TUF 5 Finale Predictions
Tomorrow night is the finale for the Ultimate Fighter 5. Mixed Martial Arts is one of the very few sports that Bunky will watch with me, so of course there’s always that extra bit of excitement of watching with another fan. Having the fight between the coaches be free on Spike is really nice; unfortunately, I heard that next season’s title match between Serra and Hughes will be PPV only. Here’s my predictions for tomorrow night:
Pulver Vs. Penn
Penn by Submission in the 2nd round. Unless Penn is in horrible shape (definitely a possibility) or Pulver gets a really lucky shot in, I don’t think Pulver has a chance. He’s a likeable coach, but I think Penn is too strong and too skilled for a striker like Pulver. Pulver will probably do well to move to 145 in the WEC, and I don’t see Penn having any problems taking Pulver down at will. On the ground, it’s all Penn, and I doubt Pulver has the tools to avoid Penn’s sick submission skills.
Gamburyan Vs. Diaz
Gamburyan by Unanimous Decision. Unless Nathan just jabs the hell out of Manny, I see Gamburyan pulling a wet blanket on Diaz in a repeat of the Gamburyan-Lauzon fight. I think Gamburyan’s takedowns and striking are just barely good enough to hang with Diaz, and Gamburyan’s ground game should be able to neutralize Diaz’s Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Gamburyan has no neck to get caught in a choke, and his arms are freaking huge, making it more difficult to secure an arm bar. I get the feeling this might be a boring fight.
Melendez Vs. Lauzon
Lauzon by T.K.O. or submission in the first round. Melendez’s striking isn’t that great and he doesn’t have the wrestling necessary to control Lauzon. Lauzon is going to come out of the gates like a monster and just destroy Melendez.
Wang Vs. Miller
Miller by Unanimous Decision. Supposedly Wang has some good submission skills, since he has a black belt in BJJ. Unfortunately, he is kinda a moron. If you read his interviews or watch his one fight, he just doesn’t have the mental aspect down at all. He’s going to try and bang with Miller, and while Miller has strong submission skills as well, Miller will probably let the fight stay off the ground for an easy win against Wang.
Emerson Vs. Maynard
Maynard by Unanimous Decision. Maynard has great wrestling and decent striking, but he has no submissions and mediocre ground n’ pound. Emerson’s striking is better, but not really anything to write home about. I think this will be a combination of nasty leg kicks from Emerson and boring lay n’ pray from Maynard, with Maynard controlling 2 of 3 rounds.
Berube Vs. Garcia
Garcia by K.O. in the 1st round. I’ve only seen a little of Garcia, but I know Berube sucks and has little skill. Berube should be out of this fight before the water finishes boiling.
Geraghty Vs. Wiman
Geraghty by Submission in the 3rd round. While we didn’t see too much of Geraghty in the quick loss to Lauzon, he must think pretty highly of himself to think that he’d be safe on the ground. I’m not completely sure about this one, but I think Wiman is not very good on his back. Wiman does have some good striking skills, however.
Sword Vs. Leites
Who? No picks. This is the only match where neither guy has a nickname.
Huerta Vs. Evans
Huerta by K.O. in the 1st round. I have no clue who Evans is, but I read that he is some scrub that they are serving up to Huerta. I’ve seen a little of Huerta and know that he’s tough, so I figure that this is a gimme from the UFC to Huerta.
