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"Hi, mom!"

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It seems like we're once again apologizing for our lack of posts (although we just published one on the Big Nog/Nelson fight, even if we had to watch it on terrible hotel wi-fi). It's not you. No, if anything, it's us. But that's going to change; we're going to change, although it'll take time, especially since we're currently on the way to Quebec City (via train) to catch the TUF Nations Finale: Bisping vs. Kennedy, and consume a great deal of poutine. Besides cheering on Kennedy as he punches Bisping in his face (which never gets old), we'll be supporting hometown hero/friend/Team Spartan honcho Elias "the Spartan" Theodorou as he faces fellow Team Canada finalist Sheldon Westcott for the right to be the first Canadian TUF Middleweight winner. Our pick? Well, we might be a little biased, but we're staunchly behind the Spartan, who we fully expect to outwork his opponent, as well as control the striking range, in what will either be a (T)KO or decision win. We're also going with Kennedy by decision via being a tenacious, crazy bastard, Côté by KO or (T)KO, Chad Laprise by (T)KO (as Olivier is has a habit of coming slow out of the gate) and Dustin Poirier via whatever he wants.

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That certainly wasn't easy to watch, especially for nostalgic PrideFC fans around the world hoping that the former heavyweight kingpin had one last trick in his once deep bag of them. Unfortunately, he didn't. When this match-up was announced, everyone knew it wasn't a good one for the aging legend, whose once granite-like chin has eroded with the inevitable passage of time, and who was three-and-four in his last seven contests, with brutal stoppages against Mir (twice) and champ Cain Velasquez amongst them. The venerable Big Nog began this brief contest well, utilizing his favourite technique — the dipping jab — to keep Roy off of him and negate the mulleted one's power. Unfortunately, Big Country adjusted swiftly and countered perfectly with a right uppercut, and from there it was just a matter of time before the tragic end. Big Country was patient, dropping Nog again and again, before setting a classic Nelson trap (backing his opponent into the fence and edging increasingly closer to his left, so that opponents instinctively retreat into the more open, opposite direction — squarely into the path of his mammoth overhand right), laying out Big Nog in a stiff, ugly, Nate Quarry-like manner. What's next for the legendary Pride HW? Well, Nog has already called for a third match with original bane Frank Mir before retiring, but at this point in both their careers, this looks like almost a gimmie for Mir (and a much-needed one), after KOing and then breaking the former champ's arm in their first two meetings. For Nelson? Surgery, as he broke his hand — guess which one? — KOing Minotauro. Afterwards? The talk of him facing Mark Hunt has picked up again, and who wouldn't want to see that stand-up war? Although, as always, our money is on the Super-Samoan. 

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Well, that certainly didn't go as planned. For the first two rounds of their epic rematch, Shogun Rua looked phenomenal: he was in shape (you could see a bit of a six-pack, not witnessed since the halcyon, roiding days of Pride); he had a nice jab going (although he began to bring it back lower and lower as the fight wore on); he threw hard kicks and controlled the range — even mixing in a knee or two. Oh, yeah, and he dropped Hendo — twice. Considering Rua's (well-deserved) reputation as one of the most feared and vicious finishers in the sport, it was his inability to stop Henderson — twice — in their second bout that ultimately allowed the aging wonder to catch Shogun breaking from a clinch with both hands way, way too low and out of position with a right hook (note: it wasn't an overhand right/H-bomb). From there, with his nose relocated to a different part of his face, Dan pounced, eventually finishing Rua with another shot and some questionable strikes to the back of the head while the former UFC light heavyweight champion turtled-up. There's been some talk of the shots referee Herb Dean missed that Hendo ended the fight with, but considering the state of his nose — utter carnage — it would have been stopped if Rua had survived.

