Pat Healy vs Jorge Masvidal & Brad Tavares vs Yoel Romero added to UFC on FOX 11

Brad Tavares vs Yoel Romero,  Pat Healy vs Jorge Masvidal added to UFC of FOX 11
by Chris Houten  - @mrhouts

The UFCs Orlando debut is filling up with the addition of 2 more bout to the April card.

UFC officials confirmed today a lightweight bout between Pat Healy (31-17 MMA, 0-3 UFC) and Jorge Masvidal (25-8 MMA, 2-1 UFC) as well as a middleweight bout Yoel Romero (7-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) takes on Brad Tavares (12-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) has been added to the card

UFC on Fox is slated for April 19th, and will take place at the Amway Center in Orlando Florida, home to the Orlando Magic, and the host of the 2012 NBA all-star game. The event’s main card airs on FOX in the US following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Fighting for the 50th time in his professional career, Pat Healy enters the bout with Masvidal on a two fight losing streak, and will be hoping to rekindle the magic which he used to submit long time top 10 lightweight contender Jim Miller in his UFC debut, to earn both 'Submission of the Night' and 'Fight of the Night' bonus.

Unfortunately for Healy however, Healy tested positive for marijuana following the bout and was stripped of the win and the $130,000 he earned in bonuses. After the fight with Miller, the 30-year old former MFC Champion dropped decisions to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 165, and Bobby Green at UFC on FOX 9, and may need a victory over Masvidal to save his UFC career.

Also coming into the bout on the back of a loss, Masvidal will be hoping to get back to winning ways against Healy having a 3 fight win streak snapped against Russian prospect Rustam Khabilov at UFC Fight for the Troops 3 in November. Prior to the loss, the former Strikeforce title contender had picked up wins against Justin Wilcox in Strikeforce, as well as Tim Means, and Michael Chiesa in the UFC, and was tipped as a possible future contender in the UFC lightweight division.

Currently enjoying a 5 fight win streak, Hawaii's Brad Tavares most recently defeated Lorenz Larkin at UFC Fight Night 35 in January. Prior to the victory over Larkin, the well travelled Tavares, who has fought in Japan and England for the UFC, defeated Dongi Yang, Tom Watson, Riki Fukuda, and Budda McDaniels and would be most-likely looking at a big, top 10 fight with a win over Romero.

Also featured on UFC Fight Night 35, Cuban, Yoel Romero came back from 2 rounds down to knock out Derek Brunson in the final round. The fight earned the Olympic Wrestling Silver medalist 'Fight of the Night' honours, his 2nd UFC bonus having picked up 'Knockout of the Night' bonus in his debut against Clifford Sparks, and also broke Brunson jaw on his way to victory. Although Romero has one of the best wrestling pedigrees in all of MMA, all 7 of the 36-year olds professional victories has come by way TKO / KO.

With the additions of Tavares vs Romero and Healy vs Masvidal,UFC on FOX 11 now includes:

Travis Browne vs Fabricio Werdum
Liz Carmouche vs Meisha Tate
Edson Barboza vs Donald Cerrone
Rafael dos Anjos vs Khabib Numagomedov
Pat Healy vs Jorge Masvidal
Yoel Romero vs Brad Tavares

UFC Fight Night 35 Medical Suspensions: Derek Brunson Out Indefinitely with Broken Jaw

UFC Fight Night 35 Medical Suspensions: Derek Brunson Out Indefinitely with Broken Jaw
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Derek Brunson and Yoel Romeo went to war at UFC Fight Night 35 with Romeo coming back from 2 rounds down to knock out Brunson in the final frame. Both men earned 50k extra as a reward for their Fight of the Night performance, but this will come as little compensation to Brunson who had his jaw broken in the process, and as a result has been issued an indefinite suspension by the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment commission.

UFC president Dana White confirmed via his twitter account that the Middleweight underwent surgery following the bout, and will now require doctor clearance before he can fight again:

Just went to the hospital to see @DerekBrunsonMMA he has a fractured jaw. He is waiting to have surgery.
— Dana White (@danawhite) January 16, 2014

Other extended suspension from UFC Fight Night 35 include Cole Miller who has been suspended for 45 days due to a broken hand, as well as Costas Philippou, Mike Easton, Sam Sicilia, Isaac Vallie-Flagg, Trevor Smith, and Justin Edwards who have all been suspended for 30 days.

