UFC 106 Predictions: UFC 106 Picks, Predictions & Fight Previews

Caol Uno vs. Fabricio Camoes

Caol Uno (27-11), with 3 losses in his last 4 bouts, will try and get a victory in his return to the UFC by squaring off against UFC newcomer, Fabricio Camoes (10-4). Uno was on the short end of a UFC 99 decision that went against the 34 year-old Japanese grappler and in favor of his opponent, Spencer Fisher. Camoes comes into the organization with nine years of professional fighting experience, including the last two years in America.

By the time Uno made it to the UFC the first time around, he already had seventeen bouts under his belt and a Shooto welterweight title. At UFC 30, Uno was on the losing end of a tight majority decision in a bout with Jens Pulver. He was up and down, fighting to a 3-3-1 record, which included a draw with BJ Penn in the organizations’ LW title bout at UFC 41. The next four years were spent in Japan fighting mostly in the K-1 MMA division although he did take fights for Shooto and DREAM. He was a semifinalist in the ultra competitive DREAM LW GP, which led to him re-signing with the UFC in 2009. Although the result of his UFC 99 bout didn’t show it, Uno was aggressive and motivated in his return to the worlds’ largest MMA show, but without a win against Camoes, he may have a hard time convincing organizations that he is still relevant.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist, Fabricio Camoes, is a well-rounded fighter who utilizes his muay-thai, boxing, and wrestling well when he fights. Camoes fought his first six years in his homeland, where he faced tough competition mostly in the Meca organization. Back-to-back wins over PRIDE veterans Jean Silva and Luciano Azevedo proved that he is ready for American fights. He went 2-0 for the Pro Elite based Sho XC organization, defeating Joe Camacho and Sam Morgan in succession. He transitioned into the Strikeforce organization when Pro Elite folded and won a Strikeforce Challengers 1 bout against Torrance Taylor in May in Fresno, California. As a second degree black belt who trains under Royler Gracie, Camoes will have lofty expectations in the UFC as well.

Prediction – Uno over Camoes via decision

Brock Larson vs. Brian Foster

Minnesota native Brock Larson (26-3) wants to get back in the octagon and try and rebound from his recent upset loss against Mike Pierce at UFC Fight Night 19 in September. He’ll have to do it against H.I.T. Squad member Brian Foster, who was unsuccessful in his UFC debut in September.

Larson, though only 32, has almost thirty bouts and seven years of experience to his credit. Beginning in 2002, he won his first twelve bouts fighting in organizations such as Extreme Challenge and Cage Fighting Xtreme. In 2005, Larson fought Jon Fitch to a decision, however came up short losing in his rookie bout. He would leave the organization and win six for six, thus earning a return trip inside of the octagon. At UFC Fight Night 7 in December 2006, he won his first UFC bout with a decision victory over Japanese fighter, Keita Nakamura. He transitioned into the WEC welterweight division and fought to a 4-1 record, losing only to Carlos Condit for the organizations WW title in 2007. He returned to the UFC when the WEC erased their WW division and won two of his first three bouts, bringing his overall UFC record to a solid 3-2.

Twenty-five year old Foster, has been fighting professionally for three plus years, beginning with Masters of the Cage organization, where he earned a 3-2 record. After leaving the Oklahoma-based fight organization, he won 10 of his next 11 bouts taking place in several Midwestern based organizations. After signing his UFC contract earlier this year, he was placed on the UFC 103 card, where he earned “Fight of the Night” honors even though he was on the receiving end of a submission from Rick Story.

Prediction – Larson over Foster via decision

Paulo Thiago vs. Jacob Volkmann

Newcomer Jacob Volkmann (9-0) has a tough debut inside of the octagon as he is set to face top-10 welterweight Paulo Thiago (11-1) in a UFC 106 preliminary card bout. Volkmann will put his stamp on the UFC’s 170-pound division with a win against the credible Paulo Thiago. Thiago is coming of a one-sided loss at UFC 100 against Jon Fitch.

Thiago, a muay-thai, judo, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist, spent two plus years in Brazil building his fight resume to a perfect 10-0 record. He fought in his countries’ top organizations such as Storm Samurai, Capital Fight, and Jungle Fight. One notable opponent was M-1 Challenge’s Ferrid Kheder, who Thiago defeated via split decision in 2008. Upon his migration into the UFC, he met a reeling Josh Koscheck and disposed of the TUF 1 pioneer with a nasty 1st round KO at UFC 95. For his efforts, he received the UFC 100 bout with Fitch, where he seemed overwhelmed by the American's wrestling and fell short on the scorecards.

