DFN Sports MMA Blog

The UFC returns to Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, May 26th for UFC 146, one of the biggest UFC fight cards literally ever held. UFC 146 features a PPV card with five heavyweight bouts and headlined by the UFC Heavyweight title fight as Junior dos Santos defends his belt for the first time opposite 2-time UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir. Our partners at ProFighting-fans.com provide their UFC preview & predictions for the event with all of our coverage of the event and of the entire sport of MMA brought to you by our friends at Intimidation Clothing, makers of stylish MMA apprel & fight gear and online at IntimidationClothing.com.

Strikeforce import Shane Del Rosario (11-0) will try and keep his undefeated record as he meets another undefeated prospect in Stipe Miocic (8-0) in a UFC 146 main card heavyweight bout.

Del Rosario, 28, is a California born mixed martial artist who fights out of Team Oyama in his home state. The muay-thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist made his professional debut in 2006 and won his first 8 bouts while competing mostly for M-1 Challenge and Elite XC. His last three wins have come while fighting for Strikeforce including his most recent last February at “Fedor vs. Silva” where he submitted current UFC fighter Lavar Johnson.

Miocic, 29, is an Ohio based mixed martial artist who fights out of the Strong Style Fight Team in Cleveland. The former Cleveland State wrestler made his professional MMA debut in February 2010 and won his first six bouts competing mostly for NAAFS in his home state. His NAAFS 7 Heavyweight Championship victory over Bobby Brents last June earned him the opportunity to fight inside the octagon. Also a Golden Gloves Boxer, Miocic won his October 2011 UFC 136 debut with a unanimous decision victory over Joey Beltran. In his follow up bout this February at UFC on Fuel TV, Miocic earned his second straight octagon victory knocking out Phil De Fries in 43 seconds.

Prediction – Del Rosario Decision

As the unsexy on paper UFC 137 fight card played itself out into an entertaining event last Saturday night, two of the more notable storylines that came out of the event were the announced retirements of both Mirko “Crop Cop” Filipovic and BJ Penn. While time will tell if both stick to their decisions, they certainly made for interesting TV with Joe Rogan.

First came Cro Cop who reportedly told Jacob “Stitch” Duran backstage that his fight with Roy Nelson would indeed be his last as a pro. Following a TKO loss Cro Cop said that he had planned this to be his last fight in his interview with Joe Rogan. More about Crop Cop and his legendary career in MMA can be read at ProFighting-fans.com.

Meanwhile BJ Penn looked solid in round 1 of his main event fight with NIck Diaz, but as the fight wore on Diaz simply out-boxed the former UFC lightweight and welterweight champions. Penn, who seemed to speak based on emotion when he said he was done in speaking wit Joe Rogan in the post fight interview later released a statement on BJPenn.com that he was instead taking some time off to reflect and spend time with his family. BJ Penn’s legacy in the world of MMA as a former UFC champion in two weight classes is hard to argue no matter what he chooses to do next.

So what will the future hold for Cro Cop and Penn? If I had to bet I believe Crop Cop is indeed done while Penn will make a “comeback” in the next year.

UFC 137 is just around the corner set for Saturday night October 29th on a card that has seen a lot of changes at the top. Gone is Georges St-Pierre vs Carlos Condit after St-Pierre was originally scheduled to fight Nick Diaz, as GSP had to pull out of his fight due to a knee injury. Now sitting atop the card is BJ Penn vs Nick Diaz in a welterweight battle with a possible shot on the line. The UFC 137 predictions show the stacked card with two exciting heavyweight battles scheduled for the televised PPV main card and two great Spike TV match-ups including Bart Palaszewski vs Tyson Griffin in a featherweight battle, the featherweight debut for both fighters, and Donald Cerrone vs Denis Siver in a lightweight battle. Meanwhile, the Facebook.com broadcast fights include notables Brandon Vera as well as the return of Chris Camozzi.

