I will be the first to admit that many of my predictions don’t turn out very well. Before I put together a column or slideshow on how I think a fight card will turn out I like to read up on not only the statistics, but also find out who these lesser-known fighters really are.

Shortly before Lavar Johnson’s UFC debut I looked up his professional record. I saw he was 15-5 with 13 of those wins coming via knockout. He was coming off of two consecutive losses and faced a hungry fighter in Joey Beltran, who had never been knocked out.

After dissecting the facts and reading about Johnson, I came to the conclusion that Joey Beltran would suffer his first KO loss and be cut from the UFC.

As soon as Johnson dropped Beltran I leaped off the couch (I didn’t dance on it like Tom Cruise). I was ecstatic. My beer dropped, the dog was barking, and my wife was doing her normal roll of the eyes. I wasn’t overly excited because I finally nailed a prediction, but rather I was happy for a man who has overcome such a tough road to be where he is today.

Johnson is scheduled to face Pat Barry on the main card at UFC on FOX 3 in May. While this is a milestone in his eight-year professional career, it pales in comparison to what he accomplished on July 5, 2009.

On that tragic day, Johnson earned his greatest victory by staying alive.

He was in Bakersfield, California attending a family reunion that coincided with the Fourth of July holiday. The party carried into the early morning hours of the next day when according to Bakersfield police, three teens walked past the residence. One of the teens pulled out a firearm and started shooting.

Johnson was struck by three bullets. He was hit in the hip, forearm, and abdomen. In a 2010 interview with Bleacher Report, Johnson said, “I was awake the whole time. I just tried to stay calm and save my energy.”

Just 10 months removed from being shot three times, Johnson returned to the cage and beat Lolohea Mahe by TKO in the second round of a Strikeforce Challengers event.

Johnson now finds himself in the spotlight. He is going to be on national television facing a respected opponent in Pat Barry. Barry and Johnson are going to put on a good old fashioned slug fest for the FOX audience.

Should Johnson beat Barry it would propel him into the top 15 of the division. A loss, however, could very well put the brakes on his UFC career.

It is no secret that Johnson most likely only has one chance to launch himself up the heavyweight rankings. He will be 35 years old this year, and that does not leave much room for error.

Age is certainly just a number for Johnson. He is a motivated individual who does not take a single day for granted.

I certainly wouldn’t pick against him.

Read more UFC news on BleacherReport.com

Courtesy of :Bleacher Report – UFC

UFC Undisputed 3 is the best mixed martial arts game available today. Released on Valentine’s Day this year, the game is for anyone who loves the UFC. It features an insane roster of fighters, including everyone from BJ Penn and GSP to Jon Jones and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. 

This time around, THQ has really stepped up their game—featuring a laundry list of improvements, including a new submission system, mo-capping of fighters for more realistic moves, a redesigned striking and stamina system and a complete game featuring the PRIDE Mode that includes the best of PRIDE fighters, rings and rules!

The create-a-player is extremely in-depth and really fun to get yourself right in the Octagon. I caught a co-worker playing the game, and I was legitimately rooting for the AI Urijah Faber to win because I didn’t want to to see him get beat. Luckily, AI Urijah was able to beat my co-worker down.

Some other fun things your create-a-character can do is gain sponsorships from some of the best MMA brands, and through career mode you can unlock real-life footage from the history of MMA and the UFC.

The game is so complex that that’s one of its limitations. There is so much stuff to do that the menu system starts to get repetitive and annoying, almost like waiting for Facebook fights to start. 

On the other hand—other positives you can’t miss are the multiplier mode, where you can play both 1:1 locally. If you are really feeling up to world domination, you could expand to online multiplayer and battle to become the greatest UFC fighter in the world—in video games.

One question remains—I did find Brittney Palmer in the game, but I’m still on the lookout for Kenda Perez.

If you are a UFC fan, this is the game for you. Pick it up now—it’s on Xbox and PS3. Also look out for more DLC in the future. I give it a solid 4 Westies. 

Read more UFC news on BleacherReport.com

Courtesy of :Bleacher Report – UFC

In many ways, Miesha Tate vs. Ronda Rousey is the biggest women’s Mixed Martial Arts bout since Cristiane Santos faced Gina Carano in the first-ever women’s MMA fight to headline a major event.

With a combination of good looks and great talent, both Tate and Rousey have quickly catapulted to the forefront of MMA. Recently, oddsmakers have seen fit to place Rousey as a virtual four-to-one favorite over the defending champion. These people are stupid.

Check the odds for yourself here. Strikeforce: “Tate vs. Rousey” is currently scheduled for Saturday, March 3, 2012 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. In addition to the aforementioned Women’s Bantamweight Championship fight headlining the card, the event also boasts notable Strikeforce talent like Josh Thomson, Paul Daley, Ronaldo Souza and Scott Smith.

This will be Miesha Tate’s first defense of her belt after beating Marloes Coenen by submission in July of 2011. It was the first submission loss of the veteran Coenen’s career, and it extended Tate’s current win streak to six straight fights. Overall, Tate is 12-2 with a majority of her wins (eight of twelve) by stoppage, with a majority of those wins (five of eight) by submission.

Ronda Rousey, meanwhile, is well-known as the outspoken, always-controversial former Olympian that has earned a shot at the title after only four fights as a professional Mixed Martial Artist.

All four of those wins have been by armbar, all four of those wins have been in the first round, and even more impressive, all four of those wins have come within the first minute of action. Rousey even has two wins that were earned in under 30 seconds.

Let me get this out of the way right away: I’m not disrespecting Ronda Rousey. I love me a “badboy” fighter (regardless of gender), and Rousey is a breath of fresh air in a division that is filled with a huge amount of talent but not that many personalities.

Rousey is an incredibly scary woman to get in the cage with, and I’m honestly not surprised that she’s gotten a title shot this quickly. I even think she deserves one: History is on her side, as is marketability and the promotional force of Zuffa.

The situation is what it is: She’s very popular, very attractive, very marketable and most importantly, she’s a very good fighter. And whenever you have that perfect storm of ingredients in MMA, of course you can expect to be catapulted to the top.

But a four-to-one favorite over Miesha Tate? That’s just plain disrespectful to Tate and the skills she’s shown inside of the cage. Miesha Tate is more than worthy of the belt that’s currently wrapped around her waist.

As a pretty face, she’s very marketable as well, but she’s also got a huge amount of skill in wrestling and takedowns, her stand-up is constantly improving, and yes, she does have a submission game. Maybe it’s not as good as Rousey’s, but it’s good enough that she’s won more times by submission than anything else.

If you want my opinion, I’d have Tate the slight favorite. Tate has shown an ability to stay calm and collected under pressure, and she’s got a lot of experience in deep waters, having competed twice in one night and having fought to the fourth round when she won the belt.

I think Tate is going to take Rousey down and rearrange her face for five rounds. There’s a strong possibility that Rousey will grab something in those 25 minutes of getting grounded and pounded, but that’s why I have Tate as only the slight favorite.

But a four-to-one underdog? I just don’t see it. The bookmaker’s lack of faith in Miesha Tate both confuses and angers me. I think Tate is going to prove a lot of people wrong in this fight, and if you’re a betting man, you could make a decent chunk of change from that bet.

Oliver Saenz, also known as PdW2kX, is a freelance journalist, opinion columnist, hardcore MMA fan, and lifelong video game nerd. For more news, views, previews, and reviews on all things Mixed Martial Arts as well as video games, be sure to visit FightGamesBlog.net.

Read more Strikeforce news on BleacherReport.com

Courtesy of :Bleacher Report – Strikeforce