Say what you will about Matt Hughes, he is a legend of the UFC. His run of dominance in the UFC welterweight division was almost as amazing as GSP’s current run. He showed that he still has something left in the tank by dominating Renzo Gracie at UFC 112.

This TapouT shirt is alot like Hughes, simple. Just the TapouT logo on a black background with the TapouT tagline written across it.

MMA Warehouse carries this one for 23.99.

For more UFC 112 gear, check out The 3rd String Store.

Phil Davis (5-0) vs. Alexander Gustafsson (9-0)

The Fighters: Phil Davis is one of the UFC’s most highly touted prospects. Davis was a decorated wrestler at Penn State. He was a 4 time All-American with a career 116-20 record, including a 26-1 senior year where he won an individual title. In his UFC debut, Davis showed off those wrestling skills as he worked over Brian Stann over three rounds.

When the UFC signed Gustafsson the Internet was ablaze with excitement. Doing some digging on Youtube I found an awful lot to like about the 22 year old, Sweedish kick-boxer. His frame, 6’5, gives him a a reach advantage over most fighters. His power is obvious, in his UFC debut a straight took down Hamman, and his hand speed (think Mike Swick) might be unrivaled at 205. Gustafsson is 9-0 but hasn’t fought anyone of note and it’s unclear if his wrestling/jiu-jitsu game is any good.

Breakdown: A classic striker/wrestler match up. Gustafasson certainly has a chance to KO Davis. He has very fast, accurate and powerful strikes and we certainly haven’t seen Davis’s chin tested yet. However, I can’t imagine this fight staying on the feet for very long. Davis had his way with Brian Stann and I see this fight going the same way. In terms of MMA ability, Davis is very raw, think King ‘Mo, but his wrestling credentials will give him the ability to win a decision over fighters with much more MMA experience.

Prediction: Davis Via Unanimous Decision.

Paul Taylor (10-5-1) vs. John Gunderson (22-7)

The Fighters: Taylor is another exciting British fighter who always seems to have exciting fights.  Three of Taylor’s seven UFC fights have won fight of the night, of course he’s also lost all three of those fights.  Moving down to lightweight for the first time in his career Taylor, 3-4 in the UFC, desperately needs a win to avoid the cut happy UFC brass.

John Gunderson is 0-1 in the UFC having lost his debut to Rafellio Olivera at UFC 108.

Breakdown: Gunderson is a wrestler who likes top control.  However, much like Mark Bocek, his wrestling isn’t good enough to consistently earn him the position.  Taylor’s takedown defense isn’t stellar but it should be enough to stop Gunderson at least some of the time.  While the fight is on the feet Taylor should hold a big advantage as Gunderson might serve as nothing more then a punching bag.  The loser of this fight is most likely going to be exiting stage left and something tells me it won’t be Paul Taylor.

Prediction:  Paul Taylor via KO Round 2

Nick Osipczak (5-0) vs. Rick Story (9-3)

The Fighters: A fight that easily could have been on the main card.  With both these fighters on impressive win streaks we could see the winner of this fight taking a big step up in competition next.

Osipczak lost to Damarques Johnson during the Ultimate Fighter in what Dana White called one of the best fights in the history of the show.  Osipczak rebounded by beating Frank Lester then upsetting Matt Riddle.  In the Riddle fight Osipczak showcased his great jiu-jitsu game and was able to naturalize Riddle’s wrestling.  Along with his jiu-jitsu Osipzack has solid take down defense as well as a solid striking game (Osipczack has a background in San Shou.)

A lot of people think Rick Story is the next big thing.  A college wrestler with a big strong frame Story 2-1 in the UFC and has rebounded since losing his debut to the highly touted John Hathaway.  Saying Story is strong might be an understatement and to go along with his wrestling prowess Story has solid submissions and a striking game that’s at least good enough.

Breakdown: A very tough fight to call.  Osipczak will have an advantage while he can keep the fight standing, I’m just not sure how long he can.  However, we have seen that you can take advantage of Story in scrambles as shown in the John Hatahway fight.  I’m in the minority here but I was incredibly impressed by how dominant Osipczak’s ground game was against Matt Riddle.  Watch him transition from position to position reminded me a lot of Paulo Filho or George Sotiropoulous.  While this fight can go either way I like Osipczak to upset another big strong wrestler.

Prediction: Osipczak Via Inverted Triangle Choke Round 3

DaMarques Johnson (10-7) vs. Brad Blackburn (15-10-1)

The Fighters: DaMarques Johnson was the runner up of TUF: UK vs US.  Johnson rebounded by defeating Edgar Garcia at UFC 107.  Showing off his well rounded skill set Johnson defeated Garcia with a triangle choke that not only won submission of the night honors, but finished fourth on the UFC’s list of best submissions of 2009.

