Let’s discover those prospects that fight in the obscurity of the regional and international circuits, waiting for their shot at the bright lights and big stage of the UFC, and those veterans looking for one more chance at stardom. It all begins here, in the small convention centers and high school gymnasiums. It all begins with promotions such as these…

Spotlight Fight:
Alexis Vila (11-3) vs. Czar Sklavos (7-2)

Though the Championship Fighting Alliance certainly snagged a televised slot on AXS TV for its 11th event due to the inclusion of transgender fighter Fallon Fox, the promotion was deserving of the attention long before Fox entered the lexicon of the MMA community. The promotion has a knack for constructing cards with at least a few compelling names in the lineup. This event may have a heightened sense of importance since it hosts Fox’s national television debut, but the heart of the card comes in the form of match-ups such as the interim featherweight title fight pitting undefeated champion Sean Soriano against Elvin Leon Brito, the competitive heavyweight tilt between Mike Kyle and late replacement Travis Wiuff that headlines the show, and the intriguing flyweight encounter between former Bellator bantamweight tournament participant Alexis Vila and up-and-coming prospect Czar Sklavos.

Vila is an Olympic bronze medalist, a two-time gold medalist at the World championships and a one-time gold medalist at the Pan American Games. After a 9-0 start to his MMA career while fighting as a flyweight, Vila was signed by Bellator as a participant in its season-five bantamweight tourney. He stunned the promotion’s featherweight champion, Joe Warren, with a 64-second knockout in the quarterfinals. Vila then edged Marcus Galvao in the semifinals before losing to future champion Eduardo Dantas in the finals. In his season-six tourney bid, Vila dropped a unanimous decision to Luis Nogueira. The Cuban wrestler shifted his focus back to the 125-pound division and met Joshua Sampo for the inaugural flyweight title in his CFA debut. Vila came up short and was submitted by Sampo in the fifth round. He’ll look to bounce back from his three-fight skid when he meets Sklavos.

Fighting is in Sklavos’ blood. His father was a world champion kickboxer and serves as Czar’s coach. The most interesting aspect of Sklavos’ development as a mixed martial artist is that his father recognized that striking wasn’t everything and encouraged his son to train in jiu-jitsu at an early age. The training has paid off, with Czar notching six of his wins via submission. The 31-year-old lost his pro debut to UFC fighter T.J. Dillashaw, though that fight took place at bantamweight, and came out on the wrong side of a unanimous decision versus Sampo in 2012.

Age is certainly the biggest factor in this fight. Vila is 42, and he has not won a fight since 2011. The American Top Team fighter may have a trophy case full of medals, but the most recent of those wrestling honors came at the 1996 Olympics. Does he still have what it takes?

Sklavos is looking to capitalize on the spotlight that Fallon Fox has brought to this card. She may be the focus of everyone’s attention, but the prospects on this card are getting national exposure and have to take full advantage of the opportunity. To say Vila is a step up in competition for Sklavos is not completely true. The Idaho native has fought Dillashaw and Sampo in the past. The step up would come in the form of Sklavos defeating such an opponent where he has failed in the past.

Vila’s window for success in MMA is shrinking by the day. He needs a win here, but it’s not a given that he’ll get one. Sklavos presents a tough adversary for the Cuban no matter where the fight takes place. If Vila opts to shoot for takedowns, he takes the risk of getting submitted by the submission specialist. Yet, on the feet, Vila is tasked with an opponent that has trained with a world-class kickboxer for practically his entire life.

With a three-fight losing streak weighing on him, Vila will be conservative in this fight. Sklavos is a significant threat on the mat, so Vila will use his wrestling to keep the fight standing. Despite Sklavos’ kickboxing heritage, he hasn’t proven to be a lethal threat on his feet thus far in his career. However, Dillashaw and Sampo couldn’t stop him, so don’t expect Vila to do so either. Instead, Vila will rock Sklavos with powerful strikes on occasion en route to earning a unanimous decision victory over the prospect.

Other key bouts: Mike Kyle (19-9-1) vs. Travis Wiuff (68-17), Fallon Fox (2-0) vs. Allanna Jones (2-1) in the featherweight tournament semifinals, Luis Palomino (20-8) vs. Robert Washington (15-7), Sean Soriano (7-0) vs. Elvin Leon Brito (6-1) for the interim featherweight title

Spotlight Fight:
Naho Sugiyama (8-2) vs. Seo Hee Ham (10-5)

Invicta FC gets all of the attention when it comes to the women’s side of the sport, but on Japanese shores, Jewels is the top of the mountain for female mixed martial artists. After venturing to Invicta (the two promotions have a talent-sharing arrangement) in 2012, Naho Sugiyama has spent 2013 back in the familiar territory of the Jewels organization, where she holds the atomweight crown. She’ll put the belt on the line this weekend against challenger Seo Hee Ham.

When Sugiyama made the journey to Invicta for a title showdown with Jessica Penne, the Japanese star was undefeated through eight professional bouts and was less than a year removed from the Jewels Featherweight Queen tournament run that brought her the promotion’s gold. “Sugirock” was dominated by Penne in the Invicta bout and ultimately succumbed to a triangle choke in the second round. In her return to Japan, Sugiyama again suffered defeat, this time at the hands of Celine Haga in a non-title 108-pound catchweight bout. The 35-year-old is now on a two-fight skid and needs to rebound with a win to get her career back on track and to retain her belt.

Standing in Sugiyama’s way is Ham, who previously competed as a strawweight. The Korean kickboxer has earned the nickname of “Hamderlei Silva” for the resemblance between her fighting style and that of Pride and UFC legend Wanderlei Silva. Ham captured the CMA KPW lightweight championship and is 6-1 with three knockouts as a kickboxer, but in her 15-fight MMA career she has never scored a knockout win. Eleven of her 15 fights have gone the distance, with Ham picking up wins on nine of those occasions. The 26-year-old’s only stoppage victory came in her most recent outing when she utilized an armbar to submit Ryu Mizunami. Ham has twice lost to Ayaka Hamasaki, including once via a corner-stoppage TKO. She has also lost by way of submission versus Miku Matsumoto and Megumi Fujii.

Ham’s list of wins includes such notable names as Saori Ishioka (twice), Mika Nagano and Mei Yamaguchi. Combine that with losses to Fujii, Hamasaki (twice) and Yuka Tsuji, and that makes for a ton of experience. Sugiyama has some significant names on her own resume, but the list isn’t as long as Ham’s list.

Where Sugiyama has failed thus far is against larger opponents. Penne was a former strawweight dropping to atomweight, and the size advantage played in the American’s favor. Despite a 3-11 mark entering the bout, Haga, who normally fights as a strawweight, bested Sugiyama as well. That doesn’t bode well for the champ as she heads into this fight with another former 115-pounder. As long as the weight cut doesn’t adversely impact Ham’s game, she should benefit from the size advantage.

Against a fighter like Yamaguchi, Ham was able to stuff or reverse takedowns. That allows the kickboxer to keep the fight in her world, where she can utilize combinations and low kicks to pick apart opponents en route to decision victories. With her combination of skills and what could be a small size advantage, Ham should be able to extend “Sugirock’s” streak of misfortunes. The Korean kickboxer will claim the Jewels crown with a win on the scorecards.

