Santiago has a tough fight in this one, check it out.

Jeff Monson vs. Josh Barnett

A classic matchup between two veteran MMA combatants that will likely hit the floor before it ends on the feet. Monson (24-7) is most notable for being an outspoken anarchist, but also harboring one of the slickest submission ground games by a heavyweight. He’s finished 15 of his fights by submission in his career, and it’s likely that he’ll be looking for the same method to defeat Barnett.

Unfortunately for Monson, Barnett (21-5) is one of the best in the world at this juncture in his career, and he’s also a former training partner of Monson. It’s likely that both fighters have seen what the other is capable of on a regular basis, so this fight could extend to a decision due to both fighters nullifying each other’s ground games. Barnett, however, isn’t the type of fighter to head to decision unless he’s losing, and I don’t see him losing this one. Look for Barnett to use his size to his advantage and put this one away.

Josh Barnett via submission, Round 2

Kevin Randleman vs. Ryo Kawamura

“The Monster” is going to be a tough man to stop in this clash of styles. While Kawamura (8-2-2) has some venerable striking abilities, Randleman (16-12) still possesses very strong top control and ground abilities to nullify Kawamura’s heavy hands. There’s also the underlying fact that Randleman’s chin isn’t overly weak, and Kawamura may have a tough time sticking to his feet to put leather on Randleman’s chin for an extended period of time.

Randleman should get the win here on the ground with some punishing top control, and it’s unfortunate that WVR decided on this matchup. Kawamura definitely has some striking ability to display, and he could pull out a surprise knockout here, but I’m more inclined to believe that Randleman can control on the ground.

Kevin Randleman via TKO, Round 2

Roger Gracie vs. Yuki Kondo

This is a very interesting matchup for a number of reasons. First and foremost, Roger Gracie (1-0) is obviously a part of the legendary MMA family that is the Gracies, but he’s also only managed to fight in one MMA bout at BodogFIGHT. He won that bout in the first round via armbar over Ron Waterman, but hasn’t fought in any other events since the win. His credentials are extensive in the world of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and it’s a no-brainer that he’ll be looking to move the fight to the ground. Does Yuki Kondo want to be there with such an accomplished grappler?

Kondo (48-21-6) is one of the better Japanese fighters from the days of Pancrase with big wins over Frank Shamrock, Mario Sperry, Akihiro Gono, and Semmy Schilt, but he’s currently riding a .500 record in his last 10 fights. He has also been winning most of his fights via decision at this latter stage of his career. I wouldn’t count on Kondo being able to submit Roger, and it’s a mystery as to where his power has gone in his most recent fights.  For those reasons, I’m sticking to Roger Gracie winning his second career MMA fight. And no… Kondo doesn’t want this fight on the ground. Look for Roger to push the submission.

Roger Gracie via submission, Round 2

Jorge Santiago vs. Yuki Sasaki

Santiago (16-7) has been on a tear recently. With four straight wins including the Strikeforce tournament in November of last year, Santiago is surging back onto the scene as an explosive Middleweight. Wins over Trevor Prangley, Sean Salmon, Jeremy Horn, and Andrei Semenov have catapulted the UFC washout into creating some better fights for him, and the upcoming battle with Sasaki could very well be the beginning of some decent matchups in Japan.

Sasaki (21-13-1) is mainly a submission fighter. He’s been susceptible to the heavy hands in the past, but he’s mostly stuck to the floor in his more recent losses. It’s no doubt that Sasaki has a tough test ahead. Santiago will likely have some deep BJJ skills, and his training at American Top Team will only help solidify his skillset to be a tough counter for Sasaki’s skills. Look for Santiago to continue the streak with a big win here.

