My beer of choice for this edition of Half-Cut UFC picks is the Granville Island Lions Winter Ale. Click on that link and check it out for yourself. For my International friends, I highly recommend getting your hands on this brew. It comes to this part of Canada (British Columbia) around this time of year. It’s a tasty seasonal beer. It was a silver medalist at the 2011 World Beer Championships. If there is any brew you recommend please comment below and I will give it a try, and possibly make it the feature next time around.
At UFC 137 we didn’t do too badly. I had 3 wins 2 losses. I’d say that is pretty respectable. I skipped UFC 138. It was too quick of a turn around and I wanted to save my liver for UFC’s first foray on FOX. Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos for the UFC Heavyweight Title on free television! Doesn’t get any better than that. Maybe if they showed the entire main card on TV that would be better. Not sure what the UFC was thinking.
Personally, I think the UFC completely missed the boat on this one and under estimated their audience. I love Manny Pacquiao and I will watch that too, but the UFC could of figured out a way to show the fights with out conflicting with boxing. Now we are going to have to sit and watch Ben Henderson vs. Clay Guida on our computers. I guess there could be worst things. Like having to continually see Kim Kardashian’s ugly mug on magazine racks everywhere. She is a fake, undeserving, famous nothing. Oh gosh, gee, darn heck, her marriage didn’t work. That was as fake as her ass and boobs. Thanks I feel better now.
On to my partially buzzed picks. Not half cut yet, saving myself for later. Remember if you’re going to gamble, do it responsibly; give me a percentage of your winnings.
UFC Heavyweight Title – Cain Velasquez (9-0) vs. Junior Dos Santos (13-1)
Here we go! Let’s start with the Main Event. Who is going to win? Your guess is as good as mine. So I’m going to close my eyes, turn in circles and pin the tale on the fighter (makes for a great party game by the way.)
I was playing UFC undisputed 2010 and for the most part Dos Santos won more times than not, so I’m going to go with my beer gut on this one. Besides the video game, I think the deciding factor in this fight will be Dos Santos being able to stop the take down and work his crisper more technical striking. Let’s not forget, Velasquez came into the UFC with hardly any striking capabilities. Remember the Kongo fight? Over the years Cain has become a well-rounded fighter but Dos Santos has the advantage on the feet. People underestimate Dos Santos’s ground game too. Cain is an explosive wrestler, and if this fight does go to the ground, Dos Santos can work some BJJ submissions from his back or get back to his feet. Remember this is MMA not wrestling. Although I would not be surprised to see Cain win this fight, I just think it will come down to Junior’s stand up. Expect this fight to be a war, but my beer gut is saying Dos Santos will take it via TKO in the second round. This will not be the first time these two warriors will face each other. Bring on Overeem vs. Lesnar. Winner: And new UFC Heavyweight Champion – Junior Dos Santos
Lightweight Division – Benson Henderson (14-2) vs. Clay Guida (29-11)
The man they call the Carpenter, not Jesus, Clay Guida has his hands full. Guida is explosive; he has solid wrestling and is the energizer bunny when it comes to cardio. The man doesn’t have quite in his body. He is a fan favorite and someone who has put some exciting fights together through out his career. But guess what? You can say the same thing about Ben Henderson. Although this fight will be exciting and should be aired on one of the Fox channels, (trust me if Velasquez vs. Dos Santos ends in the first round or two, it is possible this fight replay will be aired.) I personally think that Henderson will have the edge in every department. If the fight goes to the ground, I believe Henderson can give Guida fits, if it stays standing, I strongly believe Henderson has the advantage on the feet. The biggest factor in this fight is that Henderson is extremely tough to finish. I don’t see a stoppage to this fight, just a hard three rounds of action with Henderson getting the edge via decision. Winner: Number one contender for the UFC lightweight title? Ben Henderson.
Featherweight Division – Dustin Poirier (10-1) vs. Pablo Garza (11-1)
This is another bout I wish the world could see. However, I will have the laptop connected to my television and find great pleasure in watching these two featherweights get it on. As much as that last sentence sounded like porn, this fight will be interesting. Poirier has some sick stand up and is a very well rounded MMA fighter. Garza is no slouch either and can definitely end this fight standing up too, but his strength lies in BJJ. Look for Garza to try and bait Poirier to the ground and work for an exciting submission to finish the fight and keep his UFC undefeated record intact. Trust me, “The Diamond” wants nothing to do with Garza’s guard. I see Poirier having the advantage standing and with his crew of Louisiana “Trailor Trash Ninjas” like Tim Credeur at his back, expect a solid game plan. I predict Poirier winning most of the stand up exchanges to take the victory in the third round via TKO. Winner: Dustin Poirier
Bantamweight Division – Norifumi Yamamoto (18-4) vs. Darren Uyenoyama (6-3)
I don’t have much to say about this fight. Yamamoto was a star in Japan and had solid wrestling and explosive stand up…but that was Japan. “Kid,” as he is called, lost his UFC debut against Demetrious Johnson at UFC 126. We didn’t see what “Kid” was made of in that fight. But…we may get to see flashes of it against Darren Uyenoyama. I will be honest, I don’t know much about Uyenoyama. He is making his UFC debut and he has fought a few great battles in Japan too. I fully expect Yamamoto to win this fight easily and I strongly believe that this is a tune up fight for Yamamoto before he fights at the UFC in Japan card on February 26th. I’m taking “Kid” via KO in the first round. Winner: Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto
Welterweight Division – Mike Pierce (12-4) vs. Paul Bradley (18-3)
This is the tale of two wrestlers. This is a pretty easy fight for me to predict. I think Pierce can negate the wrestling and be able to pick Bradly apart in the stand up department. As much as Bradly is bigger and will probably try to take the fight down and try to control Pierce, I don’t see it happening. I just looked both these guys up and it’s funny they fought each other before on a smaller show in Philadelphia back in 2009. Pierce won that fight via decision. I expect the same outcome in this fight. I believe Pierece has fought tougher competition since their 2009 match up and Bradley will have his hands full. I’m taking Pierce via decision. Winner: Mike Pierce
That is it for the Main Card. Make sure to try and watch most of these fights along with the under card on UFC’s Facebook page or at Foxsports.com. Get yourself a video and audio cable and hook up a computer to your big screen and BAM! You got yourself a party. Make sure to throw in some beers or other party favors. If you can get girls to geek out with you, all the better. Until next time, keep your beers on ice. CHEERS!
Make sure to join me on Twitter @tdueckmania
-Corner Man-
Current Half-Cut Record (3-2)
