I hate this idea just as much as the fans do, but it’s definitely a possibility. MMAFightLine is reporting that Fedor and the UFC are currently discussing the possibility of a one-fight deal to take place in the Octagon:

Sources close to negotiations between the UFC and Fedor's management have informed MMAFightline.com that the two sides are currently discussing a possible one fight deal that would bring Fedor to the cage, presumably to face Randy Couture.

It is unknown whether Couture would end his lawsuit and come back to the UFC to face Fedor if the UFC were able to offer such a fight, but Couture has stated on numerous occasions that this is the only fight that makes sense at this stage of his career.

It should be noted that nothing is eminent at this point and negotiations are in the general discussion phase. If made, however, the deal would be unprecedented. The UFC is notorious for locking up fighters in long term deals and not allowing them to leave as champions. We'll have more on this story as it develops.

Many fans are a bit surprised by this turn of events, especially considering the fact that Fedor could potentially have a great run in the UFC with Nogueira currently holding the interim title. The problem that many fans forget is that Fedor has a huge problem with being bounded to any one promotion. He loves to keep his options open to fighting in Japan and close to home in Russia, and nobody seems to have an answer on how to lure him away from that.

On the other side of the argument, Fedor signing a one-fight deal kills the UFC’s chances of using him for marketing more fights and making massive revenue on his status. It could also hurt the UFC’s credibility as having such a great Heavyweight division, especially if he comes into the cage and crushes Couture. The only logical explanation is that Couture is stating this will be his last fight in mixed martial arts and Fedor will be his last opponent. If Couture loses, he went out fighting the best fighter in the world in his weight class. If he wins, there is potential for him to keep fighting or he will simply go out on top with a legacy as being one of the greats in mixed martial arts.

If Fedor happens to win, the UFC will likely try to extend Fedor’s contract, but of course, I’m sure his management team will try to stop that from happening. He’ll have some big money bouts left in Japan, unless the UFC can produce some more bouts from him in the UFC. I’m sure big Tim Sylvia would like a shot. Bottom line is that Fedor crushing Couture and then leaving the UFC on that note will make fans wonder and want to see Fedor more. It’d be a good exposure move for Fedor possibly getting more fights in the States, but it sure wouldn’t help the credibility of the UFC’s division with Nogueira having the title and Couture being manhandled.

Fedor could be a huge name in the UFC, but a one-fight deal isn’t going to allow the UFC to do so. Either way, Couture vs. Fedor could happen in the cage and it will expose Fedor to a casual fanbase that may be very impressed.

This weekend could mark the inaugural event for a promotion that seeks to resurrect PRIDE back into the mixed martial arts scene. DREAM will take place on Saturday from Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and it will feature one of the most stacked lightweight Grand Prix cards in recent memory. With nearly five or six top 10 lightweight fighters in the mix, the Grand Prix could climax into some big name superbouts later in the year. Shinya Aoki will be looking to prove his lackluster performance Bu Kyung Jung was only a fluke, but he’ll be taking on the devastating Gesias “JZ” Calvancante. Other action features Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kultar Gill, Joachim Hansen vs. Kotetsu Boku, Andre “Dida” Amade vs. Eddie Alvarez, Mitsuhiro Ishida vs. Bu Kyung Jung, Hayato Sakurai vs. Hidetaka Monma, and the return of Mirko “CroCop” Filipovic to Japan as he will face Tatsuya Mizuno. It should be a fantastic event for hardcore fans everywhere.

Shinya Aoki vs. Gesias “JZ” Calvancante

This battle is a classic matchup of grappler vs. striker, but with the added danger of Calvancante actually having a great jiu-jitsu base to backup his quick and devastating striking. Aoki’s biggest threat is off his back. His flexibility, jiu-jitsu skills, and overall transitional game are unbelievably effective. He used techniques that are tough to escape, but he is susceptible to the crushing ways of a powerful puncher.

That’s where Calvancante may have the edge. He has an uncanny ability of staying out of the guard and crushing opponents, almost Fedor-esque. When he is in guard, he’s crushing and powerful. To supplement his striking skills, he does possess great jiu-jitsu skills. He also trains out of American Top Team, a camp that features a huge number of talented fighters for Calvancante to use to his advantage.

