Chris Leben v. Jake Rosholt

Rosholt is another Oklahoma State Wrestler who is trying to make the jump into MMA. He’s 1-1 since entering the UFC, and the loss was to Dan Miller, who is certainly nothing to be scoffed at. He was also 1-0 in the WEC before Zuffa took over.Besides his sick wrestling, Jake’s athleticism will serve him well in the octagon. For those who didn’t see it the first time, here he is jumping out of a pool BACKWARDS.

As for Leben, he’s been around for an awful long time at this point. He was the “crazy guy” on TUF 1, and has seemed to at least kind of put together some sort of life for himself. However, this is his first fight coming back from a steroid suspension. He’s become a gatekeeper. If you can beat Chris Leben, you can at least start approaching higher level middleweights. If not, find another job. As for his game, it’s pretty one dimensional. He has okay wrestling, and can box with the best of them. However, without having a wrestling advantage in this fight, I just don’t see him winning.

Prediction: Rosholt via Unanimous Decision

Brandon Vera v. Krzysztof Soszynski

I love this fight, and have been talking about it for a while now. This is my pick for fight of the night hands down.

Vera was a promising heavyweight prospect before a couple of losses forced him down to 205. He’s 2-1 since and is looking to move up into the higher levels of the stacked light heavyweight division. He’s game is based mostly on the feet, where he is an excellent muay thai striker. On the ground, he is a BJJ black belt, but has only one submission victory to his record.

Soszynski is a TUF 8 Alumni who has really made the best of his opportunity in the UFC. He was a decent fighter before, but since joining the SPIKE TV show, he is 3-0 and has gotten into Dana White’s good graces by taking three fights in the last six months, two of which came on short notice. He is a dangerous striker on his feet and loves to bang with just about anyone. He has some ground game, but is not going to submit Vera.

Look for these two guys to bang for 15 minutes, and put up an absolute classic. Unless someone gets clipped, in which case we’ll get a stunning KO. Either way, awesomeness.

Prediction: Soszynski via Split Decision

Nate Marquardt v. Demian Maia

Here’s another quietly interesting fight. Maia is 10-0 and has an absolutely destructive ground game. He uses a very aggressive style of BJJ that has led to eight victories via submission. Many have touted him as the next threat to Anderson Silva, but I am here to put the brakes on that. I have serious questions about his stand-up game. Can he even get someone like Silva down?

On the other hand, Marquardt is one of those fighters that is quietly dangerous. He is very well rounded, and has a bunch of ways to beat you. He could submit you, knock you out, or outpoint you. People want to see him lose this fight because he already has lost to Anderson Silva at UFC 73. However, he has certainly improved since then, and is more dangerous than ever. His best chance in this fight is going to be staying on his feet and out-striking Maia. I believe that he can do that, and will derail Maia’s momentum train.

Prediction: Marquardt via Decision

Thiago Silva v. Keith Jardine

I’m really hard on Keith Jardine. The main reason is that he has everything he needs to be successful. He has good tools, a great camp, and even an awesome beard. So, why isn’t he better than his 6-4 record in the UFC? It’s because he’s just not all that good. It’s like taking all the variables out of an algebra equation. He has good, and unorthodox standup, which fooled people for awhile. Now, he is exposed as a one trick pony who needs to fool people to win.

Silva, on the other hand, is actually a pretty decent light heavyweight. He’s ranked #8 in the world by Sherdog, and for good reason. He is an excellent muay thai striker who throws some pretty sick knees and elbows. He’s 13-1, and before losing his last fight to current light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, he had some decent wins over guys like Houston Alexander and James Irvin.

Expect Silva to take it, because he is more well rouned. How about some ground and pound?

Prediction: Silva via TKO

Randy Couture v. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Jesus H. Christ, Randy Couture is 46 years old and still looks like this.

Yea, he’s a freak. So, what do we know about Captain America? He’s an olympic level wrestler. He has the some of the strongest boxing in MMA, complete with the best head movement this side of Anderson Silva. His clinch work is devastating. He is the man that made ground and pound cool. Last but not least, he has great submission defense.

Which is important because he going up against the best BJJ heavyweight of ALL TIME. Nogueira is that damn good, and has the wins on his record to prove it. He’s 31-5-1 and he has beaten names like Werdum, Josh Barnett, and Mirko Cro Cop. In addition to his submission skills, he has solid boxing. In reality, the only time I see him at a huge disadvantage with Couture is in the clinch.

That being said, this is what Randy does. He makes us all think that he is done, and he shocks us all. Expect a great fight, but Couture will come out on top.

Prediction: Couture via Decision

Real fans go deep. Check out The 3SS coverage of the UFC 102 under card.