baltimoresun.com

« Getting ready for UFC 87 | Main | UFC 87 links and the Brock Lesnar effect »

UFC 87 predictions

Just filed my predictions for a number of different places. I know the economy is tight these days, so print this post, take it to Vegas, and almost double your money thanks to my brilliance.

Actually, I'm going with the three favorites. I've never picked three favorites in a row because things just don't shake down that way. I could see any of these fights going the other way, but it's uncomfortable to sit on the fence forever. 

Georges St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch: A lot of people seem to be buying stock in GSP these days and it’s not without merit. However, we’ve seen him overlook opponents before (well, once). And I think Fitch is the best fighter Rush has faced since B.J. Penn. He does a lot of things well and is great on the ground. After all of that, I just can’t see Fitch winning this fight. I’ve tried to convince myself for awhile now, but St. Pierre is just too well-rounded and too focused on Fitch. Fitch was an outstanding collegiate wrestler, but we’ve seen St. Pierre handle that before without much trouble (Josh Koscheck). I’ll take St. Pierre in a third-round submission.

Kenny Florian vs. Roger Huerta: I really like Kenny Florian. I think he’s got the superior jiu-jitsu and the better stand-up. I like Huerta’s power, but I feel that Florian is the better fighter. This could very well be the fight of the night and if it goes the distance, I think Florian takes it. Huerta’s best chance is to go for the knockout. Huerta is never out of a fight though, which is why this should be a great one. I’m taking Florian in a unanimous decision, partly in hope that we’ll get to see several great rounds of action.

Brock Lesnar vs. Heath Herring: This is the hardest fight to pick, mainly because we have no idea of what Lesnar is capable of. We’ve seen only a few seconds of him against good competition. He should be able to take down Herring at will and Lesnar has power. Lesnar’s exceptional wrestling doesn’t help Herring as he’s shown problems on the ground against wrestlers worse than Lesnar. Still, Herring is a very experienced fighter who has faced some of the top fighters in the world. He hasn’t beaten any of them, but experience counts for something. Herring isn’t a guy that will go down quickly either -- he’ll last awhile. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Lesnar gassed halfway through the fight as his cardio is another question. He looked fine in 36 seconds, but hopefully we’ll get more this time around. I don’t think Herring is nearly as big an underdog as Vegas makes him, but I’ll give the nod to Lesnar in a second-round TKO.

Click here for a photo gallery of UFC 87 fighters.
 

Posted by Mark Chalifoux at 7:24 PM | | Comments (1)
        

Comments

GSP by Split Decision. I do not think GSP can finish Fitch, and even though I am rooting extremely hard for Jon Fitch, I don't think either of these fighters will get stopped, and that this fight will go 5 5 minute rounds and GSP Winning 3 of of the 5 rounds, 2 judges will score it for GSp 1 judge for Fitch.

Kenny Florian will submit Roger Huerta Round 2 Rear Naked Choke.

Heath Herring defeats Brock Lesnar Round 2 TKO. I think I am the minority in this, I will be cheering extremely hard for Lesnar, but the thing is, if Herring can wether the storm, and survive untill the 2nd round, then I think Cardio will play a huge factor against Brock. Then I think Herring will work that and defeat Lesnar, because Herring has been in many wars and can be in deep trouble but survives. That's what will happen this time.

Post a comment

All comments must be approved by the blog author. Please do not resubmit comments if they do not immediately appear. You are not required to use your full name when posting, but you should use a real e-mail address. Comments may be republished in print, but we will not publish your e-mail address. Our full Terms of Service are available here.

Please enter the letter "o" in the field below:
About the blogger
Mark Chalifoux covered his first MMA event at UFC 68 in Columbus, Ohio. Since that night, he’s been hooked on the sport. He is based in Cincinnati and also works in sports talk radio. He’s written for the Athens News, ESPN.com, SI.com, The Cincinnati Enquirer and the Chalifoux Family Christmas Newsletter.

Pramit Mohapatra, who currently runs FightTicker.com, previously authored this blog.
Photo galleries
-- ADVERTISEMENT --

Categories
Blog updates
Recent updates to baltimoresun.com sports blogs  Subscribe to this feed