After a disappointing 2012, just over a month into 2013 the UFC is off to a strong start which looks to continue with a slew of upcoming fights announced this week by the company. The first of said fights scheduled are for The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale on April 13 which is headlined by UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson defending his title for the second time this year against challenger John Moraga. Other notable fights on that card include heavyweights Travis Browne and Gabriel Gonzaga squaring off as well as what will be the second fight between women competitors in the octagon as Miesha Tate takes on Cat Zingano. A week later Chad Mendes, who was scheduled to face the recently injured Manny Gamburyan at UFC 157 will now meet Clay Guida at UFC on FOX 7.   In bigger news both literally and figuratively heavyweights will take center stage at UFC 160 on May 25 as Cain Velasquez defends his heavyweight title against Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in a rematch of their fight from November 2011 that Velasquez won by first round stoppage. The co-main event will feature a long-awaited showdown between former UFC heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos and former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem in a bout that could determine who faces the winner of the main event. One last fight that has been announced is Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold making his octagon debut against Vitor Belfort in Brazil at UFC on FX 8 on May 18.   Mark your calendars as there’s a lot to look forward to in the upcoming months for MMA fans.

  Donald Cerrone vs Anthony Pettis – In the midst of a busy start to the new year for the UFC things kick into high gear this Saturday with UFC on FOX 6 headlined by flyweight champion Demetrius Johnson defending his title against Ultimate Fighter winner John Dodson. This is far from one fight card however, as you may have noticed by the absence of the main event participants in the title, I personally have little interest in the championship bout and am more excited for the other two featured fights. The first of said fights will see former WEC lightweight champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis throwdown with fellow former WEC stand out Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. Originally thought to be number one contenders bout until the recent announcement that UFC lightweight champ Ben Henderson will be defending his title against Strikeforce 155 pound champion Gilbert Melendez, the result still may place the winner here against whorever emerges victorious in that title unification bout. Both fighters come in off knockout of the night performances, Pettis caught Joe Lauzon with a highlight reel head kick at UFC 144 in Japan and finished him with strikes seconds later. Cerrone, after surviving an early onslaught from Melvin Guillard landed a similar head kick with equally devastating results. Styles make fights and both Pettis and Cerrone prefer to keep things on the feet while attacking opponents with an array of punches and kicks yet both have underrated ground games to boot. This one has fight of the night written all over it and will be the main event for myself and a lot of other fans watching.   916Chris’ pick – Once again I’m challenged by predicting a winner in this one not only because the fighters matchup so evenly on paper but as a fan [...]

The Good UFC on FOX 4 – After 3 previous events on FOX that each had their own problems both the UFC and FOX were hoping for a broadcast that could please both fans and executives, well they got it, and then some. Things got off to a quick start as Mike Swick and DeMarques Johnson were swinging for the fences early. Swick stunned Johnson early with a right hand but Johnson was able to control the majority of the round by taking Swick down and landing some solid strikes from top position. The second round didn’t last long as Swick caught a kick from Johnson which he used to put him on his back followed immediately by a right hand that put Johnson out. Swick landed two more rights on an unconscious Johnson before referee Herb Dean was able to intervene and wave off the contest. It was Swicks first time competing in 2 years and his first win since 2009.   Next up was the fight of the night between lightweights Joe Lauzon and late replacement Jamie Varner. The former WEC lightweight champ Varner was able to take the lead early as he twice sent Lauzon off balance with overhand rights. The momentum seemed to turn as Lauzons constant pressure started to tire out Varner. Lauzon was able to secure Varners back and threaten with submissions yet Varner escaped and got top position to close out the second round. Varner was strinking well in the third yet opted for a takedown only to be swept by Lauzon while locking on a triangle choke. Varner tried to fight out of the submission but was forced to tap out ending the action packed affair.   Things slowed down during the opening round of the co-main event between Lyoto Machida and [...]

  * When Joe Rogan calls a guillotine, you bet your ass that the guy who is in the choke will escape.   * Brandon Vera did what I thought he would do, but at the end it wasn’t quite enough.  Might want to think about not adjusting the mouth piece when Shogun Rua is trying to decimate your face.   * Brazillan Zombie… Uhhhhhh I mean Shogun Rua is one tough cookie, and such a likeable chracter.  I see why he has such a rabid fanbase that think he is still a top 3 light heavyweight.  I think not.   * Chael Sonnen and Rashad Evans calling out Phil Davis for not using his wrestling even though the fight only lasted about a minute into the first round.   They must have took notes from Dana White’s guide to wrestling  (Cain vs JDS).   * This was one of the best card of the year as far as results go, I wonder how much people got to watch the fights with the Olympics being the black hole of ratings on NBC.   Imagine if this card was the debut UFC card on FOX.   * Ryan “Ahhhh Fuck it!” Bader’s game plan….   Well we all saw it coming.  Anyone who gave Bader a shot at winning against Machida probably just started watching mma from UFC 144.  

  Lyoto Machida vs Ryan Bader – Due to circumstances beyond my control the site has been down for the last 24 hours or so thus the predictions piece this week will be brief, kinda like Ducs usual picks. In a night that features 4 fighters vying for a second opportunity to be dismantled by UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, things kick off with former 205 pound champ Lyoto Machida taking on former Ultimate Fighter winner Ryan Bader. This will be Machidas first fight since losing his title to the aforementioned Jones while Bader is coming off an easier than expected win over Rampage Jackson.   916Chris’ pick – I’m gonna keep it short, Machida wins, easy. If you saw Lyotos fight against Tito Ortiz then you have an idea of how I see this one going. Bader will try his best to track Machida down and wrestle him to the ground but his lack of speed will prevent him from doing so as “The Dragon” outpoints him on the feet for 15 minutes en route to a unanimous decision.   Duc’s pick – Lyoto’s take down defense is up there with the best of 205 division, therefore Bader’s only hope for a victor is for his big right hand to land on Lyoto’s dome.  Chances of that happening are very slim in my opinion and I see Lyoto stopping Bader by one of those counter strike karate chops.   Shogun Rua vs Brandon Vera – In a WTF main event, former UFC and PRIDE champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua faces off against former two division champ in his dreams, Brandon Vera. Shogun was last in the octagon in what many considered 2011s fight of the year against Dan Henderson where he lost a disputable unanimous decision. Vera himself is [...]