UFC 105 Predictions: UFC 105 Picks, Predictions & Fight Previews

Andre Winner vs. Rolando Delgado – Preliminary Card Bout

Two former “The Ultimate Fighter” contestants will square off in the octagon at UFC 105 in England on November 14th. Season 9 lightweight runner-up Andre Winner (9-3-1) will go for his first organizational victory when he meets season 8’s Roli Delgado (6-4-1) on the night’s undercard.

Winner, who was part of Michael Bisping’s Team UK on TUF 9, won 9 of his first 10 professional bouts before earning his position on the Spike TV show. After defeating Gary Kelly to earn his way into the house, the Team Rough House fighter finished Santino DeFranco and Cameron Dollar to get his chance at the six-figure contract at the TUF 9 finale. In June, Winner went all three rounds but finished on the wrong end of a unanimous decision against Team UK teammate Ross Pearson.

Roli “The Crazy Cuban” Delgado got off to a rocky start losing three of his first four professional bouts. He turned it around going undefeated in his next five fights and earning a birth on TUF 8 as part of Team Mir. He was defeated in an entertaining two round elimination bout against George Roop; however found his way into the house after a victorious Bryan McLaughlin was sent home after breaking his nose. Delgado was then eliminated again by Junie Browning after a close split decision during the opening round of the tournament. Delgado has since made two official appearances inside the octagon, submitting John Polakowski at the TUF 8 finale and most recently losing a decision to Paul Kelly at UFC 99 “The Comeback” in June.

Prediction – Winner over Delgado via decision

Alexander Gustafsson vs. Jared Hamman

Two UFC rookies will settle their differences inside the octagon in a light heavyweight bout on the undercard at UFC 105. Undefeated Swedish knockout artist Alexander Gustafsson (8-0) will take a step up in competition against Strikeforce and Sho XC veteran Jared Hamman (10-1).

Gustafsson comes into the UFC on the strength of an unbeaten fight resume, although all of his bouts have taken place overseas in minor league promotions. Despite where his fights have taken place, the 22 year-old Stockholm Shootfighters member has taken care of business by stopping all but one of his opponents early. He began in 2007 with two wins, earned five wins last year and was victorious in his lone bout in 2009. In his most recent action this May at SC 3 (Sweden), “The Mauler” took 2:37 to earn his sixth career knockout against Vladimir Shemarov.

Jared Hamman was swiped right out from under rival Strikeforce’s light-heavyweight division after he competing once early in his career (June ’06) on the “Revenge” card and then three more times in the Sho XC banner from October 2007 through August of 2008. He won nine straight bouts before officially suffering his first defeat this April in his first encounter with Poai Suganuma. The loss happened in controversial fashion however; after getting floored with a flying knee Hamman began to work his way back to his feet when the referee stepped in to stop the fight. They met again four months later when Hamman got his revenge earning a 1st round knockout as the headlining act. Hamman has stoppages in all ten of his career victories, included in that group are knockouts of MMA journeyman Travis Wiuff and M-1 Challenge’s Rogent Lloret.

Prediction – Hamman over Gustafsson via TKO

Paul Taylor vs. John Hathaway

John “The Hitman” Hathaway (11-0) will take on his most experienced opponent to date when he meets “Relentless” Paul Taylor (10-4-1) on the undercard of UFC 105. Both welterweights will be fighting on home turf; Taylor hailing from Walsall, England and Hathaway fighting out of Brighton, England.

Taylor drew Edilberto de Oliveira in his UFC debut at UFC 70 in April of 2007 after posting a 7-1-1, 1 NC record fighting in mid-level British promotions. He stopped Oliveira early in the 3rd round, winning by TKO for his rookie victory. Despite winning “Fight of the Night” honors in his next two UFC bouts, he was on the losing end of both; first losing to Marcus Davis at UFC 75 and then again to Paul Kelly at UFC 80. He got back on track after winning a split decision over Jess Liaudin at UFC 85, however continued his roller coaster career losing to Chris Lytle at UFC 89 and then defeating Peter Sobotta at UFC 99 in June of this year.

