UFC 127 Predictions

Main Card:

Welterweight: B.J. Penn vs. Jon Fitch

Middleweight: Michael Bisping vs. Jorge Rivera

Lightweight: George Sotiropoulos vs. Dennis Siver

Welterweight: Chris Lytle vs. Brian Ebersole

Middleweight: Kyle Noke vs. Chris Camozzi

Shawn's Predictions:
Kyle Noke vs Chris Camozzi: Noke via Decision
Both of these fighters are from season 11 of TUF and are looking to show they are worthy to stay in the UFC. Noke really relies on his ground game and Camozzi will probably try to take him down and use his wrestling to wear Noke out. Neither of the men are really known for their stand-up, so this one will probably be on the ground for the majority. This fight is pretty much a toss-up. It could go either way, but I think Noke's experience will give him the upper-hand and eventually leading to the judges giving the Aussie a close decision victory.

Chris Lytle vs. Brian Ebersole: Lytle via Submission
A veteran in the sport, Ebersole (who is filling in for injured Carlos Condit) is looking to make an impact in the UFC's welterweight division. Lytle is known for barely ever being finished. He has lost by "TKO" twice though because of doctor stoppage. Other than that, hes never been submitted or knocked out. That being said, this gives Lytle a huge advantage. Odds are that the only way Ebersole takes the win is if he uses his wrestling to grind Lytle to a awfully boring decision victory. Other than that, I don't think he has a chance. I believe Lytle will showcase his great boxing at first, but if he gets taken down, he will use his great Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to lock on a sub. Most of Ebersole's loses are via sub, so that's gonna make a difference in this fight. Expect Lytle to get taken down, but persevere and lock on a deadly submission out of nowhere, forcing the veteran Ebersole to tap.

George Sotiropoulos vs. Dennis Siver: Sotiropoulos via Submission
These guys have very different styles. Siver's strong point is on the feet, and Sotiropoulos' is on the ground. Each fighter will try to work each aspects of the game to their advantage. I guarantee we will see Siver throw his infamous spinning-back kick, and George will try to counter that by using close range effective strikes to get Siver in the clinch. Up close, Siver's kicks wont be as effective, so the Aussie will try to close the distance and take this one to the ground. Siver has said that he will try to submit Sotiropoulos, which I think is very bold. If he feels comfortable going to the ground with George, he is in for a world of hurt. Siver's only chance of taking this fight is landing big on the feet, knocking Sot down and pounding him to a stoppage victory, but I believe his odds are slim, as Sot is still very effective on the feet. Expect the Aussie to close the distance, take Siver down, and bring the german kickboxer into his world (Australia that is), finishing the fight with a submission.

Michael Bisping vs. Jorge Rivera: Bisping via Decision
So much hype has been built up for this fight because these guys absolutely hate each other. If these guys fight like they talk, then were in for a great fight. Both guys are willing to stand and bang in this fight but they both have different styles. While Rivera has a war-like, aggressive slugger style, Bisping is more technical and uses more angles/footwork. If Bisping can use that to his advantage, this is his fight to win. I also think Bisping will try and take Rivera down and work some ground and pound to try and get a stoppage victory. I think Rivera's chance to win this is if he turns this fight into a slug-fest and catches Bisping with his powerful right. To be honest I wouldn't be surprised if Rivera pulled this one off, because he has some heavy fuckin' hands (and the fact I don't really like Bisping and wanna see someone knock his lights out again, preferably a Bostonian). Anyways, as much as I like Rivera's aggressive style, I don't see him doing anything but catching Bisping with a huge right. Other than that, I don't think he has a chance. Expect "The Count" to showcase his superior stand-up by using head movement and footwork to out-point Rivera in a close decision.

B.J. Penn vs. Jon Fitch: Fitch via Decision
This fight is supposedly going to determine the #1 contender for GSP's Welterweight title. That being said, there is a lot of pressure on both of these guys. Penn will be trying to prove he's still worthy of a title and that his career is nowhere close to over, while Fitch will try to finally prove that he is worth of the title after 5 consecutive wins in the UFC, and that fact that he can actually finish an opponent. Clearly, Fitch's main plan in this fight is to use his wrestling to take Penn down. Looking back on his two fights with Frankie Edgar, we are now aware that wrestling is potentially one of Penn's main weaknesses. Fitch will definitely try to exploit this. On the other hand, I believe B.J. will try to keep the fight standing, using superior boxing to pick apart Fitch and potentially land big on the feet. Although Fitch is looking to takedown Penn, he should be aware of Penn's extremely dangerous guard. The main factor in this fight will be size. Fitch is too big, and once he takes down B.J. consistently, "The Prodigy" will be tired and Fitch will be too much for him to handle. Look for Fitch to cautiously close the distance against the Hawaiian, and take him down to score points. Don't expect anything different from Jon Fitch in this one, as he will once again walk away with a well-earned decision victory.