When people talk about what was missing from UFC 2009: Undisputed, there are a lot of different answers. Most people thought that the fights were too stiff. Most thought that the career mode was far too shallow. However, there was one question that everyone seemed to ask: Where the hell is Clay Guida?

Guida was making a real name for himself in the lightweight division around the time the game came out, so it was only natural that he should have been in the game. However, an issue with animating Clay’s signature long hair kept him out of the game last year. Dana White even offered him five grand to cut it. Clay said no. He’s too badass to accept bribes.

This year, Dana can keep his wallet in his back pocket.

Clay Guida is the epitome of awesome. Playing as him, and winning the title he may never win in real life will be just as awesome.

Jon Jones (9-1; #9 Light Heavyweight) vs. Brandon Vera (11-4)

The Fighters: Jon Jones has been regarded as the future of the 205 pound division…and the future might be now.  Already ranked in the top 10 Jones has been developed slowly by the UFC and has improved in leaps and bounds from fight to fight.  Jones striking is both creative and explosive.  He likes to use kicks and elbows, both of the spinning variety.  His spinning back elbow almost took Stephen Bonnar’s head off.   The way Jones uses his Greco-Roman wrestling is almost comical.  He took Matt Hammil, a decorated wrestler, and totally rag dolled him.  He can suplex you, out-strike you and reminds people of a young George St. Pierre.  It’s no coincidence that Jones trains with Phil Nurse, Zahabi, Jackson and the rest of Team GSP.

Five years ago Brandon Vera was once the cocky young kid on the block.  Now, 32, the Vera that once declared he would win both the heavyweight and light heavyweight title’s is long gone.  Vera has a world of potential that he has never reached.  He has sharp Thai Kickboxing with excellent leg kicks as well as excellent take down defense.  But Vera’s problem seems to be more mental.  He bills himself as a counter puncher but there’s a difference between counter punching and fight passively.  Fighting passively is the exact reason Vera lost to Randy Couture.

Breakdown: Questions still abound about Jones.  Does he have a chin?  How will he react to getting rocked?  Does he have any skills off his back?  What happens when he has to stand in the pocket and trade?  If Vera wants to win he needs to test these aspects of Jones game.  The aggressive free swinging Vera hasn’t shown up in a long time and if continues to fight passively he will find himself on the wrong end of a decision.

Prediction:  Jon Jones Via Unanimous Decision

Junior Dos Santos (10-1; #6 Heavyweight) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (11-4)

The Fighters: Junior Dos Santos would be the fastest rising heavyweight prospect in the world if Cain Velasquez didn’t exist. Apologies to Paul Buentello, because I am going to take a lot of shots at him, but it’s amazing that Dos Santos is only ranked 6th in the world.  The days of Tim Sylvia and other slow, lumbering heavyweights are now firmly in the rear view mirror.

Dos Santos is now 4-0 in the UFC and has displayed proficient aggressive striking and often makes great use of his uppercut.  Dos Santos trains with Team Blackhouse and the Nogueira brothers.  While he is billed as having a very good ground game we have yet to see him use it in the UFC.  The fact that he’s hasn’t had to prove he has ground skills isn’t a knock on Dos Santos but at the moment it’s what is keeping him back from being considered 1A with Cain Velasquez.

Gonzaga isn’t as tall as some of the other monster heavyweights in the division but he is incredibly thick and carries his 260 pounds very well.  Gonzaga is a world class grappler but has developed into a striker with knock out power.  Of course, any man that weighs 260+ is going to have KO power but one look at either the Kevin Jordan or Mirko Cro-cop fights will show you the destruction he can cause.

Breakdown : You would think Gonzaga would do everything in his power to get this fight to the floor.  I’m just not sure that’s what Gabriel Gonzaga thinks.  Gonzaga’s boxing is solid but you need to look no father then the Shane Carwin fight to show that it still has it’s flaws.  If Gonzaga intends on getting into a boxing match against Dos Santos he will quickly find himself out of his element.

What no one is talking about is that Gonzaga will surely weigh in 20+ pounds heavier then Dos Santos.  Gonzaga will surely be the heaviest fighter to date Dos Santos has fought.  What Gonzaga needs to do to win is take every inch of his 260 pound frame and use it to push Dos Santos into the cage.  Cutting off the cage will hamper Dos Santos mobility.  Though Dos Santos has shown the ability to dirty box, Gonzaga can time a shot off of it and drag him to the ground.

