I’ll stick to the fights you’ll see. I’ll also go top down, so if that’s all you care to read you can see what your after without skipping.
Conor McGregor vs Chad Mendes
I had a dream last night that I should put 10k down on Mendes but also should add I had a similar dream when Mayweather fought Canelo. And, well, yeah. If you ask the average person who will win everyone says, Conor will crush him, he will kill him, he will call lighting down from the heavens and will breath fire and obliterate him. If you ask MMA journalist they will say, if Mendes had a full camp then Mendes, but since he didn’t, Conor. But if you ask fighters, fighters like Matt Brown or Anthony Johnson, they will tell you it’s Mendes. It’s Mendes with ease. So with me, here’s the way I’d see it going. I think Mendes drowns McGregor for 10 minutes. I think in round three Mendes’ lateral movement stops he gets sloppy and rushes directly into a front kick to the face. If he recovers, great but he will be shaky from then on and won’t recover. At which point he won’t be the same. BUT. If that doesn’t happen I see Mendes drowning Conor. Conor is a bad dude, and Mendes even though he hasn’t been completely preparing for this fight, I see the first ten minute belonging to him. Conor fights and catches people when they get sloppy. He is an amazing counter puncher. But I don’t think Mendes will be an easy counter punch target since he stays so close and won’t stay on the outside.
I think Chad Mendes wins by getting Conor in a crucifix position and holding him there with punches and elbows until it’s stopped, I think it will happen in the first 15 minutes. I think if it goes one second after that and they are standing that Mendes will rush into a front kick and get stopped by punches.
But overall, I am saying Mendes. I know he hasn’t been training for just this but that means while he might not be in the best possible shape for this fight he also hasn’t taken on the wear and tear from training for the fight.
Robbie Lawler vs Rory McDonald
Robbie Lawler. Simple as that. I think Lawler rushes in and waste little time to close the distance and end the fight. Rory’s best chance will be to establish a jab, counter punch and look for a submission in the scramble. I don’t see that happening. I see Robbie Lawler coming in for the kill right away, closing the distance and working the body until Rory lowers his hands and gets hit in the bad way. That will follow by strikes and I think it will happen in under ten minutes.
Gunnar Nelson vs Brandon Thatch
Brandon Thatch is a good looking hard fighting strong guy. Gunnar Nelson is a remnant of the ice age and pretty much the way I think a small Viking would look and act. I think Brandon swats Gunnar around for a few minutes with powerful but not accurate strikes and then will make a bad move and charge forward for whatever reason he has for a take down. Gunnar Nelson will move into a trasition of submissions before he lands in an extended neck for a guilliotene or a rear naked choke. I think all of this because Brandon Thatch is probably still angry that he lost to Benson Henderson and he wants people to know that he is a killer. And he is, but that over reaching will cost him this fight. Nelson by submission, second round.
Brad Pickett vs Thomas Almeida
Thomas is a great up and coming talent and I think he is riding high on that. But Brad Pickett is an old dog who has beat guys just like Thomas over and over again. Thomas might be younger and faster but Brad will outlast him. Brad Pickett by a decision. He will take a beating in round one. He’ll stalemate in 2. And he will conquer in three.
