UFC Lightweight Championship Bout:  Frankie Edgar vs. Benson Hendeson

Odds:  (-130 Edgar /Even- Henderson )

Betting Pick:  Edgar

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In the main event of the evening, UFC Lightweight champion Frankie “The Answer” Edgar will look to defend his title against former WEC standout Benson “Smooth” Henderson. Edgar, once considered undersized for the division, has established as a dominant champion with stellar defensive wrestling, effective boxing, and unmatched footwork. Henderson is a much bigger and stronger guy with good wrestling of his own and very effective submissions, but Edgar has proven that he has the tools to outbox anyone in the division and is notoriously difficult to take down. If Henderson wants to leave a champion, he is going to have to find a way to capitalize on his strength advantage and get Edgar on his back, where Henderson has the size, strength, and technique to control the action, score points with ground and pound, and work for submissions.

Benson Henderson was one of WEC’s biggest stars, and he made a very “Smooth” transition into the UFC. Henderson is one of the strongest, most dynamic athletes in the Lightweight division, and has extremely solid technique to back up his obvious physical prowess. Henderson is a very effective wrestler with great submissions, especially his guillotine choke, which is one of the best in the sport. He is dominant from top position and it is very hard for opponents to get out from underneath him. His striking is technically sound, but he doesn’t have a lot of punching power and, against Edgar, he will be at a significant disadvantage in both hand speed and footwork. Henderson’s biggest advantages will be size, strength, and reach, and if he can force Edgar to backpedal with long jabs while trying to set up takedowns and get this fight to top position, he will be putting himself in a great position to win this fight. One big question mark is how well Henderson will hold up moving into the championship rounds. He has fought five rounds twice before, and he is supremely conditioned, but Edgar’s evasive style and quick movement have a way of tiring guys out, so Henderson is going to need to be aggressive without blowing all his stamina in the early rounds if he wants to avoid petering out and letting Edgar pick him apart in the fourth and fifth.

Frankie “The Answer” Edgar was once considered too small to compete at Lightweight, where nearly all of his opponents have a size and strength advantage against him. Back to back drubbings of future Hall of Famer BJ Penn went a long way toward answering those questions, and his fourth round knockout of Gray Maynard in his last outing put them to rest for good. Edgar isn’t one of the most dominant fighters in the world in any one category, but he also has no glaring holes and puts everything together flawlessly. He is an accomplished wrestler with great submission skills, but he prefers to use both defensively rather than pressing for takedowns and trying to finish fights on the ground. Edgar’s best work comes in the striking, where he is crisp, quick, and accurate. His footwork is easily the best in the division, and his natural quickness allows him to move constantly, keep opponents guessing, and sneak shots past their defense while staying out of trouble himself. Against Henderson there is no question that Edgar will want to use his grappling defensively and try to keep this fight standing. There is a good chance he could hang with Henderson on the ground, too, but he would be foolish to play into Henderson’s strengths when he will have such a marked advantage on the feet.

This has all the makings of a very competitive championship bout. Both of these guys have the cardio to fight hard for all five rounds; both have extremely versatile skill sets that allow them to press the action wherever a fight goes; and neither has any huge, glaring holes in their game that will be easy for the other to exploit. In the end, though, I think the slight edge goes to Edgar here. He has fought better opponents, he has been on this biggest stage before, and he has an advantage in that fights start standing and Henderson is going to have to find a way to take him down, which Edgar has the tools to prevent. I see this fight going the distance, with a lot of back and forth, but I think Edgar’s ability to thwart Henderson’s takedowns coupled with his superior movement and punching acumen on the feet will allow him to score enough points to successfully defend his UFC Lightweight Title again. Edgar by decision.

Prediction:  Frankie Edgar by Unanimous Decision.

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UFC Light Heavyweight Bout:  Rampage Jackson vs. Ryan Bader

Odds:  (-265 Jackson /+205 Bader )

Betting Pick:  Jackson

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In the semi-main event, PRIDE legend Quinton “Rampage” Jackson returns to his old Saitama stomping grounds to square off against tough young wrestler Ryan “Darth” Bader. Jackson is clearly on the tail end of his professional fighting career, but he is still a formidable wrestler with knockout power in either hand who will be looking to recapture some of his former greatness in the building where many of his greatest victories occurred. Bader, for his part, got off to a white-hot start before dropping two of his last three, so a win here is crucial if he wants to remain at all relevant in the crowded Light Heavyweight picture. Both of these guys are solid wrestlers with heavy hands who like to stand and throw, so this has all the makings of an exciting and competitive Light Heavyweight showdown.

