UFC Fight Night 55 (Rockhold vs. Bisping) emanates November 8, 2014, from the Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia. The next night, UFC Fight Night 56 (Shogun vs. St. Preux) takes place in the Ginásio Municipal Tancredo Neves in Uberlândia, Brazil. Last Word on Sports’ MMA Department brings to you their fight picks and analysis for this weekend’s most important bouts.
UFC FN 55: Luke Rockhold vs. Michael “The Count” Bisping
James Carlucci, Todd Parkinson: Bisping
Ed Carbajal, Trent Dozier, Daniel Richeson: Rockhold
“Michael Bisping has insane cardio and a good, active kickboxing game. His takedown defense is great, and the pace he’s able to maintain in fights is one of the absolute best in all of MMA, not just the middleweight division. Unfortunately for the Brit, Luke Rockhold is younger, stronger, and at the peak of his game. His output on the feet may not equal that of Bisping, put he carries much more power, both in his fists and in his feet. On top of that, his submission game is not only top notch, but very creative. Ten of Rockhold’s twelve wins have come via first round finish, and I think against Bisping, he’ll make it eleven. Rockhold by knockout in less than five minutes.” – Dozier
UFC FN 55: Ross “The Real Deal” Pearson vs. Al Iaquinta
Carlucci, Dozier, Richeson: Pearson
Carbajal, Parkinson: Iaquinta
“This will most likely be a stand-up war between two talented lightweights. There will be lots of in-and-out movement from both fighters, but I believe that Pearson will land cleaner strikes throughout. Look for the Brit to soften Iaquinta up in the first, eventually finishing him with strikes.” – Parkinson
UFC FN 56: Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. “OSP” Ovince St. Preux
Carlucci, Carbajal, Dozier, Richeson, Parkinson: Rua
“I’m an old school fan of MMA so I go for Shogun by default. He’s 32 years old, which is still prime for MMA, and his experience standing and on the ground is better than St. Preux. St. Preux may have a reach advantage, but Shogun doesn’t mind getting hit to give a hit, and he can take it. I say Shogun by decision or submission in the later rounds.” – Carbajal
UFC FN 56: Ian “Uncle Creepy” McCall vs. John “Hands of Stone” Lineker
Carlucci, Dozier, Parkinson: McCall
Carbajal, Richeson: Lineker
“Lineker’s weight (and thus cardio) is always a potential issue, and that’s a dangerous weakness to have against a fighter as fast as McCall. “Uncle Creepy” has shown a relative resurgence in his last two fights, using his speed and footwork to pepper his opponents while standing en route to clear-cut decision victories. Look for McCall to continue this trend, completing another step in his quest to bring relevance to the flyweight division.” – Carlucci
Under the Radar Fight:
Carlucci: Dylan Andrews vs. Sam Alvey (UFC FN 55)
Carbajal: Soa Palelei vs. Walt Harris (UFC FN 55)
Dozier: Warrley Alves vs. Alan Jouban (UFC FN 56)
Richeson: Dhiego Lima vs. Jorge Oliveira (UFC FN 56)
Parkinson: Clint Hester vs. Robert Whittaker (UFC FN 56)
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