UFC 162 ‘Silva vs. Weidman’ Preview

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Middleweights

Andrew Craig (8-1, 2-1 UFC) vs. Chris Leben (22-9, 12-8 UFC): After serving a year-long suspension for testing positive for painkillers following UFC 138, Leben struggled to remain upright in a lackluster loss to Derek Brunson in December. Craig began his UFC career with upset victories over Kyle Noke and Rafael Natal but was unable to overcome the smothering effort of Ronny Markes in losing a decision in January. While both men had difficult stylistic matchups in their last outing, this one figures to be more of a slugfest. The question: does Leben have enough in the tank for a vintage performance? Craig wins by decision.

Lightweights

Norman Parke (17-2, 1-0 UFC) vs. Kazuki Tokudome (12-3-1, 1-0 UFC): Parke won the 155-pound tournament on “The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes” by powering his way into clinches and landing takedowns against Colin Fletcher at UFC on FX 6. The judo black belt will work to advance position but could stand to be more aggressive with his ground-and-pound. A Pancrase veteran, Tokudome relied on intelligent ground-and-pound and solid submission defense to defeat Cristiano Marcello in his Octagon debut. Parke takes this one by decision.

Heavyweights

Gabriel Gonzaga (14-7, 9-6 UFC) vs. Dave Herman (21-5, 1-3 UFC): Despite losing three straight fights, Herman remains employed by the UFC. A fourth consecutive defeat would almost certainly end his tenure with the promotion, however. This fight should be Gonzaga’s to win, provided he chooses to rely primarily on his grapping against his sometimes strategically challenged foe. Gonzaga snatches a submission in round one or two.

Lightweights

Edson Barboza (11-1, 5-1 UFC) vs. Rafaello Oliveira (16-5, 2-4 UFC): Barboza rebounded from an upset loss to Jamie Varner at UFC 146, earning a first-round stoppage against Lucas Martins in January. The Brazilian remains a gifted talent in the 155-pound division, and he should be able to continue his resurgence against Oliveira, who is a replacement for the injured John Makdessi. Barboza scores a TKO in round two.

Welterweights

Seth Baczynski (18-9, 4-2 UFC) vs. Brian Melancon (6-2, 0-0 UFC): A rangy striker with aggression to spare, Baczynski saw a four-fight winning streak in the UFC grind to a halt against tough wrestler Mike Pierce, who can make just about anyone look bad. Melancon, meanwhile, will use power punches to set up takedowns. Baczynski’s well-rounded attack will prove to be too much for the Octagon newcomer, as he wins via TKO or submission in round three.

Welterweights

Mike Pierce (16-5, 8-3 UFC) vs. David Mitchell (12-2, 1-2 UFC): Despite having lost to only Josh Koscheck, Johny Hendricks and Jon Fitch during his UFC career, Pierce continues to be relegated to the preliminary card. His wrestling, clinch work and power punching are his favored tools of the trade, and he specializes in making fights ugly. A noted grappler with nine submission victories to his credit, Mitchell utilized quality counterstriking to earn his first UFC victory against Simeon Thoresen in January. Unless Mitchell can pull off some kind of surprise submission from his back, Pierce cruises to a methodical decision victory.

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TRACKING TRISTEN 2013

Overall Record: 114-66
Last Event (UFC 161): 7-4
Best Event (Strikeforce “Marquardt vs. Saffiedine): 9-2
Worst Event (UFC 156/UFC on Fuel TV 8): 5-6