MMA HQ – Mixed Martial Arts News and Analysis

The UFC heads north of the border for the first time ever for UFC 83. The Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec will play host to what could easily be the biggest MMA event ever in North America. The main event will unify the UFC welterweight title while the card also features Michael Bisping’s debut at middleweight.

Matt Serra Vs. Georges St-Pierre – I don’t really have much to say or much analyzing to do about this rematch. Georges St. Pierre is one of the top three pound-for-pound fighters in the world today… period. Matt Serra is not. Matt Serra definitely has good strength, but he is not stronger than St. Pierre. Matt Serra has excellent grappling skills, but to use them he will have to take St. Pierre to the mat which Josh Koschek, Matt Hughes, Frank Trigg and Sean Sherk could not do.

GSP is head-and-shoulders a better fighter than Matt Serra. GSP will be prepared mentally and physically and Serra needs to hope and pray for another miracle. My hope is that GSP puts on the ultimate display of domination for his hometown crown and kicks Serra’s head off his shoulders into the third row. Winner: Georges St. Pierre

Travis Lutter Vs. Rich Franklin – According to most sports books, Rich Franklin is as heavily favored against Travis Lutter as GSP is against Matt Serra. Personally, I think this fight is much more evenly matched than most people and I’m picking the upset. Franklin definitely has the advantage in the striking game, while Travis Lutter has the definitive advantage on the ground.

Since losing his belt to Anderson Silva at UFC 64, Franklin simply has not been the same fighter. He was naturally tentative in his first fight back against Jason MacDonald and nearly lost his next fight against Yushin Okami. Next “Ace” suffered the same fate against Anderson Silva for the second time last October. I think Franklin is still shell shocked from the first Silva fight and will once again be very conservative and tentative in this fight.

Travis Lutter quickly became the laughing-stock of the UFC last February when he failed to make weight for a title shot against Anderson Silva by over 7 pounds. Now, a full 13 months later, Lutter will get a shot to regain some of the respect he lost by taking his game to the former UFC middleweight champion. Lutter’s jiu-jitsu game is top notch, and while Franklin does have good takedown defense, I think Lutter will be able to get the fight to the mat. From there its just a matter of time until he pulls of a submission. My guess is early in the third round. Winner: Travis Lutter

Nate Quarry Vs. Kalib Starnes – Not sure why this fight made the main card instead of the MacDonald-Doerksen or Clementi-Stout fights. Sure Starnes is from Canada, but so aren’t Stout, MacDonald and Doerksen. Before his appearance on The Ultimate Fighter, Nate Quarry was hyped as one of the rising stars in MMA. Now, after career-threatening back surgery he is trying to regain some of that promise. Problem is I just don’t think Quarry ever really had it. Starnes has faced much criticism over his career for being a “soft” fighter, but Starnes is a smart patient fighter. If Kalib can stay away from Quarry’s wild right hand, he should able to outwork “The Rock” to a decision victory. Winner: Kalib Starnes

Charles McCarthy Vs. Michael Bisping – It will be interesting to see what kind of physical condition Michael Bisping will show up in for his debut at middleweight. That first fight actually having to make the cut has not been friendly to many fighters, and we won’t know until Saturday night how it will affect Bisping. While Charles McCarthy takes a lot of criticism for his ego and attitude, he is a solid fighter who can give Bisping fits if he is not careful. “The Count” definitely is the better fighter and should win the fight, but McCarthy will come out with a big chip on his shoulder and could surprise a few people. Winner: Michael Bisping

Mark Bocek Vs. Mac Danzig – While Mark Bocek may have a good future ahead of him in MMA, he simply does not have the skills or experience against quality opponents to defeat Mac Danzig. Danzig, while relatively “new” to the majority of the US audience, is a well-traveled fighter and has the technical skills need to win this fight. Sure, this is MMA and anything can happen at any time, but barring a mental error, Danzig wins easily. Winner: Mac Danzig

Joe Doerksen Vs. Jason MacDonald – Winner: Jason MacDonald
Jason Day Vs. Alan Belcher – Winner: Alan Belcher
Ed Herman Vs. Demian Maia – Winner: Demian Maia
Rich Clementi Vs. Sam Stout – Winner: Rich Clementi
Brad Morris Vs. Cain Velasquez – Winner: Cain Valasquez
Kuniyoshi Hironaka Vs. Jonathan Goulet – Winner: Kuniyoshi Hironaka