MATT WIMAN vs. MAC DANZIG

ANTHONY JOHNSON vs. CHARLIE BRENNEMAN
Everyone seems to have the young Brenneman inked in for a decision win, which surprises me. Johnson’s had his setbacks, but he’s still a big, dangerous Welterweight with the edge in experience and on his feet. Brenneman deserves props for his upset of Rick Story, but the fight was made literally hours before the event due to Nate Marquardt’s drug test failure and subsequent dismissal (publicly via a Dana White YouTube video) from the UFC. There was a lot of chaos and drama that night, and in that type of a situation it’s very hard to use it to gauge a fighter’s trajectory. Brenneman is giving up a lot of size and experience. His edge may be in grappling, but is he strong enough to take Johnson to the ground and keep him there? I sincerely doubt it.
PREDICTION: Johnson via KO (Round 2)

PAT BARRY vs. STEFAN STRUVE
Pat Barry’s one of my favorite fighters due to his personality and the fact that he always puts on a great show for the fans. But I’m the first to note that he’s the furthest thing from a contender due to his misplaced priorities during fights, his reach disadvantage, and especially his questionable ground game. It’s that last part that will cost him against Stefan Struve, who himself has an incredible advantage in reach at nearly seven feet tall that, due to his style of fighting, he never utilizes. I pick Struve to win here, but he really needs to work out how to maintain a healthy distance with those long arms and legs. He’s a tough kid, but there are diminishing returns in a fighter taking hard shots.
PREDICTION: Struve via Unanimous Decision

DOMINICK CRUZ vs. DEMETRIOUS JOHNSON
As I’ve stated before on this space and to anyone who will listen, I think Cruz is one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world. Demetrious Johnson is quick and tenacious, and he’ll make for an entertaining fight. But he, like everyone else right now at 135 pounds, is woefully outclassed by Cruz’s enigmatic footwork and astounding cardio.
PREDICTION: Cruz via Unanimous Decision

UFC LIVE airs Saturday, October 1st at 9:00pm on Versus.

I’ve been signing the praises of Cruz to friends and fans going back to his days in the WEC. Boy, do I miss those cards, particularly the laters ones that featured almost exclusively Bantamweight and Featherweight fights. Since MMA is still a young sport, there are still divisions that are lacking for depth (in particular Heavyweight and Middleweight) and still experience growing pains while the sport continues to attract the attention of  higher caliber of athletes from around the globe. Yet in the WEC, there were two lower weight classes that at the time were not even in the UFC where the talent pool was not only exceptional, but nearly every fight was a barn-burner.

Cruz was the star of the WEC in its final days, becoming champion right at the precipice of the announcement of the UFC’s eventual aborption of the promotion. His year and a half long reign has seen him dominate the likes of Scott Jorgensen and former Featherweight champion Urijah Faber in performances that have shown him to be something far beyond the measuring stick for his weight class. Like Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva, Cruz seems to be a generation ahead of every other fighter in his division, yet with a style that is unique and all his own. Anyone that appreciates footwork can only sit in awe as he darts and dances around his opponents. As MMAFighting.com’s Ben Fowlkes once said (in praise of Cruz’s unique style and baffling cardio), “how do you prepare for this weirdo?”

It’s my belief (as you’ll see when I release my rankings later this week) that Dominick Cruz is one of the top five pound-for-pound fighters in the world. It’s a shame that he’s not being showcased on pay-per-view and does not yet have the recognition and respect from casual fans to be a major draw, but the positive of course is that we get to see one of the greatest MMA fighters in the game hone his craft on free television. Lucky us.

“UFC Live: Cruz vs. Johnson” airs live on Versus this Saturday, October 1st starting at 9:00pm.

In addition to the main event, the rest of the card has the potential to be one of the more entertaining events of 2011. Pat Barry vs. Stefan Struve, Matt Wiman vs. Mac Danzig, and Anthony Johnson vs. Charlie Brenneman rounds out the live televised portion of the event.

You owe it to yourself as a fan to watch this Saturday. Mark my words: you won’t see a better fighter step in the cage the rest of this year.