UFC 122 takes place on Saturday, November 13th at the Konig Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany and will be aired on Spike TV on same-day tape delay. UFC 122 will be headlined by Nate Marquardt versus Yushin Okami in what is expected to be a top contender’s bout with the winner receiving a UFC Middleweight title shot. The staff of ProFighting-fans.com previews UFC 122 and will follow with the live UFC 122 results & recaps on Saturday after the fights are complete. All of the UFC 122 and UFC 123 coverage at ProFighting-fans.com is brought to you in part by Intimidation Clothing and CarnalDaMMAge.com.

UFC 122 Main Event: Nate Marquardt vs. Yushin Okami

Perennial contenders Nate Marquardt (30-9-2) and Yushin Okami (25-5) will battle atop the UFC 122 main card for a chance to fight for the next chance at the Middleweight Championship. Marquardt has won four of his last five to emerge as a contender once again; Okami has been victorious five times out of his last six bouts as well.

Marquardt, 31, is a Wyoming-born striker who splits his training camps between Jackson’s Submission Fighting and the Grudge Training Center. “The Great” was a seven-time King of Pancrase prior to fighting inside the octagon competing for six years and piling up 21 victories. Once he entered the octagon, he showed promise winning his first four to earn a chance at the 185-pound belt. He was defeated at UFC 73 against Anderson Silva and upset two bouts later against Thales Leites, but soon rebounded with impressive performances and getting back on track. He has lost only to Chael Sonnen over his last five bouts, and defeated Rousimar Palhares at UFC Fight Night 22 this September via TKO.

Okami, 29, is a Japanese-born mixed martial artist who fights out of the Wajyutsu Keisyukai fight team. He made his pro debut in 2002 and fought for four years and competed in nearly twenty bouts inside the PRIDE, ROTR, and K-1 organizations before entering the octagon for the first time. He also won his first four inside the octagon, but lost to Rich Franklin at UFC 72 for a shot at the middleweight title. He has since rebounded by winning five of six, losing only to Sonnen at UFC 104, and defeated Mark Munoz in August at UFC Live 2.

Prediction – Okami decision

UFC 122 takes place on Saturday, November 13th at the Konig Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany and will be aired on Spike TV on same-day tape delay. UFC 122 will be headlined by Nate Marquardt versus Yushin Okami in what is expected to be a top contender’s bout with the winner receiving a UFC Middleweight title shot. The staff of ProFighting-fans.com previews UFC 122 and will follow with the live UFC 122 results & recaps on Saturday after the fights are complete. All of the UFC 122 and UFC 123 coverage at ProFighting-fans.com is brought to you in part by MMA apparel makers Intimidation Clothing and CarnalDaMMAge.com, one of the top online retailers of MMA clothing & tshirts.

Jorge Rivera vs. Alessio Sakara

A UFC 122 co-main event bout between veteran Jorge Rivera (18-7) and Italian Alessio Sakara (15-7, 1 NC) will help determine who may be next in line for a number one contender bout. Both Rivera and Sakara have won three straight bouts, Rivera won his most recent fight in March at UFC Fight Night 21; Sakara won his most recent bout in March at UFC Live.

Rivera, 38, is a Massachusetts-based fighter who competes out of Team Sityodtong. He debuted in 2001 and won five of his first six fighting in small Northeast-based organizations. After starting off fast, he was signed to the UFC but won only twice in five octagon appearances from September 2003 until January 2006. After resurrecting his career on The Ultimate Fighter 4 “The Comeback”, Rivera has gotten better with age. He split his first four bouts after his TUF 4 stint, but has really shown improvement winning his last three consecutive. He defeated Nate Quarry via TKO at UFC Fight Night 21 in March.