Not much is known about Volkmann, a Minnesota Marital Arts Academy fighter, with more than two years of professional experience. He has jumped around in the “minors” taking fights in the Cage Fighting Xtreme, XFO, Max Fights, Victory FC organizations. His unanimous decision victory over Bobby Voelker at Victory FC 25 in December 2008 gained him some recognition. Five months later he found his name on the upstart Bellator FC 6 fight card, where he stopped Kevin Knabjian with a 1st round brabo choke submission victory that most likely got him noticed by the UFC. He has used submissions to stop fights in six of his nine career victories.

Prediction – Thiago over Volkmann via TKO

Kendall Grove vs. Jake Rosholt

In a preliminary card bout that can be seen on Spike TV prior to the main card airing on Pay-Per-View, Kendall “Da Spyder” Grove (10-6) looks to get back to his winning ways against up-and-comer, Jake Rosholt (7-1). Grove looked to have righted the ship; however a loss in his last bout against Ricardo Almeida at UFC 101 set him back once again. Rosholt is on the upswing after submitting Chris Leben at UFC 102 in a “Submission of the Night” effort.

Kendall Grove fought in several mid-level organizations prior to being chosen as a participant on The Ultimate Fighter 3. He sliced right through the competition on his way to winning the middleweight portion of the Spike TV series. Overall, he was successful with his first three tries inside the octagon, defeating Ed Herman, Chris Price and Alan Belcher. As quick as he won three, he then dropped back-to-back bouts to Patrick Cote and Jorge Rivera. Prior to his bout with Rivera, Grove had moved his training camp around, working with Team Punishment and Tito Ortiz as well with Xtreme Couture and Randy Couture. After that loss, he moved back to his home in Hawaii to work with BJ Penn. By defeating Evan Tanner and Jason Day, the move looked to have had an impact, which is until he suffered his UFC 101 loss against Almeida.

Jake Rosholt, a four-time All American Division I wrestler, spent very little time with his developmental career. He fought four times, winning all four bouts, before signing with the WEC in late 2008. He continued his progression with a 2nd round TKO against Nissen Osterneck at WEC 36, however when the WEC closed their doors, his contract was transferred to the UFC. In his UFC debut, Dan Miller surprised him by converting a guillotine choke a little over 1:00 into round one. He rebounded from the loss nicely by locking in his own submission in Chris Leben this summer.

Prediction – Rosholt over Grove via submission

Ben Saunders vs. Marcus Davis

Marcus Davis (16-5) and Ben Saunders (7-1-2) are both trying to regain contender status in a televised preliminary bout that will be seen on Spike TV. Davis was defeated via controversial decision at UFC 99 by Dan Hardy in June. Saunders, at the same event, was stopped during the 2 nd round via (technical) knockout in a bout with Mike Swick.

Ben Saunders, widely known from his stint on the sixth season of The Ultimate Fighter where he fought for Team Serra, was 4-0-2 coming into the competition. He was eliminated in the quarterfinals, however impressed enough to warrant a UFC contract after his TUF 6 finale victory over Dan Barrera. He notched stoppage victories in his next two bouts, a UFC 87 victory over Ryan Thomas, and then a “Fight for the Troops” victory against Brandon Wolff. His loss at UFC 99 against Swick was the first defeat in his five plus years as a professional.

Marcus “The Irish Hand Grenade” Davis began slowly with his MMA career, beginning with a 3-2 record fighting in small New England based promotions. He was a participant on The Ultimate Fighter 2, where he lost in the Finale to Melvin Guillard. He left the organization for five fights, which he won, before returning at Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3 “The Final Chapter.” Over his three years in the organization, he recorded eight wins, including knocking off notables Paul Taylor, Paul Kelly and Chris Lytle. His losses against Mike Swick (UFC 85) and Dan Hardy (UFC 99) have kept him from any serious contender status but the two-time “Fight of the Night” and one-time “KO of the Night” and “Submission of the Night” winner always entertains with his aggressive style.

