UFC Florida: SportsJOE picks the winners so you don’t have to

Drink in all the TapouT, Hayabusa and Dethrone that you can because this is the last event before Reebok’s uniform deal kicks in.

Other than a fight that could have implications on the middleweight title picture, there’s not a whole lot else on the line for tonight’s event that has more than a whiff of a card for the sake of a card.

Our MMA writers’ records thus far look like this:

Bourbon Ben Kiely: 80-53

Darragh The Quizmaster Murphy: 79-54

Lyoto Machida (22-6) v Yoel Romero (9-1)

BK: Machida’s faced and beaten great wrestlers, brawlers and champions. He’s seen it all, and he knows how to make adjustments to his game in order to secure victory.

People argue that the Machida’s recent performances indicate he’s deteriorating as a fighter. However, his two last losses came at the hands of Chris Weidman and Luke Rockhold, who are far and away the top two fighters at middleweight right now, in my opinion.

I don’t think Romero’s quite at the level of a Rockhold or a Jacare, and I expect Machida to use his experience to toy with his opponent, wait for him to make a mistake and deliver the coup de grâce. Machida via TKO (round 4)

DM: This fight represents a massive step-up in competition for Yoel Romero as he faces the former light heavyweight champion.

The fact that Machida is fighting 20lbs lighter than he once did would lead you to believe that he would enjoy a strength advantage over most middleweight fighters but his showings against Chris Weidman and, in particular, Luke Rockhold would suggest otherwise.

You’d think that the Brazilian is questioning his defensive wrestling and, if that’s the case, then there is no worse fighter than Romero to face.

I was torn on this before learning that the UFC are bringing the small octagon to Hollywood which means that Machida’s elusive movement could be limited and that Romero will have a smaller gap to close to get a hold of his opponent. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Romero actually finishing Lyoto and the Brazilian calling it a day. Romero by TKO (round 2)

https://youtu.be/XnnURs1Bvzc

Santiago Ponzinibbio (19-2) v Lorenz Larkin (15-4, 1NC)

BK: Too many unknowns for me to pick Larkin here. The Howard win was impressive… kinda. It’s not like Doomsday’s at the zenith of his career at the moment.

Welterweight seems to be a better division for Larkin who dropped down after going on a three-fight skid at middleweight, but he still appears to have the same holes in his game. The main one being he gets tagged a lot.

The man with the incredibly fun name to say will more than likely land against Larkin, a lot. Ponzinibbio via TKO (round 2)

DM: My copy and paste game is coming on strong with Ponzinibbio and it’s he who gets my vote in the co-main event (yes, these guys constitute co-main status on fight nights).

The fact that Larkin beat John Howard last time around says nothing to me because, to be fair, Doomsday’s career is on a bit of a downswing.

Larkin is a guy who can knock out most guys at 170lbs but he struggles big-time when defending strikes.

Ponzinibbio is 100% the more well-rounded striker and the more reliable so it’d be impossible to vote against him. Ponzinibbio by decision

Antônio Carlos Júnior (4-1) v Eddie Gordon (7-3)

BK: Why bother with this fight? Neither of these fighters are UFC level.

Choosing a winner here is a bit like trying to judge the least smelly of two farts. I’d really prefer to not have to smell either, but the Brazilian one doesn’t make my eyes water quite as much. Junior via decision

DM: Based on their recent fights, I can’t see how either fighter is going to win another bout in the UFC.

I think this bout will lack technique and end up a boo-fest based on the slog that carries over the whole 15 minutes but I think that Junior has the better chin and is better than the American.

Junior has got good hands that he wasn’t able to show against Pat Cummins but Gordon is nowhere near a Pat Cummins so the Brazilian should be able to find a home for his boxing and take a decision over Truck whose cardio is so often an issue. Junior by decision

Thiago Santos (10-3) v Steve Bosse (10-1)

BK: That’s more like it. This is a battle of technique vs brute force. Whenever you get a match up like this, it’s always a coin toss because of that whole “one punch can change a fight” cliche that rings true.

On paper, Thiago Santos should probably win, but these types of fights don’t often work out the way they should. With that in mind, I’m predicting a highlight reel knockout from the former enforcer. Bosse by KO (round one)

DM: Don’t be fooled by the fact that this is former hockey player Steve Bosse’s first time entering the octagon. The guy has got some big-name fights under him, having won against former UFC fighters Wes Sims, Houston Alexander and Marvin Eastman.

The Boss adores a knockout with eight of his wins coming through his fists and the cult figure will be a welcome addition to the UFC roster.

Santos is probably the better technician but I want Bosse to win so badly that I’ve kind of convinced myself that there’s no way he’s not knocking the Brazilian out. Bosse by TKO (2 seconds into the first round)

https://youtu.be/nDJXSzTZJ3g

Hacran Dias (22-3-1) v Levan Makashvili (7-1)

BK: I went with a “hot prospect” in Berlin, and was let down by Sajewski against Hein. So this time around I’m picking the more vastly experienced Dias over this Makashvili kid. That Eddiva fight really was awful. Dias by decision

DM: Levan Makashvili was being touted as the next big thing at featherweight before recording a bog standard decision victory over Mark Eddiva in his promotional debut.

It’s taken ten years for Hacran Dias that MMA is about more than athleticism and he did look to have shored up his technique last time around against Darren Elkins.

Don’t expect either guy to be making a run at the 145lb title any time soon but Dias should have too much for The Hornet. Dias by decision