Another Brazilian UFC card take place this weekend, and, once again, it’s a card that’s littered from top-to-bottom with mismatches between Brazilians and foreigners.
That doesn’t mean it won’t be exciting, though, because as far as finishes go, I think UFC 163 is going to be full of them, especially from the fighters on the main card.
Here’s my preview of the UFC 163 main card with predictions for all five bouts:
The UFC featherweight championship is on the line in the main event of UFC 163, as titleholder Jose Aldo once again looks to defend his belt, this time against “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung in a matchup that has all the makings of “Fight of the Night.”
Both Aldo and Jung are two of the most exciting fighters in the game, two fighters who are always looking to finish and who are always looking to put on an amazing spectacle of violence for the crowd.
I see a lot of people counting out Jung in this fight and for good reason, as he’s missed over a year of action, he’s never fought someone like Aldo before and, to make matters worse, he’ll be fighting in Aldo’s backyard, and the last time Brazilian was there he destroyed Chad Mendes with ease, and that’s the No. 2 fighter in the 145-pound division.
But I do think Jung has a better chance that people are giving him because he has knockout power, great submissions and he sets a pace that is hard for his opponents to keep up.
However, Jung’s striking defence is non-existent and his chin is a question mark as well. And that’s definitely not a good sign going up against a fighter like Aldo, who is arguably the best striker in not only the featherweight division, but the entire UFC.
Look for Aldo to feel out his opponent in the first and then, in the second, land a devastating knee to earn the KO win and once again keep the UFC featherweight title wrapped around his waist.
Prediction: Aldo via T/KO
The co-main event of UFC 163 is an intriguing light heavyweight matchup between Lyoto Machida and Phil Davis, a fight that could garner the winner of the bout the next shot at the UFC light heavyweight title.
I’m really not sure how this fight is going to play out, because it has the potential to be extremely boring or extremely exciting, but I do think Machida is going to win it because his takedown defence is good enough to keep this fight on the feet, where there’s no question that he has a huge edge.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Machida fights tentatively like he did against Dan Henderson and squeaks out a close decision, but with a title shot possibly in reach and fighting in front of his hometown friends and family, I think Machida is going to be very motivated to put on a show for everyone involved.
Look for Machida to toy with Davis in the first round and then, in the second, land a highlight-reel KO blow that puts his opponent out cold.
Prediction: Machida via KO
TUF Brazil 1 winner Cezar Mutante returns after a year-long plus layoff and the UFC has give him a very winnable matchup in the form of Thiago Santos, who is moving up a weight class to take this fight on short notice.
This is a really bad matchup for Santos because Mutante is one of the biggest middleweights in the entire UFC and I think the promotion booked this fight so they can get him a win and start marketing him as a star down in Brazil.
I expect Santos to give Mutante some problems very early on in the fight but eventually the size difference is going to be too much for him to handle and I see Mutante getting the fight to the floor and winning it with ground and pound.
Prediction: Mutante via T/KO
One of the most even matchups on the entire UFC 163 card comes in the middleweight division in the form of a fight between England’s Tom Watson and Brazil’s Thales Leites, who is fighting for the first time in the Octagon since being cut after UFC 101 back in 2009.
I believe Leites was cut too soon the first time he was in the UFC and after winning six-of-seven fights on the regional circuit there’s no doubt he earned his way back to the big show. But the UFC isn’t doing him any favors by matching him up against a tough out like Watson right off the bat, and I expect this to be a very competitive fight that could go either way.
In a fight that I see as being very close throughout, it’s all going to come down to the scorecard and the judges in Brazil always favor the hometown fighters. So look for Leites to walk away with his hand raised, even though many of those watching the fight may think “Kong” deserved the nod.
Prediction: Leites via decision
The opening main card bout of UFC 163 comes in the flyweight division as John “Hands of Stone” Lineker welcomes Jose Tome to the Octagon. Tome, by the way, took the fight on short notice after an injury to Phil Harris forced him off the card, and without adequate preparation for a fighter of Lineker’s caliber, I can’t see his night ending well.
Lineker is an absolute beast at 125 pounds and is one of the rare flyweights with true KO power. Look for him to steamroll Tome in the first or second round of this matchup, and look for the UFC to possibly give him the next crack at the flyweight championship if he wins in impressive fashion like I think he will.
Prediction: Lineker via T/KO