The thing is, up until that right hook, Hendo was getting beat-up by Rua — badly. Going forward, there's great cause for concern for fans of the aging MMA legend, as he will no longer be allowed to use TRT (at least in North America), his greco wrestling hasn't looked good in some time, he's getting caught and dropped with increasing regularly, and besides that right hand, Hendo's arsenal has shrunk each outing. Plus, he turns 44 in August — his first MMA fight was nearly 17 years ago. Who will he face next? Daniel Cormier needs a name on his ledger before he'll likely be allowed to challenge current champ Jon Jones, especially if Double J has any say in the matter. That's a bad match-up for Hendo, but unless he wants to take a step back and fight lower ranked LHWs (Bader, Manua, Te Huna), he's going to be the underdog against any top-five LHW opponent.

For Shogun? While there's no denying he looked scary in his obliteration of Te Huna (although James did gift him the KO, coming in with his hands at waist-level), and for the first two rounds, dominated Henderson, and should have finished him, the fact is he came up short against the American for the second time. However, there's still that rematch with Lil' Nog fans have been clamouring for since their unforgettable back-and-forth war of attrition at Pride Critical Countdown 2005. Providing, of course, Nog can stay healthy long enough to make it to an actual fight.

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One word: Shogun.

"Pride Never Die"

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With a new welterweight UFC champ crowned after years of domination by GSP — congrats, Johny Hendricks — the division is wide-open for the first time in memory, which is an incredibly exciting proposition. Who will emerge to challenge newly minted kingpin Bigg Rigg (and possibly take back the extraneous Gs in the process)? Will there be an immediate rematch of the instant classic he had this past Saturday with the Ruthless One (doubtful, if Jones/Gustafson is a precedent)? Was Tyron Woodley impressive enough in his win, marred by injury though it was, over Carlos Condit to earn the nod? Or, after being soundly beaten by Lawler in their fight back in November, is a dominating second- and third-round comeback victory over Demain Maia enough to bring Rory MacDonald's stock up to the level of title-challenger? Well, as unabashed supporters (for life) of the Stockton Bad Boy, we have two words for you: Nick Diaz. Sure, he hasn't fought in a year and is riding a two-fight losing streak (to GSP and the aforementioned Condit); however, in terms of money fights (and remember, the UFC is first and foremost about making profits and putting on "entertaining" bouts), there isn't currently a bigger draw for the WW division and new champ, unless GSP is ready to end his hiatus after only a few short months. While Diaz had a readymade narrative with Lawler should Robbie have emerged victorious (being the only man to KO the Ruthless One — way back at UFC 47), with incredible foresight, Nick managed to insert himself into Bigg Rigg's bearded business, heckling the now-champ during his weigh-in issues this past Friday, and smack-talking his win the moment the PPV ended, going as far as to call his stand-up "amateur" and claiming Lawler "whupped his ass." While realistically most would like to see Diaz earn such a shot with a high-profile W or two, possibly avenging friend/teammate/fellow 209er Jake Shields's defeat at the hands of Hector Lombard or even facing Woodley or MacDonald in a number one contender match, considering Diaz is one of the most intriguing/frustrating/enigmatic fighters in the sport, his fanatical, cult-like following, that despite his recent two losses, he is 11 and two in last 13 efforts, and, save GSP, is the highest profile challenger currently available for Hendricks, it isn't out of the realm of possibility that the UFC would pull the trigger and give Diaz what he wants (a title match return). What would be in it for Hendricks? Simply this: the opportunity to have his first title defence be against one of MMA's most compelling personalities, and one of its top draws, in terms of celebrity. Sure, others may "deserve it" a bit more, but when it comes to dollars (and that is the UFC's bottom line), Hendricks/Diaz simply makes sense.