Gesias Calvancante has been a beast in his last few bouts. Before pulling out of the first scheduled fight with Aoki at Yarennoka, Calvancante went on a tear in the K-1 HERO’s tournament on September 17th of last year. He absolutely blasted Vitor Ribeiro in :35 seconds, arguably a top 5 lightweight, and submitted Chute Box striker Andre “Dida” Amade in the final. His striking is unmatched in this matchup, and he has enough awareness and skill to avoid the submission. I’ll take Calvancante by TKO/KO in round 2.

Leland’s Prediction: Gesias “JZ” Calvancante via TKO/KO, Round 2

Andre “Dida” Amade vs. Eddie Alvarez

The single pick’em fight on the card features the upcoming puncher Andre “Dida” Amade vs. the former BodogFIGHT and new EliteXC fighter Eddie Alvarez. This could vie for the fight of the night at DREAM, and it should give us a solid barometer for where each fighter stands in the world.

Dida is fairly green on the MMA scene. He’s 6-2-1 with his most recent bout being a losing effort to Gesias Calvancante at the HERO’S Middleweight Tournament final. Dida was still able to defeat Caol Uno and Artur Oumakhanov in the preliminary rounds to make the final as well as defeating Hiroyuki Takaya at Hero’s 8. He has some solid power in his hands, good striking, and the Chute Box Muay Thai/Brazilian jiu-jitsu base that could prove dangerous to Alvarez’s wrestling.

Alvarez also has some big power in his hands, but he also has some wrestling skills on the ground that usually work to help him ground and pound opponents. He shouldn’t be a danger in the submission game, so this fight will likely be a technical striking war between both fighters. In that case, I’m almost inclined to pick Dida over Alvarez due to his Muay Thai skills and big punch striking. Alvarez has a very good shot though, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he won. I’ll take Dida for my pick though.

Leland’s Prediction: Andre Dida via TKO/KO, Round 1

Most fans have heard the news this week regarding Anderson Silva’s comment about fighting Roy Jones Jr. in a boxing match. Here are some of the comments:

“All these boxers out there talking s— how MMA fighters aren’t technical, well he’s willing to step up and fight them in their own game,” says Soares, who notes that the idea to challenge the aging Jones was the UFC champ’s. “So, if anything, he’s not trying to say there’s nothing to prove in MMA; he’s trying to plant a flag for every one of the fighters out there in the world that fight MMA.

Could Silva even get Jones? Locked in a UFC deal, Soares said that would be up to Dana White, but if they had their way the fight would get made.

“I think he’s a great boxer, one of the greatest boxers to ever box,” Silva says of Jones. “I would love the opportunity to test my skills against him.”

Soares also mentions in the MMAWeekly story a few days later this comment:

According to Soares, however, there are other people who think there might be some merit to putting Silva up against Jones in a boxing ring.
"I just spoke with Roy Jones' management and they are very interested in it. They think it would break all kinds of pay-per-view records. It all kind of started as a dream of Anderson's, but if the UFC would back it, it is something that we really would like to pursue."

Jones' management indicated that this could be a fight that would bring together the fractured factions of boxing and mixed martial arts. "They think it will actually bring together the boxing and MMA communities," said Soares.

So, the big question is… will this fight actually happen? When both sides of the matchup are actually considering the fight, it’s much closer than one side denying that it even exists. Most likely, Jones sees an opportunity in a couple of key areas of the boxing scene. There is potential for him to gain new fans from the crossover bout, and he will likely get a nice cut from the fight if it is promoted correctly and a network like HBO is used to create another Hatton vs. Mayweather 24/7 show. It could effectively hit over a million buys.

How can the UFC win in this situation if Jones is making all the big money, and Anderson Silva is beaten? For most fans of both sports, the consensus is that Roy Jones Jr. should win the bout. If Silva is crushed inside 3 rounds, it won’t be a surprise. If Silva can last the entire bout or even win a few rounds, it’ll be an impressive feat for the UFC’s middleweight champion and may swing some boxing fans to watch mixed martial arts. In fact, Anderson Silva could potentially become the fighter that was impressive enough for some boxing fans to give a UFC PPV a look at with his name attached to it.

The mainstream media would eat this story up in a heartbeat. The amount of hype that would be produced would be so astounding that boxing fans and MMA fans alike wouldn’t be able to keep their hands from ordering the pay-per-view on their On Demand cable boxes. The buyrates would likely be unbelievably profitable, and it would give the UFC more exposure in the mainstream market as well as on the top network television networks. If Zuffa somehow managed to promote this fight instead of a boxing promoter, huge money could made for the company.

