Hello all and welcome to the very first episode of ViperzVenom. A prediction based writ that I will be writing for each and every UFC event from here on out. As I explained in my new member introduction in 2015 I went 77% for the entire year. Per main card I usually average over 80%. Please enjoy my breakdown of each fight card and I hope if you decide to use my predictions with your friends, family, or anywhere they do you some good.
Francimar Barroso vs Elvis Mutapcic
Fight pass fights are usually the hard ones for me. I personally dont own fight pass so I more often than not miss these fights altogether. That being said it doesn't stop me from making predictions on them nonethless. I immediately leaned towards taking Barroso here because of his 17 fights he has a 60% ko/tko rating and an amazing 89% takedown defense. On paper this seems like the basic grappler vs striker matchup but upon closer examination it is obvious this is Barroso's fight to lose. Barroso 1st round TKO.
Rob Font vs Joey Gomez
This is one of those fights that makes you want to pay for fight pass. How often can you find an undefeated bantamweight with a 100% finish rate? Joey Gomez 6-0 all ko/tko stoppages. Not that Rob Font is a pushover with a record of 11-1 but his results are a little more mixed than his opponents. With a nickname like KO King, and a record to prove that nickname expect fireworks from Gomez early. Joey Gomez 1st round TKO.
Charles Rosa vs Augusto Mendes
These grapplers have the ground skills to completely cancel each other out. Though Mendes is undefeated I expect him to drop this one to Rosa in a quite boring stalemate decision. Charles Rosa Unanimous Decision
IIir Latifi vs Sean O'Connell
This is a fantastic matchup at light heavyweight for fight pass. We are all but guarenteed to see someone get knocked completely unconscious here. Latifi has terrible accuracy and usually eats 3 or 4 strikes just to get one of his own. with that being said it usually only takes one or two of Latifi's shots before the ref is jumping in to save his opponent from further damage.That being said O' Connell being 3 inches taller may work to his advantage in this one taking away Latifi's deadly hook and forcing him to throw overhands instead. If I were to bet this fight I would just choose KO and leave the rest blank but for arguments sake I'll go with O'Connell here. Sean O'Connell 1st round KO.
Paul Felder vs Daron Cruikshank
Finally onto the main event of the fight pass card. This match up looks amazing on paper. These two couldnt look closer. Truthfully though my being such a fanboy of mma gets me into trouble sometimes. If the Daron Cruikshank that dusted Mike Rio and Erik Koch shows up Felder is going down. I firmly believe that there isn't a single guy on the roster of the UFC that can hang with Cruikshank when he is on point. He reminds me of Melvin Guillard in that respect. A couple guys who when they show up completely focused could dust a world champion if you put him in front of them. But on an off night Cruikshank can stink up the octagon something fierce. These guys are both crafty veterans and have highlight reel kick knockouts.With both fighters on two fight losing streaks expect one of them to step up and one of them to step out. Because I'm a fan boy Im going to go with Daron Cruikshank. Daron Cruikshank 2nd round submission RNC
Maximo Blanco vs Luke Sanders
Fireworks and KO's. That is all. Luke Sanders 1st round tko
Chris Wade vs Mehdi Baghdad
If your like me and you need a bathroom break take it now. Chris Wade takes a boring decision here doing nothing more than holding Baghdad down for 3 rounds. Chris Wade Unanimous Desicion
Tim Boetsch vs Ed Herman
You would think that both these men have something to prove considering theyve both had major set backs in recent times. Unfortunately for Ed Herman, Tim Boetsch has a right uppercut that is going to fold his glass chin like the uninspired tribal tattoos on his arms. Goodnight Herman. Tim Boetsch 1st round tko
Patrick Cote vs Ben Saunders
I absolutely love both of these fights for such different reasons. Both guys definatley considered veterans of the sport and even though neither one will ever see a UFC title they both believe they can still make a run at it. With a very distinct reach advantage Saunders will force Cote in charge in the put up any offense. Unfortunately Saunders is absolutely deadly in the clinch. Cote is tough as nails but I don't see this one going his way. Ben Saunders 2nd round submission
Ross Pearson vs Francisco Trinaldo
Onto the main card. Pearson loves to bang, he's got that you fall or I fall mentality and he's only ever been stopped by strikes twice in his 28 fight career. Coming off a razor close split decision win over Paul Felder he takes on the dangerous Francisco Trinaldo. Trinaldo has never been stopped by strikes and is riding a 4 fight win streak. I believe that Trinaldos kickboxing will nullify Pearson's Tae Kwon Do and Trinaldo's ground game is just plain better than Pearson's. Francisco Trinaldo Unanimous Decision.
