Ryan “Darth” Bader vs Eric “Red” Schafer
Rob: This fight, which will air live on the pre-show telecast on Spike TV, is a very interesting clash of styles. Bader is an excellent wrestler who possesses decent striking and Schafer is a talented submission fighter with a reasonable clinch game.
Schafer needs to get this fight to the ground so that he can attempt to secure one of his impressive array of submissions, but Bader is too big and too powerful to allow that without a fight. Bader has knockout power and Schafer has shown a suspect chin in the past. While Bader is a ways away from title contention, he’ll take one step closer with a win here.
Prediction:
Rob: Bader by TKO in round one.
Antoni Hardonk vs Pat “HD” Barry
Rob: This fight could potentially turn out to be one of the best fights on the card and must surely be considered as the early favourite for Knockout of the Night. Hardonk is an excellent kickboxer, while Barry, a former K-1 star, is even better.
Both fighters are known for their kicks, with Hardonk’s leg kicks among the most devastating in all of mixed martial arts and Barry’s head kicks among the quickest. This will come down to which fighter can land the knockout blow first and the fight won’t go long. Barry will look to rebound after his upset loss to Tim Hague and he’ll take out his frustrations on an overmatched Hardonk.
Prediction:
Rob: Barry by TKO in round one.
Yushin “Thunder” Okami vs Chael Sonnen
Rob: Okami should have received a title shot over a year ago, but injuries and new contenders have repeatedly kicked him down the ladder. He has lost just one time in the UFC, to former champion Rich “Ace” Franklin in a fight where Okami completely dominated the third round, and has earned a chance to defeat Anderson Silva for a second time.
Instead, he is faced with another tough test in former WEC title challenger (and rightful champion) Chael Sonnen, whose wrestling is among the best of anyone at 185. Sonnen’s biggest weakness in his career has been his submission defence, but he is a durable fighter and should be able to weather the strikes from Okami. In the end, though, Okami is simply too good and should finally receive his just title shot after another dominant victory.
Prediction:
Rob: Okami by Unanimous Decision.
Jorge “El Conquistador” Rivera vs Rob “The Rosedale Reaper” Kimmons
Rob: Rivera has experienced many ups and downs in his UFC career and holds a 5-5 record in the promotion. He is in the midst of somewhat of a career resurgence, but struggles against the true contenders in the division. Kimmons is a legit threat and has 14 career wins by submission, with most coming via some form of choke.
Rivera is generally quite good at defending chokes, but he was submitted by a guillotine choke from Martin Kampmann and Kampmann is not as skilled at the technique as Kimmons. If this fight stays on the feet, Rivera has a good chance of pulling off an upset by scoring a knockout victory, but the more likely scenario is that Kimmons takes him down and chokes him out in fairly quick fashion.
Prediction:
Rob: Kimmons by Submission in round one.
Kyle Kingsbury vs “Razor” Razak Al-Hassan
Rob: Al-Hazzan has finally recovered after having his arm snapped by Steve Cantwell at UFC: “Fight For The Troops” nearly a year ago. Perhaps if he knew how to tap out, that wouldn’t have happened. Kimmons, a TUF 8 alum, reigned undefeated through his first eight fights but has now lost two in a row.
Both fighters are well-rounded, but neither of them are anywhere near elite-level competitors. It is unlikely that they will appear in any main card bouts in the future, but a win here will at least ensure one’s safety in the promotion for a little while. This fight will either end early in the first round or go to a decision, but Kingsbury should walk away with the win regardless.
Prediction:
Rob: Kingsbury by Unanimous Decision.
Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve vs Chase Gormley
Rob: Gormley was originally set to face Ben Rothwell on the main card, but was bumped to the undercard in favour of Cain Velasquez. He won’t be pleased about this and Struve will be the unfortunate victim of Gormley’s wrath.
Gormley is undefeated and has an impressive background in wrestling. He should have little trouble taking down his gigantic opponent if he wants to, but it would actually be wisest for him to keep the fight on the feet. Struve doesn’t have the best chin and Gormley could end the fight with a well-placed punch. If Struve can use his long limbs to secure a submission on the ground, Gormley’s UFC debut could be a disastrous one, but he should be able to end things before it gets to that point.
Prediction:
Rob: Gormley by TKO in round one.
UFC 104 takes place Saturday night and airs live on pay-per-view. MMARising.com will be providing live play-by-play of the event.