The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale: Main Card Predictions

We are just two days away from crowning the newest Ultimate Fighter. This year, the welterweights were highlighted and coached by former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar and current number one contender Junior Dos Santos.

I am not going to pretend and tell you that I found this season to be enthralling or even exciting. Both coaches were laid back for the most part, with Lesnar being Lesnar and Dos Santos showing fans that he speaks pretty good English and has a good sense of humor.

There wasn't any one particular fighter that I latched on to from the beginning. To be honest, I don't know all that much about either finalist, but I will do my best to try and pick a winner. The two semifinalists will be fighting one another and they will be televised.

Two rough and rugged middleweights make their return to the Octagon after prolonged absences. Ed Herman and Tim Credeur will face off in what should be a very exciting contest. Kyle Kingsbury looks for his fourth win in a row as he battles Fabio Maldonado.

Of course, this card is all about the main event, as Anthony Pettis and Clay Guida will do battle in a fight that will prove to fans once again that sometimes 15 minutes just isn't enough. The opportunity to face the winner of Frankie Edgar-Gray Maynard III and vie for the UFC Lightweight title could be on the line here.

Chris Cope vs. Chuck O'Neill

Cope seemed to catch some flak when the show first began. He was the 10th overall pick and made a surprise run to the semifinals. He may not be the most talented fighter out there, but he has a ton of heart and never gives up.

O'Neill has been fighting since 2006 and has compiled a record of 8-3. Lesnar seemed to like O'Neill and made the most of being one of the two wild-card picks, as he came back to defeat Zach Davis, who he lost to earlier in the show via first round submission.

Cope would like to see this fight contested on the feet, while O'Neill would like to get Cope down and submit him. This one is tough to call, because although we were able to watch these guys compete on a few different occasions, it was in an empty arena. Now they will be competing in front of a live crowd during primetime.

Something tells me that O'Neill is going to keep getting better. I see him getting Cope down after struggling a bit to do so.

O'Neill via second round submission.

Ed Herman vs. Tim Credeur

I am so happy to see both guys back in action. These two fighters have always put on a show and leave it all in the cage. Credeur is a veteran of season seven of The Ultimate Fighter and Herman was a finalist on season three. He lost a close decision to Kendall Grove, but was awarded a contract anyway.

The last time we saw Herman, he was writhing in pain due to a severe knee injury he sustained against Aaron Simpson at UFC 102 in August of 2009. He hurt his knee earlier in the fight and tried to soldier on, but the injury became too severe, and he couldn't continue.

Credeur was awarded a Fight of the Night bonus for his brawl with Nate Quarry at UFC Fight Night 19 in September of 2009. That loss broke a six fight win streak and also would be the last time we would see him until this Saturday night.

Both fighters are very versatile; they can knock you out or submit you. I think we will see a little bit of everything here. Fans should expect an all-out war, as these guys are going to want to make a good impression and show they haven't lost anything since they last time they fought.

I think Credeur is the better all-around fighter and will take home a hard fought victory that could earn both fighters a nice hefty bonus.

Credeur via unanimous decision.

Kyle Kingsbury vs. Fabio Maldonado

Kingsbury will be looking for his fourth win in a row since dropping a decision loss to Tom Lawlor at The Ultimate Fighter Finale 8. His background is in his wrestling, but he showed improved striking in his last fight, as he knocked out Ricardo Romero just 21 seconds in to the first round.

Kingsbury was recently featured on an episode of HBO's Real Sports. They profiled Victor Conte, who was the owner of BALCO and the mastermind behind the performance enhancing drugs supposedly taken by Barry Bonds and others. Kingsbury is now training with Conte, who says he is doing it all by the book.

Maldonaldo made his UFC debut in October at UFC 120 and promptly earned a TKO victory over James McSweeney. He has fought the majority of his career in Brazil, where he has amassed a record of 18-3. He has also fought in 22 professional boxing bouts, winning all of them, with 21 coming by way of knockout.

Kingsbury is a tough fighter and won't be all that easy to knockout. I think his wrestling will wear Maldonaldo down and earn him another win.

Kingsbury via unanimous decision.

The Ultimate Fighter Welterweight Final- Ramsey Nijem vs. Tony Ferguson

I know there were a lot of people rooting against Ferguson last night after watching his appalling behavior on last week's episode of The Ultimate Fighter. Even his own teammates wanted nothing to do with him and wanted him to lose.

The man is talented and he very well could win it all, but it won't be easy. He is currently 10-2 with six wins coming by knockout and three by submission. He has won all three of his bouts on the show via knockout.

Nijem also finished all three of his opponents on the show. He earned two wins by rear naked choke and won his semifinal bout against Chris Cope by TKO. He is 4-1 in a short MMA career that started in April of 2008. He has outstanding wrestling and ever improving submission skills.

This should be a fairly even match-up, and considering I don't know much about either man, I am going out on the line and pick who I want to win rather than who I think will win.

Nijem via unanimous decision.

Clay Guida vs. Anthony Pettis

The UFC really came through when they not only announced this matchup, but are showing it for free on Spike TV. Here, you have two guys who will put on a heart stopping pace. Neither one of these guys is going to give an inch, and with the possibility of a title shot coming with a win, you can expect an all out war.

Guida has really turned his career around since joining Greg Jackson. He was always high energy, but his finishing rate was not very good. He has won his last three fights, finishing all three by submission. Two of those wins earned him a bonus for Submission of the Night. He can flat out go and finding fighters who are able to keep up with him is not easy.

Pettis will look to stay off of his back and keep Guida within distance of his diverse striking. He has pulled off some of the craziest kicks in MMA history. Against Shane Roller, he utilized a few Capoeira kicks before finally submitting the three time All-American wrestler.

He took on Ben Henderson for the right to be called the WEC's last Lightweight Champion at WEC 53 in December. For four rounds, the two battled back and forth with the fight being way too close to call. Then, in the fifth and final round, Pettis launched what is now known as the Showtime Kick, which he executed by springing off of the cage with his right foot and kicking Henderson in the face. That kick is what put him over the top and sealed the victory.

Pettis was scheduled to face the winner of Frankie Edgar-Gray Maynard II that took place on January 1 at UFC 125, but because the fight was ruled a draw, the UFC announced an immediate rematch which was scheduled for UFC 130. Long story short, both Maynard and Edgar were injured and forced to pull out of the fight. Pettis chose to fight after learning that the third fight was going to take place.

Edgar and Maynard are supposed to meet sometime this fall, and it is widely believed that the winner of this fight will face that winner for the UFC Lightweight Championship. Going against Guida is always a risk because of his wrestling and how good he is while on top of his opponent. For some reason, I think Pettis will be able to avoid Guida's takedowns and land enough shots to go home a winner.

Pettis via unanimous decision.