Other key bouts: Mika Nagano (12-8) vs Takumi Umehara (1-0), Mei Yamaguchi (10-5-1) vs. Seo Ye Jung (0-1)

Spotlight Fight:
Pedro Rizzo (19-10) vs. Satoshi Ishii (7-2-1)

The Inoki Genome Federation may not be the most active or well-known promotion on Japanese soil, but from time to time, it does host a significant event. The promotion returns this weekend with a card that features a significant heavyweight showdown. The IGF’s 26th event will be headlined by a heavyweight clash between UFC and Pride veteran Pedro Rizzo and Olympic judoka Satoshi Ishii.

Rizzo fought for the UFC heavyweight strap on three occasions, but never captured the belt. The 39-year-old has been fighting professionally for almost 17 years and will be entering his 30th professional contest. Rizzo has been away from action for nearly a year after suffering a knockout against Fedor Emelianenko in Fedor’s retirement bout, and had been inactive for nearly two years prior to the Emelianenko fight. The knockout loss snapped a three-fight winning streak that saw Rizzo claims victories over fellow grizzled veterans Jeff Monson, Gary Goodridge and Ken Shamrock. After winning his first nine pro bouts, Rizzo has failed to string together more than three consecutive victories. The Black House fighter is a Muay Thai practitioner and holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. With 11 wins and seven losses by some form of knockout, Rizzo tends to live or die on his feet.

Ishii is an Olympic gold medalist judoka who holds a fifth dan black belt in judo and a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Ishii was a highly touted prospect when he first entered the sport of MMA, but the hype surrounding him quieted when he lost his pro debut to Hidehiko Yoshida. Ishii has also lost to Emelianenko, lasting two and a half minutes (compared to Rizzo’s 84 seconds) before getting knocked out by the Russian. Ishii has had his ups and downs, but he has righted the ship for the most part. Since the loss to Emelianenko, Ishii has rebounded with a unanimous decision victory over Tim Sylvia and submissions of Kerry Schall and Sean McCorkle. Ishii tends to get the job done via submission or go the distance.

Much like with Alexis Vila in the CFA bout, Rizzo has to struggle with age as a factor in this fight. Ishii is 26 and in the prime of his career, whereas Rizzo is a battle-tested 39-year-old. In his own prime, Rizzo would have likely demolished Ishii in the same dominant fashion that Fedor did. Now, however, the question becomes whether he can still strike with the same power and efficiency as he had even just three years ago. Ring rust—Rizzo has only fought once in the last three years—won’t help his cause either.

Ishii may not be fighting stellar competition, but he has fought on a regular basis and with a large amount of success. His recent streak features UFC veterans, including a former champ. Rizzo seems like the next logical step up in competition for the judoka. Ishii will likely struggle with Rizzo’s striking and jiu-jitsu skills, but he should do enough with takedowns and ground-and-pound to edge the UFC veteran on the scorecards.

Photo: Alexis Vila (L) connects with a left hand (Dave Mandel/Sherdog)

Heavyweight Alistair Overeem returns to the octagon at the UFC’s inaugural Fox Sports 1 event; returning from a knock out loss to UFC 160 headliner Antontio Silva. He will meet fellow Silva TKO victim Travis Browne in a non-headliner fight.

Fox Sports 1 1 takes place Aug. 17 at TD Garden in Boston.

Bellator continues to develop its presence in the English market with the signing of three fighters from the United Kingdom to “long term” contracts. The promotion plans to have cards televised weekly in the U.K.

Joining Bellator’s ranks will be the submission savvy Paul Sass, former BAMMA lightweight champion Rob Sinclair, and Martin Stapleton. All three entering into Bellator’s lightweight roster.

Veteran heavyweight and former UFC champion Josh Barnett is set to return to fight for the promotion with a multi-fight contract.

Heavyweights Roy Nelson and Stipe Miocic will meet at the UFC’s first trip to Winnipeg at UFC 161.

The bout was recently added due to the loss of its main event when interim bantamweight champion Renan Barao was forced out due to injury. Dan Henderson vs. Rashad Evans will take its place as headliner.

UFC 161 takes place June 15 at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Photo: Alistair Overeem (Esther Lin/MMA Fighting)

For most, the hard training for the Worlds began way back in January. But now the final full week is upon us. At Cobrinha’s Academy in Los Angeles, almost all of Alliance’s top black belts from around the country and world have come for the final week of training. You can find names such as Mario Reis, Michael Langhi, Lucas Lepri, Laercio Fernandes, Bruno Malfacine, Rafael Rosendo, Fabio Passos and “Cobrinha” himself all training on the same mat and training with each other in each round.

Also in California, the Atos BJJ team’s camp is in full swing out in Costa Mesa and San Diego. Andre Galvao is leading the classes in San Diego, while the Mendes Brothers are running their own camp in their Art Of Jiu-Jitsu Academy. At each camp, there are many World champions at all belt levels (and also from schools outside of Atos). World-class competitors such as Keenan Cornelius, the Miyao brothers, Gustavo Campos, Ary Farias, Bruno Frazzatto, Ricardo “Demente” Abreu, Roberto Satoshi and Jonathan “JT” Torres are all part of the camp that is in pursuit of ending Alliance’s reign as the team champions at the Worlds.

Throughout the rest of California, there are teams scattered about, running their own camps and opening their doors to affiliate athletes around the world. Gracie Barra camps in Irvine and Northridge are going strong as the Gracie Barra team is looking to end a five-year drought of not being at the top of the team podium. But with the team they have this year, this may be one of their best chances. Furthermore, the Gracie Barra organization is now putting more emphasis on competition than they have in past years.

CheckMat is another team contending for the overall team title. They have always fallen just short in past years. The overall team has always had success winning team tournaments in Brazil, but hasn’t been able to reach that same success in the United States. In 2013, if CheckMat wants to win the team title, they will need to rely heavily on their big guns, such as reigning absolute champion Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida, Rodrigo Cavaca, Yuri Simoes, Lucas Leite, Diego Borges, Joao Assis and Carlos Holanda Vieira, to bring home some hardware. The team is deep with lower belt ranks, but the black belts will be the determining factor in the success or the failure of the team.

But not all of the action is going on in California. The East Coast of the United States has plenty of teams prepping hard for the biggest tournament of the year. Marcelo Garcia’s academy in New York City is in their final preparations and the big names coming out for them will be two-time World champion Bernardo Faria, brown belt champion Thomas Lisboa and top brown belt contender Matheus Diniz. Also on the East Coast, there is the Alliance Headquarters, run by Romero “Jacare” and Lucas Lepri, and they are sure to bring out plenty of top contenders.

So, all around the country there are thousands of athletes preparing for something that is only won by a select few. Who will win the big titles at black belt in 2013? Next week, we have our Worlds preview and a breakdown of each weight class in the black belt categories for both male and female divisions, so stay tuned! Osss!

Photo: Andre Galvao (GracieMag)

Arguably one of the worst aspects of the casting was the short fights to get into the house, and the fighters that got the short end of the stick were the ones that lost by one-round decisions.  Of the decision losses, the person who was dealt the worst hand was Dakota Cochrane, the only fighter to lose by split decision.  Granted, he lost to James Vick, who made it all the way to the semifinals on the show, but Cochrane was the person closest to making it onto the show that didn’t, and it was all based on a five-minute performance in one judge’s eyes.

Cochrane, who is originally from Fairbury, Neb., but trains out of Premier Combat Center in Omaha, first stepped into the ring as a professional in November 2009.  He worked the regional circuits in the Midwest for the next two years, amassing a record of 11-1 with notable victories over Marcus LeVesseur and Jamie Varner.