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Although it may not be as prestigious as fighting on a PPV or Fox card (especially where the cheddar, as Rampage would say, is concerned), with little fanfare, the UFC has delivered two Fight Pass cards full of entertainment, (T)KOs and subs in the last week that have been just as exciting, if not more so, than some of their more recent higher-profile offerings. The latest FP event was yesterday's card from London, England, and while it may have felt eerily similar to watching Bamma or Cage Rage, due to the accents (although with better fighters, and no Paul Daley), in terms of action, it unquestionably delivered. Sometimes the hardest thing to do in any sport is beat the opposition you're supposed to, and while Manuwa didn't appear to be an incredibly difficult hurdle to a title shot for the number one contender, anything can happen in the Octagon. Still, credit is due to the Mauler, who accomplished what everyone expected and dismantled the previously undefeated Brit inside of two rounds to earn his rematch with double J. (No offence to the Poster Boy, but there's a huge leap between the likes of Ryan Jimmo and the top LHW contenders.) While initially even on the feet, with Jimi's power vs. Alex's range, footwork and technique, the end began for Manuwa early in the second when Gustafsson locked on a quick Thai clinch and landed a huge knee on his shorter opponent. From there, the Mauler lived up to his nickname, pouncing on his foe and the fight was quickly waved off. With the win, the UFC stated that Gustafsson would challenge the winner of the upcoming Jones/Teixeira LHW title match-up, despite the champ's suggestion that the Swede should face Daniel Cormier for the right to challenge him next, looking by Glover in the process. Considering how close and exciting their first contest was, not to mention the significant threat Cormier presents to Jones as well, it appears  the champ is politicking, trying to soften up his next opponent without ever setting foot in the cage, as well as not taking Teixeira as seriously as he should, which could be a grave mistake, considering Glover's KO power.

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"If he dies, he dies."

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Yeah, we know, this is the second Fight Pass event in a row we've been unable to get picks up for beforehand (even though we do have FP, honest). We apologize, but life is sometimes... difficult. And, man, those FP events just sneak up on you out of nowhere. Regardless, we'll be back with gifs and insights as soon as the event concludes/is humanly possible. As well, we're picking the Mauler by impressive stoppage to earn his LHW title rematch, as well as Johnson, Pickett and Gunnar to earn victories. 

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Remember when everyone would rag on Dong Hyun Kim for being a "boring" positional fighter who'd take you down and grind out a win (and not without some merit)? Stun Gun was obviously listening to the criticisms and decided to do something about it. First, he KO'd the living hell out of Erick Silva. And for his latest trick, he pulled a magnificent spinning-back-elbow out of his hat to fell John Hathaway. While Kim came out of the gate firing, dropping Hathaway early, he appeared to gas a bit after the first and it looked like the London Shootfighter might be able to work his way back into the match. Well, Kim put a vicious end to that notion, slipping an elbow John threw without a proper set-up and countering with the aforementioned magnificent spinning-back-elbow. Impressively, it was the first time Hathaway had been finished in his career. Ignoring Dong's loss to Demian Maia (which was the result of an injury suffered during a Maia takedown early in their fight) for a moment, he's only been defeated by former interm WW title holder and perennial contender Carlos Condit. With the welterweight division wide open for the first time in years, following GSP's OCD-inspired "hiatus" and abdication of the title, Kim is set to at least once again challenge the division's elite for potential future title consideration.

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Say what you want about Rampage at this point in his career, but if you're not a top UFC light-heavyweight, odds are you're going to get KO'd brutally by the former UFC LHW king. Sure, he's no longer a member of the A-Team (see what we did there?), but against B(ellator)-Team-level competition, he has ultra-violent KOs in his two outings. His latest victim was former Bellator LHW champ Christian M'Pumbu, who made a huge error in judgement when he claimed he was going to "retire" Rampage prior to their match-up. Well, things didn't exactly go TonTon's way, and he's now on a three-fight skid and has just suffered his first stoppage by strikes. Our advice: never antagonize a guy named "Rampage." What's next for Quinton? Well, he's got a date with King Mo, who took a very lacklustre, and iffy, unanimous decision last night over Mikhail Zayats to set-up the LHW tournament final Bellator so desired. As well, current interm champ Emanuel "the Hardcore Kid" Newton is waiting in the wings to either get impressively KO'd against Rampage or take his third victory over the King. With the way Mo has been fighting recently, our money is on Rampage finishing him and then KOing the Kid to win the Bellator LHW title.

