WELL FOLKS, here we go again, for another event where I try to not look like a jackass. I'm very confident in my picks, and I doubt that Screennamesuck will have much to say about it. Having said that,


Lets get it on..



RICH FRANKLIN vs ANDERSON SILVA

CopperShark's Pick: Anderson Silva - TKO RND 3

Why?: Anderson Silva is the most dominate striker in the world pound for pound. Anyone who disagrees with me can look at his hitting percentage. It's phenominal. Although there are a few ways that Rich can win, it will only be if he sets a lightning fast pace, in which he is taking down The Spider at every turn. Rich also has the homefield advantage, which builds pressure, and also gives confidence. Anderson Silva, simply put has much more advantages in this fight. Anderson has now shown he can fight where ever the fight goes, and he is without a doubt the best Middleweight in the world. After he beats Rich this saturday, it will solidify his spot, and leave Ace in shambles. Look for Anderson to out point Rich in the opening rounds, and for him to finish with a solid knee on the button, before Rich goes to sleep. To bet against Anderson Silva right now, would be ludacris.


TIM SYLVIA vs BRANDON VERA

CopperShark's Pick: Tim Sylvia - KO RND 2

Why?: As much as a lot of forum users dislike Big Tim, the fact is, he is a good fighter. And sometimes people have to look by, "The Hype" and a fighter's personality, and look at the records. Brandon Vera's biggest name is Frank Mir, who is his LAST fight looked great, but against Vera looked horrible. Vera's faught 4 B-level fighters. (Frank Mir, after his accident has never been the same.) Tim Sylvia - However - Has beaten a lot of top name opponents. Hate him or love him, you have to accept that he's a good fighter. Brandon Vera's chin has never been tested, and The Maine-iac will certainly test it this weekend. People talk about Tim's ability to finish fights. The fact is, that he has finished 19 of his 23 wins. Brandon Vera will be put to the test in Cinny on Saturday night. And we'll find out "The Truth" about him. Is he a contender? Or just another flash-in-the-pan?


ERIC SHAFER vs STEPHAN BONNAR

CopperShark's Pick: Stephan Bonnar - SUBMISSION RND 3

Why?: This is the least interesting fight on the whole card. Stephan Bonnar will probably have a snoozefest of a fight with Eric, and end up catching him in a rear-naked choke. Stephan needs the win in order to even be considered for a title shot sometime late in 2008. He needs a big win so he can get upgraded to the top-level fighters. To be honest, the biggest thing that Stephan has to worry about in this fight with Eric isn't Eric himself.. It's the drug test afterwards.


ALAN BELCHER vs KALIB STARNES

CopperShark's Pick: Kalib Starnes - UD

Why?: When I first looked at this fight, I expected Kalib to get a fairly easy finish on Alan. However, after reading into it, these are two tough fighters. Both having losses to Yushin Okami, I don't really know why they are on the main card and he isn't. I see this being a slugfest, with a very technical battle on the ground. I give one round to each of them, and Kalib having a better gastank and stealing the third away. Canadian's will be proud of there heritage tonight as Starnes will put on a great show.

UNDERCARD MATCHUPS

Alvin Robinson vs. Jorge Gurgel - GURGEL via Choke, RND 1

Jason MacDonald vs. Yushin Okami - MACDONALD via Triangle Choke, RND 2 (Watch for Jason to use his reach, then catch a submission off his back.)

Demian Maia vs. Ryan Jensen - JENSEN via UD

Josh Burkman vs. Forrest Petz - BURKMAN - SPLIT Decision (FOTN)

Matt Grice Vs. Jason Black - BLACK - TKO, RND 1


WELL! There you have em' folks. Now run off to vBookie and make the right choices. Thanks for the read, and comments are always welcome!

The Almighty CopperShark