I really love the short breaks between UFC events or any Mixed Martial Arts event for that matter and it was only a few days ago that I was writing my UFC 95 Predictions. I was on a pretty good run on my most recent MMA Fight predictions up until UFC 95 where my wheels fell off and I didn’t get the wins I wanted to. I think I missed a few key points in my predictions, one of the large one’s being that Diego Sanchez was right on the money when he stated that Stevenson hadn’t evolved as a fighter in the pre-fight interviews. Sanchez was right, I wasn’t. I believe I will be right back on track when it comes to my UFC 96 Predictions, UFC 96 features Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (29-7) vs Kieth “The Dean of Mean” Jardine (14-5-1) as the main event on a nicely put together UFC 96 Fight Card.
The UFC 96 Fight Card:
Pete Sell (8-5) vs. Matt Brown (11-7)
There are very few fighters I would watch any of their fights no matter what, even if they lost every single fight. Most recently added to this list would be Scott Smith and Pete Sell. Pete Sell might not be the best fighter, he might make some pretty bonehead mistakes but when it comes down to it he comes to fight. Matt Brown vs Pete Sell should be an exciting fight, all though Matt Brown’s record might not show it he is actually a pretty sound fighter. He also seemed to be more talk than actual fight in his last few fights, I think someone goes to sleep in this fight and if so I hope it will be shown on the PPV. Now who do I think wins? Tough one here but I will go with Pete Sell, I am from NY and it’s the right thing to do.
Brandon Vera (9-3) vs. Mike Patt (15-2)
Another fight that is on the under card and I would say rightfully so, Brandon Vera has been lacking excitement ever since his loss to Tim Sylvia when he broke his hand. Brandon Vera continues to talk some great smack and he is certainly full of character, now if he would just get back to being the energetic fighter he was before. This is the perfect rude awakening for Vera, he will come out of his most recent boring stage and get the win.
Tim Boetsch (7-2) vs. Jason Brilz (16-1-1)
This is a simple one for me, Im picking the Barbarian here and expect him to live up to his nickname with an exciting win over Jason Brilz.
Kendall Grove (11-5) vs. Jason Day (17-6)
Another fight that is on the under card that we just might not see, Kendall Grove defeats Jason Day and sets himself up to getting back on the main card. I will even go as far as to say he submits Day.
Jim Miller (13-1) vs. Gray Maynard (7-0-1)
I continue to think Gray’s training, focus and a solid camp keep him heading in the right direction and still undefeated in MMA.
Matt Hamill (7-2) vs. Mark Munoz (5-0)
This is getting tough for me, I watched TUF just like so many of you and sure Hamill has some excellent skills and let’s not forget he was flat out shafted in the fight against Bisping too. Now with that said the heart felt votes of confidence and pulling for Matt Hamill are coming to an end for me, in all honesty Im tired of watching him hunt and stalk aound the ring throwing some hands here and there. I need to see more from Hamill if they want to keep putting him on main cards, I believe he has excellent ability I just think it’s time I want to actually see some of it being displayed. I will take Matt Hamill and hope it’s not another snooze fest, maybe Hamill wont dissapoint.
Shane Carwin (10-0) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (10-3)
I am pretty excited about the main event but I am also very excited about this fight as well, it should have some blazing kicks and some heavy bombs being thrown. My initial thought for this fight is that Gonzaga takes Carwin apart in some sort of quick fashion, but the more I look at this fight the more I am leaning towards taking the undergod Shane Carwin to upset Gonzaga. Plenty will disagree with this pick and it’s a risky one but I hav e Shane Carwin winning the fight.
Quniton Jackson (29-7) vs Keith Jardine (14-5-1)
The UFC 96 main event is excellent and anyone thinking otherwise is probably out of their mind, not only does this fight card deliver but the main event will deliver too. I expect heavy hands, excellent kicks by Jardine and all of this coming to an abrupt end with someone being knocked out. Rampage is a monster and coming off of a huge KO win over Silva and Jardine is certainly no jok with wins over Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell and Forest Giffin. Jardine throws from crazy angles and moves in ways like no other traditional fighter and Rampage, well he beats the shit out of people but his skill set goes much deeper than being able to punch people’s heads off and that should not be forgotten. I like Jardine’s chances in this fight, however when it comes down to it I can’t seem to ignore the huge experience advantage Jackson has over Jardine and the laundry list of names that Rampage has beat is unreal. I would prefer to see Jardine win, I just don’t think it will be his night at UFC 96 in Ohio.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyIFvmUE4_U[/youtube]
UFC 96: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs Keith “The Dean of Mean” Jardine Fight Trailer
UFC 96 in Ohio will certainly deliver and it will be featured on Pay Per View for your viewing pleasure. However for those of you unable to see the up coming UFC 96 on pay per view you can check out Extreme John starting at 9pm on Saturday March 7th for Live UFC 96 Results. I will be posting real time UFC Results as I did for UFC 94. See you on March 7th. Also look for the announcment of the release of MMA Punk.com coming soon.
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
well i have read your prediction twice now and i can’t find anything i disagree with. i just hope we get to see the pete sell vs matt brown fight. everyone email dana white and tell him to show the undercards on spiketv!!!
Full agreement huh? This might be a first. haha. Who knows with a few of the fighters on the card KO’s might be heavy which means show more fights. I have a good feeling that if the Sell fight is good it will be shown.
I agree with you that I’d like to see Grove on the Main Card in the future. I think the main event will be awesome and living in Cleveland, I might try to get down there and scalp some tickets. My bet – Jackson.
I don’t think Jardine has this one… Jackson has this one in the bag.
I can understand exactly why anyone would think that, Rampage looked excellent in his last fight.
I can’t say much about the undercard, but I think Jackson will pull out the main event. I’ve been following his career for some time and I have to say I’m a fan. Anyone remember the old Jackson fights when he was more likely to go for a big slam? That was the Jackson I really enjoyed watching. Of course, it makes sense that he’s matured as a fighter – you can’t go in and try to hoist your opponent over your head and still have the enough left in the tank to win.
You could certainly be right on the money with Rampage there is no doubt about it, I will stick to my Jardine pick simply for the sake of sticking to it at this point. Not to mention the more I talk with people about it the more I am starting to think my Jardine pick might be just right. If it gets out of the first round it’s Jardine’s fight.
This will fight will end with a bang!
jardine is going to upset jackson just like he upset liddell and griffin
Ahhh someone that agrees with me, Im blown away. Thank you.
I think it's better to keep an eye on each game, A lot of people are spending money on bets, I don't like it.
I am a fan of even if they lost every single fight, even if they lost every single fight I like his actions and body.