UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera Preview and Predictions

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UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera will mark the UFC’s ninth appearance in the United Kingdom. The event will take place inside the Manchester Evening News Arena in Manchester, England and will be presented on free television in the United States courtesy of Spike TV.

English fans will be treated to a night of intriguing preliminary matchups and an explosive main card featuring homeland favorites Ross Pearson, James Wilks, Michael Bisping and Dan Hardy. The event lacks a championship headliner, but the main event between Brandon Vera and UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture will certainly produce a thriller.

Much like how Hardy vs. Swick will determine a new number one contender to the Welterweight title, Couture vs. Vera may introduce a new challenger to the Light-Heavyweight championship.

Current champion Lyoto Machida is unofficially set to challenge Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in a rematch in his next title defense due to the controversy surrounding the first bout, but Couture or Vera could earn a title shot against the winner of the championship rematch.

In the meantime let’s take a look at a preview of the UFC 105 main card set for Nov. 14 in Manchester, England.

Ross Pearson vs. Aaron Riley

Usually when one wins The Ultimate Fighter, more often than not they are matched up with a lower tier competitor in their opening post-TUF escapade inside the UFC’s Octagon, to ensure what some would call an “easy victory” to aid in legitimizing the title of “Ultimate Fighter”

However in the case of Pearson—who defeated fellow Team U.K member Andre Winner in the finals to claim the Lightweight trophy on Season nine—UFC matchmaker Joe Silva says “no freebies”. The British sensation will meet a seasoned veteran in Riley to kick of the night’s televised card in what should be a very explosive bout from start to finish.

Not only is Riley the more experienced fighter but he’s well rounded in all areas and will possess a slight size advantage over the Englishman.  While Riley certainly has all the tools to defeat Pearson, one must never underestimate the power of an English bulldog. Pearson is a remarkably explosive athlete with strong boxing skills, powerful wrestling and slick Jiu-Jitsu.

Expect a three-round war with Pearson’s explosiveness leading him to a unanimous decision victory to freshly kick off his UFC career.

Ross Pearson by unanimous decision

James Wilks vs. Matt Brown

Speaking of Ultimate Fighter winners no longer receiving “easy” match-ups in their post-TUF Octagon debut , Team U.K Welterweight winner, “Lightning” Wilks meets a dangerous competitor in “The Immortal” Brown.

Brown appeared on season seven of TUF, and despite submitting to eventual winner Amir Sadollah in the quarterfinals, the Ohio native has shown a great deal of promise in his four UFC performances. A ruthless striker with endowed grappling abilities, Brown will have a guardian angel in his corner for this particular bout.

In September of 2009, Brown’s father lost his battle with cancer. Such a devastating tragedy is difficult to deal with, even for a human being as mentally and physically tough as Brown is. As the old saying goes, the ones we love never leave us, they’re always with us in spirit and such a saying will ring true for Brown come November 14th.

Stylistically this matchup could be dubbed “the clash of the clones”, due in fact to the very similar styles between both fighters. Both have acquired exceedingly dangerous stand-up skills over the years, and are also quite dangerous on the ground as well.

However Wilks’s ground game is much more imposing considering the fact that he’s a lethal Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black-belt, one of the most underrated black-belts in MMA for that matter. Wilks will have the advantage on the ground but expect to see most of this fight taking place on the feet, with Brown landing the more powerful shots and finishing the Englishman off in the second round.

Matt Brown by second round (T)KO

Michael Bisping vs. Denis Kang

One of the most difficult things to deal with in this sport is figuring out how to bounce back from a demoralizing loss. Some fighters learn from the defeat and return to the Octagon a stronger competitor with a new look of determination in their eyes. Conversely, there are some athletes who never truly recover from the loss and eventually fade away into MMA limbo.

It will be interesting to see what category, England’s premier fighter, Bisping falls under. Before his battle with Dan Henderson at the historic UFC 100 card, most ranked Bisping in the top-10 and a victory away from earning a title shot at UFC Middleweight champion Anderson Silva. “The Count’s” UFC title dreams came to an abrupt halt however after a devastating right hand from Henderson put Bisping’s lights out in the second frame.

Bisping will now have the opportunity to get back on track against a world-class veteran, Kang, in his homeland of Manchester, England. To casual observers, Kang isn’t a special fighter by any means, his UFC record is a rather unimpressive 1-1 and he was submitted in his Octagon debut against Alan Belcher.