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Well, that went pretty much how we expected it to. While SI was unable to get picks up for this morning's UFC Fight Night 37, due to some life issues, involving family members and hospitals, we did manage to wake up way too early and watch the event. While there were some surprises and unexpected results — did not see Kim's epic spinning back-elbow KO coming — one fight that went pretty much as expected was Mitrione's clash with Jordan. Sure, it was competitive for a bit, but it was only a matter of time before the bigger, stronger, yet deceptively quick and agile Meathead found his range, hurting Jordan and then obliterating him against the fence with a volley of punches. While Mitrione has faltered against B-level talent, against C-level, he gets the job done. No offence to Jordan, but at only six-feet, he's simply not big enough to compete in the HW division, and his frame is much better-suited to 205.

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And you thought Nick was the crazy brother. While the tweet was quickly taken down, and it remains to be seen whether Nate will employ the "hacked" defence, although said tweet was re-tweeted by manager Cesar Gracie, Nate Diaz's twitter account posted this gem today: 

Nathan Diaz        ✔ @NateDiaz209

Follow

@ufc @danawhite I would like to request to be released from the @ufc Its time for me to be on my way .. ?

5:01 PM - 26 Feb 2014

A collective "WTF?" soon followed from just about everyone on the Internet. Now, we here at SI are huge fans of the Diaz brothers and with Gilbert Melendez and Cesar recently playing some hardball and winning (surprisingly) with the UFC in their negotiations, this could all be a ploy for concessions/a pay increase from the younger Diaz. Still, Nate is bargaining from a position of weakness, currently being under contract, and honestly has little leverage. God bless the Diaz brothers though, as they truly do not give a fuck.

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Raise your hand if you actually thought Cummins had any chance against DC? Now slap yourself. Sure, respect is due to Cummins for stepping up to the plate against a fighter of Cormier's caliber on nine days notice, but we're talking about a man who would be in line for a title shot at heavyweight if his friend and training partner didn't have the belt, and look to keep it for some time. While Cummins is a promising prospect at 205, and should get another chance for stepping in short notice, DC is a title contender. Considering what he was able to do to the likes of Josh Barnett, Bigfoot Silva, Roy Nelson and Frank Mir, and the burgeoning ill will between him and LHW champ Jon Jones, depending on how double J's fight with Teixeira goes, and the upcoming tilt between Gustafsson and Manuwa, if Jones gets through Glover unscathed, and Alexander wins ugly, gets injured or even loses, DC could be fast-tracked into a title shot.

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Well, that was one strange-looking arm-bar from the Rowdy one. While Ronda's fight with fellow Olympic medallist Sara McMann was shorter and didn't play-out the way many predicted (SI included), the outcome was the same as every single one of her previous contests: a decisive victory and finish. Although we didn't see any flashy throws or slams, we did witness both fighters meet in the middle of the Octagon and exchange, refusing to give an inch. While it appeared that Sara stung the champ (who really needs to work on taking her head off centre-line when she throws), she couldn't stop Rousey from muscling her up against the cage and working her over with hard knees to the body in the clinch. After wearing on her for a bit, Ronda landed a hard left knee to McMann's liver that dropped her and made her go limp for a split-second. Some are decrying the stoppage, and Dean could have let it go a bit longer, as McMann did attempt to rise right as Herb rushed in, but Sara had just been flattened via liver shot (which you just don't recover from in a few seconds) and was absorbing unanswered strikes. What's next for Ronda? Hollywood, obviously, but in terms of opponents when she returns, Cat Zingano is waiting in the wings, recovering from both physical and emotional trauma, while Cyborg is smack-talking her from Invicta, claiming she can now make 135-lbs. without "dying" and wants to "retire" Rousey. Cyborg is the money match-up (that is, if Cristiane is brought into the UFC and built correctly), but it remains to be seen if she can actually make 135-lbs., and she does already have a 145-lbs. title fight in Invicta in her new future.

