UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Mir
The Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) will put on their best card of the year on Saturday, May 26, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. This event is stacked with five of the top ten heavyweights in the UFC competing on the main card.
This main card can be seen on Pay-Per-View with the undercard airing live on the FX channel and www.facebook.com/ufc.
Junior Dos Santos vs. Frank Mir
Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos – Catarina, Brazil, 6-4, 240 pounds, 14-1-0, (heavyweight champion)
Frank Mir – Las Vegas, 6-3, 240 pounds, 16-5-0 (Former two-time heavyweight champion)
Frank Mir is underrated in the UFC heavyweight division despite his resume. Mir has broken two former heavyweight champions’ arms. He also has two “Submission of the Year” awards and has earned two heavyweight title belts. If he can pull out a win this Saturday night, Mir will be the first fighter in UFC history to hold the heavyweight title three times. It will be a tough task, but Mir has the clear advantage on the ground.
In his last fight, Mir broke Antonio Nogueira’s arm. Nogueira is Junior Dos Santos’ current coach and training partner. Dos Santos is out for revenge, but he will have to bring more than boxing to beat Mir. Look for Dos Santos to keep this fight away from the ground. If he can implement that strategy, it should be a relatively easy victory for him. This will be a classic grappler versus striker match-up.
Dos Santos by TKO (Strikes)
Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva
Cain Velasquez – Yuma, Ariz., 6-1, 240 pounds, 9-1-0 (former heavyweight champion)
Antonio Silva – Brasilia, Brazil, 6-4, 265 pounds, 16-3-0
This fight is what makes this card so great. Velasquez vs. Silva could easily be the headliner. This bout will probably decide the No. 1 contender in the UFC heavyweight division. Antonio Silva may not be as well known to the casual mixed martial arts (MMA) fan as his opponent, Cain Velasquez, but he is one of the few men to ever defeat the legendary Fedor Emelianenko. Silva is a behemoth and once fought as a super-heavyweight. However, don’t let his size fool you as he brings a mix of judo, karate and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
The one thing that nullifies all that could be the great wrestling base that Velasquez brings to the table. Velasquez likes to keep it standing despite his wrestling abilities, which is interesting because standing is where Silva wants to keep this battle. This fight doesn’t look like it will make it out of the second round. These guys are no doubt two of the most elite heavyweights in the world.
Velasquez by TKO (Strikes)
Roy “Big Country” Nelson vs. Dave “Peewee” Herman
Roy Nelson – Las Vegas, 6-0, 240 pounds, 17-7-0
Dave Herman – Columbia City, Indi., 6-4, 245 pounds, 21-3-0
It’s win or move on for Big Roy Nelson as he has been inconsistent going 3-3 since entering the UFC. Nelson has been bullied by the bigger heavyweights as of late, so either he’ll be out the UFC or moving to the light heavyweight division if he loses.
Dave Herman is still trying to make a name for himself, and this fight could do it. A signature win over Nelson will move him up the ranks and bring his record to 2-1 in the UFC. A loss could be devastating and will put his record at 1-2. With a stacked division he needs to take full advantage of this opportunity.
This fight should be a war as both have a lot on the line.
Nelson by Submission (Kimura)
Stipe Miocic vs. Shane Del Rosario
Stipe Miocic – Independence, Ohio, 6-4, 240 pounds, 8-0-0
Shane Del Rosario – Hacienda, Calif., 6-4, 240 pounds, 11-0-0
Miocic by Split Decision
Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve vs. Lavar “Big” Johnson
Stefan Struve – Beverwijk, The Netherlands, 6-11, 240 pounds, 27-5-0
Lavar Johnson – Madera, Cali., 6-4, 240 pounds, 17-5-0
Struve by Submission (Triangle Choke)
Live on Network Cable TV, FX
Diego “Ceara” Brandao vs. Darren “The Damage” Elkins
Brandao by Submission (Armbar)
Edson “Junior” Barboza vs. Jamie Varner
Barboza by Unanimous Decision
Jason “Mayhem” Miller vs. CB “The Doberman” Dollaway
Miller by Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy vs. Duane “Bang” Ludwig
Ludwig by Split Decision
Live on facebook.com/ufc
Jacob “Christmas” Volkmann vs. Paul Sass
Sass by Unanimous Decision
Kyle “Kingsbu” Kingsbury vs. Glover Teixeira
Teixeira by TKO (Strikes)
Mike Brown vs. Daniel “The Pit” Pineda
Pineda by Unanimous Decision