Prediction – Davis over Saunders via TKO

> Find the UFC 106 results after the fights are complete at Pro Fighting Fans, check out the UFC schedule or buy UFC DVDs of past UFC events

UFC 106 Predictions: Main Card

Karo Parisyan vs. Dustin Hazelett

This welterweight bout pits Karo “The Heat” Parisyan (18-5, 1 NC) against Dustin “McLovin” Hazelett (12-4) where the winner stands to make a significant jump up the 170 pound division. Parisyan has been out of action since his January bout against Dong Hyun-Kim, which he won, however was later ruled a no contest after Parisyan tested positive for painkillers. Hazelett has been out of action even longer, last fighting one year ago at UFC 91 where he earned “Submission of the Night” honors against Tamdan McCory.

Parisyan has been a longtime veteran of the UFC, making his debut at UFC 44 in September 2003. He split his first two bouts in the organization, choosing to leave for a WEC welterweight title fight against Shonie Carter. Parisyan won his title, and then returned to the UFC where he has been since. After winning his next four bouts in the octagon, Parisyan was near the top of the welterweight division until he ran into Diego Sanchez at UFC Fight Night 6 in August 2006. The loss was somewhat of a setback, however three consecutive wins against Drew Fickett, Josh Burkman and Ryo Chonan and he was right back in the mix. He has since lost to Thiago Alves in what was unofficially a number one contender’s bout before his no contest at UFC 94.

Cincinnati native Dustin Hazelett, 23, has seven UFC bouts on his fight resume but is still one of the youngest fighters in the organization. He had compiled a 7-2 record prior to joining the UFC, where he made his debut at “The Final Chapter” in October 2006. He went on to lose his rookie bout via submission, but has improved in every bout since. Victories over Diego Saraiva, Stevie Lynch, and Jonathan Goulet helped Hazelett climb up into the top-tier of 170 pound fighters. He met his match at UFC 82, losing to Josh Koscheck but would bounce back with two impressive performances. A “Fight of the Night” performance at The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale and a “Submission of the Night” performance against Tamdan McCory at UFC 91 has vaulted him right back up near the top of the division.

Prediction – Hazelett over Parisyan via decision

Luiz Arthur Cane vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

Top-10 light heavyweight Luiz “Banha” Cane (10-1) welcomes “Little Nog,” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (17-3) to the UFC in a televised main card showdown. Cane is riding high after defeating former WEC standout Steve Cantwell at UFC 97 in April. Nogueira transitions over to the UFC alongside his brother, former UFC Heavyweight champ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, after several years of fighting overseas.

Cane, 28, bruised and battered his way to a 7-0, 1 no contest record during his two years fighting in Brazil. Upon his arrival at UFC 79, Cane dominated James Irvin, however was disqualified after he used a knee to the head of a downed opponent. He didn’t let the DQ effect his progression, winning his next three fights in the octagon, defeating Jason Lambert, Sokoudjou, and Cantwell within a year of each other.

Nogueira, 33, won eleven of his first twelve bouts, defeating tough as nails Alistair Overeem and Dan Henderson during PRIDE fights. As one of the top 205-pounders in the sport, Nogueira lost two of his next three bouts and then watched as PRIDE was swooped up by the UFC. “Little Nog” didn’t immediately jump into the octagon, instead choosing to fight elsewhere. His strategy worked, winning all five of his bouts, including a tough Affliction bout that saw him knock off current UFC LHW Vladimir Matyushenko. His most recent bout came in May, defeating Dion Starling via triangle choke.

Prediction – Nogueira over Cane via TKO

Amir Sadollah vs. Phil Baroni

The Ultimate Fighter 7 winner Amir Sadollah (1-1) will have to rebound from his -recent loss at UFC 101 against UFC veteran Phil Baroni (13-11), who stands to make a comeback into the organization he last fought for in 2005.

Sadollah breezed right through The Ultimate Fighter 7 show that featured middleweights by defeating four different opponents on his way to the tournament final. He defeated CB Dollaway in the Finale with a 1st round submission to earn the six-figure contract. After a period of over a year of inactivity, Sadollah returned at UFC 101 as a welterweight, facing the extremely tough Johnny Hendricks. Hendricks took control of Sadollah and knocked him out in 29 seconds with a strong overhand right.

