UFC On Fuel 1 Staff Picks

Diego Sanchez vs Jake Ellenberger

Cory - Ya know what, I think I’m willing to buy into the fact that Diego has been surpassed in this division. His talent and energy were great for a while, but at the moment, I think that Ellenberger has the skills to stuff his shot and the standup and offensive takedowns to get the win. ‘Berger - Decision

Earl - Diego Sanchez’s time as a title contender is up. His fight with Paulo Thiago was incredibly entertaining and a great victory for him but Ellenberger is a monster on the rise. Carlos Condit, be prepared. Jake Ellenberger, TKO, Round 2.

Jack - Diego has looked very suspect in 3 of his last 4 appearances. His takedowns aren’t good enough to trouble Ellenberger and his stand up lacks power and finesse. I see Ellenberger stopping him at some point but it should be a barnburner! Jake Ellenberger, TKO, Round 2

Luke - If Jake Ellenberger can’t finish Diego Sanchez, he’ll have only his cardio to blame, as I can’t really see Sanchez mounting much effective offense in this one. I want to agree with Earl and Jack and say that after an epic first round beating, Ellenberger finishes the job in the second. For some reason though, I can’t seem to get the image of a gassed Ellenberger out of my head. I kind of thought Ellenberger lost to Rocha and I kinda don’t think he’s too good past the first round. I mean, part of that is the fact that he usually unleashes a severe beating in that first round but some guys you just can’t put away and you should train to fight accordingly. Sanchez will stay in it and take the second and third in at least one judges eyes. Jake Ellenberger, Split decision.

Dave Herman vs Stefan Struve

Cory - It feels strange to think of Stefan Struve as the "old guard", but the kid’s been around for years, and has still yet to really find his rhythm. He lets strikers get in on him often, and while he looked better in the Barry fight, I’m not sure it’s enough to get him by the underrated Pee Wee. Herman - TKO

Earl - On one hand, I know Struve doesn’t know how to control distance. On the other hand, Herman had his hands full with Jon Olav Einemo standing. This could really go either way but I’ll go with The Skyscraper in what should be a wild one. Stefan Struve, TKO, Round 1.

Jack - As much as I want to see Herman submitted, I think Struve’s inability on the feet has become obvious, and his takedowns aren’t enough to trouble Herman. Herman via coming down the middle while Struve is pre-occupied throwing jumping knees and other nonsense. Herman, TKO, Round 2

Luke - Jack, I can agree that it’d be appropriate to see Herman, who said he "doesn’t believe in jiu jitsu" and "it might work, but it doesn’t work on me" get put to sleep by Struvey. I also agree with your assessment that it’s not going to happen. Despite those transgressions about jiu jitsu, Dave Herman is my kind of fighter. He doesn’t take himself too seriously outside of the cage (you couldn’t say such rubbish without being a bit of a joker plus he’s a great interview) and inside it he is a finishing machine. If you’ve never seen his fight against Jim York, congratulations, having read this post entitles you to go directly to youtube and watch it. Do not pass go, do not receive $200 dollars. Herman, TKO, Round 2


Ronny Markes vs Aaron Simpson

Cory - Markes is kind of intriguing. He’s very much a prospect at this point, but a pretty hot one, with only one loss on his record and riding a 5-fight win streak, including the likes of Paulo Filho and the uninspiring Karlos Vermola. That said, he’s cutting to middleweight for what I believe to be the the first time and it’s always rough to see how that plays out. I’ll take the safe bet with Aaron at the moment. Simpson - Decision

Earl - Hopefully Ronny Markes enjoys the feeling of being squashed between a man and chainlink fence for 15 minutes. Aaron Simpson, Unanimous Decision

Luke - At first glance this looks like a pretty easy pick, Aaron Simpson, decision. Simpson is 7-2 as a Zuffa fighter, which is pretty impressive. His losses to Chris Leben and Mark Munoz are acceptable and he was actually winning the Leben fight before tiring. It would seem that Ronny Markes is a little green to be able to handle Simpson’s wrestling, as he’s only had one fight stateside, spending nearly all of his young career in Brazil. Markes fights out of Nova Uniao, a camp that is having a ton of success against wrestlers as of late. So it’s a very close call in my opinion. Markes is 23, while Simpson is 37. I can’t go with a dog that old. Markes, TKO, Round 2.

John Albert vs Ivan Menjivar

Cory - Ivan is kind of a feel good story, having come out of a four-year retirement to go 3-1, including two straight in the UFC. Again, that said, I like Prince Albert to can Ivan with a late stoppage. Albert - TKO

Earl - Jeez. Another UFC fighter with a penis reference nickname.......Ivan Menjivar, Unanimous Decision

Luke - I kind of liked what I saw from Albert through the Ultimate Fighter. He took John Dodson to a decision and he ran through Dustin Pague at the Finale. He’s from the North West and got his first good training with Dennis Hallman. Apparently he was quite an amateur, and his pro record is littered with first round stoppages. Menjivar is a big step up, he has fought a lot of very good fighters. The thing is, he’s lost to just about every one of them. Albert is a very good fighter. Albert - TKO, Round 1.