“Bad Brad” Blackburn is another well rounded veteran fighter.  Fighting for many different promotions his entire career Blackburn made his UFC debut at Fight Night 14 defeating James Giboo by TKO.  Riding a three fight UFC win streak many thought he would be able to defeat TUF 7 Champion Amir Sadollah.  In that fight, Blackburn found himself outclassed.  He was picked apart by strikes, out wrestled and almost finished on multiple occasions.

Breakdown: A smart piece of matchmaking here by Joe Silva.  Both fighters are well rounded in the sense that do many things well and nothing exceptional.  While that description ultimately will provide a glass ceiling to their careers they should be able to provide a fairly entertaining scrap when matched up against each other.  I like Johnson’s ability to scramble and find submissions.  In a fight that might otherwise be to close to call it could be a deciding factor.

Prediction:  Johnson Via Arm-Bar Round 3

Matt Veach (11-1) vs. Paul Kelly (9-2)

The Fighters: Matt Veach had a very impressive UFC debut, finishing Matt Grice with strikes in Round 1.  In his second UFC fight he took on current number 1 contender Frankie Edgar, on short notice none the less.  Of course the drastic step up in competition ended poorly for Veach but he turned a lot of heads in the process.  Veach, a H.I.T Squad member, was able to out-wrestle Edgar and even slammed him several times.  Where he struggled was in the stand up where Edgar was clearly light years ahead.

Paul Kelly’s UFC run has been a mixed bag. 3-2 in 5 UFC fights Kelly recently moved down to lightweight where he has a significant strength and reach advantage against most fighters.  Kelly’s strength is his top control where he stays very active and punishes opponents.  The rest of his game is a work in progress but at only 25 years old he still has room to grow.

Breakdown: A fight that seems to strongly favor Veach.  Veach has a ton of holes in his stand-up game, as he was dropped by both Edgar and Grice, but Kelly’s stand-up isn’t really going to provide a significant challenge.  Furthermore, Veach will be able to take down Kelly at will and neutralize his top control.  While Veach had trouble keeping Edgar down I wouldn’t expect him to have the same trouble with Kelly.

Prediction:  Veach via Unanimous Decision.

Jon Madsen (4-0) vs. Mostapha Al-Turk (6-5)

The Fighters: Jon Madsen is an alumni of the most recent season of the Ultimate Fighter.  Madsen trains at the H.I.T Squad, lead by Matt Hughes.  Coming off a good showing against Justin Wren, Madsen looks to continue his win streak.

Mostapha Al-Turk is 0-2 in the UFC.  His most recent loss to Mirko Cro-Cop was somewhat controversial as Al-Turk claims he got poked in the eye and it lead to being KO’d.  Al-Turk was originally going to fight Rolles Gracie at UFC 109 but had to pull out due to visa issues.

Breakdown:  Madsen’s primary strength is his wrestling while Al-Turk’s strength is his submission grappling.  As we’ve seen in past fights if their wrestling cancels out this could be a very sloppy, very slow paced hay-maker war.  Neither of these guys come into fights in the best shape and neither have any kind of gas tank what so ever.  In what will be a re-occurring theme on this card the heat of being outdoors will only further to sap their gas tank.

If Madsen is able to take down Al-Turk and avoid his submission offense he should easily be able to grind out a very slow and very boring decision win.

Prediction: Madsen Via Unanimous Decision.

Check out this video from the aftermath of Clayton McKinney’s loss to Kyle Noke last night.

Now, I know what everyone in politically correct America would be asking right now: Was that too much? Did Tito overstep his boundrys by insulting a grown man, or was he seriously trying to help?

Tito’s reputation aside, I could be happier that Tito handled it the way that he did. Every single year on the show, there is someone who is hurt that refuses to suck up the pain and train. Does the shoulder hurt? Sure it does. However, I also know that Ring of Combat Alumni Victor O’Donnell would have fought the next day after breaking his orbital bone in his preliminary fight.

Not to mention this, we’ve seen what a good coach Tito is in the past. These guys have a ton to learn from him, but they have to work. McKinney, like Mitrione, Ruediger, and others before them, wasn’t willing to.

