PRO MMA (promma.info) would like to welcome a very special guest who joined in to share his professional MMA insight on our staff predictions for UFC 101 — SPIKE TV’s The Ultimate Fighter season 10 heavyweight contestant JUSTIN WREN.
PRO MMA (promma.info) will have a very special exclusive announcement concerning TUF 10’s Justin Wren in the very near future so stay tuned!
Now, on to the fights. On Sat., Aug. 8, “UFC 101: Declaration” will take place at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pa. The event will air live on Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. Here are our official PRO MMA (promma.info) staff picks for UFC 101’s main card, featuring our special guest JUSTIN WREN.
B.J. PENN vs. KENNY FLORIAN
JUSTIN WREN: BJ Penn because he is “The Prodigy” and he is a legend… he took the current Light Heavyweight Champion to a decision and he is going to be fighting Ken Flo at 155. If BJ is working hard and prepared mentally he will dominate.
DUSTY: Penn. Hard to go against Florian because he has become so well rounded but this is Penn’s natural weight class and he owns it. Of course BJ’s conditioning does come into questioning but I think he will be fine. Penn TKO 3rd rd.
JEFF: Kenny has come a long way. And as many know, I’m by in no way a Penn fan, far from it. With that said, I believe that Florian’s only chance is by cutting BJ early in the fight, but I see this fight getting left in the hands of the judges. I dont see BJ finishing Kenny, but do see him retaining the title with the decision win.
RICHARD: Kenny Florian’s leg kicks should worry BJ Penn fans, but I don’t see anyway in which he can finish the fight. Penn will take his opponent’s back in a scramble and finish the fight.
EDDIE: BJ for sure. I think he will be able to overwhelm Kenny and stop the fight inside 2 rounds. Bj by TKO.
DENNY: Everybody knows that Florian has improved leaps and bounds, and continues to impress everytime he steps foot in the Octagon. However, Penn is coming off a bad loss against GSP, and I see him going back to his throne at LW and making a huge statement to the rest of the lightweights out there starting with Kenny…. Penn by knockout in round 3.
JACK: Always the one to be different, I’m picking Kenny Florian. I honestly think it is his time. B.J. takes too much for granted. B.J. has very good boxing if he will use it. We didn’t see it against GSP. Who knows what B.J. will show up, there seem to be so many. Florian is on a mission. Round one or round two TKO by Florian.
ANDERSON SILVA vs. FORREST GRIFFIN
JUSTIN WREN: I think the super fight is a toss up. If Forrest heavily pressures Silva too much standing I think it is an easy win for Silva. If Forrest fights smart and uses his weight advantage and takes the fight to the ground then I think he has a much better chance. Standing I think Silva, ground I think Forrest, if it goes to the cards I will go with Forrest but it is still tough to call.
DUSTY: Silva. Griffin is an aggressive striker who comes straight at people which is perfect for Silva to counter because Griffin isn’t as quick. Griffin won’t be able to shy away from a slugfest and that will be his undoing. Silva TKO 2nd rd.
JEFF: The Spider’s mystique is not what it used to be. Forrest is a warrior, in every sense of the word. He just loves to fight. In the end, Forrest is just too big for Silva, and will utulize his size with his ground and pound. I see Griffin pulling out a win, by TKO.
RICHARD: Silva is going to stop Griffin in the later round. The TUF season 1 winner has worked hard to clean up his brawling style, but it still very far behind the champion’s. Griffin will get frustrated by Silva’s footwork and rush in. The will not be long after that.
EDDIE: Andserson takes this one and is back on top. Forrest will put up a great fight, but Silva takes advantage of his radar like precision for the wim.
DENNY: Silva has had some lackluster showings of late, and has been vocal about his will to win with minimal damage. Griffin on the other hand has engaged in bloody battles, and is always down for a brawl. If Griffin comes forward too aggressively, he will be playing right into Silva’s strengths, and it could be a short night for Griffin. I believe Griffin will fight with a smart game plan, one that will force Silva to engage, and will edge out a close decision victory over “The Spider.”
JACK: For all of Forrest’s great qualities and hard work, Anderson’s athleticism and technical striking combined with his natural talent will overwhelm Forrest. He will dance circles around the former light heavyweight champ… literally, but not for long. I think he wants to make a statement. The only way I see Forrest winning is via ground and pound but no one has been able to do it yet, not even Hendo. The scary thing people don’t talk about much is Silva may be even more dangerous at light heavyweight because of the extra weight behind his strikes. First round TKO by Silva.
RICARDO ALMEIDA vs. KENDALL GROVE
JUSTIN WREN: Almeida by sub… He just has wicked submissions.
