Phillipe Nover vs. Efrain Escudero
These two fighters have a huge ceiling as far as talent goes. In fact, I think either of these guys could be contenders eventually. I would put both of them up against many UFC lightweights right now. Escudero really impressed on the show. I saw many people picking him to go far in forums, but I was a doubter. In fact when he was matched against Shane Nelson I thought he was done. When he was matched against Junie I thought he was done. Efrain has greta wrestling and great submissions. That tirangle choke on Nelson was sick. We may not really know how good Efrain is because he had the tougher road to the finals. It is really possible that he beat two of the best guys in the house. Phillipe has to beware of Efrain’s submissions. Dana White has been in this business a while and like him or not he knows MMA and recognizes talent. Dana raved over Phillipe. In fact, he says that Nover may be the most talented kids ever on The Ultimate Fighter. That is saying something considering TUF has produced names like Forrest Griffin, Diego Sanchez, Rashad Evans, Joe Stevenson, Kenny Florian, Michael Bisping, Mike Swick, Josh Koscheck, Matt Hamill, Stephan Bonnar, Nate Diaz, Gray Maynard, etc. Nover looks to have a complete skill set. His striking and muay thai seems to be unrivaled at 155 lbs. He showed slick submission skills. I would not keel over with a heart attack if Efrain won, but Nover has to be the favorite and that is why I am picking Phillipe to win by submission in round 1. However, both of these guys have bright futures in the UFC.
Phillipe Nover |
vs. |
Efrain Escudero |
||
Nickname |
||||
NR |
MMA Blog Rank |
NR |
||
155 Lbs. |
Weight Class |
155 Lbs. |
||
5-0-1 (0-0 UFC) |
Record |
10-0 (0-0 UFC) |
For The Ultimate Fighter 8 Lightweight Championship |
Ryan Bader vs. Vinny Magalhes
If someone would have told me this would have beent he fight for the finals I would not have doubted it, but I would have picked Bader to dominate. However, after the semi-finals my opinion has changed slightly. Bader won, won easily, but did not look great in his lay n’ pray victory. Vinny looked very good against fellow Team Quester Krzystof Sosynski. Vinny has fantastic ground skills. Some have said he is one of the best in the world. I agree. Bader could be in trouble. Bader has a solid wrestling pedigree. He will look to use his wrestling to keep the fight standing. Vinny insists that he has improved his striking and will win by knockout. I don’t see that happening. Vinny seems timid and reluctant with striking and does not like getting hit. Bader has KO power. I would be shocked if Vinny’s chin is not tested. That will be the test. If the fight goes to the ground it gets interesting. Can Vinny work a submission while being punched? Can Bader avoid submissions? I worry that this finale will end just like the finale with his teamate C.B. Dolloway. Anyways, I pick Bader by decision, but watch out for submissions.
Ryan Bader |
vs. |
Vinny Magalhes |
||
Darth |
Nickname |
Pezao |
||
NR |
MMA Blog Rank |
NR |
||
205 Lbs. |
Weight Class |
205 Lbs. |
||
7-0 (0-0 UFC) |
Record |
For The Ultimate Fighter 8 Light Heavyweight Championship |
Jason MacDonald vs. Wilson Gouveia
This is a hard fight to pick. MacDonald is a very good and so is Gouveia. Wilson did well at light heavyweight, but dropped to 185 lbs following his loss to Goran Reljic. Gouveia is a good jiu jitsu player, but MacDonal showed against Demian Maia that he has decent submission defense. I think MacDonald is better all around. I think MacDonald will beware of Gouviea’s submissions and will win by decision. By the way, I am wavering on this fight prediction.
Wilson Gouveia |
vs. |
Jason MacDonald |
||
Nickname |
The Athlete |
|||
17 |
MMA Blog Rank |
15 |
||
185 Lbs. |
Weight Class |
185 Lbs. |
||
11-5 (5-2 UFC) |
Record |
21-10 (5-3 UFC) |
Anthony Johnson vs. Kevin Burns
This is a re-match of an earlier fight that ended in controversy. Burns poked Johnson numerous times in the eye and it led to Johnson falling down due to an eye poke and Burns being declared the winner by TKO. Horrible decision. However, the re-match should be good. Burns is a godo fighter and he did not want the fight to end that way. he says that he was forced to strike with an open hand because of a broken hand. Howeverm he says it is fixed. Johnson is looking for revenge. We saw in the Johnson vs. Tommy Speer fight what Johnson is capable of. Don’t look for him to walk through Burns. Burns has solid all around. He submitted Roan Carneiro in his UFC debut. I still think Johnson wins this fight by TKO in round 2.
Anthony Johnson |
vs. |
Kevin Burns |
||
Rumble |
Nickname |
The Fire | ||
NR |
MMA Blog Rank |
NR |
||
170 Lbs. |
Weight Class |
170 Lbs. |
||
5-2 (2-2 UFC) |
Record |
7-1 (2-0 UFC) |
Junie Allen Browning vs. Dave Kaplan
Dave Kaplan and Junie Browning are both jokes. Frank Mir was all on the Kaplan bandwagon. He looked terrible against Phillipe. Was Phillipe that good or is Kaplan that bad? We just don’t know with Junie. Has he gotten his act together? Is he going to be mentally prepared for this? Physically, Junie is the better fighter. Mentally, I don’t know. Anyways, from what I hear Junie is sober. Junie is training at Xtreme Couture and is living with Shwan Thompkins. I think that has to help. I predict that Junie comes out and impresses. I predict that Junie wins by TKO in round 1.
Junie Allen Browning |
vs. |
Dave Kaplan |
||
Nickname |
||||
NR |
MMA Blog Rank |
NR |
||
155 Lbs. |
Weight Class |
155 Lbs. |
||
2-0 (0-0 UFC) |
Record |
Quick Picks:
Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Shane Primm
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Kyle Kingsbury vs. Tom Lawlor
George Roop vs. Shane Nelson
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Filed under: Anthony Johnson, Efrain Escudero, Eliot Marshall, George Roop, Jason MacDonald, John Polakowski, Junie Allen Browning, Kevin Burns, Krzysztof Soszynski, Phillipe Nover, Ryan Bader, Shane Nelson, Shane Primm, Tom Lawlor, TUF 8: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir, Vinny Magalhaes, Wilson Gouveia | Tagged: Anthony Johnson, Efrain Escudero, Eliot Marshall, George Roop, Jason MacDonald, John Polakowski, Junie Allen Browning, Kevin Burns, Krzysztof Soszynski, Phillipe Nover, Ryan Bader, Shane Nelson, Shane Primm, Tom Lawlor, TUF 8 Finale, TUF 8: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir, Vinny Magalhaes, Wilson Gouveia | Leave a comment »