Kenny Florian (12-4; #4 Lightweight)  vs. Takanori Gomi (31-5)

The Fighters: K-Flo has gotten better with every fight since losing to Sean Sherk back in 2006.  Of course, that skill set still isn’t enough to beat B.J. Penn but you can make the argument that he’s the second best lightweight in the world.  Florian always relied during his career on his sharp Thai Boxing and BJJ skills.  He has some of the sharpest and most devastating elbows in the sport as well as fantastic leg kicks.  His ground game is also second to none as he is a Gracie-Barra Blackbelt.  What really took Florian’s game to the next level was when he left longtime coach Mark Dellagrotte and began training with Firas Zhabi and Team St. Pierre.  They took Florian’s boxing and wrestling to a whole new level and in his last fight Florian looked as sharp as ever.

Takanori Gomi in 2005 was the number one lightweight fighter in the world and it wasn’t even close.  Gomi dominated in PRIDE but since then he has stumbled.  He lost to Nick Diaz by Submission, lost to Marcus Auerillo by submission and most recently dropped back to back fights against Sergey Golyaev and Satoro Kitoka.  So what happened to Gomi?  It’s easy to apply the PRIDE corollary.  We’ve seen in general guys from PRIDE haven’t translated well to the UFC.  Gomi’s record is inflated by fighting inferior opponents and he doesn’t have as many trademark wins as you’d think.  The other reason Gomi was so successful in Japan was because of his wrestling.  Wrestling is traditionally an American sport and 99% of the international roster in PRIDE didn’t have elite level wrestling.  When you combined Gomi’s wrestling with his solid boxing he was a force to be reckoned with.  Dana White would like to argue that Gomi lost two fights to no-name opponents because he was bored by not facing top level competition but I would argue that simply the game passed him by.

Breakdown: Gomi is a solid boxer but new and improved Kenny Florian is quickly becoming one of the best boxers in MMA.  Everyone wondered where the “sudden power” came from Ken-Flo and it comes from boxing technique.  What he might lack in naturally heavy hands he makes up for in technique.  Gomi might be able to take Florian down but Florian should be able to neutralize Gomi on the ground and has a chance to sweep or submit him.

While Gomi might be able to turn back the clock I can’t see him winning this fight.  Everything Gomi does well Kenny Florian does better.  Gomi may have more left in the tank then we think but I can’t see him beating a fighter the caliber of Florian.

Prediction: Kenny Florian Via Unanimous Decision.

Roy Nelson (14-4) vs. Stefan Struve (19-3)

The Fighters: Roy Nelson is blessed with a bad body.  Sure, he could probably diet better and not have a beer belly but it’s not like he’s out of shape.  It’s obvious why that’s a big misconception with the fighter who comes out to fat and dubs himself “Big Country” but Nelson has surprisingly quick feet.  Despite his size he’s rather nimble and while he doesn’t have the pure size and strength of other 265 pound monster heavyweights he makes up for it with a solid BJJ base and very quick feet.  He uses his belly and his size as an advantage when the fight hits the ground and often looks for the crucifix position.  On the feet he has good footwork in his boxing game and obvious knockout power.  He displayed that against Brandon Schaub who he clearly outclassed on the feet en route to a text book counter punch knockout.

Stefan Struve is an intriguing heavyweight prospect.  He’s only 22 and already has 22 pro fights and 4 UFC fights under his belt.  Standing 6’11, Struve is obviously going to be an awkward match-up for anyone.  Struve has a professional kickboxing background, is 4-0 and a huge reach advantage almost all fighters (83 inch reach.)  Struve’s strongest skill is his BJJ and grappling game.  Obviously with such long limbs his guard is a difficult one to navigate.  He’s won by submission in two of his three UFC wins.

Breakdown: Struve’s height is both a blessing and a curse.  There’s a reason you don’t see many 6’11 fighters or wrestlers.  It’s hard for such a tall guy to maintain his balance and as such they will always be vulnerable for take-downs.  Struve needs to add a ton of bulk to his lank frame.  Struve typically weighs-in around 240 pounds which is simply not big enough for a guy his size.  While Struve has solid striking he hasn’t figured out how to use his jab properly enough.  With such a long reach it should be much more of a weapon then it is.

While Nelson may have trouble closing the distance due to Struve’s nine inch reach advantage, when he does eventually close in he should have no trouble taking Struve down. Struve is proficient on the ground but he isn’t in the class of Big Country.  Big Country will negate Struve’s strongest skill which makes this a disastrous match-up for him.

Struve oozes with potential but he’s only 22 years old and has a long way to go.  Much like Brandon Schaub, Struve will find himself severely over-matched against the criminally underrated Nelson.

Prediction:  Nelson TKO Round 3.