Sakara, 29, is an Italian-born former professional boxer who turned to mixed martial arts in 2002. Now training at American Top Team, Sakara won nine of his first twelve while fighting in Italy, Russia, and Brazil. In October 2003 he joined the UFC and won only three of his first eight bouts fighting mostly as a light-heavyweight. After dropping to fight at 185-pounds, Sakara began to find some consistency. He has defeated Joe Vedepo at UFC Fight Night 15, Thales Leites at UFC 101, and James Irvin at UFC Live to emerge as a legitimate contender.

Prediction – Rivera TKO

UFC 122 takes place on Saturday, November 13th at the Konig Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany and will be aired on Spike TV on same-day tape delay. UFC 122 will be headlined by Nate Marquardt versus Yushin Okami in what is expected to be a top contender’s bout with the winner receiving a UFC Middleweight title shot. The staff of ProFighting-fans.com previews UFC 122 and will follow with the live UFC 122 results & recaps on Saturday after the fights are complete. All of the UFC 122 and UFC 123 coverage at ProFighting-fans.com is brought to you in part by Intimidation MMA Apparel and CarnalDaMMAge.com, one of the top online retailers of MMA clothing, shorts & gear.

Dennis Siver vs Andre Winner

German lightweight Dennis Siver (16-7) will look for his fifth win in his last six fights when he welcomes TUF 9 runner-up Andre Winner (11-4) in a UFC 122 main card bout contested at 155-pounds. Siver was victorious in arguably his most impressive victory this June at the TUF 11 finale; Winner lost his most recent bout this past August against Nik Lentz.

Siver, 31, is a Russian-born mixed martial artist who has re-located to Germany where he fights out of the OC Fight Team. Now a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Siver made his professional debut in 2004 and won ten of his first thirteen while fighting in Germany, Sweden, England, and Slovenia. He entered the UFC in 2007, however lost three of his first four inside the octagon which earned him his release from the organization. One victory outside of the promotion earned him a return trip, and so far he has made the most of his opportunity, winning four of his last five bouts under the UFC banner. He has defeated Dale Hartt, Nate Mohr, Paul Kelly and Spencer Fisher since returning for his second stint.

Winner, 28, is an English-based mixed martial artist who fights out of the Team Rough House gym. He made his professional debut in 2006 and won nine of his first twelve fighting exclusively in England for CWFC, FX 3 and Cage Rage promotions. After his quick start, Winner earned a runner-up finish while fighting on Michael Bisping’s Team UK squad. After losing to Ross Pearson at the TUF 9 finale, he rebounded with victories over Rolando Delgado and Rafaello Oliveira to gain some momentum in the lightweight division. He was defeated for the second time inside the octagon at UFC 118 in August against Minnesota Martial Arts-based fighter Nik Lentz.

Prediction – Siver decision

UFC 122 takes place on Saturday, November 13th at the Konig Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany and will be aired on Spike TV on same-day tape delay. UFC 122 will be headlined by Nate Marquardt versus Yushin Okami in what is expected to be a top contender’s bout with the winner receiving a UFC Middleweight title shot. The staff of ProFighting-fans.com previews UFC 122 and will follow with the live UFC 122 fight results & recaps on Saturday after the fights are complete. All of the UFC 122 and UFC 123 coverage at ProFighting-fans.com is brought to you in part by Intimidation MMA Apparel and CarnalDaMMAge.com, one of the top online retailers of MMA clothing, shorts & gear.

Amir Sadollah vs. Peter Sobotta

German-based Peter Sobotta (8-3) will be looking for his first promotional win in three tries when he meets TUF 7 winner Amir Sadollah (3-2) in a UFC 122 main card bout. Sadollah was defeated his last time out; Sobotta was also defeated this summer at UFC 115.

Sadollah, 30, is a New York-born mixed martial artist who now fights out of the Las Vegas-based Throwdown Training Center. After winning all three of his amateur bouts, Sadollah earned a spot on TUF 7. He cruised through the competition on TUF 7 defeating CB Dollaway at the June 2008 finale. He lost his next bout at UFC 101 via TKO against Johny Hendricks, but rebounded with back-to-back victories over Phil Baroni and Brad Blackburn to get back on track. He was matched up against unbeaten Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 114 this past May, however was overwhelmed and lost via unanimous decision.

