“Relentless” Paul Taylor vs John “The Hitman” Hathaway

Taylor (10-4-1, 1 NC) has been nearly impossible to finish throughout his career and is never in a boring fight. However, he has gone 3-3 in the UFC and has come up short in his bouts with higher-level competition.

Hathaway (11-0-0) is undefeated for a reason and has emerged as one of the top talents in England today. He has gone the distance just three times and is equally skilled in striking and submissions.

While Taylor is too tough to be knocked out by the younger Hathaway, this will not be his night and Hathaway will trap him in a submission midway through the first round.

Prediction:

Hathaway by Submission in round one.

 

 

Terry Etim vs Shannon Gugerty

This explosive lightweight bout is sure to be a crowd pleaser, as Etim (13-2-0) has gone the distance just three times and Gugerty (12-3-0) only once. Etim has won ten times by submission, while Gugerty holds nine victories by tapout.

Etim has shown significantly improved striking in recent bouts, but this one is sure to go to the ground quickly. It will then turn into a battle of jiu-jitsu stylists, with Etim picking up the victory to continue his rise up the division’s ranks.

Prediction:

Etim by Submission in round two.

 

 

“Slick” Nick Osipczak vs Matt Riddle

This battle of undefeated TUF alums is extremely hard to call, as both have shown that they are hungry to be a part of the future of the UFC’s welterweight division.

Osipczak (4-0-0) has stopped all of his opponents so far and won his UFC debut at the TUF 9 finale. Riddle (3-0-0) has picked up all of his victories inside the Octagon, but he has gone the distance on all three occasions.

The most likely scenario here is that Riddle grinds out another decision, but he will make a mistake in this bout and Osipczak will be right there to capitalise.

Prediction:

Osipczak by Submission in round two.

 

 

Paul “Tellys” Kelly vs Dennis Siver

Kelly (9-1-0) has won two in a row since submitting to Marcus Davis in a welterweight bout at UFC 89. He will look to continue his success in the lightweight division with another win at 155.

Siver (14-6-0) has had a rocky tenure in the UFC and sports a 3-3 record inside the eight-sided cage. He rebounded after his brutal knockout at the hands of Melvin Guillard at UFC 86 and has won three straight fights.

While Kelly hasn’t knocked anyone out since 2007, he’ll get back to his old ways with a convincing stoppage in the second round.

Prediction:

Kelly by TKO in round two.

 

 

Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson vs Jared Hamman

In a very interesting light heavyweight showdown, undefeated knockout artist Gustafsson (8-0-0) meets once-beaten KO king Hamman (10-1-0) in a bout that is sure to end quickly and emphatically.

Gustafsson is one of the top European prospects in the sport. The 22-year-old Swede has won six of his fights by knockout and has only gone the distance once.

Hamman was a staple of the ShoXC division of EliteXC and has won eight of his fights by knockout, including a second-round KO of highly-touted Travis “Diesel” Wiuff. He has never gone the distance.

The problem for Hamman is that his lone defeat, a 15-second flying knee KO loss to Poai Suganuma, is a sign of things to come here. Hamman avenged the loss to Suganuma in their August 2008 rematch, but he hasn’t competed since then and his UFC debut will not go well.

Prediction:

Gustafsson by KO in round one.

 

 

Andre Winner vs Roli “The Crazy Cuban” Delgado

TUF 9 meets TUF 8 as Winner (9-3-1), a finalist in the ninth season’s lightweight division, meets Delgado (6-4-1), whose jiu-jitsu pedigree came into question on season eight.

Delgado’s best and only hope to win this fight is to trap Winner in an early submission. Winner is too good in the clinch and with top control to lose a decision, but Delgado will be quick to take advantage of any mistakes.

Most of Winner’s recent fights have gone the distance and this will be no different, but he will need to be wary of Delgado’s submission game or he could find himself losing for the third time in four fights.

Prediction:

Winner by Unanimous Decision.

 

 

UFC 105 takes place this Saturday and airs live on SportsNet (3:00 P.M. Eastern, Noon Pacific) in Canada and on tape delay on Spike TV (8:00 P.M. Eastern, 5:00 P.M. Pacific) in the U.S.

MMARising.com will be providing live play-by-play of the event.