- Gleison Tibau vs. Nick Diaz: Diaz by TKO or Decision
Well, truth be told, i don’t know anything about Tibau. Hell, the only fighter he faced that i recognize is Eiji Mitsuoka, and apart from him he fought an assortment of fighters with the weirdest names that i ever heard: Anaconda Anaconda! Julio Killer! Anderson Bad Boy! Hell, i really expected to find Curry Man on his fight record. Or Super Porky. He’s a member of Nova Uniao, just like Shaolin Ribeiro and Thales Leites, so i’m sure he’s not a snub. But still, i pick Diaz to win the fight by TKO. We’ve heard Rogan say it time and time again “Nick Diaz has an unorthodox boxing style. For sure.”. And that’s what makes him quite unpredictable, and will most probably lead to clock Tibau right on the noggin and put him on his behind.

- James Irvin vs. Hector Ramirez: Irvin by KO
It’s the “Sandman” versus the “Sick Dog”. Irvin had quite some momentum when he first entered the UFC, lost to Mike Kyle, redeemed himself with a beautiful flying knee k.o. against Terry Martin before losing back to back fights against Stephan Bonnar (Kimura) and Lodune Sincaid (Decision). So now he’s back after two wins (and a very weird NC, when both he and Bobby Southworth fell out of the cage at a Strikeforce show). His opponent, Hector Ramirez, is a part of Team Oyama, and the two “biggest” names he fought in his career are TUF-alumni Rashad Evans and Kendall Groves. He hasn’t fought in over a year, so ring rust could be a factor, but also that Irvin will be aiming for the kill, just to show he belongs in the UFC…

- Jake O’Brien vs. Josh Shockman: JOB by TKO or KO
Am i the only one who first thought “WTF? The Shockmaster’s fighting for the UFC?” before realizing the guy’s called Shockman? Yeah, i know, it’s one of those weird pro-wrestling references, but stuff like that just never leaves my mind. Shockman has just two fights under his belt, so he’s still very green in the fight game, whereas O’Brien already fought in the UFC once, winning via TKO at UFN 6 over Kristof Midoux. That’s why i’m picking O’Brien by KO or TKO in this one.

- Antoni Hardonk vs. Sherman Pendergarst: Hardonk by TKO or Decision
Pendergarst lost to Justin Eilers. Let me repeat that: lost to Eilers! I’m kidding, i don’t think that Eilers is as bad as many people make him out to be, but you gotta admit, that loss against Arlovski was damn funny. As for Hardonk: Nice guy, and a fellow european, so i’m rooting for him by default.

- Joe Stevenson vs. Dokonjonosuke Mishima: Mishima by Sub or Decision
Mishima’s one funny cookie, and i guess the audience will eat him up, if he comes to the Octagon with his usual antics. I like Stevenson, i really do, but i like Mishima even more, and i want to see more of him in the UFC, so i’m rooting for him to win the fight.

- Alessio Sakara vs. Drew McFedries: Sakara by KO
Anyone agree that McFedries looks a bit like Norman Smiley? I wonder if he’ll try the Big Wiggle on Sakara. But all joking aside, he’s a member of MFS, so he should be no slouch, even though the only name he fought was Nate Quarry… in 2001. But i guess he’s a bit overmatched with Sakara, who (just like Irvin) will be trying to redeem himself, from being submitted by Dean Lister at UFC 60 (even though there’s absolutely NO shame in being submitted by Booger)

- Brandon Vera vs. Frank Mir: Vera by KO
Would the real Frank Mir please stand up? Yeah, i know, Mir was in a bad motorcycle accident that almost took his life, but still: why is he in such bad shape, even after that much time? I mean, he almost looks like the Michelin Man, and he gasses just like a michelin-tire after hitting a spike. Look, i’m no thin man either, i’m looking more like a 6′7″ Mark Hunt. But it’s my natural weight, i’m comfortable at it, and my cardio’s good. There are many fighters that are on the flobby side, like Fedor, Sylvia or Hunt, but they are able to put on a competitive fight and simply do – not – gas ! At least not like Mir has been doing for quite some time now. Seriously, being in an accident doesn’t justify to more or less stop training and working on your cardio. There was a time where Mir was seen as the future of the UFC Heavyweight division, but it seems this time is long gone, and if he doesn’t get his act back together it could be it for his career in the Octagon. Brandon Vera on the other hand is on a roll. 7 fights and 7 wins. A perfect record so to speak, and he’ll be aiming to keep it this way, and simply disposing of the former champion Mir on his way to a title shot. I’m not his biggest fan, but the Kid is good, very good. And that’s why i see one of his knees connecting with Mir’s chin and putting an end to the fight.

- Tim Sylvia vs. Jeff Monson: Sylvia by KO
First things first: i come from a more leftist point of view (hey, i’m german), so there are a few topics that i agree upon with Monson. One thing i don’t agree on though is his take on the american troops in Iraq, as i think that they’re trying to do a good job, even though the choices that brought them there weren’t that good. But i think i’ll end it here, as this shouldn’t be a place for political debate. I like Monson. He’s an interesting character, and a great, great grappler, but still, i don’t think that he’ll be able to get the title off Sylvia. Tim has really evolved over the last few years, in the beginning he was just a big lug with KO power, but his stand-up has improved considerably over the years. Yes, it’s not as good as say CroCop, and most probably never will be, but paired with his chin, his mentioned ko-power and a pretty good takedown defense he’s a force to be reckoned with, and much much better than people on certain message-boards will ever admit he is. He’s really trying to get better with every fight, and to keep his beloved belt. Yeah, it seems cheesy to many people that he’s always wearing the belt, but i think that it just shows how proud he is of his accomplishments. He really loves to be the champion, and that’s something many champions lack nowadays. And i guess he’ll be displaying his belt for quite some time to come.

- Matt Hughes vs. Georges St. Pierre: Hughes by decision
And this is the 1 mio. Dollar question: Hughes or St. Pierre. To be honest: i don’t know, i really don’t know. I like both fighters, they’re both excellent athletes and the best there are in this division (yes, i’m putting Penn behind them, flame me). I’d love to see St. Pierre win, because he’s worthy of being a champion, but i’d also like to see Hughes retain the belt, keep it for 3 more fights and then retire and rightfully take his place in the HOF as one of the best and most dominant champions ever. But you just can’t have both, and i have to pick a winner, so i’m choosing Matt Hughes. St. Pierre is still very young (23), and has a very bright future in front of him. He’ll eventually be the champion, just not right now, it’s not his time to shine just yet.