Doctor Law: It’s pretty clear these guys fight at a lower weight class because there is no way a heavyweight or light heavyweight could get away with either of those nicknames (Demetrious Johnson = Mighty Mouse, John Dodson = The Magician). This fight can be summed up pretty simply for me: Can Dodson do what Benavidez couldn't and get a hold of Mighty Mouse long enough to actually do some damage? Dodson is very explosive and has shown good power. He even knocked out TJ Dillashaw to win TUF 16 at bantamweight. I’m not a big fan of how Mighty Mouse fights, but it’s awfully effective. He sticks and moves to victories in the same vain as Dominick Cruz and Frankie Edgar. I’m going to answer “no” that question above and say that Mighty Mouse pulls off the victory. Then again, what kind of nutty strategy has Greg Jackson come up with for this title fight? Mighty Mouse by clear decision.
DJ Mark with a "K": On paper I can see this fight being very tactical and thus maybe a little on the boring side. Johnson has been a decision machine and while his style of fighting has been very successful (dude’s champ after all) he hasn't really made a fan out of me yet. On the other hand Dodson has some pretty heavy hands and has been able to get some KOs/TKOs. I know it’s a super long shot but for some really strange reason I have a feeling this is going to be a fun match up and Dodson will catch Johnson late in the fight. This prediction defies logic so I’m fully prepared to be 100% wrong here. Dodson by TKO 1:24 into 4th round.
Kid Presentable: Mighty Mouse is fast. The Magician is fast. Dodson oddly has KO power in such a diminutive weight class, but Mighty Mouse has only gone to decisions for the last two years. Scrambles, clinches, chasing around the cage oh my! I don't have high expectations for this fight, but I also have a solid history of making a lot of incorrect calls in MMA. I have been a heavy Mighty Mouse lean since this fight was announced, but after realizing what Dodson's nickname was, I decided to say bollocks to it and be bold. Brutalitops, The MAGICIAN, by decision.Lavender Gooms: This fight could go one of two ways. It will either be an exciting fast paced fight between two elf-sized martial artists or it will be a boring fight where two small dudes just dance around each other and cause no damage. That’s normally one of the problems with 125ers but I don’t think that will be the case here. Dodson has some pop in those gloves, having two KO’s in his three UFC bouts and Mighty Mouse seems incapable of giving me a fight I’m bored with. Both fighters have adequate to good ground games and stand up. The tipping point in this fight will be the experience which Johnson has against top flight talent. That will be the difference. Mighty Mouse by unanimous decision.
Picking Johnson- Gooms, Dr. Law
Picking Dodson- Kid P, DJ Mark
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson v. Glover Teixeira
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| Image via Bleacherreport.com |
Doctor Law: Anybody who reads this blog or listens to our podcast knows that Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is my favorite fighter of all time. As a result, all of his fights come with a fair amount of stress for me. As Rampage as aged, the stress has increased. MMA may be a fairly new sport, but one thing is clear: it’s hard to go out gracefully in any combat sports, be it boxing or MMA. Chuck got KO’d by Rampage, Shogun, and Franklin, Randy lost a tooth to Machida; Hughes got KO’d bad by BJ and Koscheck. It’s just the way it goes. With Quinton, it seems to be a combination of being very vocal with his displeasure with the UFC in the media along with showing up totally prepared for fights. It’s always hard to tell which Rampage is going to show up to fight. This fight with Glover is a big test. Glover, allegedly, wants to stand up with Quinton, which most people tend to avoid. He’s the exact type of fighter Rampage says he wants to fight. The UFC is granting him his wish in what Rampage says is his final UFC appearance (I have my doubts). He’s going to find a way to get it done…I hope. Rampage by 2nd round TKO.
DJ Mark with a "K": Sadly, this seems to be Quinton’s last fight in the UFC. The good news is that he’s getting matched up with someone that should make for a very exciting and winnable match up. Teixeira has shown that he’s here to bang with anyone they put in the Octagon with him, which seems to be something that Quinton’s past opponents didn’t seem too interested in doing. Hopefully, win lose or draw, Quinton can leave the UFC with his head held high. I’m taking Teixeira in the fight mostly because there’s a lot of unanswered questions regarding where Quinton’s head is at, but regardless of his mental state I expect one hell of a fight out of these two. Teixeira by TKO 2:11 into the 2nd round.