Could this really be a win-win for the UFC? Possibly, but if Anderson Silva somehow gets dismantled into unconsciousness, I think the tide would turn on that argument.

Fedor Emelianenko is by far my favorite mixed martial arts fighter in the world. I didn’t jump on the bandwagon when he defeated Nogueira for the first time or jump out of my seat and proclaim my loyalty to him when he defeated Mirko “CroCop”. No, I’ve been an avid follower of the “Russian Experiment” since 2002 at PRIDE 23. His complete dismantling of Heath Herring at the time was seen as “unbelievable” to many fans watching the event. I was hooked on seeing him fight again from that point on.

It was a wild ride of great wins. Nogueira, Fujita, Goodridge, Coleman, Randleman, CroCop, and Hunt all fell fairly easily to the Russian Sambo specialist. Although the list of names today doesn’t look spectacular, putting those names in the context of the era in which they lived tells a different story. Now, fans are questioning Fedor Emelianenko’s status as the #1 Heavyweight in the world as well as the opinionated ranking of #1 pound for pound fighter in the world.

It seems illogical to me to even question Fedor’s absolute dominating skills. His transition game is unmatched by anyone in any weight class. His striking is highly underrated, and his overall intelligence in the fight is amazing. Fans claim Couture’s clinch and dirty boxing would crush Fedor, or Tim Sylvia’s size and striking would demolish the “Last Emperor”. I’ll be the first to rise up and push my analysis in Fedor’s favor anytime, but I’ve grown tired.

As a fan of Fedor Emelianenko for years, a time has come to question his motives. Sure, money is a great benefit of the fight game, but it has inched slowly into my thinking that it may be the sole reason for the complete lack in Fedor taking on anyone that resembles a top fighter. The complete waste of time in between battles has also grown tiring on the fans that want to see him fight. As dominant as he was in the past, some fans tried to justify his last deal as a “break” or “payoff” for his domination over the years, but the idea that always comes up is that the top fighters always fight the top competition. That’s how you determine you are the best, and it baffles me why someone would be a champion in a successful promotion, and then fight someone like Hong Man Choi. Yeah, yeah… Japanese television ratings, I know.

This isn’t a blurb telling you that Fedor Emelianenko should sign with the UFC. The UFC offers restrictive contracts that are likely to be unattractive to someone like Fedor Emelianenko, but there comes a point in a professional athlete’s career when they have to decide whether they want to ride out their career for the money or take on the best competition possible to prove that one is the undisputed best at that sport. The time to decide is now.

If Fedor can somehow translate my ranting scribbles to Russian, read this carefully. The constant barrage of news surfacing about you becoming a free agent… again is frustrating your fans. Nobody knows where you’ll go or what you’ll do, but for your fans who still believe that you care about the competition and the sport… the top competition in the world needs to be in front of you. I’ve been adamantly waiting for a time when I could hear Randy Couture vs. Fedor Emelianenko or Josh Barnett vs. Fedor Emelianenko for what seems like an eternity. Legal battles, miscommunication, Dana White, the list goes on of obstacles that stop all of this from happening, but in the end… you’re the damn one who needs to step up to the plate.

I’ll always be a Fedor Emelianenko fan as I’m also a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan that deals with the constant letdown of team after team, year after year. I’m a loyal fan in any sport. In this case, you are slowly losing a fan who gets excited to see you fight to the fan who wants to see you fight, but really doesn’t care in the end because he knows that you’ll be beating down has-beens in no time at this rate. The ball is in your court, Fedor, and your fanbase is on the line.

It’s been an interesting couple of weeks in the mixed martial arts talent market. With news that Fedor Emelianenko has been rumored to be leaving M-1 Global, the stage is set for another showdown between the MMA promotions to fight for his services. ProElite, DREAM, World Victory Road, HDNet, and the UFC will most likely be involved in some sort of talks with the Russian Sambo champion at some point in the coming months. There is another entry into the sweepstakes that many people may be dismissing due to their recent entry into the market.

