DFN Sports and Pro Fighting Fans have teamed up once again to provide our UFC 131 predictions for fans looking forward to this event. In addition, ProFighting-fans.com provides the UFC 131 fight results sponsored by Intimidation Clothing, makers of premium quality MMA clothing & apparel, board shorts, hats & more.

Jon Olav Einemo vs. Dave Herman

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist Jon Olav Einemo (6-1) will fight for the first time in almost five years when he meets Dave “Pee-Wee” Herman (20-2) in a UFC 131 main card bout in the heavyweight division. This will be both heavyweights’ UFC debuts.

Einemo, 35, is a Norway native who trains and fights out of the Golden Glory gym in the Netherlands. He debuted in 2000 and fought sparingly over the last eleven years in Finland, Netherlands, and Japan for promotions like PRIDE, Shooto, 2H2H and others. He won his first five overall before losing at PRIDE 31 in February 2006 against Fabricio Werdum. He won his last bout in November 2006 against James Thompson at 2H2H.

Herman, 26, is an Indiana born mixed martial artist who fights out of Team Quest. He won eleven straight to begin his career before settling in with the Elite XC promotion. He won three more for the Elite XC organization and 15 overall before dropping a Sengoku bout to Choi Mu Bae in January 2009. He has won five of six since his first career loss winning bouts for Shark Fights, Bellator, ADFC and World Victory Road. Most recently Herman won a unanimous decision over Yoshihiro Nakao this past December.

Prediction – Herman TKO

DFN Sports and Pro Fighting Fans have teamed up once again to provide our UFC 131 predictions for fans looking forward to this event. In addition, ProFighting-fans.com provides the UFC 131 fight results sponsored by Intimidation Clothing, makers of premium quality MMA board shorts, apparel, hats & more.

Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Igor Pokrajac

Former The Ultimate Fighter 8 participant Krzysztof Soszynski (25-11-1) will look to build on his most recent victory last November when he meets Igor Pokrajac (23-8) in a UFC 131 preliminary contest in the light-heavyweight division.

Soszynski, 33, is a Poland born mixed martial artist who fights out of Team Quest in Oregon. “The Polish Experiment” began competing in MMA in 2003 and quickly built a 20-9-1 mark while fighting through the Strikeforce, IFL, TKO, and other mid-level organizations’ ranks. He appeared on TUF 8, and although he didn’t come out with the six-figure contract, he did begin his octagon career at the finale. He won his first three inside the octagon including a submission victory over the surging Brian Stann, but then dropped two of his next three against Brandon Vera and Stephan Bonnar. He won his most recent fight at UFC 122 last November with a unanimous decision victory over Goran Reljic.

Pokrajac, 32, is a Croatian born mixed martial artist who fights out of the Croatian Top Team. Pokrajac began fighting professionally in 2003 and won 21 of his first 26 while fighting in Slovenia, Croatia, Poland, Netherlands, and the Czech Republic. He was then brought into the UFC but dropped his first two inside the octagon. He kept his position with the organization and has repaid the company with two victories out of his last three bouts. In his most recent fight at UFC Live 3 this past March; Pokrajac earned an impressive TKO victory over Todd Brown. Pokrajac also owns a UFC victory over James Irvin.

Prediction – Pokrajac decision

UFC 122 Main Event: Nate Marquardt vs. Yushin Okami

Perennial contenders Nate Marquardt (30-9-2) and Yushin Okami (25-5) will battle atop the UFC 122 main card for a chance to fight for the next chance at the Middleweight Championship. Marquardt has won four of his last five to emerge as a contender once again; Okami has been victorious five times out of his last six bouts as well.

Marquardt, 31, is a Wyoming-born striker who splits his training camps between Jackson’s Submission Fighting and the Grudge Training Center. “The Great” was a seven-time King of Pancrase prior to fighting inside the octagon competing for six years and piling up 21 victories. Once he entered the octagon, he showed promise winning his first four to earn a chance at the 185-pound belt. He was defeated at UFC 73 against Anderson Silva and upset two bouts later against Thales Leites, but soon rebounded with impressive performances and getting back on track. He has lost only to Chael Sonnen over his last five bouts, and defeated Rousimar Palhares at UFC Fight Night 22 this September via TKO.

Okami, 29, is a Japanese-born mixed martial artist who fights out of the Wajyutsu Keisyukai fight team. He made his pro debut in 2002 and fought for four years and competed in nearly twenty bouts inside the PRIDE, ROTR, and K-1 organizations before entering the octagon for the first time. He also won his first four inside the octagon, but lost to Rich Franklin at UFC 72 for a shot at the middleweight title. He has since rebounded by winning five of six, losing only to Sonnen at UFC 104, and defeated Mark Munoz in August at UFC Live 2.

