By Lance LeVan
UFC FOX Sports 1 is being held in Cincinnati, OH on Saturday, May 10th. This should be a very interesting set of fights this weekend. There are a couple of fighters who need to step up and win in dominant fashion this weekend to ensure that they get their contracts renewed. In my opinion, none of them should be on the chopping block, but, in the UFC, if you’re not winning…you’re on the way out.
(#7) Matt “The Immortal” Brown (20-11-0) vs. (#14) Erick Silva (16-4-0, 1NC)
This is a five round, welterweight bout (170 lbs.) with two very exciting fighters. This is going to be a very explosive fight. These fighters are both known for their gas tanks and they will be pushing forward and throwing blows the entire fight. Brown is a Muay Thai fighter and Silva is a black belt in Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I don’t suspect either of these fighters will stall or run around the octagon. I am, however, worried that Brown is coming off of being sidelined with a herniated disc in his back. Even though both of these guys love to strike…I think this fight will be a win by submission.
My prediction: Brown gets the RNC (rear naked choke) in the 3rd round.
(#12) Costas Philippou (12-4-0, 1NC) vs. Lorenz “The Monsoon” Larkin (14-2-0, 1NC)
This is going to be an awesome fight in the middleweight (185 lbs.) division. On paper, these fighters are very closely matched. It appears that they have similar styles of fighting…which will make for an exciting match-up. Larkin is a boxer/kick boxer and Philippou was a professional boxer before converting to MMA. There will be a lot of strikes thrown in this battle. Even though Larkin has fought in several different organizations, I don’t think that his striking is on the same level as Philippou’s. Even though Larkin is the younger fighter…I have to give Philippou the nod on this one.
My prediction: Philippou wins via TKO.
Erik “New Breed” Koch (14-3-0) vs. Daron “Detroit Superstar” Cruickshank (14-4-0)
This lightweight (155 lbs.) bout has two fighters that I do not know much about. In an article I wrote recently…I said the following and it’s true again. “I’ve seen a couple of their fights but I have not formed a definitive opinion on either one yet.” Koch is a TKD (tae kwon do) fighter/striker. Cruickshank is a wrestler and has his black belt in TKD also. This should be an awesome striking match, but it looks like Cruickshank has the advantage on take-downs. However, Koch has the advantage when it comes to submission percentages. I think this fight is a toss-up. It could be either of them winning this one. Koch is two inches taller with a longer reach…so that is a factor too. If I had to bet on this fight (which I wouldn’t do), I would have to go with Koch (even though I almost always root for the wrestlers).
My prediction: Koch wins via submission.
Disagree with me about the UFC 172 matches? Let me know via twitter @BlitzWeekly and we’ll see who has better picks the night of the fights.