UFC 137 Fight Card: Info and Predictions on Every Fight in Las Vegas

Just two nights before Halloween, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will present the most frightening welterweight matchup in the history of MMA.

Headliners Nick Diaz and B.J Penn don’t have to dress up like vampires or ghosts to scare young children. Just the mere thought of watching these two highly aggressive fighters go to war in the Octagon is enough to make a child wet the bed.

UFC 137 was originally promoted as a champion vs. champion bout between former Strikeforce champ Diaz and UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre for the UFC crown.

After Diaz no-showed a prefight press conference, an unusual train of events conspired.

First, UFC President Dana White removed Diaz from the card and bumped Carlos Condit up to face St-Pierre. Then White placed Diaz back on the card to take Condit’s place against Penn in the co-main event.

However, when St-Pierre was forced to withdraw from the fight due to an injury, White had no choice but to promote Diaz vs. Penn as the main event.

With all of the craziness that came to fruition over the past few weeks, fans are eagerly anticipating the fights.

Let’s take a look and predict every fight on the UFC 137 fight card.

Dustin Jacoby vs. Clifford Starks

Dustin Jacoby

MMA Record: 6-0

UFC Record: 0-0

Notable Wins: Billy Horne 

Notable Losses: N/A

Clifford Starks

MMA Record: 7-0

UFC Record: 0-0

Notable Wins: Artenas Young

Notable Losses: N/A

Jacoby, a former Tri State football star and UFC newcomer, was initially set to make his debut on the PPV portion of the card against Brad Tavares. Unfortunately, an injury has bumped Tavares off the card and relegated Jacoby to the prelims against a fellow unbeaten newcomer in Starks.

Training out of the famed Arizona Combat Sports camp, Starks wrestled alongside UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez at Arizona State University.

Jacoby believes that Starks is simply a one-dimensional takedown artist but he might change his tune once Starks touches his chin.

Stepping up on two week’s notice to compete in the largest MMA organization in the world is certainly not an easy task but that doesn’t mean it is out of the realms of possibility for Starks to pull off the win.

Jacoby is a well-rounded competitor with heavy hands that has been preparing for a bigger fight for the past few weeks.

That said, look for Starks to dictate the fight with his wrestling and grind out a decision victory.

Prediction: Starks by unanimous decision

Chris Camozzi vs. Francis Carmont

Chris Camozzi

MMA Record: 15-4

UFC Record: 2-1

Notable Wins: Joey Villasenor, Dongi Yang and James Hammortree

Notable Losses: Kyle Noke, Jesse Taylor and Jesse Forbes

Francis Carmont

MMA Record: 16-7

UFC Record: 0-0

Notable Wins: Jason Day

Notable Losses: Vitor Vianna, Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos and Ross Pointon

A training partner of UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre, Carmont enters his UFC debut with a lot of hype and a desire to make an impact. He won’t have an easy opponent in Camozzi, who will make his return to the organization following a loss to Kyle Noke nearly a year ago.

Camozzi is a powerful puncher with an iron chin but Carmont has a more technical approach to the game. The Frenchman is a lethal striker that possesses a deadly blend of speed, power and precision.

Look for Carmont to batter Camozzi with ferocious Muay Thai leg kicks and efficiently pick the TUF 11 alumni apart on the feet. Camozzi will stand in the pocket and trade, land a few damaging blows but ultimately come up short against the Tristar product.

Prediction: Carmont via unanimous decision

Danny Downes vs. Ramsey Nijem

Danny Downes

MMA Record: 8-2

UFC Record: 0-1

Notable Wins: Tiequan Zhang

Notable Losses: Jeremy Stephens and Chris Horodecki

Ramsey Nijem

MMA Record: 4-2

UFC Record: 0-1

Notable Wins: N/A

Notable Losses: Tony Ferguson    

This could quite possibly be a prototypical “loser leaves town” type of fight. Both lightweights are 0-1 in the Octagon and in an ultra-stacked UFC Lightweight division there isn’t much room for 0-2 fighters.

Downes has the advantage in the striking department and is also pretty crafty on the ground. Trained by elite striking coach Duke Roufus, Downes has only tasted defeat when up against better standup fighters such as Jeremy Stephens and Chris Horodecki.

Nijem is a decent boxer but standing with Downes would be a huge mistake. For Nijem, a collegiate wrestler out of Utah Valley University, the game plan should be to use his strikes to set up takedowns and smother Downes from the top position.