Cochrane (Dave Mandel/Sherdog)

In early December 2011, Cochrane began the process of trying out for the first live season of TUF.  Around the same time, Resurrection Fighting Alliance was holding its first event, during which Cochrane lost for only the second time in his career.  On March 9, 2012, Cochrane fought in the TUF: Live premiere, and followed that up with his third loss at RFA 2 later that month.  Needless to say, this was not a good run for the native Nebraskan, but he has since made up for this tough time in his career.

In June 2012, Cochrane came out of his slump with a second-round submission of longtime UFC veteran Joe Stevenson at RFA 3.  In November, he won at RFA 4 by first-round submission, and again at RFA 6 in January by TKO with less than 30 seconds left in the fight.  His last win, over then 23-7 Deivison Francisco Ribeiro, was a hard-fought one, and Cochrane definitely walked away identifying some holes to fill moving forward.

“He was a pretty good counter-striker,” said Cochrane in an exclusive interview with The MMA Corner.  “I felt that he had faster hand speed than me, so that’s something I incorporated into my workouts, trying to increase my hand speed.”

It’s no surprise that Cochrane identified hands as an area that needed his attention.  He is a high-level MMA fighter in every sense of the word, but, having finished 50 percent of his victories by some form of submission, the grappling game is more in his wheelhouse than the striking.

Now 14-3, the 27-year-old Cochrane wants to keep his winning streak alive, and having fought on five RFA cards, he has established himself as one of RFA’s “franchise players.”  However, RFA can be a challenging organization to work for as a pro because there can be big gaps between events, so working fighters sometimes need to supplement their work by heading to some smaller promotions.  Cochrane is one of those guys.

“I’m still under contract with RFA,” explained Cochrane.  “I have two more fights with them.  RFA let us know that we weren’t going to have a fight until August, so we asked if we could fight in between, just for a local show.  They said that would be fine.  I like to stay busy and didn’t want to sit for seven months.  There were a few stipulations that we had to follow, but ultimately they let us fight for Disorderly Conduct.”

Disorderly Conduct is a local promotion in Omaha that has been conducting fights throughout Nebraska since 2011.  In 2012, the organization held 10 events, and it has already held three this year.  For its 19th installment this Friday night at the Ramada Plaza Omaha Hotel and Convention Center in Omaha, Neb., DC has sought out Cochrane for its headlining fight.  He was originally set to face the 10-7 Taurean Bogguess, but Bogguess was an injury scratch, so Colorado’s Marcus “Bad Intentions” Edwards, who is only 3-1 as a pro, took the fight on two weeks’ notice.

Edwards may only have four pro fights under his belt, but he was 11-0 as an amateur, finishing 12 opponents in 15 total fights.  He has earned three knockout wins and nine submissions, with his only loss coming by decision to Justin Gaethje, who has a combined amateur and pro record of 14-0 and is now fighting under the World Series of Fighting banner.  Needless to say, Edwards is an extremely tough up-and-comer who has 11 first-round finishes.

“He looks pretty aggressive,” admitted Cochrane.  “I’m sure he’ll be a pretty decent wrestler.  I’m sure he’ll be wanting to strike and probably go for a takedown.  He’ll be pretty aggressive.  That’s what I got from him.”

As simple as that seems, one can be sure that Cochrane is taking this fight very seriously.  With his tough run in 2012, the last thing the Nebraskan needs is to drop a fight to Edwards now.

“I think he’s definitely a game opponent,” said Cochrane.  “He’s pretty new to the pro side, but, obviously, he had a good amateur record.  He’s definitely a quality opponent and I’m not taking him lightly.”

The former TUF contestant knows that his opponent, with that many first-round finishes, is not going to come out at a slow pace.

“I think he’ll probably come at me hard, like he always does.  And then once we get to striking and I’m able to connect like I feel like I can, he’ll probably want to take me down.  I’ll probably go from there.”

If there’s one area that could get tricky in this fight, it’s the submission game.  Edwards may have finished most of his amateur opponents on the ground, but that’s where Cochrane is comfortable and has defeated most of his professional opponents, including Stevenson and Team Alpha Male’s Derrick Burnsed, who are both grappling-heavy fighters.  Should this one hit the mat, which it probably will, fans are likely going to see a dazzling display of submission grappling.

After his fight with Edwards, Cochrane will be looking forward to that August fight.

“I’m planning on fighting for RFA next,” Cochrane stated.  “I don’t think we can fit anything else in before then.”

Cochrane (top) controls his opponent (Dave Mandel/Sherdog)

RFA may be a regional promotion, but it has put together some amazing cards.  Some of the fights have included the likes of former UFC fighters Jens Pulver, Houston Alexander, Gilbert Yvel and Efrain Escudero.  With a nice roster of old-school fighters and up-and-comers, one has to wonder who Cochrane will face next.  Unfortunately, he doesn’t yet know.

“They were thinking Tyson Griffin, but he went over to the World Series of Fighting, so that’s not going to be an option anymore,” Cochrane explained.  “Other than that, I don’t know who I’ll be fighting yet.”

So, in the three months between his next two fights, Cochrane will have to fill his down time when he’s not in the gym with the typical day-to-day stuff.

“I work as a personal trainer and take care of my two kids and my wife,” he said.  “I try to pay the bills for them and make sure they’re growing up and obviously taken care of.  I’ll probably be doing some powerlifting competitions after this next fight.  I’ve been wanting to get back into that a little bit.”

While he may not equate powerlifting with his direct MMA training, it would definitely benefit his fighting to add strength training to his regimen.  But make no doubt, Cochrane’s plans for the future are clear.

“I’ve been working my ass off to get back into the UFC.  That’s my number-one goal.”

Top Photo: Dakota Cochrane (center) celebrates with his team (Dave Mandel/Sherdog)

Many times, this coverage stems from a conflict of some sort. Whether it’s political, cultural or otherwise, there is plenty of disagreement about plenty of issues all over the world. Before 1991, many headlines in America spoke of conflict with the Soviet Union. For decades, the two countries were locked in a governmental and social stalemate that kept them at constant odds. The United States has also had a rocky relationship with Iran since the 1980s, and even today one can often read foreboding quotes from both sides that serve to stoke the fires of conflict.

It’s extra heartening, then, when one comes across a story whose subjects transcend their differences, however briefly, and unite under the banner of common interest. All too often, stories like this involve sports.

The best recent example of sport serving to unify otherwise antagonistic groups has to be last week’s “Rumble on the Rails” event in New York. The Rumble, which took place in Grand Central Station’s Vanderbilt Hall, was a wrestling meet that matched the American national team against teams from Iran and Russia in an effort to drum up enough support to convince the International Olympic Committee, who voted recently to excise wrestling from the list of summer events, to instead retain wrestling in the games. There are a handful of reports on the event from folks who were actually there, the best of which is this one from TIME’s Nate Rawlings, so I won’t try to duplicate their detailed accounts of sportsmanship and camaraderie on display in New York last week. I will, however, add my name to the list of those who marveled at the fact that the three countries that are often at odds actually banded together for a common cause.

The fact that the United States, Russia and Iran were able to agree on anything, much less organize a united event that serves the interests of all three, is amazing. The trio of nations is among the most influential and powerful in the world, so it was very encouraging to see them all on the same side of a cause, rather than engaging in the sort of negative rhetoric that has become all too common in the relationships between them. It’s almost too bad North Korea doesn’t have a better Olympic wrestling team, because their inclusion would have made it a veritable quadfecta of potential world piece. (My understanding, though, is that Kim Jong-Un once pinned Kyle Dake, Cael Sanderson and Brock Lesnar all in the same day before taking a time machine, which he invented, back to 1968 and defeating Dan Gable on points.)