Jorge Santiago via KO, Round 1

Quick Picks
Dan Hornbuckle vs. Mike Pyle: It’s interesting that Hornbuckle is from Mahomet, IL, only a mere 15-20 minutes from my hometown, but that doesn’t make him a favorite in my mind in this fight. Although I love the local MMA scene and Hornbuckle’s record of 15-1 sounds impressive, he hasn’t fought the tough competition that Mike Pyle has endured. Mike Pyle via submission, Round 1

Kwang Hee Lee vs. Eiji Mitsuoka: Lee has exploded onto the scene with five devastating wins via TKO/KO in his first five battles in the ring. He’s going to have a tougher time with Mitsuoka though, who has some great experience against top competition at Lightweight including a win over Joachim Hansen in November. It should be a decent fight, but Mitsuoka’s toughness should prevail. Mitsuoka via submission, Round 1

Satoru Kitaoka vs. Ian James Schaffa: A bit of a toss-up here, but Kitaoka definitely has the edge in experience here. Schaffa has fought some very tough competition, but has lost every opportunity to gain some ground as being a star in the division. Kitaoka has a very good submission game, and I think he’ll use his experience on the ground to best Schaffa.  Kitaoka via submission, Round 2

Yoshihiro “Kiss” Nakao vs. Jim York: I have to pick “Kiss” here just because… why not? He has faced some very good competition over his career, and managed to maintain a 6-1 record while doing it. Although not the most prominent finisher, he should be able to defeat the inexperienced York. I say inexperienced because he’s faced mostly losing fighters for his 10 fight career. Nakao via decision

Chris Leben knocked him out cold at UFN 6 and Alan Belcher threw a kick that crushed him at UFN 7. Jorge Santiago didn't have the best luck in 2006 after being signed by the UFC and getting a chance to make his mark in the best promotion that the sport of mixed martial arts has to offer. After getting a win at UFN 5 against Justin Levens by using his trademark knee strike to put Levens down for the count in the first round, his career spiraled downward much as it did back in 2004-2005. Again, he faced stiffer competition that eventually made its way toward the bigger promotions in Diego Sanchez, Jordan Radev, and Joey Villasenor. Now, Jorge Santiago is making his way into the mix once again, but will he be successful this time around?

Recent run and things to come...

Jorge has been rolling as of late. After his losses on the UFN cards, he took some bouts against some above average competition that he surprisingly bulldozed through with ease. Former UFC fighter and veteran of M-1 Mixfight Andrei Semenov was the first step to rebounding after Santiago's losses. After a decisive TKO win over Semenov, he managed to submit Jeremy Horn at Art of War in September of 2007. A little over 2 months later, he won the Strikeforce Middleweight tournament with two quick wins over UFC veteran Sean Salmon and BodogFIGHT veteran Trevor Prangley. In particular, his win over Sean Salmon was a highlight reel flying knee that rendered Sean Salmon unconscious and stunned the MMA community when Salmon was believed to suffer a seizure. He still hasn't been cleared to fight in California since the incident.

What changed? Was the UFC competition so much better than his recent competition? To an extent, yes, but Santiago still managed to impressively defeat those opponents in quick fashion. One could say that the competition he faced in the UFC simply had the one punch power to defeat him at his own game. It could have been luck, but he's rolled through four quality opponents on his way to a new rise to the top.

Santiago heads to Japan

Although not a step up in competition for Santiago, it could open the door to facing some top Japanese competition at 185 pounds. Santiago has been officially announced to be taking on Yuki Sasaki at Sengoku II in May at Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo, Japan. Sasaki was Jorge's first round opponent in the Strikeforce Middleweight Grand Prix last year, but was not allowed to fight by the commission.

It should prove to be an sufficient test for Santiago considering Sasaki isn't overwhelmingly vulnerable to the knockout and has excellent grappling skills. Most importantly, it could impress Sengoku followers and fans. As we all know, the Japanese love exciting fighters, so it could bring more paydays to the ATT member.

Personally, I'm looking forward to see Santiago fight once again. He's been a beast as of late using his deadly knee strikes to the best of his ability. He's always been a loose cannon when it comes to striking, and he's always a danger on the feet. His grappling hasn't been the staple of his game, but it's also venerable in finishing opponents. Add in the excellent training partners from American Top Team, we could see the third coming of a Jorge Santiago at Sengoku.