Money Making Armando’s picks for UFC on FuelTV 9: Gustafsson vs. Mousasi

Welcome back gang, after noticeable requests for some insight on upcoming MMA events filled the email inbox; it looks like it’s about
time to hand out some free picks for this Saturday’s fights. Mind you, the event should be one that I would recommend to stay away from altogether since it’s overseas. Usually, you have take into consideration how fighters that normally train in one country will
react to traveling abroad to do battle and realize that the weather, climate change and time zone difference might hinder their
performance. Nevertheless, here are some dogs worth taking for the UFC on Fuel TV 9 event from the Ericson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.

“The Real Deal” Ross Pearson (16-6) vs. Ryan Couture (6-1), 3-round Lightweight Bout

Yes you read correctly, that is Couture, as in son of living legend and MMA icon; Randy “The Natural” Couture. Now, while his old man fought in both the 205-pound and heavyweight divisions of the UFC, Ryan is a sleeker version who competes in the 155-pound weight class. He is a former Strikeforce fighter who will be making his Octagon debut against TUF Season 9 alumni, Ross Pearson. Pearson is coming off of a career defining victory this past December following his time spent as a head coach on TUF: Smashes.  As the main event of the UFC on FX 6 card, the Englishman defeated rival TUF: Smashes coach, George Sotiropoulos, via 3rd round TKO. That marked a solid return to lightweight after a less than stellar drop down to 145-pounds last summer saw him get finished in the 2nd round by knockout artist, Cub Swanson at UFC on FX 4. Back at his more natural weight, “The Real Deal” Pearson welcomes Couture who rides a 4-fight win streak from the Hexagon trenches over to the Octagon warzone.

On the heels of decision victories over deadly strikers; Joe Duarte and KJ Noons, whom he defeated at the last Strikeforce event in the organization’s history, Ryan Couture will be beaming with confidence as he makes his much anticipated UFC debut. It’s no shocker that Couture is on the main card and is paired up with a recognizable name like Ross Pearson. What is shocking is that the Alliance MMA representative is (- 400) against a fighter in Couture (+300) who is MMA royalty and wouldn’t be expected to suffer a loss in his inaugural UFC performance.  The 4 to 1 favorite status is a pricey one even if you are willing to take Pearson since really, there is nothing Ross can do that Ryan hasn’t already seen before. Couture should get the decision victory in his first ever outing under the bright UFC lights with likely scores of (29-28) all across the board.

Matt “Meathead” Mitrione (5-2) vs. Philip De Fries (9-2), 3-Round Heavyweight Bout

It wasn’t that many seasons of The Ultimate Fighter ago that “Meathead” Mitrione was considered a promising talent in the division
where the big boys play. After going unbeaten in 5 UFC bouts starting with his 2nd round destruction of fellow TUF Season 10 cast member, Marcus Jones, at the TUF 10 Finale, it appears Matt has hit a mental wall. Sure, his 2nd round KOs of Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson at UFC 113 and Christian Morecraft at UFC Live 4 were vintage Mitrione performances, but as soon as the Indianan reached the next tier of the weight class, things fell apart. First, it was a unanimous decision loss to Cheick Congo last October followed by a 1st round TKO defeat to Roy Nelson this past December at the TUF 16 Finale.  Surprisingly enough, the former NFL player is an almost 4 to 1 favorite at (-350) this weekend, albeit his recent back to back losses inside the cage.

De Fries comes into fights a more disciplined version of a heavyweight, roughly around 240-pounds while his opponent takes full
advantage of the weight limit coming in a few pounds shy of the 265-pound mark. Mitrione seems a little more concerned with power and mass rather than speed and movement. That may very well be the difference here as De Fries maneuvers his way in and out of the pocket behind a solid jab & leg kicks before forcing the Blackzillian affiliate to the mat off of properly timed takedowns. The talented Englishman owns 8 submission wins out of his 9 triumphs & could possibly slap an armbar or rear naked choke on Mitrione in the 3rd round forcing the inevitable tap.

Diego “Ceara” Brandao (20-8) vs. Pablo “The Scarecrow” Garza (13-3), 3-Round Featherweight Bout

A grain of salt in the hourglass of The Ultimate Fighter memories, Diego Brandao’s name will forever be synonymous with TUF history since he competed on the show’s first ever season which featured bantamweights and featherweights. On top of that, the Brazilian made it all the way to the TUF 14 Season Finale, where he triumphed over Dennis Bermudez via 1st round armbar to win the 145-pound TUF championship. Since then, he has gone 1-1 with the promotion as he comes up against his biggest challenge yet; WEC and UFC veteran, Pablo Garza. Why a fighter with Diego’s record is (-220) is rare to see but just makes it more interesting to take the taller, lankier fighter opposing him on this one. Not only is Garza more seasoned inside the
unforgiving UFC cage but he is coming off of the biggest win in his career at UFC 154 over former title challenger, Mark Hominick.

That November night Garza used his reach and height advantage masterfully to outpoint his Canadian adversary over the course of 15 minutes and can surely replicate that game plan against Brandao. Those low kicks, feints and straight punches can set up multiple attacks by the North Dakota resident, as he uses his 6-foot 1-inch frame to stay just outside of any danger that his 5’7’’ foe might present him. Brandao does have KO power in both hands so the Brazialina winning by stoppage is not out of the question however, the Jackson’s MMA team member will likely struggle to close the distance and reach the chin of his taller opponent. By sticking and moving along the Octagon using his jab and footwork, Garza should hand Brandao his 2nd UFC defeat as he outpoints him once they go the distance.

Conor McGregor (12-2) vs. Marcus “The Bama Beast” Brimage (6-1), 3-Round Featherweight Bout

Irish stand out, Conor McGregor, makes his promotional debut this weekend against The Ultimate Fighter season 14 cast member, Marcus
Brimage. Unfortunately, “The Bama Beast” Brimage had a good run during his time on the season but did not make it to the finals. However, at the TUF 14 Finale he did win via decision and has won 2 more fights inside the Octagon since then. The most recent, an impressive unanimous decision upset of heavy favorite and then undefeated Jim Hettes this past September at UFC 152.  During that match, Brimage displayed his ring savvy and alertness by beating his foe to the punch and intelligently brawling when necessary or making it a technical chess match using proper range and mixing up his strikes to keep his opponent guessing.

Even though McGregor rides an electric 8-fight win streak, all by finishes into the cage for his UFC debut against Brimage, he hasn’t
faced the type of opposition that his adversary has been presented with in the past. One thing is to make your debut against another
Octagon rookie, but the other is to do so under the UFC limelight and against a rival of “The Bama Beast” caliber. The line is close for a reason, McGregor is just (-165) versus the (+145) Marcus Brimage and it’s definitely worth taking because he has all the tools to prevent the luck of the Irish from assisting McGregor in his debut. Brimage probably gets the 2nd round TKO in what should be an exciting 145-pound battle.

There you have it folks, some solid picks to ride with this weekend and spice up your MMA fight party. Whatever you chose to do, the
winning bet is to tune in this Saturday and enjoy the fights as the UFC travels back to Sweden this weekend for the live UFC on Fuel TV 9 event.