A full list of UFC Fight Night 35 suspensions can be found below:

Derek Brunson: suspended indefinitely due to broken jaw, requires physician clearance
Cole Miller: suspended 45 days due to broken hand
Costas Philippou: suspended 30 days
Mike Easton: suspended 30 days due to laceration over left eye
Sam Sicilia: suspended 30 days due to swollen left eye
Justin Edwards: suspended 30 days due to laceration over left eye
Isaac Vallie-Flagg: suspended 30 days due to laceration over left eye
Trevor Smith: suspended 30 days due to laceration on forehead

The following fighter have been suspended 7 days for precautionary measures
Luke Rockhold, Brad Tavares, Lorenz Larkin, T.J. Dillashaw, Yoel Romero, John Moraga
Dustin Ortiz, Ramsey Nijem, Elias Silverio, Brian Houston, Louis Smolka, Alptekin Ozkilic
Vinc Pichel, Garett Whiteley, Beneil Dariush, Charlie Brenneman

UFC Fight Night 35 Rockhold vs Philippou Predictions

Kingdom MMA: UFC Fight Night 35 Main Card Predictions

by Ben Heather @benheather and Sam Heard @SamHeard_

On Wednesday night the UFC goes back to home soil for the first event in the USA of 2014 and the fans are treated to some great matchmaking in most of the fights on this card. Which will lead to us all being able to watch some high calibre fighting..... even if it is on a school night.

A lot is on the line at the top of the card as well, both Luke Rockhold and Costa Philippou could put themselves in the mix with a win on Wednesday but more importantly a loss for either fighter would severely damage their reputation and chance at ever getting a shot at middleweight gold.

Below you can find the predictions for what some of the guys at Kingdom MMA expect to happen on Wednesday night.

Luke Rockhold (10-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) vs Costas Philippou (12-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) 

Sam: I found the fact that Philippou had been given this main event given how disappointing he was in his last fight where he was dominated by Francis Carmont. Philippou is the sort of fighter who can beat the Jorge Rivera's and Riki Fukuda's of the world but as soon as he moves up the ladder to fighting tougher competition he falls short. Luke Rockhold can certainly be placed in this category of ‘tougher competition’. I fully expect Rockhold to have his way with Philippou here and beat him inside the distance. Rockhold has fought in five round fights multiple times while Philippou has not, Rockhold’s ground game is far better than that of Carmont which was able to stifle Philippou in his last outing and Rockhold has a reach advantage to keep Philippou on the outside on the feet. I think a lot of people overestimate Philippou’s knockout power and I really think Rockhold will be able to showcase his full arsenal of skills here after his disappointing UFC debut against Belfort.

Prediction: Luke Rockhold by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in Round 4

Ben: this is one of the few times a UFC main event is between two fighters coming off a loss, recent events i can remember that also both came in off a loss were Diaz vs Maynard and Shogun vs Sonnen in August. That being said I only see one winner in this fight. 

I feel Costa Philippou may be one of the more over rated fighters on the books of the UFC and a loss against Rockhold will take him back to fighting the calibre of fighters I feel he should be fighting. 

Luke Rockhold has fought the better opponents and has experience of fighting and winning 5 round battles beating top fighter Jacare and Tim Kennedy back in Strikeforce. I believe on Wednesday night we will see the Rockhold the fans enjoyed watching fight in Strikeforce and he will become the first man to finish Philippou.

Prediction: Rockhold by Submission Round 3

Lorenz Larkin (14-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) vs Brad Tavares (11-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) 

Sam: Larkin looked very impressive in his last fight and I fully expect him to get the win here. His high-level striking should be more than enough to chip away at Brad Tavares to get the decision win, though I don’t think he is a natural finisher. Tavares will be looking to get takedowns early in the round and neutralise Larkin’s striking by keeping him there. The issue with this is that Larkin has very good takedown defence. I don’t expect this fight to be hugely competitive and I can’t see Tavares troubling Larkin.

Prediction: Lorenz Larkin by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

Ben: This is my big underdog pick. Tavares has been on a roll of late picking up four wins on the roll and now is stepping up the level of opponent. Last time out he continued his decision win streak making that four in a row as he beat Bubba McDaniel without doing too much or being tested himself. It ended up being a bit of a give me fight and this time out he really will be tested.

Larkin comes in to this fight having fought a far greater calibre of fighters and this may well be the difference in this fight. If he can use that experience he may well be able to nullify the game plan of Tavares.