Expect an exciting contest with a lot of scrambles and Nijem finishing Downes with a rear naked choke.

Prediction: Nijem via Round 2 Submission

Eliot Marshall vs. Brandon Vera

Eliot Marshall

MMA Record: 10-3

UFC Record: 3-2

Notable Wins: Vinny Magalhaes and Jason Brilz

Notable Losses: Luiz Cane and Vladimir Matyushenko

Brandon Vera

MMA Record: 11-5

UFC Record: 7-5-1

Notable Wins: Frank Mir and Krzysztof Soszynski

Notable Losses: Tim Sylvia, Fabricio Werdum, Keith Jardine, Randy Couture and Jon Jones

Notable No Contest: Thiago Silva

Once considered a potential contender in the heavyweight division, Vera’s stock has dropped down significantly over the past three years.

Following a dominant decision loss to Thiago Silva at UFC 125, Vera received his pink slip from the organization but was later rehired after it was learned that Silva failed the post-fight drug test.

Despite recent losses, Vera is still a threat in the light heavyweight division. His devastating Muay Thai and powerful grappling make him a challenging matchup for a majority of the fighters in the weight class.

Marshall is an underrated talent with well-rounded skills and an advanced jiu-jitsu arsenal, but he does not match up well with Vera.

Vera will outpoint Marshall on the feet, effectively keep the fight standing and return to the win column with a hard fought decision.

Prediction: Vera via unanimous decision

Tyson Griffin vs. Bart Palaszewski (Spike TV Prelims)

Tyson Griffin

MMA Record: 15-5

UFC Record: 8-5

Notable Wins: Clay Guida, Thiago Tavares, Gleison Tibau, Rafael dos Anjos and Manny Gamburyan

Notable Losses: Frankie Edgar, Sean Sherk, Evan Dunham, Takanori Gomi and Nik Lentz

Bart Palaszewski

MMA Record: 35-14

UFC Record: 0-0

Notable Wins: Anthony Pettis, Zach Mickelwright, Karen Darabedyan, Ivan Menjivar and Kyle Watson

Notable Losses: Kamal Shalorus, Anthony Njokuani, Ricardo Lamas, Jim Miller and Chris Horodecki

UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo is going to have his hands full in 2012. Contenders in the 145 lbs division are rapidly growing and this matchup between Griffin and Palaszewski could produce another in the featherweight lineup.

A former top contender in the lightweight division, Griffin dropped down to 145 lbs following a string of losses and earned a split decision victory over former title challenger Manny Gamburyan.

Griffin is an explosive wrestler with heavy hands and superb submission defense. He has all of the necessary tools to be successful in the featherweight kingdom but Palaszewski is not going to be a pushover.

Palaszewski is also dropping down to 145 lbs from the lightweight division and is looking to knock on Aldo’s door with a trail of knockouts.

A veteran with over 40 fights, Palaszewski has tremendous knockout power and a crafty ground game. However, wrestling has always been the Achilles heel of “Bartimus.”

Griffin should be able to take Palaszewski down, avoid the standup game and ground and pound his way to a second consecutive win.

Prediction: Griffin by Round 3 TKO

Dennis Siver vs. Donald Cerrone

Dennis Siver

MMA Record:19-7

UFC Record: 8-4

Notable Wins: Matt Wiman, George Sotiropoulos, Andre Winner and Spencer Fisher

Notable Losses: Gray Maynard, Melvin Guillard and Ross Pearson

Donald Cerrone

MMA Record: 16-3

UFC Record: 3-0

Notable Wins: Charles Oliveira, Vagner Rocha, Paul Kelly, and Jamie Varner

Notable Losses: Ben Henderson and Jamie Varner

Both of these lightweights have been on an absolute tear as of late and are on the verge of entering the upper echelon of the division.  

While some believe that Siver should be coming off of a loss in his last fight against Matt Wiman, the record books indicate otherwise and the German is now riding a four-fight win streak.

Siver’s unorthodox striking and bulky frame have been frustrating for his recent opponents to deal with. The spinning back kick is a strike that is rarely landed in MMA competition but Siver times the technique perfectly and lands it often in his matchups.

Cerrone is a technical kickboxer with reach on his side. Getting into a standup war with Siver won’t be an intelligent approach, but if Cerrone can follow a sound strategy of staying on the outside and utilizing crisp leg kicks he could outpoint the German on the feet.

