Actually have a little time now so I thought I would actually put together a write up for my thoughts going into this card.
Silva vs Weidman
Until Chris dropped him with that punch... I was convinced that Silva had made a deal with the devil upon entering the UFC and was never going to lose a fight until he retired. With that being said... I think he is going to use some movement like we have seen in the past but def not what we seen him do vs Maia and vs Chris in July... I would maybe expect it to go as far as it did vs Okami. Other than that I expect Anderson to win by Stoppage in the 3rd.
2u Silva
Barnett vs Browne
Barnett is one of those guys that just presses up against you, grinds you, and tries to get the fight to the mat. I think anyone that watches MMA and has watched him fight is aware of that. These are also the guys that I have a habit of betting on. However, for some reason, I just don't see it here. Browne is a big strong boy, great athlete, and has excellent movement/footwork.... that combined with the fact that he comes out of the Jackson camp leads me to believe that they are going to have something to counter act the way that Barnett normally fights.
I am aware Mir was training with Jackson, but as much as I love Mir he has always been too content with letting bigger stronger guys push him up against the cage and thinking he is tough enough to absorb the damage (Barnett, Carwin, DC) If Browne can keep the distance use his length... jab and kicks I think he can ride this into a very successful evening.
.5-1u play on Browne
Porrier vs Brando
Dustin imo is one of the most well versed guys in the division. Had it not been for a lost to KZ we would have watched him in the cage with Sentinel Jose Aldo. After watching what he was able to do to Koch I feel that he is finally where he needs to be to make his run back at the title. With that being said the Diego we see now isn't the fucking animal that was on TUF that the house seemed to be scared of.... I mean the man has been outstruck #'s wise in all of his UFC contests but one. ( I get that Diego packs more power than almost all the division)
I think a big reason for this is tactical planning on the part of the Jackson camp to prevent him from gassing. Well... I don't see Porrier just allowing the fight to coast on Diego's pace... he's a guy that likes to get in there and push pace mixing up strikes and take downs. I just see this fight going a lot more like the Elkins fight than any of the other contests Diego has had in the UFC. I mean tbh, if he didn't catch Bermudez with that arm bar at the end of rd 1 we wud of had a different TUF champion that season. And that was with a guy that is much shorter than Dustin w/o half the striking Dustin has. So I expect Porrier to be able to close the distance a lot easier than Dennis was and to be able to secure the td just as easy if not easier just because he'll be able to set it up with striking more efficiently.
1.5u Dustin Porrier
Rousey vs Tate
I mean there's no way Ronda can headlock, hip throw, judo throw someone into a partial head arm position and then secure an armbar right? I mean especially not a vet like Tate right? Well all the publicity and the TUF show have done a great job getting my fired up to see two women fight... at this point I am just hoping Meisha can keep her arm out of Ronda grasp and just brawl for 5rds... hell maybe she even secures mount and pounds her out. I have 0 idea what Ronda can do off her back or what her sub d even looks like bcuz we have never seen her in that position.
Bottom line is this... At this point I don't feel that Tate should be +600 to some males let alone another female... hoping she finds a way to gut this out... there's just too much juice in this line not to take her.
.35u or more on Tate just depending where i'm at, up to 1.7u Tate
Hall vs Leben
Funny after the Brando write up I gave about him not being the same "monster" we witnessed on TUF... you guys are going to have to listen to me try to sell you Hall lol. Now like many of you I don't know how in the hell this kid didn't beat Doomsday. I know the fight was in Boston (adv Howard) but I don't care if the fight was in fucking Howard's house in front of his two kids, I still thought Hall would win. He lost to a guy they had fill in for his orig opponent because they were in boston... they have little intention of retaining Howard before he won.
Now with that being said... the UFC is giving him Leben. A guy Hall is bigger than, faster than, a better athlete than, stronger than, has better offensive takedowns than, has better movement than... you get the idea... Leben is less than impressive in most physical(other than power) and technical categories in the MMA department (I will give the man credit on his much improved submission game). The on thing that he has that you can't teach is a chin and heart... the man doesn't know how to stop.
I feel like the UFC made this fight for one major reason. With all the advantages Hall has... if he's not able to put it together against a guy that doesn't move that well and is known for having poor head movement... then maybe they need to put hall out to the Bellator pasture. I can see Hall winning w/point fighting and if he pulls the trigger. The only way I see Leben winning is if he just forces Hall to quit mentally.
Haven't seen a line on this yet so I am waiting to submitt units. If n e one has viewed one plz let me know.
Also looking at taking Dennis Siver but need to see the line on that as well.