By Frank LaCosta – [email protected]‘
Benson “Smooth” Henderson
(15-2-0) vs. Frankie “The
Answer” Edgar (14-2-1)
The co-main event pits Henderson and Edgar in a rematch of their UFC 144 bout. Edgar at the time was defending his lightweight title. It was a back and forth fight that went the distance. In the end, Henderson was declared the winner via unanimous decision. Henderson certainly possesses a few advantages, he’s taller and has a longer reach than Edgar. He’s not one to stand and bang preferring to take his opponent to the mat and focus on the ground and pound game. Edgar has much better striking abilities and he’s a good wrestler. This will be a closely contested match and with both fighters being equals it’ll come down to making adjustments. Edgar’s heart will only take him so far. Look for Henderson to win via decision again.
Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone (18-4-0) vs.
Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard
(47-11-3)
The other half of the co-main event could win “fight of the night” honors. These two cats used to train together and will put their friendship aside in the name of getting down to business. Since making his UFC debut, Cerrone has won five of his last six bouts. The lone loss came at the hands of Nate Diaz. Cerrone is a full three inches taller and packs a powerful punch. At the end of the day his true strength is in the submission game. Guillard has been in the game for quite some time and he’s an athletic beast. He too is a damn good striker and is big on takedowns. The Young Assassin has fought through some personal hardships (loss of father, surviving Katrina, substance abuse). He’s also added some kickboxing to his repertoire. Look for him to kick and kick and kick his way to victory. He’ll win in the second with Cerrone tapping out.
Jake Shields (27-6-1) vs. Ed “Short Fuse”
Herman (20-7-0)
Shields was riding high a little over a year ago. He had defeated Dan Henderson and Martin Kampmann setting up a match with Georges St- Pierre. He went five rounds but lost the unanimous decision to GSP and with a subsequent loss to Jake Ellenberger, Shields found himself on the road to redemption. He won earlier this year with a three round decision over Yoshihiro Akiyama. Shields has a Gracie BJJ black belt and brings speed to the fight. He is a well balanced fighter. Herman has won four of his last five fights. He prefers to fight on the ground where he’ll put his wrestling skills to work. He might be too aggressive leaving him vulnerable to Shields. The winner of this fight will crack the upper echelon of the middleweight division. Look for Shields to win via decision and make the move. The Gym 921 West Mayfield Road