First off, let's talk about the main event, George St. Pierre versus Jake Shields. Jake Shields is a strong wrestler and an even better BJJ practitioner. His striking leaves much to be desired, however, and he's even said in interviews "I'm a grappler first, a striker second". Let's not forget that unlike BJJ tournaments, MMA starts on the feet, you have to get past the striking to grapple and even then, take down one of the most formidable opponents at 170 lbs. We're talking about GSP, the man has grappled with Matt Hughes, a solid leprechaun of man, Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck, all fighters with pedigrees in wrestling. GSP trains with the Canadian Olympic Wrestling team and has been doing so for a while now, so taking him down is no easy feat. He's training with Freddie frickin' Roach, who trains Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan. He also trains in Muay Thai with Firas Zahabi, a beast of a trainer. As far as game plan/general training, he's with Greg Jackson's camp, who have in their stable Jon Jones, Shane Carwin, Clay Guida, Melvin Guillard, Keith Jardine, Nate Marquardt and, until recently, Rashad Evans, too name a few, there are many more notables. Though Shields is a formidable foe, he has not faced the sort of competition GSP has, nor on as big a stage. His training camp, though stacked with mid-level fighters, in my opinion, is just not stacking up. Granted, Nate & Nick Diaz and Gilbert Melendez are no slouches but, aside from Nate, they're not fighting in the UFC, the promotion with the best fighters in the world in any weight class. I think Jake Shields is just gonna be another notch on GSP's belt.
Couture versus Machida. Granted, we haven't seen Machida fight at his full potential since knocking out Rashad Evans at UFC 98 or since the his run-up to it. Couture, the man is a machine, at 47, he truly is Captain America. A talented boxer with a penchant for dirty maneuvers and potential stand-in for the US Olympic Greco-Roman Wrestling team, he comes with some definitive strengths, not to mention cardio for days. Machida, on the other hand, is VERY unorthodox, his base discipline being Karate, from there he incorporates Muay Thai, Sumo (for a while i wasn't sure why he's got a belly, now it makes sense) and BJJ into a package that is very difficult to read. Couture seems to think he's got what it takes, that he's got him figured out but, in my opinion, I give it resoundingly to Machida. He's crafty and elusive, he can bridge the gap quickly, he's got knockout power and he's great at lateral movement, if he can apply his strategy, this one's a slam dunk. The one caveat is that Machida needs a win here, if he can't beat an aging legend, then it may be time for White to say Payce!
Aldo versus Hominick. Hominick's got some skills, that was on display in his latest bout against George Roop, where he just flattened the much taller opponent. He claims, though not boastfully, that Aldo's never faced "an elite striker" like him, but has Hominick ever faced an elite striker like Aldo? If you've watched him against Cub Swanson (double flying knee kick to the head KO in just 8 seconds!) or his pummeling of Urijah Faber, you know this guy's a beast. He comes from humble beginnings in Manaus, Brazil, and you can see that this cat's hungry, he kind of reminds me of Pacquiao in that respect. When he was a rising star, he was training on one meal a day, sleeping at the gym, when you've got that sort of determination, and that sort of talent, it's scary, man. I would NOT want to fight this guy, ever, I'm 145 but this dude's made out of granite and moves like a panther. Hominick may put up a fight, but I see Aldo dominating him, teeing off with leg kicks and combos.
So those are my predictions, GSP, Machida and Aldo, perhaps you may think that I'm siding with the favorites but you have to remember, they're favorites for a reason. These guys are the cream of the crop in their respective divisions, I don't see any upsets here.
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