Hayley’s Ultimate Fight Night 20 Picks!
Tonight! Ultimate Fight Night - Maynard v Diaz takes place in Virginia, live on Spike and ESPN UK.
Not so dissimilar to all the guys fighting this weekend (see WEC 46), we all have had to do some last minute swotting up on the guys stepping into the Octagon – as Cheryl aka ThatGirlisFunny said, there are some last minute bouts on this card! I found it quite difficult to pick for these fights as some of the guys I'm not overly familiar with. This time, Cheryl and I agree on 7 out of our 10 picks. One of them being the main event! Interesting... so who will be victorious?!?
This should be a night of tough fights, there are good opportunities for some flash KO’s as well as some great wrestling/ submission wars. So, let’s bring it on!
Main Card: Maynard v Diaz
This is a big fight for both of these guys. They have fought before in the Ultimate Fighter Series 5, where Nate Diaz submitted Gray Maynard in the semi finals with a guillotine choke. This encounter was over 2 years ago and it will be a VERY different fight now – a lot of things have changed! If Diaz can beat Maynard (one of the lightweight belt contenders) it moves him further up the ladder in the 155 division. However, I’m sure Maynard would love to show us all how much he has improved since their last fight by making it 1-1.
Maynard is a 3 time collegiate All American wrestler, but in the Ultimate Fighter did not have a great ground game. However, this in combination with his striking has been greatly improved recently! I can totally see Cheryl’s POV as Diaz has excellent submissions and it is possible that he could catch Maynard out as he did in their previous encounter. However, I think Maynard will be able to control it on the ground and ride out a decision. Five out of Maynard’s six consecutive wins have come from decision, so I am following the trend as it is very unlikely he could finish Diaz.
Escudero v Dunham
Both these guys are great wrestlers and have very impressive records –in fact, neither have lost a fight yet! Dunham comes from a great camp, Xtreme Couture, but I believe that Escudero’s wrestling and the improved stand up that he showed against Cole Miller in his last fight will be too much for Dunham. It is hard to say by what method, but I will say Escudero by either TKO or submission.
Lawlor v Simpson
Aaron Simpson's speed and strength in combination with his good wrestling will make it very difficult for Tom Lawlor to do anything but defend himself. I guess this is where Aaron ‘A-train’ Simpson's nickname comes from....?
Lawlor needs to try and use his wrestling to slow Simpson the ‘A-train’ down. However, I don’t think his wrestling skills will allow him to do this effectively. There is a possibility that Lawlor could catch Simpson out in a submission in one of his flurries, however, I think the more likely outcome is that Simpson wins via TKO in the early rounds. It was so very hard to pick against a guy who chose "Who let the dogs out" as their entrance music. Daym....!
Sadollah v Blackburn
Since winning the Ultimate Fighter, Sadollah has had patchy performances. He's only fought twice outside of the Ultimate Fighter finale with one of those fights being a loss to Johny Hendricks via TKO. However, he did have an impressive performance versus Phil Baroni in UFC 106. Like Cheryl, I really like the guy, he’s funny, but too laid back. Sadollah needs another win to prove himself in the Octagon, but I don’t think Blackburn is a great match-up for him. Despite Blackburn having a 15-9-1 record, in his 3 UFC fights he is undefeated. Blackburn is a great all rounder with superior strength versus Sadollah. I'm going with Blackburn via TKO/KO or possibly a decision if Sadollah can hold him off with kicks until then.
Undercard
Chris Leben v Jay Silva: TKO/KO
I agree with Cheryl that Leben is the more experienced, but Jay Silva has very effective, on point striking and against Leben who has a very different ‘brawling’ erratic kind of style; I think he will be able to catch him out. If it does go to the later rounds, Leben’s cardio will need to be much better than previous to make this a win.
Rick Story v Jesse Lennox: TKO/KO
Thiago Tavares v Nik Lentz: Submission
Mike Guymon v Rory McDonald: Submission
Cheryl picked Guymon in this bout. To be honest, I'm not overly familiar with these guys, but after a little bit of research have read that McDonald has a very impressive record behind him. Despite this being his UFC debut I believe that he can get Guymon on the ground and submit him, something that has been a problem for Guymon in the past.
Kyle Bradley v Rafael Dos Anjos: Submission or decision
Gerald Harris v John Salter: TKO/KO
Nick Catone v Jesse Forbes: Decision
That’s all my picks! Phew ! Who do you have? Leave a comment!
Cheryl’s Picks for Fight Night 20 Maynard v. Diaz
Hayley Forster, a long-time female fight fan, lives in the North of England with her husband, Pete. Both have deep love for the sport of MMA. Follow Hayley on twitter @fairly_normal
If you would like to submit a guest post on the subject of mixed martial arts, please forward it to Cheryl Ragsdale email: mmafightfans at thatgirlisfunny.com
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