UFC 163 Aldo vs the Korean Zombie (UPDATED!)

Jose Aldo finished Chad Mendes in the first round
last time he fought in Brazil (his only UFC finish).

UFC 163 is right up there with UFC 159 for one of the least interesting/important events of the year.  The main event is a fun one, but all fights outside of that are pretty bland.  Every time Jose Aldo fights I will watch so despite the lackluster card, I will be there to watch.  For some reason, I see a lot of these fights being finished.  Not many decisions in my predictions which I hope is true!

Facebook from Brazil:

• Ednaldo Oliveira will drop down to 205 after losing his 1st fight in his UFC debut to Gonzaga.  His opponent Francimar Barroso is making his UFC debut for this fight.  I am siding with the power of Oliveira, Ednaldo via TKO.
• Bristol Marunde will take on Viscardi Andrade in an intriguing welterweight fight.  Andrade is making his UFC debut against a man who lost his last two fights in the 3rd round.  I see that trend continuing.  Andrade makes an impressive debut and submits Marunde in the 3rd with a rear-naked choke.
• Rani Yahya may have 7 losses on his record, but most of those were to top competition.  Throw in a couple big names on his hit list such as Mark Hominick (in his prime), Eddie Wineland, and Mike Brown and you have a solid fighter with plenty of experience.  Josh Clopton is 0-1 in the UFC and will be 0-2.  As an overwhelming favorite (the biggest favorite on the card), look for Rani Yahya to finish this fight quickly.  Yahya with a north south choke.

FX:

• Iliarde Santos is another guy that is 0-1 in the UFC looking to make it 0-2.  Ian McCall is a stud despite his current 3 fight winless streak.  The flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson and 125 lb top contender Joe Benavidez were the ones who fought him to a draw and two losses.  McCall is still a top 10 flyweight and will show it against Santos.  Look for a 1st round TKO win for "Uncle Creepy."
• Neil Magny is the man who ousted Bristol Marunde from The Ultimate Fighter.  He will look to get another win against Brazilian Sergio Moraes.  This is an even matchup and could actually be a Fight of the Night candidate.  I do think Moraes will eventually take it to the ground and sink a submission in.  Moraes via RNC.
• Sheila Gaff looked awful in her UFC debut.  To be fair, Sara McMann is a tall task for any women in the UFC.  Amanda Nunes is a solid fighter who possesses finishing ability, as does Gaff.  Both fighters have seen one decision each, and both came up empty in that decision.  One of these girls will get a submission or TKO finish but I am leaning towards Gaff to do it.  TKO win for Gaff.

UPDATED!!!!!! Since reading my friend's analysis on UFC 163 prelims and looking up this video, I now am picking Nunes to win via TKO instead!!!

• In my opinion Anthony Perosh sucks and should not be a UFC fighter.  Vinny Magalhaes should have a bit of trouble sinking in a submission against a kind of slick guy on the ground.  However, I think Magalhaes will finish him with some ground and pound for a first round TKO.

The not worth the money, but worth a bar visit Pay-Per View:

• John Lineker has quickly become one of my favorite UFC fighters.  His wild fighting style and knockout power has made him one of my favorites.  Check him out here if you have never seen him before.  His opponent Jose Maria "No Chance" Tome has no chance to win.  He may have an impressive 33-3 record, but has faced nobody as talented as Lineker.  All of his losses are via submission, but I believe Lineker will take home Knockout of the Night honors with a highlight reel KO of Tome.
• Thales Leites has not been in the UFC since August of 2009.  Tom Watson won Fight of the Night and KO of the Night last time he stepped foot in the Octagon back in February of this year.  Leites has gone 6-1 in his time since the UFC but has not fought in a year and a half.  Tom Watson could be the next star from England.  I think that Leites will have Octagon return jitters as well as ring rust.  Watson is dangerous and should sneak out of this fight with a decision victory.
• I know nothing about Cezar Ferriera or Thiago Santos so I will trust Vegas odds.  Ferriera via decision.
• Phil Davis has but one loss in his mixed martial arts career and it was to Rashad Evans in a top contender match.  His fight with Machida very well could be a top contender match as well.  He has a win over current top contender Alexander Gustafsson and is a high level wrestler.  Lyoto Machida is on another level as a mixed martial artists however.  Machida will stuff takedowns with his excellent timing.  He may even time a knee when Davis goes for a shot.  Machida has not fought in Brazil since 2006, so he should be very amped up for this fight.  I think Machida will pick Davis apart and finish him with kicks and/or knees.  Machida 2nd round KO.
• There are two things in a fight that get me super excited so see how it plays out.  The first is how entertaining the fight will be.  With Chan-Sung Jung and Jose Aldo going at it, I don't have to worry about this fight being boring.  The second thing is how intriguing the matchup is.  This is a fight where the Korean Zombie just is not a threat to Aldo's title.  This will be a ridiculously entertaining fight without a doubt, but it is not an intriguing matchup.  Jung is exciting and fights at a high pace.  He will eat shots all day and keep moving forward.  He has good standup as well as a crafty ground game.  So far in his UFC career he has gone 3-0 and has won Submission of the Night twice, Submission of the Year once, KO of the Night once, and Fight of the Year once.  That is all fine and dandy, but Aldo is another animal.  He will land strikes at will against the aggressive Zombie and if Jung decides to take it to the ground, his black belt will be put to use there.  The only problem I might see Aldo having is as always, with his cardio.  Jung pushes a fast pace and has a chin that can take Aldo's best shots.  Frankie Edgar has a better chin, skill set, and pushes just as fast of a pace as Jung.  Edgar was easily routed by Aldo.  Therefore, I see no scenario that the new pound for pound best mixed martial artist on the planet can lose this fight.  Aldo via leg kick destruction on his way to a 50-45 decision, like he did to Faber.

I believe Aldo should have fought Ricardo Lamas instead of the Korean Zombie.  I would like to see the winner of this title fight take on Cub Swanson next.  Lamas should fight a top contender fight against either Mendes (if he beats Guida) or Edgar.  Aldo should eventually move to lightweight, but the 145 lb division is so deep right now that the time is not now.

My picks entering the event: 100/176=57%

Predictions for UFC bonuses:

FOTN: Jung/Aldo

SOTN: Yahya

KOOTN: Lineker