I still believe Larkin should have a perfect record and the judges scored his fight wrongly against Carmont but I don't think it will be his night on Wednesday.

Prediction: Brad Tavares by Split Decision

T.J. Dillashaw (8-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) vs Mike Easton (13-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) 

Sam: A clash of two of the UFC’s rising Bantamweights who have recently hit ruts in their career. While I think both these fighters are promising, Mike Easton can sometimes be worryingly inactive which is a problem against someone like Dillashaw who likes to push the pace. This has resulted in Easton losing his last two fights by decision. I don’t expect him to break this losing streak on Wednesday. Dillashaw is a high-tempo fighter and – like the whole of Team Alpha Male – is bound to have benefited with more time training under Ludwig.

Prediction: T.J Dillashaw by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Ben: I think TJ is a great fighter and he will be looking to bounce back from a very close loss to Asscuncao in Brazil towards the end of last year. TJ has the makings of a potential future champ at 135lbs and with the backing of Team Alpha Male he could go all the way.

Mike Easton is a fun fighter and always comes to put on a show for the fans and I think this fight with TJ will allow him the opportunity and the opponent to do that with. I just feel that as the younger fighter TJ will be able to get the better of these exchanges.

Prediction: T.J Dillashaw by Unanimous Decision

Yoel Romero Palacio (6-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) vs Derek Brunson (11-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) 

Sam: This is an awful match up for Brunson. Though he won his last fight on the feet, Brunson is normally a wrestler who tends to smother his opponents; he is very unlikely to be able to beat the Olympic wrestler at his own game. I also think Romero has a big advantage on the feet where he is stronger, faster, more creative and generally much more athletic than the somewhat sluggish Brunson. I think Romero should have little trouble continuing his record of TKO wins in this fight.

Prediction: Yoel Romero by TKO (strikes) Round 2.

Ben: Romero is an absolute wrecking machines 6 wins, 6 knockouts!! Unfortunately for Brunson I don't see his win/ KO ratio changing as he makes it 7-7 on Wednesday night.

Prediction: Yoel Romero by KO Round 1

John Moraga (13-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) vs Dustin Ortiz (12-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) 

Sam: In what is in my opinion likely to be the FOTN, two extremely exciting flyweight prospects meet. Though bookies have Moraga down as a reasonable sized favourite I believe this fight could be a lot closer than what we might think. Ortiz looked very impressive in his UFC debut, however Moraga is a big step up in competition for him. Clearly Moraga was not ready for his title shot as he came up short against Demetrius, though credit has to be given to him for surviving till the 5th round. I think he will look to avoid Ortiz’ power shots by taking him down and looking for the submission but will ultimately win a competitive decision.

Prediction: John Moraga by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Ben: I see Moraga using his skills which earned him a title shot to win this fight. He has proved in his three fights in the UFC that he can finish fights with wins by KO and submission in the UFC. He also lasted nearly the full 5 rounds against Demetrious Johnson, although it wasn't close for most of the fight. I think in this fight we will see Moraga return to showcase why he got that shot.

Ortiz like Moraga made a big impact on his UFC debut winning by KO, beating Jose Maria Tome. I think though that the step up between Tome and Moraga may be too much although I think it certainly has the ability to be a fun fight for the fans between two flyweights who have knockout power. It's not everyday you hear that about a flyweight bout.

Prediction: John Moraga by Unanimous Decision

Sam Sicilia (12-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) vs Cole Miller (20-8 MMA, 9-6 UFC)

Sam: For some reason there is an awful lot of hype around Miller at the moment leading to him being the bookies favourite but I must say my lean is Sicilia here. Not only does Sam in my opinion have the better wrestling but he certainly has a huge advantage in hitting power. Historically when Miller has faced heavy handed guys he gets tagged early and – while not being finished – fights too tentatively for the remaining rounds. As long as Sicilia can deal with Miller’s sizeable reach advantage and if he does go for a takedown remains wary of Miller’s superior submission game I believe he’ll get the win here.

Prediction: Sam Sicilia by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Ben: If Sam can get inside the big reach advantage that Miller will have then he will be able to get off a few clean shots in the first round. Once he has felt the power of Sicilia he won't want to be involved in that again and back up which is where the wrestling advantage of Sicilia will come in to play as he gets the fight to the ground keeping Miller there while controlling top position with ground and pound to bring home a unanimous decision victory.