DUSTY: Grove. It’s obvious Almeida just wants the fight to the ground. Grove should have a pretty decent reach advantage to keep him away. This could be a boring fight. Grove by unanimous decision.
JEFF: This could be the fight of the night. Both guys have the same reckless abandon mindset when they fight. I give an edge to Almeida and see him finishing Grove by TKO.
RICHARD: Kendall Grove is a really talented fighter who can’t take a solid shot to the chin. Lucky for him Almeida won’t be able to find Grove’s face with heavy strikes. Look for Grove to take a decision, but of course one punch could end his night.
EDDIE: Tough to call here. Ny heart lies with the Big Dog but it will be interesting to see how he deals with the length of Grove. Also with this being at 185 will his cardio be up to par? Grove by decision.
DENNY: Grove has rebounded from his 2 fight losing streak and has reeled off two consecutive victories. Almeida is coming off a victory over Horwich back at UFN 18, but will have trouble with Grove’s stand up game, and long size advantage. Grove will dominate this fight on his feet with his length on his way to a unanimous decision victory over Almeida.
JACK: This is a tough one to call. Almeida’s strength is the ground game but is Grove slick enough to stay out of trouble? Hard one… but I’m gonna go with Almeida by either decision or submission :).
KURT PELLEGRINO vs. JOSH NEER
JUSTIN WREN: I’d like to see Pelligrino win… There isn’t a whole lot to like about Neer except his fighting spirit, outside of the cage he seems like a dingle berry… So I hope Pelligrino wins.
DUSTY: Neer. This should be a good fight. If Neer is focused I see him grinding out a decision over a game Pellegrino.
JEFF: Josh Neer is going to cruise through Pellegrino, with relative ease and get the KO victory.
RICHARD: Despite his recent victories I’ve never been sold on Kurt Pellegrino. Josh Neer will have the size advantage, and the ability to keep the fight on the feet. In the stand up Neer will stalk his opponent and take a decision victory.
EDDIE: Neer by redneck beating and giving Pellegrino a ticket out of the UFC.
DENNY: Neer is coming off a submission victory win via triangle over TUF veteran Mac Danzig, and will be facing a strong ground fighter in Pellegrino. I believe this fight will be decided on the feet with both fighters using their boxing, but Pellegrino is getting the better with his hands. Pellegrino via decision.
JACK: I think Neer is more well-rounded. Both guys have recent losses to Nate Diaz which is interesting. Neer is tough and Pellegrino is resilient, I see Neer winning via decision or (T)KO.
JOHNY HENDRICKS vs. AMIR SADOLLAH
JUSTIN WREN: I think Hendricks wins due to his elite wrestling and his ground game. I think that Hendricks has had some of the best guidance around with Team Takedown and I think his training will pay off. Hendricks by
grinding out a decision.
DUSTY: Sadollah. Hendricks will probably dominate most of the way and Sadollah will submit him out of nowhere. Sadollah by sub 3rd rd.
JEFF: Saturday isnt here yet, so I’m still not convinced that we will see Amir in the Octagon, he is cursed. I think Hendricks is a big step up for Amir, and if he is to stand a chance, he will want to get this fight to the ground as soon as humanly possible. Johny has great wrestling and will stuff any takedown attempts from Amir. I got Hendricks by TKO.
RICHARD: There are very few non-main event fights that I have been waiting for more than this one. Amir Sadollah cannot wrestle at all. He was able to get past CB Dollaway and Gerald Harris with his submission game. That will not be the case here. Johny Hendricks is a stellar wrestler and will be able to avoid all Sadollah’s submissions and win a decision.
RICHARD: Hendricks by decision. This has lay and pray written all over it. A repeated cycle of Hendricks defending Sadollah’s submission attempts en route to a decision.
DENNY: Sadollah has been out of action for over a year, and will be facing a world class wrestler in Johny Hendricks who is looking to build on his 5-0 record against the TUF season 7 winner. Sadollah has faced strong wrestlers in the past, and defeated CB Dollaway in the TUF finale. Ring rust will be a factor early, but Sadollah will weather the early assault of Hendricks and win via submission in Round 3.
JACK: Who the hell knows what Amir will bring to the table after all this time? It will almost be like the first time jitters all over again. We just don’t know enough about Amir at this point after all this time. Will he rise to the occasion? The odds have to lie with Hendricks with his experience not to mention the obvious wrestling advantage. First or second round (T)KO for Hendricks.
PRO MMA (promma.info) would like to thank Justin Wren for participating in our PRO MMA staff picks for UFC 101. Be sure to watch Justin on the UFC’s The Ultimate Fighter season 10 which debuts on SPIKE TV Wed., Sept. 16, 2009.