striker. Loveland has six wins by stoppage and six wins by submission, so he is a pretty well rounder fighter, although six of his seven losses are by submission.

Enter Joseph Benavidez, Team Alpha Male standout. Benavidez is a bulldog in the cage. His only losses come from 135 kingpin Dominick Cruz. Other than that, I can’t remember a time where he lost a round.

This should be an exciting fight, as I see Loveland being able to hit Benavidez at will on the feet and Benavidez pushing forward until Loveland wilts. Unless Loveland has a bat, I don’t see him putting Benavidez down with anything. Should be a fun fight, and I look for this to be shown on either the Spike TV broadcast or the Pay Per View. Benavidez wins with pressure and aggressiveness.

Winner: Joseph Benavidez Guillotine Choke First Round.

Facebook Stream

Kurt Pellegrino (16-5) Vs. Gleison Tibau (21-7)

If you follow Kurt Pellegrino on twitter, you will know two things about him. He works out with shake weights, and he has a boyfriend named Kenny Florian.

You might also know that he is a pretty good fighter. Pellegrino was on a four fight win streak before dropping an ugly decision lost to top contender George Sotiropoulos. Pellegrino tore a ligament in his knee during the fight and has been out for about eight months. We have seen guys come back from knee injuries who look weak. (Lauzon/Stout Shogun/Coleman).

Gleison Tibau is a giant 155 pound fighter. This guy is solid muscle and trains with a bunch of killers at American Top Team.

With Pellegrino coming back from knee surgery and Tibau being a tough test for any fighter coming back, I see Tibau being able to control Pellegrino from top and wear him down. I think this fight will be very close and could go either way with the judges. I am going to pick Tibau, as I see him being on top more, and judges tend to favor that.

Winner: Gleison Tibau Split Decision.

Ricardo Almeida (13-4) Vs. Mike Pyle (20-7-1)

I see this fight as a fight for the hardcore fans. Not many average fans particularly know who these guys are, which is a shame, because both have been around for a long time and deserve the fan base. Both guys are grappling base fighters, Pyle being more of a freestyle fighter, but his bread and butter is in the grappling department. Almeida is a world class grappler who has trained with some of the best fighters in the world and still does.

Pyle impressed me and made me look foolish when I picked against him in the John Hathaway fight. This is going to be an impressive chess match to watch. I think Pyle has to keep it on its feet, and I think Almeida has to get down and be on top. I hate picking against Pyle, as it seems to come back and haunt me, but I see Almeida taking the decision.

Winner: Ricardo Almeida Unanimous Decision.

Spike TV

Anthony Njokuani (13-4) Vs. Edson Barboza Jr (7-0)

This is going to be epic. Both guys are standup fighters and really go for it. No slow paces for either of these two. Barboza has some of the sickest leg kicks in the UFC. In his UFC debut, Barboza stopped Mike Lullio with leg kicks. If you haven’t seen that fight yet, you better do yourself a favor and watch it; it was Jose Aldo worthy leg kicks. Njokuani is a legit Muay Thai fighter too, but I think Barboza is just on another level and will win savagely.

Winner: Edson Barboza Jr KO First Round

Luiz Cane (10-3) Vs. Eliot Marshall (10-2)

I am still wondering why this fight was put on Spike TV. Luiz Cane is coming off two straight losses and Eliot Marshall was just brought in as a late replacement. Not to mention I don't see this fight being riddled with fireworks either. I think Benavidez/Loveland would have been a much more exciting fight, but who am I?

The only thing I can gather from this fight is how bad both of these guys want it. Luiz Cane is on the edge of being cut, and if Marshall doesn't impress, then he will be on the out as well. I see this being a classic striker versus grappler, but I am kind of interested in seeing Cane actually fighting somebody with some serious ground skills.

I have never been a big fan of Marshall, as I think he is a safety first fighter, and I think that is the reason he was cut last time. I am going with Cane on the simple fact that I think that he is just the better fighter.

Winner: Luiz Cane Unanimous Decision.

Main Card

Brendan Schaub (7-1) Vs. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (27-8-2)

I am starting to wonder how many chances Cro Cop gets. I mean, I understand that he is a legend and that he will go down as one of the most feared heavyweights of all time, but he has not done much since joining the UFC. He had a couple of nice wins in 2010 but ended the year ugly with that painful fight at UFC 119 with Frank Mir.

Schaub is getting a lot of hype behind him, but I am still uncertain. I still see Schaub as the guy who was knocked out violently by Roy Nelson. Schaub also has a bit of an ego, and I don't like that, especially from a young fighter who has not done that much.