The only way I see Cole Miller winning this fight is if he manages to get the fight on the ground and repeat what he did to Andy Ogle where he didn't do much but enough to keep the fight on the floor for two rounds. I just don't see this happening.

Prediction: Sam Sicilia by Unanimous Decision

UFC Fight Night 35: Rockhold vs Philippou Preview

Kingdom MMA Previews UFC Fight Night 35

by Sam Heard @SamHeard_

Wednesday night will see the UFC’s first event on home shores of the year with UFC Fight Night 35: Rockhold vs Philippou, live from Duluth, Georgia. Though this card may not on the surface look as stacked as some of the oncoming events in terms of title fights or superstar fighters, there are several matches whose outcomes will have a great effect on the divisions in question. Here is Kingdom MMA’s take on the main card’s match-ups, what to look out for and what a win will mean for the fighters involved:

Sam Sicilia (12-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) vs Cole Miller (20-8 MMA, 9-6 UFC)

It took just 1:42 for Sam Sicilia to put an end to his two fight skid by getting the TKO win over Godofredo Castro in Brazil, in a fight he probably needed to win to avoid being cut from the UFC. Now he will meet Cole Miller whose stock has also risen after putting a bold full-stop on a losing streak.

After Cole Miller’s win over Andy Ogle in Manchester he tried calling out huge-prospect Conor McGregor; instead he has been pitted against Sicilia, though a win here will definitely bring the towering Featherweight a step closer to the fight he asked for.

John Moraga (13-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) vs Dustin Ortiz (12-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC)

Until a few days ago former flyweight title-contender John Moraga had been demoted to the Prelims on what is a fairly mediocre card. This seemed a little harsh on a fighter who survived 4 rounds with Demetrious Johnson who is now considered to be a top five p4p fighter – indeed Joseph Benavidez survived for only a minute in the cage with Mighty Mouse and it would be inconceivable to see him on the undercard. Thankfully now the well rounded lightweight has been moved up to the main card. In a division which is becoming increasingly stacked with talent Moraga needs a win to keep himself in top 10 contention.

Dustin Ortiz showed none of the Octagon jitters often shown by UFC newcomers as he displayed the knockout power which got him his place in the sport’s premier promotion with a third round TKO win over Jose Maria Tome. A bout against a man coming straight off a title-fight represents a huge step up in competition for him – if Ortiz is able to pick up a win he will doubtless be considered in the top ten 10 flyweight mix.

Yoel Romero Palacio (6-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) vs Derek Brunson (11-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC)

Yoel Romero has been impressive in the UFC, picking up both his wins in the distance via TKO. In his last fight he showed some creative striking to compliment his Olympic-wrestling pedigree. However, question marks were raised over his cardio, as well as some dangerous disregard for his opponent. For the first time in his career Romero found himself in the third round and had certainly slowed down a great deal – it is hardly surprising given his huge muscular frame. If Romero picks up another win he should be given a stab at fighting a top middleweight.

Derek Brunson last fought on the Early Prelims of the same card as Romero and was able to quickly submit athletic youngster Brian Houston after rocking him on the feet. Brunson has clear power in his striking which could be pivotal if Romero continues to showboat and drop his hands as he did in his last outing. Though Romero isn’t the biggest challenge Brunson has faced as he fought (and lost to) Jacare in Strikeforce, a win here would really put him on the map.

T.J. Dillashaw (8-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) vs Mike Easton (13-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC)

Team Alpha Male’s T.J. Dillashaw looks to get his career back on track after picking up his second career loss after a narrow split-decision went to Brazilian veteran Raphael Assuncao. If Dillashaw wishes to keep his #9 Bantamweight ranking on Sherdog he really needs the win; he will seek to do this by mixing up the heavy hands and explosive wrestling skills which have come to define Team Alpha Male fighters.

Dillashaw and Mike Easton share the dubious record of having been on the wrong side of the judges’ scorecard when fighting Raphael Assuncao, though Easton’s loss was deemed a unanimous one. His last fight was a split-decision loss to the immeasurably tough Brad Pickett. Easton, whose fight career started way back in 2003, needs a win here to avoid the dreaded 3 fight skid and probable expulsion from the UFC.