Prediction – Okami decision

Featuring Urijah Faber (now at bantamweight, or 135 lbs) versus Takeya Mizugaki in the title event, WEC 52 features 11 bouts: eight bantamweights, ten featherweights (145 lbs) and eight lightweights. Five fights round out the main card, but the prelims are pretty smoking, too, despite the rash of injuries and substitutions that have plagued this card. Most notably, Brian Bowles had to bow out of a fight with Wagnney Fabiano, but he was replaced with the equally as lethal Joseph Benavidez (fresh from a second consecutive loss to Dominick Cruz – that time was for the belt). Erik Koch was originally slated to fight Josh Grispi, but Grispi’s being bumped up to title contention, facing Jose Aldo at UFC 125 after the official UFC/WEC merger.

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Joseph Benavidez vs Wagnney Fabiano

WEC 52 could very well be titled “Team Alpha Male”. Joseph Benavidez, Chad Mendes, and Urijah Faber all train together in Sacramento. Benavidez is arguably one of the most exciting fighters in the WEC, although it would be impossible to reduce “the most exciting fighters in the WEC” to a list of less than eight or so. Benavidez, despite what must have been a heartbreaking split decision title contention loss to Dominick Cruz, holds not just victories over Miguel Torres and Rani Yahya, but he finished both dudes (arguably the best striker and the best grappler at bantamweight). Benavidez is grit personified – he fights on all cylinders with alacrity and an incredibly developed overall game. Probably one of the best all-round fighters in the sport.

If Wagnney Fabiano is reading this, he’s probably none too happy, but this is not a fight for a submission expert like Fabiano, who boasts a third-degree black belt from the same school as the UFC’s Nogueira brothers. This match-up reads similar to Mendes versus Vazquez, except Fabiano is more careful and has an embarrassing submission loss in his WEC debut, where he lost to relative nobody, brown belt Mackens Semerzier, by triangle choke (ironically, Semerzier lost to Vazquez via rear naked choke at WEC 50 and faces Cub Swanson on the undercard of this event). If MMA history has taught us one thing, it’s that BJJ experts can no longer rest on their BJJ laurels. Without, for example, pinpoint striking, a la Anderson Silva, or dominant wrestling, a la Jake Shields, a black belt is just an accessory.

Prediction: Benavidez via submission, round 2

Todd Duffee vs. Mike Russow

Todd Duffee (6-0) will return after recording the fastest KO in UFC history against PRIDE veteran Mike Russow (12-1, 1 NC) in a UFC 114 main card heavyweight bout. Duffee earned the historic feat at UFC 102 in August defeating Tim Hague. Russow earned his UFC debut victory on the same card defeating Justin McCully via unanimous decision.

Duffee, 24, is an Indiana-born heavyweight who trains out of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. He debuted as a pro in 2007 after winning five straight in Jungle Fight, Beatdown Fight Party, and Crazy Horse Fights organizations. He then made his UFC debut with his 7-second KO of Hague in August at UFC 102.

Russow, 33, made his debut in April 1998 and went on to fight for XFO, PRIDE, Yarennoka, and Adrenaline organizations. He won eleven of thirteen bouts with notable victories over Roman Zentsov and Jason Guida. He debuted at UFC 102 with a unanimous decision victory over Justin McCully.

Prediction – Duffee via submission

Efrain Escudero vs. Dan Lauzon

TUF 8 lightweight winner, Efrain Escudero (13-1) will try and get back on the winning side when he takes on Dan “The Upgrade” Lauzon (12-3) in a UFC 114 preliminary card bout that can be seen on Spike TV. Both fighters are coming in off of losses, Escudero lost at UFC Fight Night 20 after being submitted by Evan Dunham; Lauzon lost via 1 st round submission against Cole Miller at UFC 108.

Escudero, 24, is a Mexican-born fighter who trains out of the Arizona-based Southwest MMA. He debuted in 2006 and won his first ten bouts, mostly in the Rage in the Cage organization, earning a position on TUF 8. He won the TUF 8 tournament with a unanimous decision victory over Phillipe Nover in December 2008. He also picked up a TKO victory over Cole Miller at UFC 103 before falling in his UFC Fight Night 20 bout against Dunham.

Lauzon, 22, is the younger brother of UFC lightweight Joe Lauzon. He also debuted in 2006, and after only four victories, found himself on a UFC 64 card. He was dismantled by Spencer Fisher in his organizational debut, and was handed his pink slip shortly after. He turned it around by winning eight straight fights via stoppage and resigned with the UFC. He dropped his first bout since his return at UFC 108 this January after a 1 st round submission from Cole Miller.

Prediction – Escudero by TKO

UFC 113 is sure to be a classic event and our UFC 113 predictions are posted below for select fights from the event. Be sure to check out the UFC 113 results after the fights are complete as all of our UFC coverage is sponsored by Intimidation Clothing, makers of high-quality, discount MMA apparel.

Sam Stout vs Jeremy Stephens

Canadian Sam Stout (15-5-1) will meet Jeremy “Lil Heathen” Stephens (16-5) in an intriguing lightweight bout on the UFC 113 main card. Stout has won his last two bouts including his most recent UFC 108 Fight of the Night performance over Joe Lauzon. Stephens is also coming in off of a victory; he defeated Justin Buchholz at UFC Fight Night 19 last September.

