At UFC 186 on Saturday in Montreal, Kyoji Horiguchi's only chance to beat UFC flyweight champion Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson is to catch him with something big. Johnson is too quick in the stand-up game for Horiguchi to outstrike him for five rounds, and the champion has the edge in grappling.
In Johnson's last five fights, he has outstruck his opponents 361-135.
On the ground, Johnson can transition from position to position, scramble and work his submission game as well as anyone in the weight class. He has eight wins by submission in his career.
Horiguchi hasn't really had to show a great deal of expertise on the ground in his career. His striking has been so good that he's been able to overcome his opponents primarily in the stand-up game. That won't be the case against the champion. No matter where the fight goes, Johnson should have the edge.
If he wants to completely dominate, he'll take Horiguchi down and likely finish him in the second round via submission. Here's a look at viewing information and predictions for the entire card.
Rampage Will Win His Return Bout
Despite his advanced age of 36, if you put any pure striker in front of Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, he has an excellent shot at coming out on top. That's the type of matchup Rampage has in front of him on Saturday when he faces Fabio Maldonado.
The Brazilian loves to stand and bang, but that will be his downfall against Jackson. The MMA legend almost wasn't able to participate in the event as a lawsuit from Bellator FC (his previous promotion) temporarily blocked his participation.
However, on Monday the court injunction was dropped, and Rampage was cleared to fight. Per Fox Sports' Damon Martin, UFC President Dana White had this to say in a press release: "We are happy with the decision from the New Jersey Court allowing Rampage to fight in Montreal this Saturday night. I am looking forward to seeing Rampage back in the Octagon."
On Saturday, Maldonado will be the one getting dropped, as it's just a matter of time before Rampage connects with one of his right-hand bombs.
Almeida Will Show Why He's a Hot Prospect
Thomas Almeida is one of the brightest young stars in mixed martial arts. He's 18-0 and still just 23 years old. He's had just one fight with the UFC. It was an unanimous-decision win over Tim Gorman in November 2014.
That fight was the only bout in Almeida's professional career that he didn't win by stoppage; but it wasn't due to a lack of effort. Almeida battered Gorman, but the latter was tough enough to survive the onslaught.
Here's a look at Almeida's 17 previous finishes in just a seven-minute video from gigi bubu.
This is probably a bold prediction, but Almeida is going to be one of the best pure strikers in the UFC over the next 10 years—if not the best. He's dangerous with his feet, hands and knees. He doesn't discriminate in his attack.
He's just as punishing with shots to the midsection as he is with strikes to the head. He throws all of them with deadly precision. The Brazilian has excellent balance, and he throws body-head combinations with all of his weapons.
While he clearly prefers to use his muay thai skills, he's shown off some solid grappling in his young career with three wins by submission. How Almeida develops that skill will determine how well-rounded and great he can become.
In any case, Yves Jabouin is in for a long—but short night.
The 35-year-old has made a habit of losing by stoppage in his career. Seven of his nine defeats have come by KO (four) or submission (three). Bet on an eighth stoppage loss coming via Almeida's left hook to the body and right hand to the head.
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