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Despite being taken down and controlled for the bulk of round one, the Canadian Weirdo, Rory MacDonald, managed to fend off Maia's advances and rebounded in the second and third, utilizing a combination of spiral takedown defence and sprawl'n'brawl that would have made Pride-era CroCop crack a smile, if ever so slightly. It was an impressive performance from Ares, who stuffed 20 of Maia's 22 takedown attempts and significantly outlanded him in the second and third. What's next for the Canadian? Considering his loss to Lawler still looms large, he'll need another impressive performance or two to insert himself back into title contention. Rory has made no secret of his desire to rematch Carlos Condit (which fell through due to injury), and if Carlos can't get by Woodley, the KO power of "the Chosen One" would make for a good test, considering MacDonald was rocked and punished by the heavy-hitting Lawler.

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(“Would you like a chocolate-covered pretzel?”)

UFC 170 Picks, Predictions and Prognostications Ronda Rousey vs. Sara McMann With the current (semi-?)retirement of GSP, Cain and double J’s failure to reach that next level in popularity, Anderson Silva’s shocking KO loss, then even more shocking leg break against Chris Weidman, Pettis’s injury issues and the still evolving lighter weight classes, the UFC is short on mega-stars right now. Luckily, they have the Rowdy one: Ronda Rousey. The Baldfather has claimed she’s the biggest star the UFC has ever had (sorry, Tito), and even for a man who traverses the seas of hyperbole for a living, he isn’t far off. Rousey is just 27 years of age, hasn’t hit her MMA prime yet and is still improving every fight. She has a polarizing personality, has medalled at the Olympics, believes fervently in her convictions, isn’t too concerned about saying all the right things and is poised to cross over into the mainstream via Hollywood in ways Gina Carano only dreamed. The question isn’t: is she the best female fighter in the world? She is. The question has become: is she stretching herself too thin, between short turnaround fights and increased star demands? We’ll know the answer Sunday morning, as she takes on fellow Olympian (a silver in wrestling, to Rousey’s bronze in judo), Sara McMann. McMann is also undefeated (with seven wins), although Rousey has faced the stiffer competition to this point, and her wrestling pedigree presents the most formidable challenge to Rousey’s reign as of yet. Sara is 33 though, and still a work-in-progress, in terms of her overall MMA game, relying heavily on her wrestling background, and being a bit limited in the stand-up — when she elected to stand with Shayna Baszler in their Invicta clash, she was caught while flurrying and rocked. McMann could have used a few more UFC bouts before challenging Rousey, to season and establish her with fans a bit more. Given the countless ways Ronda has to set-up her arm-bar, her also impressive grappling credentials (women’s judo in the Olympics has a much longer lineage, with fiercer competition than women’s wrestling), indomitable will and ability to scramble and gain position, she unquestionably has more ways to win. Rousey by arm-bar after a few hotly contested, early rounds.—CJG Rousey by arm-bar.—NZW Daniel Cormier vs. Patrick Cummins Realistically, there’s no way Cummins should win this fight, and the fact that it was even sanctioned, given Cummins’ resume of only four fights (all wins) and level of competition (a combined record of 10-20-1), is a bit dodgy. Cormier is undefeated (13 wins), besting the likes of former UFC heavyweight champs Frank Mir and Josh Barnett, as well as contenders Roy Nelson and Bigfoot Silva. In fact, if teammate and training partner Cain Velasquez wasn’t currently the UFC HW ruler, Cormier would be next in line for a title shot. Since Cain is the king, and will likely be for the foreseeable future, Cormier is dropping to 205-lbs., with his eyes set on Jon Jones, with the two already trash-talking each other in interviews and social media. When original opponent Rashad Evans went down with a knee injury nine days before the fight, it looked like Cormier’s light heavyweight debut would have to wait, and considering that the Olympic wrestler is 34, time is not on his side. However, on the strength of some claims about breaking Cormier in the wrestling room when the two trained together (and considering Cormier’s reactions, there’s some truth there), Cummins seized his chance to debut in the big show. The Baldfather loves fighters that step up on short notice and call guys out, and Cummins played it perfectly. However, beating someone one-on-one in competition and getting the better of someone while cycling in during training are two different things, and when the two did meet on the mat, Cormier won decisively. This doesn’t bode well for Cummins, as Cormier should still possess his wrestling advantage, as well as the speed and striking nods. The unknown variables are how Cormier handles his weight cut and whether his anger at his former training partner will cause him to make a mistake. This is MMA, and while monumental upsets happen, Cormier will (T)KO Cummins before the final bell.