Stout, 25, is an Ontario, Canada-born fighter who is now affiliated with Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. He debuted in June of 2003 and after beginning his career with a loss and a draw, went on an 8-fight winning streak to earn a UFC contract. He split a pair of fights in the octagon and then won a pair in the TKO organizations before returning for his second go-around. It wasn’t until after a January 2008 UFC 80 victory over Per Eklund that he was in the organization for good. He has solidified his position with the organization with back-to-back victories including a UFC 108 victory over Joe Lauzon.

Stephens, 23, is now training in San Diego, California with The Arena fight team. He debuted in January 2005 and won twelve of thirteen to find his way into the UFC. Stephens was defeated by Din Thomas in his octagon debut and quickly found himself on the outs again. He won one more bout outside of the UFC before returning for good. He dropped back-to-back bouts before winning his most recent fight in September with a TKO over Justin Buchholz. That victory was his thirteenth career TKO/KO victory.

Prediction – Stout over Stephens decision

UFC 113 is sure to be a classic event and our UFC 113 predictions are posted below for select fights from the event. Be sure to check out the UFC 113 fight results after the fights are complete as all of our UFC coverage is sponsored by Intimidation Clothing, makers of high-quality, affordable MMA clothing.

Marcus Davis vs Jonathan Goulet

Canadian Jonathan Goulet (22-10, 1 NC) will return to the octagon for the first time in well over a year at UFC 113 facing Marcus Davis (16-6) in a preliminary card bout in the welterweight division. Goulet lost his most recent bout in December 2008 via 33-second KO by Mike Swick. Davis dropped his last two bouts, including a November UFC 106 KO loss against Ben Saunders.

Davis, 36, is a Maine-born former pro boxer who now trains MMA at Team Sityodtong in Boston. He made his debut in 2003 and had a 3-2 record when being chosen for TUF 2. He didn’t win the show and was defeated at the finale, but after five straight victories, earned his way back into the octagon. After his return, he won six straight UFC bouts defeating fighters such as Shonie Carter, Pete Spratt, Paul Taylor, and Jess Liaudin. After winning back-to-back fights, he dropped back-to-back fights losing against Dan Hardy and Saunders most recently.

Goulet made his pro debut back in 2001 for the Canadian-based UCC organization. He started with a 5-5 record, but piled up eight victories to get a UFC invitation. He won at The Ultimate Fighter 2 finale via TKO over Jay Hieron, but lost two of his next three and found himself on the outside looking in. He was victorious in three of his next four bouts and earned a trip back to the UFC where he earned back-to-back victories before losing in his most recent action at UFC Fight for the Troops against Mike Swick.

Prediction – Goulet over Davis TKO

WEC 48 Main Event: Jose Aldo vs Urijah Faber

In the last fight of the night, Sacramento’s own Urijah Faber takes on Brazilian Jose Aldo in his attempt to regain the WEC Featherweight title. If Faber’s career were to be summed up in a highlight reel, it may have to be put on a double disc DVD because the California Kid has had many a war inside the cage, and always seems to come out smiling. Faber is a guy that just seems likeable when he fights because he fights with tenacity and skill, but brings a laid-back attitude to the cage as well. Faber may look like any of the countless surf bums that you may find on a beach in California, but his toughness sets him apart. In a rematch with Mike Brown last June, Faber broke his right hand and injured his left wrist but refused to quit, only changing his plan of attack to include elbow strikes and modified punches. Jose Aldo is a young fighter that has a black belt in jiu-jitsu, but seems determined to show off his other talents in the cage. All 6 of his WEC fights have ended by TKO with Aldo as the victor. Take a look at the 8 second knockout of Cub Swanson for further proof that Aldo’s striking is a legitimate threat. The fight on April 24th will take place in Faber’s stomping ground, and it seems likely that he will put on a show for his hometown fans. Despite the location and Faber’s never-say-die attitude, Aldo is above and beyond in both striking and jiu-jitsu. Faber will probably not want to use his wrestling to take this fight to the ground in order to stay away from an Aldo submission. Urijah’s best bet is to stand and trade with Aldo and hope to catch him out of position for a knockout or to grind out a decision victory. While heart and determination may have been the deciding factors in Rocky II, I don’t see Faber winning this one in front of his hometown crowd.

Prediction – Aldo by knockout

Anthony Njokuani vs Shane Roller

Powerful puncher Anthony Njokuani has won three straight Knockout Of The Night honors in his last three fights. All of the aforementioned fights ended thanks to Njokuani’s heavy hands, but he has demonstrated skill with his knees in the past. Shane Roller is a well-rounded fighter with wins by submission as well as knockout. It’s hard to pick against the power puncher against Roller, who was knocked out by punches at WEC 40 by Benson Henderson. Roller’s best chance will be to take the fight to the mat to minimize Njokuani’s advantage.

Prediction – Njokuani by Knockout