“Cowboy’s” wrestling is constantly evolving and his ground game is, and always has been, very slick.

This is going to be a competitive fight with Cerrone getting the nod on points.

Prediction: Cerrone via unanimous decision

Jeff Curran vs. Scott Jorgensen

Jeff Curran

MMA Record: 33-13-1

UFC Record: 0-1

Notable Wins: Charles Bennett, Wagnney Fabiano, Raphael Assuncao, Donny Walker and Dustin Neace

Notable Losses: Takeya Mizugaki, Joseph Benavidez, Mike Brown, Urijah Faber, Hatsu Hioki and Matt Serra

Scott Jorgensen

MMA Record: 12-4

UFC Record: 1-0

Notable Wins: Ken Stone, Brad Pickett, Antonio Banuelos and Takeya Mizugaki

Notable Losses: Dominick Cruz, Antonio Banuelos and Damacio Page

Injuries are unfortunate but they can also be a blessing of sorts. Jorgensen and Curran were originally scheduled to compete on the preliminaries until an injury saw the fight promoted to the PPV main card.

Jorgensen is one of the bantamweight division’s elite competitors but Curran is a wise veteran with the experience necessary to make this an interesting clash.

For Curran, this is a UFC homecoming that many thought would never come to fruition. Curran fought in the UFC just once as a lightweight in a losing effort to Matt Serra back in 2004.

Since then, Curran saw his stock rise as a top featherweight and then drop following four consecutive losses in the WEC. Now, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert has an opportunity to regain his contender status and make a run at the UFC Bantamweight crown.

Unfortunately, Jorgensen is a nightmare of a matchup for Curran. An All-American wrestler out of Boise State University, Jorgensen has all of the tools required to crush Curran’s title dreams.

Power, speed, conditioning, athleticism; Jorgensen has it all and will mix them together to put Curran away.

Prediction: Jorgensen via  Round 2 TKO

Hatsu Hioki vs. George Roop

Hatsu Hioki

MMA Record: 24-4-2

UFC Record: 0-0

Notable Wins: Marlon Sandro, Jeff Lawson, Masanori Kanehara, Mark Hominick and Jeff Curran

Notable Losses: Michihiro Omigawa

George Roop

MMA Record: 12-7-1

UFC Record: 2-3

Notable Wins: Josh Grispi and Chan Sung Jung

Notable Losses: Mark Hominick, Eddie Wineland, George Sotiropoulos and Shane Nelson

Hioki is supposed to be the second best featherweight in the world according to individuals who think they know everything there is to know about MMA.

These are the same type of people who thought Michihiro Omigawa, a man who lost to Matt Wiman and Thiago Tavares in his first UFC run, would dominate the featherweight division in his second Zuffa run.

I wouldn’t put too much stock in what those people say, but Hioki is certainly a talented athlete.

Japanese fighters of the recent past have struggled in their transition into the Octagon but Hioki seems to have a style that will carry over well in North America.

Hioki has excellent takedowns and a dangerous submission game. His striking is also on par and he has yet to be knocked out in his MMA career.

Many expect Hioki to dominate Roop but that is a highly unlikely scenario. Following an unimpressive run as a lightweight, Roop has evolved into a wrecking machine at 145 lbs.

He is currently the only fighter to stop Chan Sung Jung and Josh Grispi by strikes. Roop will pulverize Hioki on the feet and shock the world with yet another knockout victory.

Prediction: Roop via Round 1 TKO

Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic vs. Roy Nelson

Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic

MMA Record: 27-9-2

UFC Record: 4-5

Notable Wins: Pat Barry, Josh Barnett, Wanderlei Silva, Hidehiko Yoshida, Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman

Notable Losses: Brendan Schaub, Frank Mir, Junior dos Santos, Cheick Kongo, Gabriel Gonzaga, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Fedor Emelianenko

Roy Nelson

MMA Record: 15-6

UFC Record: 2-2

Notable Wins: Stefan Struve and Brendan Schaub

Notable Losses: Frank Mir, Junior dos Santos, Jeff Monson, Ben Rothwell and Andrei Arlovski

Despite the name recognition and popularity that both heavyweights have among fans, the loser could quite possibly receive their walking papers.

Both Filipovic and Nelson are fresh off consecutive losses and are in desperate need of a win in order to remain under contract with the UFC.

Critics have been calling for Filipovic to retire for a while now but they are blind.