Kid Presentable: Rampage once said "You don't know what I can do with that money, I can do some things with that money, that money would look good in my pocket." Truer words have never been spoken. Rampage now comes upon his final fight in the UFC, and probably the last time he'll earn enough money that looks good in his pocket from fighting. Glover's Hacklemen connections would generally lead me to thinking Rampage has his number, except that it is very difficult to gauge how much Rampage has cared in his last few fights, of if he still has the ability that brought him to where he was. Glover by TKO round 3.
Lavender Gooms: If this is supposedly Rampage’s last fight with the UFC, they sure didn’t do him any favors in scheduling a favorable match-up. Glover Teixeira is a monster and Rampage is a shell of his former self. Glover wasn’t very impressive in his last fight against Fabio Maldonado but Rampage looked down right atrocious against Bader a year ago. I would love to pick Rampage to destroy Glover and keep the spirit of Pride alive but I can’t. On Saturday there will be an Iranian boy who loves Rampage crying in a corner. Glover by decision.
Picking Rampage- Dr. Law alone on an island on this one
Picking Teixeira- Gooms, Kid P, DJ Mark
Donald Cerrone v. Anthony Pettis
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| Never gets old |
Doctor Law: This should be a fun fight. Both of these guys basically have the same strengths: crisp, powerful kickboxing and solid submissions. Also, it has become apparent over the last month or so that Anthony Pettis is very angry with Donald Cerrone. Cerrone has absolutely gotten inside of Pettis’s head; much like Nate Diaz did to Cerrone himself at UFC 141. It remains to be seen if fighting angry helps or hurts Pettis in this fight. Both guys have knockout power, but neither has been knocked out. I see this going to the judges after an absolute war. Cerrone takes this one by decision.
DJ Mark with a "K": This is one of those fights that probably could have happened a bunch of different times over the last couple of years. It’s also another fight that on paper should totally deliver. Both guys are great kick boxers and one the feet it should be an awesome fight. It’s hard to imagine this fight be anything less then totally entertaining. Skill wise, I think Pettis is just a little better then Cerrone but on any given night Cerrone could easily get a W. Logically though I’m going with Pettis. Pettis by exciting decision.
Lavender Gooms: God I love it when two strikers go against each other. It doesn’t mean that both of these men aren’t well rounded but this fight will be decided on the feet. Anthony Pettis aka Showtime aka “The last man to beat Bendo” is slightly better than Cerrone in both phases of the game. Cerrone is a tough man to knock out, so Pettis will have to settle for a dominating decision. Pettis by Unamimous decision.
Picking Cerrone- Dr. Law
Picking Pettis- Gooms, Kid P, DJ Mark
Erik Koch v. Ricardo Lamas
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| Image via mmasucka.com |
Doctor Law: What the f*ck is going on with Erik Koch’s fake tan. Seriously, who is telling this man that he looks good? I shouldn’t be too hard on him; the man did admit this week that he is a 49er fan. This fight with Lamas will establish one of three things: 1) who faces the winner of Edgar/Aldo, 2) who faces The Korean Zombie or 3) who decides if they want to wait to face the winner of Zombie v. Aldo/Edgar. I think it’ll end up being #3, assuming TKZ is healthy. Lamas impressed the hell out of me with his victor over Hatsu Hioki. He’s also fighting in his hometown, so he should be excited. I think Koch wins this though. Why, you ask? As I said, he’s a Niner fan. Koch by 2nd round TKO.
DJ Mark with a "K": Of all the main card fights this one interest me the least. I’ve seen both of these guys fight before but neither really sticks out in my head. Lamas looked good in his last fight beating Hioki so I’m putting my money on him. Since I’m not expecting much I bet this will turn out to be Fight of the Night. Lamas by decision.
Kid Presentable: Erik Koch comes down from a too early, too soon title shot that would have been absolute wrecking by Jose Aldo to face the Renegade, Lorenzo Lamas. Oh, he's not Lorenzo? Close enough. Lorenzo is a good wrestler who has been wrecking people since his drop to featherweight, putting the beat down of his career on former #2 featherweight Hatsu Hioki. Koch is a powerful striker, but seems fairly one dimensional in his game. Lorenzo will probably be able to dictate where this fight takes place, and therefore will probably take the W. Renegade by decision.
Lavender Gooms: Considering an injury robbed him of a chance to fight Aldo, if Koch wins this fight, he’ll likely get the next shot at the featherweight title. Koch possesses some knockout ability and if he can take the fight early to Lamas should come out with a flashy finish that all the ladies love. Koch by TKO in 2nd.
Picking Koch- Gooms, Dr. Law
Picking Lamas- Kid P, DJ Mark
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