UFC131 Predictions

Shane Carwin vs. Junior dos Santos

Ludo: Your looking at knockout of the night here. It is almost garaunteed that this fight doesn't see the end of three rounds. With Junior dos Santos and Shane Carwin being two of the premier strikers in the heavyweight division this fight will be fireworks. Both pack some of the best power in the division, they also love to stand and bang. Two differences between these fighters are age and speed. Carwin being 35 years old while dos Santos is only 26, and Junior owns a distinct speed advantage. Cardio is another factor to look for. Despite the flukish circumstances we have only ever seen Shane Carwin out of the first round one time and he looked terrible. While dos Santos didn't exactly look like he was ready to run the mile after his decision win over Roy Nelson, he threw more shots than anyone in a long time has thrown at Nelson. Overall the striking edge has to go to Junior dos Santos for being just as explosive as Carwin with more speed and better technique to go along with it. Wrestling belongs to Carwin here but overall grappling is a mystery at this point. We have not yet seen Carwin attempt many takedowns with the intention of using wrestling offensively, at least not against anyone known for great takedown defense. We have yet to really see dos Santos' ground game despite his being a black belt in brazilian jiu jitsu trained by the nogueira's. We might assume that he is a great grappler but the extent we have seen is his ability to either stuff takedowns or pop up within ten seconds on the rare occasion he does get taken down. One last thing to consider about this matchup is that Shane Carwin is coming off almost a year long layoff after a back injury forced him out of training late last year. This one could truly go either way given that we are dealing with two power punchers in the heavyweight division who like to strike. I think dos Santos will make it apparent that he deserves his shot at Cain Velasquez though and score the knockout he needs to solidify contendership.

Prediction: Junior dos Santos by TKO


Kenny Florian vs. Diego Nunes

Ludo: In his first foray into the featherweight division Kenny Florian has his hands full here with Diego Nunes. I feel Nunes is being undervalued in this fight in sportsbooks everywhere. With Florian more than a three to one favorite. Nunes looked very sharp against Mike Thomas Brown when they fought in January. Florian meanwhile looked pedestrian at best against Gray Maynard in his last outing. Nunes lacks the experience Florian does but I have a feeling Kenny is cutting an obscene amount of weight. We can't be sure how that will effect his performance here. I also have a theory here that Florian will experience what I like to call the "Diego Sanchez effect" where when dropping a weight class a fighter loses that "pop" in his strikes due to the cut. I see this fight taking place on the feet mostly, Florian certainly has the tools to match Nunes' crazy spinning back kicks and flying knee's but can he match Diego's speed? I don't think he can, and I think the weight cut will catch up with Florian late in this fight given the frenetic pace Diego forces with the level changes and flashy strikes.

Prediction: Diego Nunes by decision


Demian Maia vs. Mark Munoz

Ludo: Two seemingly rising stars in the middleweight division square off in the form of Mark "The Phillapino Wrecking Machine" and Demian Maia. Both come from extensive grappling backgrounds, Maia being a jiu jitsu ace who has won first place at ADCC and the world championships for jiu jitsu while Munoz is a former all american and national champion in the big 12. As far as the fight goes both have clear paths to victory. Munoz packs tons of power in his hands, albeit his technique leaves something to be desired. Maia has shown improved striking on a more technical level but has not shown the brute force that Munoz has standing, his footwork is superior to that of the Phillipino. On the ground Munoz has an advantage in his scrambles but thats about it. Maia has shown the ability to turn the tides on high level wrestlers before using Judo throws and sweeps. I honestly don't think it bodes well for Munoz to go to the ground with Maia at all. Even if he is on top Maia is at such a high level he will probably hit a reverse or sweep to get on top. I see this fight playing out standing for a little while before Maia looks for the takedown to avoid some of Munoz' power. He should be able to get the takedown in some fashion or another and either score points or end the fight with a submission. He'll have to be careful of Munoz' wild and powerful punches though.

