Middleweight Bout: Nate Quarry (USA) vs. Demian Maia (Brazil)
Quarry is a former Ultimate Fighter guy. He was on the show until he injured his ankle but stuck around to help coach. Since then, he’s 5-1 with his only loss coming against Rich Franklin for the UFC Middleweight Championship. Maia on the other hand is undefeated. He’s 8-0 but only 3 of those fights have been in the UFC. All of his UFC victories have been by submission so Quarry will need to be on the lookout for that. Quarry is a freestyle fighter while Maia is a proponent of the ever-successful Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. These two will compliment each other well, since Maia likes submissions and most of Quarry’s victories are by knockout. It’s a tough one to call by from my knowledge of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Quarry could be in trouble…big trouble.
My Projected Winner: Demian Maia

Heavyweight Bout: Gabriel Gonzaga (Brazil) vs. Josh Hendricks(USA)
Gabriel Gonzaga is known more for knocking out Mirko Cro Cop. For those that didn’t see it, go look it up on YouTube. It’s a kick to the head followed by Cro Cop dropping like a sack of sh*t. I don’t know too much about Hendricks. Gonzaga suffered two setbacks with losses to Randy Couture and Fabricio Werdum before defeating Justin McCully at UFC 86. I think Gonzaga’s a future Heavyweight champ. He can get back on the winning track with a victory over Hendricks. That’s why I’m taking the Brazilian.
My Projected Winner: Gabriel Gonzaga

Lightweight Bout: Kenny Florian (USA) vs. Joe Stevenson (USA)
Kenny “Ken-Flo” Florian is on a roll. He’s won 8 of his last 9 fights. Does he deserve another title shot? I think so. Enter Joe Stevenson. He’s won 5 of his last 6 fights with his only loss to BJ Penn for the UFC Lightweight Championship. The going word is that the winner of this fight will face Sean Sherk to determine the #1 Contender for the UFC Lightweight Championship. To say this was a big fight would be another understatement. Ken-Flo was on the first season of the Ultimate Fighter while Stevenson was on the second season. These two guys are home-grown UFC talent. I know a little more about Florian so that’s who I’m going with in this one.
My Projected Winner: Kenny Florian

UFC Heavyweight Championship
Randy Couture © (USA) vs. Brock Lesnar (USA)
This is a match that’s peaked my interest quite a bit. Brock Lesnar is a former NCAA wrestling champion. Randy “The Natural” Couture is former collegiate, armed forces, Olympics, etc. wrestler. He’s also a 6-time UFC Champion and UFC Hall of Famer. To say Lesnar is an underdog on paper would be an understatement. Lesnar is 2-1 in his young MMA career. I think he’s been rushed to a title shot a little early. It looks as if Dana White & Co. are striking while the Lesnar iron is hot to get him a title shot. Lesnar seems like one they could build the depleted heavyweight division around. Couture is an aging fighter. I read his book “Becoming the Natural” and I’ve got a whole new respect for the man. He’s been through a lot. I for one am glad to see him back in the UFC. I’m not going to lie; he’s got his work cut out for him. Lesnar is a physical specimen who could kill the average person with his bare hands. I’m not exaggerating that one. These types of fights are tough to predict. I’m still trying to figure out why I’ve taken on this responsibility. As for the outcome, I think Couture’s experience will prevail in the end. When Lesnar walked into the knee bar in his fight with Frank Mir, it seemed like inexperience. I think that will be the same with his fight with Couture. The winner will go on to face the winner of the interim fight in a few weeks between Frank Mir and Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira. I’m going with Randy “The Natural” Couture in this one.
My Projected Winner: Randy Couture

That’s this month’s UFC Uncut. I should be back next month with a preview of UFC 92 which features two championship fights! Have a great weekend!

