UFC Fight Night: Browne v. Lewis & Bellator: Fedor v. Mitrione Picks

Travis Browne v Derrick Lewis

Picking Browne: Kid P
Picking Lewis: Dr. Law, DJ Mark, Gooms

Johny Hendricks v. Hector Lombard

Picking Hendricks:
Picking Lombard: Dr. Law, Kid P, DJ Mark, Gooms

Carla Esparza v. Randa Markos

Picking Esparza: Gooms, DJ Mark, Kid P, Dr. Law
Picking Markos:

UFC 203: Miocic v. Overeem feat. CM PUNK picks and predictions

This time last year, Cleveland had no championships, and I was enjoying my little sports bubble of the Warriors having broken their own drought of victory. Then one day in a soccer stadium in Brazil, we saw a man with a look of pure shock and adulation amongst a sea of people quiet as the vacuum of space standing there saying to himself: "I'm the champion? I'm the champion!!" Can't be anything but happy to see Stipe to be the man who broke the Cleveland Curse. Now he faces Alistair Overeem, a man who was meant to be a contender from the start, but whose own road had many detours along the way. Fabricio Werdum also returns since dropping the belt hoping to hop right back into title contention with a win. A legend of the little guys hopes to add to his legacy, and two ladies who always bring the fight come to scrap. But let me be real and honest for a moment, I know he is a polarizing figure, but I am here for CM Punk. He was the lone wrestler that made me pay attention in an era of me totally not caring about pro wrestling at all. I like his story. I like what he fights for. Most of the time I try to not make it personal with my picks, but this one is all personal. I'm with CM Punk. #BestInTheWorld

UFC Heavyweight Championship

Stipe Miocic (c) vs Alistair Overeem

Punk ain't no B according to Stipe @danielswbjj

As I begin to write this, we're kicking things off with one of the more surprisingly difficult fights to call on the card. The nature of heavyweight is just that anyone can be victorious at just about any given time. Even the surprise upsets don't really feel like that big of a surprise. We've all talked about the running "home field disadvantage" that has shown up that we hope continues on. Besides that notion, you also have to give credit to Reem himself for truly evolving his game. He fights more controlled and as a result has gassed out far less. Jackson/Winklejohn have worked wonders with actually giving Reem a plan of attack. On the other hand you have Stipe who I may have unfairly labeled as a "poor man's Cain." Stipe did to Werdum what Cain couldn't so I cannot deny the hand speed and power of that man. I was leaning Reem at the start of all this, but Mike already being on board with Marc who I knew will always roll with Reem, I'm starting to hedge my bets and lean #andSTILL. It helps that CM Punk seems to be buddies with Stipe. Miocic by KO round 1.

Cleveland rocks!: Doc Law, Kid P

The Demolition Man: DJ Mark, Gooms

UFC 200: Tate vs Nunes Picks and Predictions

So yeah... where are we again? If you haven't kept up with the scuttlebutt of the mma world, Jon Jones tested positive for something, and regardless of his B result, has been pulled from the card. In steps Anderson "The Spider" Silva?!? And is Brock the main event now? Most outlets seem to be showing Tate now headlining which makes sense as it is the only fully legitimate title on the line this night. While the card order may be in question still at the time of this writing, it has been a whirlwind of changes in the 11th hour, and honestly it's just disappointing for us as fans, and these men as competitive athletes. If you haven't seen the clip of DC being told that Jones was pulled yet, well then just trust that this fight meant EVERYTHING to him. It's pretty amazing that we're getting Anderson on essentially 3 days notice. I'm sure it's the last thing the company wanted to have another PR nightmare on their ends right at the eve of their biggest night, but if you've made it this far and are still with me, you know it's going to be an insane night of fights still.

Women's Bantamweight Championship 
Miesha Tate (c) vs Amanda Nunes

@mieshatate

Your new main event ladies and gentlemen? The last year or so has definitely been the era of unexpected champions. The ones we expected to maintain par for the course all fell by the wayside as countless unexpected new heroes rose up. Ronda was the monster that made Holly the monster killer. And surely if you could kill the monster, this lady that never came close wouldn't stand a chance... until she did. In spite of everything, Miesha does not break. There is something about a fighter who gets tougher the longer the fight goes and knows, really knows, what it means when you need to finish at the end. This strength of Miesha's is going to be the biggest challenge to Nunes who has proven to fade in fights. Known for powerful hands and aggressive flurries, the book on Nunes is that she has to win early here and that she has to finish. The longer the fight goes, it plays into Miesha's wheelhouse. The fellas are all right in presuming we'll have an #andSTILL, but there seems to be something in the water right now that people can't hold onto their belts. Amanda Nunes by early round TKO.

Cupcake: Doc Law, DJ Mark, Gooms
Lioness: Kid P

UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw v. Cruz Predictions

The former champ returns to take what he never lost. A wild battle of top 5 lightweights. The big boys throwing down at heavyweight. All of that and more taking place on this special Sunday UFC card. Check out our predictions below.

UFC Bantamweight Championship
TJ Dillashaw (c) v. Dominick Cruz

We are only a few days away and I'm still not convinced this fight is going to happen. You can't really blame me, Dominick Cruz has 4 leg injuries in the last 4 years and has only fought once in that time frame. Regardless, the man who never lost the bantamweight title in the cage returns to reclaim what was his against a surging TJ Dillashaw. In Cruz's absense, Dillashaw has managed to take the UFC bantamweight title off of a very tough champion in Renan Barao and do so with a style that appears to borrow heavily from Cruz's movement-heavy approach. This is a very tough fight to call, but I'm going with Dominick Cruz. He has managed to convince me that ring rust wont be an issue and I remember his fights from before the injury. In a nutshell: he hits you and you can't hit him back. Dillashaw has been great, but I think Dominick solves the puzzle. Cruz by decision.

