Clay Guida vs Mac Danzig
Clay “The Carpenter” Guida (23-9), instantly recognizable for his log mane of wild, curly hair, is a tough and well-rounded fighter who, for some reason, seems to have trouble translating his natural ability into consistent wins in the UFC. Over his career, Guida’s strength has been his grappling, but he has only one bout in the UFC by submission, and was himself submitted by up and coming star Roger Huerta.
His Opponent, Mac Danzig (19-4), also known as “that rude vegan on The Ultimate Fighter” , will be looking to prove that his nationally televised arrogance was well founded ans established himself as a possible contender in the crowded 155 pound title scene. Danzig is also a grappler, and most likely a superior grappler to Guida, although the edge goes to Guida in wrestling. Danzig also brings another advantage to the Octagon in the form of a vast pool of experience.
I see the Guida controlling the fight early, taking Danzig down and doing some substantial damage from the top before Danzig turns it around and catches “The Carpenter” with an armbar from his aback midway through the third round.
Ed Herman vs Alan Belcher
Ed Herman (14-6), an Ultimate Fighter alum who was one loss to Kendall Grove away from winning the coveted six figure contract, had mixed success in the UFC. “Short Fuse” Herman has suffered losses to accomplished grapplers Demian Maia and Jason MacDonald, but has also earned a few impressive wins, including a KO of Joe Doerkson and a rear naked choke submission of Scott Smith. Fighting out of Team Quest, Herman is known primarily as a wrestler who likes to grind and pound, but also has passable standup and a decent submission attack.
Alan Belcher (11-5) , also known as “The Talent”, is another well rounded fighter whose stint in the UFC has seen its ups and downs. Belcher’s primary strength is his striking, and he will look to keep distance and pepper Herman with shots from the outside.
In the end, I see Herman’s strength and wrestling being too much for Belcher, with “Short Fuse” controlling the fight on the ground before securing a rear naked choke on the tired-out Belcher early in the third round.
Houston Alexander vs Eric Schafer
Shortly after his UFC debut, a gutsy performance which saw Houston Alexander (8-3) come back from being rocked by top contender Keith Jardine only to roaring back with a KO. Houston looked like eh might just be a force to be reckoned with in the light heavyweight division. A second KO, this time of Italian journeyman Alessio Sakara, had Joe Rogan and MMA fans everywhere saying “Houston Alexander is for real!” Since then, though, Alexander has had a tougher time suffering two consecutive first round knock out losses.
He will get a chance to return to his winning ways against Eric Schafer (9-3-2), returning to UFC after a disappointing previous stint and a short trip to the minor leagues. Primarily a grappler, Schafer will need to get this fight to the ground quick in order to avoid Alexander’s lethal pinching power. I see Alexander denying Schafer the takedown and punishing him in the clinch for a round one KO.
Alessio Sakara vs Joe Vedepo
Sakara, an Italian fighter with dangerous striking but a suspect chin, has had a rocky road in UFC. After debuting with a quality unanimous decision win over seasoned vet Elvis Sinocic, Sakara has since been choked out once by world class grappler Dean Lister, and knocked out 3 times, including brutal losses to heavy-handed Chris Leben and Houston Alexander.
Sakara will get a chance to get back on track at Fight Night, squaring off against the relatively unknown Joe Vedepo, who is making his first appearance in the UFC. While he has not faced the best in the world, he has faced much tougher opposition than Vedepo has, and Sakara’s experience and solid punching power should be enough to earn a TKO win in round two.
Undercard Predictions
Rob Kimmons over Dan Miller by submission
Drew McFedries over Mike Massenzio by KO
Joe Lauzon over Kyle Bradley by submission
Wilson Gouveia over Ryan Jensen by unanimous decision