Ryan “Darth” Bader looked like one of the UFC’s fastest rising stars for a while, holding an undefeated professional record and punishing opponents with his blend of heavy-handed power punching, dominant wrestling, and top control. After seeing his winning streak destroyed by Light Heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones and suffering an embarrassing upset at the hands of former champion Tito Ortiz, though, Bader saw his stock plummet substantially in a matter of months. He did rebound slightly with a win over journeyman grappler Jason Brilz, but now he is back in the deep end of the division fighting another world-class opponent with years and years of experience on him. Bader has the tools to succeed at the highest levels of the Light Heavyweight division, but he has to find a way to put it all together better and he has to improve his submission defense as well. Bader showed against both Jones and Ortiz that he has a hard time dealing with anyone he can’t outwrestle, and Rampage is a perfect example of a guy who can not only match him in the wrestling department, he is also a more dangerous striker as well. If Bader wants to avoid his third loss in four fights and a possible pink slip from the UFC, he is going to have to pick his spots and fight carefully, not giving anything away to Jackson, who has the skills and experience to capitalize on any mistake.

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson was one of the most dangerous and popular fighters during PRIDE’s best days, and has continued to show that he is one of the best Light Heavyweights on the planet even in the late stages of his career. Jackson is a great wrestler with a surplus of physical strength and knockout power in both fists. He doesn’t mix it up much in the striking, rarely throwing kicks and instead preferring to box his opponents, but his punching power and the wide, looping trajectory of his haymakers make him a tough fighter to defend against. He has never used his wrestling much offensively, although he certainly could if he decided to. Jackson’s gameplan is to get in his opponents’ faces, keep throwing big punches, and wait until one connects. In a lot of ways Bader is a tailor-made opponent for him, because he will be willing to stand and trade shots for extended periods of time. Rampage is past his physical peak, but he still has it in him to punish anyone dumb enough to be on the end of one of his power punches, and Bader is likely to be ripe for the picking in that regard.

I just don’t think this is a good matchup for Bader on any level. These guys have extremely similar skill sets, but Jackson has been doing it years longer and against massively superior opponents. I don’t think Bader has the wrestling to put Rampage on his back and I don’t think he has the punching power to get through Rampage’s solid chin. This fight will play out on the feet I think, and Jackson will get the better of those exchanges before eventually connecting with enough power shots to put Bader away. Jackson by T/KO.

Prediction:  Rampage Jackson by third round T/KO.

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UFC Heavyweight bout:  Cheick Kongo vs. Mark Hunt

Odds:  (-300Kongo /+230 Hunt )

Betting Pick:  Kongo

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In a featured Heavyweight matchup, former PRIDE veteran and K-1 World Grand Prix champion Mark Hunt will square off against dangerous French kickboxer Cheick Kongo. Both of these guys are dangerous strikers with a lot of experience and deadly punching power, so this one has the potential to be a legendary standup war between two huge guys who are ready for action. There is no question that Kongo has better conditioning and a much more complete fight game, but when two guys this big and strong let their hands go, anything could happen at any time.

Mark Hunt was a mainstay in PRIDE during its heyday, and before that won the K-1 World Grand Prix, so clearly he is a very formidable kickboxer. In addition to his punishing striking, Hunt is known for having a granite chin and being able to absorb a huge amount of punishment, although some of that durability has eroded as he has aged and entered the twilight of his fighting career. Many thought Hunt was finished after he dropped six fights in a row, but he has rebounded with two straight wins in the UFC, so there is still a little left in his tank. There is basically no chance of Hunt beating Kongo with speed, technique, or cardio at this point, but as long as he is standing up and capable of throwing punches, he is still in this fight.

Cheick Kongo may not have Hunt’s K-1 kickboxing pedigree, but he has proven time and again that he is a formidable striker who is not to be underestimated. In addition to devastating power punching, kicking, and clinch work, Kongo also has some of the most underrated wrestling in the division and purely destructive ground and pound. There is every reason to believe that Kongo can outstrike Hunt with relative ease, but even if he gets in trouble he has the fallback plan of being able to plant Hunt on his back where he is helpless and unload disgustingly powerful punches from top position. Kongo also has an excellent chin which should allow him to fight more aggressively on the feet and take the fight right to the fatter, slower Hunt.