—CJG Well, this sure got interesting in a hurry. When Rashad Evans was forced to drop out of the fight with an injury, it looked like this match-up would be moved to another event as soon as Sugar healed up. Cormier was devastated, however, and begged someone, anyone to take the fight — and that someone ended up being Cormier’s former Olympic training partner, Patrick Cummins, who gleefully told the world he used to make Cormier cry. Now, Cormier could have brushed this aside, taken it as typical bluster or laughed it off, but he didn’t. He was pissed in interviews; he felt betrayed by what he interpreted as Cummins violating the sanctity of the practice space. Cormier shoved Cummins at the weigh-ins and meant it. This has suddenly become an emotional, volatile match, only intensifying the narrative of Cormier’s battles to safely make weight. I think the former Olympian easily takes this one, and certainly has the emotion to carry him through to victory, but Cummins has done a great job of getting people’s attention, even if he incurred the wrath of Cormier in the process.—NZW Rory MacDonald vs. Demian Maia With his last two performances — a decision loss to the resurgent Robbie Lawler and a lackluster win against Jake Ellenberger — the hype train on Rory MacDonald being “the next GSP” has certainly gone off the rails. That’s not to say that at just 24 years of age, Rory doesn’t have the time, skills and potential to make a dominant run, but considering his increasingly conservative game-planning against higher level competition and being good in all areas but great in none, the odds of him becoming champ in the near-future are certainly not as promising as they once seemed. Speaking of derailment, Demian Maia was on an absolute tear at welterweight before meeting Jake Shields, on the cusp of earning a title shot with a win (before GSP abdicated the throne). However, as he is wont to do, Shields managed to drag Maia into his awkward style of fighting, planting him on the bottom while negating Maia’s offence off his back. Like many of Shields’s wins, it wasn’t pretty, but it did demonstrate that Maia could be controlled at 170. While Rory could theatrically take Maia down, the odds of him being able to control him for extended periods of time in that position aren’t good, and Rory will likely look to keep the distance with his patented Tri-Star jab (he has a four-and-a-half-inch reach advantage over Demian) and his kicking game. Maia, for all his BJJ accomplishments, is a different animal when working from the top and in control, as opposed to off his back, and while he’s worked diligently to bring his striking up to par, he lacks the power to rock Rory the way Lawler was able to on multiple occassions. While Demian does have underrated wrestling and takedowns (see: Chael Sonnen and Jon Fitch), Rory should be able to keep it standing long enough to outpoint the BJJ ace and take a decision.—CJG While still ranked number four on the official UFC welterweight rankings, it’s hard not to feel like prodigy Rory MacDonald has been faltering recently. His last two matches were a lacklustre, though victorious, performance against Jake Ellenberger, and a split decision loss to Robbie Lawler, after he was forced to pull out of a rematch with Condit due to injury. Maia’s also coming off a loss, but it was an extremely close, gruelling match with Jake Shields. There’s certainly more pressure on MacDonald to win, and if the young fighter can manage that, find his distance and keep the fight standing, he has an excellent chance of getting back on track and into title contention. —NZW Mike Pyle vs. T.J. Waldburger With Miguel Torres gone, Mike Pyle unquestionably has the best mullet in the UFC at the moment. If the resurgence of Vitor Belfort has shown us anything, it’s that terrible hair isn’t an impediment to impressive wins. However, the mullet alone can’t guarantee a victory, and despite being on a four-fight winning streak, Pyle was obliterated in less than 30 seconds by the rampaging Matt Brown. While Pyle never