my picks for 88

[David "the Warhound" Stone]

well its been a while for me to be talkin MMA but its good to be doin it again lets start bottom to top with UFC 88's breakthrough

Martin Kampmann Vs. Nate Marquardt:
This is the fight that no one seems to be talkin about and i consider it the most competive bout on the card. Marquardt lost to Thales Lietes basically because of his aggresive style. he lost two points and still lost to split decision. I felt that Nate won that scrap hands down. as for the hitman he has been picture perfect since he has arrived one of his better fights was his quick dismantlement of Drew McFedries. his recent defeat over Jorge Rivera cements him as the real deal getting four W's in a row in the UFC. I think that the hitman is in trouble no matter where he takes the fight but that never seemed to bother him before. I actually see him as the more technical fighter over MArquardt. but when you can put your power over your slick technique it makes you a scary dude. I think I'll actually take the Hitman over Marquardt and should be considered for the title picture immediatly.

Kammpman by Decision

Dan Henderson Vs. Rousimar Palhares
I'm not going to waste too much time on this one. I watched both of Hendersons losses since returning to the UFC but to his credit he lost to two champions not two chumps. However Palhares submitted a very tough Ivan Salverry making him a tough ground fighter. I dont see Palhares getting the better of a greco roman master like Henderson or in the clinch for that matter. plus the fact that henderson loves to throw leather and hits like a mac truck. Henderson in 1.

Henderson by TKO

Karo Parisyan Vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
This is interesting because Karo is getting back on the horse after his recent defeat by Thiago Alves. while Yoshida is on his way up after beating down Jon Koppenhaver. submitting him by Anaconda choke in the very first round. Yoshida's primary strength is his judo style however i dont see him beating Karo.

Karo by Decision

Rich Franklin Vs. Matt Hamill
I've already talked about this one alot. Rich is doing this almost against his will but i feel he has the skills to pull out the W if he can keep it on his feet. However i dont see him keeping Matt Hamill from taking him down. The Hammer is going to come in and begin the pounding on Franklin. some will say that franklin has great takedown defense. and i agree but he couldnt stop Lutter from getting him to the ground and Hamill is a much better wrestler. Now Hamill has shown improved standup but if he tries to stand with franklin he is in for a rude awakening. I'll take Franklin this time around.
Franklin by Decision

Chuck Lidell vs. Rashad Evans
ok the main event is the most contriversial. I know that rashad is undefeated in the world of MMA but he hasnt been that impressive to me. most of his wins are by decision and i just dont see him outstriking Lidell but i also think that he has great takedowns and he can take chuck down fairly easily however the real question is if he can keep him down. i dont really know in all honesty. whats to say about the iceman that hasnt already been said. great striker good counterpuncher. he can backpedal and knockout anyone and he can get back to his feat very easily. therefore my decision is easy.

Lidell by knockout

[Gesias "JZ" Calvancanti]

Ok, heres my picks Dave

Martin Kampmann vs. Nate Marquardt

This is a great fight. Definitely could be fight of the night for sure. Kampmann has looked great in his fights, stopping 3 of his 4 opponents thus far. His striking is excellent and his ground game is awesome as well. The only problems I see from Martin is in the McFedries fight, his defense didn't look too great for the stand up as McFedries tagged Kampmann numerous times, Marquardt has very heavy hands and good boxing, he may be able to exploit some of those holes. The other problem I see is that he is a little undersized for 185. I could seriously see Kampmann dropping weight if he loses this fight, Nate is a huge 185 pounder, probably cuts from around 215. Nate looked great in his last fight even though it was a loss, it was the most dominating loss I've ever seen and you could possibly say that the strike that Herb Dean said to the back of the head shouldn't have been a deduction as you can clearly see it was to the side of the head. The knee to the face was illegal and I dont know what to say on the pile driver. Overall, this fight in my honest opinion is going to be a great one, but it's going to come down to who's the bigger man as they both have similar skills. I see both fighters keeping the fight standing and landing good shots each, I see Marquardt taking Kampmann down a few times and using his good ground and pound to nullify any submissions that Martin may throw at him. I see Nate pounding out another hard fought win and looks to get back to his title shot.

My Pick: Nate Marquardt by Unanimous Decision

Yoshiyuki Yoshida vs. Karo Parisyan

This is also another great match up on this card. This card is definitely stacked from head to toe with great match ups, Atlanta is truly blessed. Karo didnt looked too great in his last fight with Thiago Alves, but before that, he was looking awesome in his fight with Josh Burkman and looked good in his fight with Ryo Chonan. Karo just recently said in an interview that he has been diagnosed with Panic Attacks, but looks to fight through them to continue doing good things in his career. Karo is a very good talent for the 170 pound division. He's young and hungry, but a lot of times he doesnt train probably the way he should. I've heard that he's been training hard at greg jackson's for this fight with Yoshida. Hopefully we can see the same Karo that fought Josh Burkman. Yoshiyuki Yoshida on the other hand definitely has to make the best of this oppurtunity, he is 34 years old as opposed to Karo being 25. A loss here wouldn't be the best for Yoshida. But I can definitely see him giving Karo a tough time here. Yoshiyuki looked like a destroyer in his 1st fight in the UFC with Jon Koppenhaver as he quickly judo tossed Jon and choked him out with an anaconda choke. I dont think he will be able to hit that same toss on Karo as Karo is a world ranked judo competitor himself. I think this fight is going to come down to the stand up, I dont think any fighter will be able to get a throw on each other. If Yoshida ends up getting top position at all, we can see him doing some of his famous ground and pound. But, I think this fight will have many stand up exchanges where I think Karo will have the advantage. I see Karo making a boxing match out of this and out boxing Yoshida on the feet en route to a much needed victory.