It’s not just wrestling that brings people together, though; we’ve seen it happen in a number of different sports. Wisconsin has been a very divided place, politically speaking, since 2011, when groups of thousands gathered for months to protest and argue with one another about a controversial bill that was proposed (and ultimately passed) by the state government. The ordeal strained relationships between even the closest friends and the stereotypical “Midwest niceness” that has come to characterize the region was nowhere to be found. Wisconsinites argued with each other in the most vitriolic possible ways and it seemed like nothing could bring the state’s citizens back together…well, almost nothing.

As soon as summer rolled around and NFL training camps started up, the mood in the state seemed to change, if only for short periods of time. Those short periods became slightly longer stretches when the 2011 NFL season began and people across the state could put down their signs, rest their voices, weary from impassioned debate, and come together to root for the Green Bay Packers. Much like those Civil War stories of Union and Confederate soldiers briefly ceasing fire to celebrate common holidays, citizens from across Wisconsin’s political spectrum forgot about their differences and instead focused on their commonalities. The conflict between different political groups in Wisconsin pales in comparison to the conflict between the United States, Russia and Iran, but in both instances it has been sport that has helped to ease the tensions.

With MMA being a truly global sport, and one without teams associated with specific geographic areas, fans from vastly different social and geographic backgrounds often unite behind a particular fighter, regardless of that fighter’s own nationality. When Anderson Silva faced Chael Sonnen in their rematch at UFC 148 in July 2012, many an American wanted nothing more than for Silva, a Brazilian, to decimate their fellow countryman Sonnen. These fans cared little about the things that made them different from one another and came together to root for someone who marketed himself as one arrogant S.O.B. to get his ass kicked. For years before (and even for a little while after) Silva’s rise to prominence, fans across the globe rooted for Fedor Emelianenko, a Russian, no matter who he fought or where the fight took place. Those are just two examples of how MMA has contributed to the unifying power of sport.

Will “Rumble on the Rails” suddenly negate the decades of conflict between the United States, Russia and Iran? Certainly not. Despite the presence of the Packers, and their relative success in recent seasons, Wisconsin still remains almost comically politically divided (look at the opposite positions of our two U.S. Senators, for example), so one should probably not hold one’s breath that a wrestling event will broker global harmony. It is very encouraging, though, that the differences between us are not so intractable that we can’t come together once in a while to achieve a common goal. In a world all too full of sadness, “Rumble on the Rails” and the unity of sport provide small glimmers of hope.

Photo: Rumble on the Rails

It’s a saying that realtors and retailers will often use in droves. And it’s also the catchcry by which Kerry Barrett lives her life. Now that she is pushing the age of 40, she finds herself, after seven years of martial arts training, ready to take a good run at the world’s fastest growing sport.

“I started training on my 33rd birthday,” she revealed in an exclusive interview with The MMA Corner. “I decided to treat myself to a martial arts program so that I could try and lose weight. When I joined up, I was 114 kilograms [251 pounds], so my main goal was to cut down. Once I started training though, I was hooked.”

Competitive sport had always been in Barrett’s nature, even before her mission to lose weight. She competed in numerous sports and excelled in them, so an attempt to excel in MMA was just natural progression for her.

“Even though I was overweight, I came from a sporting background,” she explained. “Every sport I had done before, I had competed at a [representative] level. I have always done things to the best of my ability, that’s just my nature.”

With the UFC including women’s MMA bouts in its lineup, there have been many new firsts in the sport—the first mom to enter the Octagon, the first women to fight in the UFC—and the list will seemingly go on as women are featured more and more on the sport’s biggest stage. One thing that is absent from that list and yet to be achieved is the first grandmother to fight, but Barrett is on the verge of claiming that distinction when she steps into the BRACE cage.

“I think I could be the world’s first grandmother in the sport,” she laughed. “I have four kids and two grandchildren. I am certainly not a conventional grandmother. A lot of people say I don’t look my age; I personally think I look older, especially as I have been losing a lot of weight to get to 65 [kg].”

When people hear the term “grandmother,” they often picture a lady who is elderly, boring and perhaps even enjoys the pastime of knitting. Barrett is anything but that stereotypical image. Throughout the world, there are numerous other examples of grandmothers who do the same, but there aren’t any known examples of ones who partake in the sport of MMA.

“I think I am a cool grandmother,” Barrett exclaimed. “You know what kids are like though—mums are always uncool [laughs]. When I first started training I took my boys with me. My oldest was training for a [Muay] Thai fight at the time, so it was pretty cool to be training with them. He doesn’t train anymore, but I have inspired one of my daughters to train and to start fighting.”

Barrett goes into her BRACE 20 fight on May 25 on the back of a unanimous decision victory at the BRACE: All Girls card in October of 2012. She finds herself matched up against Arlene “Angerfist” Blencowe. Both fighters have had just one professional bout, but Barrett also sports victories in Muay Thai, along with an amateur MMA bout.

“I never underestimate anybody,” she explained. “Every opponent that I have fought, I always think that they are dangerous. I never go into a fight thinking that I am better than anybody, because anything can happen. I always respect my opponent because they have worked just as hard as me. No matter what, I just go on there and do my best.”

Age is a big factor in the sport. It’s not often that a fighter can make a run at success in such a late part of their life. Barrett is conscious that the time that she has left to compete professionally will run out sooner rather than later, but for the time being she is focused on being the best fighter that she can be.

“All the opponents I have faced [in combat sports] have been in [their] 20s, and I won,” she admitted. “So age is just a number. I would like to get as much experience as possible. I feel that I can give this 100 percent and just go out and do my best and make people proud. If I ever thought my age was a problem, I would pull the pin straight away.”

No matter what the result is at BRACE 20, one thing will be certain, Kerry Barrett will go out and give it her all. Having already proved that she can keep up inside the cage, there is no doubt that everybody will be “watching this space” as this grandmother makes her late surge onto the Australian MMA circuit.

Photo: Kerry Barrett (L) will face off with Arlene Blencowe at BRACE 20 (BRACE MMA)

The night’s main event will feature a rematch in the heavyweight division as Cain Velasquez battles Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva for a second time. Velasquez stopped the Brazilian by first-round TKO at UFC 146 last May, but this time the division’s championship belt is on the line. Following the win over Silva, Velasquez battered Junior dos Santos for five rounds to recapture the title, while Silva has dispatched of Travis Browne and Alistair Overeem to earn his shot at the champion.

In the co-main event, dos Santos will take on a resurgent Mark Hunt for the No. 1 contender’s spot in the division. Another No. 1 contender spot is up for grabs in the 155-pound division as Gray Maynard takes on T.J. Grant. Rounding out the pay-per-view main card will be a light heavyweight clash between Glover Teixeira and James Te Huna, as well as a lightweight war between Donald Cerrone and K.J. Noons.

The 12-fight event will kick off at 6:35 p.m. ET with three bouts streaming on the promotion’s YouTube and Facebook pages. Four additional bouts will follow on FX at 8 p.m. ET, with the five-fight pay-per-view main card starting at 10 p.m. ET.

Below is a video interview with the challenger, Silva (via the UFC).

Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva – for heavyweight title
Junior dos Santos vs. Mark Hunt
Glover Teixeira vs. James Te Huna
Gray Maynard vs. T.J. Grant
Donald Cerrone vs. K.J. Noons

Mike Pyle vs. Rick Story
Dennis Bermudez vs. Max Holloway
Colton Smith vs. Robert Whittaker
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Abel Trujillo

Stephen Thompson vs. Nah-Shon Burrell
Brian Bowles vs. George Roop
Jeremy Stephens vs. Estevan Payan

Photo: “Bigfoot” (Dave Mandel/Sherdog)

Maynard and dos Santos find themselves in similar situations at UFC 160. The two men undoubtedly share the distinction of having the most to lose coming into the show.

Just a few months ago, dos Santos was viewed as an unstoppable force, capable of mass destruction with his soul-stealing punching power. While dos Santos’ strengths are still on par with the top fighters in the division, his stock has plummeted following his loss to Cain Velasquez at UFC 155. Dos Santos came into their rematch on the heels of dominating performances against Frank Mir and Velasquez. The win over Velasquez came on just a single punch in only 64 seconds and resulted in a championship reign for the Brazilian.

However, Velasquez absolutely destroyed dos Santos over the course of five rounds in the rematch. Dos Santos saw not only his undefeated record go out the door, but his aura of invincibility eroded as well.

Now, dos Santos finds himself in a must-win situation against Hunt at UFC 160. While there’s shame in losing to Velasquez, there will be cause for concern if dos Santos loses to Hunt at UFC 160. It would be two losses in a row for the former champion, and it would knock dos Santos out of the title picture. With more depth being added to the division, dos Santos can ill afford to drop two fights in a row. That’s especially true when the second guy is Hunt, who despite the current hot streak he’s enjoying still sports a 9-7 record in MMA.

Dos Santos’ need for a win will only become more crucial if Velasquez defends his title against Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in UFC 160′s main event. If dos Santos hopes to ever get a rematch against Velasquez, he will need to not only win, but win impressively. Against one of the most durable fighters in MMA history, that’s easier said than done.

Looking impressive is something lightweight title challenger Gray “The Bully” Maynard will need to do as well.

Maynard took part in one of the best rivalries in UFC history with his instant classics against Frankie Edgar for the UFC lightweight title. Yet, in their second meeting and first title bout, Maynard failed to win despite one of the most dominant rounds in MMA history. Then he was TKO’d in the rubber match.

Maynard also looked awful against Clay Guida in his most recent fight. Although most of the blame goes to Guida for that dismal fight, Maynard still looked like the same fighter who sought to load up on one knockout punch rather than stringing together combinations.

Maynard needs an impressive victory to truly validate his status as a credible title challenger. Benson Henderson is the current champion and also owns two victories over Edgar—the same Edgar who defeated Maynard. Also working against Maynard is the fact that his opponent, Grant, is a relative unknown to most MMA fans. Although Grant has strung together four straight victories, he doesn’t find his name coming up in the discussions of many MMA fans. If Maynard were to lose to a relative unknown, no matter how credible that fighter’s record may be, he would see his stock fall quite a bit.

Maynard is undoubtedly one of the most talented fighters at 155 pounds, but he has a history of looking unimpressive despite the unanimous decision victories. His grinding, top-control wrestling game will win him a lot of fights, but it’s not going to win him any fans, especially the casual ones. Maynard is the favorite to win against Grant, and anything less than a dominant showing will keep him in the same place he’s been stuck. He’ll be considered to be a good fighter, but not good enough to take the title.

With a shot at gold within reach, dos Santos and Maynard cannot afford anything shy of their best performances come Saturday night.

Photo: Junior dos Santos (Dave Mandel/Sherdog)

UFC 160, set for May 25 and taking place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, features two big fights that decide the title and the future UFC heavyweight title contender.

UFC 160’s main event consists of a rematch between current UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and challenger Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva. In their first fight, Velasquez was coming off a loss to Junior dos Santos where Velasquez relinquished his title. Velasquez was not a happy man and laid waste to Silva in a round that saw more bloodshed than a Mortal Kombat video game.

Silva is certainly coming off one of the bigger wins in his career after defeating Alistair Overeem by knockout in a surprising turn of events. Can Silva dispatch the memories of his last fight with Velasquez and produce yet another big upset, this time getting a UFC belt strapped around his waist?

In the co-main event, a UFC heavyweight title eliminator takes place between Junior dos Santos and Mark Hunt. Dos Santos has everything riding on this fight, as he has been promised the next title shot with a win. He will certainly have to work for it against former K-1 champion Mark Hunt, who has experienced a surprising surge to contender status since entering the Octagon.

The UFC 160 main card is rounded out with a light heavyweight battle between Glover Teixeira and James Te Huna and two lightweight tussles, one between T.J. Grant and Gray Maynard—a fight that also has title implications—and the other pitting Donald Cerrone against K.J. Noons.

UFC 160 kicks off with three fights on Facebook at 6:35 p.m. ET, another four fights on FX beginning at 8 p.m. ET and the final five fights live on pay-per-view starting at 10 p.m. ET.

The MMA Corner’s very own Dale De Souza, Riley Kontek and Sal DeRose break down the entire 12-fight card in this edition of the Round Table.

De Souza: The fight between Donald Cerrone and K.J. Noons should, by default, lock in as a potential “Fight of The Night” contender. Both men love to strike more than anything, and both love to deliver excitement for everyone watching, whether live or at home.

Cerrone (Dave Mandel/Sherdog)

Cerrone will look to rebound from the first knockout loss of his career against Anthony Pettis, and Noons comes off a loss to Ryan Couture.

Many felt Noons defeated Couture rather clearly. Still, the bout turned in a razor-thin affair. Whether one felt Noons won or lost against Couture, it does not mean that he won’t oblige Cerrone on the feet. Remember, from a young age, Noons has been a student of the striking game, and only a few men have provided an answer for his kickboxing game.

Cerrone, a striking technician in his own right, can outgun Noons on the feet. Although Noons does not fight like Vagner Rocha or Jeremy Stephens, fans and experts know what happens when Cerrone breaks someone down and forces them to backpedal, even if it does not lead to a finish. The submissions of Cerrone will play an x-factor here, because while Cerrone does own the brunt of his wins by submission, Noons has not been submitted since 2002.

Against any other fighter, I would bank on a Cerrone finish by whatever method he chose, but beating Noons means outworking Noons. “King Karl” will hang on from bell to bell and keep coming back for more, but Cerrone’s well-roundedness will prove too much for the former Strikeforce lightweight title contender. Cerrone won’t get an easy fight, but he will get a unanimous decision victory.

Kontek: “Fight of the Night” contender? I think so. Strikeforce import Noons meets Cerrone, one of the busiest men in the UFC, in a bout that could produce fireworks and a memorable bout.

Noons has fallen on hard times as of late and is lucky he is even getting a shot in the UFC. His Strikeforce curtain call saw him lose to Couture, even though it could be argued he won that fight. Either way, a win is a necessity here or he could find himself out of a job.

Noons finds an opponent with a similar style in Cerrone, who will engage him on the feet for as long as he wants to bang. Cerrone is a Muay Thai stylist with a top-notch submission game. In fact, he may be best suited to going to the ground with Noons and looking for one of his signature tapouts.

