UFC's 25th and most likely last Fight Night to air on Spike is set to take place at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. This will the UFC's 7th trip to the state of Louisiana but the first since UFC 37 in 2002. The main event features the battle of 2 Jakes, former Strikeforce Middleweight and Elite XC Welterweight champion Jake Shields taking on Jake Ellenberger. The card also features 2 Ultimate Fighter winners in Court McGee and Jonathan Brookins as they take on Dongi Yang and Erik Koch respectively. The main card is rounded out with a returning Alan Belcher facing off against Canadian Jason Macdonald.
Main Event
Jake Shields vs Jake Ellenberger
26-5-1 Record 25-5
32 Age 26
169 Weight 170
6'0 Height 6'0
72" Reach 73"
-175 Odds +150
How they got here: Jake Shields is coming off his title loss to Georges St. Pierre and the recent unfortunate loss of his father and manager Jack Shields. Before the loss Shields was riding an impressive 15 win streak dating back to 2004. Ellenberger is on a 4 fight win streak since losing his UFC debut, his most recent victory coming over Sean Pierson by KO.What to expect: We should expect Ellenberger to try and knock Shields head off as he does have some of the best ko power in the Welterweight division. Shields on the other hand will be looking to get this fight on the ground and in his advantage with his great jiujitsu. Ellenberger though is no slouch on the ground as well having a good wrestling base to fall back on and could be able to stuff Shields's takedowns and in his comfort zone where he should have a distinct advantage over the tough Shields. In the end this fight will comedown to who has the better gas tank and who can keep it in their strength for the longest period of time.
My Prediction: Ellenberger by Decision
Court McGee vs Dongi Yang
13-1 Record 10-1
26 Age 26
184.5 Weight 186
5'11 Height 5'11
76" Reach N/A
-170 Odds +140
How they got here: McGee is on a 7 fight win streak which includes winning season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter and his most recent victory over Ryan Jensen. Injuries have slowed McGee however, as he has been out of action for nearly a year. Yang is coming off a TKO win over Rob Kimmons, and before suffering his first career loss he won his first 9 career bouts all by stoppage.
What to expect: Yang is a tough fight to come back to after a year of for McGee but still this should be McGee's fight to take. It could very well end up a slugfest but more likely McGee will be looking to take Yang down and work for a submission or ground and pound.
My Prediction: McGee by Submission 2nd Round
Jonathan Brookins vs Erik Koch
12-3 Record 12-1
22 Age 26
154 Weight 145
6'0 Height 5'10
74" Reach N/A
+135 Odds -165
How they got here: Brookins looks for his first win after winning Season 12 of The Ultimate Fighter an eye injury has slowed Brookins but he still is on a 4 fight win streak. Koch is coming off his impressive UFC debut which was a KO victory over Rafael Assuncao overall Koch has won 3 fights in a row.
What to expect: Brookins seems to let himself get hit and that could spell trouble and right into Koch's game. If Brookins can avoid Koch's KO power in the stand up and get this fight to the ground he does stand a chance with a definite advantage in the grappling department.
My Prediction: Koch by TKO 2nd Round
Alan Belcher vs Jason MacDonald
16-6 Record 25-14
27 Age 36
186 Weight 185
6'2 Height 6'2
75" Reach 80"
-270 Odds +210
How they got here: Belcher is coming off his serious eye injury that has forced him out of action for the last 18 months, he is one a 2 fight win streak. MacDonald made the most of his recent UFC return defeated Ryan Jensen by submission at UFC 129.
What to expect: Somewhat similar to the previous fight Belcher is looking to keep this fight standing and looking for the KO while MacDonald's best bet even his the reach advantage would be to get Belcher down and look for a submission. I think Belcher has enough ground skills to survive if it does go that way and will definitely be able to keep MacDonald guessing in the stand up.
My Prediction: Belcher by Decision
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