Golden Boy Promotions is the newest player in the mixed martial arts scene, and they have also been included in the increasing number of promotions that will vie for Fedor Emelianenko’s services. Headed by one-time Swiss banker Richard Schaefer and boxer turned to businessman Oscar De La Hoya, the promotion seems to have a stable background that could translate into the business turning a profit in the industry. Golden Boy is one of the most powerful boxing promoters in the boxing scene, and produced one of the biggest boxing matches in recent history in Floyd Mayweather vs. Oscar De La Hoya. De La Hoya may have lost, but his company netted huge profits from pay-per-view figures and sponsorships.

The next venture for Golden Boy will be a challenge for De La Hoya and company. Golden Boy has partnered with MMA clothing company Affliction to create a new mixed martial arts promotion. After a Fedor Emelianenko and Randy Couture photo shoot that pitted the fighters face to face as a promotional advertisement for Affliction, the UFC booted Affliction from its events and banned the label. Now, Affliction has crept into bed with Golden Boy Promotions… maybe Affliction knows something we don’t.

With a high profile MMA clothing company as a sponsor, Golden Boy will now have to concentrate on obtaining talent. MMA has grown big enough to where talent is hard to come by these days and building from the ground up can take an extensive amount of time. Smaller promotions haven’t been so lucky at building talent and most organizations act as feeder systems to the UFC. How can Golden Boy compete?

According to an article by Kevin Iole at MMAJunkie.com back in February, Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer commented that there appears to be “turmoil” in the mixed martial arts business in which new companies are forming and fighters are revolting against the current business practices. Tito Ortiz is mentioned in the article as having a representative reach out to Golden Boy to see if the two sides could work together.

Is Golden Boy Promotions is the true dark horse in the mixed martial arts scene? The company has a solid background with big profits and is diverse in not only boxing, but in real estate and potentially other sports. They’ve been rumored to have already signed middleweight fighter Matt Lindland, and are now in the running to possibly sign Fedor Emelianenko to a deal. Could they actually pull this off and turn a profit? History tells us a resounding “No”.

Once again, we move into the realm of thinking that was parallel to the thinking when M-1 Global entered the market. First and foremost, the UFC is the only mixed martial arts promotion to have made a large profit in the North American market. Nearly every single promotion besides the UFC has lost money to an extent in the United States, and it will likely continue. The UFC has not only locked up many of the best fighters in the world, but they’ve also managed to grab a cable television network deal, loads of sponsors including blue-chip sponsors, and their pay-per-view buyrates are steadily bringing home the bacon.

Golden Boy won’t be able to secure top talent in the market. Tito Ortiz can draw people, but who will he fight? Fedor Emelianenko has already proven to be a poor draw in his battle with Matt Lindland in BodogFIGHT, so what are the real benefits for Golden Boy? The biggest upside is their relationship with HBO, but how do they draw more fans to HBO than EliteXC has drawn to Showtime? It’s essential for a promotion to draw big numbers to make a profit, and I don’t see Golden Boy’s roster exploding with enough great fighters to make a fan buy the HBO package or even tune in.

Is Golden Boy the dark horse? I don’t think so. Tito Ortiz and Fedor Emelianenko may turn a profit for one event if Golden Boy happened to sign them, but the fact is that in the long run, Golden Boy will run into the same problems that other promotions have. The only thing that may keep them alive is the simple fact that the company is diverse in its revenue streams, but would you want one stream bringing down your profits? No, not if you’re a businessman.

In the past weeks, the mixed martial arts industry has gone from being sidelined by the other professional sports and mass marketed television dramas to a front runner in potentially filling a slot on a major network television channel. ProElite, the parent company of EliteXC, inked a deal with CBS to broadcast up to four two-hour events during the first year of the agreement, and will have rights to annual renewal options if the “pilot year” goes well. Other developments include the right to order derivative programs based on the events such as reality shows. Adam Swift at MMAPayout.com has more details here.

The big question that will be focused on as this deal begins to materialize into a product is whether or not the entire deal will succeed or fail. Will ProElite hurt the odds of mixed martial arts promotions everywhere by throwing together a bad product for network television? Can ProElite somehow pull it together and produce a show that will have entertainment value, appeal, and excitement that will produce ratings? Let's focus on the key factors that ProElite needs to concentrate on to make this deal work for everyone in the industry.

Profits and risk

All business revolves around the potential profits that both CBS and ProElite can make on the deal. While CBS representatives have remained ironclad on their remarks that the deal is a license rights fee for ProElite, the general feeling throughout the MMA community is that ProElite is putting more money on the line than CBS is willing to admit. Regardless, ProElite has some new revenue streams to consider.

