‘UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Nelson’ breakdown & predictions

A 5 round Heaveyweight bout between Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Roy Nelson will headline an explosive UFC Fight Night 39 card in Abu Dhabi. The other fights on man card include Clay Guida vs Tatsuya Kawajiri, John Howard vs Ryan LaFlare and Ramsey Nijem vs Beneil Dariush. So, let the breakdown begin!

Nijem vs Dariush
Nijem bested Justin Edwards in his last fight, while Dariush won his UFC debut against Charlie Brenneman via rear naked choke. Nijem has struggled to find consistency in his UFC career, while Dariush has run through his competition and sports a 7-0 record. Dariush has the potential to win this, Nijem often gets reckless, but I don’t think he will. Nijem will use his wrestling and top control to grind this one out.

Result: Nijem wins via unanimous decision

Howard vs LaFlare
This fight pits yet another undefeated fighter against a veteran. Ryan LaFlare is 10-0 and on a three fight win streak, including an upset win against Court McGee, while John Howard has gone 2-0 since returning to the UFC. Both guys have an offense that relies heavily on wrestling, but Howard has the heavy hands of the two. This looks to be a competitive fight, but I’m banking on Howard being one step ahead of LaFlare.

Result: Howard wins via 2nd rnd TKO

Guida vs Kawajiri
This fight is the one I’m most looking forward to! Kawajiri won his UFC debut by choking out Sean Soriano while Clay Guida is coming off of a knockout loss to Chad Mendes. Guida seems to be on the downside of his career, and I don’t know how much more he has in him. Kawijiri seems to have found new life after dropping to 145 pounds. I’m very impressed with his grappling skills but I don’t like the amount of damage he takes while pursuing takedowns. I’m going to go against the popular opinion on this one.

Result: Kawajiri wins via unanimous decision

Nogueira vs Nelson
Both of these fighters are coming off losses, Nelson’s to Daniel Cormier, and Big Nog’s to Fabricio Werdum. Big Nog has been through many wars and has a lot of mileage on his body. Roy Nelson possess monstrous punching power but lacks the skills or motivation to be truly elite. I don’t see Big Nog winning this one and I don’t think it goes the distance. If Big Nog does lose I think he should call it a career, he is a living legend and has nothing left to prove.

Result: Nelson wins via 2nd rnd TKO
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