Light Heavyweight Bout: Jason MacDonald (Canada) vs. Demian Maia (Brazil)
Demian Maia is known as one of the best Brazilian Jiu Jitsu guys in the world. He’s got 7 wins, 5 of them by submission. His last fight was a win over former TUF fighter Ed Herman. This will only be his 3rd fight of his young UFC career. Jason MacDonald is known as the “Athlete.” He’s got 20 wins, 16 coming via a submission. His last fight was against Joe Doerksen at UFC 83 in which he won by TKO. Both of these guys are Brazilian Jiu Jitsu guys. I expect a submission to end this bout for Maia.
My Projected Winner: Demian Maia

Lightweight Bout: Manny Gamburyan (Armenia) vs. Rob Emerson (United States)
Manny “The Pitbull” Gamburyan is a judo guy from Armenia. Five out of his eight wins have come by submission. His latest win was against Jeff Cox at UFC Fight Night 13. Emerson was a former fighter on TUF 5. He employs the kickboxing in his style. He’s got a record of 7-6 with one no contest. I honestly think Gamburyan will take this one. No disrespect to Emerson but I feel Manny will take him down.
My Projected Winner: Manny Gamburyan

Heavyweight Bout: Brock Lesnar (United States) vs. Heath Herring (United States)
You all know about Lesnar. The former WWE Champion made his Octagon debut a few months ago with a somewhat impressive showing. Lesnar came out against Frank Mir, throwing shot after shot. I figured he would win by knockout until he walked into a knee bar and had to tap. Lesnar can be the face of the heavyweight division, provided he wins some fights. Herring is known as the “Texas Crazy Horse.” He’s best known for knocking out Yoshihiro Nakao after Nakao kissed him on the lips during a pre-fight stare down. Herring responded by knocking him out cold, thus being disqualified. His most recent win was against the Frenchman Cheick Kongo. For Lesnar to win, he needs to come out swinging like last time but stay alert for submissions. He literally walked into the knee bar in his last fight. For Herring to win, he might want to utilize the ground game he used against Kongo. Herring wanted to stand but Kongo wasn’t having any of that. For this one, I have to go with Lesnar.
My Projected Winner: Brock Lesnar

Lightweight Bout: Kenny Florian (United States) vs. Roger Huerta (United States)
This is the most hyped bout on the card, believe it or now. I watched Florian on the Ultimate Fighter. He lost to Diego Sanchez in the final. He’s won most of his fights via submission. Huerta on the other hand is a striking type of guy with 13 wins coming via knockout. Now, people are ready to see this fight. I really can’t hype it up too much. However, I’m going with Kenny “Ken Flo” Florian to win.
My Projected Winner: Kenny Florian

UFC Welterweight Championship
Georges St. Pierre (Canada) © vs. Jon Fitch (United States)
GSP is the shit. He’s one of the best fighters I’ve ever seen. He utilizes karate-type striking, ground & pound and many takedowns. He defeated Matt “The Terror” Serra to become the undisputed Welterweight Champion. Fitch is a great contender in his own right. He’s won 8 straight fights, dating back to 2003. He utilizes more of a submission type style in my opinion. He’s a very worthy contender for GSP’s title. He’s 22-2 and ready to make it 23-2. On the flip side, I think GSP will take this one.
My Projected Winner: Georges St. Pierre

That’s it for this edition of UFC Uncut. Everybody have a great weekend!!! GO TEAM USA!!!

Lightweight Bout: Tyson Griffin (USA) vs. Marcus Aurelio (Brazil)
The lightweights are the 146 to 155 pound weight class, for those that are new to the sport. We’ll get to the other weight classes as we move along. Griffin is fighting out Las Vegas, Nevada and he’s most known for his wrestling ability. Every time I’ve seen him fight, he’s always won by decision. Aurelio is fighting out of Boca Raton, Florida but he’s from Brazil. He likes to use Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He’s got a pro record of 16-5 with 10 victories coming by submission. He uses armbars and chokeholds to get the win. With Griffin employing a ground game, this will be one of those ground bouts. I’m not a big fan of them because I like to see knockout punches and kicks. I’m not a huge fan of wearing your opponent down by laying on him. Funny, I like football games that are defensive games instead of an offensive show. I think Griffin will pull this one out. I may be biased because of him being an American but I’ve seen him fight more. I know a little more about him than Aurelio.
My Projected Winner: Tyson Griffin