Nate Quarry (12-3) vs. Jorge Rivera (17-7)

The Fighters: Nate Quarry was favored by many win the first season of the Ultimate Fighter.  Unfortunately, during the season Quarry had to drop out of the competition.  He stayed on as a de facto coach for the rest of the season earning the respect of fans and the UFC brass in the process.  After winning his first three fights in the UFC Quarry was rushed into a title shot with Rich Franklin.  If you’ve ever seen an Ultimate Knockouts show you know how the fight ended.  Quarry lost in horrifying fashion.  Quarry managed to bounce back winning 4 of his next 5 fights, with his only loss coming to top contender Damien Maia.

The 38 year old Quarry certainly has his place in the UFC but it’s hard to imagine him getting himself back into title contention.  Quarry has strong wrestling, punching power and is very big for a middleweight.  However he carries his hands awkwardly and it doesn’t lend itself to very good boxing defense (see Franklin, Rich.)  In his last fight he gassed badly in the later rounds and it’s hard not to think that age, wear and tear have finally caught up to the veteran fighter.

Rivera is another UFC veteran.  Also 38, Rivera, made his UFC debut at UFC 44 back in 2003.  Rivera has had an up and down UFC career sporting a 6-5 record.  Rivera has gone 3-1 in his last four fights including a big upset win over Kendall Groove.  On UFC.com Rivera’s strength is listed as “well-rounded”  which is a nice way saying he’s well versed in all disciplines but doesn’t do anything exceptionally well.

Breakdown: Both Rivera and Quarry have their place as “gate-keepers” but I fail to see the logic of matching them up against each other.  However at this point in their careers Quarry is clearly the better fighter.  While he will be vulnerable to Rivera’s KO power Quarry should be able to drag this fight to the ground at will.  While on the ground he said have no problem pounding out Rivera in route to a slow paced TKO win.

Prediction:  Quarry Via TKO Strikes Round 2.

Ross Pearson (10-3) vs. Dennis Siver (15-6)

The Fighters: Pearson won season nine of the Ultimate Fighter defeating fellow Team Rough House member Andre Winner.  Pearson faced Aaron Riley in his second UFC fight and dominated the veteran fighter.  Pearson showed off all his skills against Riley.  Pearson is a Judo Brown belt and a solid wrestler and Thai kick boxer.

Dennis Siver debuted at UFC 70 and went 1-3 before being released.  After winning one fight outside the UFC, Siver returned with a vengeance.  Now on a 3 fight win streak Siver has finished all his opponents and has earned two knockout of the night honors in the process.  Siver has a background in wrestling but it’s his striking skills that have caught the attention of MMA fans.  Siver has solid technical kickboxing but also likes to mix his strikes up.  He’s finished two opponents, in devastating fashion, with spinning back kicks.

Breakdown: An excellent piece of matching making as this fight will surely be explosive while serving a duel purpose as a test of Pearson’s skills.  While Siver and Pearson may be of equal skill on the feet Pearson’s best shot of winning comes on the ground.  In his career Siver has been vulnerable to submissions, in fact of his six losses four have come by submission.

While Siver is on an impressive 3 fight win streak it’s worth noting that his opponents had a career 5-7 UFC record and two of them are no longer with the company.  Look for a Pearson to shoot after several early exchanges and eventually submit Siver.

Prediction:  Pearson Via Arm-Bar Round 3.

There are a bunch of people who are rooting for Bobby Lashley to fail. After Brock Lesnar came over from the WWE, people were worried that others would follow. Since Lashley was the next to attempt it, he has drawn a ton of heat from the hardcore MMA fans.

However, what they don’t realize is that Lashley does have some real talent. A strong wrestling background in his back pocket, he is training with American Top Team to improve the other areas of his game. While he hasn’t been tested yet, he is 5-0, and sure to start facing tougher competition in Strikeforce.

It does have the look of a WWE t-shirt, doesn’t it? I do really like the look of the lightning graphics.

MMA Warehouse has this one for 35.99.

For more TapouT shirts, check out The 3rd String Store.

Bart Palaszewski vs. Karen Darabedyan

The Fighters: Palaszewski is just 26 years old, but has 44 fights under his belt. Recently, he has gone 2-2 in the WEC. He defeated Anthony Pettis by Split decision in his last fight. He is well rounded, as he has achieved his 31 wins in a variety of ways.

Darabedyan is another of the Armenian judo practitioners that came into the MMA world with Karo Parisyan. Although he is not related to Karo like Manny Gamburyan, he is their training partner. A black belt in Judo, Darabedyan also has a background in Kickboxing and Karate. He is 9-1 in his burgeoning career, and his most recently victory came over the always overrated Razor Rob McCullogh.

