Erik Morales vs Danny Garcia – Boxing brings us three bouts this weekend that all look competitive on paper in which a case could be made for either fighter, which is exactly what we’re here to do. We’ll start off with the marquee attraction between former multi division champion Erik Morales taking on undefeated Danny Garcia. “El Terrible” has fough just once since his disputed majority decision loss to Marcos Maidana, getting a a win against unheralded Pablo Cesar Cano and somehow picking up the WBC junior welterweight title in the process. Gracia, who will be contending for his first major title is coming off the biggest win of his career over former champ Kendall Holt. This would certainly qualify as a crossroads fight in which we will find out just how much the Mexican warrior Morales has left whereas Garcia is out to silence skeptics who still question his abilities. There’s also the added dynamic of a Mexican versus a Puerto Rican though Garcia hails from Philadelphia. Will El Terrible once again turn back the clock and show why he remains a fan favorite years beyond his best or will the young challenger be too “Swift” for the veteran warrior?   916Chris’ pick – As mentioned earlier this is the first of three tough fights to pick, well at least for myself. Morales certainly surprised me with his performance against Maidana but it’s been almost a year since that fight took place and it’s no revelation to point out that El Terrible isn’t getting any younger. Garcia will have plenty of things in his favor but being tested against the best is one area where Morales has a notable advantage. The question of course as always when he fights is how much does the Mexican have left in [...]

The Good Knee Knock Outs – There are few more exhilirating finishes in mixed martial arts than a one shot KO via a knee strike and on Friday night MMA fans were treated to not one but two examples of such. The first was provided by Brian Rogers who annihilated Vitor Vianna in the opening round of Bellators middleweight tournament. “The Predator” first buckled Vianna with a right hand and immediately followed up with a flying right knee that put the Brazilian out cold. The win marks the ninth of Rogers career, all by first round stoppage. Rogers was tabbed as a favorite to win this tournament and showed exactly why at Bellator 61.   Elsewhere on the 15th season of The Ultimate Fighter coaches Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber selected their teams with Faber opting to choose the first fight after winning a coin toss. Urijah would select Daron Cruickshank to represent his team against James Vick of Team Cruz. The result would not be long in wait as midway through the first round Cruickshank would shoot for a takedown only to be met with a knee to the head that instantly put him down and out. And just like that Vick moves on and puts himself in a strong position to win a $25,000 bonus for KO of the season as voted by fans.   Including Pat Currans knee that set in motion his stoppage over Joe Warren last weekend and these two which followed suit it’s clear that knee strikes are some of the mose effective and potent in MMA. Now if only they would be legalized to throw to the head of a fighter on the ground such as they were in PRIDE.  

  Sergio Martinez vs Matthew Macklin – I’m going to be honest, I almost didn’t do a predictions article this week, not because I won’t be watching the fights as I will but because they are not very intriguing to me. First up I guess I’ll discuss Sergio Martinez who will be taking on Matthew Macklin. I am actually a fan of Martinez and have enjoyed watching him fight since he reemerged on the scene with his win over Alex Bunema. After that fight Martinez would go on an impressive run against Kermit Cintron, Kelly Pavlik, and Paul Williams twice, the latter of which earned him knockout of the year. The prevailing thought was the recognized middleweight champ would be involved in some big fights but unfortunately his opposition since has been less than in high demand. That trend continues this Saturday with Macklin who is coming off a split decision loss that many thought he deserved to win against middleweight titlist Felix Sturm. Even with a strong showing it’s unlikely Sergio gets any of the lucrative matchups he yearns for but here’s to hoping he looks to make a statement and in doing so a demand for his services.   916Chris’ pick – Look, I’m going to be brief here, I did not see Macklins fight against Sturm nor have I seen any of his other fights. Going over his resume I see nothing that makes me think he pulls off the upset here unless Martinez completely overlooks him. Perhaps Macklin can take something from Sergios last bout against Darren Barker and find some vulnerabilities he can take advantage of but seeing is believing so until I see it, you get the rest. Maravilla by late round stoppage. I’m actually looking more forward to the opening bout between Edwin [...]

The Good Orlando Salido vs Juan Manuel Lopez 2 – The long standing boxing rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico just added another chapter to it’s history books as Orlando Salido and Juan Manuel Lopez gave everything they had in an instant classic and early contender for fight of the year. Despite stopping Lopez in an upset last year Salido came in as the underdog once again and fought like it. Salido came out as the both the more aggressive and confident fighter from the opening round undeterred by the Puerto Rican crowd. The defending champion was in control of the first four plus rounds before being knocked down and badly hurt by Lopez at the close of the fifth round. Salido gathered himself and continued successfully marching forward in the sixth though Lopez started to fare better in return.   Then came the 9th round. In a sure fire leader for round of the year Salido and Lopez slugged it out toe to toe for all of three minutes neither willing to back down to the other in a display of guts, courage, and pride from both men. That round appeared to take something out of both warriros but perhaps more Lopez than Salido. The 10th round would be Lopez’ last stand as Salido would catch him with a right hook that froze the the former champion in his tracks. Salido followed up with three more punches that put JuanMa down and although he got up before the 10 count he was clearly on unsteady legs prompting the referee to stop the bout and save Lopez from absorbing any further punishment. I think any fight fan can agree it takes two fighters to make a great fight and that was certainly the case here but credit must be given [...]

  Joe Warren vs Pat Curran: Bellator makes it’s return this week on Mtv2 but on a new night, Friday, kicking things off with the opening round of the featherweight tournament and headlined by Bellator featherweight champion Joe Warren defending his title against last seasons 145 pound tourney winner Pat Curran. Both fighters are coming into this bout off of big knockouts although in much different fashion. Whereas Curran stamped himself as the number one contender by knocking out Marlon Sandro with a vicious head kick in the first round of their tournament finale matchup, Warren was brutally stopped in just over a minute by Alexis Vila in Warrens failed bid to win Bellators bantamweight tournament. The loss was Warrens second but the first time he has been knocked out, let alone in such a brutal manner which makes one wonder how he will respond in his first fight since. Curran for his part has all but dominated the Bellator ranks having now won two of the organizations tournaments and losing just once, a decision to then lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez. Can Curran capture the title that alluded him at 155 pounds or will Warren bounce back and display the resolve that many champions are made of?   916Chris’ pick – I have a hard time picking Warren to win this one, granted he’s lost only once in six fights in Bellator but that records a bit deceiving. Many people thought the current featherweight champion deserved to lose decisions to both Patricio Freire and Marcos Galvao. Warren was also nearly stopped by Joe Soto before turning the tables and getting the win. Curran is a guy who I initially believed was just getting an opportunity based on his relation to cousin Jeff but he has shown he not only deserved [...]