Hello, fight fans! UFC’s freight train of events continues as heavyweights thunder into Hamburg, Germany with Fight Night 93. The bouts kick off with 11:30 a.m. ET on Fight Pass. The main card begins at 3 p.m. ET and will also be on Fight Pass, so make sure those subscriptions are up to date.
2016 Important Results:
Jessica: 143-119-4 (55 percent)
Burnsy: 104-105-3 (49 percent)
Ryan: 5-1 (83 percent)
Jason: 55-46-1 (54 percent)
Bill: 33-22 (60 percent)
Jared: 24-21 (53 percent)
Jackman: 7-5 (58 percent)
Enrique: 7-5 (58 percent)
Jamie: 16-13-1 (55 percent)
Justin: 13-4 (76 percent)
Marty: 20-12-1 (62 percent)
Parker: 3-4 (43 percent)
Team Davis: 75-58-3 (56 percent)
Dan: 4-1 (80 percent)
Lightweight: Nick “The Sergeant” Hein vs. Tae Hyun “Supernatural” Bang
Jessica: My Dude Tae Hyun finished on top of that epic KUNTZ N BANG N BANG N KUNTZ clash last year, so he’s riding high off that victory. Hein’s done okay for himself, but the Large Sarge is no match for a frontal assault by BANG. Tae Hyun wins by second round TKO.
Burnsy: I feel like I always pick Hein and he always lets me down, even though my picks are at 100 percent all-time. I’ll stick with the Sarge here because my gut’s telling me that he’s gonna light it up.
Jason: You would think that after all this time, “The Sergeant” would get promoted, but no. NO! Have to go Supernatural on this one.
Jared: It’s a battle as old as time itself: South Korean slugger vs. German television star. The odds seem to be leaning in Hein’s favor, but Bang has a serious power advantage here and I like him to score the upset via TKO.
Bill: It’s really hard to pick against Bang here. I think he’s going to have a spectacular knockout and get himself one of those nice bonus checks.
Light Heavyweight: Ryan “Darth” Bader vs. Ilir “The Sledgehammer” Latifi
Jessica: While there is a chance that Bader uses wrestling or his admittedly heavy hands to ruin my night, I have to, HAVE TO, go with My Main Man Ilir and his nuclear punches to put Bader to rest. Latifi wins by first round KO.
Burnsy: I can’t pick against Latifi, just because I know that he’ll punch a hole through the space-time continuum and I’ll regret doubting him as I’m sucked into another dimension.
Jason: There is nothing I want more than for Latifi to win this fight and go on to not only Anthony Johnson and Daniel Cormier, but also Jon Jones. This is the first step, you glorious rider of horses. Latifi via 1.5-second KO.
Jared: Given the rate at which massive upsets have been happening this year, his is the kind of fight that seems primed for Latifi to catch Bader with one of his sledgehammer overhand rights early and finish him. That said, Bader has looked pretty incredible against anyone not named Anthony Johnson lately, and I’m just not sure that Latifi is at his level yet. Bader.
Bill: Bader is one of those guys you always root for, but I think he’s going to get wrecked here.
Light Heavyweight: Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson vs. Jan Blachowicz
Jessica: Seriously? This is the co-main? A gimme fight for Swede Man to get back into the title picture? Sure, okay. Gustafsson is going to kickbox Jan a whole lot and rip him to bits. Gustafsson wins by second round TKO.
Burnsy: Gustafsson needs a gimme after losing three of his last four, and especially since those were all fights that mattered. Maybe a quick, painful thrashing of whoever Blachowicz is will be just what the doctor ordered for the big Swede who can’t seem to seal the deal when it matters most.
Jason: Burnsy is right, this is Gus getting back on track and he should do it handily.
Jared: C’mon, guys. Lusty Gusty has this one.
Bill: Easiest fight we’ve had to pick in a while. Gustafsson.
Heavyweight: Andrei “Pitbull” Arlovski vs. Josh “The Warmaster” Barnett
Jessica: Oh heck yeah! Two big ol’ Beef Boyz throwing down! Both dudes are coming off a loss, which has got to be a rarity for main events. Arlovski is always dangerous to knock a fool cold, but he’s also more than capable of taking an early nap. Barnett’s got a solid chin, but hey, so did Robert Glenn Lawler (I’m still crying and barfing over UFC 201). I’m going to give the edge to Barnett’s grappling. Josh wins this by second round submission. (Probably an arm triangle, all things considered.)
Burnsy: Buzz, your heavyweight division, woof! Well, this is a card that exists and it’s free, so I guess I shouldn’t complain. I’ll take Barnett to end what was sort of like a comeback run for Arlovski, even though he lost his last fight, too. Somewhere out there, a big beefy baby was just born and one day he will save this sad division.
Jason: This is an amazing fight in like, four different eras of MMA. The super early years, Pride-era, maybe Dream-era or Strikeforce era, and now the post-Zuffa era. I don’t know who to pick … Argh! Barnett via decision.
Jared: This is going to be another one of these cards where I go 2-2 at best, huh? I make it a habit to never bet on heavyweight fights, because any sense of strategy or analysis tends to go out the window after the first round, but when you factor in that this heavyweight fight in particular is between two aging legends who have been splitting wins and losses lately? I might as well flip a coin.
Barnett is undoubtedly the tougher of the two, but he doesn’t have the kind of power or even proficiency that could test Arlovski’s cracked chin. He could outwrestle him, maybe, but Barnett has also not looked that great physically in his past couple fights (even for Barnett) and I don’t see him being able to hold Arlovski down for five rounds. Barnett has solid submissions…but Arlovski has never been submitted. It’s really hard to make a definitive prediction either way, but I’m going to take Arlovski based on the fact that he just seems to have more left in the tank (and KO power to boot). Heck, less than a year ago we were talking about giving Arlovski a title shot, which is way more than what can be said for Barnett.
Bill: I’m excited as hell for this fight and I’ll never pick against my boy Josh Barnett. Just not gonna happen.
Performance of the Night
Jessica: Latifi, Macedo
Burnsy: Gustafsson, Latifi
Jason: Gustafsson, Latifi
Jared: Gustafsson, Bang
Bill: Gustafsson, Barnett
Fight of the Night
Jessica: Lapilus vs. Issa
Burnsy: Latifi vs. Bader
Jason: Arlovski vs. Barnett
Jared: Askham vs. Hermansson
Bill: Arlovski vs. Barnett