Mike Swick posted his on The Underground yesterday to give everyone his thoughts on the Marcus Davis fight at UFC 85:

Hey Guys,

Just thought I would post some post fight thoughts after UFC 85…

First I want to thank Marcus for the fight, he is a great person and fighter… The strategy going in was to stay on the outside and use kicks to throw off his boxing game. We also wanted to use knees and clinch work to frustrate him. If given the opportunity, I would take him down and work ground and pound or go for a submission. I think I stuck to the strategy for the most part but he threw me off with his takedowns, I didn’t expect him to shoot and clinch me at all. I think I actually only went for a couple takedowns the whole fight, I did however counter a couple of his…

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It was a big deal last April when Pride superstar Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic was set to face off against Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 70. It was then that Gonzaga, a big Brazilian known for his Jiu-Jitsu, knocked Cro Cop out with a head kick that dropped the Croatian lifeless onto the canvas. So it’s not to surprise to learn that, after UFC 75 and UFC 80, the next two international UFC events, were filled with controversy over bad judging and blood drinking, big upsets have returned to the UFC in the form of an international event.

It’s not just one fight, it’s about oh maybe five or six, if you erred on one particular fighter coming back to reclaim his title of an exciting fighter after his snore-fest with Tim Sylvia at UFC 77. All of these upsets except for two occurred during the main event.

So, what happened last night at the 02 Arena?

Let’s start at the top with Thiago Alves TKO of Matt Hughes at 1:02 of Round 2. It was another missed-weight scenario with Alves failing to make weight and coming in bigger and heavier, but just like the Gina Carano and Kaitlyn Young fight, it wasn’t just size that won the fight. Alves was able to show that Hughes is lacking the ability to manage the fight. Hughes is a big guy, but he’s not showing that he can handle all aspects of the game anymore. We’ll see what he can do against Matt Serra.

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I debated the third person title. I promise my ego isn’t that big, even though I’m a prophet of MMA.

I’ll give some detail on the main card and some other interesting fights (though there aren’t very many).

Matt Hughes vs. Thiago Alves

The fight is going to the ground. Matt Hughes is too good a wrestler, and Alves’ recent failure to make weight has led me to question his conditioning. If people think that size is going to be an issue, Alves isn’t the first guy to come in over weight, hoping to bang with Matt Hughes. Those who remember, remember the fight with Joe Riggs, and those who remember, remember how it ended. I expect this to end similarly.

Matt Hughes by submission, round one

Michael Bisping vs. Jason Day

Bisping is supposed to win this fight, and I think he will. He’s being brought in as a way to get the British fans excited, and I think he’ll do that. He’ll probably beat Day in his bread and butter: the stand-up. There has been a lot of interesting talk about Bisping challenging Silva, and if he wins in the first round, I think that he’ll have a delusion of power and authority, fighting that high up on a card in a country where he’s treated like the greatest. If he does get his way, he’ll lose to Silva, but I think he wins at UFC 85.

Bisping by knockout/TKO, late round one or early round two

Marcus Davis vs. Mike Swick

Hard to say if Swick has the boxing chops to stand with Davis, who’s an accomplished boxer. I think he does, and I think he’ll come out aggressive. I thought about the possibility of a war between the two, but I think that that’s unlikely. I expect Swick to remind us that he’s a bigger, stronger fighter, because he feels he needs to make a showing now. Expect fireworks and there’s a good chance Davis could catch him, so be on guard. This is the one fight I’m not sure about calling, but I’m giving it to Swick.

Swick by TKO, round two

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This Saturday, the UFC will invade the O2 Arena in London to yet again show the world that they are still the top MMA organization in the world. After a week that has provided fans with the first ever show on regular television, as well as the most viewed event (and possible fight of the year) in the WEC, the UFC will put on a show that many are saying is subpar. I am here to tell you that is not the case and UFC 85 is worth the buy! The fight card is full of talent, and new fighters that are looking to make a case for themselves. In this preview I will break down the top 4 fights.

Matt Hughes vs. Thiago Alves

We at MMAOpinion have beaten this horse to death… For a full preview of this fight, check out this article I wrote. Stop by, read the article, and see if you agree with me or new commenter Willis.

Prediction: Hughes, by submission

I see Matt pushing early, taking this fight to the ground. He will continue to work on the mat and Thiago will start to wear down. Eventually in this fight I see Alves making a mistake and Hughes taking advantage, possibly giving up an arm bar or his back leading to a choke.

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