Audibly Offensive

Is Brock Lesnar really the next big star in MMA? Or will Randy Couture prove he’s still got it? We are just one week away from UFC 91: Couture Vs. Lesnar! Seeing as how I have nothing else to do right now I figured I would write a preview of this event and post my predictions on each of the main card fights. I’m flying solo today and I am going to go more in depth with my predictions than ever before so sit back, grab a snack and let the predictions begin!

UFC Heavyweight title: Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar

This is the fight that the UFC are calling “the biggest fight in UFC history” and it’s hard to argue with that because this is a HUGE fight! I admit when I first heard that Brock was getting the shot against Randy I was a bit skeptical. However it makes sense from a business standpoint and even though Brock is fairly new to the sport he is still a tremendous athlete and I think he will pose some problems for Randy. I definitely give the edge to Brock in size, strength and athleticism but obviously Randy has the edge in experience and technique. Both guys are great wrestlers everybody knows that but Brock is an extremely strong wrestler and Randy has had problems in the past with wrestlers like Brock who are able to overpower him. That being said we haven’t seen Brock in a war yet, we haven’t seen his chin tested and Randy has been there tons of times before. I’m leaning towards Randy to win by submission but Brock’s trainers have been telling people that his Jiu-Jitsu is coming along extremely quickly and he is almost at purple belt level already. If Brock doesn’t get too wild and executes a good game plan, I think he could definitely win this but I’m still leaning towards Randy. You can never count Randy Couture out even if he is in his seventies the guy is still going to put up a good fight, he is a true champion and I am really excited to see him back in the Octagon!

My prediction: Randy by second or third round submission.

Joe Stevenson vs. Kenny Florian

This is a fight that I have wanted to see for awhile now and it has all the potential to be one of the best fights of the year! These two guys are right next to BJ Penn and Sean Sherk as far as who the top four lightweights in the UFC are. The winner of this fight should get the next shot at BJ’s title but there have also been talks for the winner to fight Sean Sherk also so I am not sure what will happen. Kenny Florian has been on fire lately and you can tell he has come such a long way since the loss to Sean Sherk. Florian has crisp muay thai but I don’t think he has the power to knock Stevenson out, Florian also has a very good submission game but Stevenson’s is much better so I do not see Florian submitting him. I do however see Kenny following through with a great gameplan and picking Joe apart on the feet to score a unanimous decision, either that or Joe will get it to the ground and get the submission.

My prediction: Kenny Florian by unanimous decision

Amir Sadollah vs. Nick Catone

I’ll be honest, I don’t know much about Nick Catone other than the fact that he is undefeated and he is a good wrestler. Amir was the winner on the seventh season of “The Ultimate Fighter” and during his time on that show he defeated guys like Gerald Harris and CB Dollaway who are known for being dominant wrestlers so I do not see Amir having any problems with Nick Catone’s wrestling. After watching TUF season 7 I have become a big fan of Amir’s and I really hope he does well in the UFC. I think Amir has good stand-up and good submissions, I think he’s good at all areas of the game so he can finish Nick off with anything really.

My prediction: Amir by second round submission

Gabe Gonzaga vs. Josh Hendricks

Josh Hendricks is making his UFC debut and I have heard very good things about him. I wouldn’t be too surprised if Hendricks defeated Gonzaga but I’m going to go with the fighter that I am familiar with in Gonzaga.

My prediction: Gabriel Gonzaga by second round TKO

Nate Quarry vs. Demian Maia

I have always been a fan of Nate Quarry ever since watching him on the first TUF. He didn’t get to fight on the show because of an injury but I was so impressed with him just by the way he handled himself on the show, he has a great attitude. That being said I am going to have to go with Demian Maia on this one. Quarry has decent stand up and I have no idea what his ground game is like and Maia has one of the best ground games in MMA today. If Quarry is able to keep it standing he might win but I definitely think Maia will get this one to the ground and submit Quarry with one of his slick submissions.

My prediction: Demian Maia by third round submission

-Mitch “The Italian Tiger” Ciccarelli