UFC 115 Preview and Predictions

Notable preliminary fight predictions:
Evan Dunham (10-0) vs. #4 Tyson Griffin (14-2)
Prediction: Griffin by Decision

Mac Danzig (19-7-1) vs. Matt Wiman (11-5)
Prediction: Wiman by KO

Main Card Fight 1: Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit (24-5) vs. Rory “The Waterboy” MacDonald (10-0)

Carlos Condit – Age: 26 Height: 6′ 2″ (188 cm) Weight: 170 lbs. (77 kg)
Rory MacDonald – Age: 20 Height: 6′ 0″ (183 cm) Weight: 170 lbs. (77 kg)

Carlos Condit came to the UFC from the WEC where he was walking through the competition wrecking everyone. He has split his first two UFC fights and needs to start his contendership run against Rory MacDonald. Only one of Condit’s wins went the distance and he holds 10 KO’s and 13 submissions. He is very well-rounded and trains with multiple striking techniques. Rory MacDonald is a well-rounded fighter as well, with all his wins being finished early with KO’s or submissions. MacDonald is undefeated to this point but his fight competition has not been top level. Fighting Condit on the main card of a UFC event is a huge step in his MMA career. I don’t think he’s ready for such tough competition but who am I to question master mind UFC match maker Joe Silva? I think Condit will run through Rory MacDonald with his pinpoint striking and overwhelm him with it.

Prediction: Condit by KO

Main Card Fight 2: #7 Ben “Big Ben” Rothwell (30-7) vs. Gilbert “The Hurricane” Yvel (36-14-1, 1 NC)

Ben Rothwell – Age: 28 Height: 6′ 4″ (193 cm) Weight: 265 lbs. (120 kg)
Gilbert Yvel – Age: 33 Height: 6′ 2″ (188 cm) Weight: 225 lbs. (102 kg)

Rothwell is a top 10 fighter on our heavyweight board and there’s a reason for that. He holds wins over multiple well-known fighters like Krzysztof Soszynski, Ricco Rodriguez, and Ultimate Fighter Season 10 winner Roy “Big Country” Nelson. He has won over 80% of his fights and over half of those have come by way of KO. Rothwell is a kick boxer that trains under Team Gracie Barra. Gilbert Yvel has had a lot of problems with the rules, getting disqualified from multiple fights for eye gouging, biting, and even knocking out the referee! I am very surprised that the UFC has given him the opportunity to compete in their organization and it’s only a matter of time before he acts out again. I am not a fan of Gilbert at all and I don’t like his attitude. With that being said, he does have an impressive 31 KO’s and Rothwell hasn’t looked impressive as of late against the heavy hitters of the sport. Gilbert’s cardio has been a question mark for him so if Rothwell can make the fight drag on, he might be able to wear down the powerful striking Dutchman Yvel. Yvel is a BJJ purple belt so his ground game is not a weakness for him and Rothwell’s chin hasn’t held up against the last two KO artists he’s fought. I see Gilbert getting the KO in either round one or early in round two. If my prediction is right, then this will really stir up the bottom half of the top 10 heavyweights.

Prediction: Yvel by KO

Main Card Fight 3: Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann (16-3) vs. #4 Paulo Thiago (13-1)

Martin Kampmann – Age: 28 Height: 6′ 0″ (183 cm) Weight: 170 lbs. (77 kg)
Paulo Thiago – Age 29: Height: 5′ 11″ (180 cm) Weight: 170 lbs. (77 kg)

Martin Kampmann has never submitted, not even against submission artists like Alexandre Barros and Thales Leites. He is very squirmy and hard to keep down. Like most European fighters, Kampmann is a great striker, but he can also perform submissions of his own. Just ask the five guys that have tapped to his tight chokes. Combine that with his 7 KO’s and you’ve got yourself a true MMA fighter. He is dangerous on the ground and even more dangerous on his feet. Paulo Thiago is anything but a pushover himself. His only career loss came to our #2 ranked welterweight Jon Fitch. He trains with Black House and holds big-time wins over Josh Koscheck, and more recently Mike Swick. Almost 60% of his fights end in submissions by and he has some power in his punches, as shown in his KO win against Koscheck at UFC 95. Someone that trains with Black House already has a significant advantage because they train with some of the top fighters in every weight class. Less than 20% of these guy’s fights have gone the distance, so I would be in awe if this one goes to the judges.