For Dos Santos if the fight does get to the ground the question becomes; how much has his ground game improved.  We don’t need to see him sweep or submit Gonzaga.  All he needs to do is be proficient enough to force a stand-up.  If he can constantly force the fight back to the feet eventually Gonzaga will tire and he will be able to land a knockout blow.

By far this is the toughest fight to pick on the card and the nearly 3-1 odds in favor of Dos Santos surprise me.

Prediction:  Dos Santos TKO Round 3.

Cheick Kongo (14-6-1) vs. Paul Buentello (27-11)

The Fighters: Cheick Kongo looks like the most intimidating fighter on the planet.  His personality however couldn’t be farther from it.  Kongo might be the most technically sound heavyweight striker the UFC has.  His Thai Boxing is top notch, but no one has ever questioned Kongo’s striking.  Since his UFC debut everyone has been waiting for Kongo to develop a ground game and it has yet to happen.  For all his positive attributes; athleticism, striking and cardio, the fact that Kongo never developed take-down defense has put a glass ceiling on his potential.

Paul Buentello is what the NFL would call a “bad body guy.”  His body is similar to Roy Nelson.  He looks fat and out of shape and while his cardio is questionable his hand speed and footwork will surprise you.  While Buentello does have fast and accurate hands it’s about all he has going for him.  He has no semblance of a ground game or any kind of gas tank.  When he gasses out he’s going to end up throwing wild haymakers, as his last fight against Stevan Struve showed.

Breakdown: What happens when two guys with similar skill sets get into the ring together?  The UFC certainly hopes a highlight reel KO.  The match-up in this fight is eerily similar to the Irvin/Sakara match-up.  Two one dimensional strikers but one is technical and the other is more of a brawler.  This is the ideal “get right” fight for Kongo.  Kongo’s chin is strong and he’s shown he has the gas tank to go the distance.  Those two skills alone give him a huge advantage in this fight.

Kongo should have a field day with Buentello.  Look for him to pepper Buentello with leg kicks all fight and remind us all how far the heavyweight division has come since UFC 55, as well as saving us from another awkward Paul Buentello post fight speech.  Don’t fear me…fear the…really no one?  really? Bueller?

Prediction: Kongo TKO Leg Kicks Round 2

James Irvin (14-5) vs. Alessio Sakara (14-7)

The Fighters: This fight was moved to the main card when Anthony Rumble Johnson went down with an injury and had to pull out of his fight against John Howard.  While neither Irvin or Sakara have much long term value this fight certainly offers a strong possibility for a highlight reel K.O.

Irvin, 31, is coming off a lay off of almost two years.  The last time we saw him in the cage his face was getting turned into a pile of goo courtesy of Anderson Silva.  Since then Irvin has battled both knee injuries and an addiction to painkillers.  Irvin tested positive for methadone and oxymorphone after the Silva fight and subsequently admitted to taking the drugs, stating that he had begun taking painkillers legally as treatment for injuries, and had then become addicted to them.  He also had to pull out of both UFC 98 and UFC 102 due to a meniscus injury.   In his return to the Octagon, Irvin a normally large 205 pound fighter, will make his debut at 185 pounds.

Sakara, 28, has had an up and down UFC career (5-4-1).  He is currently riding a two fight winning streak including a win over former middleweight title contender Thales Leites.

Breakdown: Sakara is a boxer at heart.  His striking is technically sound, as he does have a professional boxing background, but Sakara has the bad habit of getting into wild punching exchanges.  What Sakara lacks is a well versed skill set.  He never seems to be in top shape as his cardio has failed him one more then one occasion and while his jiu-jitsu is improving (he recently began training at ATT) he’s never going to look to take the fight to the ground.

Irvin’s greatest asset was his explosive striking ability.  After dealing with injuries it remains to be seen if he retains that explosive ability.  Never the most technical fighter, Irvin does  however have the natural gifts to put together a highlight reel’s worth of sudden and violent KO’s (Terry Martin/Houston Alexander.)

There are almost too many red flags to count for Irvin in this fight.  A potentially tough weight cut, ring rust, knee injuries and a painkiller addiction.   But most importantly Sakara is a terrible match-up for Irvin.  Look for Irvin to get outboxed and dropped early by a big flurry of punches.

Prediction: Sakara, KO Round 1.

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.

