Verbal Submission: UFC 127 Preview

Time for a quick preview of UFC 127

 

Music to listen to: Kerosene by Big Black

Here are my predictions

 

B.J. Penn defeats Jon Fitch via decision: You can analyze this fight from as many angles as you want but it comes down to Penn being a better fighter than Fitch.

 

Penn is the better striker and grappler.  I don’t think that Penn is going to contend for a welterweight title, even though there is some talk that if he wins this fight and Georges St. Pierre makes a permanent move to middleweight, than the winner of this fight would be on a short list for an interim title in that class.

 

Fitch is a game fighter who has shown improvement over the last few years.  He will have the size advantage and needs to use this extra weight to out muscle Penn and eventually tire him out.  Fitch will need to use his wrestling takedowns to gain control of positioning.  If Frankie Edgar was able to outwrestle Penn in two fights, than surely a bigger and stronger Fitch should be able to do the same.

 

However, in the end, Penn will do just enough to earn the win.

 

Michael Bisping defeats Jorge Rivera via 3rd round stoppage: These two men have talked trash for the last few months and it has built this fight more than it merits on paper.

 

Whenever Bisping fights someone of equal or better talent like Rashad Evans, Dan Henderson or Wanderlei Silva, he falters greatly.  When he fights an average fighter, he wins most of the time.

 

The UFC always seems to find a way for Bisping, their biggest non-North American or Brazilian star, to keep his popularity up in easy matchups.  UFC 127 is just another example.

 

George Sotiropoulos defeats Dennis Siver via 3rd round stoppage: Someone who is an international star and earned his top spot is Sotiropoulos.  If he wins this contest, its not outside the realm of possibility that he’s one more win away from a UFC lightweight title shot.

 

Those are my thoughts, what are yours?

Holla!