Sobotta, 23, is a Poland-born mixed martial artist who now lives and fights out of Germany. He made his professional debut in 2004 and won eight of his first nine bouts fighting primarily in Germany. He was signed to a UFC contract in 2009, and although has put on solid performances, came up short in both fights. He was first defeated by English-based fighter Paul Taylor at UFC 99 in June 2009 and then defeated by unanimous decision at UFC 115 against James Wilks this past June.

Prediction – Sadollah decision

UFC 122 takes place on Saturday, November 13th at the Konig Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany and will be aired on Spike TV on same-day tape delay. UFC 122 will be headlined by Nate Marquardt versus Yushin Okami in what is expected to be a top contender’s bout with the winner receiving a UFC Middleweight title shot. The staff of ProFighting-fans.com previews UFC 122 and will follow with the live UFC 122 fight results & recaps on Saturday after the fights are complete. All of the UFC 122 and UFC 123 coverage at ProFighting-fans.com is brought to you in part by Intimidation Clothing and CarnalDaMMAge.com, one of the top online retailers of MMA shorts & gear.

Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Goran Relic

The Ultimate Fighter 8 semifinalist Krzysztof “The Polish Experiment” Soszynski (21-10-1) will try and get back on the winning path at UFC 122 when he meets Croatian light-heavyweight Goran Relic (8-2) in a main card bout. Soszynski has lost two out of his last three and his only victory during that span was a controversial TKO (cut) victory over Stephan Bonnar; Relic also comes into this 205-pound bout on shaky ground, losing back-to-back fights in the middleweight division.

Soszynski, 33, is a Polish-native who immigrated to Canada as a youth. The Team Quest product debuted as a professional mixed martial artist in 2003 and won nine of his first ten bouts until hitting a rough patch from July 2005 to April 2006 going 0-4-1 during that time. He did turn his career around once he affiliated with the IFL and won eight of his next eleven bouts to earn a position on TUF 8. “The Polish Experiment” was a steady presence on the show making it to the semifinals before losing to Vinny Magalhaes. He rebounded and would go on to win his first three official octagon fights before losing a pivotal UFC 102 bout against Brandon Vera. He split his last two bouts, defeating Bonnar via TKO at UFC 110 in February and then losing to him this July at UFC 116.

Relic, 26, is a native of Croatia where he still remains today training out of his Zagreb gym. The brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu debuted in April 2004 and won his first seven bouts while fighting in small promotions in Croatia, Slovenia, and Holland. He was then signed to the UFC and put on a Fight of Night performance in his May 2008 UFC 84 debut, a TKO victory over Wilson Gouveia. After claiming victory at UFC 84, he was dealt a pair of losses this year, first going down by unanimous decision to CB Dollaway at UFC 110 and then losing by split decision in July at UFC 116. Seven of his eight victories have been by way of stoppage, two via KO and five by submission.

Prediction – Soszynski submission

UFC 122 takes place on Saturday, November 13th at the Konig Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany and will be aired on Spike TV on same-day tape delay. UFC 122 will be headlined by Nate Marquardt versus Yushin Okami in what is expected to be a top contender’s bout with the winner receiving a UFC Middleweight title shot. The staff of ProFighting-fans.com previews UFC 122 and will follow with the live UFC 122 fight results & recaps on Saturday after the fights are complete. All of the UFC 122 and UFC 123 coverage at ProFighting-fans.com is brought to you in part by Intimidation Clothing and CarnalDaMMAge.com, one of the top online retailers of MMA shorts & gear.