Prediction: Demian Maia by Submission


Donald Cerrone vs. Vagner Rocha

Ludo: This is a pretty cut and dry fight here. Rocha is the technically superior grappler but he lacks the kind of game required to win a fight with Cerrone. Cerrone typically doesn't lose grappling matches to anyone who isn't an ultra slick wrestler and Rocha just doesn't fit the bill. Standing it's no question Cerrone is far and away the better striker in all aspects. If Rocha can't get it to the ground he's going to have about a 3% chance at winning this fight. I don't feel he can take Cerrone down because to do so he has to get inside of those long kicks and punches and then he has to hold him down long enough to set up a submission because he likely can't hold Cerrone down for three rounds. I see Cerrone winning with a highlight reel style knockout.

Prediction: Donald Cerrone by KO


Yves Edwards vs. Sam Stout

Ludo: This is certainly an interesting matchup. The well travelled all around veteran against the hard hitting UFC veteran. The Thugjitsu master takes on Hands of Stone this time around. It's hard to give a clear advantage standing to either fighter here. Edwards has more diversity to his striking game but Stout hits harder. On the flip side of that Edwards has only ever been knocked out twice in his career. On the ground Edwards has the more diversified game as well as more experience being either on top or on the bottom. I think Stout will want to strike and I don't see Edwards having any aversion to that early on. This fight is likely to take place mostly on the feet and despite the power advantage I can see Edwards outworking Stout for three rounds while using footwork and kicks to open things up.

Prediction: Yves Edwards by Decision


Dustin Poirier vs. Jason Young

Ludo: Two up and coming fighters square off in what should be a decent scrap. Poirier was the guy who upset Grispi before George Roop exposed him just last week. Jason Young is inexperienced and taking a big step up on competition in his debut at the "big show". Poirier will have the grappling edge, though I don't think it's going to have much weight in this one. Poirier will likely force a stand up fight where he will eventually overwhelm Young and force a stoppage to the fight by strikes.

Prediction: Dustin Poirier by TKO


Darren Elkins vs. Michihiro Omigawa

Ludo: Michihiro Omigawa is in a must win situation after the performance he had against Chad Mendes in February. Darren Elkins is likely looking for redemption after being submitted in under a minute by Charles "Robot Chicken" Oliviera. Neither is especially skilled standing but both have top control grappling games. Elkins is a decent wrestler while Omigawa is a black belt Judoka. Omigawa has a way of wearing down on his opponents through his takedowns and ground and pound. Elkins is a young prospect with alot of upside, but I don't think he's quite ready for such a seasoned fighter like Omigawa. Look for Omigawa to use his Judo to tie Elkins up and put him on the ground enroute to a ground and pound stoppage there.

Prediction: Michihiro Omigawa by TKO


Post your own predictions below or Here!

Elkins has a pretty solid wrestling pedigree and is he gonna be a really big FW? Just dropped. I hope Omigawa doesn't get decisioned, want to see him do well in the UFC, not that I think Elkins is really a scary matchup, but wrestlers and decisions.....


Solid work, I haven't given the card much thought yet.

Lot of close fights on this card. Me and OU are going against each other in the pickems and we picked more fights differently than we did the same

If you ever want to be the next LA, you got to stop being the next KenFlo, JK.


Took a look, I think JDS wins, but Carwin is a beast could go either way, liking Flo over Nunes, Maia/Munoz is another either way fight, thinking I'm going with Maia we'll see.., Stout over Edwards seems solid better form over the last bunch of fights, like Rosa over Beltran. Looking good for you, but I just jinxed ya...

JDS vs Carwin- How can this fight not be a first round KO? Any other outcome just doesn't seem possible. I think Carwin comes out a little gun shy, he is coming off an injury and his first loss in the UFC. JDS seems full of confidence right now. I think he opens up and is the first to land a big one.
winner: JDS 1st round KO.

