Since some of these fights are old guy vs. old guy, this is my disclaimer. If one of these idiots shows up completely out of shape, it isn’t my fault. Thanks, management.

Kazuo Misaki vs. Logan Clark

Looks like another attempt at Zuffa to get a win overseas in a win-win situation for them. A lower ranked fighter beats a well-known Japanese fighter? Didn’t work for Rani Yahya.

Anyways, Misaki has looked good in his last two fights. His battle with Akiyama was ruled a No Contest due to an illegal soccer kick KO, but the moments leading up to the KO still showed some improvements from Misaki. His striking was definitely a danger for Akiyama.

Clark is coming to Japan from the WEC. While he sports an 11-1 record, he’s fought a lot of subpar competition. If Misaki is truly on the rebound from his losses in PRIDE, Clark could be in for a rude awakening. After all, how can I pick against a guy who beat Baroni, Henderson, Kang, and Shooto champ Siyar Bahadurzada. I can’t.

Leland’s Prediction: Kazuo Misaki via decision
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Hidehiko Yoshida vs. Maurice Smith

Battle of the veteran MMA gods, Yoshida is coming off a loss to Josh Barnett at Sengoku I while Smith is back after a win over Rick Roufus at Strikeforce at the Dome, the most boring card ever!  At least YAMMA had Butterbean rolling on the floor.

Yoshida has fought much better competition over his career, although he’s lost nearly every single battle against top 10 competition. He’s a judoka with some decent submission game, but he’s been fighting on a less regular basis lately.

Maurice Smith hasn’t fought regularly in nearly 7 years, but has recently begun to make his way back into the sport. Smith has some decent standup and submissions, but I doubt he can catch Yoshida with a punch or submit him. Yoshida should have the edge, and his judo skills will likely be the culprit in putting Smith on his back. I’d like to think Yoshida can submit Smith in this one.

Leland’s Predictions: Hidehiko Yoshida via submission, Round 1
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Nick “The Goat” Thompson vs. Michael Costa

This should be a win for Thompson all the way. Thompson has great wrestling, grappling, submissions, and some decent striking along with very good cardio. He’s a well-rounded athlete who can take it to opponents from the get-go or wear them down gradually. It’s a shame he hasn’t made his way back to the UFC just yet.

Costa has some submission abilities along with KO power, but it’s likely that Thompson will use his wrestling to control the fight on the ground.

Leland’s Predictions: Nick Thompson via TKO/KO, Round 1
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Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Travis “I need a room with a” Wiuff

Fujita has fought the best in the world at Heavyweight. In fact, he’s only lost to top competition in the sport. He has a solid wrestling background and heavy, heavy hands coupled with the hardest chin we’ve ever seen in the sport. It’s next to impossible to knock Fujita out.

I don’t expect Travis Wiuff to try to knock out Fujita, but I will expect Wiuff to try to take Fujita down for some lay n’ pray fun. Wiuff has some ground and pound capabilities and is able to pull off choke submission from time to time, but against another wrestler like Fujita, we could see Wiuff falling like a tree.

Leland’s Prediction: Kazuyuki Fujita via TKO/KO, Round 2
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Quick Picks
Mu Bae Choi vs. Marcio “Pe de Pano” Cruz: I haven’t seen the legacy of “Pe de Pano” in the UFC, but I’ve heard it’s quite humorous. Regardless, Choi will have some wrestling abilities in this fight while Cruz has the jiu-jitsu background to counter. I’ll go with Cruz due to his credentials in the grappling department and flexibility. Cruz via submission, Round 2

Kazuo Takahashi vs. Fabio Silva: Takahashi has a weak chin, and Silva loves to strike, what more could you ask for in a match tailor made for Fabio to win. Silva via TKO/KO, Round 1

Sanae Kikuta vs. Chris Rice: Kikuta hasn’t fought since 2006 in PRIDE, but he’s still a very tough submission fighter. He doesn’t have the finishing power for the KO, and he’s had problems submitting opponents in his more recent battles, but Rice is a straight up striker from Britain. Look for Kikuta to take this one to the floor quickly and end it. Kikuta via submission, Round 1