Picking Dillashaw: Kid P, DJ Mark, Gooms
Picking Cruz: Dr. Law

UFC 187: Johnson v. Cormier Predictions

What a strange trip it's been to get to UFC 187. By this point you guys know what happened. Jon Jones was going to defend his title against Rumble Johnson. Then some things (allegedly) happened and Mr. Jones was stripped of his light heavyweight championship. We now have Daniel Cormier stepping in to take Anthony Johnson for the Undisputed (as our own Lavender Gooms would say, "Come on son") UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. In the co-main event we have the long awaited matchup between Chris Weidman and "The Phenom" (or is it the "Old Lion"...or maybe the "Young Dinosaur") Vitor Belfort for the UFC Middleweight Championship. Check out our predictions below. I went 6 for 6 last week. I'm basically a very good looking version of Nostradamus.

UFC 181: Hendricks vs. Lawler II Predictions

Oh what's this you're asking?  Are the bad boys of semi-pro MMA podcasting getting back into blogging predictions?  You know what's up.  We've been away from the written word too long and got some hot 6th grade reading level FIRE coming your way in the coming months.

UFC Welterweight Championship

Johny Hendricks (champion) vs. Robbie Lawler

When a fight is as good as the first one is, there is always a chance the second disappoints.  That's likely not the case with two free swinging fighters who are always looking to knock their opponent's head off.  Lawler has fought twice since, looking dominant while Hendricks on the other hand has been on the shelf since winning the title so there is always the worry of ring-rust.  Their first fight was a veritable barn-burner of a match which Hendricks won by the slightest of margins.  Hendricks fought with a torn bicep for nearly the entire fight which limited his ability to get the takedown.  While he won't shy away from standing and banging with Lawler, Hendricks utilizes his wrestling much more this time around to better control the action.  Hendricks wins this one going away.

Picking Hendrick: Gooms, DJ Mark, Kid Presentable
Picking Lawler: Doctor Law

UFC Fight Night 26: Shogun v. Sonnen Predictions

Considering how young the sport of MMA is and how close the UFC was to shuttering just a decade ago, it’s amazing to think that a UFC card would essentially be the way a major sports network introduces itself to the nation (that and it’s bevy of tall blonde reporters…what is it with Fox and blond reporters, do they have a factory somewhere???).  The notion is that this new rival to ESPN will offer more primetime MMA coverage, alongside coverage of football, baseball, soccer and basketball.  This will only be good for the sport.  While there are still a bunch of questions as to how the UFC will play out on these new channels the more pressing question for people come August 17^th is what freaking channel is this on and does my cable plan even get it??

UFC on FX 5: Browne v. Silva Predictions

Image via UFC newsletter

Travis Browne v. Antonio Silva 

Doctor Law: Two big boys going at it here. The fight is scheduled for 5 rounds, but it’s almost a guarantee that this doesn’t make it past the second round. Travis Browne is coming off of a drubbing of Chad Griggs (to the surprise of no one) and is unbeaten in his UFC career. Bigfoot Silva, on the other hand, has taken two AKA ass kickings in the past year from the hands of Daniel Cormier and Cain Velasquez. I wasn't as high on Travis Browne as everybody else when he first started, but he is slowly turning me around. He has good hands and is a decent wrestler. Bigfoot Silva, on the other hand, has great ground and pound and is a BJJ black belt. I think this is a close one, but I think Bigfoot finds a way to pull this one out. Bigfoot by 2nd round submission. 

Kid Presentable: The sell here is a clash of two very large heavyweights, but at the same time I am not entirely sold on either one of these guys. The only thing I am certain of in this fight as I am with all Silva fights, is that win or lose Browne will have some broken bones in his hands. Of the two I guess I am least sold on Browne as I have at least had Silva hover around the top 10 in rankings. Silva is the more well-rounded of the two and Browne has a propensity to gas. Silva believes he has the best stand up and ground game in the division much in the same sense that I believe I would be in the NBA if I were 3 inches taller(yeah, still no chance). But I still call the sub here. Bigfoot by submission 2nd round. 

Image via uproxx.com

DJ Mark with a “K”: Over the last year or so I’ve become a fan of Travis Browne. At first he just seemed like another body in the UFC Heavyweight division for the top tier guys to get some practice in with but he’s really grown on me. I think this fight is perfect for Browne as well. Bigfoot Silva has a massive dome, that’s just a fact, and Browne hits hard. I think it’s only a matter of time before he lays his right hand all over his face. The real question is, will he break his hand on his head? To me, that’s always the most interesting part of a Bigfoot Silva fight. Browne by 1st round TKO 3:38 in. 

Lavender Gooms: Antonio Silva’s greatest trait is a dome piece that has a penchant of breaking the hands of people who crack him upside that large noggin. What I’m trying to tell you by highlighting such a useless trait is….he’s not going to win. Silva has slick BJJ and can cause trouble if he gets on top. As long as Browne can avoid that, he should be able to knock Silva out and send him to a three fight losing streak. Here’s to hoping he doesn’t break a hand though. Browne by KO in the 1st round.

Picking Browne: DJ Mark, Gooms
Picking Silva: Dr. Law, Kid P