Lorenz Larkin (14-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) vs Brad Tavares (11-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC)

Hugely talented striker Lorenz Larkin will be looking to get his first UFC stoppage in this next Octagon outing. In his UFC debut Francis Carmont was able to out wrestle Larkin and ‘lay-and-pray’ on his way to an unexciting decision while in his most recent fight Larkin got a decision victory over Chris Camozzi in a fight many people believed he would be able to win in the distance. Larkin will hope to step-up his game in this co-main event context to finally pick up a KO in the UFC.

Brad Tavares will doubtless have studied Carmont’s victory over Larkin with the hope of implementing a similar game plan against the dangerous striker. Since 2012, Tavares has built up a great deal of momentum winning four out of four fights and will seek to make it five against a more difficult opponent.

Luke Rockhold (10-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) vs Costas Philippou (12-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC)

We all remember Luke Rockhold’s disappointing UFC debut where he suffered a first round highlight-reel worthy knockout to Vitor Belfort in a fight were bookies believed him to be the favourite. Rockhold is at a weird junction in his career; he is very much the forgotten man in the middleweight division as people are more excited about the likes of Jacare Souza and Tim Kennedy even though Rockhold has beaten both these Strikeforce vets. A win in this main event, particularly in impressive fashion, will have people talking about Rockhold again for the right reasons and should secure him a top-level opponent in his next fight.

Much like Lorenz Larkin, Costas Philippou is another dangerous striker to have found himself laid upon by Francis Carmont en route to a decision loss. Philippou will have to be wary as Rockhold is arguably a more versatile wrestler than Carmont and has a slick submission game to accompany it. Philippou will be looking to defend Rockhold’s takedown attempts and try to test the chin which looked so vulnerable against Belfort. Philippou, who was once an amateur boxer, is heavy handed and could certainly pull off the upset against the former Strikeforce champion. 

What's Next for the Winners of Fight for the Troops 3

What's Next for the Winners of Fight for the Troops 3
By Jack Broadey - @j3ck_b

Tim KennedyTim Kennedy was never going to lose in front of his brothers in the armed forces against a good but limited Natal. He still doesn't seem to see eye to eye with Dana White and it's no coincidence in my eyes that the UFC tried and ultimately failed to match Kennedy with 1st Vitor Belfort and then Lyoto Machida. Circumstances determined neither of these happened but I think we see the theme continue with another dangerous opponent put in front of Kennedy. If Bisping is ready for UFC London that would be the logical matchup. If that doesn't happen then Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza would make sense and I think that's what happens.

Alexis Davis
Alexis Davis looked very comfortable against a solid contender. Division is tied up for the immediate future so a fight with Jessica Eye makes sense to me and allows the division time to sort itself out.

Yoel Romero
Yoel Romero didn't look like he would fulfil his potential when he was in the Strikeforce ranks. Since the Zuffa merger he's opened up his UFC account with 2 straight wins. He's not been severely tested and the UFC won't be in a hurry to rush his progress. Derek Brunson strung together his 2nd UFC win in a row in impressive fashion on the undercard and a battle between the former Strikeforce colleagues would push a contender into the proverbial mix.

Rustam Khabilov
Rustam Khabilov put together his 3rd successive UFC win and deserves a higher calibre opponent. He's got solid wrestling credentials and his standup looks very sharp. I like the idea of the Maynard-Diaz winner facing Khabilov but they may be pushed into bigger fights. An all rounder like Myles Jury would see where Khabilov belongs in the division.

Michael Chiesa
Michael Chiesa rebounded from a loss to Jorge Masjvidal with a good win over Colton Smith. Although 3-1 in the UFC he's a middle of the pack guy and is likely to get another guy with a similar standing. Lightweight has a big roster so there's plenty of choices. Jon Makdessi is of similar standing and isn't currently matched so that would be a fun fight to make.

UFC Fight Night 31: Fight for the Troops 3 Main Card Predictions

UFC Fight Night 31: Fight for the Troops 3 Main Card Predictions
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

The UFC is back on Wednesday showing some love to the US troops in Kentucky for UFC Fight Night 31: Fight for the Troops 3. There has been some grips about the quality of the card, but hey... its free, and what else are you doing on a Wednesday night (or Thursday for those with jobs like me).

Kingdom MMA writers Chris Houten and Ben Heather take a look at the main card for UFC Fight Night 31: Fight for the Troops 3 and give you their thoughts and predictions on the night affairs.

Michael Chiesa vs Colton Smith 

Houten: Its safe to say, year on year the winner of TUF get weaker and weaker. The fact that guys like Colton Smith and Michael Chiesa share the same honours as guys like Bisping, Evans, Griffin etc just isn't right.

