By Lance Levan
UFC on Fox 11 is being held in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, April 19th. The top three fights on this card look to be very action-packed and could move people up in the rankings. Unlike last week, I do not think that any of these fighters have anything to worry about from the standpoint of being cut from the UFC if they lose. All six of these fighters “bring the noise” every time they enter the octagon and it is never a dull moment to watch them fight. I think that whoever wins the Werdum/Browne fight will be next in line for a title shot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSuFoBZo0jw
(#2) Fabricio “Val Cavalo” Werdum (17-5-1) vs. (#3) Travis “Hapa” Browne (16-1-1).
Just like last week’s UFC fight, this is going to be a five round heavyweight fight…and again, I think this is going to be a battle of epic proportions. Both of these fighters are heavy handed and are not afraid to mix it up from standing. Werdum is a 2nd degree black belt in BJJ, along with a black belt in Judo and Muay Thai. Browne, is more of a striker who is still coming into his own in the technical aspects of fighting. He’s a purple belt in BJJ and only has two fights in Muay Thai…but he has fought (and beaten) a who’s who of people in the UFC. If this fight stays standing…I would have to give the advantage to Browne. He’s mean, aggressive and keeps coming forward. However, if the fight goes to the ground…I have to lean towards Werdum, with his years and years of BJJ. But, if I have to attempt to predict the outcome of this fight…Prediction: Browne wins by TKO in the 3rd round.
(#3) Miesha “Cupcake” Tate (13-5-0) vs. (#7) Liz “Girlrilla” Carmouche (8-4-0)
As I have said before, for the most part, I prefer watching the women’s fights in the UFC. They are almost always action-packed and the women almost never stall or hold anything back. These two women are no different. They will not be coming out and trying to win a round or two and then stall the rest of the fight. Carmouche looks much better on paper than Tate, except for the overall record. Carmouche is an athletic brawler who likes to finish fights via KO/TKO. If this fight stays standing, Tate might get KTFO. If it goes to the ground, Tate has better submissions. Tate has more experience in the ring, but I think Carmouche is going to be too much for her to handle. Prediction: Carmouche wins via split decision.
(#8) Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone (22-6-0, 1NC) vs. (#11) Edson “Junior” Barboza (13-1-0)
This is a lightweight fight that promises a lot of action. Both of these fighters are Muay Thai fighters. There are going to be lots of punches, kicks, knees and elbows thrown in this fight. Be prepared for this fight to either be very bloody or ended with a TKO. Cerrone has much better submissions, but Barboza has finished more of his fights via TKO. This is going to be very tough to predict since they are both Muay Thai fighters, and the fact that I am a Cerrone fan. But I have been watching tapes of Barboza fighting, and I must say that I am fairly impressed. He is not just some new “flavor-of-the-month” that the UFC is throwing in there (like they have been doing recently). Barboza is a serious threat and Cerrone will need to bring his “A-game” if he expects to win this one. Prediction: Cerrone wins via submission in the 3rd.