Noons (L) (Jerry Chavez/The MMA Corner)

When this fight goes down, I see Noons’ boxing matching up with Cerrone’s kickboxing. Cerrone is on a whole different level than Noons, so I think Cerrone will outstrike him until the fight goes down (if it does). Cerrone wins this fight on points or via a late stoppage.

DeRose: There’s not much for me to add, since both colleagues have touched on all the relevant points.

Noons is a former Strikeforce title contender and has lost four of his last five. Although Noons has lost those four fights, they have been against top Strikeforce fighters: Nick Diaz, Jorge Masvidal, Josh Thomson and Ryan Couture.

This is where you’ll see a major difference between the UFC’s fighters and those of Strikeforce. Cerrone is still a top-10 fighter, but his kickboxing is far superior to the boxing of Noons. When Noons faces someone with superior striking—as he did against Diaz and Masvidal—he tends to be overpowered and doesn’t have much of a ground game to rely on. Even if Noons were to rely on his ground game here, Cerrone, with 14 submission victories, is once again head and shoulders above Noons.

I’ll go with Cerrone. He is the far superior fighter, and Noons has certainly been in a funk—an entertaining funk, but a funk nonetheless. Cerrone by decision in a contest that probably wins “Fight of the Night.”

Kontek: The lightweight division’s No. 1 contendership and a shot against Benson Henderson is on the line when Canada’s T.J. Grant meets former title challenger Gray Maynard. Grant has been a machine since dropping to 155 pounds, while Maynard has stuck around the top for most of his UFC tenure.

Maynard (James Law/Heavy MMA)

Grant was formerly known for being a jiu-jitsu player who needed to get the fight down to be successful. Lately, however, Grant has showed improvement in his striking, a credit to his recent Muay Thai training. In fact, his besting of Evan Dunham in a striking battle was impressive in itself.

Maynard is just one fight—a win against Clay Guida—removed from his two title bouts with Frankie Edgar. As we all know, the former collegiate wrestler drew in the first title bout before falling via knockout against the former champion in the second go-around. Maynard often uses his wrestling skills to stifle opponents, but lately his hands have been weapons of mass destructions when they connect on opponents’ chins.

On the ground, Maynard has the better wrestling than Grant, but Grant probably has the better submission skills. On the feet, Grant is technical, but Maynard has one-punch knockout power that can end things in an instant. My bet is that Maynard will catch Grant at some point and end it with strikes.

DeRose: Unless Grant gets the knockout, I don’t think there is much of a chance that he wins this fight.

He has good grappling, but going against someone of Maynard’s wrestling caliber—he’s a former Division I wrestler and three times an NCAA All-American—Grant doesn’t have that option to go to the ground.

Maynard’s striking, much like Grant’s, is improving, and lately it seems Maynard is taking the next step in his career by becoming more two-dimensional.

Grant (Paul Thatcher/Fight! Magazine)

I don’t think either guy will finish the fight, but I think Maynard gets the best in the striking department and gets a takedown here and there to secure a unanimous decision win.

De Souza: Grant’s best chance appears to lie in his ability to outwork Maynard. It seems simple at first, but then fight time comes and Maynard proceeds to bully around his opponent like they’re nothing.

In a night full of underdogs, it seems appropriate that we would see Grant. As my fellow panelists have pointed out, Grant’s striking has certainly come along over time, and it showed recently. Aside from the win over Dunham, Grant also handed Matt Wiman his first stoppage loss since 2006. A win over Maynard would make Grant arguably a “Cinderella story” at 155 pounds.

That reads well on paper, but if anyone could make Grant’s 72.5 inch reach look irrelevant, it’s Maynard. Historically, Maynard’s wrestling shines against strikers and grapplers like Grant.

With a crack at Henderson’s title on the line, the only question I have about Maynard surrounds his cage rust. If he starts off slow against Grant, Maynard will fall quicker than he did in his historic fourth-round loss to Edgar. Give Maynard props for signing up to fight, but I will stand in the minority and say Grant gets the unanimous decision.

DeRose: Glover Teixeira and James Te Huna are two heavy-hitting light heavyweights, and this will probably end up being two guys trying to land the knockout.

Te Huna (L) (James Law/Heavy MMA)

Teixeira does have a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, but in his last fight with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Teixeira came out swinging and bested the striking of Rampage, who is a great boxer in his own right. Teixeira outpointed him throughout the fight and just plain outworked him on the way to getting a unanimous decision win.

Te Huna, on the other hand, didn’t really have as spectacular of an outing as Teixeira did. Te Huna had to rally back after a first round that saw him get clipped by a head kick from Ryan Jimmo. He then proceeded to take down Jimmo to secure rounds two and three.

Teixeira hasn’t really faced anybody who will focus on the takedown as their game plan, but his jiu-jitsu black belt should be enough to ward off Te Huna. If Te Huna does try for the takedown, expect a sprawl-and-brawl tactic from Teixeira which will spell the end for Te Huna.

All in all, I’ll stick with the favorite to win this fight and pick Teixeira by TKO in the third.

De Souza: Everyone stands a chance when the cage door shuts, but rarely does anyone ever sign up to stand across the cage from a light heavyweight of either Teixeira’s or Te Huna’s caliber. Teixeira stands as the most valuable prospect in the division right now and Te Huna stands as its most underrated, and that should hint at exactly why we love this fight.

How does Te Huna prove underrated? Think back to his four recent performances. After tapping out to Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 127, Te Huna knocked Ricardo Romero and Aaron Rosa out of the UFC. That got people talking. Then he out-pressured Joey Beltran (a feat in itself) and, earlier this year, he rebounded from a scare against Jimmo and used his wrestling to snap Jimmo’s 17-fight winning streak.

Pretty funny that we mention Te Huna’s wrestling, because people forget that Teixeira initially planned to stand across the cage from a wrestler in Ryan Bader. Of course, they won’t forget Teixeira outboxing Rampage and taking him down at will. Still, they will question Teixeira’s performance against Rampage, partially because of the damage Teixeira took and partially because he did not finish the former champion.

Teixeira (Esther Lin/MMA Fighting)

Teixeira needed challenges like the one Rampage presented in order to truly deliver on whatever hype surrounds him. In the same breath, he will need the type of test that Te Huna brings in order to progress. I’ll say out loud that I see Te Huna giving Teixeira his biggest test to date. But in the end, I do see Teixeira getting a split decision win.

Kontek: The long call to bring Teixeira into the Octagon has been worth the wait. The man has been a destruction machine since signing on the dotted line with Dana White’s company.

Teixeira has world-class jiu-jitsu, but has instead chosen to display his power striking. His hands have been the reason men have grown to fear him. Had it not been for his concrete head and iron will, Fabio Maldonado would have been knocked out by Teixeira a half dozen times in their fight.

Te Huna has taken a similar path to get to the spot where he is right now. He has used power striking to dominate his opponents, as well as his rugby background to execute takedowns and stay on his feet. We will witness a test to see how sturdy his chin is when he fights Teixeira.

Te Huna was almost knocked out in his last fight against Jimmo. That showed he can take a hit. However, that was one strike and Teixeira will hit him with everything but the kitchen sink. Teixeira continues his destructive ways, knocking out Te Huna in the second round.