This is a terrible matchup for Hunt. He has enough power in his hands that he has a puncher’s chance against anyone in the world, but at this point there is literally nothing he does better than Kongo. Kongo will beat him to the punch consistently, can match him in power, and can hurt him with kicks, knees from the clinch, takedowns, and ground and pound as well. Nearly all of Hunt’s professional losses have come by way of submission, which illustrates just how terrible he really is on the ground. Kongo is unlikely to submit him, but I think he will outbox him fairly easily before this fight winds up on the ground where Kongo will force the stoppage with ground and pound. Kongo by T/KO.

Prediction:  Cheick Kongo by second round T/KO.

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UFC Welterweight bout:  Diego Sanchez vs. Jake Ellenberger

Odds:  (+250 Sanchez /-325 Ellenberger )

Betting Pick:  Ellenberger

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In the main event of the evening, former Ultimate Fighter winner Diego “The Dream” Sanchez will look for his third consecutive win since returning to the Welterweight division. Standing in his way is heavy-handed contender Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger, who is riding a five fight win streak and coming off the biggest victory of his career, an utter destruction of former Strikeforce champion Jake Shields. Sanchez is one of the most aggressive grapplers in the sport, with great takedowns and submissions, but his boxing is more than suspect and he has poor defense in the standup. Ellenberger, who has a surplus of knockout power and very effective striking, is more than capable of exploiting those weaknesses as long as he can keep Sanchez from getting in his face and bullying his way into top position. Sanchez, after a failed stint at 155, really needs a win here to re-establish himself as a top player at 170, while a win for Ellenberger probably puts him firmly in the middle of the Welterweight title picture, which is wide open following Nick Diaz’s recent failed drug test and Georges St. Pierre’s injury.

Diego Sanchez, formerly known as “The Nightmare” and now known as “The Dream”, is a dangerous and aggressive grappler no matter what you call him. He is renowned for establishing a relentless pace in his fights and never ceasing to move forward and press the action. His takedowns are very effective, he has solid submissions from a variety of positions, and he can do a lot of damage with ground and pound from inside his opponent’s guard or from a dominant position. Sanchez’s cardio is one of his best weapons, because it allows him to keep the pressure on from bell to bell for the entire fight. The only glaring hole in Diego’s game is his boxing, which is pretty awkward and not particularly powerful. His odd boxing stance also makes it difficult for him to effectively defend punches, which means if he fights anyone with even passable boxing who also has takedown defense, he tends to fall apart, eat a lot of shots, and get beat up. Ellenberger has very powerful hands and is a very solid wrestler in his own right, so Diego is really going to need to find a way to force the issue and get this fight to the ground if he wants to leave a winner and put himself back in the contender’s position he enjoyed a few years ago.

Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger surprised a lot of pundits in his last fight, destroying highly-regarded former Strikeforce champion Jake Shields with strikes in the first minute of their encounter. Ellenberger is a prolific finisher, having finished the fight in 22 of his 26 professional wins. His striking is devastating, as Shields learned the hard way, and he can hurt you with both hands, both knees, and both legs. He is also a skilled wrestler, although he prefers to let his hands go. Against Sanchez, who has no way of outstriking him, Ellenberger’s wrestling skills could come in handy and allow him to keep this fight standing where he will enjoy a tremendous advantage. Ellenberger is a capable grappler, but if he has to work off his back for extended periods against Sanchez, he is going to be in for a very long night. Having beaten Shields, with Jon Fitch recently losing, and with the scheduled Nick Diaz versus Carlos Condit rematch seemingly shelved because of Diaz’s drug test an, an emphatic win over Sanchez could well put Ellenberger into the number one contender’s spot for a shot at Condit’s UFC Interim Welterweight Title, so “The Juggernaut” has a lot to fight for in this one.

I think this matchup heavily favors Ellenberger. His striking is light years beyond Sanchez’s, and I think he is a good enough defensive wrestler to keep this fight standing for the most part. On the feet Sanchez has no answer for Ellenberger’s power or technique, and he will find himself getting picked apart in short order. Eventually, Ellenberger will start sneaking big shots past Sanchez’s porous defense, and it is only a matter of time before he puts Sanchez out. Ellenberger by T/KO.

Prediction:  Jake Ellenberger by second round T/KO.

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