UFC 142 FIGHT CARD

UFC 142 FIGHT CARD

Preliminary Card (Facebook)

Felipe Arantes vs Antonio Carvalho (FW)

Preliminary Card (FX)

Ricardo Funch vs Mike Pyle (WW)

Yuri Alcantara vs Michihiro Omigawa (FW)

Gabriel Gonzaga vs Ednaldo Oliveira (HW)

Thiago Tavares vs Sam Stout (LW)

Main Card (Pay-Per-View)

Edson Barboza vs Terry Etim (LW)

Erick Silva vs Carlo Prater (WW)

Rousimar Palhares vs Mike Massenzio (MW)

Vitor Belfort vs Anthony Johnson (MW)

Jose Aldo vs Chad Mendes (FW)

UFC 142: Shaun's Predictions

Jose Aldo vs Chad Mendes

Mendes will get Aldo to the ground. Mendes is one of the best wrestlers Aldo has faced. But with Aldo’s Jiu Jitsu no way Mendes will be able to keep it on the ground.  Aldo has the advantage if this fight stays standing and can get off his back. Mendes only has 4 finishes in his career and I don’t think that he will be able to finish Aldo.  Mendes is not going to be able to out strike Aldo, and Aldo has a 4 inch reach advantage. For me this could be fight of the night.

Prediction: Aldo TKO Rd 3

Vitor Belfort vs Anthony Johnson

This is a tough fight to call. With Johnson’s athleticism and Belfort’s explosiveness I think it’s going to be about getting out of the first round.  If Johnson can get out of the first round without too much damage he has a shot of a TKO or grinding out a decision victory on the ground.  But getting out of the first round without damage in RIO fighting Belfort might be next to impossible.

Prediction: Belfort via TKO in round 1.

Rousimar Palhares vs Mike Massenzio

Massenzio is a good ground fighter but Palhares is an absolute wrecking machine on the ground. Massenzio will want to keep the fight standing.  But I don’t think that Massenzio can avoid Palhares for 3 rounds.

Prediction: Palhares via submission round 1.

Erick Silva vs Carlo Prater

Silva is a black belt in both jiu-jitsu and judo and has 7 submissions out of his 13 career wins. In his UFC debut it was his striking that earned him a win over Luis Ramos where Silva looked like a legitimate future title contender. Prater is a veteran with 40 fights under his belt, but this is his first time in the UFC, taking the fight on short notice. I don’t think this is a good matchup for Prater. Silva is stronger, younger and this is a chance for him to showcase his skills.

Prediction: Silva via TKO round 3.

Edson Barboza vs Terry Etim

Barboza brings to the table unorthodox striking and an outstanding Muay Thai background causing him to be very hard to stand with. Etim is a solid striker and very good submission fighter. He’s not an upper level wrestler, per se so I’m not sure how easy it will be for him to implement his ground game. If Etim can get this fight to the ground for an extended amount of time he has a chance. But I see Barboza staying on his feet and relying on his striking.

Prediction: Barboza via decision.

UFC 142 Predictions (main card)

Jose Aldo vs Chad Mendes

This is (another) classic striker vs grappler matchup. Since coming to the UFC, Aldo has shown a much more cautious and refined strking game. Gone (at least temporarily) is the guy that knocked out Cub Swanson with two flying knees in eight seconds. I believe he is fighting safer due to the prestigious UFC belt. His fight with Mark Hominick was a great one but he visibly gassed in the last round due to an illness suffered before the bout. His lackluster win against Kenny Florian had more to do with Florian’s gameplan than Aldo. Mendes trains with Team Alpha Male with guys like Joseph Benavidez, Urijah Faber and Danny Castillo. Translation = his wrestling is top notch. He’ll look to close the gap, clinch and shoot for takedowns for five rounds. He has also shown great cardio in the past so this is also in his favor. This fight is difficult to predict. As much as I can visualize Mendes trying to grind and wear Aldo down for 5 rounds, 25 minutes is a LONG time to be in the cage with Aldo without Aldo landing something significant.

Prediction: Aldo by TKO

Vitor Belfort vs Anthony Johnson

This promises to be an explosive matchup. Belfort will rely on his boxing and hand speed and look for the knockout. Which Johnson will show up? The dominant wrestler or the striker? Belfort has had problems with wrestlers in the past, Randy Couture and Dan Henderson come to mind. If Johnson tries to strike with Belfort, I see a knockout victory for Belfort. If Johnson tries to clinch and wrestle with Belfort, it’s anybody’s fight.

Prediction: Belfort by TKO.

Mike Massenzio vs Rousimar Palhares

This is the fight I’m most looking forward to on this card. Why? Simply, Palhares is unpredictable, violent and dangerously skilled. The guy has vicious, vicious leg locks and kneebars and has a great ground game. He also has a tendency to do wild things in the cage like when he celebrated about winning his fight over Dan Miller. The problem? The ref hadn’t stopped the fight and the fight was re-started. Palhares ended up winning a 3 round decision but it was bizarre to say the least. Massenzio was recently triangled by Brian Stann (with due respect, a grappler not on Palhares’ level) so I see a submission win for Palhares followed by him celebrating his win AFTER the fight has been officially stopped by the referee and for him to continue to climb the contender’s list at middleweight.

Prediction: Palhares by submission

Carlo Prater vs Erick Silva

Silva electrified the Rio crowd in August with a blistering knockout of Luis Ramos in just 40 seconds. As exciting as that was, hopefully we can see more of the Brazilian this time around. This proves to be an excellent matchup. Can Prater strike with Silva? Can Silva showcase more than a big overhand punch this time around? Look for Silva to find his range and go 2 for 2 fighting in his home country.

Prediction: Silva by TKO.

Edson Barboza vs Terry Etim

Joe Silva really did an unbelievable job here. This is another fight that will be fireworks. Barboza has a very clear mission in fighting: keep the fight standing so he can unleash his vicious muay thai. His fight with Anthony Njokuani back in March was an amazing back and forth battle that led him to getting the nod. His fight with Ross Pearson was also a barnburner. Etim is no slouch on the feet but will be looking to take this to the ground immediately, where he should have a distinct advantage. This should be another explosive matchup for Rio.

Prediction: Barboza by decision