UFC 169 is the Superbowl weekend event for the UFC ands will take place live from Newark NJ tonight at 10:00. Here are my predictions for tonight's fight card.
Barao vs Faber (Bantamweight Championship
Faber is taking the fight on short notice, but has not had that much time off from his destruction of Michael McDonald. He will be fine as far as conditioning goes. Faber is on a hot streak and arguably could have been the fighter of the year for 2013, as he finished three out of four opponents he faced last year. The question is will it be enough to take the belt away from the UFC's assassin. Barao has not lost in his last 32 fights! 21 of his victories has been by finishes. He is a beast! Dana White and others believe he is the new pound for pound king in the UFC.
Up until the weigh-ins I would say this is 50/50 pick due to the closeness of their first fight. I think have the belt has made Barao much more dangerous and he will win this fight. He said he promises a knockout. Faber has been stopped by TKO twice in 37 fights. Conventional wisdom says the Barao will win by decision. I am going out on a limb for this fight.
Barao wins by K.O. in Rd 3
Jose Aldo vs Ricardo Lamas (Featherwight Championship)
Sporting an easy 23-1 Record, Jose Aldo is running out of opponents to fight in the featherweight division. So much so that there is serious talks of Aldo moving up a weight class to fight at lightweight. As the case with his training partner, Renan Barao, at Nova Uniao, he not only fights to win, he fights to destroy, and I do not see that trend stopping in this fight. Lamas has won his last four fights and has fought some big names during that win streak. I look at the Aldo v Mendes fight and see a lot of similarities between Lamas and Mendes, with Chad being a bit faster than Lamas. Aldo's take down defense and striking ability are just too much for anybody in that division to handle.
Aldo wins via K.O. in Rd 2
Alistair Overeem vs Frank Mir
Both of these stars have their backs against the wall. Each desperately needs a win. Overeem is looking to stop a two fight losing streak. His last two losses have had a familiar script. He has dominated the early, his opponents survive, he gets winded, and gets knocked out later in the fight. Mir, has lost his last three and has been knocked out in two of the last three fights. Even in wins, Mir's jaw has been rattled and been labeled suspect. Overeem has worked on his conditioning during his training camp and is reportedly in great shape. I don't see how Mir can improve his glass jaw in this one. Overeem will finish early.
Overeem TKO Rd 1
John Lineker vs Ali Bagautinov
Bagautinov is a knock out artist who has some serious punching power. He is fighter with purpose, as many think a fight with him and the Demetrious Johnson will be in the near future. Lineker is alos a good fighter, but its time to start questioning his motivation, or if he belongs in a higher weight class, as he routinely misses weight for his fights. The UFC is a professional organization and with a loss here Lineker might have to make some decisions in order to stay in the company.
Bagautinov via Decision
Jamie Varner vs Abel Trujillo
This will be a barn burner and easily will earn Fight of The Night bonuses for both fighters. Both fighters are strikers, and both have faced good competition in the past. Sit back and enjoy this fight as it opens up the main card.
Varner via Decision