Sure, it’s obvious he isn’t the same “Cro Cop” of old and he is not going to climb to the top of the UFC Heavyweight division anytime soon. He just simply isn’t on that level anymore but that’s not to say he doesn’t have anything left to offer.

Filipovic’s last fight with Brendan Schaub proved that the Croatian still has what it takes to hang around. Schaub violently knocked “Cro Cop” out, but prior to that Filipovic was arguably winning the fight and looking quite sharp in the process.

Nelson, on the other hand, hasn’t looked impressive at all aside from displaying tremendous resiliency in bouts against Junior dos Santos and Frank Mir.

“Big Country” is a jiu-jitsu ace with one-shot knockout power.

However, despite a poor track record against power punchers lately, Filipovic is a far superior technical striker and has more motivation to win this fight.

Prediction: “Cro Cop” via unanimous decision

Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione

Cheick Kongo

MMA Record:16-6-2

UFC Record:9-4-1

Notable Wins: Pat Barry, Paul Buentello, Antoni Hardonk and Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic

Notable Losses: Frank Mir, Cain Velasquez, Heath Herring and Carmelo Marrero

Notable Draw: Travis Browne

Matt Mitrione

MMA Record: 5-0

UFC Record: 5-0

Notable Wins: Marcus Jones, Kimbo Slice, Joey Beltran, Tim Hague and Christian Morecraft

Notable Losses: N/A

If you’re the type of fight fan that loves to see two heavyweights stand in the pocket and beat the tar out of each other, this is your dream matchup.

Mitrione started his professional career with the UFC and has passed every test put in front of him. Now it’s time to see if the former New York Giant is ready to compete with the big dogs of the heavyweight division.

Considered a gatekeeper by some and a potential contender by others, Kongo is going to put Mitrione through the ultimate test. Unfortunately for Mitrione, he isn’t quite at that level yet and it will be fairly surprising to see him pull off a victory over a fighter of Kongo’s caliber so soon in his career.

Mitrione has tremendous power and speed but Kongo is far superior when it comes to technique.

Expect Mitrione to have an impressive showing only to come up short against a higher skilled fighter.

Prediction: Kongo via Round 3 TKO

Nick Diaz vs. B.J Penn

Nick Diaz

MMA Record: 25-7

UFC Record: 6-4

Notable Wins: Paul Daley, Evangelista Santos, K.J Noons, Hayato Sakurai, Frank Shamrock, Gleison Tibau, Josh Neer and Robbie Lawler 

Notable Losses: K.J Noons, Sean Sherk, Diego Sanchez, Karo Parisyan and Joe Riggs

B.J Penn

MMA Record: 16-7-2

UFC Record: 12-6-2

Notable Wins: Matt Hughes (twice), Diego Sanchez, Kenny Florian, Sean Sherk, Joe Stevenson, Jens Pulver, Matt Serra, Caol Uno, Takanori Gomi and Din Thomas

Notable Losses: Frankie Edgar (twice), Georges St. Pierre (twice), Matt Hughes, Lyoto Machida and Jens Pulver

Notable Draws: Jon Fitch and Caol Uno

The moment of truth for Diaz has finally come. After all of the hype and Strikeforce victories, we are finally going to see just how great (or not great) Diaz truly is.

Fans were anticipating Diaz vs. St-Pierre but Penn is a far more exciting draw for the Stockton bad boy. Penn isn’t going to try to smother Diaz nor will he try to grind out a decision victory.

Make no mistake about it, Penn is going to fight Diaz and Diaz is going to fight Penn right back.

Diaz and Penn are very similar in style. They both are a nightmare on the feet with their boxing and are high level Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts. The only difference between the two is the fact that Penn has beaten and battered much tougher competition than Diaz has.

Diaz’s victories in Strikeforce were impressive but Penn is fresh off a destruction of Matt Hughes and a draw (arguably a decision win) against Jon Fitch. Diaz hasn’t been competing against the crème of the crop and that could play a factor in the fight.

Stylistically though, Diaz has some of the best instincts in the fight game. He has skills that cannot be taught in this sport, which is the ability to know what to do in any situation.

This is going to be a classic welterweight encounter and either man could walk away with the win but Penn is the smart pick to make.

There is a big difference in smashing opponents like Paul Daley and Evangelista Santos and then going out there and trying to do that against B.J Penn.

If the right Penn shows up on October 29, Diaz is in for a beating.

Prediction: Penn via unanimous decision