UFC 108: Main Card Predictions

January 1, 2010, at 8:01 pm

Junior Dos Santos v. Gilbert Yvel

Shockingly, we’re starting off with a fight that has been changed to injury. Dos Santos was supposed to take on Gabriel Gonzaga, in a fight that would have been a big test for both. Gonzaga pulled out due to illness. Apparently, he was hanging out in Canada with Brock Lesnar.

Dos Santos officially became a contender at UFC 103 when he dominated an aging Mirko Cro Cop. He showed off some great boxing, which is something you should expect when you train with the Nogueira Brothers. The heavyweight is 3-0 in the UFC and has shown serious power and excellent standup. The problem is that we haven’t seen much of him on the ground. He does hold a BJJ brown belt, and the Noguieras don’t just give their belts away, but I think that if I was his opponent, I would make him beat me off his back.

Yvel is making his UFC debut, but had some big fights in PRIDE that people might remember him for. He’s 36-13 in his career, and holds wins over no one special. Big losses? He’s got a ton of those. Names like Dan Henderson, Vitor Belfort, Josh Barnett and even Don Frye jump off the page at you. He’s a striker by design, but does have some sbumission ability. Let’s be honest though, 31 of his 36 wins have come by knockout.

Look for Dos Santos’ meteoric rise to continue.

Prediction: Dos Santos via TKO

Jim Miller v. Duane Ludwig

Another fight, another injury replacement. This fight was supposed to be Miller v. Tyson Griffin, but Griffin pulled out due to injury. Then Sean Sherk stepped in before getting a cut over his eye that forced him out of competition.

Miller is a dog. He’s the Forrest Griffin of the lightweight division, only without the stupid combover or funny-as-hell book. The Jersey native isn’t all that great technically, but wins fights with solid wrestling and grit. Pure grit. He’s 4-1 in the UFC and his only loss is to top contender Gray Maynard. He has great submission skills, including a pretty damn sweet guillotine. He’s likely look to take it to the ground ASAP.

Ludwig is 2-0 in the UFC, but hasn’t fought in the organization since Fight Night 3. He’s been jumping around the world doing his thing, including fights under the Strikeforce, Affliction, Sengouku and Ring of Fire banners. He’s lost to all kinds of big names, much like Yvel. A quick look at his record includes defeats at the hands of Tyson Griffin, Takanori Gomi, Josh Thomson and Paul Daley. He’s a muay thai striker who wants to keep the fight on the feet, which won’t be easy to do against Miller.

Prediction: Miller via submission

Joe Lauzon v. Sam Stout

Lauzon is 6-1 in the UFC, and one of the more underappriciated lightweights on the roster. He is a BJJ specialist, but has power in his hands. He once knocked out UFC legend Jens Pulver in just 40 seconds. He’s coming back off a knee injury that kept him sidelined most of 2009, but he’s back in action now and completely healed. Another thing he possesses is superior intellect to most people that he fights. He’s a really smart guy who was a computer networking major in college and worked in the field before becoming a fighter. He’s also probably the best Call of Duty player in the UFC for what that’s worth. Look for Lauzon to want to go to the ground early.

Stout is the opposite of Lauzon in that all he wants is to stand and bang. He’s 3-4 in the UFC and gets away with that record because his style means that he is always in exciting fights. He has had two memorable battles with Spencer Fisher that both made the UFC top 100. Stout was supposed to take on Phillipe Nover at Fight Night 19, but Nover passed out backstage and the fight was called off. The unfortunate side effect of that Stout hasn’t fought in nearly eight months. The only way I can see Stout winning this fight is by scoring a knockout.

Prediction: Lauzon via Submission

Paul Daley v. Dustin Hazelett

Another fight that was changed. We were supposed to get a standup war between Daley and Carlos Condit. The Natural Born Killer had to back out due to injury.

Daley came into the UFC with a bang at UFC 103. He destroyed top contender Martin Kampmann in a fashion that is true to his nickname “Semtex.” He’s 22-6 overall, and two of those losses are to Nick Thompson and Jake Shields. He is a powerful striker and really does serious damage when he lands his muay thai. Daley failed to make weight for this fight. He came in at 171, but the Nevada State Athletic Comission wouldn’t allow him to cut the extra pound because he looked “Wobbly.” Let’s see how the weight cut affects his cardio.

Hazelett is a submission artist who is famous for pulling of 2008’s submission of the year. He is 5-2 in the UFC, and his only loss in the last two years is to Josh Koscheck. He’s will be look to neutralize Daley’s striking and take him to the ground. If Daley can’t sprawl, he’s got to show the ability to get back to his feet. It will be up to Hazelett to make sure that the fight is finished after the first takedown.

Prediction: Daley via TKO

Rashad Evans v. Thiago Silva

Ah…the cursed main event. This was supposed to be Brock Lesnar defending his belt against Shane Carwin. Then, Brock got the plague. Then, it was to be Anderson Silva v. Vitor Belfort for the middleweight title. Silva’s slow recovery from elbow surgery put the kibash on that one. Then, it was assumed that Evans and Rampage, who coached in TUF 10 against one another, would square off. Well, Jackson decided to due The “A” Team movie, so that idea was squashed, and here we stand.

Evans is a former UFC light heavyweight champion and the winner of TUF season 2. He’s 13-1 in his MMA career, and his only loss was the emabressing knockout that he suffered in his first title defense against Lyoto Machida. Evans is known for his boastful nature, but really is a smart guy and a hell of a fighter. He trains with Greg Jackson, so far be it from me to argue with the master’s gameplans, but Evans has completely gotten away from the wrestling skills that made him an NCAA All-American. Instead, he’s so focused on using his power striking, that he often forgets to wrestle altogether. It reminds of another fighter who forgot he was a wrestler, Rampage. When Evans is at his best, he’s wrestling and striking.

Silva also only has one loss in his MMA career, and it was also to Lyoto Machida, and he was also knocked out by The Dragon. He also comes from a great team in American Top Team. In his last fight, Silva defeated Greg Jackson team member, and Evans close friend Keith Jardine by knockout. After the fight, Silva stood over Jardine taunting him, which Evans wasn’t a fans of. He’s a well-rounded fighter who uses boxing, muay thai and has a black belt in BJJ. If Evans does wrestle, Silva can attack from his back. If they stand, Silva might be at a slight disadvantage.

This is a surprisingly good fight.

Prediction: Evans via unanimous decision

For More UFC 108 coverage, check out our undercard predictions.

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