UFC 101 Predictions: UFC 101 Predictions, Picks & Fight Previews

Pro Fighting Fans is the home of UFC fans across the world and we now bring you the best place to find the latest UFC preview & predictions. UFC 100 has come and gone and we take a look at what we learned in our UFC 100 recap.

The next event for UFC will be UFC 101, held on August 8, 2009 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and our UFC 101 predictions & preview are posted below for UFC fans across the globe to enjoy. Also be sure to check out our popular A Fans' View from his Couch" column where UFC fan Greg Vorse gives us his take & picks for each major UFC fight, including UFC 101, 102, 103 & more in the coming days and weeks and buy UFC tickets online here through Pro Fighting Fans!

For more UFC events to be held in 2009 and lists of which Mixed Martial Artists are schedule to fight, be sure to check out the future UFC event fight cards.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship will follow the biggest event in mixed martial arts history last week with another stellar fight card when UFC 101: Declaration takes over the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the first time on Saturday, August 8.

UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn headlines the card against top contender Kenny Florian in a match between the two greatest lightweights in the UFC today. The main event clash will be supported by a co-main event featuring UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva as he moves back up to the 205 lb weight class to take on former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin, who is coming off a December 2008 TKO loss to Rashad Evans at UFC 92.

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Jesse Lennox vs. Danillo Villefort

Two welterweights will be featured in the first bout of the evening as former WEC fighters Lennox (10-1 MMA) and Villefort (9-2 MMA) battle for their first Octagon win. This should be an evenly matched, back and forth affair from start to finish, but Villefort will make good use of his impressive physique and dominating strength to finish Lennox late in the fight.

Prediction: Villefort over Lennox by TKO (Round 3)

George Sotiropoulos vs. Rob Emerson

The night’s second bout will feature two former TUF cast members looking to gain traction in the lightweight division. While Sotiropoulos (9-2 MMA) is 2-0 in the UFC, he has not seen action since an April 2008 victory over Roman Mitichyan. Emerson (8-7 MMA), on the other hand, was doing better than expected in the UFC’s stacked 155lb division before meeting his match in the aggressive and well-rounded Kurt Pellegrino in February. Look for Emerson to escape from a few precarious situations in the early going to make for an exciting battle, but Sotiropoulos will eventually catch him in an arm bar in the second round.

Prediction: Sotiropoulos over Emerson by Submission (Arm Bar, Round 2)

Matt Riddle vs. Dan Cramer

While they may be the two most inexperienced fighters on the card, both Riddle (2-0 MMA) and Cramer (1-0 MMA) have shown some worthwhile potential in recent outings. Riddle was able to use his impressive size and physicality to outwork Dante Rivera and Steve Bruno in his first two UFC appearances, but Cramer may be even tougher. Add in the fact that Cramer is coming off an impressive upset Split Decision win over the highly-regarded Matt Arroyo at UFC 94 in January and he should be able to handle his younger opponent.

Prediction: Cramer over Riddle by Unanimous Decision

Thales Leites vs. Alessio Sakara

After a terrible and lackluster performance in April against UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva in the main event, Thales Leites (14-2 MMA) has been relegated to the preliminary card of UFC 101 where he will face a competent striker in Sakara (13-7, 1 NC MMA) but not much else. Look for Leites to earn his way back onto the main card with a first round submission of his fellow countryman.

Prediction: Leites over Sakara by Submission (Triangle Choke, Round 1)

Tamdan McCrory vs. John Howard

In a welterweight contest with true “Fight of the Night” potential, Tamdan McCrory (11-2 MMA) will look to make it two in a row for the first time in his UFC career when he takes on veteran John Howard (11-4 MMA) in an intriguing crossroads battle. Howard’s workmanlike decision victory over the Chris Wilson in January was impressive, but McCrory has youth and technique on his side. Look for the “Barn Cat” to survive some early trouble to take Howard out late with a submission from his back.

Prediction: McCrory over Howard by Submission (Triangle Choke, Round 3)

Shane Nelson vs. Aaron Riley

In a rematch of their UFC 96 battle in March, Shane Nelson (12-3 MMA) will look to justify his premature stoppage win over the veteran Aaron Riley (27-11-1 MMA) by repeating the feat next month. Riley hits hard and has seen it all in 12 years as a pro, but Nelson should be able to take a decision with his youth and skill on the ground.

Prediction: Nelson over Riley by Unanimous Decision

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Josh Neer vs. Kurt Pellegrino

Two of the best in the UFC’s lightweight division, Neer (25-7-1 MMA) will look to make his first legitimate run at the lightweight strap by taking out the aggressive ground ace Pellegrino (13-4 MMA) on the first bout of the PPV broadcast. Neer was impressive in losing a close Split Decision to Nate Diaz in September 2008, and he followed that up with an April submission over TUF 6 winner Mac Danzig. As long as Pellegrino can keep himself out of any of Neer’s rangy submissions, his pace and superior wrestling ability should put him on top on the judges’ scorecards throughout much of the match-up. Look for Pellegrino to run his win streak to 3 in a row and enter contender’s status with the Unanimous Decision.

Prediction: Pellegrino over Neer by Unanimous Decision

Kendall Grove vs. Ricardo Almeida

After suffering back-to-back knockout losses to Marc DelaGrotte-trained fighters Patrick Cote and Jorge Rivera, TUF 3 winner Kendall Grove (12-5, 1 NC MMA) has since rebounded with back to back wins over the late Evan Tanner and Jason Day. Almeida (10-3 MMA) has been in the cage with some notable opposition and as long as he doesn’t succumb to the pressure, he should be able to take Grove out of his comfort zone and stifle him for the Unanimous Decision.

Prediction: Almeida over Grove by Unanimous Decision

Amir Sadollah vs. Johny Hendricks

After being forced out of his first two UFC bouts due to training injuries and infection, TUF 7 winner Amir Sadollah (1-0 MMA) will be eager to begin his climb up the 170 pound ranks with a win over Johny Hendricks (5-0 MMA) in one of the featured bouts of the evening. Unfortunately for Sadollah, his layoff and relative inexperience against quality opposition will make him an irresistible target for the hungry Hendricks. Unless he can pull off one of his trademark come from behind submissions, Sadollah looks to be on the losing end of a Split Decision.

Prediction: Hendricks over Sadollah by Split Decision

Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin

In a bout that would surely be the main event of any UFC event had it been for a championship belt, middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva (24-4 MMA) will look to silence his critics once and for all with a dominating performance over the always-game former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and TUF 1 winner Forrest Griffin (16-5 MMA). While the three-round limit should help Griffin in this match-up—the gutsy striker has shown a tendency to win over judges in close battles—Silva should be able to turn up the heat in the final frame to put his larger opponent down for the count after a rousing battle.

Prediction: Silva over Griffin by TKO (Round 3)

UFC 101 Main Event: BJ Penn vs. Kenny Florian - UFC Lightweight Championship

In a five-round war that is sure to produce fireworks, UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn (13-5-1 MMA) will have to answer a lot of questions following his January drudging at the hands of UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre when he takes on top-ranked 155 lb contender Kenny Florian (11-3 MMA) in the main event of UFC 101. While Penn maintains that he has been training harder than ever for his second lightweight title defense, Florian is currently riding a six-fight win streak with notable victories over Joe Lauzon, Roger Huerta, and Joe Stevenson. The Boston native looks to be hungrier for the win and has shown his durability in a five-round war before, and this one has all the makings of a true war.

Prediction: Florian over Penn by TKO (Round 5)

By Steven T. Kelliher
ProFighting-fans.com Senior Staff Writer

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