In the inaugural edition of Bloody Elbow Staffer vs. Scrapper, UFC middleweight Josh Samman goes head-to-head with BE's Anton Tabuena as they try to one up each other at UFC 178 predictions.
This is the inaugural edition of Bloody Elbow Staffer vs. Scrapper where I, Anton Tabuena your favorite BE writer, will be taking on UFC middleweight Josh Samman. Now I'm sure you guys may like him from his double punches, or his smooth singing voice, but I certainly won't make him serenade his way into winning this challenge.
So this is how it works: We both make our picks for the upcoming UFC 178 card, and if the totals are all even, we will use the method of victory as a tie breaker. If I lose -- which wouldn't really happen so you can skip this next line -- he will get to take on the next BE staffer for a future event. Let's be honest though, this just means the other writers can sit back and rest, because unfortunately for 'Anqa' or whatever that new nickname actually means, his first match since his injury will start with a loss to me.
Okay, let's get started: UFC Flyweight Championship, Demetrious Johnson vs. Chris Cariaso, who do you have?
Josh Samman: I am not going to lie, I follow MMA pretty religiously, as well as fight in the UFC, and I wasn't even sure who it was our flyweight champion was fighting until I sat down to look over the card. Odds are as high as 15:1 for Mighty Mouse, which is the most lopsided title fight in Vegas books I think I've ever seen. I appreciate Johnson's willingness to defend the belt often and hope he picks up a finish here. I'll go with the safe bet though. Johnson via Decision
Anton Tabuena: Being that he's half Filipino, I actually have followed Cariaso's career more than the average MMA fan. While he does have good striking, I think Demetrious overall not only has more tools, but he also mixes things up and transitions better from one area to another than almost anyone in the sport right now. As much as it hurts my nationalistic pride to type this, I really think Johnson will be completely dominant and gets his rare UFC stoppage. Demetrious Johnson by TKO.
Donald Cerrone vs. Eddie Alvarez:
Josh: I hate to see Cowboy's streak come to an end because it has been awesome to watch, but I think it stops here. Alvarez was part of that awesome night in MMA that brought us his classic with Chandler as well as the Shogun Henderson war, so we know he's capable of an exciting fight, and that's what I think will happen here. I'm hoping for an Alvarez win to set up a showdown with eventual lightweight champion Melendez, and I'm picking Eddie Alvarez by TKO.
Anton: While Eddie always brings the excitement, I will have to disagree with Josh here and thinks he succumbs to Cowboy. I think the Chandler bout was a perfect storm of violence which made both fighters look better than they actually are (especially Chandler), but I do think Cerrone is a notch higher than his Bellator opponents. I think Cerrone will be able to avoid foolishly trading in the pocket, and he will be able to control distance with his kicks and pick Alvarez apart from the outside. Donald Cerrone by TKO.
Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier:
Josh: Jack Slack had done a really good job summing up McGregor lately, as well as this fight in particular, in which he characterizes Poirier as a fighter cater made for McGregor's strengths, and I tend to agree. Poirier is a great featherweight, but a notch below McGregor I believe. Conor McGregor by KO/TKO.
Anton: For the record I believe Conor's hand injury a few weeks back isn't as bad as some people make it out to be, so I'm not even going to factor that into consideration. Styles make fights, and while Poirier can beat a lot of the top 10 featherweights, I think he will have trouble trading shots with McGregor. He has been talking for a while now, but as of late, McGregor has been walking the walk as well, and I think he continues his stride on this one. The only question for me is if Dana gives him a title shot after his first top 5 victory. If he wins impressively like I think he would, I think he should get it. Conor McGregor by TKO.
Yoel Romero vs. Tim Kennedy:
Josh: I really want to root for the Florida guy here. As a fan, I'm intrigued by Romero and think he's a tough test for anyone at middleweight, but despite Romero's wrestling credentials I think that Kennedy is the best grappler in the division, save Jacare maybe. Plus Kennedy combats terrorists, and PED's, and I can't root against that. Tim Kennedy via Decision.
Anton: Funny that you mentioned that, because all of his terrorist talk online is actually what turns off some fans about Kennedy. Apart from that though, I tend to agree with Mr. Double Punch here. If Romero can keep it standing, he has a chance because he surely has the power to turn his lights out, but I also think Kennedy is the better MMA grappler between the two. I don't think he gives Romero enough chance to actually be able to land those bombs (pun intended?), and just grinds him out on the fence and on top. Tim Kennedy by Decision.