Elvis Sinosic (8-11-2) vs. Chris Haseman (20-16)

The Fighters: Move along nothing to see here.  No, seriously.  This is the “hey let’s find two Australian dudes” and have them fight.  Sinosic isn’t very good as his losing record would indicate.  The UFC seems to love the King Of Rock and Rumble as this is will be his 9th fight, 1-7, in the UFC.  They must think he has a cool nickname.

Haseman, 40 years young, is also…well Australian.  He’s 0-1 in the UFC and has lost his last 5 fights.  This will be his first return to action in almost two years.

Breakdown: These two met once before and Haseman won by the dreaded submission “chin to eye.”  Of course that fight happened in 1997. Haseman/Sinosic II won’t exactly have the drama of Couture/Coleman but if nothing else we get to hear a whole lot of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie Oy Oy Oy.”

Prediction: Haseman Via Chin To Eye Round 1

Stephan Bonnar (11-6) vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (18-9-1)

The Fighters: Is this a “loser leaves town match?”  [Side Note: Can we just officially start hyping these matches as such?  We have number one contender matches, why can't we have the opposite?  Joe Rogan can even pull his best Jeff Probst and kick the loser out of the cage in lieu of a post fight interview.]  Stephan Bonnar has earned a lot of good will with the UFC but it might be running out.  Seriously speaking, the UFC wouldn’t exist as currently constructed without the contributions of Bonnar and Forrest Griffin, and since that fateful day in April 2005 their careers have gone in opposite directions.  Griffin went on to win a title and Bonnar has been suspended for horse steroids and has lost 4 of his last 6 fights, including two in a row.  While Bonnar has become a more refined fighter, his skills haven’t really evolved in the past five years.  He’s still a mediocre striker, with questionable cardio, less than stellar wrestling and decent jiu-jitsu.  His last loss was to Mark Coleman in a fight in which Bonnar got bullied.  To say it was an embarrassing performance would be an understatement.

Soszynski entered his season of The Ultimate Fighter as one of the more experienced contestants.  The former IFL veteran has racked up a 3-1 record in the UFC and is coming off his first UFC loss.  Soszynski is a very big and strong light heavyweight who has found a knack for winning by submission (two of his UFC wins have earned him submission of the night.)

Breakdown: This is a fight that seems to break down perfectly for Soszynski to win.  Everything Bonnar does well Sosznyski does better.  Bonnars best hope might be to turn this fight into a brawl, ala Griffin/Bonnar I.  In his last fight, against Brandon Vera, Soszynski looked hesitant when he got tagged and never seemed to want to engage.  Forcing him into the pocket is the way to go.

Prediction: Sosznyski Via Unanimous Decision.

Chris Lytle (27-17-5) vs. Brian Foster (13-4)

The Fighters: Lytle is The Ultimate Gatekeeper at this point.  Don’t let the veteran Lytle’s UFC record fool you.  He’s a very well rounded fighter who always is a challenging fight.  In fact, Lytle’s last 3 UFC fights have been awarded Fight Of The Night honors.  Lytle will never be a title contender but he certainly has an important role in developing young talent.  Get past Lytle and it’s time for the big boys.

Foster is replacing Dong Hyun-Kim, who had to pull out of the fight due to injury.  Foster put himself on the map with impressive performances against Rick Story and Brock Larson.  In the Larson fight he received two illegal blows in the first round and came back to win.

Breakdown: We can expect fireworks here as both guys aren’t afraid to stand and bang.  Fosters edge may be on the mat but don’t expect Lytle to let it come to that.  At the end of the day Foster won’t be ready for a fighter the caliber of Lytle, when the brawling ends and the boxing begins Foster will be out of his league.

Prediction: Lytle KO Round 2

Goran Reljic (8-0) vs. C.B. Dollaway (9-2)

The Fighters: And the award for “fight I am randomly super excited for” goes to…Goran Reljic and The Doberman?

Reljic is one of the top prospects at 185 pounds.  The exciting 25 year old made his debut at UFC 84 and took out Wilson Gouveia in impressive fashion.  He mixed in punches and devastating kicks before eventually knocking out the veteran fighter.  Now moving down to middleweight for the first time Reljic hopes to quickly move up the ladder.  Reljics striking skills were on display in the octagon but don’t doubt his BJJ credentials.  Reljic is a BJJ Brown-Belt and in 2007 he swept the European Gracie Jiu-Jitsu championships.