Jorge Masvidal vs. Rodrigo Damm: This should be an interesting fight. Damm holds some decent wins including a submission stoppage over Kultar Gill. He’s definitely going to try to get this to the floor where it favors him. Masvidal has a well rounded skillset though, and he’s got some able striking to punch out Damm. His training at American Top Team can only help him defend against the submission. Masvidal via decision

Two of the bigger mixed martial arts promotions in the market will be holding events this weekend, and Cage Rage will provide us with some entertainment on Saturday during the daytime hours for fans in the States. Cage Rage 26 isn’t the most stacked card we’ve seen in recent months, and it really doesn’t even make a blip on the radar for casual MMA fans. Nonetheless, its MMA action, and it should provide some big knockouts that Cage Rage is usually known for producing.

Main Event
Ian Freeman vs. Paul Cahoon: Both guys could be easily labeled as ground and pound/standup fighters. Cahoon is riding a five-fight winning streak while Freeman has been retired since September of 2006. Freeman has the edge in experience and has fought much tougher competition in his career, but cage rust and age could be huge factors in this battle. Cahoon is very susceptible to the knockout, but Freeman has also shown that weakness in the past. This very well could be an evenly matched fight. I’ll take Freeman due to experience, but don’t doubt that Cahoon could possibly get the upset win here. Freeman via TKO, Round 2

Ross Mason vs. Ross Pointon: TUF alum Ross Pointon had an impressive outing in his last fight despite losing due to a horrible cut on his forehead. It wasn’t exactly the most technical bout he’s ever had, but he showed heart and threw huge blows despite being rocked a few times. Once again, both guys are bangers, but Pointon has the most abysmal submission defense. If Mason can simply get to the ground, Pointon could be in trouble. Regardless, I think this will end in a knockout. Mason via TKO, Round 2

Mark Epstein vs. Matt Ewin: Ewin will look to take this to the ground, but he’ll have some problems with Epstein’s size most likely. Epstein is the typical British fighter in that he wants to bang most of the fight. With his size advantage, he may be able to simply use top control to pound out a win here. Epstein via TKO, Round 1

James Zikic vs. Rodney Faverus: Zikic should win this one as he is much more well-rounded than Faverus. He has some good wrestling abilities coupled with some good striking skills that should present problems for Faverus’s weak submission defense. Look for Zikic to work his strikes and hit the ground for the submission. Zikic via submission, Round 2

Henrique Nogueira vs. Marc Goddard: Nogueira has already defeated Goddard once back in October of 2005, and it should go the same way this time around. Goddard just recently came back into the sport in March, but his history would indicate that he is susceptible to the submission. Has his defense improved? We’ll find out, but Nogueira sunk in a guillotine early in their last fight. Nogueira via submission, Round 1

Brad Pickett vs. Paul Reed: This fight is shaping up to be a battle between two solid combatants. Pickett has some able power and submission skills while Reed also possesses the same skillset. Pickett has more experience however, and he’s fought some better competition in his career. Reed hasn’t fought great competition at all, and I think the edge lies with Pickett. Pickett via submission, Round 1

Marius Zaromskis vs. Che Mills: I’m taking Marius here for the simple fact that he has awesome power and heavy hands that could potentially put Mills down. IN their first meeting, Mills got the best of Zaromskis, but that was nearly a year and a half ago. This one should be a great toe-to-toe battle. Zaromskis via TKO, Round 2

Edgeleson Lue vs. Chris Rice: Lue only has 3 professional bouts, but he has some heavy hands. Unfortunately for Lue, Rice also has some heavy hands coupled with some solid experience in the cage. This could be Lue’s big break to move up to some better competition. Rice may be too much to handle here however, so I’m going to stick with experience. Rice via TKO, Round 1

Gary Kelly vs. Harvey Harra: This is ultimately a pick’em fight. Harra has more experience, but he seems weak to the submission. Kelly has 3 total fights with one going to a no-contest. We can’t make any broad predictions based on his record, but Harra just isn’t that impressive to take right now. Kelly via submission, Round 1

Popek Rak vs. Kevin Simms: Simms is 1-5 with a weak chin while Rak is 1-0 with some power in his hands. Rak should take this one and remain undefeated. Rak via TKO, Round 1