Here are our picks for UFC Boston. We've got McGregor, Henderson, Hall and Parke. We're sitting on 52-20 overall but Tibau and Cerrone have us worried. Enjoy the fights!!
Conor McGregor #5 vs Denis Siver #10
There’s no doubt Conor McGregor is now one of the UFC’s biggest stars, like it or not. There are plenty of people prepared to gripe, to say he hasn’t faced a wrestler, to say he doesn’t deserve a title shot against Jose Aldo if he defeats Dennis Siver (22-9) in Boston this weekend. But the sheer magnetism of the man almost demands that you pay attention. He’s 16-2 overall and 4-0 in the UFC, and his utter dominance of the fifth-ranked Dustin Poirer proved that he is a legitimate contender. This is a man who beat Max Holloway, one of the most exciting young fighters on the roster, with a torn ACL. Anyone who has ever injured their ACL will tell you just what an accomplishment that is. He’s destined for stardom, if not greatness.
Dennis Siver, on the other hand, is a gatekeeper. Joe Rogan may wig out over his devastating spinning kicks, but let’s put that in perspective: He’s used that tool to defeat just two fighters – Paul Kelly and Nate Mohr – in fights that took place in 2009. The 36-year-old hasn’t finished a fight since 2010. There’s no doubt he's dangerous in the early rounds – he troubled Cub Swanson before losing via TKO – but for such a stocky, muscle-bound man, he has his limitations. The speed of his punches diminishes rapidly as the fight drags on.
McGregor, 10 years his junior, is a fighter who believes in movement more than anything. His ability to establish range is the key to his strikes and his counterstriking is superb. He throws a strange array of kicks and even if they don’t land, and let’s be honest, most don’t, he makes his opponent think. It’s all an elaborate ruse to set up his boxing, which is among the best in the lightweight division. Siver may have that devastating spinning kick but McGregor isn’t going to just stand in front of the man, especially not in the first round. He’s going to use his movement to make Siver miss, and make him pay when he does. Siver is game but we can’t see a scenario where he wins this fight. He’ll attempt to cramp McGregor, to really pour on the pressure and hope the Irishman wilts, but McGregor will keep circling and keep establishing that range. It might not end in the first round, but it won’t last the full 15 minutes. MCGREGOR TKO
Donald Cerrone #3 vs Benson Henderson #5
If there was ever a man on a tear, it's Donald Cerrone. He’s approaching Liam Neeson in Taken 2 levels. If he beats Benson on two weeks' notice, it will be his sixth win within 12 months, surely a record in the Zuffa era. But as he knows all too well, beating Benson is easier said than done. Henderson (21-4) is at the lowest ebb in his UFC career, coming off a loss to rising contender Rafael dos Anjos in August. But ignoring that shock first-round knockout, he’s gone 14-2 in the WEC and UFC with his only losses coming to the champ, Anthony Pettis. After consecutive wins over the likes of Edson Barboza, Jim Miller, Eddie Alvarez and Myles Jury, the momentum’s with Cerrone, but Benson has the championship experience. The convenient thing about this match-up is we’ve got plenty of tape to watch.
Cerrone (26-6), of course, lost both of their previous encounters. They first met in October 2009 for the WEC interim lightweight title in what was the promotion’s Fight of the Year. It was a back-and-forth battle and they took the contest everywhere, but Henderson edged it in the eyes of the judges. If you haven’t seen their first fight, go out of your way to watch it. Cerrone’s active guard was in full effect but he met his match in the NAIA All-American wrestler. The rematch a year later was hotly anticipated but it didn’t last long, with then champion Henderson locking up a guillotine in the first round. The argument could be made that Smooth ended the rivalry with two straight wins, but Cerrone’s the higher-ranked fighter right now and you won’t hear us complaining.
Benson will want to impose his suffocating ground game, setting up his takedowns with strikes and looking for a choke or working some ground and pound. The BJJ black belt spends a lot of time in top position but he’s not inactive and his submission defence is elite. That makes for a difficult package to survive, let alone deal with over 15 minutes. Cerrone doesn’t have the grappling credentials of his opponent, but his style is not only fan friendly but increasingly effective. The omoplata we saw against Myles Jury two weeks ago (wtf) is a good example of how crafty he is off his back. It all looks very natural, the way he throws his legs up and secures an arm or cinches in a triangle in seconds. He had 25 minutes to submit Benson in 2009, but his BJJ and the way he chains his submissions together has only improved.