Travis Browne vs Matt Mitrione
Every single card I look at there is that one fight that I just don't look forward to predicting whatsoever. This is that fight on this card. I love both of these fighters, Mitrione is trying to make a giant leap from his rank at #12 up to fighting a guy who until getting absolutely dusted by now heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum was being talked about for a title shot and is even now still in the top 5. This is a dangerous fight for Travis. He has had alot on his plate recently dealing with his girlfriend losing her title, hiding her from the press and helping her recover. If Travis Browne shows up unready expect Mitrione to shock the world and take Browne out. Obviously we still can't pick the outstanding underdog to win can we? Travis Browne 1st round tko
Anthony Pettis vs Eddie Alvarez
We know the gameplan to beat Pettis, tons of pressure and wrestling. obviously after signing this fight Pettis has done nothing but drill wrestling though. I'm not sure Alvarez can pull out the victory here against the former champion but if he does its not a finish. Anthony Pettis Unanimous Decision.
TJ Dillishaw vs Dominick Cruz
This is an amazing fight. TJ has never been taken down. Cruz has never not taken down an opponent. Aggressive vs Elusive. When I say that TJ is aggressive I don't mean wreckless, honestly he has a very good striking accuracy percentage for how often he throws. There is just nobody else who moves like Cruz does though. His patterns are flawless and he is so incredibly fast. I have no choice but to go with the guy who never actually lost the belt in the first place. Dominick Cruz Unanimous Decision.
Well that concludes the first edition of ViperzVenom. Join me next time for more predictions. Until then.
Francimar Barroso vs Elvis Mutapcic
Fight pass fights are usually the hard ones for me. I personally dont own fight pass so I more often than not miss these fights altogether. That being said it doesn't stop me from making predictions on them nonethless. I immediately leaned towards taking Barroso here because of his 17 fights he has a 60% ko/tko rating and an amazing 89% takedown defense. On paper this seems like the basic grappler vs striker matchup but upon closer examination it is obvious this is Barroso's fight to lose. Barroso 1st round TKO.
Rob Font vs Joey Gomez
This is one of those fights that makes you want to pay for fight pass. How often can you find an undefeated bantamweight with a 100% finish rate? Joey Gomez 6-0 all ko/tko stoppages. Not that Rob Font is a pushover with a record of 11-1 but his results are a little more mixed than his opponents. With a nickname like KO King, and a record to prove that nickname expect fireworks from Gomez early. Joey Gomez 1st round TKO.
Charles Rosa vs Augusto Mendes
These grapplers have the ground skills to completely cancel each other out. Though Mendes is undefeated I expect him to drop this one to Rosa in a quite boring stalemate decision. Charles Rosa Unanimous Decision
IIir Latifi vs Sean O'Connell
This is a fantastic matchup at light heavyweight for fight pass. We are all but guarenteed to see someone get knocked completely unconscious here. Latifi has terrible accuracy and usually eats 3 or 4 strikes just to get one of his own. with that being said it usually only takes one or two of Latifi's shots before the ref is jumping in to save his opponent from further damage.That being said O' Connell being 3 inches taller may work to his advantage in this one taking away Latifi's deadly hook and forcing him to throw overhands instead. If I were to bet this fight I would just choose KO and leave the rest blank but for arguments sake I'll go with O'Connell here. Sean O'Connell 1st round KO.