Baroni is a veteran of over ten years and twenty-four fights. He debuted at UFC 30 in February 2001 and fought in the octagon eight times where he compiled a 3-5 record. While the record didn’t show it, Baroni remained competitive with his aggressive game plans. After leaving the UFC, Baroni resurfaced in Japan with PRIDE FC, where he produced a solid 4-2 record. To earn his return fight inside of the octagon, Baroni won three of his last four bouts. His most recent bout was in June, losing to Joe Riggs on a Strikeforce card.

Prediction – Baroni over Sadollah via KO

Josh Koscheck vs. Anthony Johnson

At the end of this co-main event bout, either Anthony “Rumble” Johnson (8-2) or Josh Koscheck (13-4) will be nearing top contender status in the UFC’s WW division. Koscheck was in action at UFC 103 in September, having a seemingly easy 1st round TKO victory against Frank Trigg. Georgia-native, Johnson, was in action less than one month ago at UFC 104, defeating Yoshiyuki Yoshida in 41 seconds via KO.

“Kos” was raw when appearing on TUF 1, carrying with him a basic 2-0 record. At the TUF 1 Finale, Koscheck defeated housemate Chris Sanford to earn his first official UFC victory. He would go on to win 7 of his first 8 fights inside of the octagon, tripping up against Drew Fickett at Ultimate Fight Night 2 in March 2005. At UFC 74 Koscheck was defeated by George St. Pierre in what would work out to be a number one contender’s bout. Koscheck has stayed busy as of late, however has gone 2-2 over his last four bouts. He did earn a “KO of the Night” against Yoshida in December 2008 at UFC “Fight for the Troops”.

Johnson carried with him a 3-0 record when making his debut at UFC Fight Night Stephens vs. Fisher, defeating Chad Reiner. He would go on to lose two of three and fall on shaky ground with the UFC. They stuck with him and since then he hasn’t disappointed. Three consecutive victories (Kevin Burns, Luigi Fioravanti, and Yoshida) have place Johnson right back in the thick of things in the 170-pound division.

Prediction – Johnson over Koscheck via TKO

UFC 106 Main Event: Tito Ortiz vs Forrest Griffin:

The last time these two met Forrest Griffin (16-6) was an up and coming superstar and Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) was a former champion with five title-defenses to his credit. This time around, Griffin’s one-fight stint as LHW champ is well behind him and instead is trying to get back on the winning track after suffering back-to-back losses. Ortiz hasn’t fought in well over a year and a half, when he went head-to-head in a losing effort against current UFC LHW champ, Lyoto Machida.

Tito Ortiz has been in action for over twelve years; however the California-based fighter is only 33 years-old. He had his first title opportunity at UFC 22, losing to Frank Shamrock after losing a conditioning battle. However in his very next bout, Ortiz defeated Wanderlei Silva to capture the 205-pound title. He would defend his gold in five straight bouts until UFC 44, where he lost his belt to mastermind, Randy Couture. After losing back-to-back bouts, Ortiz recovered to win his next five and earn another title opportunity against Chuck Liddell at UFC 66, where he was knocked out in the 3rd round. A back injury has kept Tito from staying busy in the octagon, fighting twice in the last two and a half years. A draw against Rashad Evans at UFC 73 and his hard-luck loss to Machida at UFC 84 have been his only bouts in that time period.

Forrest was a veteran long before his stint on the The Ultimate Fighter 1, bringing with him a 9-2 record. His run through the series and his historic effort in the Finale will never be forgotten as simply the most important factor in rejuvenating MMA. Since his 3-0 start in the UFC, Griffin has been up and down, but always has given his best effort. His UFC 59 loss to Tito Ortiz could have gone either way, as many believed that Forrest had done enough to get the win. Later on, after a second win over Bonnar and a devastating loss against Keith Jardine, Griffin put together three consecutive wins inside the octagon, coming out of the trio of bouts as the UFC LHW champ. A victory against Hector Ramirez was followed with a “Submission of the Night” performance against Mauricio Rua and a “Fight of the Night” effort by capturing the 205-pound title against Quinton Jackson. Forrest has a pair of “Fight of the Night” performances in his two most recent bouts; however neither bout has ended in a “W” for Forrest. A UFC 92 loss against Rashad Evans cost him his title and then a 1st round TKO by Anderson Silva at UFC 101 sent Forrest into hiding.

Prediction – Ortiz over Griffin via decision

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 105 preview: Couture vs Vera
• 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