UFC 101 Predictions

UFC 101 is this Saturday and I am excited to say that I will be viewing the event at Shoeless Joe's where they have the best lattuce fries in Southern Ontario. Now the event itself doesn't have the same draw as UFC 100 but is still going to be a great card with lots of star power and history on the line.

Of course Anderson "the Spider" Silva will be fighting and looking to improve on his winning streak inside the octagon by getting his 10th straight victory. If he wins he will more than likely hold onto his belt past October which would give him 3 full years as UFC Middleweight champion which I am sure is some kind of record.

Also on the card is BJ Penn who, if he beats Kenny Florian, will legitimize his legacy as one of the best fighters of all time. I say this because it will be the first time Penn has beaten serious competition as lightweight. Jens Pulver, Joe Stevenson, and Sean Sherk don't count as serious contenders because Pulver was old, Stevenson is one dimensional, and Sherk is useless unless on steroids. Florian will be the first test for Penn who had beaten top welterweights in the past but never a top lightweight. Penn may set the modern standard for success across weight divisions.

UFC 101 will also mark the debut of Amir Sadollah. Sadollah has fought in the UFC before winning the finale of TUF over a year ago but has since been injured and unable to fight. This time he is 100% and ready to fight and will finally get to show the world his skills.

Now that you are pumped for the event it is time for some predictions:

BJ "the Prodigy" Penn (13-5-1) vs Kenny "KenFlo" Florian (13-3)

This is a match up of the best nickname is MMA (the Prodigy) against the worst nickname in MMA (KenFlo). It also marks the first true test in BJ Penn's lightweight career.

Now Penn is coming off a devastating loss to Georges St. Pierre where he was dominated for 20 minutes and then was forced to submit due to fatigue. Penn is hungry for a win but seems to still be hung up on the St. Pierre fight as he was been all over the news saying GSP was on steroids when they fought and that he illegally greased himself. Penn may be looking past Florian when he needs to be paying attention to him.

Florian on the other hand is 100% focused and has his trash talking game on blast. He has ripped off 6 straight wins in the octagon and has looked amazing while doing so. His ground game is unreal and he has some of the sharpest elbows in MMA. He also has the cardio to go late into rounds which he will need against Penn.

I personally hate BJ Penn and love Kenny Florian. I think Florian is the smartest fighter in MMA and has been improving every fight since he has been in the UFC. I think he can survive BJ Penn's initial assault and eventually tire him out enough to get him on the ground and work the ground and pound.

Prediction: Florian via TKO due to strikes in the 4th round.

Anderson "the Spider Silva (24-4) vs Forrest Griffin (16-5)

Finally Anderson Silva will be fighting someone where he will need to try. In his last two fights Silva has faced opponents who wanted nothing to do with him and were content on either running away the whole time (Patrick Cote) or laying on their back like a broad (Thales Leites). Silva will have no such luck with Griffin who is a dog and will push the pace the whole fight.

Griffin is coming off a tough loss to Rashad Evans and is looking to rebuild his reputation and start climbing back up the ladder. Griffin has always wanted to fight tough guys but I think in this case he may have bitten off more than he can chew. Silva is no joke and is unlike anyone Griffin has fought before. Then again people said the same thing before he fought Shogun and look how that ended.

How does Griffin win this fight? Not on the feet. Not in a decision. Good luck submitting Silva. I love Forrest but I just don't see a scenario where he has his hand raised at the end of the fight. He loves to brawl and exchange and Silva is the very last person you want to exchange with. At least Silva will try for this fight and should entertain rather than sedate the crowd.

Prediction: Silva via KO in the 2nd round

Amair Sadollah (2-0) vs Johny Hendricks (5-0)

Now no one has seen Amir fight in a long time because of injury but from what I have read he is a beast at the gym and is being compared to Forrest Griffin. That being said there is no substitute for experience and in that area Sadollah is weak. I am not saying Hendricks is a veteran or anything but 5 fights is more than 2.

Sadollah is more of a ground fighter having won both his professional fights by submission where as Hendricks prefers to stand. Neither has beaten anyone of note but I am going to go with the likable Sadollah.

It is worth noting that if Sadollah loses he can always fall back on his television career.

Prediction: Sadollah via Unanimous Decision

Kendall "Da Spyder" Grove (12-5) vs Ricardo "Big Dog" Almeida

Two of the top 10 worst nicknames face off in this middleweight bout. The sad thing about this fight is that it actually has some title implications. Brutal I know.

Kendall Grove is a trash fighter who is coming off a lucky one punch knockout of Jason Day while Almeida is a decent fighter who is coming off a decision victory over the always dangerous, yeah right, Matt Horwich. Seriously how did this fight make the main card?

Kendall doesn't have the power to knockout Almeida or the ground game to stop him. Almeida should win this fight easily. At least he better so I get to see at least 1 non-broadcasted fight.

Prediction: Almeida via Submission in the 2nd round.

Josh "the Dentist" Neer (25-7-1) vs Kurt "Batman" Pellegrino (19-4)

I just want to say that Pellegrino might be the only person I know of that likes Batman more than Calvin Burrows.

Now Neer is a submission specialist who has a great chin and and is as tough as they come. He is coming off an impressive submission victory over TUF winner Mac Danzig and looking to get a winning streak going.

Pellegrino is known for his ground game and boasts an excellent chin as well. He recently beat Rob Emerson like he stole something and looks to try and climb the ladder as well.

Both these fighters match up very well except for Neer's ability to work submissions is greater than Pellegrino's. I think that will make the difference in the fight as Neer will constantly be trying to put Pellegrino in submissions but in all honesty it is a true coin flip.

Prediction: Neer via Unanimous Decision

____________________________________

So there you go. Predictions you can take to the bank. Seriously. In my UFC 100 predictions i went 6-2. What up!!

Random YouTube Video