MMA HQ - Mixed Martial Arts News and Analysis

With only one week left until UFC 58, its about that time for everyone to start making their predictions for the fights, so I figured I would do the same. I am really excited about this UFC card; there are several great matchups that I am waiting to see. In fact, I think there are too many good fights, and several of them will get “banished” to the undercard and won’t be shown on the pay-per-view event. Both Diego Sanchez and Kenny Florian, two of the UFC’s favorite TUF competitors will be on that undercard, but the five fights on the PPV schedule definitely make up for it. Here is my take.

Rich Franklin vs. David Loiseau

Rich Franklin (19-1) is of course the UFC Middleweight champion, with 15 of his 19 victories coming in the first round. Ace is the heavy favorite to retain the UFC belt and for good reason. He has a very skilled standup game and is an excellent striker. Franklin always seems to just be in that peak physical condition when he takes the ring and his timing so far in his career has been superb. Rich also has ended several fights by submission, although I’m not sure that his ground game is as up-to-par as his standup. I think most people consider Ace’s experience and all-around skill set to give him the edge over Loiseau in this matchup. I, for one, am not as convinced.

As much as I like Rich Franklin, David Loiseau (14-4) has to be one of my favorite fighters to watch right now. I just love his style and aggressiveness that he brings to the mat. When speaking about the Crow, most people want to talk about his elbows that seem to cut opponents so easily. Loiseau seems to be able to throw his elbows with great velocity from almost any angle. Whether standing up, on the ground, in the clinch, or far away, an opponent is never safe from his elbows. Another great aspect of David’s game is his standup karate skills. He may not have the heavies hands or be the greatest striker in the UFC, but he brings a wide variety of kicks and the aforementioned elbows that make his standup game dynamic.

I can’t really pinpoint why, but I feel that Loiseau is going to defeat Franklin in the third round. I don’t know how and I dont know why, I just have that feeling. If I was a betting man, I’d be taking the odds and hoping to make a pretty penny on this matchup.

Georges St. Pierre vs. BJ Penn

This is another matchup that could easily be a main event. Georges St. Pierre (11-1) has been on an incredible hot streak in MMA with his only loss coming against UFC Welterweight champion, Matt Hughes. GSP’s last three victories include dominating wins over Jason “Mayhem” Miller, Frank Trigg, and Sean Sherk. Other than the disappointing loss to Hughes, St. Pierre has been steam rolling his opponents. He has excellent striking skills and just as good of a ground game. GSP has basically split his victories between knockout and submission victories.

B.J. “The Prodigy” Penn is considered just as great of a fighter. In fact, most people consider him to be the top welterweight now that he has rejoined the UFC. Penn actually held the welterweight belt as he submitted Matt Hughes by rear naked choke back at UFC 46. Since then, Penn has been splitting time between K-1 and Rumble on the Rock in his native Hawaii. There are a lot of MMA fans who believe that Penn would still be UFC champion if he had never left he organization. Well, he is back now and we will have a chance to find out.

I see St. Pierre winning this fight by TKO in the second round. Penn will have some “rust” to shake off coming back to the UFC and GSP has just been on fire and is only gaining steam. I’m disappointed the GSP has to fight Penn first before he gets another title shot against Matt Hughes. I think GSP would beat Hughes if they rematched right now.

Yves Edwards vs. Mark Hominick

Oh yes, another great reason to love this fight card. UFC 58 features the return of the lightweight divsion to the UFC, and Yves Edwards is leading the charge. I’m so glad to see the lightweights back in the octagon and more specefically, Yves Edwards. This guy is just exciting to watch and he is an excellent MMA fighter. Edwards has been fighting MMA since 1997 so, needless to say, he has the experience bonus in this matchup. Mark Hominick has been in the MMA game since 2002 but has only seen action in some of the smaller shows, mostly the Canadian event TKO. I don’t have much analysis with this matchup, I think that Yves will win easily. I just wanted to say that it’s good to see the lightweights getting back into the big show. The lightweight division has so many great fighters, and with the UFC heavyweight division being in the anemic state that it is, the lightweight division will provide the UFC events with some excellent matchups.

Here are my predictions for the other fights:

Nathan Marquardt def. Joe Doerksen
Mike Swick def. Steve Vigneault
Sam Stout def. Kenny Florian
Jason Lambert def. Rob MacDonald
Christophe Midoux def. Tom Murphy
Diego Sanchez def. John Alessio