The immediate revenue source will be advertising dollars. ProElite will have a time slot on a major network television network which can give existing MMA-related companies some much needed national exposure that could equal higher profits. Undoubtedly, the money it will require to advertise during these events on CBS will be much higher than an advertising spot on HDNet or on a UFC pay-per-view.

The bigger picture is the ratings war between what CBS feels is feasible ratings to continue the deal. If ProElite can manage to put up some solid numbers in the ratings department, we could see more shows, more advertising dollars, new sponsors, and higher fighter pay. It also has the potential to launch new shows for ProElite on CBS such as a reality series.

Adam Swift had an interesting article that also adds to the possible benefits. According to his article, a top agent in the industry stated that fighters' sponsorship revenue could increase. Specifically, the advertising on fighter's shorts could increase from 3k-10k on a non-main card to 7.5k-15k on a CBS event. Top fighters could receive over 50k. Swift's assessment is that this could give ProElite a big advantage in attracting free agent talent, and I couldn't agree more. Fighters like Tito Ortiz will undoubtedly be jumping at the chance to make those dollars on advertising and opening themselves up to a much larger audience.

With all the potential comes a lot of risk for ProElite. Mixed martial arts as a sport is riding on ProElite's shoulders in the race to determine whether it has value on major network television. Without a doubt, other networks will look at this experiment by CBS as “industry research”. If successful, it could open the doors for other promotions and networks to work out deals.

It could also become the antonym of success. ProElite's ratings could be terrible, sponsors may not see the worth, and advertising revenue will drop with a failing time slot. With all the risk that's involved in this deal and money that ProElite could lose for themselves and their investors, there is another piece to the puzzle that favors ProElite. What do they have to lose? They aren't the number one promotion in mixed martial arts, but they do have a small percentage of the MMA fanbase interested in their promotion. They have some star power, mid-echelon talent, and upcoming talent that they have been bringing along slowly. Should they risk their #2 status in the United States market at the potential to explode onto the national scene? The rewards outweigh the risks not only for ProElite, but for the sport as a whole. Success could equal more network exposure, higher sponsor pay, higher fighter salaries, better production, and a better chance at seeing the best fight the best in the long run.

Chuck Liddell recently answered questions in an interview with The Sun regarding a number of subjects related to the sport of mixed martial arts. In the questioning, Liddell was asked about Fedor Emelianenko, and he answered:

"Fedor's someone I want to fight because he's someone I match up well with. He's a ground and pound guy that doesn't have a great shot. He doesn't have a great game plan. I think I could take him. I think I match up well with him. As far as I know he's never knocked anyone out from his feet and I think he'd have a hard time taking me down."

Call me a Fedor “nuthugger” or say that I'm on the Fedor “bandwagon' all you want, but these comments are reckless. Let me break down how I see a Chuck Liddell vs. Fedor Emelianenko matchup just for the sake of an argument.

Stylistically, Liddell's striking game is one of the best in mixed martial arts. His counter punching is devastating, but he is open for huge blows just like any other fighter in the game. His wrestling is considered a valuable asset in helping him maintain his primary gameplan to strike with opponents, but can he stop Fedor Emelianenko's tenacious takedowns?

Liddell's comments regarding Fedor as a “ground and pound guy that doesn't have a great shot” are inaccurate at best. Fedor's shot isn't tough to stop by itself, but it's nearly impossible to stop when coupled with the fact that his powerful haymakers and striking are not only heavy, but very quick for a heavyweight. Liddell would have to deal with not only Fedor's devastating and underrated striking ability, but then try to sprawl a takedown from the explosive Russian's takedown while thinking a strike was incoming. Fedor used this exact strategy against Antonio Nogueira in multiple bouts.

Fedor's gameplan usually revolves around making his opponent's gameplan change completely. His opponents really haven't had an answer, and I doubt Liddell's striking would provide an answer. Once again, I turn to the transitional skillset of Fedor Emelianenko to effectively argue my point. A one-dimensional fighter such as Liddell would simply not last against an effective ground and standup fighter such as Fedor, especially without a good transition game.

Finally, Liddell's assumption that he would be hard to take down has been a time tested quote by multiple fighters. Sylvia said the same thing about Nogueira, and he still went down. If this fight happens, I believe we'd see Liddell on the floor more times than he's ever been in a single fight. Somebody convince me that Liddell's quote really holds water.

