On Saturday night the UFC returns for its fourth and final event of November and like the previous weekends this month the main event on Saturday night is one which will have title implications. This time around it is the featherweight division which takes centre stage as Frankie Edgar, the former UFC Lightweight champion and Cub Swanson will square off against each other in the Frank Erwin Centre Austin, Texas. No matter what Conor McGregor says a win for Cub will surely guarantee him the next shot at Jose Aldo however, should Frankie Edgar win and then Conor McGregor wins in January we could be looking at a stadium show in Dublin next summer.
Before the fights begin some of the guys from Kingdom MMA will give you our predictions for how we think the fights will go and who will walk away victorious on Saturday night. We will predict the main card and also give a special mention for Luke Barnatt who will be fighting on the under card in Austin on Saturday night.
Frankie Edgar ( 17-4-1 MMA 11-4-1 UFC) vs Cub Swanson ( 21-5 MMA 6-1 UFC)
Ben: I am so torn in this fight, I love watching Cub fight and my heart is saying he will win again and finally get the title shot he has deserved for a long time. Then my head is saying Edgar hung with the best 155lbers in the world and so should be able to get past the tough test of Swanson. Cub can and has put away guys easily in the past but Edgar has proven that he can take a beating before coming back to win fights which I think may happen again on Saturday night. I expect Swanson to come out and have the better of the early exchanges before Edgar takes the fight in the later rounds to pick up a closely fought victory.Prediction: Edgar by Split Decision
Tom: I had a hard time choosing the outcome of this main event but I'm leaning towards Edgar. Swanson is an extremely dangerous opponent but Edgar is such a complete fighter it'd be hard to choose against him. Again, Edgar has only lost to the very best but never count Swanson out.
Prediction: Edgar by Unanimous Decision
Bobby Green ( 23-5 MMA 4-0 UFC) vs Edson Barboza ( 14-2 MMA 8-2 UFC)
Ben: Bobby Green proved in his last fight that he is a force to be reckoned with in the lightweight division and I have not always been impressed by Barboza. Yes, he has provided one of the best knock outs in the history of the UFC but at the same time looked like he was going to be finished by Danny Castillo until he grabbed the fence to escape and got lucky with the decision against Ross Pearson. If Green is willing to get in close and make sure Barboza can't get off the leg kicks then he has a great chance of picking up the victory here. If Barboza can fight this at his range then it's going to end with Green having very sore legs on Sunday.Prediction: Green by Unanimous Decision
Tom: This is an unbelievable fight on paper and I'm expecting fireworks. I think Green and Barboza will throw down in the first round but Green has the potential to shut Barboza down. It's a great 50/50 match up but Green has more tools in the toolbox to get the win.
Prediction: Green by Submission Round Two
Brad Pickett ( 24-9 MMA 4-4 UFC) vs Chico Camus ( 13-5-1 MMA 2-2-1 UFC)
Ben: This could be it for Brad Pickett, he is one of the best British fighters to fight in the UFC but like Michael Bisping has always failed when he looked like getting a shot at the title. Now I believe a title shot is beyond him but he can still be part of fun fights, starting on Saturday night.I was shocked to see this fight at 125lbs as I didn't think I would see Pickett at Flyweight again but believe he will be too much for Camus on Saturday night and if the fight stays on its feet then I see Pickett putting Camus away later in the fight.
Prediction: Pickett by TKO Round Three
Tom: Pickett has lost to extremely tough competition in the past three years but needs a good win here to stay in the mix. I think Camus may pose a few more problems than people expect but Pickett should probably walk away with the win.
Prediction: Pickett by KO Round Three
Jared Rosholt ( 11-1 MMA 3-0 UFC) vs Oleksiy Oliynyk ( 49-9-1 MMA 1-0 UFC)
Ben: I believe this will be a fairly straight forward fight for Rosholt who has the wrestling background which will help him keep the fight standing up away from the danger areas which Oliynyk will be looking to target. Both men come in to the fight riding very good win streaks but I feel that this weekend will be Rosholt's night and he will go on to fight a tougher opponent next time out. That being said, if Rosholt makes one mistake then Oliynyk will certainly be looking to pounce on it and he has the record to prove it.Prediction: Rosholt by Unanimous Decision
Tom: A very interesting fight on paper that most people are probably overlooking. Oliynyk has had an astonishing 59 fights winning 40 of them via Submission. Whilst Rosholt is favoured by the bookies I think it's a dangerous fight for him.
Prediction: Oliynyk by Submission Round Two
Joseph Benavidez ( 20-4 MMA 7-2 UFC) vs Dustin Ortiz ( 14-3 MMA 3-1 UFC)
Ben: For me Benavidez is one of the greatest flyweights on the planet and beats 99% of the flyweights on the planet, well maybe even anybody not called Demetrious Johnson. Benavidez like his Team Alpha Male team mate Chad Mendes is currently in an unwanted place in the division, two losses to the champ and no chance of a third in the near future. Dustin Ortiz is currently ranked 13th in the UFC rankings but I believe he should be much higher than that unfortunately for him though I can't see him beating Benavidez on Saturday night. It will be a tougher fight than most people are predicting but I see Benavidez taking home a decision victory.Prediction: Benavidez by Unanimous Decision
Tom: There is no doubt that Dustin Ortiz is talented but Benavidez only loses to the best. Benavidez has racked up four losses in his career losing twice to Dominic Cruz and Demetrious Johnson. Overall, Benavidez will be too much for Ortiz and take the decision victory.
Prediction: Benavidez by Unanimous Decision
Matt Wiman ( 15-7 MMA 9-5 UFC) vs Isaac Vallie-Flagg ( 14-5-1 MMA 1-2 UFC)
Ben: The return of Matt Wiman, who last stepped in to the Octagon nearly two years ago and he will not be coming back to an easy fight. Although Vallie-Flagg has gone 0-2 in 2014 he is a much better fighter than his form suggests however, his record also shows that he has lost the majority of his fights via submission and this is a strong area for Wiman. I think it's a 50/50 fight but I feel that Wiman will make a victorious return.Prediction: Wiman by Submission Round Three
Tom: By the time Wiman fights he'd be just short of being inactive for two years (his last fight was against TJ Grant which he lost by KO) Being inactive for so long is always a factor coming in to a fight however, I feel he is capable of beating Vallie-Flagg. Flagg has lost his last two fights and going against Wiman who gave Paul Sass his first submission loss is no mean feat.
Prediction: Wiman by Submission Round Two
Special Mention
Luke Barnatt ( 8-1 MMA 3-1 UFC) vs Roger Narvaez ( 6-1 MMA 0-1 UFC)
Ben: This is a fight where both men are returning to action after being beaten for the first time in there pro career last time out. After being involved in a contender for the worst fight of the year last time out in Berlin Barnatt will be looking to get back to winning ways on Saturday night. I believe that Luke will come out and look to put on a show for the crowd like he has on his two appearances in the UFC on home soil and prove that he is a much better fighter than was shown last time out. I don't know too much about Roger Narvaez, but I will be backing Luke to finish him on Saturday night.Prediction: Barnatt by TKO Round Three
Tom: Once Barnatt has found his range I expect him to dispatch Narvaez in fashionable style. Coming off his first loss, Barnatt is favoured 1/3 at the bookies and I fully expect him to live up to that price tag.
Prediction: Barnatt by TKO Round Two
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