UFC 127 - Penn vs. FitchFebruary 27, 2011, Acer Arena, Sydney, Australia
Broadcast: Pay-per-view, ION Television, Facebook.com
MAIN CARD (pay-per-view)
Jon Fitch vs. B.J. Penn - If B.J. can keep Fitch from taking him down he can really use his superior boxing and head movement to bust Fitch up. I don't think he does though. Fitch is much bigger and I think he puts B.J. down and doesn't do too much to try to finish. Fitch fights very conservatively & I don't see him abandoning that against a high level fighter like Penn. I'd like to see Penn win in spectacular fashion but it's quite unlikely against the second best welterweight in the world. Fitch by decision.
Michael Bisping vs. Jorge Rivera - Bisping is definitely the more well-rounded fighter and can win at distance, in the clinch or on the mat. I'm hoping to see the journey man Rivera hit Bisping with big power and KO the Brit. I'm picking with my heart in this one and I'll go Rivera by KO, rd. 2. 
Dennis Siver vs. George Sotiropoulos - Sotiropoulos is miles ahead of Siver on the mat. Siver has a small chance to land one of his signature spinning back kicks or some other type of flashy striking but the odds are in the Aussie's favor. Sotiropoulos will use his jab to keep distance, not get hit and when Siver opens himself up, George will get him down and use straight old school guard passing and have his way with Siver. Sotiropoulos by submission, rd. 2. 
Chris Lytle vs. Brian Ebersole - Everyone is kind of disappointed that we're not getting the Condit/Lytle fight, me included. Both veterans but Lytle is in another class. Lytle has a tendency to throw away any semblance of a game plan and just scrap but in his last few fights he's looked like a man on a mission. Lytle by submission, rd. 1. 
Chris Camozzi vs. Kyle Noke - Noke is the better fighter here. I think he runs game all over Camozzi & really wins however he wants to. Noke by decision.
PRELIMINARY CARD (ION Television)
MAIN CARD (pay-per-view)
Jon Fitch vs. B.J. Penn - If B.J. can keep Fitch from taking him down he can really use his superior boxing and head movement to bust Fitch up. I don't think he does though. Fitch is much bigger and I think he puts B.J. down and doesn't do too much to try to finish. Fitch fights very conservatively & I don't see him abandoning that against a high level fighter like Penn. I'd like to see Penn win in spectacular fashion but it's quite unlikely against the second best welterweight in the world. Fitch by decision.
Michael Bisping vs. Jorge Rivera - Bisping is definitely the more well-rounded fighter and can win at distance, in the clinch or on the mat. I'm hoping to see the journey man Rivera hit Bisping with big power and KO the Brit. I'm picking with my heart in this one and I'll go Rivera by KO, rd. 2. Dennis Siver vs. George Sotiropoulos - Sotiropoulos is miles ahead of Siver on the mat. Siver has a small chance to land one of his signature spinning back kicks or some other type of flashy striking but the odds are in the Aussie's favor. Sotiropoulos will use his jab to keep distance, not get hit and when Siver opens himself up, George will get him down and use straight old school guard passing and have his way with Siver. Sotiropoulos by submission, rd. 2. Chris Lytle vs. Brian Ebersole - Everyone is kind of disappointed that we're not getting the Condit/Lytle fight, me included. Both veterans but Lytle is in another class. Lytle has a tendency to throw away any semblance of a game plan and just scrap but in his last few fights he's looked like a man on a mission. Lytle by submission, rd. 1. Chris Camozzi vs. Kyle Noke - Noke is the better fighter here. I think he runs game all over Camozzi & really wins however he wants to. Noke by decision. PRELIMINARY CARD (ION Television)Spencer Fisher vs. Ross Pearson - Pearson and Fisher are going to stand and trade. Pearson is a more technical striker and uses a good amount of variety and throws in combination. Fisher is not the fighter he used to be and is winding down on his career as a competitive mixed martial artist at the top level. If Pearson can learn from the Cole Miller loss and adjust he could eventually make a run for a title. Pearson by a dominant decision.
Alexander Gustafsson vs. James Te Huna - Gustafsson is a solid up-and-coming talent & other than his loss to Phil Davis he's looked amazing in his UFC run. I'm kind of hoping to see the Aussie win in spectacular fashion since he's announced he will be donating his purse from this fight to the New Zealand earthquake relief. Look for a lot of power in the first round but then I think the Swede's technical striking takes over. Gustafsson by TKO, rd. 3.
Riki Fukuda vs. Nick Ring - Ring is coming off a third knee surgery & a long layoff. Fukuda is a very skilled fighter but has a tendency to come in with no game plan and not really adjust to what's happening. I think Ring has enough to stand and point his way to a decision. Ring by decision.
PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)
PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)Jason Reinhardt vs. Tiequan Zhang - Reinhardt doesn't belong in the UFC. His record is deceiving because other than his loss to Joe Lauzon he has faced weak-ass competition. Zhang is not a great fighter, but he's got the chops to do away with Reinhardt & look really good doing it. Zhang by submission, rd. 2.
Tom Blackledge vs. Anthony Perosh - I'm not a fan of either fighter, but I have no faith in the chin of Perosh. While Perosh is better on the ground I don't see him submitting the Brit, I see Blackledge hitting the hometown boy and putting him away. Blackledge TKO, rd. 2.
PRELIMINARY CARD
Mark Hunt vs. Chris Tuchscherer - I'm not a big fan of fake Brock, so I would like to see Hunt smash him up. Tuchscherer does not belong in the UFC but he has the wrestling skills to get Hunt to the ground and maybe sub him or pound him out. Tuchscherer by submission, rd. 1. Let's hope this doesn't go longer than one round.
Maciej Jewtuszko vs. Curt Warburton - Jewtuszko is better then Warburton in everything other than wrestling & I don't think Warburton's wrestling is good enough to really control the fight. I'm leaning for a stoppage for Polish fighter & hopefully quick enough that we'll get to see it to fill time later. Jewtuszko by TKO, rd. 1.