With all that being said, I still see Schaub being a little too much for Cro Cop. Cro Cop has lost his speed and has not been aggressive enough for these new breed of heavyweights. Schaub wins, and hopefully, Cro Cop will reevaluate his career.

Winner: Brendan Schaub KO Second Round

Dan Miller (13-4) Vs. Nate Marquardt (30-10-2)

Dan Miller is a like the UFC super hero. Whenever there is an injured fighter or a last minute change, Dan Miller to the rescue. He is a good fighter and trains very hard and has some giant grapefruits for stepping up on short notice to fight top 10 middleweight Nate Marquardt. Interesting fight, and I think it is a lot closer than many think.

Nate is the heavy favorite, but Miller brings a nice style to this fight. He is the better wrestler and has a great guillotine. Standup, I give the edge to Marquardt but only a little. This fight I think will take place on the feet, and Marquardt keeping good distance and fighting a smart fight. Miller is hard to finish, and this fight will probably go to the cards.

Winner: Nate Marquardt Unanimous Decision.

Jim Miller (19-2) Vs. Kamal Shalorus (7-0-2)

The battle of the UFC and the WEC continues. Jim Miller is so close to having a title shot his brother Dan can taste it. Kamal Shalorous is an undefeated wrestling machine with a bulldog attitude. Shalorous is not the most technical guy in the world, but he is tough and has a wrestling pedigree that is world class.

Such an interesting fight, as seeing both guys are similar in their styles, I give the edge to Miller for being more well rounded, but you can't write off Shalorous either. I see Shalorous looking for the take down and Miller avoiding with affective striking. I see this fight being won on the mat.

Can Shalorous be heavy on top and be affective with punches? Can Miller stop the take down and if he is taken down, be active in his guard? Some interesting questions that will be answered on the 19^th.

Winner: Jim Miller Split Decision.

Urijah Faber (24-4) Vs. Eddie Wineland (18-6-1)

Urijah Faber is finally in the UFC! Long awaited and one of the most electric fighters on the planet can finally call UFC his home. Faber will become a huge star within the UFC regardless if he wins against Wineland or not.

Eddie Wineland is a former WEC champ and is a ruthless fighter. He has great stand up and some good wrestling of his own. He has become a much better fighter in the past year than I've seen in awhile.

I think he was overlooked as one of the most improved fighters in 2010. I have always been a fan of Wineland, but now, I am impressed by him. He ran through his last three opponents in the WEC and looked impressive doing so. Faber has had only one fight at 135, but he seems to be handling the weight cut with ease. He looked good in his debut at 135 against Mizugaki, but he was far from outstanding.

I think Urijah knows that this is the biggest fight of his career, and I think it will be explosive. I think we will see this fight going everywhere and is my prediction for fight of the night. In Wineland's six losses, four of them have come by the way of submission.

Faber has an amazing rear naked choke and a great guillotine. I don't see either getting stopped by strikes, but if the fight ends, it will be by submission.

Winner: Urijah Faber Rear Naked Choke Third Round

Jon Jones (12-1) Vs. Maurico “Shogun” Rua (19-4)

Thank you Rashad Evans for getting hurt, because this is a much more intriguing fight, and I am very excited to see how this fight plays out. We have the up and coming challenger who in most eyes is unbeatable right now, facing against a veteran who is one of the pound for pound best in the world.

Shogun Rua is a nightmare for most people. His Muay Thai is second to none, and his BJJ skills are supremely underrated. Shogun is aggressive and is not scared to bring the fight to anybody. Jones is the rookie who is riding a wave of confidence and is not looking back.

I have gone back and forth on this fight trying to decide who is going to win. I do know, however, that this will not go five rounds. I also know the finish will come via TKO stoppage. If you have read my past predictions or happen to be a friend of mine (Smitty), then you know I am not that impressed with Jones. I think he looked good against Bader, but I think Bader looked horrible.

With Shogun coming off knee surgery, and since the last time he fought coming off knee surgery was in the Mark Coleman performance, which I am sure some of you (me) have tried to forget that dreadful fight. I just don't like the fact that Shogun is coming off a long lay off and another knee surgery. So I am going to have to go with Jones out working Shogun and TKO'ing him in the third. Jon Jones will be the new light-heavyweight champion.

Winner: Jon Jones TKO Third Round

Should be an amazing card with some action packed fights.

UFC 128: Shogun Rua vs. Jon Jones: Results, News and More

As always, you can follow me on twitter @brianpetriemma