UFC 144

Seven fights on the main card! Wow, thats a lot of fights, so no in depth previews, due to a kind of nutty week.

Anthony "Showtime" Pettis vs. Joe "J-Lau" Lauzon
lightweight

The winner of this fight is maybe a win or two away from title contention, and a victory for either is a big step in the right direction. Lauzon is coming off a huge upset over Melvin Guillard, and Pettis is not far removed from being the last WEC lightweight title holder. Both are strong in areas where the other does not excel, Pettis on the feet, and Lauzon on the ground, but neither is truly weak in anything. Expect Lauzon to stand early, but eventually look to get the fight to the ground and work his ground wizardry. If Pettis can keep it standing, he has an excellent chance to win, as Lauzon has show sub par conditioning in the past. Tough to call, but I'll take Pettis by close decision.

Pettis via Split Decision

Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart "Bartimus" Palaswewski
featherweight

Palaswewski has been rolling as of late, winning four of his last five fights, only losing a very close split decision to Kamal Shalorus. Hioki was successful in his UFC debut winning a razor thin split decision over George Roop, and is looking to prove that he should be the next man to face champion Jose Aldo. Hioki is tough on the feet, but his strength is on the mat, where his submission game is outstanding. Palaswewski is very well rounded, and tough, to boot! I see his conditioning and striking being the difference, as he just out works Hioki and upsets his homecoming by getting the nod from the judges.

Palaswewski via Unanimous Decision

Tim "The Barbarian" Boetsch vs. Yushin "Thunder" Okami
middleweight

Hmm, these two fight in almost the exact same style, and are big, strong, top control oriented fighters. Boetsch is the bigger man, having cut down from light heavyweight recently, but Okami is very difficult to out muscle. Their boxing is solid, if unspectacular, and they excel at grinding their opponents over the course of three rounds. Okami has better conditioning, but at 185 pounds, Boetsch has shown improvement there. This may not be a very flashy fight, but it will be a war of two men trying to impose their will upon the other, and try to break them mentally. Okami is the slightly better stand up fighter, so I'm guessing that will give him the edge, and the win via decision.

Okami vis Unanimous Decision.

Yoshihiro "Sexyama" Akiyama vs. Jake Shields
welterweight

Akiyama makes his UFC debut at 170 pounds, and does so in his homeland against the very dangerous Shields who is coming off his first two fight losing streak in his career. Akiyama has had a somewhat disappointing UFC career thus far, and is looking to right the ship by dropping down to welterweight. There will likely be no size disparity here, as Shields has fought many fights at 185 himself, so strength should be even, though Shields is likely to be the better conditioned fighter. Striking, Akiyama is the more powerful, and effective of the two, but if Shields can get the fight to the ground, look out for his grappling acumen to pose problems for Akiyama, who was submitted by an exhausted Chris Leben after thoroughly dominating him. This should be a hell of a fight, with both fighters looking to prove they belong, but I see Shields being hungrier, and getting the TKO via ground and pound midway through the second.

Shields via TKO, Rd. 2

Cheick Kongo vs. Mark "The Super Samoan" Hunt
heavyweight

This is going to be a war. Short and sweet, I don't see this getting out of the first round. Kongo is taller, and a more accurate striker, but Hunt is thicker, has a much better chin, and will likely use his 30+ pound weight advantage to bully Kongo around the cage. If he can get in close, Hunt will utilize his strength and mass to wear Kongo out, but if the kiwi can get inside range, Kongo will pick him apart. Going with the heart, and not the head here, Hunt lands something nasty from the clinch, and finishes him off with ground and pound.

Hunt via TKO, Rd. 1

Quentin "Rampage" Jackson vs. Ryan "Darth" Bader
light heavyweight

Jackson missed weight by five pounds due to an injury suffered in training camp, and that could be a huge factor in this fight. Bader is not as technically proficient on the feet as Jackson, but is incredibly powerful, and is very good at imposing his wrestling game, which is where he may want to take this fight. Jackson is a solid boxer, utilizing good head movement and footwork, but is not particularly good off his back, though his take down defense is better than most might think. If Jackson tires, he may be in for a long night, though Bader has hardly been a cardio machine himself. If Bader can withstand an early "Rampage" barrage, he may get a chance to impose his game. The mystery injury could be the X factor, and may turn what was expected to be a chance for Jackson to get back to his winning ways, into a hotly contested barn burner. Jackson gets the nod as he feeds off the Japanese crowd, and ekes out a close decision.

Jackson via Split Decision

LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT
Champion: Frankie "The Answer" Edgar vs. Ben "Smooth" Henderson

I'm calling this as Fight of the Night early, but it's hardly a stretch to think that these two fighters are capable of such an event. Edgar looks to be the first 155 pound champ since BJ Penn to successfully defend the title three times (I don't count the draw with Grey Maynard a defense, though he did walk out with the strap), but he has a tough opponent in Henderson. Much has been made about Edgar's size, but at this point, it's a non issue. Henderson is a massive lightweight, but so was Maynard, who Edgar fought THREE TIMES! Edgar has tremendous boxing, wrestling, and conditioning. What he has more so than any fighter that comes to mind, is heart and determination. He cannot be deterred, and uses every skill he has to batter his opponents physically and mentally. Henderson is an adept striker, but his bread and butter is his excellent ground skills. Wrestling, submission offense and defense, scrambles, transitions, he does it all, but the real key is, can he outwork the hardest worker in the lightweight division? This is likely to go the distance, and will be fought at a furious pace, with both men pushing themselves to the limit. Though I like Henderson and the skills he brings to the table, I see no reason to see why Edgar can't do what he has been doing for two years now. Edgar out strikes, out grapples, and just out works Henderson, on his way to a fantastic decision.

Edgar via Unanimous Decision