It has been about 5 weeks since the last UFC event. Add to the fact that Pride FC is pretty much done and has not had events in months and you have one hungry MMA fan. UFC 73 was pretty uneventful and lop-sided for the most part. When it wasn’t lop-sided we had a draw between Ortiz and Evans. Both fighters wanted rematch after the fight but I don’t think the fans want it. The fight showed that Ortiz has always been overrated and Evans is a boring fighter.
Enough with my rant and let’s look ahead to this Saturday’s event, UFC 74. This has the potential to be a great card. The prelims also has some big names. Overall, it’s a solid card and here’s the predictions:
Couture vs. Gonzaga
This fight will be a carbon copy of Couture/Rodriguez fight back in UFC 39. Couture will get the takedowns in the early rounds. Once Gonzaga has Couture tired, he will ground and pound a victory in the 4th round. Gonzaga’s strikes are superior to Couture’s. Couture’s striking defense has always been good and I doubt he’ll get knocked out on his feet. Couture always gets counted out everytime he fights and has surprised the fans many times with his victories. But this time, I don’t see him controlling Gonzaga for five rounds on the ground. Gonzaga is excellent in submissions and will defend Randy’s GNP. So once again, Couture will lose the same say to Gonzaga as he lost to Ricco ‘Burger’ Rodriguez.
St. Pierre vs. Koscheck
St. Pierre is coming off a loss on his first title defense. Koscheck beat the once undefeated Diego Sanchez in a snoozefest. What do you get when these two fighters collide? A fight that is very hard to predict. St. Pierre is one of the best fighters in the planet but it’s his mind set that is his biggest opponent. In his last fight, he buckled under pressure and just wasn’t himself against Matt Serra. He seems to fight better when the title is not on the line. Koscheck has gotten better with his stand up but he is still boring as hell. He’s a wrestler so he’s content with just laying and praying to a decision. I predict St. Pierre’s strike will carry himt to a victory against Koscheck. St. Pierre will get taken down but he is very slippery on the ground and he will get up. If Koscheck is foolish enough to stand up with St. Pierre, he’ll get a beating. Expect a war, with St. Pierre edging out Koscheck in the judge’s card.
Huerta vs. Crane
I’ve never heard of Crane and seeing how UFC is pushing Huerta like he’s the next superstar, I’m going out on a limb here and say Huerta by submission in the 2nd round. Let me just say this, Huerta is like Cung Le in terms of overratedness. Announcers promote them like they’re the next Fedor when in reality, they have not fought a proven fighter.
Pellegrino vs. Stevenson
One fighter that is not overrated is Joe Stevenson. He has proven himself in the cage and he will win against Pellegrino. Pellegrino is coming off two consecutive wins and trains with roids taker, Hermes Franca. His bjj is good but he is no match for the seasoned fighter, Stevenson. Expect Stevenson to get a guillotine in the third round.
Cote vs. Grove
This might be an exciting match because Grove is aggressive and Cote is a counter fighter. Cote has talent but for some reason, never takes risks. That’s why he is not exciting. Grove on the other hand, will brawl and stand toe to toe with his opponents. This will go to a judge’s decision and Grove having his hands raised. Grove is too fast and athletic for Cote.
Prelim matches – I’ll just give a short and brief prediction for these matches
Jensen vs. Leites
Leites by submission in the first round.
Sobral vs. Heath
Renato “Babawho” Sobral also by submission in the first round. I’m glad everyone has been exposed to the overhyped that is Babalu.
Mir vs. Hardonk
If Mir fought the same way as he did against Brandon Vera, expect a KO from Hardonk. I’ll go with Mir with a submission in the second round. I hope Mir has fully recovered from his previous knee injuries
Giuda vs. Aurellio
Potential to be the best fight of the card. Giuda always tries to finish, while Aurellio is one of the two fighters that has beaten Takanori Gomi in Pride FC. This is a really tough card to call. I’ll give an edge to Aurellio because he trains with American Top Team and they have been on a tear lately. Don’t count out Giuda as he’s a cardio machine and great at submissions. This will go to a judge and Aurellio will win via unanimous decision.
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