Picking & Grinning: UFC 131 Prelims
Jeff Sherwood Jun 10, 2011
Yves
Edwards (right) has won three straight. | Photo: Peter
Lockley/Sherdog
The UFC 131 preliminary card is examined by Sherdog.com staff. The bouts will split mediums as several fights stream live on the UFC’s Facebook page at 6 p.m. ET and will be followed by a Spike TV lead-in (8 p.m. ET) to the pay-per-view (9 p.m. ET).
Yves Edwards vs. Sam Stout
Advertisement
Freddie DeFreitas: I feel like a broken record when predicting any bout in which Stout is a participant. The phrase “potential fight of the night” often finds its way into the fight forecasts involving the native of London, Ontario, Canada. The fact remains that time and time again Stout brings it when he enters the Octagon. On the other side, Edwards has seemingly resuscitated his career with three straight wins over mid-level competition, but his recent win over “The Ultimate Fighter” alum Cody McKenzie left many wondering if Edwards had in fact truly returned to the form that once saw his name bounced around amongst the elite in the division. As hard as it is to pick against Stout, I feel Edwards will build up an early lead and hang on against the late-surging Canadian for a close decision.
Todd Martin: Edwards is well-respected within the sport for all he
has accomplished, but I think he is a faded fighter. Stout is a
step up from the fighters that Edwards has defeated in recent
years. He’s younger and faster, and he’s a crisper striker. I'd
love to see an exciting, competitive battle in this fight. However,
I see Stout cruising to victory with superior muay Thai.
Chris Weidman vs. Jesse Bongfeldt
Guilherme Pinheiro: Weidman may be as good a prospect as there is in the middleweight division. I see him as a Top 10 and maybe even a Top 5 middleweight down the road. He’s got very hard-nosed, dangerous opponent in Bongfeldt. Coming off an impressive win against Alessio Sakara in his UFC debut, Weidman has to continue to showcase his grappling prowess to rack up another win. I think that’s exactly what happens, as the Matt Serra protégé frustrates Bongfeldt and submits him in the second round.
Tony Loiseleur: Bongfeldt has that combination of qualities that’s difficult to quantify but that we all appreciate in our fighters: toughness and tenacity. However, he’s not exactly the best when it comes to positional security or dominance, and that’s where Weidman is strongest. It may be even on the feet, but I see Weidman eventually taking Bongfeldt down and dominating on the mat to take the decision.
Tristen Critchfield: Weidman looked every bit the talented prospect he was touted to be in his UFC debut against Sakara, winning a decision despite taking the fight on short notice. Weidman appeared to tire in the later rounds of his encounter, but his conditioning should be improved this time around. Bongfeldt represents a solid challenge and was on a seven-fight winning streak before battling to a draw with Rafael Natal at UFC 124. Weidman’s wrestling allows him to dictate where this fight will go, and he’ll eventually be able to wear down Bongfeldt to get a TKO with ground-and-pound.
Dustin Poirier vs. Jason Young
Brian Knapp: Poirier’s victory over Josh Grispi at UFC 125 looks a little less impressive now that “The Fluke” has been further exposed by George Roop. Still, Poirier has excellent all-around skills, with accurate and powerful strikes and underrated submissions. He utilizes those in this one, as he takes out Young in the second round.
Rob King: Young is a good, balanced fighter, but he doesn’t stand out in any one area. I don’t feel he is better in any one area than Poirier is, and Poirier has to be riding high after that upset of Grispi last time out. Poirier should be able to take this one however he likes.
Jordan Breen: Young is plenty exciting, but he’s outmatched in the skills department here. Poirier will struggle in certain UFC bouts, but it’ll be dependent on his defensive wrestling. Against a Chad Mendes-type, Poirier will be in trouble. However, Young presents none of that potential to exploit Poirier’s defensive wrestling. Here, Poirier can put his offense together standing, a la the Grispi bout, and is a threat to finish by submission if the bout does hit the floor.
Nick Ring vs. James Head
Lutfi Sariahmed: He didn’t earn the win over Fukuda, but he’ll get the win here. A lot of the criticism surrounding Ring stems from his injury history. In the cage, we’re talking about a really skilled fighter. His standup and defensive wrestling should give him the win over Head without the subsequent controversy.