Dollaway in a lot of ways is similar to Melvin Guillard.  Dollaway has an insane amount of talent but always seems to find a way to put his neck on the line, literally.  He got caught in an arm-bar, twice, against Amir Sadollah and got caught in a guillotine choke against Tom Lawlor (and almost caught by Mike Massenzio.)  Dollaway’s strength is his All-American wrestling background.  He trains with a great camp at Arizona Combat Sports that includes up and comers like Ryan Bader and Aaron Simpson.

Breakdown: Reljc will have a significant advantage while the fight is on the feet.   On the other hand Dollaway’s wrestling is good enough to the point where he should be able to get the fight to the ground at will.  The real question is whether or not Dollaway has learned from his mistakes and learned enough jiu-jitsu defense to remain out of harms way.  Something tells me he hasn’t.

Prediction: Reljic Via Triangle Choke Round 2.

Igor Pokrajac (21-6) vs. James Te Huna (12-4)

The Fighters: Pokrajac is a Cro-Cop disciple. While you would expect head-kicks from anyone on the Cro-Cop Squad, Pokrajac relies on his wrestling and submission skills. Pokrajac is 21-6 and 0-1 in the UFC. His one UFC loss was a decisive decision loss to Vladimir Matyushenko.

Huna is a Australian, shocker I know, fighter making his UFC debut. Huna relies on his Thai Boxing and wrestling skills. According to some publications he was considered the #1 Light Heavyweight fighter in all of Australia and New Zealand.

Breakdown: While these guys have a combined 43 fights between them most have been against local competition. In fact looking at Pokrajac’s record his 21 wins is clearly inflated by fighting lesser European competition. Every time he’s taken a step up in competition; Ausserio Silva, Mamed Khalidov and Vladimir Matyushenko he’s lost handily. One can come to the hypothesis that the only reason Pokrajac is still on the roster is because of his association to Cro-Cop. Look for the hometown fighter, Huna, to stifle Pokrajac’s take-downs en route to a K.O. win.

Prediction: Huna Via K.O Round 2

Oh baby. Let me tell you about how excited I am for this one. In one corner, you have “The Irish Hand Grenade” who is one of MMA’s best boxers with improved Muay Thai and excellent take down defense. In the other, You have “Killa B,” who was undefeated before getting swatted back down the welterweight ranks by Mike Swick in Germany at UFC 99. Saunders is an excellent striker and makes exciting fights with just about anyone.

Another reason that this fight is awesome is that both of these fighters need this fight. Davis also lost in Germany when he dropped a controversial decision to Dan Hardy. That loss was especially difficult for Davis, who was sick of Hardy running his mouth and was threatening to kill the Brit by the time they got in the ring. Before that loss, Davis had won 7 of his 8 UFC fights, with his only loss also coming to Swick.

Expect this fight to be a standup war. Saunders lost to Swick because he was staying in the pocket too much and got caught a bunch of times. If he does that with Davis, The Irish Hand Grenade might actually kill him.

Thanks to MMAWeekly For the Photo!

My god. Does this man ever stop? Will he ever fight at 185 again, or is that belt just going to disappear in the back of his closet? What is his obsession with fighting up?

For those who have no idea what I am talking about, Sherdog is reporting that Anderson Silva is going to move to heavyweight now, This is after his most recent bout was at 205 lbs, when he dismantled Forrest Griffin at UFC 101. Silva is still the 185 lbs champ, and has a number one contender waiting for him in Dan Henderson. He has also discussed dropping his title in an effort to pursue the biggest fights.

The endgame of all of this is easy to see. He wants to fight Brock Lesnar. Simply put, that would be the biggest fight in MMA history, and if nothing else, would put a ton of money in his pocket before Silva walks away into the sunset, or into the boxing ring to fight Roy Jones. That being said, we’ve always said on this site that in order to beat Lesnar, you would need to have at least comparable size to stop his takedowns. Silva would walk into the ring at 215 or 220 compared to Brock’s 280. Not good, but if anyone could stop Brock, it would be the man who I frequently refer to as a ninja because of his skills on the feet.

However, am I the only one thinking that this is getting a little bit ridiculous? Imagine if Silva played any other sport. Think about this for a second, what if Andre Johnson decided that he had done all that he could playing wide receiver and wanted to play safety. Could you imagine the backlash? Beat writers would crucify him, talking heads would talk about how selfish he is, and his teammates would want to kill him. However, since he is a fighter we let him get away with it. Isn’t it the same thing? One guy who thinks that there is no one that can keep up with him doing one thing, so he decides to do another.

Personally, I think it’s getting hard to take Silva too seriously.