Philip De Fries vs Stipe Miocic

Cory - Phil is the current Great Brit Hope after senor Bisping (who has no shot at beating Andy). He’s undefeated in the weakest division, and that’s as good a reason as anyone to get matched up higher and higher. Miocic is a midwestern fighter, and that normally raises eyebrows, but for once in recent memory, it looks like someone from that area might be the real deal. Continuing the trend of opening with the guy I think will lose, I’m picking Miocic - TKO

Earl - Stipe beat former UFC entertaining brawler Joey Beltran in his debut. De Fries is about to get honorarily Mexicuted. Stipe Miocic, TKO, Round 2.

Luke - I remember Miocic from the Bloody Elbow Scouting Report of 2011, where he was ranked 5th. His first fight with Joey Beltran confirmed the findings: He moves well, has good hands and can kick. I am pretty excited to see what this guy can do. This card is full of good young prospects and Miocic could be the best one, as he fights in the relatively shallow heavyweight division. As for Philip De Fries, well, I’ve yet to see him on any scouting report. I put my faith in Leland Rolling! Miocic - TKO, Round 2

T.J. Dillashaw vs Walel Watson

Cory - I still think that Dillashaw can do very well for himself in this sport. I don’t think Walel is all that good (having lost to Jabouin and even lesser competition). Dillashaw - Decision

Earl - Consider my opinion the exact opposite of Cory’s. Walel Watson, TKO, Round 3.

Luke - I thought Walel Watson deserved the victory over Yves Jabouin. Dillashaw failed to impress me with either his attitude or his skills on TUF. Despite that, I feel like this one is pretty easy: Watson isn’t going to be able to keep this fight standing and on the ground he is at a big disadvantage. Dillashaw - Unanimous Decision.

Jonathan Brookins vs Vagner Rocha

Cory - I’m not sold on Vagner ever making waves in this sport, but I’m even less sold on Brookins. I just think he gets overpowered here. Rocha - Submission

Earl - Hopefully this can at least be fun. Jonathan Brookins, Unanimous Decision.

Luke - Jonathan Brookins is born on the same day as I am, making him a winner in life. After absorbing just enough of Georges St. Pierre to win the Ultimate Fighter 12, Brookins got dynamo Erik Koch right out of the gate. Tough love. That he took a finisher like Koch to a decision is pretty good in my books. Rocha is a pretty one dimensional, ground fighter and he’s nowhere near as dangerous as Koch. I’m a big believer that when you fight a dangerous guy, your next fight is just that much easier. Brookins - Unanimous Decision.

Sean Loeffler vs Buddy Roberts

Cory - Man I’ve got zero clue about these first three fights. I went ahead and asked BE scouting expert Smoogy for some dishes on these and here’s what he had to say. "lolfler vs. roberts is like, barely Bellator prelim quality" Loeffler via funnier name - TKO

Earl - Loeffler has only had 1 of his 25 victories come by way of decision. Carlos Condit-esque in his finishing abilities is Sean Loeffler, Joe. Sean Loeffler, Submission, Round 1.

Luke - Sean Loeffler seems like a pretty serious young man. He’s 29 and aside from fighting, he’s the head instructor of grappling and MMA at a pretty sizeable gym in Oceanside, California. He’s put together a 25-5 record over 30 fights and is making his UFC debut. His opponent is Buddy Roberts, who hails from Jackson’s MMA. Sigh. Another tough pick. Loeffler likes to go for submissions so we’ll probably see Roberts keep the fight on the feet. I feel like a decision is pretty likely. Loeffler, Unanimous Decision.

Anton Kuivanen vs Justin Salas

Cory - Kuivanen is on the scouting report as the #8 LW prospect in the world. Justin Salas doesn’t have a Wikipedia page. F it. Kuivanen - KO

Earl - I gotta give the nod here to Finland in this one. Kuivanen, Submission, Round 2.

Luke - Yet another good fight at the bottom of the card. Justin Salas is a good young prospect. He fights out of a good camp, Grudge Training Center in Colorado. He may not be too heralded, but I think he’s been tested. Kuivanen is bringing over a substantial amount of experience, but it’s all been in the Finnish and Estonian MMA scene. That can’t be considered of equal value to whoever Salas has fought and certainly on a daily basis the training partners he’s going with are far better than anyone Kuivanen is able to have on a regular basis. Salas, Unanimous Decision.

Bernardo Magalhaes vs Tim Means

Cory - Again, "Means is a KOTC bum with a reinhardt like record." - Smoogy. Magalhaes by also having the last name of a real MMA fighter.

Earl - Um......sure. Bernardo Magalhaes, Unanimous Decision.

Luke - Maghales isn’t related to the more well known Vinny, with whom he shares a last name. His record is one of the stranger ones I’ve ever seen for a Brazilian born fighter: He’s had 9 decision victories on his way to a 11-1 record. Then again, he fought his entire professional career in Australia up to this point, so that could have something to do with it. I’m sort of torn on this one, since Means does have a pair of KOTC titles. Oh well, I’ll go with Magalhaes. Magalhaes, Unanimous Decision.

OVERALL STANDINGS for 2012

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