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Mark Hunt ($10,300) vs Frank Mir ($9,100)
This is a very interesting fight. Mark Hunt obviously has the striking advantage with his background, but Frank Mir is no slouch in the striking department.
Mark Hunt is a great striker with devastating power, and he’s constantly looking to improve his overall MMA game. It was evident against his fight with Stefan Struve where he was able to reverse the ground transitions and do some work of his own there. He’s also fared well against solid grapplers, like Antonio Silva and Ben Rothwell, picking up victories over them.
Frank Mir has been around for a long time. The former UFC heavyweight champion has wins over some of the best fighters to ever do it. He has two wins over heavyweight legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Brock Lesnar, Mirko Cro Cop, Tim Sylvia and so on. Even in losing efforts, he’s faced some of the best competition in the sport.
Frank Mir’s standup is very underrated because of how good his ground game is and expect him to surprise some people in his fight against Hunt come Sunday night.
There’s no denying that Hunt will have the edge in the department, but Mir definitely has the edge if the fight goes to the ground. Hunt has also been knocked out in some of his recent fights and he definitely doesn’t have the same chin anymore.
Expect Frank Mir to use his well-rounded striking to surprise Hunt on the feet and if he can get this fight to the ground, that’s his world.
Picking Frank Mir for the upset win.
Pick:Â Mir
Hector Lombard ($9,600) vs Neil Magny ($9,800)
Hector Lombard will be making his return to the octagon after being away for more than a year due to a suspension for a failed drug test.
Lombard made his UFC debut against Tim Boetsch, losing a split decision. He then went on to face Rousimar Palhares and he knocked him out in the first round.
He then faced Yushin Okami and dropped another split decision loss. After this fight, he decided to move down to welterweight and he won his next two fights against Nate Marquardt and Jake Shields.
His most recent fight was against Josh Burkman at UFC 182, winning a lackluster unanimous decision. The fight was later overturned to a no contest by the commission due to Lombard’s failed drug test.
Neil Magny has been very consistent and very active in his UFC run. He’s won nine of his last 10 fights and prior to losing to Demian Maia at UFC 190, he was on a seven fight win streak. His most recent win was against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Fight Night 78, winning a close split decision.
Although Lombard has more wins than losses in the promotion and arguably won his UFC debut in a lot of peoples eyes, he’s looked very unimpressive and hasn’t lived up to the hype. He seems to gas in the later rounds and hasn’t really shown that killer instinct past the first round.
Magny is very well-rounded and has a huge reach advantage over Lombard in this fight.
Magny is the slight favorite here, and it’s with good reason. Expect him to outwork Lombard in this fight, keeping him at range with his striking and if he can survive the early storm from Lombard, he will outwork him in the later rounds.
Pick:Â Magny
Jakes Matthews ($9,700) vs Johnny Case ($9,700)
Both fighters are dead even heading into this fight. They’re very evenly matched and it could possibly go either way.
Jake Matthews has gone three and one in the UFC, winning all three of his fights by finishes. His only loss was to James Vick at UFC Fight Night 65, where he was caught with a slick guillotine nearing the end of the first round.
In his most recent fight, he faced Akbarh Arreola and faced some adversity in that first round. He managed to bounce back in the second and Arreola didn’t make it for the third.
Johnny Case has won all of his fights in impressive fashion. He won his UFC debut against Kazuki Tokudome by submission in the second round. He followed that win up against Frankie Perez, finishing him in the third round.
His most recent win was against Yan Cabral, winning by unanimous decision.
Matthews is very solid on the ground and has shown that in all of his fights. But, he has shown that he isn’t the perfect fighter and can be caught with his mistakes. In his fight with Arreola, he was hurt badly in the first round and it’s very possible that the same thing can happen against someone like Case.
Johnny Case is more well-rounded heading into this fight. He definitely has the striking advantage and if it stays there, he’ll win this fight. He’s not too bad on the ground either and although Matthews has grappling advantage, expect Case to be able to hang there as well.
