Once again the PRO MMA (promma.info) staff has come together to lend our oh so professional opinions on this weekend’s “Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg” event. Together we summoned the power of the MMA gods to grant us wisdom and insight into this historical evening headlined by Gina Carano vs. Cristiane Santos.
We have made our predictions for the main card, so check our picks and let us know what you think. Do you agree or disagree? Who is right on the money and who is off their rocker? “Carano vs. Cyborg” takes place Sat., Aug. 15, 2009 and airs on Showtime beginning at 10:30 p.m. CT/PT.
JAY HIERON VS. JESSE TAYLOR
EDDIE:I actually saw Hieron as a real threat to Diaz with the quick change in opponents. Having said that he should beat Taylor pretty handily. Taylor is not as good as Hieron at any particular aspect of the game and as such Jay takes this by decision.
RICHARD:Due to his antics Jesse Taylor has always been rather underrated, and he has shown that by putting together an impressive string of victories. However, in this fight he is going to run into trouble. Both of these fighters are wrestlers who can throws hands a bit, and Hieron is the better wrestler and striker. Let’s hope that a win here sets up a welterweight title fight with Nick Diaz. Hieron by TKO.
DUSTY:Taylor – He will be the bigger fighter and take Hieron down and pound him out. Taylor TKO 1st rd.
TIM:Jay Hieron by unanimous decison. His boxing will win it.
JACK:Taylor is on a mission. Jay Hieron is a very good fighter andhas been screwed more times than (insert favorite porn star), but the change in the opponents can’t be good for him. I could see Taylor catching Jay in a guillotine or other submission maybe in the first round.
FABRICIO WERDUM VS. MIKE KYLE
EDDIE:Werdum by submission in the 3rd. Kyle should resist early but constant takedown attempts get Werdum the finish in this fight.
RICHARD:The last time I put all my chips on Werdum, he was brutally knocked out by Junior dos Santos. It is safe to say that I had to a ton of crow over that one. With that being said I’m taking Werdum again. He really is a top tier heavyweight, and here he is taking on a 205-pounderwho won’t come close to matching him on the ground. Werdum by Submission.
DUSTY:Werdum – Werdum has beaten some solid opponents and has faced overall better competition than Kyle. Werdum was a staple in the top ten heavyweights for a long time and I think he will get Kyle down and submit him in the 1st rd.
TIM:Werdum vs Kyle can go either way with two experienced vets. Kyle has knockout power, but I will take Werdum by armbar.
JACK:I don’t think Kyle is ready for Werdum’s level. I’m going with a Werdumsubmission first round.
RENATO “BABALU” SOBRAL VS. GEGARD MOUSASI
EDDIE:My upset pick here. I actually think Babalu will be able to control Mousasi from the ground and catch him in the later rounds. This is assuming Babalu does not try to exchange manhood and strike with the dangerous Armenian. Babalu by choke in the 4th.
RICHARD:Babalu has probably one of the most underrated ground games in MMA – this includes both wrestling and submissions. Despite his gaudy record and winning streak Mousasi will be taken down and beat up on the ground. If Babalu chooses to stand the fight should be more interesting, but even then expect the UFC veteran to have enough to quiet the premature Mousasi hype. Sobral by Decision.
DUSTY:Mousasi – I wouldn’t be shocked if Babalu submitted him but I think Mousasi is just way to much on the feet. Plus he’s becoming alot more well rounded by the day. Mousasi by TKO 1st rd.
TIM:Babalu vs Mousasi has every chance to be fight of the night. Two of the worlds best in an absolute war. It seems Babalu always finds a way to win as long as he isn’t fighting Chuck Liddell, so I will take Babalu by TKO.
JACK:Next to the main event this should be fight of the night. Got to go with Mousasi. Dude is on a 12-fight win streak and is very well-rounded. Babalu is far from a slouch and could very well pull this off. I think it will be close but going with Mousasi in the third round via (T)KO.
GILBERT MELENDEZ VS. MITSUHIRO ISHIDA
EDDIE:Gilbert redeems his first professional loss in MMA. After having now had his Thomson rematch postponed twice, El Nino will come out to make a statement in this fight similar to his most recent performance against Rodrigo Damm. Gilbert takes this by ref stoppage due to strikes in the 3rd.
RICHARD:Gilbert Melendez was once considered a top ten pound-for-pound fighter, but he has always had trouble with fighters he can’t bully with wrestling. Melendez failed to takedown Josh Thomson and dropped a decision. He couldn’t stop Ishida’s takedowns in their first fight a lost. Despite what the judges said Melendez also lost to Tatsuya Kawajiri. In this rematch Mitsuhiro Ishida will control the pace of the fight with persistent wrestling and score a decision victory. This will help everyone in the end, since we will no longer have to deal withthe friend vs friend match up between Thomson and Melendez. Ishida by Decision.
DUSTY:Melendez – Bothhave a wrestling background. Ishida is probably better but Melendez will beat him up on the feet. Melendez sub 2nd rd.
TIM:Melendez vs Ishida will be a closer than everyone thinks but Melendez is too well rounded and will by submission so he will get another shot to battle with Josh Thomson.
JACK:Ishida is a master of decisions. This fight could turn out to be boring of Ishida has anything to do with it. Hopefully Melendez can finish him. I’m going with a Melendez (T)KO in the third.
GINA CARANO VS. CRISTIANE SANTOS
EDDIE:Damn this is tough. I really think that Cyborg will out the pressure on Carano early, but will she react when Gina is still standing there? It did take her 3 rounds to stop a woman she outweighed by 20+ lbs. I think Gina takes this by unanimous decision
RICHARD:Let’s take a look at the record of “The Face of Women’s MMA.” This fight will be the first time Gina Carano takes on a fighter coming off a win since December 2006. That is over two and a half years since she fought someone with any momentum moving in their direction. On top of that, the fighter who she fought in 2006 coming off a win, Elaina Maxwell, is now currently 2-3 in MMA. Let’s also take into account that Caranohas never fought a natural 145-pound fighter in her career. So what we have is a front-runner who beats up on smaller competition andtackles 52-year-old women on American Gladiators. Now that the rant is over, here is the technical analysis. Santos should have a huge advantage on the ground. The fight will end up there at least once during the 25 minutes and “Crush” will be submitted. Correction, since we know Carano is not going to make weight, I’ll say “during the 15 minutes.” Santos by Submission.
DUSTY:Cyborg – Originally I went with Carano but the more I think about it I see Cyborg overwhelming her. Caranohas a ton of heart but Cyborg is a vicious female. With it being five rounds I don’t see a decision which hurts Carano because she would get the nod in a close fight no doubt. Cyborg (T)KO 2nd rd.
TIM:The most controversial main event to date is also one of the most long awaits fights ever. Carano is hyped and very talented but I think after Saturday everyone will know who Cyborg is. Cyborg wins the decision 30-27 across the board.
JACK:No doubt about it Gina Carano is tough as they come. We’ve been waiting for this fight for a long time. This is a historical night for MMA and especially female MMA. I think Cyborg’s power is going to be too much for Carano. For once in her life she will feel like she is really being hit. Overwhelming (T)KO carpet bombing by Cyborg in round 1.