Gleison Tibau vs Josh “The Dentist” Neer
Rob: This fight probably shouldn’t be on the main card, as both fighters are coming off of losses, but Tibau has a case to be here because he was mercilessly robbed by the judges in his fight with Melvin Guillard at the TUF 9 finale. Neer dropped a fairly one-sided decision to Kurt Pellegrino at UFC 101. It should be noted that both fighters have missed weight for this fight.
Mike: Neer is on his third attempt in the UFC and has found his best success this time around. He is 2-2 so far and all fights have been against respectable lightweights. Neer possesses the Muay Thai and wrestling skills to pose a threat to almost anyone in the UFC’s 155-pound division. Tibau is a massive lightweight and rumors list him as walking into the cage at around 185 pounds. With his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, strong wrestling and immense strength, Tibau should have an edge, but he was unable to submit the always susceptible Melvin Guilliard in their 15-minute bout.
Rob: The telling factor here is Neer’s last fight against Pellegrino. Tibau makes Pellegrino look like a small child, but Pellegrino was still strong enough to take Neer down repeatedly and hold him there. It wasn’t the most exciting fight, but Pellegrino’s game plan was a good one. If Tibau follows a similar plan and avoids Neer’s dangerous submissions from his back, he should be able to cruise to a clear-cut decision win.
Mike: Neer should have an advantage in the stand-up, and since Tibau has not been looking as impressive as he should be on the ground, the only way he can win this is by grinding out a decision due to Neer taking this fight on short notice.
Predictions:
Rob: Tibau by Unanimous Decision.
Mike: Neer by Unanimous Decision.
Joe “Daddy” Stevenson vs Spencer “The King” Fisher
Rob: This fight has garnered some added attention over the past week after comments from Stevenson that suggested that he would walk through Fisher wherever the fight went. Fisher, understandably, was not pleased with these remarks and stated that he would punch Stevenson in the face while Stevenson “[tries] to pitter-pat with karate punches and then dive for [Fisher’s] shoelaces.”
Mike: Fisher has been a staple in the UFC for four years now and has won three fight bonuses so far. I like him because he always tries to put on a great fight and his hand speed is mind-blowing. He is currently on a three-fight winning streak and wins over Stevenson and another quality contender would put him in the title hunt. Stevenson has an inspiring attitude towards the sport of MMA and his successes have been numerous. Sadly, his losses far outshine his wins and he was brutalized by Penn, Florian and Sanchez.
Rob: Stevenson finally seems to be developing a few other areas in his game besides his mind-numbingly predictable guillotine choke and ineffective punching combinations. He needs to take Fisher down and keep him there. Standing up with Fisher would be a huge mistake, but Stevenson will likely do so until Fisher puts him in trouble with his heavy hands. Whether Stevenson can recover remains to be seen. I don’t think that he will.
Mike: I would be happiest if Fisher won via highlight-reel knockout in the middle of the second round after a back-and-forth non-stop first round. If you can dream it, you can do it.
Predictions:
Rob: Fisher by KO in round one.
Mike: Fisher by KO in round two.
Anthony “Rumble” Johnson vs Yoshiyuki “Zenko” Yoshida
Rob: After Johnson was heard in interviews earlier this week discussing how he cuts 50 pounds to make the 170-pound welterweight limit, his comments came back to bite him when he weighed in at a whopping 176 pounds at the weigh-ins a few hours ago. We’ll see how dehydrated he is at fight time.
Mike: Yoshida has arguably the strongest Judo background in the UFC and broke into the promotion with a 56-second destruction of War Machine. However, he then left the Octagon on a stretcher following his brutal knockout loss at the hands of Josh Koscheck. Yoshida has huge potential, but facing Johnson will only result in a setback. Rumble is 4-2 in the UFC with one confusing loss coming via eye poke. Yoshida will have problems taking this fight to the ground and keeping it there, which means a striking war that heavily favors Johnson.
Rob: I really hope that Yoshida can do well in the UFC, but this is a terrible matchup for him unless he is able to take Johnson down with one of his Judo throws. If he can, he can secure an armbar or choke for a quick victory, but I am not sure if that will be possible. Johnson is ridiculously strong and has the ability to knock anybody in the welterweight division out with a single punch. Unfortunately for Yoshida, that is the most likely outcome here.
Mike: Johnson’s blindingly fast strikes and long reach, plus his varied kicks and knockout power mean that the UFC better have another stretcher ready for Yoshida.
Predictions:
Rob: Johnson by KO in round one.
Mike: Johnson by KO in round two.