My Prediction: Edgar by Decision
My Rating: $$$1/2
What Happened: In a very close 5 round war it was the challenger Henderson who as expected used his size and power to walk away the new Lightweight champion. The 1st round saw Henderson looking to attack with kicks but Edgar noticeably game planned for that as he caught Henderson's kicks numerous times. The 2nd saw some takedown attempts and seemed close going into the final minute but with Henderson on his back he landed a vicious upkick right to Edgar's nose wobbling the champion with the most significant strike of the fight and setting the tone for the rest of it. In typical Edgar fashion though he came back in the 3rd in perhaps the closest round of the fight both fighters traded punches and Edgar looked for a takedown, it really could of been scored 10-10. The final 2 rounds where much of the same with a close battle on the feet but it was Henderson who did enough in both to get the nod and become the new UFC Lightweight Champion. As much as people were thinking of a rematch between Pettis and Henderson after both their performances on the card it shouldn't be out of the question that Edgar gets an immediate rematch, you would think he's earned that much after all he was forced to win 2 rematches with Penn and Maynard during his title run.
My Prediction: Jackson by TKO 2nd Round
My Rating: $$
What Happened: Rampage was in full Pride form for a very brief moment anyway. Midway through the 2nd round Rampage picked up and slammed Bader awkwardly to the mat but Bader was able to recover score his own takedowns, while working the clinch and avoiding big shots standing from Jackson as his pretty much cruised to the unanimous decision and biggest win of his career to date.
My Prediction: Hunt by TKO 1st Round
My Rating: $$$
What Happened: Kongo perhaps was looking to clinch or even take down Hunt but Hunt was up to the task avoiding an early clinch by Kongo and was able to close the distance by catching a kick and landing a good left hand on Kongo. Hunt, smelling blood followed up with some hard right hands that stunned then dropped Kongo, from there Hunt kept swarming with shots until the ref called an end to the fight which extended Hunt's surprising win streak to 3 fights.
My Prediction:Akiyama by TKO 2nd Round
My Rating: $$
What Happened: Shields was frustrated by Akiyama's game takedown defense and occasional judo sweep but sealed the win being the more aggressive striker and while in the 3rd round finally got Akiyama down, took his back and looking for a choke. He didn't get the finish he was hoping for but the dominate position did seal the victory for Shields, who ended his 2 fight losing streak while pushing Akiyama's to a disappointing 4 in a row.
My Prediction: Okami by Decision
My Rating: $$$1/2
What Happened: Boetsch who was down 2 rounds to none came out in the 3rd guns blazing knowing he needed the finish to get the win and a right hand started which what ultimately end a good 10 minute showing by Okami. Dominated by Okami with crisp striking and ground control in what commentators Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg were calling Okami's best performance of his career Boetsch played the role of ultimate spoiler and shot him self into the divisions rankings with the huge win.
My Prediction: Hioki by Submission 2nd Round
My Rating: $$
What Happened: Hioki used a very strong first round which arguably could of been a 10-8 round to get passed the tough Palaszewski and prove he really is one of the best featherweights in the world today. Hioki landed a punch and a body kick very early in the round that set the tone for the rest of the round. After a few scoring jabs by Hioki the fight ended up on the ground with Hioki eventually getting Palaszewski's back and transitioned the position into a tight arm bar attempt. Palaszewski did an excellent job escaping the tight arm lock but didn't escape the ground and pound Hioki followed up with to end the round. The 2nd round saw Palaszewski even the score (on 2 judges scorecards at least) as he used an attack highlighted by leg kicks while landed the occasional right hand. The 3rd round saw Hioki's grappling take control again as he gained side control which quickly turned into Palaszewski giving up his back. Hioki worked for a choke but the final bell came before he could lock one in.
My Prediction: Pettis by Decision
My Rating: $$$1/2
What Happened: It wasn't a very surprising outcome really for Lauzon as he elected to stay in the pocket against the dangerous striking of Pettis. Pettis was able to fire in some kicks to the body which had Lauzon guessing and opened up the opportunity for Pettis to eventually go high on a kick which landed flush shin on jaw and floored Lauzon, Pettis followed up with some strikes but it was really over with the kick.
Prelims
Takanori Gomi defeated Enji Mitsuoka by TKO 2:21 2nd Round
My Prediction: Gomi by TKO 1st Round
Vaughan Lee defeated Norifumi Yamamoto by Submission 4:29 1st Round
My Prediction: Yamamoto by TKO 1st Round
Riki Fukuda defeated Steve Cantwell by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
My Prediction: Fukuda by Decision
Chris Cariaso defeated Takeya Mizugaki by Unanimous Decicison (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
My Prediction: Mizugaki by Decision
Issei Tamura defeated Tiequan Zhang by TKO :32 2nd Round
My Prediction: Zhang by Submission 1st Round
(photos courtesy of UFC.com)
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