Pick:Â Case
Daniel Kelly ($8,300) vs Antonio Carlos Junior ($11,100)
Daniel Kelly has had some success in the promotion, winning three of his four fights.
In his UFC debut, he faced Luke Zachrich and submitted him with a kimura in the first round. His only loss was against Sam Alvey at UFC Fight Night 65, where he was knocked out in the first round.
Most recently, he faced Steve Montgomery at UFC 193 and won the fight by unanimous decision.
Antonio Carlos Junior is two and one in the UFC and has looked great in his wins. He made his UFC debut against Vitor Miranda and won the fight by unanimous decision.
His only loss was against Patrick Cummins, which went the distance. His most recent win was against Eddie Gordon at UFC Fight Night 70, and it was his most impressive showing to date. He dominated the fight and finished Gordon in the second round by submission.
He then faced Kevin Casey at UFC Fight Night 80, but the fight was stopped due to an accidental eye poke, resulting in a no contest.
This fight is all Antonio Carlos Junior. He’s a huge favorite here and he should get it done. He’s the bigger, much stronger fighter and will out-grapple Daniel Kelly in this fight.
Kelly has shown his slickness on the ground and although he only has one loss in his career, Junior will be too much for Kelly.
Pick:Â Junior
James Te Huna ($10,500) vs Steve Bosse ($8,900)
James Te Huna hasn’t fought in almost two years. He’s riding a three fight losing streak and he’s in desperate need of a win here.
Prior to his losing streak, he went on a four fight win streak, winning against fighters like Ricardo Romero and Ryan Jimmo.
His three back to back losses were against Glover Teixeira, Shogun Rua and Nate Marquardt, which were all finishes.
Steve Bosse made his UFC debut on against Thiago Santos at UFC Fight Night 70 and it didn’t go very well for him, getting knocked out in the first round.
Steve Bosse is extremely tempting at that price and his chances of winning are good here. He has a lot of wins on his record and his style of fighting can make things interesting.
Te Huna hasn’t fought in quite some time and expect ring rust to be a factor. He’s also shown that he has a very suspect chin. Bosse will close the range and find that chin throughout the course of this fight. Expect a finish.
Another big upset win here for Bosse.
Pick:Â Bosse
Bec Rawlings ($9,500) vs Seo Hee Ham ($9,900)
Bec Rawlings has gone one and one in the UFC.
She lost her UFC debut to Heather Clark, but went on to win her most recent fight against Lisa Ellis at UFC Fight Night 65 by submission in the first round.
She’s had some success prior to her UFC run, but she hasn’t been able to really put it all together in most of her fights.
Seo Hee Ham made her UFC debut against Joanne Calderwood and lost by unanimous decision. She bounced back against Cortney Casey at UFC Fight Night 79 and won by unanimous decision.
She’s had a lot of her success in her MMA career, riding a six fight win streak prior to signing with the UFC.
Ham is a bit more well-rounded than Rawlings and although she may not have faced the best competition like Rawlings, she definitely has more experience.
She’s a slight favorite here and is at a reasonable price tag.
Pick:Â Ham
QUICK RECAP
Favorites To Pick Â
- Neil Magny ($9,800)
- Johnny Case ($9,700) EVEN
- Antonio Carlos Junior ($11,100)
- Seo Hee Ham ($9,900)
- Alan Jouban ($11,200)
- Dan Hooker ($10,600)
- Alan Patrick ($10,800)
Solid Underdog Picks
- Frank Mir ($9,100)
- Steve Bosse ($8,900)
- Rin Nakai ($9,000)
- Richard Walsh ($9,400)
- Ross Pearson ($9,300)
Suggested Line-Up
- Alan Jouban ($11,200)
- Antonio Carlos Junior ($11,100)
- Ross Pearson ($9,300)
- Frank Mir ($9,100)
- Steve Bosse ($8,900)
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