Kontek: Fans are salivating over the heavyweight co-main event, which will feature former UFC champion Junior dos Santos against the rapidly ascending power-puncher, Mark Hunt. It will put up a technical boxer with knockout power against a brawler with scary stopping power (just ask Stefan Struve, among other people).

dos Santos (James Law/Heavy MMA)

Hunt’s career resurgence has come under the UFC banner. The promotion almost didn’t pick him up in the aftermath of Pride, but Hunt has seized the opportunity and turned his career around. Despite dropping his UFC debut to the lowly Sean McCorkle, he has been knocking dudes out left and right. Chris Tuchscherer, Cheick Kongo and Stefan Struve are all still searching for pieces of their jaw that were nuked off their faces at the hands of the New Zealander.

Dos Santos is coming off his title loss to Cain Velasquez, but previous to that he looked unbeatable. He was knocking out almost everybody, and the people he didn’t put to sleep looked like they had just gotten slapped around by an angry gorilla in a zoo. He has good takedown defense, but he has to do something about his cardio, which was exploited in the Velasquez fight.

Dos Santos has a great chin, but Hunt can send any man into a deep slumber at any time. Luckily, dos Santos is much quicker and more elusive. “Cigano” needs to stick and move, and throw in a takedown once in a while. If he does so, he’ll earn a judges’ decision.

De Souza: Every time I think of dos Santos, images of his wins over Struve, Gilbert Yvel and Gabriel Gonzaga come to mind. Those memories are followed by the image of him knocking out Cain Velasquez on the first Fox card. Fans should feel confident that he can do it again, but like Riley said, let’s not ignore the rapid ascension of the “Super Samoan.”

For those who still don’t buy into Hunt’s career resurgence, think about this: Hunt came into the UFC with a 5-6 record and lost to a then-undefeated Sean McCorkle. Three years and four fights removed from the loss to McCorkle, Hunt is facing the former UFC heavyweight champion as a replacement for Alistair Overeem.

Maybe dos Santos will cross paths with Overeem down the line, but he cannot overlook Hunt. Like dos Santos, Hunt loves to finish, especially if he’s finishing by getting a knockout. Unlike Hunt, though, dos Santos possesses an edge in takedowns, and if someone takes Hunt down, usually Hunt stays down.

Hunt delivers a left hand (Esther Lin/MMA Fighting)

With a potential title shot in the balance, expect the best from both men. Quite candidly, this fight only ends in the first round if either Hunt or dos Santos does something stupid, like dropping their hands early. However, with two serious chins and unquestionable hearts, this one will go into the third round. Barring an adrenaline dump or another case of failed cardio, dos Santos should take the TKO in the third.

DeRose: Hunt rallied for this fight, and it’s a fight he’ll get.

Hunt wanted top competition and he’ll certainly get it with former heavyweight champion dos Santos. Hunt has phenomenal striking credentials. He was a K-1 World Grand Prix champion in 2001. Although that was back when I was still in sixth grade, his skills haven’t deteriorated and seem to have actually grown better in recent times with back-to-back knockouts of Kongo and Struve, two very good strikers in their own rights.

Dos Santos is no slacker in the striking department and has some great boxing that won him a UFC title and helped him defend it against Frank Mir. Seen as unbeatable, dos Satnso was demolished by Cain Velasquez. It was the only time we ever saw dos Santos in a bad position.

Even though dos Santos is a BJJ black belt, I don’t see this fight going to the ground. Both guys will be more than happy to stick to their bread and butter, which is knocking the heck out of their opponent.

Hunt is well known for his upsets—Wanderlei Silva and Mirko Cro Cop in Pride, anybody?—but I can’t pick him here against someone like dos Santos. It’s hard to say one is better than the other in the striking department, but I think dos Santos goes to war here knowing full well the title shot is on the line and it’s his shot to lose. Dos Santos by third-round knockout in what will be a very bloody war.

De Souza: Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, for all intents and purposes, should not stand as a challenger to Cain Velasquez’s UFC heavyweight title. Despite wins over Alistair Overeem and Travis Browne, the image of Velasquez’s destruction of Silva at UFC 146 remains as one of the most brutal images in MMA history. Only the image of what many see Velasquez doing to Silva in the rematch may prove more brutal.

"Bigfoot" (Dave Mandel/Sherdog)

However, Silva not only earned the shot, but he did so as an underdog against heavy favorites Overeem and Browne. This recent resurgence from Silva has many believing that a “Dos Santos-Velasquez II” moment awaits us when Velasquez rematches Silva. Could it be the renewed faith in the reach of Silva? Do people think Velasquez will get caught trying to repeat the first fight, technique for technique? Whatever it is, Velasquez will come prepared, as always. He knows that Silva will look like a different fighter from the one he destroyed last year. Although fans saw Velasquez’s wrestling and ground work the last time out, Velasquez can always revert to his kickboxing in order to chop down Silva.

The great thing about rematches is that some can mirror the first fight, whereas others make you wonder if the first one really happened. Velasquez will face a different fight against Silva, but expect a similar result. The champ retains by second-round TKO after a flurry of lefts and rights.

DeRose: Personally, I don’t see this fight being much different from the first one. Not to say Silva is a bad fighter, but he has taken advantage of some golden opportunities—Browne’s injury and Overeem’s lack of respect for his striking.

Their last fight really does it for me. Velasquez utterly dominated Silva, and I can’t erase from my memory the image of the amount of blood that poured out of Silva’s face. Velasquez’s striking is just too good for Silva. Barring some sort of major mistake, Velasquez unleashes loads of strikes on Silva to take him out.

Velasquez (L) (Paul Thatcher/Fight! Magazine)

Their first fight is just too definitive for me to sit here and think things will be different. They won’t. Velasquez by knockout in the first or second.

Kontek: I echo Sal’s sentiments here. This fight will be a carbon copy of Velasquez and Silva’s first fight, which saw Velasquez dominate the fight and win in under a round.

Velasquez is better at every aspect of the fight game, minus submissions. However, Silva will not be able to get the vastly superior wrestler to the mat. That will leave him to either get taken down by Velasquez or box with the quick, athletic champion. Silva has a head like a beach ball, so it will be insanely easy for Velasquez to touch his chin.

This fight will last one round, be one-sided and see Velasquez defend his title for the first time. He will rock the Brazilian on the feet, ground-and-pound him into oblivion and walk away richer and more successful. Plain and simple.

DeRose: Jeremy Stephens is on a three-fight losing streak and is definitely seeing his job in question with a loss here. The question, though, is whether or not Stephens will continue his recent trend of taking his opponent down. There’s also the question of how the new weight class will treat Stephens. Estevan Payan has shown that he has decent wrestling and decent stand-up skills, and his five-fight winning streak makes me want to pick him here. Payan by unanimous decision.

Kontek: Stephens is fighting for his job, and sometimes an animal with its back against the wall is most dangerous. Payan comes over from Strikeforce and is fresh off a spectacular knockout in the final event. Stephens and Payan will strike, which is dangerous for both men. Stephens will connect with one of his signature cruise missiles of a punch and win via knockout.

De Souza: After battling back and forth on this bout’s outcome, I’ll have to side with Riley, though Sal brings up a good point in mentioning Payan’s wrestling. Traditionally, all one needs is a “decent” wrestling game to frustrate Stephens, but Stephens will force Payan to stand. Unless Payan adapts, Stephens finds an opening and scores a mid-first-round knockout.

De Souza: Brian Bowles always brings a fight, but this will mark his first one since his UFC 139 loss to Urijah Faber. For his lasting outing, George Roop dropped to bantamweight and handled Reuben Duran. Sometimes Roop can rise to the occasion, but other times he can drop the ball. Expect the former as he outstrikes Bowles and scores a second-round TKO over the former WEC bantamweight champion.

