December 30, 2009, at 3:04 pm
Rafello Oliveira v. John Gunderson
Hey, look! A fight which had to be changed due to injury! Let’s keep count. Here’s one.
Oliveira was supposed to take on Sean Sherk, but when Tyson Griffin was injured, Sherk moved up to the main card to take on Dan Miller. Then, Sherk got hurt anyway, so it never really matter. The Brazilian is 9-2 in his MMA career, and 0-1 in the UFC. He loss to Nik Lentz at UFC 103 in a unanimous decision. He’s a BJJ guy, but does have three knockout wins to his record.
Gunderson is making his UFC debut, but is an IFL veteran. He’s trained Ken Shamrock’s camp, the Lion’s Den, which is interesting because we’ve all seen how terrible Shamrock is as a coach from season three of The Ultimate Fighter. Now, he works with Xtreme Couture, which is a huge upgrade. He’s got 11 submission wins to his record, and a total record of 25-7.
UFC debut and a late replacement? I’ll take the other guy.
Prediction: Oilveira via submission
Mike Pyle v. Jake Ellenberger
Pyle is 1-1 in the UFC. He lost to Brock Larsen at UFC 98, in a fight that had me anointing Larsen as an underrated fighter. He then beat Chris Wilson via guillotine choke at Fight Night 19. An Xtreme Couture product, He’s a Muay Thai and BJJ fighter who needs another win to cement himself in the welterweight division.
Ellenberger was brought in as a late replacement to fight Carlos Condit at Fight Night 19. He took Condit, who is one of my favorites, to a decision, and there are those that suggested that he might have even won the fight. He was certainly more impressive than I thought he would be. He’s also an IFL veteran, and has 25 MMA wins to his credit. He’s primarily a wrestler out of team quest, but showed good power in rocking Condit early.
Prediction: Ellenberger via Unanimous Decision
Ryan Jensen v. Mark Munoz
Jensen is 1-3 in his UFC career, losing to Wilson Geouveia at UFC Fight Night 18, and defeating Steve Steinbess at Fight Night 19. Before that, he lost to both Thales Leites and Demian Maia in a previous UFC stint. He’s got nine submission victories to his credit, but none of them really stick out. He does have is big fight experience, fighting in both the UFC and Strikeforce.
Munoz was one of the prized holdovers from the pre-Zuffa WEC, but hasn’t really proven much since coming over. He lost to Matt Hamill in highlight fashion when the deaf wrestler threw a sloppy head kick that tagged Munoz. He then won a split decision over website favorite Nick Catone at UFC 102 that led to Catone being cut. Primarily a wrestler, Munoz does have excellent power that has led to three of his six wins coming by knockout.
Prediction: Munoz via unanimous decision
Cole Miller v. Dan Lauzon
Miller is a long, lanky BJJ ace out of American Top Team. Since appearing on season five of The Ultimate Fighter, he’s 4-2 in the UFC. His wins are all over guys no longer with the company, and his losses are to Jeremy Stephens and TUF 8 winner Efrain Escudero. He’s 19-4 overall, and ten of his wins are by submission.
Dan Lauzon is the first of the two fighting Lauzon brothers going on this card. His brother Joe is taking on Sam Stout on the main card. Dan is making his UFC Re-entry, as his only fight on the big stage was a loss against Spencer Fisher at UFC 64. After losing to Deividas Taurosevicus in his next fight, he’s won eight in a row and earned a chance at the big boys once again. He’s 12-2 total, with half of his wins coming by knockout, and the other half coming by submission.
Prediction: Lauzon via TKO
Martin Kampmann v. Jacob Volkmann
Another injury replacement. That’s two.
Kampmann has really fallen off, huh? At UFC 103, he was supposed to take on Mike Swick for a title shot. Swick got hurt, Paul Daley stepped in and “Semtex” exploded all over Kampmann, TKOing him in round one. Now, he’s been sent to the undercard. If you look at his last two fights, you can make the case that he lost to Carlos Condit, a fight he won by split decision, as well. I’m of the school of thought that he is a little overrated, despite being 7-2 in the UFC.
As for Volkmann, he is an intriguing prospect out of Minnesota Martial Arts. He’s 0-1 in the UFC, losing to Paulo Thiago at UFC 106. The wrestler was undefeated previously, including a win over Kevin Knabijan at Bellator 7. Plus, his nickname is Christmas.
I’m not sure I really get the matchmaking here. Why must Jacob Volkmann die? We couldn’t find another replacement for Kampmann? Don’t get me wrong, I think Volkmann can win, but I wouldn’t taken the chance If I was the UFC.
Prediction: Volkmann via unanimous decision
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