Pinheiro: Honestly, I think this one is a toss-up. Ring is coming off a very controversial decision win against Riki Fukuda, while James Head punched his ticket to the big leagues with a decision win over UFC veteran Gerald Harris. While Head may have the momentum going into the fight, I’m going to go with Ring here. I say he wins a razor-thin decision over Head.
Critchfield: The record books may show that Ring is unbeaten, but “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 11 competitor was gifted a decision against Fukuda at UFC 127. It would have been nice to see Ring with a sense of urgency in that fight, but his accomplished striking background never really showed itself. Head is coming off an upset win over Harris, and he seems like a decent candidate to add a first blemish to Ring’s record; Head by decision.
Darren Elkins vs. Michihiro Omigawa
Martin: Elkins poses some big problems for Omigawa. He’s the much bigger man naturally and has solid wrestling that often gives Omigawa trouble. Elkins doesn’t have the same all-around skill set that Omigawa does, but he has the right tools to win. It’s going to be another frustrating night of wrestling in the UFC for Omigawa -- and another loss.
Loiseleur: Despite both men being former lightweights, I suspect Elkins might still be a little bit bigger than Omigawa. Still, I think Omigawa’s peekaboo boxing style might be enough to convince Elkins to want this fight on the floor, where I’m confident he’ll be able to bring it eventually. It won’t be too much of an improvement for him, though, as Omigawa is very slick off his back and will likely catch him sometime by or before the third round. I have Omigawa here.
DeFreitas: I absolutely refuse to believe the self-proclaimed “center of the featherweight universe” could possibly go 0-4 during his two stints of employment with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Unfortunately for Omigawa, that will probably be the case after his tilt with Elkins. The Hobart, Ind., native issues the former Sengoku Raiden Championship standout his second pink slip in the UFC via coma-inducing decision.
Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Mike Massenzio
Marciniak: Soszynski recently took time off to nurse his nagging injuries, so I believe he should come back in fine form. Admittedly, wrestling is the Polish-Canadian’s weak spot, and Massenzio could use that to get takedowns and maybe win a decision. However, I don’t think he’ll submit Soszynski. As long as Soszynski doesn’t enter the wild brawling mode that lost him the rubber match against Stephan Bonnar and remains a disciplined striker, I think he can outpoint the late replacement Massenzio.
Knapp: This is a tough one for Massenzio, a natural middleweight who accepted the fight on roughly a week’s notice. Soszynski’s too strong on the feet, and I think he’s decent enough on the ground to work out of trouble if Massenzio manages to put the fight there. Soszynski piles on the punishment with an accumulation of punches and takes a late TKO or one-sided decision.
Breen: Massenzio is a tough wrestler, but coming in on a week’s notice to fight at 205 pounds instead of his usual middleweight fare will prove a disadvantage. Soszynski is a big, strapping light heavyweight who might be able to get takedowns on his size and strength alone, in addition to the striking advantage that he’ll enjoy against Massenzio. It will be tough and competitive, but Soszynski likely wins on points if he can’t finish the Jersey native.
Aaron Rosa vs. Joey Beltran
King: As soon as the bell rings, Rosa would be smart to shoot in and get this fight to the ground as quickly as possible. Beltran might be able to land something on the feet, but that’s unlikely. I don’t know if Rosa gets the finish, but look for him to dominate this fight on the ground and take a one-sided decision.
Sariahmed: Good for Rosa to get into the UFC. The Strikeforce deal has afforded fighters such as Rosa opportunities to fight on these cards for better payoffs, but he won’t beat Beltran. Take a look at Rosa’s record. Where is the signature win? We’re talking about a guy with almost 20 fights on his ledger, and his biggest win came against Abe Wagner. Beltran is no world beater, but he has proven capable of sticking around the UFC with wins over Tim Hague and Rolles Gracie. Give me Beltran over Rosa.
Martin: Rosa is on a little winning streak outside the UFC, but it’s just not a good sign when a fighter who fought at light heavyweight last year is fighting near the heavyweight limit. Beltran hits hard, and he’ll push the pace. I see Beltran rebounding from consecutive losses with an important win here.
2011 Standings:
Jordan Breen 75-29
Tomasz Marciniak 75-29
Brian Knapp 73-31
Guilherme Pinheiro 69-35
Todd Martin 68-36
Tony Loiseleur 68-36
Rob King 66-38
Lutfi Sariahmed 66-38
Tristen Critchfield 67-37
Freddie DeFreitas 65-39
Related Articles