Prediction: Thiago by Submission

Co-Main Event: Patrick “Hype or Die” Barry (5-1) vs. #10 Mirko “Cro-Cop” Filipovic (26-7-2, 1 NC)

Patrick Barry – Age: 30 Height: 5′ 11″ (180 cm) Weight: 235 lbs. (107 kg)
Mirko Filipovic – Age: 35 Height: 6′ 2″ (188 cm) Weight: 220 lbs. (100 kg)

The first thing I want to say about this fight is that if it doesn’t end in a KO then I will be shocked beyond belief. With the power strikes that these two hold, this fight has “Lights Out” written all over it. Both fighters have mean punches and lethal kicks. Pat Barry has 5 KO’s in his MMA career already and he’s only been doing it for two years. His most recent victim was Antoni Hardonk at UFC 104. Although Barry has only six fights thus far, he has made an immediate impact in the MMA world. Mirko, on the other hand, is one of the most dangerous guys in MMA history. He has won 9 of his last 13 fights and is looking to remain in our top 10 if he can get this win. Mirko holds 20 KO’s and has the most lethal leg kick in the game. He is a former Pride open-weight champion and has fought a Who’s Who of this sport his entire career. He holds wins over Igor Vovchanchyn, Wanderlei Silva, Heath Herring, Ron Waterman, Aleksander Emelianenko, Josh Barnett, Kevin Randleman, and Mark Coleman. As you can see, Mirko is one of the greatest fighters of all-time and truly a MMA legend.

Prediction: Filipovic by KO

Main Event: Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell (21-7) vs. #7 Rich “Ace” Franklin (27-5, 1 NC)

Chuck Liddell – Age: 40 Height: 6′ 2″ (188 cm) Weight: 205 lbs. (93 kg)
Rich Franklin – Age: 35 Height: 6′ 1″ (185 cm) Weight: 195 lbs. (88 kg)

I could probably write a book about Chuck Liddell so I’ll get to the point. Chuck is a fifth degree black belt in Kenpo, a black belt in Koei Kan, and a purple belt in BJJ. He’s an active UFC Hall of Famer and is the only man to completely knockout Randy Couture, and he did it twice. At one point, Liddell was the most feared fighter in the world. Many, like myself, consider Liddell to be the best light heavyweight in UFC history. He is most famous for his phenomenal takedown sprawl and the deadliest overhand right. Liddell stated that he wanted to make another run at the title but he has lost four of his last five fights and he was knocked out in three of those. A win here would give him a good start but he will have a tough road ahead of him if he wants to be a champion again. Rich Franklin is 6-4 for his last ten fights, so he’s been up and down since 2006. He is a top ten light heavyweight on our board and if he wants a title shot, then this is a big step. Franklin is a BJJ brown belt and holds wins over Evan Tanner, Ken Shamrock, and Wanderlei Silva. He has 14 KO’s and 9 submissions in his UFC career. Franklin is one of the greatest middleweights ever and a future Hall of Famer himself. Although Liddell has looked anything but impressive lately, I think he is too big for Franklin and his punching power will overwhelm “The Ace”. Franklin definitely stepped up to the plate for taking this fight with just one month notice and if he wins, he will gain some serious respect and apprecition from Dana White. Win or lose, after this fight, Chuck may fight Ortiz sometime next winter. This card has a lot of excellent strikers so it will be a excellent event for those that like standup wars.

Prediction: Liddell by KO