Ken had a sad gameplan of trying to stand with a larger Berry who had longer reach. It's unfortunate to see a legend like Ken Shamrock continually go down like this.

ProElite's British acquisition, Cage Rage, kicked off another event in England on Saturday evening that featured the return of Ken Shamrock to the cage. The card also featured bouts between Jean “White Bear” Silva and leglock specialist Masakazu Imanari, UK heavyweights Neil Grove and Rob Broughton, and a US vs. Britain showdown between Tom Watson and Pierre Guillet. The main event card had some lackluster moments, but the preliminary bouts provided some excitement for the crowd to get amped up. Surprisingly, Wembley Arena sold out for this event, and it looks like the British mixed martial arts scene is continuing to grow. Let's look at the action from today's event.

Shamrock's nonexistent gameplan causes embarrassment

For Ken Shamrock, this was to be his comeback fight. After losing his last five bouts and losing eight in his last ten fights, Shamrock was taking on a relatively weak chinned fighter in Robert Berry. The plan was for Shamrock to defeat Berry and move on to potentially take on Kimbo Slice on a CBS-EliteXC MMA show. Unfortunately, Shamrock's return was spoiled by the heavy hands of “Buzz” Berry.

Berry and Shamrock stood toe-to-toe for most of the fight, but Shamrock took a hard strike to the temple that immediately dropped him like a tree. Berry's size was a significant factor in the battle as Shamrock had problems trying to take down the larger Berry. His reach also provided enough range to keep Ken outside while he peppered him with shots.

The critical flaw in Shamrock's gameplan was exactly that... his gameplan. Ken's primary weapon in the past has been his ability to submit opponents with devastating leg locks, but his primary focus has moved away from that recently. That type of gameplan hasn't been successful for Ken, and it will continue to plague him with embarrassment if he doesn't realize the flaw.

Imanari finishes Silva quickly

Masakazu Imanari has remained relatively unknown to the casual fanbase for most of his career. While holding both the Cage Rage and DEEP titles and maintaining a top 10 ranking in the Featherweight division throughout the world, Imanari has quietly and consistently defeated mid-echelon talent. Saturday night at Wembley Arena was no different.

Imanari worked his signature heel hook submission on Jean Silva at only 2:30 in the first round. Silva was edging out Imanari early in the standup department, but Imanari pulled Silva into the leg lock position as Silva tried to work a ground and pound game. After a few attempts by Imanari to secure the lock and Silva rolling out of the hold, Imanari sunk in the heel hook and visibly hurt Silva's leg to end the fight. Silva had to be escorted out of the ring and eventually left the arena on a stretcher.

Other action

ProElite's British mixed martial arts promotion will hold another installment of their Cage Rage series from London, England on Saturday. The event will feature the return of Ken “The World's Most Dangerous Man” Shamrock to the cage against Robert Berry. Berry is best known for his recent performance against Neil Grove in which he lost after outstriking Neil Grove throughout the first round of their matchup. Berry stated recently that a horrible head cold forced him to stop fighting during the fight. In a higher profile lightweight matchup, Masakazu Imanari, arguably a top 10 featherweight, will take on Cage Rage veteran Jean “White Bear” Silva. Check out our brief preview and predictions below.

Main Event: Ken Shamrock vs. Robert “Buzz” Berry

Shamrock will enter this bout well past his prime and coming off some huge losses to Tito Ortiz in his last bouts in the UFC. Can he overcome age and the progression of MMA's styles over the years to defeat Berry? It's quite possible considering the fact that British MMA has yet to really break the mold of being one-dimensional. Robert Berry certainly doesn't break that mold.

Berry comes into the bout at 11-7. It's a bit deceptive considering his bout with undefeated heavyweight Neil Grove in his last performance was fairly impressive for the one round that it lasted. Grove went on to win when Berry gave up at the end of round 1, and earlier this week admitted to having a severe head cold that rendered him unable to continue. Despite the loss, Berry has some big power and size that he can throw around against Shamrock. Does he have enough to actually push Ken to the limit?

I don't believe he does. He's still reckless in his striking, and Ken's submission wrestling should be able to take care of Berry quickly. The only real question that can be asked is whether Ken will actually try to go for the submission early, or try to stand with Berry's proven chin. Look for Shamrock to try to test Berry's chin and get the TKO victory early.

