By Lance LeVan
UFC 170 kicks off on February 22nd and here are some of the MMA fights to look forward to.
( C) Ronda “Rowdy” Rousey (8-0-0) vs. (#4) Sara McMann (7-0-0)
This women’s bantamweight title fight is going to be a battle of the “take downs” and submission attempts. McMann has the judo pedigree to handle Rousey as far as take downs and on the ground. Both fighters are world-class judo fighters, but I don’t think McMann is mean enough to beat Rousey. My prediction: Rousey gets her notorious arm-bar in the second round.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXgSG33sFXU
Daniel “DC” Cormier (13-0-0) vs. Patrick Cummins (4-0-0)
This is not a title fight and neither fighter is ranked. This is a battle between two former training partners. Cummins took this fight on short notice when Rashad Evans dropped out with a knee injury. Cormier is a world-class, Olympic wrestling medalist and is a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Cummins is a “good” training partner, but he lacks the experience and the resume to compete at this level. My prediction: Cormier wins via TKO in the second round.
(#4) Rory “Ares” MacDonald (15-2-0) vs. (#6) Demian Maia (18-5-0)
Both of these fighters are coming off losses to upper echelon fighters. Both will be hungry for a win. This will be a classic match up of striking (MacDonald) vs grappling (Maia). Rory will keep this fight on the outside with straight punches and long leg kicks. Maia will try to get in, get the takedown, and look for a submission. Whichever of these fighters executes their game plan better will be victorious. My prediction: MacDonald wins via TKO in the third round.