Alexander Gustafsson vs Thiago Silva

In his first fight back from a suspension due to submitting a fake urine sample against Brandon Vera, Thiago Silva has his work cut out for him. Alexander Gustafsson is a prospect who is quickly gaining a name for himself in the light heavyweight division. These two are both primarily strikers but they have opposing styles. Gustafsson is known for controlling distance and using his reach to throw accurate but powerful jabs until he see's an opening to land a devastating few punches to end the fight. Thiago's game is about rushing his opponents and swarming on them to overwhelm or knock his opponents out. Both hit extremely hard and both can take a punch. Overall striking technique I give to Silva due to his muay thai attack which has seen him throw a few kicks. Striking power I'm going to call a wash because both fighters have shown about the same amount of effort in knocking people out. Overall grappling I have to give the edge to Silva because he's just so powerful that he will likely be able to outmuscle Gustafsson around from top or bottom, especially top. However Gustafsson is no slouch on the ground. He has an affinity for scrambling and reversing position, as well as submissions. I don't think this fight will see much of the ground. Gustafsson is great at avoiding takedowns and controlling distance. I see Thiago constantly trying to close the gap and either land a big shot or bulldoze in for a takedown. This is typically how things end up badly for Gustafsson's opponents. I think Thiago will get caught trying to rush in and get dropped before getting jumped on and finished.

Prediction: Alexander Gustafsson by (T)KO


Brian Stann vs Alessio Sakara

Probably the least competitive fight on paper on this entire card. For whatever reason "Legionarius" is being fed to "The All American". It's been just over a year since Alessio Sakara fought last, losing 30-27 on all cards to up and coming Chris Weidman. Brian Stann just had his three fight win streak at middleweight halted by Chael Sonnen this past October. I'm having a hard time envisioning scenarios where Sakara actually wins this fight to be honest. All I can really come up with is him landing a hail mary punch and gets the TKO but to quote GDP I'm literally giving that about a one in forty chance. Sakara on paper should be the better pure boxer but he has a tendency to get into brawls when he's not fighting Kenny Florian's guide to being James Irvin. If he starts brawling with Stann, and even if he doesn't get into a brawl with him for that matter, he's likely not to last three rounds. Stann packs some of the best power punching in the division second maybe only to Hector Lombard. Stann doesn't have the same attack-chimp fury that Hector exhibits. I'm going to give punching power to Stann for obvious reasons. I don't think this one will see much of the ground but if it does it's a bit of a toss up as to who has the advantage. Stann hasn't always done very well on the ground when he's on the bottom but Sakara hasn't done great off his back either. If it goes to the ground it will likely be a race to get back up, or whoever is on top will have the edge. Truth be told every time Sakara has fought someone with the kind of knockout abilities Stann has shown us he hasn't made it out of the first round. I'm going to say he doesn't last five minutes with Stann, and finds himself being woken up by the ref.

Prediction: Brian Stann by (T)KO


Brad Pickett vs Damacio Page

In his last fight Brad "One Punch" Pickett had his UFC debut spoiled by Renan Barao. This time around he comes up against Damacio "the Angel of Death" Page. Damacio hasn't competed since the freakishly bizarre set of circumstances surrounding his second identical loss to Brian Bowles, who finished Page by rear naked choke at exactly 3:30 into the fight both times. This time out Page and Brad will both be looking to rebound from the above mentioned losses. Unfortunately the odds are against Damacio here. Pickett has a tireless gas tank while Page has a tendency to fade late. Pickett will have an edge in striking technique as well as in overall striking power. Page has some power in his hands as well, but if this fight goes to the third round it's likely he'll be too tired to apply it with the pace Brad likes to set. On the ground Page should have the overall grappling advantage but once again One Punch is never idle. Even from the bottom Pickett will threaten with sweeps and submissions and all of this means effort Damacio has to put forth. Eventually Pickett's cardio become a factor and Page starts to slow down. I think he's tough enough to survive to the final bell but by then it will be very clear who won the last two rounds.

Prediction: Brad PIckett by Decision


Dennis Siver vs Diego Nunes

Truth be told I'm happy we aren't seeing the originally fight that was hinted at for Dennis Siver's featherweight debut. I like to think I speak for many people when I say there is no reason to let Siver and Ross Pearson rematch so soon when neither has given us a reason to think it would play out any differently this time. However Dennis could vault himself into the title picture with a win over Diego Nunes here. Diego is an interesting matchup for Siver because while he's not the most technical striker he has an affinity for overwhelming fighters who are better strikers than himself. His pace is furious and his attack is varied. Siver should have the edge in technical striking as well as power but I wouldn't rule out Nunes hurting Dennis and jumping on him for a stoppage. On the ground the advantage in overall technique is going to go to Diego as Siver isn't the most ground savvy fighter but he is very difficult to take down due to his build. This will most likely be an all out striking fight and it will also be a real inficator as to whether Dennis belongs at featherweight or not. Personally I think Siver gets it done in the end with his refined technique.

Prediction: Dennis Siver by Decision