Do not let that deceive you because for a very long time, Kang was considered one of the top Middleweight fighters in the entire world. Kang is a world-renown Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt with impressive kickboxing abilities to boot. Despite being submitted by Belcher, Kang would hold a definitive edge over Bisping on the ground.

“The Count” is surely no slouch on the ground though, and will find a way to get back to his feet if taken down. From there anticipate Bisping to outpoint the former PRIDE Welterweight Grand-Prix winner with precision striking  en route to a TKO stoppage late in the fight.

Michael Bisping by third round (T)KO

Mike Swick vs. Dan Hardy

The co-main event of the evening will feature a Welterweight scrap that, in the words of UFC President Dana White, “will determine the next challenger to Georges St. Pierre’s title”. Swick has 10 UFC fights under his belt and boasts a 90% win ratio in the Octagon with one sole loss to Yushin Okami at Middleweight.

Swick’s nickname may be “Quick”, but in terms of Welterweight rankings his British adversary had a much quicker road to title contention. “The Outlaw” boasts an overall record of 22-6, but his UFC record is an impressive yet minuscule 3-0.  Not to say that Hardy isn’t worthy of the opportunity but let’s just say the Englishman can thank Swick’s AKA teammates Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch for earning a number one contender fight quicker than expected.

Nevertheless if people are overlooking Hardy as a legitimate contender, they must not have watched his recent fight against Marcus Davis at UFC 99. Davis was considered to have a significant edge over Hardy on the feet but “The Outlaw” put on display his superior stand-up game to inflict some serious damage to “The Irish-Hand Grenade”.

Not only is Hardy proven to be a very technical striker but he also poses some serious power in his punches as evident in his knockout victory over Rory Markham back at UFC 95. The most notable flaw in Hardy’s artillery is that of his takedown defense, or lack thereof. Though his diverse skills off his back undoubtedly make up for it and will give Hardy the Jiu-Jitsu edge over his AKA opponent.

Swick is notorious for his explosive boxing which earned him the nickname “Quick” due to his reputation of knocking out his opponents within mere seconds. Swick is not a technical striker but he throws powerful-looping punches at a rapid velocity which are proven to be extremely difficult to counter. In the time it takes some fighters to throw a 1-2 combination, Swick has already thrown 10 punches and is setting up his 11th.

Even if Hardy ends up getting the better of the exchanges on the feet, Swick can take the fight to the mat and inflict some serious damage with ground n’ pound. “The Outlaw” has never been knocked out in his career but there’s always a first time for everything and with Swick’s power he can definitely be the man to end that streak.

Mike “Quick” Swick by second round (T)KO

Randy Couture vs. Brandon Vera

For the first time since suffering a knockout loss at the hands of Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell in 2006, UFC Hall of Famer Couture will compete in the 205-pound division. Couture has held championship gold in this weight class on two separate occasions and is hungry to claim the title for a third time before he officially ends his illustrious career.

Vera on the other-hand is just as motivated as Couture is to earn a title shot and is eager to prove his critics wrong so this has all the makings of a great fight. It wasn’t long ago when Vera claimed he would hold both the Heavyweight and Light-Heavyweight championships simultaneously and to this day his doubters laugh at the thought.

While many believe that Couture is past his prime, his war with Nogueira proved he still has the athletic ability to compete against the best fighters in the world. If at age 46 Couture is still able to hold his own against the upper echelon of the Heavyweight division, just imagine what he will be able to accomplish against smaller fighters in the 205-pound weight class.

Vera is a destructive Muay-Thai striker with some of the deadliest leg kicks in the world. If able to keep the fight standing up and steer clear of Couture’s wrestling skills, “The Truth” can pick the former champion apart with brutal kicks and swift striking combos. Vera is also especially dangerous in the Thai clinch and could finish “The Natural” with powerful knees to obtain a TKO victory.

Such a task is easier said than done, Couture may be an old timer but he’s still one of the strongest athletes in the game today. He’ll close the distance with his boxing, secure the Greco-Roman clinch and keep Vera pressed up against the cage. From there “The Natural” will utilize dirty boxing techniques and drain his opponent’s energy, before taking Vera down and imposing his will with ground n’ pound.

Randy Couture by unanimous decision

Stay tuned to Inside Fights and our partner Fox Sports for extensive coverage on this weekends event as the UFC travels back to England for UFC 105.