Location: Concert Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Date: April 10th, 2010
Broadcast: Pay-Per-View

Fight of the Night prediction: Matt Hughes, Renzo Gracie
KO of the Night prediction: Anderson Silva, Demian Maia
Submission of the Night prediction: Phil Davis, Alexander Gustaffson 

UFC 112 Preview: Co-Main Event

UFC Middleweight Championship: Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia

The Odds* Anderson Silva – 800; Demian Maia + 500

Again this is another one of those MMA fights where you go from being incredibly excited to only sightly interested. It was unfortunate that Vitor Belfort had to pull out due to injury (I can guarantee you the Vegas odds would have been a hell of a lot closer). However Belfort is out and Maia stepped up to keep Anderson Silva on the card. This shows you how good Anderson Silva is because Demian Maia is no slouch. He is a world-class BJJ technician and he is also an accomplished boxer. Demian Maia has won nearly every major grappling award that can be won (3-time ADCC champion, CBJJ world champion, and CBJJO world champion). Maia also has a UFC record setting 4 Submission of the Night honors. So he is a dangerous man, but Anderson Silva is on a whole over level. The real question is, will he be mentally prepared. He answered that question by embarrassing former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin at UFC 101, but can he continue to stay focused? Can Demian Maia derail the Anderson Silva train at UFC 112 or will Silva continue on to his 12th straight UFC victory? We think Abu Dhabi will be another city to celebrate in for Silva. Our prediction is that Anderson Silva wins in exciting fashion, round two TKD, his second straight.

UFC Lightweight Championship: B.J. Penn vs. Frankie Edgar

The Odds* BJ Penn – 800; Frankie Edgar + 500

There is not much analysis that needs to be done to determine this UFC MMA fight, hell B.J. Penn is considered the prodigy for a reason – especially when he fights in the lightweight division. B.J. Penn hasn’t lost a lightweight fight since back in 2003 to Jens Pulver at UFC 35! Since then he has been undefeated while competing as a lightweight division. To be honest, I’m not sold that Frankie Edgar deserves to be fighting against Penn for the lightweight championship. The fact of the matter that on any given day, any fighter can win – however the cards are severely stacked against Edgar. He has scored some impressive wins over Matt Veach, Sean Sherk and Hermes Franca but there is that loss to Gray Maynard that sticks out to me. Maynard is still undefeated as a professional (and he has beaten some of the best that the UFC has thrown his direction – there was Edgar, Rich Clementi, Dennis Siver, Roger Huerta, Jim Miller and most recently Nate Diaz). But I’m not entirely convinced that Maynard could hang with B.J. Penn. The UFC really needs to go outside of the UFC roster to find the best lightweight talent – I’m thinking Shinya Aoki, Tatsuya Kawajiri or maybe even Eddie Alvarez. In any case B.J. Penn will walk out victorious from Abu Dhabi via round three submission.

UFC 112 Preview: Main Card

Matt Hughes vs. Renzo Gracie
The Odds*: Hughes – 365; Gracie + 285

Vegas clearly is pulling for Matt Hughes in this one. I don’t think Matt Hughes needs much of an introduction but we’ll do a fly over at what he has accomplished. Matt Hughes is a former 2-time All-American D1 wrestler and an ADCC champion. He has been competing in MMA fights since 1998 and has accomplished nearly everything there is to accomplish including becoming a 2x UFC Welterweight champion which he has successfully defended seven times! He has also defeated some of the best in the world including Georges St. Pierre, B.J. Penn, Frank Trigg, Sean Shrek and the other Gracie, Royce Gracie. Whenever an MMA fight fan hears the name Gracie, their ears always perk up. Renzo has been competing since 1995 and has fought some of the best himself. However he really hasn’t proven himself against those top level MMA fighters like Dan Henderson and B.J. Penn. Plus his age (Renzo Gracie is 43) is a huge disadvantage. Matt Hughes leaves Abu Dhabi a winner via unanimous decision.