“The Hitman,” who has trained all over the US and UK, has been impressive dropping opponents right and left and posting a 9-0 record from June of 2006 through January of 2009. In January, he signed a four-fight deal and made his first appearance at UFC 93 where he knocked out Tom Egan with elbows. He was placed on the next UK UFC card at UFC 99 and outlasted Rick Story winning by unanimous decision. Prior to fighting in the octagon, Hathaway traded leather in British organizations such as FX 3, Cage Rage, and ZTFN.

Prediction – Hathaway over Taylor via TKO

Nick Osipczak vs. Matthew Riddle

Undefeated TUF 9 welterweight and UK native Nick “Slick” Osipczak (4-0) will test himself against undefeated TUF 7 welterweight Matthew “The Riddler” Riddle (3-0) in an intriguing undercard match-up. UFC President Dana White has sung praises for both fighters, saying that Osipczak semifinal loss against DeMarques Johnson was “one of the best fights in TUF history,” and called Riddle’s elimination round KO of Dan Simmler, “one of the best KO’s in TUF history.”

Osipczak, in only his second full year of MMA, appeared on The Ultimate Fighter “Team UK vs. Team USA” after fighting for both FX 3 and ZTFN promotions (Great Britain). After his KO of Tommy Maguire in the elimination round on TUF 9, “Slick” used a head kick KO of Mark Miller to get into the semifinals before losing to the aforementioned Johnson. His exciting fighting style earned him a slot on the TUF 9 finale, fighting the ultra-tough Frank Lester of Team USA. Osipczak made quick work of Lester, submitting him with less than 2:00 remaining using a deceiving rear naked choke. After his first official victory in the octagon, the 24 year-old Nottingham based fighter was signed to a three-fight deal.

“The Riddler” was chosen for the seventh season of TUF prior to making his professional debut (1-0 amateur). What a first impression he made with his devastating KO of Dan Simmler in the elimination round at the TUF 7 tournament. After receiving high praise from both Dana White and his coach Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Riddle made a rookie mistake leaving his arm for the taking and lost to Tim Credeur via 3rd round armbar in his next bout on the show. Despite the early departure from TUF 7, the Pennsylvania born welterweight was given a spot on the show’s finale, making the most of the opportunity by outpointing Team Forrest rival Dante Rivera in a lopsided unanimous decision. An injury delayed his return to the octagon for eight months, when he fought on the UFC Fight Night 17 card opposite of Steve Bruno. He handled Bruno, winning two of the three rounds, thus earning back-to-back unanimous decision victories in his first two bouts. Most recently Riddle, who is training at Xtreme Couture, made it three consecutive unanimous decision victories dominating Dan Cramer at UFC 101 with scores of 29-27, 30-26, 30-27.

Prediction – Riddle over Osipczak via TKO

Paul Kelly vs. Dennis Siver

Paul Kelly (9-1), who is part of the famed Wolfslair Academy, will make his second pit stop at lightweight when he meets German kickboxer, Dennis Siver (14-6) in a preliminary bout at UFC 105. Kelly will try and use his superior wrestling to offset Siver, a striker with above average submission skills.

Paul “Tellys” Kelly, 25, began his career in October of 2005 as a middleweight, appearing for mid-level British promotions such as FX 3, House of Pain, and Cage Gladiators among others. He made a statement right away producing stoppages in all six of his pre-UFC bouts. In January of 2008, Kelly made his debut at UFC 80 where he earned “Fight of the Night” honors after his unanimous decision victory over Paul Taylor. It took him nine months to get back in the octagon, which he did at UFC 89 losing via submission to Marcus Davis. Despite the sophomore loss, Kelly has now successfully transitioned from middleweight to lightweight by putting together back-to-back decision victories, including his most recent at UFC 99 in June over TUF 8 vet Roli Delgado.

