UFC 152

Vitor Belfort was once the most feared fighter in the early days of UFC. His speed and strength was almost unmatched inside the cage.  Over the years Belfort went from top of the heap to middle of the pack. But with a couple of high profile wins and a little bit of luck the Brazilian gets a shot at the Light heavyweight title.

Belfort has been fighting at Middleweight for the past few years and how he’s stepping in the cage against one of the most dominant   Light Heavyweight fighters in UFC. Jon Jones has already put away four former UFC Champs with ease. It will be difficult for Belfort to put up an effective strategy that Jones hasn’t already seen.  If there’s any chance that Belfort can pull off an upset he’ll need to pressure Jones from the opening bell. He’ll need to use his speed to close the distance and press the champ up against the cage.  Beflort is a great fighter, but in the end Jones will finish the fight before it reaches the championship rounds.

My Picks:

Jon Jones Beats Vitor Belfort
Demetrious Johnson beats Joseph Benavidez
Michael Bisping beats Brian Stann
Matt Hamill beats Roger Hollett
Charles Oliveira beats Cub Swanson
Igor Pokrajac beats Vinny Magalhaes
Evan Dunham beats TJ Grant
Sean Pierson beats Lance Benoist
Charlie Brenneman beats Kyle Noke

UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko

Jon “Bones” Jones is riding on some serious hype. You can’t blame him as he has beat some top competition early at this stage of his career. At age 23 he is young and has plenty of opportunities waiting for him. But Vladimir Matyushenko is looking to steal the spotlight. Matyushenko is not some old veteran looking to get some cage time before he retires he looking to make a run at the title. The former IFL Heavyweight champ is as dangerous as any opponent Jones will face. But if Matyushenko wants to win he’ll need to take Jones down early and hold him down there and work for submissions and work some ground and pound. On the feet is where it can get dangerous for the Belarusian. Jones is dynamic and incredibly fast. Strikes from Jones can from almost in any direction. One thing Matyushenko will need to be worry about is Bone’s double underhooks lateral throw. Closing the distance on a  good striker is a good idea, except for on Jones. With his 6′ 4″ frame Jones utilizes his height advantage and leverage to get his opponent into the air and onto the floor. In the end, I see Matyushenko unable to get his opponent down to the floor and succumbing to Jone’s superior striking.

My Picks:

Tyson Griffin beats Takinori Gomi
Jake Ellenberger beats John Howard
Mark Munoz beats Yushin Okami
Jon Jones beats Vladimir Matyushenko