Welterweight Bout: Josh Koscheck (USA) vs. Chris Lytle (USA)
Welterweights are in the 156 to 170 pound weight class. I haven’t liked Koscheck since his appearance on The Ultimate Fighter 1. He just got on my nerves then. He was competing in the middleweight division before dropping down to the welterweights. He’s fighting out of Fresno, California. Koscheck likes to wrestle. He’s a former NCAA National Champion and All-American. Besides wrestling, he also uses kickboxing. Anytime I’ve seen Koscheck fight, he’s used a ground game to wear down his opponents. Chris Lytle on the other hand likes to use boxing and jiu-jitsu. I’ve seen him standup on a number of occasions. For him to win, he needs to keep Koscheck on his feet. I don’t think Koscheck is as strong on his feet as he would like to be. For him to win, he needs to get it on the ground and pound.
My Projected Winner: Chris Lytle

Lightweight Bout: Joe Stevenson (USA) vs. Gleison Tibau (Brazil)
As noted before, the lightweights are the 146 to 155 pound weight class. Stevenson is a former TUF Winner when he won season 2. He’s fighting out of Victorville, California. Stevenson had a shot at the Interim UFC Lightweight Championship but lost to BJ Penn. I don’t know too much about Tibau except he’s from Brazil and he uses jiu-jitsu. With that said, I’m going with Stevenson in this one. Hopefully I can get a better look at Tibau this weekend.
My Projected Winner: Joe Stevenson

Middleweight Bout: Patrick Cote (Canada) vs. Ricardo Almeida (Brazil)
Middleweight fighters are 171 to 185 pounds. Almeida’s fighting out of Brazil. He’s a former PRIDE fighter and Pancrase Middleweight King. He naturally employs the jiu-jitsu style of fighting. Most of the fights I’ve seen him win he’s either done by decision or submission. Cote (pronounce co-tay) is fighting out of Quebec City, Canada. He’s the current King of the Cage Canadian Light Heavyweight Champion. He’s the more rounded of the two, using wrestling, boxing, kickboxing and jiu-jitsu. This fight is rumored to be for a title shot against Anderson Silva. I wouldn’t want to be either of these guys facing Silva. He’s pretty much a bad ass. I think though, his fellow countryman Almeida takes this one.
My Projected Winner: Ricardo Almeida

UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (USA) © vs. Forrest Griffin (USA)
As Bruce Buffer would say…IT’S TIME!!! I’ve been waiting for this fight ever since Griffin beat Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, who some consider the best Middleweight fighter in the world. Let’s get this out of the weight. Light heavyweights range from 186 to 205 pounds. UFC President Dana White then announced on the Ultimate Fighter Finale 6 that Griffin would be the #1 Contender to Jackson’s title and a coach on TUF 7. Jackson, for those that don’t know, knocked out “The Iceman” Chuck Liddell. I watched the fight live and it lasted a minute & a half. Jackson then went on to beat PRIDE Middleweight Champion Dan Henderson (USA) to unify the two belts. He’s a big dude to be 6′1″ and 205 pounds. He likes to wrestle but he can throw a knockout punch, like the one that caught Liddell. Forrest Griffin on the other hand is a more well-rounded fighter. He’s got an underrated ground game. He uses a lot of boxing and jiu-jitsu. I think for Forrest to win, he’s got to avoid the knockout blow. He might want to get the fight on the ground to avoid it. He can probably outlast Jackson and make him make a mistake to win the bout. For Jackson to win, he’ll need to knockout Forrest out but Forrest has one of those iron jaws. It will be interesting. Since Forrest is technically a Georgia boy and I’ve seen him get his ass kicked but still win, I’m going with him.
My Projected Winner: Forrest Griffin

Well, that’s the first edition of UFC Uncut. I’ll be back here before each PPV to breakdown and give my “limited” analysis. I promise this blog will get better as we go along. I can’t wait until the PPV this weekend! We’ll see if my boy Forrest can pull it out. I hope everybody has a great weekend!