My Pick: Karo Parisyan by Unanimous Decision

Dan Henderson vs. Rousimar Palhares

Dangerous Dan is back at Middleweight again for this fight with dangerous submission expert Rousimar Palhares. Palhares looked great at UFC 84 with his back control and his armbar submission win over veteran Ivan Sallaverry. Henderson on the other hand has lost 2 of his last 3 fights. But keep in mind, they were both to champions at Lightheavyweight and Middleweight in Anderson Silva and former Lightheavyweight champion Quinton Jackson. The only big problem I think Rousimar presents for Dan in this match up is if he is able to body lock and take Dan down like he did to Sallaverry, other than that, I think Dan has a distinct advantage on the feet. Dan was pretty much the only guy I've seen stand with Anderson Silva and make it quite competitive on the feet until he got caught with the knee and a few punches. I think Dan is too good of a wrestler for Rousimar to be able to take down. I think Dan punches too hard, just quite truthfully, I think Palhares is a great fighter and he will be great in the future, but right now, he is a little overmatched in this fight with the world class competitor in Dan Henderson. Expect to see Henderson keep this fight on the feet and land some good shots to Palhares and see Palhares try to take Dan down or pull guard and see Dan defend the takedown using his clinch and continues to land good shots. Expect to see Dan land a good combination putting Palhares down and finishing the fight giving Henderson his first win in the UFC since 1999.

My pick: Dan Henderson by TKO in Round 2

Rich Franklin vs. Matt Hammil

Really interesting fight, another great fight on this card. Former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin is returning to 205 pounds to take on big strong wrestler Matt "The Hammer" Hammil. Matt has looked awesome in his UFC career thus far, I dont think he lost that fight to Bisping. He looked good in his last fight as well, being able to take down Tim Boetsch and later pounding him out. Franklin looked great in his last fight against Travis Lutter, he was able to escape an armbar in the 1st round that definitely would've made most people tap if caught in that. This is an interesting style clash, striker vs. grappler at its finest. I truthfully think Matt is a good enough wrestler to be able to take Franklin down whenever he wants. He seems very powerful and has a really good drive when he grabs ahold of your leg. Rich is a very well rounded fighter and may be able to escape back to his feet. Rich is going to have a big edge in the stand up, if Matt is able to take Rich down at will, this is what may be the problem in this fight is Hammil's strength and wrestling. Expect to see Hammil do good in the early moments of this fight, taking Rich down on a couple of occasions and forcing the former UFC middleweight champion to work off of his back. As the fight wears on, expect Hammil to grow fatigued and expect Rich to land some good shots on the feet as he is the more experienced striker. Expect Rich to keep the same pace and keeping Matt off balance numerous times and should lead Rich to a well deserved decision win.

My pick: Rich Franklin by Split Decision

Chuck Liddell vs. Rashad Evans

Ok this is the main event to this star studded card. Rashad Evans has a great chance in this fight, if he can pull off exactly what Keith Jardine did against Chuck and pot shot him and move away, he can definitely win this fight, I dont think Rashad will be able to take Chuck down. Chuck has shown in the past that his sprawl is nothing to be looked over. Chuck looked back to normal form in his dominating victory over Pride superstar Wanderlei Silva in his last fight. Rashad looked alright but not great against Bisping, he got uncharacteristically tired and let Bisping dictate the pace for a few minutes when he was able to take Bisping down a couple of times. I think Rashad will go for takedowns in this fight, only to be stuffed by Liddell's great sprawl. Expect Rashad to be forced to stand and strike with Liddell which I think will be his ultimate down fall as Liddell is too good of a striker and has very heavy hands. Expect Liddell to rock Rashad on a few occassions, but not finish him. Expect Rashad to hang in there, but ultimately lose the fight.

My pick: Chuck Liddell by Unanimous Decision

[David "the Warhound" Stone]

dont agree with everything but definatly se where your commin from. and i definatly agree about kampmann being able to drop weight i just think hes an extremely technical guy and it will help him in this fight

[Jason Kash]

Martin Kampmann vs. Nate Marquardt
I'ma keep these short because I'm not an MMA reporter, I'll leave that side of things to those guys at Rear Naked Radio! I don't think it will be too explosive but I like Marquardt's style and feel he is a bigger talent.

Winner: Nate Marquardt via Decision

Yoshiyuki Yoshida vs. Karo Parisyan
Karo hasn't been the same since he lost a tooth with that knee he'll never forget. I think he could be on a downward spiral so Yoshida could take it but I'll go with Karo.

Winner: Karo Parisyan via TKO

Dan Henderson vs. Rousimar Palhares
I think this is that "Shit or Get Off The Pot" moment for Dan Henderson in the UFC. He's a respected fighter but if you're losing then you're no good for the company that you're losing with. I still can't even begin to pronounce Rousimar Palhares so he gets no love.

Winner: Henderson by Knockout

Rich Franklin vs. Matt Hammil
I think this is premature booking. Hammil isn't ready to bang with someone like Franklin and Hammil enjoys banging. He'll be a moron and bang in this fight and get knocked around. His inexperience will show here.

Winner: Franklin via TKO

Chuck Liddell vs. Rashad Evans
I might be the only big fan of Rashad Evans online but I like the guy. I was reading an interview with him where he went on talking about how he wanted to take a day off of training and forget about the fight entirely so he went to see Pineapple Express. In the movie they are watching UFC and it's Chuck beating up (Forget dudes name now) some black dude and it was just a good interview. Rashad has been training for this fight for how long? 3 Months straight currently and before Chuck got hurt he was training then as well where as Chuck hasn't been training as much for this fight? I can clear as day see Chuck knocking him out but I will put a little faith in Rashad and say he takes it.

Winner: Rashad Evans via Decision