I personally don't care about this fight, I would have rather had Camozzi vs Larkin, or Bermudez vs Siler on the main card because I don't expect this fight to be that good.

I do think Chiesa will take this one though by submission though much to the dismay of the troop... surely this is the more exciting prospect of a Smith cuddle hug victory.

Prediction: Michael Chiesa - Submission RD 2 

Heather: A battle of TUF winners here and also a potential showcase that the talent in the house recently has got very stretched. If either of these guys were in any of the earlier seasons they surely wouldn't have gone on to win.

I think Smith was exposed last time out and may be again, has any TUF champion gone 0-2 after the finale (yes I know he beat Ricci in the final) but i think Chiesa will have enough to take the win.

Prediction: Michael Chiesa - Unanimous Decision

Rustam Khabilov vs Jorge Masvidal

Houten: Fight of the night right her anyone? Who wins - the fans.....end of!

Prediction: The Fan

Heather: Khabilov has certainly excited the fans since arriving in the UFC and some great team mates to train with at Jacksons. I think he will carry on his path up the ladder of the lightweight division on Wednesday night.

Prediction: Rustam Khabilov - TKO RD 2


Ronny Markes vs Yoel Romero

Houten: Markes is likely to be better that Romero in most areas, but does that matter when you an Olympic wrestler? My answer is no! Romero could surprise us again with some 'flying shit' but its more likely he will take this fight to the ground as and when he wants. I expect him to grind out a unanimous 30 - 27 decision.... I cant guarantee excitement however.

Prediction: Yoel Romero - Unanimous Decision

Heather: This fight is one of the fights I am really excited to see on Wednesday night. Ronny Markes welcomes the heavy hitting Olympic wrestler Yoel Romero to the UFC and I think it is sure to bring the excitement.

I think Markes should be able to put his experience of fighting tougher opponents to use and I think after what should be a very exciting first round Markes will get the victory in the second if he doesn't get caught early on.

Prediction: Ronny Markes - Submission RD 2
 
Liz Carmouche vs Alexis Davis

Houten: Alexis Davis is currently considered the 3rd best 135 in the world at the moment, and with good reason too. Davis is on a good win streak, has descent boxing, and is one of the best submission artist in the female division.... She's also pretty big for the weight too.


Her opponent Carmouche is a great little wrestler, and her ground and pound is one of the best in the division.

With both fighters possessing unique skill sets, the stage is set for an intriguing fight which could go either way. I'm gonna go Davis in this one though by late submission victory. I do think Carmouche with drag this fight to the floor, however I can Davis catching Carmouche off her back to take the victory, setting up Davis as the no. 1 contender.

Prediction: Alexis Davis - Submission RD 2


Heather: after seeing what Andrade did to Rosi Sexton in Manchester by first thought was how good it made Liz Carmouche look in the way she beat Andrade last time out. Davis also beat Sexton in her UFC debut but I think Carmouche will have enough to get the win.

Prediction: Liz Carmouche - Unanimous Decision


Tim Kennedy vs Rafael Natal

Houten: A lot of people have complained about this fight.... "It's not main event worthy".... "worst main event in the history of The UFC" blah, blah, blah, personal fans need to look at the facts - it's on free television in the US, and all of the tickets have been given out for free to US soldiers, what's more a former Marine in Tim Kennedy tops the bill, in a fight he will win, again Natal who steps in as a late replacement for Lyoto Machida who was move to last weeks Fight Night 30 card where he replaced injured Michael Bisping.


One can't help but think the moving and shaking at the top of the 2 cards brought on a huge sigh of relief for Kennedy. Natal is a much easier fight for Kennedy that a Machida who just crippled a wrestler in Munoz far beyond Kennedy's skill set. I like Kennedy to stick in move in this one, keep Natal again the cage, and mix up takedown to take a convincing unanimous victory.

Prediction: Tim Kennedy - Unanimous Decision


Heather: Originally, when he was scheduled to fight Machida I had this as a fight to make Kennedy pay for speaking out against UFC pay and his lacklustre performance against Roger Gracie. Now after calling out the whole division he is set to fight Natal, this fight I now see as a give me fight to Kennedy and I think he will be too much of a step up in opposition for Natal.

