Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson

There is no real reason to believe that James Thompson can change the past or his chin. Unless he's chewing on pine bark like Jack Dempsey was once rumored to do in order to strengthen his jaw, Thompson's huge weakness will likely be exploited.

Thompson does however have some wrestling ability in his background, and he has spent some time training at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas with its veteran stable of fighters. It's likely his gameplan will involve trying to put Kimbo to the floor, but I firmly believe that Thompson won't be the guy to test Kimbo's ground guy. Kimbo has the added bonus of being very powerful to blow through submission attempts. I doubt we'll see Thompson get to that position.

Leland's Prediction: Kimbo Slice via TKO/KO, Round 1

Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith

This could very well be the most talked about fight of the evening. Two veteran strikers will go toe-to-toe in the cage, but I'm going to favor Lawler for a few reasons. Smith has had some problems on the ground, but he's been rather dominant in the standup game. The only problem for him in this fight is that Lawler has monster power to counter Smith's hands as well. He's also shown some patience in the standup game that really favors him in the later rounds.

An added bonus is that Lawler has great takedown defense and some solid wrestling ability if he gets into trouble. Look for Lawler to keep his distance, find his range, and explode. It's going to be very hard for Smith to avoid those huge arms on Lawler.

Leland's Prediction: Robbie Lawler via TKO/KO, Round 2

Joey Villasenor vs. Phil Baroni

For some odd reason, I think Phil may be taking this fight much more seriously than he did Kala Hose. Will his cardio have improved significantly is the real question, and Villasenor is a survivor in the cage. He has a solid chin, great cardio, and the ability to land some big punches. Baroni will likely come out with an onslaught of attacks, but Villasenor has the skills to outlast Baroni.

I can't exactly pick Baroni after his performance against Hose, but he could prove me wrong in saying that he's lost a step.

Leland's Prediction: Joey Villasenor via unanimous decision

Gina Carano vs. Kaitlin Young

A lot of writers are giving Kaitlin the nod here, and it can be justified when looking at her training regiment and striking. She'll likely be a cardio machine, but can she equal Carano's tenacity in the striking game. Sarah Schneider proved that Kaitlin's ground game needs a lot of work, but Carano probably won't be a force there.

Kaitlin has some strong striking, but Carano is known for being a powerful, yet accurate puncher.  She will also have some strong kicks, and hopefully some good wrestling ability on the ground. Kaitlin will be a great bet for those of you looking cash in, but I have to pick Gina Carano. While I know she's mentioned the layoff of training leading up to this bout, I still think her striking will be hard to deal with, but I'll be laying some cash on Kaitlin in case I'm wrong.

Leland's Prediction: Gina Carano via unanimous decision

Brett Rogers vs. Jon Murphy

This should be a good matchup. Murphy is explosive while Rogers possesses heavy hands as well. Murphy does has 2 losses on his record, one being to Houston Alexander, so he is susceptible to the onslaught, but Rogers likes to be patient. I'm more inclined to pick Rogers due to how tough it is to move him around to the floor, and the fact that his power is going to be a huge problem if he catches Murphy.

Leland's Prediction: Brett Rogers via KO/TKO, Round 1

Quick Picks
Justin Robbins vs. Wilson Reis: There's some hype surrounding Reis, and he has a slick grappling pedigree that could present problems for Robbins. Robbins is a nice solid opponent for Reis, but I think Reis has this one. Reis via submission, Round 2

Nick Serra vs. Matt Makowski: Serra has the grappling advantage, so look for him to get this to the floor quickly. Makowski is fairly green in the MMA game so far, but he's proven to be a tough opponent at 2-0. Serra via submission, Round 2

Andres Soares vs. Zach Makovsky: Soares finishes fights, and Makovsky can't seem to finish. Soares via submission, Round 1

Joe Sampieri vs. Mike Groves: Battle of the winless, pick'em. Sampieri via TKO, Round 2