Leland's Prediction: Ken Shamrock via TKO, Round 1

Masakazu Imanari vs. Jean Silva

Imanari is no slouch to fighting top competition. Mainly a featherweight fighter, he's currently ranked fifth in the world on the Sherdog.com rankings. He will defend his Cage Rage title on Saturday, and may soon have to defend his current DEEP title as well.

Imanari's skills are more than enough to keep him on top in both promotions. His leg locks are renowned as being his primary skill to defeat opponents. Toe holds, leg locks, heel hooks... Imanari is no stranger to the submission game. Undoubtedly, the ground will be where this fight is won and lost.

Silva is also a submission specialist who trains out of Chute Box in Brazil. As a Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter, Silva's primary skills revolve around choking opponents out. His striking is average, but he does possess some power to put opponents out. Silva has, however, fallen on some tough times, running 2-2 in his last four fights.  Imanari's skill could prove to be too much for Silva. I'm going to go with Imanari's submission game to prevail over Silva's jiu-jitsu. Silva hasn't been as impressive lately, and Imanari's record of facing competent competition should give him an experience edge as well.

Leland's Prediction: Masakazu Imanari via submission, Round 2

Quick Hits
Gary Turner vs. Mustaph al Turk: I'm going to actually pick Mustaph al Turk in this fight for a couple of reasons. Turner is a converted kickboxer who really hasn't fought tough competition. Most of his opponents have tried to stand with him and paid for it. Turk, on the other hand, has fought some decent competition in Mark Kerr and Tengiz Tedoradze. He has a punishing ground and pound that I believe could overwhelm Turner. Nonetheless, I'll take Turner due to his striking abilities. Turner via decision

Pierre Guillet vs. Tom Watson: I'm going with Guillet's experience and submission game over Watson's standup striking pedigree. Guillet has had a rough time within the last year of competition, but Watson is a green fighter who is susceptible to the submission. Long shot pick. Guillet via submission, Round 2

Ivan Serati vs. Roman Webber: Serati will be my pick here. I was a bit surprised with his performance over Lee Hasdell. He wasn't as lackluster as I've seen from him in previous fights, and his takedowns and ground and pound looked to have improved. Webber is much of the same type of fighter as Serati, but Serati has a bit more experience on his side. Serati via TKO, Round 2

Neil Grove vs. Rob Broughton: Although Grove was being beaten by Berry in their matchup until Berry threw the towel in, Grove still has shown some devastating striking early in each fight. Broughton shows nearly the same set of skills as Grove in all of his fights. The only difference is the experience of Broughton that has given him 3 losses to his record. Grove will have to watch for the takedowns from Broughton, and Broughton will have to shake off the ring rust after sitting since February of last year. I'll take Grove due to his activity, and big knockout power early. Grove via TKO/KO, Round 1

Aysen Berik vs. Aisling Daly: The beautiful Aysen Berik will take on the 2-0 Aisling Daly. From viewing some of the training tape on Berik, she didn't look too impressive. Daly will have a distinct advantage in having actual MMA experience, but Aysen will be able to get some training from her brother, Sami “The Hun” Berik. I'm going with the experienced Daly. Daly via TKO, Round 2

Ryan Shamrock vs. Giorgio Andrews: I'm not really sure what to believe in this one. Ryan was impressive in his pro debut with a quick choke submission win, but Giorgio has put away two opponents with relative ease as well. Shamrock's first MMA bout was impressive though, and his body control was surprising. He avoided shots, had an excellent slam to put his opponent to the floor, and was actively trying to submit his opponent. Shamrock via submission, Round 2

John Hathaway vs. Marvin Arnold Bleau: Hathaway should be able to pound Bleau out in this one. Bleau is very susceptible to ground and pound, and Hathaway can dish it out. At 6-0, I think Hathaway will extend his undefeated streak in the Middleweight division. Hathaway via TKO, Round 1

Jake Bostwick vs. John Phillips: Bostwick has been a punching bag to nearly everyone he has faced, and Phillips will be no different. Phillips has big power, and should end it in the first round quickly. Phillips via TKO/KO, Round 1

Michael Johnson vs. Henrique Santana: This is a pure pick'em for me. I haven't had the chance to see either fight, but Santana seems to be less susceptible to submission, and that's where Johnson excels and has weaknesses. I'll pick Santana to choke out Johnson. Santana via submission, Round 1