The Main Card for UFC 146 is comprised completely of Heavyweights of the first time. There will be a total of 5 fights, including Championship fight between current Champ Junior Dos Santos and former Champ Frank Mir. I’m expecting some very good fights tonight, although I’m not sure that any of the Heavyweight bouts will go the distance. UFC Heavyweights throw a lot of bombs and tonight should be no exception.
Here are my predictions for the top two fights on the main card.
Junior Dos Santos (14-1) vs. Frank Mir (17-5)
Dos Santos is a heavy favorite for this fight, and with good reason. Dos Santos is young, athletic and the best boxer in the UFC Heavyweight division, by far. Dos Santos also has good Take Down defense, which he will probably have to use because there is no doubt that Mir will try to bring this fight to the ground, which is where he has a chance to win. Frank Mir is very dangerous on the ground because of his exceptional jiu-jitsu and wrestling skills. He has broken the bones of several of his opponents. If Mir gets a good hold of one Dos Santos’s limbs this fight could be brought to a quick end by submission. Of course, Dos Santos is well aware of that and I think he will prove to be too quick and strong to be put in a vulnerable position on the ground by Mir. If Mir cannot bring down Dos Santos he will be trouble because his boxing, although improved in recent years, simply isn’t good enough to enable him last long if the fight remains standing.
Junior Dos Santos by TKO, 2nd Rd.
Cain Velasquez (9-1) vs. Antonio “Big Foot” Silva (16-3)
Two well rounded fighters squaring off here. Both fighters are probably better on the ground than they are standing, but both can deliver KO blows their fists.
Cain Velasquez wins by TKO, 3rd Rd.
I think the rest of the Main Card fights will be KO’s or submissions. I’m just not sure who who will win because I haven’t seen 4 out the remaining 6 Heavyweights fight enough to have a strong opinion.
I have seen Roy Nelson and Stefan Struve fight and I know both of them can deliver KO’s, but I’m not sure about their respective opponents.
POST EVENT COMMENTS:
Well, the top two fights went pretty much as I expected, although I must concede that I did not see Cain Velasquez making such short work of Bigfoot Silva. A very nasty, well placed elbow made the quick victory possible. It looks like Velasquez has taken note of dangerous elbows can be by watching a few Jon Jones fights.
Junior Dos Santos was indeed just too quick and agile for Frank Mir. Dana White indicated that he would like to see a Dos Santos vs. Velasquez rematch and I hope that happens as soon as possible. I would favor JDS again in that fight, but I expect the rematch would last significantly than the 64 seconds the first fight between them lasted. I think only a fighter with world class wrestling has a chance against JDS and Velasquez falls into that category.
gmf journal 