UFC 126 Prediction: Anderson Silva VS. Vitor Belfort

Alright guys, this is my second article regarding predictions for the next UFC event featuring one of my favorite fighters with matrix like abilities who has never lost a single fight in his UFC career verses a very strong, quick, and vicious Vitor Belfort.

While Anderson Silva in my opinion is probably number 2 when it comes to being elusive, in my opinion (Machida being number 1), I would consider him to be number 1 when it comes to precision with his striking and agility. I know a lot of people don’t like him for his behavior and egoism from his previous matches, however, I believe some it has to do with conning fighters into being sloppy and aggressive when they retaliate to his condescending behavior. Although I am not a fan of such display, you have to give the man credit for his amazing abilities.

If Vitor Belfort is to win this fight, I believe that it will be due to a KO and not a submission. The KO will only result if Silva takes this fight lightly and does not fight the way he has in his initial fights in the UFC. You must remember that Silva has an amazing sense of distance. Many times you will notice that Silva drop his hands and dodge punches when he senses that his opponent is weak and gets a good feel for their reach. This is why, it always takes a little while for Silva to begin fighting his opponents, so that he can feel them out and gauge distance. I believe that Belfort will instantly try to close the distance before catching any of Silva’s punches or kicks, however, Silva will be weary and try to keep his distance at all times.

Vitor has an advantage over Silva only in terms of power; however, I must discredit his ability to strike with precision. Although I have noticed improvement from Vitor from his earlier fight days when he would unleash a fury of punches until he knocked out his opponents, I do not think this will be a good way to deal with Anderson. If Vitor tries this on Silva, he will get caught into a submission trap. In order for Vitor to win, he must be aggressive in closing the distance and go for the KO via ground and pound. Being on the ground can serve as an advantage to Vitor as he is stronger than Silva and will keep him at bay with any striking/kick attempts he would have standing up.

I don’t think this fight will go to the ground as Anderson Silva has a great sense of timing and figuring out his opponents combinations. He will not allow for Vitor to close in on him to drag him down. Although Vitor may seem devastatingly overwhelming to other fighters, I believe that Silva will have figured out Victor’s style and technique and put an end to this fight.

My Prediction: Silva will def. Vitor in the 2nd Round by KO.

By: Denish Ghayal

UFC 121: Brock vs. Cain

By:  Denish Ghayal

Tonight (10/23/10), a special fight is going to take place.  Two monsters will meet in an all out war to claim the number one spot for Heavyweight Champion of the world.  I have long awaited this match.  Not because I just want to see knees, elbows, punches flying around everywhere, but because this is that good old story about the little engine that could.  Brock Lesnar (former WWE superstar, who holds a record of 5-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC, will defend against top contender Cain Velasquez (8-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC).

Lesnar, who is currently expected to win by a small spread will be out to prove once more why he is the man.  Cain is out to prove that he has what it takes and wants to become the first Mexican Heavyweight champion in the UCF.  Not too long ago, Lesnar was out for about a year due to a near-death experience, however, returned to fight Carwin and won the match.   Velasques earned his title shot against Lesnar due to an impressive knockout of all-time great Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 110.  Velasques has waited ever since while awaiting the outcome against the Lesnar-Carwin mathup.

So the question is, who will win?  I predict that Velasques will win against Lesnar due to technical knockout.  I believe that, while Lesnar is powerfull and bigger than Cain, he will be too slow to handle the technique, speed, and cardio of Cain.  Cain has fought many prominent opponents much bigger than him and quicker than him and has defeated them still looking unscathed at the end of the fight.  If Brock handles Cain properly from the beginning, it could be a fast end to Cain’s undefeated record streak.  However, if Cain can keep up, he will certainly have more gas in the tank to keep the pressure on and keep Brock busy.  I suspect that this will be the case and we will have a brand new UFC Champion who will defend his title for a very long time.  See you guys there!