I'm struggling with the Kenny vs Nunes fight. I think it is possible Kenny handles this cut well, weathers the storm and finds a way to win this fight. But I also think we might see a drained Kenny after the cut. In that case I think Nunes is able to land shots on Kenny and end his FW title run before it starts. For now that is what I'm leaning toward. I think Nunes out works and out strikes Kenny on the way to a dec.
winner: Nunes by dec. 29-28

Maia vs Munoz- should be a very interesting fight that could go a variety of ways. Munoz may not be great at takedowns but he still has a solid ground game with his wrestling base. Besides getting a shin to the head by Hamill he has shown to have a decent chin and I doubt Maia can really hurt him on the feet. I think Munoz will be able to keep it standing and with his power I think he will eventually find the chin of Maia. I do think this fight will be pretty exciting to watch, I think it will be a great fight.
winner: Munoz by TKO round 3

bobbitt15 wrote:

Lot of close fights on this card. Me and OU are going against each other in the pickems and we picked more fights differently than we did the same

I didn't even pay attention. I didn't know I was facing you or we had so many different. Good luck.

Quote :

"We were sitting in the airport. There’s a kid (James Head) fighting (at UFC 131).
He’s smarter than me. He’s a petroleum engineer. It kind of goes
electrical engineer, chemical, petroleum, then mechanical. If he was a
civil engineer, I wouldn’t think so much of him (laughs). But he’s
petroleum. I looked at him and thought ‘What are you doing fighting,
dude?’ And then I thought to myself, ‘That’s a dumb question. What am I
doing fighting?’"

-Shane Carwin

Probably because fighting pays a whole lot better than being an engineer for the amount of time you can spend doing it. It's not like he won't be able to go back to it after he's done fighting anyway.

Shit, Einemo is massive compared to Herman. I may have to change my pick there. 30+ weight advantage plus huge skill if he can drag him to the ground

bobbitt15 wrote:

Shit, Einemo is massive compared to Herman. I may have to change my pick there. 30+ weight advantage plus huge skill if he can drag him to the ground

I wouldn't bother to be honest. Einemo's only claim to fame in jiu jitsu was beating Roger Gracie, which Gracie avenged in Einemos last appearance in ADCC. Dude hasn't competed in sport jiu jitsu in four years and hasn't fought in MMA in five. Plus he looks so out of shape it isn't funny.

Watched some grappling vids on him, on the ground strong, Pee wee could be fucked, ability to get it to the ground kind of weak.

OU wrote:

Quote :

"We were sitting in the airport. There’s a kid (James Head) fighting (at UFC 131).
He’s smarter than me. He’s a petroleum engineer. It kind of goes
electrical engineer, chemical, petroleum, then mechanical. If he was a
civil engineer, I wouldn’t think so much of him (laughs). But he’s
petroleum. I looked at him and thought ‘What are you doing fighting,
dude?’ And then I thought to myself, ‘That’s a dumb question. What am I
doing fighting?’"

-Shane Carwin

james head is a student of ken sparks who my close friend has beat twice maybe 3 times. this kid is going to come out and be hard to finish anywhere ring takes this fight.

I think this is very winnable for head

Ludo - Dos Santos isn't a black belt. He is a purp

Ludo wrote:

bobbitt15 wrote:

Shit, Einemo is massive compared to Herman. I may have to change my pick there. 30+ weight advantage plus huge skill if he can drag him to the ground

I wouldn't bother to be honest. Einemo's only claim to fame in jiu jitsu was beating Roger Gracie, which Gracie avenged in Einemos last appearance in ADCC. Dude hasn't competed in sport jiu jitsu in four years and hasn't fought in MMA in five. Plus he looks so out of shape it isn't funny.

I don't know, I'd imagine if he was totally out of shape the dudes at Golden Glory would be beating his face in. He looks in a whole different weight class compared to Herman. Just sayin, if he gets a hold of him and drags him down especially after the first few minutes, Pee Wee might not be able to get this mofo off of him

jds by dec.

kenny by sub (this is no only fight im not sure of.if nunes wrestling is up there then i see him getting the dec)

pee wee by tko

maia by dec

cerrone by sub

jds by dec.

kenny by sub (this is no only fight im not sure of.if nunes wrestling is up there then i see him getting the dec)

pee wee by tko

maia by dec

cerrone by sub

Wolfgangsta wrote:

Ludo - Dos Santos isn't a black belt. He is a purp

Brown