Kyle Noke vs. Rob Kimmons

The Ultimate Fighter 11 veteran Kyle Noke (17-4-1) will try for his second consecutive victory inside the octagon when he meets two-year UFC veteran Rob Kimmons (23-5) in a UFC 122 preliminary bout. Both middleweights are coming in off of victories, Noke won his only official UFC bout at the TUF 11 finale this summer; Kimmons was also victorious this summer defeating Steve Steinbeiss.

Noke is an Australian-born mixed martial artist who now trains out of Jackson’s Submission Fighting camp in New Mexico. Noke turned pro in 2002 and fought his first five years in his homeland winning thirteen of his first seventeen bouts. In 2007, Noke signed with Elite XC where he split a pair of bouts before parting ways with the bankrupt organization. Overall, he won three of his last four before earning a position on TUF 11 as the first person picked for Team Liddell. After losing in the quarterfinals of TUF 11, he re-appeared at the finale and defeated Josh Bryant via 2nd round TKO.

Kimmons, 29, is a Kansas City, Missouri-born mixed martial artist who now fights out of Team Grindhouse in nearby Liberty, MO. Kimmons began his professional tenure in 2003 and bounced around organizations like WEC, IFO, Tachi Palace Fights, and MCC, winning twenty of twenty-three. His three losses during that period came against former UFC veterans Joe Riggs, Ryan Jensen, and Marvin Eastman. Kimmons finally made his octagon debut in June 2008 at the TUF 7 finale where he picked up a victory over Rob Yundt. He has alternated victories with losses ever since his debut, losing to Dan Miller, defeating Joe Vedepo, losing to Jorge Rivera, and in his most recent action, defeated Steve Steinbeiss.

Prediction – Noke TKO

UFC 122 takes place on Saturday, November 13th at the Konig Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany and will be aired on Spike TV on same-day tape delay. UFC 122 will be headlined by Nate Marquardt versus Yushin Okami in what is expected to be a top contender’s bout with the winner receiving a UFC Middleweight title shot. The staff of ProFighting-fans.com previews UFC 122 and will follow with the live UFC 122 results & fight recaps on Saturday after the fights are complete. All of the UFC 122 and UFC 123 coverage at ProFighting-fans.com is brought to you in part by Intimidation Clothing and CarnalDaMMAge.com, one of the top online retailers of MMA apparel, shorts & gear.

Vladimir Matyushenko vs Alexandre Ferreira

One time light-heavyweight contender Vladimir “The Janitor” Matyushenko (24-5) will try and rebound from his first octagon loss in over seven years when he meets promotional newcomer Alexandre “Cacareco” Ferreira (18-6) in a UFC 122 preliminary card bout. Matyushenko was defeated in 1:52 by Jon Jones this summer at UFC Live 2; Ferreira is coming into the UFC on the strength of seven consecutive victories.

Matyushenko, 39, is a Belarus-native who fights out of his own VMAT gym. He began his career in 1997 and won nine of his first ten bouts fighting mostly for the IFC organization. He was then signed to fight in the UFC where he won three of his five bouts, including a loss to Tito Ortiz for the 205-pound strap. “The Janitor” took almost two years off after his UFC 44 loss against Andre Arlovski, however caught fire immediately upon his return to action winning nine of his next ten fights. The former IFL light-heavyweight champion earned a return to the octagon in late-2009 and won back-to-back bouts defeating Igor Pokrajac and Eliot Marshall, however was dismantled by Jon Jones in his most recent action. Matyushenko has ten decision victories and fourteen finishes during his thirteen year career.

Ferreira is a submission expert who fights out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. “Cacareco” began his career in 1998 and lost his first professional bout, however went on to win his next eight fights including a decision victory over Heath Herring. He was only a part-time fighter from 2000-2004 losing four straight, although he turned it around by winning ten of his next eleven including his last seven in a row. He hasn’t been in action for over a year; a submission victory over Walter Mazurkievicz at Jungle Fight 15.

Prediction – Matyushenko decision