Strikeforce Fedor vs Rogers Prediction Competition

And we're back. For UFC 103, I broke out a new feature where I put my MMA predictions up against my friend Asia's picks. She's new to the world of MMA and appears to use nicknames as her primary tool of predicting. Usually, that method would dominate my years of actually watching the sport but, for that night, Vitor and I were unstoppable. That doesn't bode well for me tomorrow night. We had to take October off as I missed my first UFC event in probably five years. I was trapped in a small Texas town with no sports bar and JustinTV.com gave my laptop some type of aggressive digital herpes. Apparently, Asia didn't fare much better. Asia?

After a few minutes of figuring out what to Google to get me to the Strikeforce website, (turns out “Strikeforce” works just fine) I managed to get some idea as to what’s going on this Saturday. I sadly missed the last MMA event due to a disastrous weekend which ended in an apple red bridesmaid’s dress desperately in need of dry cleaning, and an Ozarka bottle full of dead goldfish. Trust me, I would have much rather watched an insecure group of men frantically vying to establish their masculinity in a preordained battle of the brawn.

That being said, I’ve got this week’s fight pegged. (I’m lying I haven’t even looked at the card yet but I’m sure my predictions will be top notch.) Keeping in mind that I have no real basis for predicting anything, and mostly I’m just clicking links and checking out the pretty pictures, let’s take a look at Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum vs. Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva.

Besides the fact that “Vai Cavalo” Werdum sounds like the next pandemic, his entire name is confusing and off-putting. However, I didn’t need Babel Fish to tell me “Cavalo” had something to do with a horse. (Wow, I am such a liar, I did need Babel Fish.) Badly translated from Portuguese, it means something along the lines of “Horse goes.” I’m sure this lovely alias has some kind of catchy ring in the native tongue, perhaps some brutal subtlety lost in translation, but in English, well it just sounds dumb. Now I’ve seen this Silva guy and not to be insensitive to people with acromegaly but he looks like he’s especially inclined to pulverize someone. He’ll also be fun to root for, so I’m going with him. I’ve got to say, ever since the Carano/Cyborg fight I’m weary to underestimate the Brazilians but I don’t want to find out what happens if Silva loses.

Next up, Gegard "The Dreamcatcher" Mousasi vs. Rameau Thierry “The African Assassin” Sokoudjou. I still can’t bring myself to root for someone called “The Dreamcatcher” and he is looking especially wimpy in his latest publicity shot. I’m thinking the Assassin is going to professionally execute the sissy looking bloke. For some reason the fact that I have no idea how to pronounce Sokoudjou is also strangely alluring, not to mention I’m partial to people who sounds like they might be carrying weapons.

As for Jason “Mayhem” Miller vs. Jake Shields, well this one was a little tougher. Miller pretty much screams douche bag while Shields blanket stare gives the impression he would still have trouble passing a 5th grade entrance exam. Given that valuable information I’m siding with “Mayhem,” the guy with a little personality. Even if he looks like he should be leading beer funnel cheers at the nearest frat, I bet he could at least argue his way out of a paper bag.

Which leads us to Fedor “The Last Emporor” Emelianenko vs Brett ‘The Grim” Rogers. This fight has me torn; two equally tough looking dudes, with equally mediocre nicknames. They’re not giving me a lot to go on here. For some reason I’m really leaning toward Rogers. Maybe it’s the classy “Mr. T” tribute hairdo, or the illegible tattoos proudly displayed on his forearms (though his mustache is questionable). On the other hand you can’t argue with the burly Russian, or at least I wouldn’t. Yeah, I can’t put money on some guy from Minnesota when there is a Russian to contend with. Alright Fedor, don’t let me down!

So to recap, Asia is going with Antonio Silva, Sokoudjou (I'll tell you how to pronounce it later), Jason Miller, and Fedor. I gotta tell you, my picks are going to be so much more boring than those.

Money lines are from Bodog and my picks are in bold.

Fabricio Werdum (-150) vs. Antonio Silva (+120)
This is probably the best chance for an upset on the main card. I was tempted to take Silva just to have an underdog but I believe Werdum still has something to prove after being dumped by the UFC after going 2-2 against pretty good competition.

Gegard Mousasi (-650) vs. Sokoudjou (+450)
Look Asia, nobody likes "The Dreamcatcher" nickname. Mousasi said he doesn't like that nickname. But for some reason, the 24-year-old MMA phenom looks like he can beat anything but that shitty nickname. Sokoudjou looked promising in Pride but flamed out in the UFC. Mousasi will make quick work of him.

Jake Shields (-295) vs. Jason Miller (+235)
I'm just a big Jake Shields fan. I think this has the potential to be the fight of the night and I wouldn't be too surprised to see Mayhem pull the upset. Mayhem seems like a weird, likable guy and I guess somebody has to host Bully Beatdown on MTV. I just think Jake Shields is the better all around fighter right now.

Fedor (-625) vs. Brett Rogers (+425)
I actually think Fedor is closer to a 9-1 favorite right now, which is just insane. Rogers has the power to end this quickly and seems pretty determined. I followed his press tour this week and he is very likable. I'm guessing by the time this fight rolls around, Asia and I will both be rooting for Grim. However, the smart money is piling up on Fedor. For good reason, Fedor is the much more experienced fighter and perhaps the world's best pound for pound.

Check back next week to see if Asia can pick up any ground on me. Right now, I'm 5-0 to her 1-4. It's good to be king. Okay, I feel I have sufficiently jinxed myself.

Bonus Strikeforce: I love Jorge Gurgel (+175) over Billy Evangilista (-215) tonight.