got in gear in that fight against Brown, against Waldburger, the odds of him getting (T)KO’d are low, with T.J. being a very aggressive BJJ brown belt who loves to go for subs. Unfortunately for T.J., if he can’t sub you, he’s likely to get finished via strikes, such is the risk-reward of being overly aggressive. While Waldburger has youth on his side (25 years old to Pyle’s 38), Pyle is as crafty as they come, and is well versed in all aspects of the game, showing impressive finishing ability via strikes in three of his last four wins. Pyle will have the stand-up edge, and as long as he watches himself either on top or from bottom, should avoid getting caught in any of Waldburger’s submission attempts. Considering how good his knees and striking have looked against people not named Matt Brown or Rory MacDonald, Pyle should score another (T)KO after Waldburger gets too aggressive and leaves himself in a bad position.—CJG There’s no doubt that 25-year-old Waldburger (who turned pro at 17) has all the potential in the world. Every time we see him fight, he’s a better version of himself in some aspect, and his ability to adapt and learn is consistently impressive — the brain injury he suffered at the hands of Adlan Amagov in his last fight aside. Thirty-eight-year-old veteran Mike Pyle, however, is wily; he’s smart, experienced and has a far greater range of weapons and strategies to fall back on. While Waldburger’s future is longer than Pyle’s at this point, and certainly looks bright, the old lion defends his territory from the young usurper once more. —NZW Stephen Thompson vs. Robert Whittaker The hype was piled on “Wonderboy” Thompson after his superb head-kick KO of Daniel Stittgen. However, a subsequent decision loss to Matt Brown, where his grappling weaknesses were shown, doused those in cold water, but Thompson has rebounded with a decision victory over Nah-Shon Burrell and (T)KO’d Chris Clements in his most recent appearance. Despite showing improvement on the ground since his clash with Brown, it’s clear what the 31-year-old kickboxing champ wants to do: control the distance and KO opponents with flashy strikes. Whittaker will likely oblige Thompson, at least in terms of keeping the fight standing, as he prefers to use his hands and play offense. While it’s possible that the current Tri-Star product may look to switch it up with some takedowns or clinch work, odds are he’ll stand and bang, and considering how that went against Court McGee (a split decision loss), against a kicker of Thompson’s calibre, could spell disaster. While Whittaker has more upside long-term, Thompson should be able to land consistently enough to either take a decision or (T)KO him.—CJG I’m picking Stephen Thompson purely because the Chuck Norris World Combat League considered him the number world ranked fighter at one time. Okay, also on the strength of his kickboxing, his history of knockout victories and his intelligent striking game (his BJJ is steadily improving as well). Also, Whittaker’s star tattoos suck.—NZW Erik Koch vs. Rafaello Oliveira It wasn’t long ago that Erik Koch was tagged as a potential threat to reigning featherweight kingpin José Aldo, even being scheduled to meet Aldo on two occasions, which never happened due to injury. Subsequent losses to Ricardo Lamas (by hellacious ground-and-pound) and Dustin Poirier have caused Koch to rethink his 145-lbs. future and move up to lightweight. Koch was big for a featherweight and his power should transfer nicely up a class, while he has always had an active guard and submission game. This doesn’t bode well for Oliveira, who had his leg kicked into hamburger versus Edson Barboza and was (T)KO’d by Yves Edwards. Koch reaffirms his potential with a (T)KO of everyone’s favourite ninja turtle. —CJG This fights comes down to a question of the manner in which these fighters have lost recently, as both have faltered. Erik Koch has lost two in a row, giving up a decision to Dustin Poirier and being taken out by Ricardo Lamas’s elbows in a (T)KO loss before that. For this fight, however, he’s returning to lightweight after competing at featherweight, and looked a hell of a lot healthier at the weigh-ins than he has in several past matches — the move up may be a good one for the young WEC alumnus. Oliveira, on the other hand, has lost three out of his last four, with a decision victory over Yoislandy Izquierdo the only thing breaking up a submission and two (T)KO losses (including his most recent outing, where he was taken out by Edson Barboza’s punishing leg kicks). Considering thiw, Koch is in a considerably better position to secure another win, most likely via strikes.—NZW