Paul Felder vs Daron Cruikshank
Finally onto the main event of the fight pass card. This match up looks amazing on paper. These two couldnt look closer. Truthfully though my being such a fanboy of mma gets me into trouble sometimes. If the Daron Cruikshank that dusted Mike Rio and Erik Koch shows up Felder is going down. I firmly believe that there isn't a single guy on the roster of the UFC that can hang with Cruikshank when he is on point. He reminds me of Melvin Guillard in that respect. A couple guys who when they show up completely focused could dust a world champion if you put him in front of them. But on an off night Cruikshank can stink up the octagon something fierce. These guys are both crafty veterans and have highlight reel kick knockouts.With both fighters on two fight losing streaks expect one of them to step up and one of them to step out. Because I'm a fan boy Im going to go with Daron Cruikshank. Daron Cruikshank 2nd round submission RNC
Maximo Blanco vs Luke Sanders
Fireworks and KO's. That is all. Luke Sanders 1st round tko
Chris Wade vs Mehdi Baghdad
If your like me and you need a bathroom break take it now. Chris Wade takes a boring decision here doing nothing more than holding Baghdad down for 3 rounds. Chris Wade Unanimous Desicion
Tim Boetsch vs Ed Herman
You would think that both these men have something to prove considering theyve both had major set backs in recent times. Unfortunately for Ed Herman, Tim Boetsch has a right uppercut that is going to fold his glass chin like the uninspired tribal tattoos on his arms. Goodnight Herman. Tim Boetsch 1st round tko
Patrick Cote vs Ben Saunders
I absolutely love both of these fights for such different reasons. Both guys definatley considered veterans of the sport and even though neither one will ever see a UFC title they both believe they can still make a run at it. With a very distinct reach advantage Saunders will force Cote in charge in the put up any offense. Unfortunately Saunders is absolutely deadly in the clinch. Cote is tough as nails but I don't see this one going his way. Ben Saunders 2nd round submission
Ross Pearson vs Francisco Trinaldo
Onto the main card. Pearson loves to bang, he's got that you fall or I fall mentality and he's only ever been stopped by strikes twice in his 28 fight career. Coming off a razor close split decision win over Paul Felder he takes on the dangerous Francisco Trinaldo. Trinaldo has never been stopped by strikes and is riding a 4 fight win streak. I believe that Trinaldos kickboxing will nullify Pearson's Tae Kwon Do and Trinaldo's ground game is just plain better than Pearson's. Francisco Trinaldo Unanimous Decision.
Travis Browne vs Matt Mitrione
Every single card I look at there is that one fight that I just don't look forward to predicting whatsoever. This is that fight on this card. I love both of these fighters, Mitrione is trying to make a giant leap from his rank at #12 up to fighting a guy who until getting absolutely dusted by now heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum was being talked about for a title shot and is even now still in the top 5. This is a dangerous fight for Travis. He has had alot on his plate recently dealing with his girlfriend losing her title, hiding her from the press and helping her recover. If Travis Browne shows up unready expect Mitrione to shock the world and take Browne out. Obviously we still can't pick the outstanding underdog to win can we? Travis Browne 1st round tko
Anthony Pettis vs Eddie Alvarez
We know the gameplan to beat Pettis, tons of pressure and wrestling. obviously after signing this fight Pettis has done nothing but drill wrestling though. I'm not sure Alvarez can pull out the victory here against the former champion but if he does its not a finish. Anthony Pettis Unanimous Decision.
TJ Dillishaw vs Dominick Cruz
This is an amazing fight. TJ has never been taken down. Cruz has never not taken down an opponent. Aggressive vs Elusive. When I say that TJ is aggressive I don't mean wreckless, honestly he has a very good striking accuracy percentage for how often he throws. There is just nobody else who moves like Cruz does though. His patterns are flawless and he is so incredibly fast. I have no choice but to go with the guy who never actually lost the belt in the first place. Dominick Cruz Unanimous Decision.
Well that concludes the first edition of ViperzVenom. Join me next time for more predictions. Until then.