Dennis Siver spent three plus years bouncing around the minors in England, appearing at Outsider Cup, Kombat Komplett, Tempel, and WFC organizations. His first crack in the UFC rotation didn’t go as planned. Three losses in four opportunities and UFC officials showed Siver the door. His lone win the first time around came at UFC 75 against little-known Japanese fighter, Naoyuki Kotani. He regained his confidence with a fight outside of the UFC, submitting his opponent in October, and soon finding himself back in the world’s top promotion. The “bounce-back” bout paid huge dividends. Siver has since used a (technical) knockout victory over Nate Mohr at UFC 93 and a submission at UFC 99 over Dale Hartt to get his career back on track and heading in the right direction.

Prediction – Siver over Kelly via submission

> Find the UFC 105 results after the fights are complete at Pro Fighting Fans, check out the UFC schedule or buy UFC DVDs of past UFC events

UFC 105 Predictions: Main Card

Ross Pearson vs. Aaron Riley

TUF 9 lightweight winner Ross Pearson (9-3) fights for the first time since winning his six-figure contract in June facing Aaron Riley (28-11-1), a 12 year veteran who is in his third separate UFC stint. This bout should serve as a measuring stick to see where the newest TUF champion falls in the lightweight division.

“The Real Deal,” Ross Pearson saw action in a handful of English organizations posting a solid 8-3 record, including winning 7 of his last 8 prior to joining the cast of Team UK on TUF 9. He scored a KO of AJ Wenn in the elimination round to earn the trip overseas to his temporary Vegas home. In the opening round Pearson submitted Ritchie Whitson and then outlasted veteran Jason Dent in the semifinals to earn his birth in the finals opposite of Team UK mate, Andre Winner. “The Real Deal” proved his worth by outhustling Winner for three rounds to capture the tournament crown.

Riley had his first taste of success in 2002. After winning five of six he battled Robbie Lawler for three rounds before being handed the decision defeat. It took another four years before he would get another opportunity inside the octagon, this time taking on lightweight gatekeeper, Spencer Fisher at Ultimate Fight Night 3. He was dealt his second loss in as many bouts after the doctor stopped the fight due to a broken jaw. He was exiled from the UFC for another 2½ years before putting back-to-back victories together in the UWC and Xtreme MMA organizations and forcing the UFC to sign him again. His first organizational victory came at UFC 91 in November 2008 with a “Fight of the Night” decision victory against a game Jorge Gurgel. Next was a pair of bouts with Hawaiian, Shane Nelson. He split the bouts with Nelson, falling at UFC 96 only to win the rematch at UFC 101 via decision.

Prediction – Riley over Pearson via TKO

James Wilks vs. Matt Brown

James Wilks (6-2) will test himself against one of the UFC’s welterweight gatekeepers in Matt “The Immortal” Brown (10-7). Both welterweights are former contestants on The Ultimate Fighter. Brown made it through to the semifinals at TUF 7, where he was defeated by eventual champ, Amir Sadollah via triangle choke. Wilks won the most recent season 9 of TUF, defeating Che Mills, Frank Lester (twice) and then DeMarques Johnson at the finale to become the welterweight tournament winner.

James “Lightning” Wilks, although he has lived in Laguna Hills, CA for most of his life competed on Team UK at TUF 9. Prior to his title run through the tournament at TUF 9, Wilks earned a notable win over TUF 5 participant Roman Mitichyan in his professional debut. He also captured the Gladiators Challenge welterweight title in his last bout before leaving for taping of TUF 9. “Lightning” often lives up to his name, known for his quick striking and slick submission skills; he has stopped his opponents in all six of his victories.

