Phillipe Nover vs Rob “The Saint” Emerson
Continuing the trend of the card, lightweights Nover (5-2-1) and Emerson (8-8-0, 1 NC) will be fighting for their jobs in the UFC when they square off tonight.
Nover was pegged as “the next Anderson Silva” by UFC President Dana White during the filming of season eight of The Ultimate Fighter, but he was defeated by Efrain Escudero in the finale. His most recent bout was a highly controversial loss to Kyle Bradley when the referee prematurely stopped the fight. Nover has been sidelined since after suffering a seizure during a pre-fight warmup.
Emerson lost his first four professional fights, but rebounded with six wins in his next eight outings before competing on TUF Season 5. His finale bout with Gray Maynard was ruled a No Contest after a Maynard slam left both fighters unable to continue and Emerson has since gone 2-2. He will need a convincing victory over Nover if he wants to stay in the UFC.
Barring any further medical scares, Nover has a bright future ahead of him and he will be anxious to get back into the lightweight mix. Emerson’s best and likely only chance of winning this fight is to land a big right hand early on. It won’t happen here and Nover should have little trouble cruising to a clear-cut decision.
Prediction:
Nover by Unanimous Decision.
“The All-American” Brian Stann vs Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis
Light heavyweights collide when former WEC Light Heavyweight Champion Stann (8-2-0) meets undefeated UFC newcomer Davis (4-0-0).
Stann won his first six fights by knockout and captured WEC title gold in the process, but he was dethroned in a 2008 rematch with Steve Cantwell. Following the elimination of the WEC’s 205-pound division, Stann debuted in the UFC and has since won two of his three fights. In his most recent outings, however, Stann has not been as aggressive as in the past.
Davis enters the UFC with considerable hype and critical acclaim. He made his pro debut in late 2008 and has won all of his fights thus far, but he has not competed since June. Davis is an extremely skilled wrestler with excellent takedowns and he should be able to dictate where the fight with Stann goes. A victory over the former WEC champ would be a big one for Davis.
Stann must keep this fight on the feet where he can use his punching power to aim for the knockout. Davis needs to do little more than take the fight to the ground, where Stann has shown in the past that he is not comfortable. From there, the finish will come soon after as Davis picks up his first UFC win.
Prediction:
Davis by TKO late in round one.
Chris Tuchscherer vs Tim “The Thrashing Machine” Hague
Heavyweights will be in action when Tuchscherer (17-2-0, 1 NC) looks to rebound from his highly controversial loss to Gabriel Gonzaga when he meets Hague (10-2-0), who was most recently knocked out in seven seconds.
Tuchscherer, a training partner of UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, made his UFC debut last August at UFC 102. The YAMMA Pit Fighting tournament finalist was viciously kicked in the groin by Gonzaga and could be seen vomiting as he stayed down for quite some time. The fight was questionably allowed to continue after a lengthy timeout and Gonzaga finished Tuchscherer soon after.
Hague competed for King of the Cage in Canada for much of the first three years of his career and avenged his first loss by defeating Miodrag Petkovic in a late 2008 rematch. He recovered from early danger to submit Pat “HD” Barry in his UFC debut, but was knocked out in just seven seconds by Todd Duffee at UFC 102.
Hague is one of the nicest people in the sport, but he is also a skilled fighter and is capable of competing with some of the division’s stars. However, as shown in the fights with Duffee and Barry, Hague’s chin cannot stand up to the power that some of the top heavyweights possess. Tuchscherer will right the ship with an early stoppage win.
Prediction:
Tuchscherer by TKO in round one.
Rolles Gracie vs Joey “The Mexicutioner” Beltran
The final fight on the card is another heavyweight tilt, as submission ace Gracie (3-0-0) makes his UFC debut against late-replacement and recent Houston Alexander conqueror Beltran (10-3-0).
As a member of the famed family, Gracie is predictably known for his amazing repertoire of submissions. He made his mixed martial arts debut for the now-defunct IFL in 2007 and won two times for Art of War China last year. Tonight, he will make his highly-anticipated UFC debut, but will be forced to contend with a late-replacement opponent.
Beltran is a knockout artist who has won all but one of his fights by KO. He is coming off of a dominant stoppage victory over UFC veteran Alexander and will take the fight with Gracie on short notice after Gracie’s original opponent Mostapha Al-Turk withdrew due to visa issues.
The game plans for both fighters could not be more obvious, as Gracie will look to immediately take the fight to the mat while Beltran will be gunning for a highlight-reel knockout. While he may have to survive a punching flurry first, Gracie will score the inevitable takedown and finish the fight soon after.
Prediction:
Gracie by Submission in round one.
UFC 109 airs live tonight on pay-per-view beginning at 10:00 P.M. Eastern, 7:00 P.M. Pacific. Preliminary bouts begin on Spike TV one hour before the PPV begins. MMARising.com will be providing live play-by-play of the event.