The crux of the issue for Cerrone, however, will be his ability to stop the takedown. His takedown defence is outstanding and yet he was put on his back many times in that first meeting. He can’t rely on submitting a man who was almost unsubmittable prior to a Showtime armbar two years ago. He's at a distinct advantage on the feet, where he boasts devastating kicks and a significant reach advantage, and that is where he needs the fight to take place. It’s hard to pick against Cerrone, but the ridiculously quick turnaround could come back to bite him. We see Benson eating some shots and getting tangled up in some tricky positions, but persevering to take it on points. HENDERSON
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Conor McGregor #5 vs Denis Siver #10
There’s no doubt Conor McGregor is now one of the UFC’s biggest stars, like it or not. There are plenty of people prepared to gripe, to say he hasn’t faced a wrestler, to say he doesn’t deserve a title shot against Jose Aldo if he defeats Dennis Siver (22-9) in Boston this weekend. But the sheer magnetism of the man almost demands that you pay attention. He’s 16-2 overall and 4-0 in the UFC, and his utter dominance of the fifth-ranked Dustin Poirer proved that he is a legitimate contender. This is a man who beat Max Holloway, one of the most exciting young fighters on the roster, with a torn ACL. Anyone who has ever injured their ACL will tell you just what an accomplishment that is. He’s destined for stardom, if not greatness.
Dennis Siver, on the other hand, is a gatekeeper. Joe Rogan may wig out over his devastating spinning kicks, but let’s put that in perspective: He’s used that tool to defeat just two fighters – Paul Kelly and Nate Mohr – in fights that took place in 2009. The 36-year-old hasn’t finished a fight since 2010. There’s no doubt he's dangerous in the early rounds – he troubled Cub Swanson before losing via TKO – but for such a stocky, muscle-bound man, he has his limitations. The speed of his punches diminishes rapidly as the fight drags on.
McGregor, 10 years his junior, is a fighter who believes in movement more than anything. His ability to establish range is the key to his strikes and his counterstriking is superb. He throws a strange array of kicks and even if they don’t land, and let’s be honest, most don’t, he makes his opponent think. It’s all an elaborate ruse to set up his boxing, which is among the best in the lightweight division. Siver may have that devastating spinning kick but McGregor isn’t going to just stand in front of the man, especially not in the first round. He’s going to use his movement to make Siver miss, and make him pay when he does. Siver is game but we can’t see a scenario where he wins this fight. He’ll attempt to cramp McGregor, to really pour on the pressure and hope the Irishman wilts, but McGregor will keep circling and keep establishing that range. It might not end in the first round, but it won’t last the full 15 minutes. MCGREGOR TKO
Donald Cerrone #3 vs Benson Henderson #5
If there was ever a man on a tear, it's Donald Cerrone. He’s approaching Liam Neeson in Taken 2 levels. If he beats Benson on two weeks' notice, it will be his sixth win within 12 months, surely a record in the Zuffa era. But as he knows all too well, beating Benson is easier said than done. Henderson (21-4) is at the lowest ebb in his UFC career, coming off a loss to rising contender Rafael dos Anjos in August. But ignoring that shock first-round knockout, he’s gone 14-2 in the WEC and UFC with his only losses coming to the champ, Anthony Pettis. After consecutive wins over the likes of Edson Barboza, Jim Miller, Eddie Alvarez and Myles Jury, the momentum’s with Cerrone, but Benson has the championship experience. The convenient thing about this match-up is we’ve got plenty of tape to watch.
Cerrone (26-6), of course, lost both of their previous encounters. They first met in October 2009 for the WEC interim lightweight title in what was the promotion’s Fight of the Year. It was a back-and-forth battle and they took the contest everywhere, but Henderson edged it in the eyes of the judges. If you haven’t seen their first fight, go out of your way to watch it. Cerrone’s active guard was in full effect but he met his match in the NAIA All-American wrestler. The rematch a year later was hotly anticipated but it didn’t last long, with then champion Henderson locking up a guillotine in the first round. The argument could be made that Smooth ended the rivalry with two straight wins, but Cerrone’s the higher-ranked fighter right now and you won’t hear us complaining.
Benson will want to impose his suffocating ground game, setting up his takedowns with strikes and looking for a choke or working some ground and pound. The BJJ black belt spends a lot of time in top position but he’s not inactive and his submission defence is elite. That makes for a difficult package to survive, let alone deal with over 15 minutes. Cerrone doesn’t have the grappling credentials of his opponent, but his style is not only fan friendly but increasingly effective. The omoplata we saw against Myles Jury two weeks ago (wtf) is a good example of how crafty he is off his back. It all looks very natural, the way he throws his legs up and secures an arm or cinches in a triangle in seconds. He had 25 minutes to submit Benson in 2009, but his BJJ and the way he chains his submissions together has only improved.
The crux of the issue for Cerrone, however, will be his ability to stop the takedown. His takedown defence is outstanding and yet he was put on his back many times in that first meeting. He can’t rely on submitting a man who was almost unsubmittable prior to a Showtime armbar two years ago. He's at a distinct advantage on the feet, where he boasts devastating kicks and a significant reach advantage, and that is where he needs the fight to take place. It’s hard to pick against Cerrone, but the ridiculously quick turnaround could come back to bite him. We see Benson eating some shots and getting tangled up in some tricky positions, but persevering to take it on points. HENDERSON
Read more: Power Picks - UFC Boston
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