UFC 87 predictions - Details

Just filed my predictions for a number of different places. I know the economy is tight these days, so print this post, take it to Vegas, and almost double your money thanks to my brilliance.

Actually, Im going with the three favorites. Ive never picked three favorites in a row because things just dont shake down that way. I could see any of these fights going the other way, but its uncomfortable to sit on the fence forever. 

Georges St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch: A lot of people seem to be buying stock in GSP these days and it’s not without merit. However, we’ve seen him overlook opponents before (well, once). And I think Fitch is the best fighter Rush has faced since B.J. Penn. He does a lot of things well and is great on the ground. After all of that, I just can’t see Fitch winning this fight. I’ve tried to convince myself for awhile now, but St. Pierre is just too well-rounded and too focused on Fitch. Fitch was an outstanding collegiate wrestler, but we’ve seen St. Pierre handle that before without much trouble (Josh Koscheck). I’ll take St. Pierre in a third-round submission.

Kenny Florian vs. Roger Huerta: I really like Kenny Florian. I think he’s got the superior jiu-jitsu and the better stand-up. I like Huerta’s power, but I feel that Florian is the better fighter. This could very well be the fight of the night and if it goes the distance, I think Florian takes it. Huerta’s best chance is to go for the knockout. Huerta is never out of a fight though, which is why this should be a great one. I’m taking Florian in a unanimous decision, partly in hope that we’ll get to see several great rounds of action.

Brock Lesnar vs. Heath Herring: This is the hardest fight to pick, mainly because we have no idea of what Lesnar is capable of. We’ve seen only a few seconds of him against good competition. He should be able to take down Herring at will and Lesnar has power. Lesnar’s exceptional wrestling doesn’t help Herring as he’s shown problems on the ground against wrestlers worse than Lesnar. Still, Herring is a very experienced fighter who has faced some of the top fighters in the world. He hasn’t beaten any of them, but experience counts for something. Herring isn’t a guy that will go down quickly either -- he’ll last awhile. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Lesnar gassed halfway through the fight as his cardio is another question. He looked fine in 36 seconds, but hopefully we’ll get more this time around. I don’t think Herring is nearly as big an underdog as Vegas makes him, but I’ll give the nod to Lesnar in a second-round TKO.

Click here for a photo gallery of UFC 87 fighters.