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

After a lax weekend of mixed martial arts action with only the lone ShoXC card making waves in the American market, World Extreme Cagefighting will hold its 33rd event on Wednesday night back in Las Vegas, Nevada. Featured on the event’s main card will be a Light Heavyweight title bout between current champion Doug “The Rhino” Marshall and Iraqi war hero Brian Stann. The undefeated Stann will be looking to use his size to topple the smaller Marshall. In other action, Brock Larson will make his return to the WEC cage against the veteran John Alessio. Ed Ratcliff will be looking to continue his success by using his dynamic striking abilities against a very tough opponent in Marcus Hicks. It looks to be a fantastic night of exciting bouts that should provide some validation for some of the up-and-coming talent in the WEC.

Main Event: Doug Marshall vs. Brian Stann

Brian Stann may finally be the answer that fans have been looking for when it comes to defeating Doug Marshall. With a large frame and a distinct reach and height advantage, Stann could be the immovable object that Marshall simply won’t be able to push away. In most of Stann’s previous bouts, he cruised relatively easy through the first round with crushing TKO wins over Jeremiah Billington, Craig Zellner, and Steve Cantwell. Although he hasn’t faced the stiffest of competition, his overall physical attributes make him a danger to Marshall.

Marshall may have some problems with Stann’s size, but he definitely has the aggressiveness to catch the lengthy war veteran. My biggest knock on Marshall in the past has been his sloppy striking that still seems to win him most of his battles. He’s also seemed to pick up a decent jiu-jitsu base, although it was only proven recently against Ariel Gandulla. I don’t believe Marshall can work that type of game on the ground against Stann, and I have a solid belief that Stann will be the fighter that can neutralize Marshall in the standup game.

Leland’s Predictions: Brian Stann via TKO, Round 1

This is going to be a stand-up war until someone takes one on the chin. My guess is that’s going to be Marshall. Stann has a warrior mentality and throws some nice straight punches down the middle. Marshall is more of a brawler that likes to throw looping overhand punches. He’s a little short to be fighting at light-heavyweight, so I expect Stann to be able to avoid those looping punches and beat Marshall to the punch with his straight punches. Look for Stann to finish Marshall early with strikes.

Joe's Prediction: Brian Stann via TKO, Round 1
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John Alessio vs. Brock Larson

On paper, this is a fight that fans should be looking forward to for a couple of reasons. First, Larson has only lost twice in his career and his second loss was only as recent as in August of last year to Carlos Condit. Secondly, Alessio is not only a great fighter, but he’s also a veteran with a plethora of experience against tougher competition than Larson has taken on. It should be a decent wrestling matchup for both fighters, and I’m intrigued to see how Larson will do against able competition that isn’t on the UFC level, but still has a solid skillset to counter him.

The more I look at this matchup, the more I’m beginning to like John Alessio in this fight. He has more experience, been in the cage against tougher competition, and has added power in his hands that Larson has never really had. He has a solid wrestling base, and can use the talent at Xtreme Couture gym to supplement his training. Larson has a solid record, but many of his wins are against subpar competition. He also has controlling ground and pound, but I think Alessio can neutralize Larson.

Leland’s Prediction: John Alessio via unanimous decision
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