Urijah “The California Kid” Faber (26-5-0) vs. Renan Barao (30-1-0)
This is the main event and will more than likely be the fight of the night. The guys will bring a ton of action and both are great fighters sporting stellar records. Barao is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt and has an amazing submission game. Faber is also a beast on the ground and always brings the fight! I look for the ground games to somewhat cancel each other out causing a stand up war. I think Faber will have the slight edge here. Look for Barao to come out strong but Faber to endure. I think the longer the fight lasts, the more Faber will succeed. This fight will go to the judges and I predict “The California Kid” to be the winner by unanimous decision.
Hector Lombard (31-2-1) vs. Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch (15-4-0)
Why in the world did it take the UFC so long to bring in Lombard? This cat is 24-0-1 since 2007! This guy is a beast and will bring the fight to the cage. Boetsch is a beast
too and will not run from Lombard. Both fighters are very well rounded, but I would give
the striking edge to Lombard and the wrestling/takedown edge to Boetsch. The ground game is a draw. Look for fireworks in this one. I don’t think the judges will get to decide it! I look for Lombard to capitalize on his opportunity to fight in the UFC and enter with a big splash. Lombard by KO in the third round!
Cheick Kongo (27-7-2) vs. Shawn “The Savage” Jordan (13-3-0)
Shawn Jordan is a relative newcomer to the UFC with this being only his second fight in the big leagues. He is a former fullback for LSU and is very athletic for a heavyweight. Kongo has been around for a long time and has shown flashes of greatness throughout his career. He has two big advantages, his size (he’s 6’4”) and his experience in the UFC against noteworthy opponents. He also has two disadvantages, he’s French and he’s 37 years old. Kongo is no spring chicken anymore. Jordan will outweigh Kongo
and will be 4” shorter. The key for Jordan will be to get inside on the striking and not let Kongo use his reach effectively. He will succeed in this and TKO Kongo in the second round.
By Brian Beard – comments@blitzweekly.com