Prediction: Tim Kennedy - Unanimous Decision

UFC on FOX 7 Prelims Round up

A look back at the UFC on FOX 7 Prelims

by Ben Heather @benheather

I think that Saturday nights UFC on FOX 7 event was one of the best UFC events I have seen in a long time. For me its up there with the likes of UFC 139 as one of my favourite cards. Yes UFC 139 was finished off by one of the greatest fights ever to take place in the octagon in the war between Dan Henderson and Shogun Rua, but UFC on FOX 7 as a whole is definitely well up there in the top few events to me. So now lets have a recap on the main highlights from the prelims.

Facebook Prelims

Lets start with the Facebook prelims, we had two fights both ended in brutal finishes. The opening fight was finished off with one of the best flying knee's I have seen in a long time by Yoel Romero before he jumped on Clifford Starks to finish the fight with punches to a clearly beaten opponent. That fight only lasted 92 seconds and set the tone for most of the nights fights. This earned Romero $50k for a joint KOOTN bonus.

The second and final Facebook prelim fight made it in to the second round but again after 2:52 seconds Anthony Njokuani knocked out Roger Bowling. Bowling tried to rush Njokuani but as he chased in he was caught with a brutal hook which sent Bowling crashing first in to Njokuani's shoulder before face planting the canvas and ending the fight.

FX Prelims

Now on to the FX prelims (or as we Brits have to view it the UFC.tv prelims) and the great fights continued. The FX prelims consisted of six fights and four of them finished in knockouts. One of the two fights in the prelims which went to a decision was an early contender for FOTN.

Three of the knockouts came from members of Team Alpha Male, under the new head coach Duane Ludwig the team have been unstoppable. The first fight for Team Alpha Male was the back and forth battle between TJ Dillashaw and Hugo Viana. TJ got the TKO victory at the end of the first round after catching Viana with a couple of huge shots before pouncing on Viana until Big John had seen enough.
 Next up for Team Alpha Male was Joseph Benavidez who put on a show of class and justified why he is ranked so highly in the UFC rankings. He was better than Darren Uyenoyama in every aspect of the fight before finishing the fight with some brutal body shots at the end of the second round.
 The final member of Team Alpha Male fighting on the night was Chad Mendes and he was in and out of the octagon in only 68 seconds with another great performance for the team and a TKO of Darren Elkins. I truly believe Chad Mendes is the best featherweight in the world.... who is not called Jose Aldo.

The remaining knockout from the prelims was by Myles Jury. Jury Ko'd Ramsey Nijem in the second round, this came as a shock after the way the first round went. The first round was a great ground battle with so many transitions, nobody could keep the momentum and their opponent down. It was a beautiful contest of styles that us true fans of MMA really appreciate. The second round however stayed on its feet before Myles Jury landed the perfect counter right which puts Nijem to sleep. This doesn't stop Jury from jumping on the downed Nijem for one last shot before Big John can stop the fight. In my opinion, on any other fight card this would have been given as KOOTN but with so many to pick from tonight it didn't get the bonus for Jury.

We also had an early contender for FOTN, this was a closely fought three round war between Tim Means and Jorge Masvidal. Masvidal got the win on the judges scorecard he did what he needed to when he got the fight to the canvas. From top position Masvidal did enough to keep it there and get the win but Tim Means showed the world of MMA how to defend when on your back with some nasty elbows which turned Masvidal in to a bloody mess. Tim Means reputation surely has improved even though he rightfully lost this fight, it has to be a warning to any future opponents be warned if you want to take him down in future.

 The other fight on the prelims was a close fight between Lorenz Larkin and Francis Carmont. This was the first disappointing fight on the card and Francis Carmont got the decision with the judges but on the night I scored it for Larkin. Yes Carmont got on top and held Larkin against the cage for spells but it was Larkin who was always the one trying to fight and do damage and when on bottom with his back to the canvas he was looking for submissions, Carmont however was happy to just lay on top to get his win. On my scorecard I had this fight 29-28 Larkin.

In Review

I think its going to be a long time before we get to see a prelim card with as many highlights as we saw on this UFC on FOX 7 prelims. Other than a submission victory the prelims had everything that fans of MMA want to see. To finish with six KO/ TKO finishes in the prelims is unheard of so here today I would like to thank you to all the fighters for making this fight card so enjoyable and once again reassuring me as to why I love the sport of MMA.

Keep checking Kingdom MMA for the results from the Main Card of UFC on FOX 7.