Ryan Jensen v. Steve Steinbess

There seems to be some people out there who think that Steve Steinbess deserves a legit chance at at main card fight. I don’t know why, but they are out there. He’s got no quality wins on his record and his last loss was to Carmelo Marrero at WEC 36. That just screams legit to me. I’m being sarcastic.

Jensen is a similar guy as he has faced tough competition at times but beat any of them. This fight will be a lot like Highlander; There can only be one. Since these guys are so similar, the UFC can’t afford to keep both of them on the roster.

In the cage, Jensen will seek to submit Steinbess. There is no secret there as he has achieved nine victories via submission. Steinbess is more of a striker and needs to focus on staying on the feet to avoid the ground game of Jensen. At the end of the day, I simply think Steinbess is the better fighter. However, that doesn’t mean that he’s ready for the spotlight.

Prediction: Steve Steinbess via TKO

Brock Larson v. Mike Pierce

What in god’s name does Brock Larsen have to do? He’s really a whole lot better than anyone would know because the UFC and even the WEC haven’t pushed him nearly enough. Of course, we all know that Larsen defeated Paulo Filho for the WEC belt, but the fight was non-title because Filho didn’t make weight. He’s 26-2, and has his last lost was to Carlos Condit. That’s a nice record. Yet, here he is on the undercard.

Pierce is making his UFC debut and we all know about the UFC jitters that go along with that. He is 8-1, but lacks a signature win. This is not an easy first test for Pierce, and I expect him to sucumb to the pressure, as well as Larson’s myriad skills.

Larson via submission

Jeremy Stephens v. Justin Buchholz

People with the last name Buchholz need to decide on one spelling. One “h” or two. Make up your minds.

Anyway, both of these lightweights are likely on their last chances with the UFC. Both have mediocre records and lost their last fight to sub-par fighters. In the stacked lightweight division, it’s going to be hard for eithier of these guys to make any sort of headway.

Stephens is on a two fight losing streak to Gleison Tibau and the underrated Joe Lauzon. He’s a muay thai and BJJ fighter, but feels most comfortable on his feet on most of his wins have come by knockout.

Buchholz beat personal favorite Corey Hill, but last lost to Terry Etim, who is not all that great. He’s 1-2 in the UFC and needs the win badly. He has a balanced game, and I think that his ground game will lead to him winning the fight.

Prediction: Stephens via Submission

Sam Stout v. Phillipe Nover

I really love Phillipe Nover. He was absolutely robbed by Yves Lavigne’s early stoppage at UFC 98 and now has to win on Wednesday to remain relevant. He’s lost his last two fights, one against TUF 8 winner Efrain EdcusderoNover has a good all-around game, but in this fight his advantage will be on the ground. He was recently awarded his black belt in BJJ and this fight is the time to put it to use.

Stout is famous for his wars with Spencer Fisher where the two of them stood in the middle of the ring and tried to punch each other in the face as many times as they could. However, the reason that happened is that neither of these guys have any sort of ground game. Nover should be able to take Stout down and submit him easily.

Prediction: Nover via Submission

C.B. Dolloway v. Jay Silva

I still can’t forgive C.B. Dolloway for being submitted by Tom Lawlor. Lawlor isn’t good by any stretch of the imagination, but I can’t help but feel like that fight was a huge fluke. Dolloway has a ton of potential and elite type skills. His world class wrestling, he’s the master of the Peruvian necktie and his striking is improving as he trains with Arizona Combat Sports.

Silva is making his UFC debut and see my speech about Mike Pierce for my feelings on that. He is a former Ring of Combat alumni, so he’s got that going for him. However, I just can’t see him beating Dolloway.

Prediction: Dolloway via unanimous decision

Chris Wilson v. Mike Pyle

Wilson is 1-2 in the UFC, and last lost to John Howard. However, his first loss was to an up and coming Jon Fitch. All three of his fights have ended with decisions. He trains with the Team Quest, so you know his wrestling is solid.

Mike Pyle made his UFC debut and ran into a real good fighter in Brock Larson. Now, he will be fight for his UFC life on Wednesday. His best shot is to keep to fight standing and use his muay thai to finish the fight.

Prediction: Pyle via knockout

Brian Stann v. Steve Cantwell

This is the trilogy fight of one of the best series in the WEC history. Stann and Cantwell have had a couple of great ones, and here’s the video to prove it.

Expect a similar fight. There are evenly matched. People love Brian Stann because he is a former member of the marines, but I think that we are going to see Cantwell win the trilogy.

Prediction: Cantwell via TKO