Cat Zingano vs. Amanda Nunes:
Josh: The last time we saw Cat, she was making a comeback in the cage en route to a TKO victory on the TUF 17 finale. Our paths were similar that night and have been since then, so she is a fighter I can certainly identify with and really root for, although I can say categorically there's no way, in my mind, that she beats Amanda here. I see Amanda train regularly, and can count on one hand the amount of rounds I've seen her lose, against high level male athletes as well. Of her nine wins, eight are by KO/TKO and one submission, and one technical submission when she put some poor girl to sleep in Invicta. Look for her to be the only girl on the horizon to give Ronda any problems. I think she makes a statement here and solidifies her contendership with a KO/TKO. Amanda Nunes by KO/TKO.
Anton: Josh may be seeing something I'm not in training, because when watching their actual fights I think it's Zingano's fight to lose that she isn't coming back anywhere close to her old form. That's still a huge question mark, obviously, but I think Zingano's striking will prevail over Nunes'. Cat Zingano by Decision.
Dominick Cruz vs. Takeya Mizugaki:
Josh: No matter the outcome of the rest of Dominic's career, he will always be remembered in my mind as the guy who really paved the way and showed us the value and effectiveness of frequent stance switching in MMA, when used effectively. Dillashaw has since made it a thing of beauty as well, and even past opponent Johnson seemed to gravitate towards switching stances more after his fight with Cruz. I'm not sure there are many fighters out there that didn't wish they had Cruz's sense of timing and footwork. He is also a fighter I can relate to in a couple ways, and I'm really hoping his surgeries didn't affect his ability to move, which I think is everyone's concern here. Either way I'm expecting a great moment for MMA as we see the champ return, hopefully en route to another title shot. Dominick Cruz via Decision
Anton: First off, it is a travesty that a former champion who never lost a fight in the UFC is put on the prelims. I don't really care about the 'prelim headliner' and the 'more views than buys' arguments. Not only does your former dominant champ deserve a main card slot, they should be pushing him harder in terms of marketing than a lot of the other main carders who are nowhere near as skilled or as accomplished as Cruz. If he wins impressively, it should set him up for a really intriguing bout against Dillashaw, and not marketing him properly and putting him on the prelims seems counter productive to me... Okay, now that we've got that out of the way, there is no way to actually predict how Cruz looks after a three year layoff with all those injuries. That said, I believe even 75% of his past self is more than enough to beat Mizugaki so that's enough reason for me to pick him. Here's to hoping we see some of that spectacular foot work put to good use again. Dominick Cruz by Decision.
Jorge Masvidal vs. James Krause:
Josh: Cummings is not going to be happy with me for picking against his boy, but I'm going with the oddsmakers and the Florida native. Jorge Masvidal via KO/TKO.
Anton: See, now they may have more years of mat time than I do, but this is where I have the edge over fighters like Josh. They always seem to have these biases when picking teammates or friends or hometown buddies, while on the other hand, I.... shit, I also think Masvidal wins this. Jorge Masvidal by TKO.
Patrick Cote vs. Stephen Thompson:
Josh: I just spent more time than I'd like to admit trying to ponder how Wonderboy, 9-1 with his only loss to Matt Brown, was a 3:1 underdog against Cote. Then I realized I read the odds wrong. Tough fight for Cote. Stephen Thompson via KO/TKO
Anton: Yeah, well I'm just hoping for another insane flying spinning ninja post-fight celebration here. Stephen Thompson by TKO.
John Howard vs. Brian Ebersole:
Josh: I'm the reason John Howard is in the UFC right now, as he replaced me in Boston when I had knee surgery. Hopefully for that he'll forgive me for picking Ebersole here. Brian Ebersole via submission.
Anton: I may not be the reason any of these guys are in the UFC, but there's a chance Howard will be glad I'm picking him. Ebersole is 33 years old, and has almost 70 MMA bouts of mileage. He's accomplished a lot, but I honestly think he may already be on the downside and the tail end of his career. He has other venues of generating income though, so he'll be fine whether I'm right or wrong about this. John Howard by Decision.
Jon Tuck vs. Kevin Lee:
Josh: I don't know who Kevin Lee is but gooooo TUF alumni. Jon Tuck via KO/TKO.
Anton: I think Tuck is a lot better than what most people give him credit for, and I do believe he will take this despite being a huge underdog. Not that it matters, but like most guys from Guam, he seems like a pretty chill and nice dude as well from the times I've met him too. Jon Tuck by Decision.
Manny Gamburyan vs. Cody Gibson:
Josh: Kind of hard to believe Manny Gamburyan is the first fight on a UFC card. Let's go Anvil, for old times' sake. Manny Gamburyan via Decision.
Anton: I'm more shocked that Gamburyan will be making bantamweight after fighting at 155 for so long. He's likely fighting for his job here too. While Gibson hasn't exactly impressed or stood out for me, I think he can pull it off here against the older vet looking to drop another division. Cody Gibson by Decision.
Okay, that's it for the entire card. Tune in Saturday to see how I shame Samman's picks.
Follow us on twitter @antontabuena and @joshsamman, and let us know who you think will prevail and win internet bragging rights.