Kevin Burns v. T.J. Grant

Burns is most notable for poking Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in the eye, and then getting a win over him, only for Johnson to head kick him and nearly end his life in the rematch. He is 2-2 in the UFC, but has lost two in a row and desperately needs a win. He has good BJJ and enough stand-up to survive.

Grant is 1-1 in the UFC after losing to “The Stun Gun” Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 100. He’s a BJJ ace, and most of his wins come via submission. Grant beat Ryo Chonan via split decision in his first UFC fight, so he really needs a win, and an impressive one to gain some recognition in the eyes of the UFC brass.

Prediction: Grant via submission

DaMarques Johnson v. Edgar Garcia

Johnson was the runner-up of The Ultimate Fighter 9, losing to James Wilks in the finale. He was supposed to make his non-TUF debut on UFC 105, but his fight with Peter Sobotta was canceled due to a military commitent for Sobotta. Instead, he’ll make his debut on 107. He’s got a good all around game, and a record full of wins by every possible outcome.

Garcia is another holdover from the WEC welterweight division, and was 1-0 before coming over to the UFC. In his debut, he lost to Brad Blackburn on the TUF 9 finale via split decision. He is exclusively a stand-up fighter, with just enough wrestling to stand on his feet.

Prediction: Johnson via sumbission

Rousimar Palhares vs. Lucio Linhares

Nothing like a good battle between two Brazilian guys. Palhares is 2-1 in his UFC career, and his loss in to Dan Henderson, which is not a bad loss to have on your record. He’s a BJJ ace out of American Top Team. Almost all of his wins are via submission, and I’m sure that the gameplan in this one is going to be takedown, pass guard, submit.

Linhares is no slouch on the ground, though. He’s a 2nd degree black belt himself. The difference between the two is that Linhares has solid stand-up as well, as he’s won more than a few fights on the feet. He’s making his UFC debut, but has fought on the big stage before in organizations like M-1 Global, Affliction, and Shooto. His plan in this fight should be to stay on the feet, but it’s certianly not over if it goes to the ground.

Prediction: Linhares via TKO

Johny Hendricks v. Ricardo Funch

Hendricks is coming off a win over Amir Saddollah at UFC 101 where he finished it in just 29 seconds. He hit Amir flush, and many people thought it was an early stoppage. That doesn’t change the fact that he is 6-0, and has shown good power striking to go with great wrestling. After all, he is a former member of the Oklahoma State wrestling dynasty, where he was a 4-time All-American. He was a member of the WEC and was brought over after Zuffa bought the company.

Funch is making his UFC debut. He is 7-0 in his career, and has shown the ability to fight both on the feet and on the ground. He trains with UFC heavyweight Gabriel Gonzaga and Paulo Filho at Team Link, so you know that he has a pretty good camp. Something to look at during this fight is Funch’s guard against the takedowns of Hendricks. When Hendricks is in the guard of Funch, can Funch mount an offense? Let’s just say this: His only submission victory was a rear naked choke, not a more technical submission out of the guard.

Prediction: Hendricks via TKO

Matt Wiman v. Shane Nelson

Wiman is coming off two consecutive losses against Sam Stout (by controversial split decision) and Jim Miller and is 4-3 total in the UFC. He is a wrestler with some standup ability, but there is no doubt what he wants to do when he gets in the cage.

Nelson is best remembered as Junie Browning’s sidekick from The Ultimate Fighter. Since coming off the show, he 2-1 in the UFC, having defeated George Roop and splitting two with Aaron Riley. In the second Riley fight, he was thoroughly dominated throughout the fight, and really looked bad. He comes from B.J. Penn’s camp in Hilo, Hawaii, which means that you know that the BJJ is good. That’s really an underrated camp with Penn, Kendall Grove, Nelson and Troy Mandaloniz. However, he did really struggle with his wrestling against Riley, and would really need to improve if he wants to win against Wiman.

Prediction: Wiman via TKO

Alan Belcher v. Wilson Gouveia

HOW IS THIS FIGHT ON THE UNDERCARD BUT BUENTELLO AND STRUVE IS ON THE MAIN!???

Now, that my panic attack is over, this is a damn good fight that no one is going to get to see. Belcher is coming off his fight against Sexy-yama at UFC 100 where he was robbed of a decision. Belcher is a really solid fighter in a terrible middleweight division. He has good standup and a decent enough ground game. His record in the UFC is a very mediocre 5-4, but he really has shown a lot in his past few fights. With a win here, I would be interested to see him fight a top ten middleweight.

Gouveia is 6-3 in the UFC, and is 2-2 since moving to 185. He is yet another BJJ ace from American Top Team, but has enough stand up to survive most fights. He hasn’t fought since February when he lost to top contender Nate Marquardt, as he had to pull out of his previous fight with back injuries. It’s something to watch, as we all know that back injuries have a tendency to linger.

I worry about Gouveia standing on his feet, and if Belcher can keep it there, I really like him to win.

Prediction: Belcher via Unanimous Decision