Other matches scheduled to fight at UFC 126 are:
Ellenberger vs Rocha, Torres vs Banuelos, Cerone vs Kelly, Mendes vs Omigawa, Taylor vs Ruedigar, Yamamoto vs Johnson, Kingsbury vs Romero, Pierce vs Robertson.
Rising Stars
Jon "Bones" Jones vs Ryan "Darth" Bader is scheduled to be the first fight out of the mega fight trio. I feel this will be one of the most exiting fights of the night, and possibly a contender for "fight of the night" honors. Ryan Bader first got his start on season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter reality TV series. (Mir vs Nogueira) He became the winner of season 8 by defeating Vinny Magalhães via TKO at the TUF finale. Bader posses some serious KO power in both of his hands and is a very talented wrestler, coming from a wrestling background.
Jon Jones also comes from a wrestling background but not as prestigious of one as Ryan Bader. Instead Jones uses his athletic abilities along with unorthodox striking to dominate his opponents. Add that to the fact that Jones trains under Greg Jackson in Albuquerque with the likes of Rashad Evans, Shane Carwin, Nate Marquardt, GSP and many many more and you have a recipe for destruction. Although Bader will be the biggest threat Jones has ever faced, I still think Jones will be too much for Darth Bader. I see this fight being mostly a stand up battle and fully expect to see some one get KO'd or dropped and then finished with punches (TKO). My fight prediction for Jon Jones vs Ryan Bader - Jon Jones via 2nd round TKO.Battle Of Former Champions
Next up we have a fight between two former UFC belt holders and MMA legends in Rich Franklin and Forrest Griffin. One of the more interesting things about this fight is Franklin moved up from middleweight to light heavyweight, meaning Griffin will definitely have a size and strength advantage. Both fighters like to strike and have the ability to finish the fight with one punch. Griffin won the first season of TUF by defeating Stephan Bonner at the finale with what can only be described as the bloodiest brawl in UFC/TUF history. Griffin is about as tough as they come, and has cardio that is hard to keep up with.
Franklin on the other went from high school math teacher to MMA superstar, eventually capturing the UFC light heavyweight title. Franklin is a very technical fighter that can knock out his opponents or submit them in order to finish the fight. Only four of his fights have gone to decision, and out of his 28 wins Franklin has won 15 of them by KO or TKO. Another great fight that will be a striking fest both standing up and on the ground. With Franklin is looking to cement his place in the 205lbs division, and Griffin being Forrest Griffin, I don't see this fight going the distance. My fight prediction for Forrest Griffin vs Rich Franklin - Forrest Griffin via 3rd round submission.The Main Event
Anderson "The Spider" Silva vs Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort. This is the fight we have all wanted to see since UFC 108, but it got rescheduled due to Anderson Silva's elbow surgery. Again they were scheduled to fight at UFC 109 but it to was rescheduled again due to Silva's slow elbow surgery recovery. Again the UFC tried to reschedule Silva vs Belfort for UFC 112, but this time it was Vitor that withdrew due to injury. Some interesting things about Anderson Silva is that he has been the UFC middleweight champion for over 5 years, has defended the belt 7 times, and has the longest running winning streak in UFC history. (13 consecutive wins) Silva was considered to be the number one P4P fighter in the world until recently when he moved down to number two giving the number one position to GSP. Anderson Silva trains at Black House under the Nogueira Brothers with fighters like Lyoto Machida, Jose Aldo, Junior Dos Santos, and many more. Silva is a black belt in BJJ, and is widely regarded as one of the most accurate strikers in all of MMA. The Spider posses incredible counter punches, vicious Muay Thia clinch and knees, and a mean ground game making Silva one of the most well rounded fighters in the sport today.
Vitor Belfort is one of the fastest and most intense strikers I have ever seen in MMA. His hand speed is almost unmatchable, giving The Phenom 13 out of his 19 wins by way of knock out or TKO. Belfort has notable TKO victories over Randy Couture, Wanderlei Silva, Matt Lindland and Rich Franklin. On a bad note for The Phenom, he has not competed in the cage since September of 2009. I've said it before and Ill say it again, ring rust is real and it IS a factor. Going almost a year and a half with out a fight will effect you and can even cost you the fight, just ask Rampage Jackson. ;-)This fight has been hyped up so much for so long and it is finally here. I see this fight being mainly a striking match since both men are predominately strikers. With things like ring rust and the fact that Belfort has never gone more than three rounds come into play, I just don't see how Belfort will be able to keep up with Silva. Belfort's only hope is to catch Anderson early on in the first round with a flurry of punches and finish the fight right then and there. But if he lets Silva take him into the 4th and 5th rounds Belfort will tire and start getting sloppy. That is when Anderson will be able to pick his shots better and ultimately catch Belfort with a knee or counter punch that will drop Belfort. My prediction for the fight - Anderson Silva via 5th round TKO.
Written by: Rudy Mogavero of Fight Night MMA
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