The Breakdown: While Palaszewski holds the massive experience edge, he simply doesn’t have a part of his game that really jumps out at you. We’ve seen from Karo that Judo can take you far in MMA, it just won’t ever get you into the elite level. Expect Darabedyan to continue proving his worth.

The Prediction: Darabedyan via unanimous decision

Deividas Taurosevicius vs. LC Davis

The Fighters: Taurosevicius is a pseudo-local for us. He fights out of Copiague, New York, which is like thirty minutes from our hometown. He is 15-3 in his career, with eight of the wins coming by submission. He’s 2-0 in the WEC and is coming off a win against the previously undefeated Mackens Sermerizer.

Davis is a survivor of the former Pat Militech camp with a virtual gaggle of big fight experience. He’s fought in the IFL, for Affliction, and now with the WEC. He’s 15-2 in those fights, and 2-0 in the WEC. He’s coming off consecutive wins against Javier Vasquez and Diego Nunes. And yes, I really wanted to get the world gaggle in there.

The Breakdown: This is a matchup of a wrestler and a BJJ specialist. Naturally, that will probably lead to a boring standup fight. If it does go to the ground, Davis will look to stymie the guard of Taurosevicius and do his damage without getting submitted.

The Prediction: Taurosevicius via submission

Jens Pulver v. Javier Vasquez

The Fighters: Pulver is a legend of the sport and the UFC’s first lightweight champion. He is also a survivor of the Pat Militech camp in Bettendorf, Iowa, but has had harsh words for his former trainer recently. Pulver has lost 8-of-12 and is really fighting on nothing but reputation at this point. Some of the losses are good ones, like the two losses he suffered at the hands of Urijah Faber. However, some of them aren’t so good like the time he was choked out by Josh Grispi. Pulver knows that this is his last chance, and has discussed retiring if he loses.

Vasquez seems to be the place WEC featherweights go when they need a win. He is 0-2 and also likely fighting for his WEC life. He is 17-4 in his career with most of those victories coming by submission.

The Breakdown: I’ve watched a lot of Pulver fights in preparation of this column and I’ve noticed some things. While he’s never had the best boxing technique, it’s almost gotten worse recently. Also, when is the last time that we saw Pulver wrestle? He won’t break that streak against the BJJ skills of Vasquez. The real question is: Does Pulver have anything at all left?

The Prediction: Pulver via TKO

Miguel Angel Torres v. Joseph Benavidez

The Fighters: Until recently, Torres ruled over the bantamweight division with an iron fist. He is well-rounded, and capapable of fighting for an eternity before he gets tired. Unfortantely, that didn’t mean much when he rushed in to finish Brian Bowles and gotten flattened. Now, Torres must climb back into the title picture with a win. He is 37-2, and is still improving his game. He brought in noted Muay Thai trainer Mark DellaGrotte to work with him for this fight.

Benavidez is a pupil of Urijah Faber who is 12-1. His only loss came in a number one contender’s fight against Dominick Cruz. Another energizer bunny of a fighter, his cardio is off the chain. He has won most of his fights by submission, but does have some TKOs to his credit. His last win was over noted BJJ stylist Rani Yahya.

The Breakdown: Torres has taken the “That loss was the best thing that ever happened to me” road and vows to come back stronger than ever. He can win the fight just about anywhere, but I expect his biggest advantage to come on the feet and for his to try and outstrike Benavidez.

The Prediction: Torres via unanimous Decision

Brian Bowles v. Dominick Cruz

The Fighters: Bowles dethroned Torres and shocked the world in his last fight. He also broke his hand on Torres jaw, forcing him out of action. He is 8-0 and looks like just about any middle America wrestler. While he may not look imposing, he is strong as hell for 135, and has imposed his will on his opponents with various skills taught to him by former UFC fighter Rory Singer. In fact, Bowles trains at the gym where Forrest Griffin got his start.

Cruz is 14-1 and 4-0 in the WEC. The majority of his wins have come via decision, but he is a stand up specialist with five T/KOs to his credit. He trains at Alliance MMA alongside UFC light heavyweight Brandon Vera. While he does have some wrestling, don’t expect him to go to it much in this one.

The Breakdown: Bowles is a powerhouse. He is so thick for 135 that I can’t really see anyone in the division taking him down. However, he also packs a powerhouse punch. Just ask Torres. Cruz’s only hope is to stick and move for five rounds.

The Prediction: Bowles via TKO