UFC 131 Fight Card: Predicting the Fight, Submission and KO of the Night Winners

Jeffrey McKinneyJun 9, 2011

The UFC makes its way back to the True North this Saturday as UFC 131 takes place live from Vancouver, British Columbia.

The card will be headlined by two of MMA’s most dangerous strikers, Junior dos Santos and Shane Carwin. It will also feature Kenny Florien making his featherweight debut against Diego Nunes.

Originally the card was supposed to feature former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. Lesnar was forced to pull out due to another bout with diverticulitis.

Despite the loss of Lesnar, expect the card to be an exciting show. Here are my predictions for submission, KO and fight of the night.

Submission of the Night: Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone

1 of 4

Donald Cerrone is known for two things, great submissions and fight of the night performances. Cerrone has a 14-3-1 record with 12 of his wins coming from submissions.

His opponent, Vagner Rocha, is no slouch on the ground as he’s a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. Rocha has also competed in Bellator and Strikeforce.

Despite this, I believe Cerrone will get the better of Rocha. He is fighting at a high level right now and he is trying to make a push at something he was unable to capture three times in WEC: a lightweight title.

Knockout of the Night: Junior Dos Santos

2 of 4

Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images

DALLAS - SEPTEMBER 19: UFC fighter Junior Dos Santos (R) battles UFC fighter Mirko Cro Cop (L) during their Heavyweight bout at UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort at the American Airlines Center on September 19, 2009 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/

This is a tough fight to call because both dos Santos and Carwin are known for knocking guys out. Both fighters are also 12-1.

Junior Dos Santos has looked great since entering the UFC, going 6-0 knocking out Fabricio Werdum, Stefan Struve, Gilbert Yvel and Gabriel Gonzaga. Only two of dos Santos' fights have gone out of the third round.

Carwin has also kept most of his fights in the first round. Carwin has also knocked out Gonzaga and Frank Mir in their interim title fight.

You have to wonder if Carwin 2.0 will have better cardio coming into this bout. Carwin may hit harder, but dos Santos is more technical.

I give the slight edge to dos Santos because of this. I would not be surprised if it went the other way though.

Fight of the Night: Kenny Florian vs. Diego Nunes

3 of 4

Diego Nunes will be the first test for Kenny Florian at 145 lbs.

This will be the fourth weight class Florian has fought in since entering the UFC back in 2005. Along with fighting in multiple weight divisions, Florian is known as a finisher. Out of his 14 wins, only one has been by decision.

Although he hopes to get a chance at Jose Aldo, Florian will first have to get through Nunes.

Nunes, 16-1, is a tough fighter who never been finished. Nunes can become a household name and move up the featherweight division rankings if he defeats Florian convincingly.

Both of guys will be fighting for something major and will not disappoint.