Jim Bova vs. Chris Liguori: Chris has had some absolute wars with Jim Miller before, and I don't see how he won't be bringing that kind of heart to this fight. Bova will be a load though, and he's definitely an upcoming prospect. I'll pick the upset. Bova via TKO/KO, Round 1

James “Binky” Jones vs. Calvin Katter: Gotta go with Jones here. He may have a .500 record, but it's mostly losses to talent that's headed to the UFC or higher promotions. Katter is just starting out. Jones via submission, Round 1

Carlos Moreno vs. Carlton Haselrig: Moreno is weak on the ground, but Haselrig likely won't present any danger in that capacity. Moreno should get the knockout in this one. Moreno via KO/TKO, Round 1

Another installment of EliteXC's proving ground will take place on Friday night with a ShoXC event from the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The card features BodogFIGHT veteran Eddie Alvarez vs. Ross "The Boss" Ebanez, and the debut of British knockout artist Paul Daley vs. TUF contestant Sammy Morgan. Tonya Evinger, Julie Kedzie, Kala Kolohe Hose, and a number of newcomers will also throw down in the cage. Ten matchups will be featured, and the event will be aired on Showtime at 11 PM EST. Let's break this card down.

Eddie Alvarez vs. Ross Ebanez

Alvarez (11-1) is amazingly unknown to many fans throughout the MMA fanbase. His skills have only recently seen the light of day as he was one of the featured fighters in the BodogFIGHT promotion. He gained considerable recognition as the BodogFIGHT Welterweight champion producing some solid wins over Scott Henze and Aaron Riley. His lone loss was in April to Nick "The Goat" Thompson in a very heated battle that saw him lose his title. After a solid win over Matt Lee, Alvarez has moved his impressive record to greener pastures.

Alvarez doesn't have an easy task ahead of him. Ross Ebanez (16-5) is a solid veteran fighter who trains out of Hilo, Hawaii with BJ Penn. Although he doesn't sport the same skills that you would think are synonymous with Penn's skillset, Ebanez isn't a pushover. The only real problem in Ebanez's game is that he's went the distance in 6 out of his last 8 fights. It's obvious that he lacks the ability to finish opponents of higher competition. Alvarez will be no different.

Expect Alvarez to push the pace and throw a lot of leather. Eight out of his eleven wins are via TKO or KO, so it should be a straight forward win for Alvarez. Don't be too surprised if Ebanez can outlast the onslaught and take it the distance though.

Leland's Prediction: Alvarez via TKO/KO, Round 1
_____________________________

Paul Daley vs. Sammy Morgan

Daley (16-6-2) is a British striker with some impressive knockout power. He hasn't strayed away from the stereotypical style that many Brits have been labeled with, but it hasn't hurt him in his matchups as of yet. In his last 4 fights, he's won 3 of them by TKO/KO, and revenged a loss to Paul Jenkins by causing him to quit by a punch to the body at Cage Rage 21. With key wins over Duane Ludwig and Mark Weir recently, he's looking to make a splash in the American MMA scene.

Sammy Morgan (19-9) was on the reality series The Ultimate Fighter. He was unsuccessful in his UFC stint, but had picked up a good string of wins prior to the show. His primary skills revolve around the submission game, but he's recently taken to throwing ridiculously inaccurate haymakers.

In his battle with Cung Le, Morgan looked terrible in his standup game. It could prove to be his Achilles Heel against Daley. Daley's standup will be far superior, but Morgan will most likely look for the takedown and submission. Don't count Morgan out completely, but if he decides to stand, there's no reason Daley shouldn't put him away fantastically. Morgan also stated in the pre-fight interviews that he was going to knock out Daley, implying that he will play into Daley's strengths. Sounds like he didn't learn from Alessio Sakara vs. Houston Alexander.

Leland's Prediction: Paul Daley, TKO/KO, Round 2
_____________________________