Kontek: Dale makes a great point: Bowles has not fought since Jefferson was in the White House. On a serious note, Bowles takes on a scarecrow of a man in Roop, who is a great scrapper on the feet. Bowles has dynamite in his fists, and I think he will prove it with a mid-round knockout of Roop.

DeRose: I’m going to try hard to forget Bowles’ last fight, as he was utterly dominated by Faber over two rounds. Bowles gets a good gatekeeper fight here with Roop, who should be able to test Bowles. Bowles has great striking, but also has a slick guillotine that has earned him four wins. I’ll take Bowles by submission, and I’ll go out of my way to predict the type of submission: guillotine choke in the second round.

Kontek: Nah-Shon Burrell takes this fight on short notice, but he looked improved in his last outing, a barnburner against Yuri Villefort. Stephen Thompson is a kickboxer who had his ground game tested by Matt Brown in his last fight. Burrell has great boxing, but will use his takedowns to score points and stay out of Thompson’s wheelhouse for a decision.

DeRose: The fight really depends on whether or not Thompson’s takedown defense has improved from his last fight, even if it’s just a marginal improvement. I’ll have to agree with my colleague, seeing as how I don’t know if Thompson has improved in that department (against Brown, Thompson’s defense looked below average at best). Burrell by decision.

De Souza: The fan in me will always like watching Thompson’s style, but for all the style points, he still gives up some reach to Burrell. I’ll make this one a sweep in favor of a Burrell decision, but I will say that Burrell uses his reach to get it done. Don’t stand in shock if Thompson does take it, though. He carries as strong of an upside as Burrell.

DeRose: Do I really have to give my prediction for this one? Khabib Nurmagomedov has looked like an absolute beast in his UFC tenure. Whether this fight goes to the ground or remains standing, Nurmagomedov has the advantage. He’s a black belt in judo and a sambo world champion. He is also en route to being an undefeated 20-0 MMA fighter. Nurmagomedov by knockout in the second.

De Souza: Like Sal, I don’t see a need to elaborate on my pick, but I will anyway. Abel Trujillo brings a solid fight and can pull off an upset, but beating Nurmagomedov means pressuring him and picking him apart. Trujillo can finish Nurmagomedov, but he will bank on one shot to do so. This will cause “The Eagle” to wear Trujillo out against the cage and rain down with a hailstorm of strikes for a second-round TKO.

Kontek: Trujillo had an impressive UFC debut, but Nurmagomedov has been tearing through the lightweight division like a knife through butter. Nurmagomedov will grab a takedown, pound him on the ground and earn a stoppage. Make it 20-0 for the Russian prodigy.

Kontek: TUF winners collide when TUF Smashes champ Robert Whittaker meets season-16 winner Colton Smith. Smith is a grinder that is basically a one-dimensional wrestler, but he is very good at that one dimension. Whittaker has a puncher’s chance, but his takedown defense will be tested. Smith takes a decision.

De Souza: Those who don’t like Smith’s wrestling could see Whittaker stop it in what might prove something of an upset. Whittaker brings experience and youth into this fight, but unless he can work some scary BJJ off his back, I must respectfully side with Riley and take Smith by way of a unanimous decision.

DeRose: Yep, if you’ve gotten this far, you can see my colleagues have already stated Smith’s grinder tendencies and how Whittaker will have to utilize some BJJ off his back to win. Since this is a prelim fight, what the heck. Whittaker has five wins by submission and one of those is a triangle choke. Whittaker by submission—and once again I’ll call the submission—a triangle choke in round three.

De Souza: Dennis Bermudez came off what should contend for “Fight of The Year” in his UFC 157 win over Matt Grice. If he wants another exciting fight, the versatile wrestler and TUF 14 vet need not look further than “Blessed” Max Holloway. The kid possesses tremendous upside in the long run, but right here, he is outgunned. Bermudez’s wrestling leads to a late first-round submission after a fun opening few minutes.

DeRose: Indeed, Holloway has some tremendous upside and really crazy striking. However, being the wrestler in this fight, Bermudez has the edge. He is going to shoot and shoot often, landing a few in the first. Then, in the second, he will take the advantage and pound away at Holloway. Bermudez by second-round TKO.

Kontek: Holloway is a young guy and has a great future in this sport. However, his biggest weakness comes in the wrestling department, which is Bermudez’s biggest strength. After absorbing some damage on the feet, as he usually does, Bermudez will plant the young Hawaiian on the mat and tap him out with a choke hold.

DeRose: Mike Pyle is coming into this fight on a three-fight winning streak—all by knockout. Rick Story has a good chin and good wrestling, but he tends to get into brawls with his opponents. I’ll take Pyle, considering his last three fights have ended in knockouts. Pyle by TKO in the third round.

Kontek: This should be an interesting match-up. Story is a great wrestler, but so is Pyle. The winner of this fight will be the more well-rounded guy who can adapt his game plan on the run. Pyle’s experience, power striking, sprawl and all-around prowess is superior to anything that Story brings to the table. Pyle earns a decision here.

De Souza: I’m in the minority here. I see Story presenting more problems for Pyle than Pyle presents for Story. Pyle might appear to be a great example of a fighter who progressively improves with age, but unless he elects to out-grapple Story from the onset, he finds himself in trouble with the kid they call “The Horror.” Story takes a unanimous decision.

Top Photo: Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva (Esther Lin/MMA Fighting)

Following reports earlier this week, Renan Barao has officially been taken off the UFC 161 card. The interim UFC bantamweight champ was expected to face Eddie Wineland in the main event. Now a light heavyweight tilt between Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson will be moved up to the main event.

A rematch from their Pride classic between Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua has been moved to the evening’s co-main event.

Legacy FC officials have finalized the lineup for their Legacy FC 20 event. The event will be headlined by a bout between Carlo Prater and Carlos Diego Ferreira. Prater was a one-time WEC title challenger but endured just a 1-2 stint in the UFC. After another loss to end 2012, Prater picked up a victory in his native Brazil.

The card also feature familiar names like Damacio Page and Antonio Banuelos. Legacy FC 20 is set to go down on May 31 from the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas, and the main card will air on AXS TV.

Bellator’s welterweight kingpin Ben Askren will defend his 170-pound title at the promotion’s July 31 event. The 11-0 former University of Missouri wrestling standout will face the undefeated Russian, Andrey Koreshkov.

Koreshkov earned the title shot by taking out Lyman Good last Nov. to win the welterweight tournament. The Russian enjoyed a successful 2012 by going 5-0. Askren’s last title defense came against Karl Amoussou on Jan. 24.

The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation announced it has established an anti-doping committee that is focused on meeting World Anti-Doping Agency compliance in one year’s time. The committee, which will be filled by nominated individuals from IMMAF members, has determined it has a number of responsibilities such as:

• Development and maintenance of IMMAF anti-doping policies and procedures, ensuring compliance with the WADA code
• Education of member federations and assistance in implementation of anti-doping policies and procedures
• Development of IMMAF anti-doping education and information programs for all stakeholders
• Development and maintenance of the IMMAF doping control program including pre- and post-competition testing, result based testing, random testing and targeted testing
• Establishment of criteria for and maintenance of the IMMAF Registered Testing Pool (RTP), identifying those who need provide their whereabouts
• WADA and national anti-doping organization communication
• Annual report on IMMAF anti-doping activities

Photo: Renan Barao  (Dave Mandel/Sherdog)