Rafael dos Anjos vs. Terry Etim
The Odds*: Anjos + 130; Etim – 160

Terry Etim is a highly talented grappler who specializes in BJJ and wrestling. Etim, who hales from Liverpool England, also can stand and strike utilizing his Muay Thai. Etim has also scored four straight MMA fight victories including a solid win over Sam Stout back at UFC 89. Rafael dos Anjos is another Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu wizard. He had a rough start with the UFC dropping his first two fights, but he has since bounced back with impressive MMA fight victories over Rob Emerson and Kyle Bradley. dos Anjos is a technical fighter who knows how to pick people apart and exploit weaknesses, plus his stamina is phenomenal. This will be a close fight, however I think Etim has too much experience and will be able to avoid dos Anjos’ dangerous submissions. Terry Etim via split decision.
Kendall Grove vs. Mark Munoz
The Odds*: Grove + 130; Munoz – 160

Kendall Grove has been struggling as of late with his UFC career when it comes to fighting tier 1 fighters. Grove has been defeated recently by Patrick Cote (TKO), Jorge Rivera (TKO) and Ricardo Almeida (unanimous). Unfortunately for Grove the outlook at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi doesn’t appear to be much better. After dropping his UFC debut (a highly debated loss to Mark Hamill at UFC 96) – Munoz has since been on a tear rolling through Nick Catone and Ryan Jensen. However this will be Munoz’s toughest test to date. Munoz should have the upper hand in grappling which he will use to his advantage. Mark Munoz via split decision.

UFC 112 Preview: Preliminary Card

Phil Davis vs. Alexander Gustaffson
The Odds*: Davis – 600; Gustaffson + 400

Phil Davis is an absolute stud. He is one of the quickest rising stars in the UFC light heavyweight division. The former NCAA national champion wrestler from Penn State University has been steam rolling over UFC competitors. Although Gustaffson is undefeated as a professional he simply doesn’t have the skills to hold pace with Davis. Phil Davis wins via 1st round submission.

Nick Osipczak vs. Rick Story
Another interesting match-up at UFC 112. If you aren’t familiar with Nick Osipczak, you are missing out. Osipczak specializes in Shaolin Kung Fu & jiujitsu, a deadly combination. Osipczak demonstrated his TKO ability during TUF: US vs UK on SpikeTV. On the show Osipczak knocked out two opponents before losing to DeMarques Johnson in what has been considered to be one of the most exciting TUF fights to date, watch it here on UltimateFighter.com. Since then Nick Osipczak has defeated both of his UFC challengers. Rick Story has been known to entertain the audience as well. Story a wrestler by nature is 3-1 within the UFC and had one of 2009′s most exciting mma fights when he faced Brian Foster at UFC 103. The fight earned Rick Story Fight of the Night, Submission of the Night and a top ten 2009 UFC fight ranking. Story is actually coming off of a fresh victory which he scored this past January by defeating Jesse Lennox at UFC Fight Night 20. Nick Osipczak has proven he can neutralize a wrestler – plus we think his striking and jiu-jitsu is too much to handle. Nick Osipczak wins via 2nd round TKO.

Paul Kelly vs. Matt Veach

We are glad to see our buddy Paul Kelly back in the octagon. Kelly is coming off of a tough loss at UFC 105 to Dennis Siver (TKO) in his backyard of Manchester, England. Matt Veach is no slouch himself in the UFC lightweight division. Although he was forced to tap against Frankie Edgar back at the TUF 10 finale, that was the first loss of his career. Both of these men are very strong wrestlers so look for a technical grappling match (which we know the fans in Abu Dhabi will respect!). If the fighters do stand and exchange, we give a big advantage to Veach. Our heart is saying Paul Kelly in this UFC 112 showdown though – decision victory gets Kelly on the right track.

Mostapha Al Turk vs. Jon Madsen

About the only thing Turk will have in his advantage at UFC 112 is the audience. Turk is coming off of two vicious 1st round TKOs (Cro Cop & Cheick Kongo) and is milking his UFC contract for all its worth. Madsen on the other hand is terribly hungry to prove himself in the UFC since debuting on the Ultimate Fighter season 10 (TUF 10). The Jon Madesn MMA career officially began last December when he beat Justin Wren at the TUF 10 finale via decision. Jon Madsen wins via decision.

What are your UFC 112 Predictions?

*All odds are for informational purposes only. Odds numbers were taken Thursday, April 8th 2010 and are subject to change. FightLaunch.com does not support or encourage sports betting.

Abu Dhabi, UFC