“The Immortal” had a shaky 7-6 record prior to appearing on the seventh season of The Ultimate Fighter. It was an August 2007 United Fight League bout against UFC vet Chris Lytle that opened some eyes. He lost the bout, but hung tough against Lytle, who had several previous bouts inside the octagon, including appearing on the fourth season of TUF. Brown first showed up on the UFC’s radar at TUF 7, where he was eliminated by Amir Sadollah in the semis. He was given a chance to fight at the finals and took care of business, knocking out TUF 6’s Matt Arroyo. He then lost a tight split decision against “Stun Gun,” Dong Hyun Kim before reeling off back-to-back wins. At UFC 91, Brown stopped newcomer Ryan Thomas early in the 2nd round via submission. He used his stand-up to finish Pete Sell, knocking him out only 1:32 into the 1st round to post his third promotional win in four tries. The Columbus, Ohio based fighter is linked to Team Jorge Gurgel when training for his fights.

Prediction – Brown over Wilks via submission

Michael Bisping vs. Denis Kang

Once knocking on the door for a possible title opportunity, now former TUF 3 light heavyweight winner, Michael Bisping (17-2) is just trying to stay relevant against the very tough French-Korean Canadian Denis Kang (32-11-1). Bisping, 1-1 since his move down to middleweight, has a tough task ahead of him against the veteran Kang, a longtime PRIDE Bushido and Spirit MC fighter.

Bisping starred on the third season of TUF (back when you had to have skills to get chosen) after winning the FX 3 and Cage Rage light-heavyweight titles in his native Great Britain. He was head and shoulders better than the other fighters on his TUF 3 cast, coached by Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock. He cruised through the tournament, winning the LHW bracket with a 2nd round TKO over Josh Haynes to earn his six-figure contract with the UFC. However after winning three straight, he was handed a close split decision loss by Rashad Evans at UFC 78 in November 2007, sparking a drop in weight to the 185 lbs. division. Again, “The Count” rattled off three consecutive wins as a MW before losing in brutal fashion against former PRIDE and UFC champ, Dan Henderson in July.

For Bisping to be mentioned in the contenders’ conversation again, he must find a way to get by Denis Kang. Kang comes to the UFC by way of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The 32 year-old BJJ black belt appeared in 19 different promotions between 1998 and 2008 before signing an exclusive deal with UFC. It wasn’t that the UFC didn’t try and sign Kang earlier, it was the fact that Kang liked to fight in Spirit MC, a Korean promotion focusing on lighter weight divisions. In fact, between 2003 and 2006, he went 23 straight bouts before suffering a defeat. Finally, in 2009 after posting back-to-back wins over Jae Young Kim and Marvin Eastman, Kang signed with the UFC. In his debut at UFC 93, Kang dominated most of the fight but left his head unprotected, and before he knew it, Alan Belcher caught him in a submission late in the 2nd round. He did bounce back with an impressive victory over Professor X, Xavier Foupa-Pokam, at UFC 97 in April.

Prediction – Kang over Bisping via decision

Mike Swick vs. Dan Hardy

The number one contender in the welterweight division will be decided when Mike “Quick” Swick (14-2) meets Dan Hardy (22-6) in the co-main event at UFC 105 in Manchester, England. Hardy will be fighting in his native country for the third time in four career UFC bouts. Swick has fought only one other time in England, a UFC 85 “Bedlam” bout with Marcus Davis in London.

Swick, an 11 year vet, came to the UFC through The Ultimate Fighter 1 highway. On the show, he lost to Stephan Bonnar in the semifinals by 1st round submission. Swick immediately shifted to middleweight, where he won five consecutive bouts over the likes of Gideon Ray, Joe Riggs and David “The Crow” Loiseau. He decided to drop to 170 pounds after being bullied by Yushin Okami at UFC 69 losing via unanimous decision. So far, his welterweight resume is flawless, winning all four bouts. Josh Burkman, Marcus Davis, Jonathan Goulet and most recently, Ben Saunders all have been on the losing end of 170 pound bouts with Swick. The American Kickboxing Academy star is actually replacing Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 105.

Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy, a Team Rough House fighter, spent four years crushing dreams in England before signing with the Vegas-based UFC. After winning eight of nine, including the Cage Warriors 185 and 205 pound titles, Hardy agreed to debut at UFC 89 against former PRIDE superstar Akihiro Gono. Gono stunned and dazed Hardy on several occasions, but Hardy stayed the course and edged out Gono on the scorecards. He returned to the octagon four months later, this time using a counter left hand to KO Rory Markham at UFC 95. His most impressive win to date came at UFC 99 in June when he bounced Marcus Davis from the winners circle with a tight split decision win in a “bad-blood” bout. Overall, “The Outlaw” has been victorious in 11 of his last 12 bouts, losing only by disqualification to Yoshiyuki Yoshida at GCM – Cage Force 5 in December 2007.

Prediction – Swick over Hardy via TKO

UFC 105 Main Event: Randy "The Natural" Couture vs Brandon "The Truth" Vera:

Randy “The Natural” Couture (16-10), in the second of his new 6-fight contract, will drop back down to 205 lbs. to fight Brandon “The Truth” Vera (11-3), another former heavyweight, who looks way more comfortable in the LHW division. The fight will be the headliner on a free Spike TV broadcast of UFC 105 on November 14th.

Couture has fought the majority of his 12 year career with the UFC. The UFC Hall-of-Famer is the only five-time UFC champion (3 HW titles and 2 LHW titles). After briefly leaving the organization in February 2001, he was back in the UFC for good. Since 2001 he has suffered some losses (8-7), but he has victories over some of the top fighters in the sport. He holds victories over Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz and Vitor Belfort as a light-heavyweight and wins over Mike Van Arsdale, Tim Sylvia and Gabriel Gonzaga as a heavyweight. After defeating Sylvia and Gonzaga, “The Natural” was dealt back-to-back losses against Brock Lesnar and most recently Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Although dropping his last two, he continues to fight in aggressive fashion, earning “Fight of the Night” honors for his effort at UFC 102 main event fight in August.

“The Truth” needed only four bouts before proving he belonged with the worlds’ best inside the octagon. He posted a 4-0 record, including a light heavyweight championship in the WEC, before making his debut at UFC Fight Night 2 against Fabiano Scherner. He disposed of Scherner, Justin Eilers, Assuerio Silva, and Frank Mir to work his way up the heavyweight ladder. His HW progress was slowed when he lost to Fabricio Werdum and Tim Sylvia at UFC 77 and UFC 85 respectively. After the back-to-back losses, Vera made a change, dropping in weight to 205 lbs. and winning three of four. He outpointed Reese Andy, dropped a split decision to Keith Jardine, knocked out Michael Patt, and then outlasted Krzysztof Soszynski at UFC 102 in August to bring him to this crucial bout against one of his idols.

Prediction – Couture over Vera via TKO

By Nick Russell
ProFighting-fans.com Senior MMA Staff Writer

UFC logo & fighter pictures used with permission from the Ultimate Fighting Championship

Past UFC Previews, Predictions & Projections:

• UFC 104 preview: Machida vs Shogun
• UFC 103 preview: Franklin vs Belfort
• UFC 102 predictions: Couture vs Nogueira
• UFC 101 predictions: Penn vs Florian, Silva vs Griffin
• UFC 100 predictions: Lesnar vs Mir, St. Pierre vs Alves
• UFC 99 predictions & picks: Rich Franklin vs Wanderlei Silva
• UFC 98 predictions: Evans vs Machida
• UFC 97 preview: Silva vs Leites
• UFC Fight Night 18 preview: Condit vs Kampmann
• UFC 96 picks & preview: Jackson vs Jardine
• UFC 95 preview: Sanchez vs Stevenson
• UFC Fight Night 17 preview: Lauzon vs Stephens
• UFC 94 predictions: St. Pierre vs Penn 2
• A Fans' View from his Couch: UFC 94 Prefight
• UFC 93 preview & picks
• A Fans' View from his Couch: UFC 93 Prefight
• UFC 92 predictions
• UFC 91 preview: Couture vs Lesnar
• UFC 91 preview: Florian vs Stevenson