UFC 108: Evans vs. Silva Predictions

by Guillaume Coufleau

The Ultimate Fighting Championship will host UFC 108: Evans vs. Silva on Jan. 2, 2010 to launch the New Year. The event will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. with eleven bouts on the fight card and two preliminary fights airing live on Spike TV for free.

Since the fight card was modified repeatedly due to fighter injuries and illness such as current UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, Anderson Silva, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Gabriel Gonzaga, Tyson Griffin, Carlos Condit, Sean Sherk and Rory Markham–it could have been renamed ‘UFC 108: Cursed.’

Former Light Heavyweight Champion and Ultimate Fighter season 10 coach Rashad Evans will headline the event with Thiago Silva. Also on the card is a promising clash between Junior Dos Santos and Gilbert Yvel in the Heavyweight division.

Main Card Predictions:

Rashad Evans (13-1-1) vs. Thiago Silva (14-1)

Both fighters have suffered a KO loss at the hands of Lyoto Machida. Following this loss, Evans has been a coach during season 10 of the reality show The Ultimate Fighter. Silva bounced back with a big first round KO over Keith Jardine at UFC 102. Silva likes to engage aggressively to finish quickly while Evans likes to counter. Moreover Evans is a slow starter who doesn’t fear a fight that goes the distance and this could be a real test for Silva’s cardio since he went beyond the second round only one time in his career. On the feet Evans will oppose his boxing to Silva’s Muay Thai. Once on the ground it’s gonna be the college wrestling of Evans against Silva’s Brazilian jiu jitsu (black belt) but both of them have shown a preference for stand up. Different styles but same efficiency in every aspects of the game. Evans has tested his game against bigger names than Silva did though. As he showed as a coach during TUF 10, he is more likely to work patiently on an efficient game plan and follow it unlike Silva who is wilder.

Predicted winner: Rashad Evans

Dustin Hazelett (14-4) vs. Paul Daley (22-8-2)

Dustin Hazelett was previously scheduled to face Karo Parisyan at UFC 106 but the fight had been canceled after Parisyan pulled out. Paul Daley is coming off of an incredible KO victory over Martin Kampmann during his UFC debut last September. Daley is a powerful puncher but Hazelett is surely not going to give him a stand up battle. Hazelett has won nine of his bouts by submission and his last two appearances earned him the Submission of the Night honors. Regardless, Daley is able to dish out a hard hit from out of nowhere and turn Hazelett’s lights off. If Hazelett can take the fight to the ground quickly he is more likely to submit Daley like five other men did before him.  But he is going to be on the razor’s edge each time he will go for a take down.

Predicted winner: Dustin Hazelett

Joe Lauzon (17-4) vs. Sam Stout (15-5-1)

This fight has all the ingredients of an explosive match. Both fighters have been awarded fight and submission of the night honors in their last fights. Joe Lauzon has good stand up but Stout has a background in Muay Thai and kickboxing to counter him so they can trade some explosive exchanges. Once on the ground Lauzon clearly has the advantage and many fighters have been caught in his submission game. Stout tends to have problems to finish his fights since he started competing in the UFC.  Joe Lauzon, on the other hand, never lets the decision go to the judges. Both men had a long lay off –Joe Lauzon has not fought in almost a year and he has been recovering from a knee injury. It remains to be seen if that will affect his performance.

Predicted winner: Joe Lauzon

Jim Miller (15-2) vs. Duane Ludwig (27-9)

Duane Ludwig is back in the UFC seven years after his first and only appearance in the promotion. Miller will be a tough opponent with five UFC bouts under his belt including four wins. Miller is a well-rounded fighter but the mat is clearly where he likes to end his fights thanks to his Brazilian jiu jitsu and wrestling skills. Ludwig can hit hard but once on the ground he shows some weaknesses and a poor submission defense. Miller would be wise to take him to the canvas early and then submit him.

Predicted winner: Jim Miller

Junior Dos Santos (9-1) vs. Gilbert Yvel (36-13-1, 1 NC)

Yvel is five times more experienced than Dos Santos but he is making his UFC debut while Dos Santos has three UFC bouts under his belt. Dos Santos is running a 4-win streak including a devastating first-round KO against Fabricio Werdum at UFC 90 and a win over Mirko ‘Cro-Cop’ at UFC 103. Dos Santos has a brown belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu but he also has  a kickboxing record of 18-0 and with seven MMA wins by (T)KO he has shown his preference for stand up and that’s exactly where Yvel excels. He has sick striking skills and with 31 wins by (T)KO he doesn’t need to prove how dangerous he is on his feet. If the fight goes to the ground Yvel, as a Brazilian jiu jitsu purple belt, has the tools to oppose a good resistance but his ground game is not as good as Dos Santos. Expect fireworks inside the octagon, Dos Santos is young and hungry and Yvel is just wild, too much so sometimes as several DQ losses on his record show. As member of Team Black House, Dos Santos has trained with the best in the sport: Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, the Nogueiras brothers, resulting in a five stars tutelage. This fight can turn into a trap for Dos Santos and if it doesn’t go to the ground, he will be exposed to the KO power of Yvel and everything can happen.

Predicted winner: Junior Dos Santos

Spike TV Card:

Martin Kampmann vs. Jacob Volkmann

Cole Miller vs. Dan Lauzon

Preliminary Card:

Vladimir Matuyshenko vs. Steve Cantwell

Mark Munoz vs. Ryan Jensen

Mike Pyle vs. Jake Ellenberger

Rafaello Souza vs. John Gunderson