When two big, destructive, top-10 ranked heavyweights headline a UFC card, there's a special buzz surrounding the event. We saw it at UFC Fight Night 51 when Andrei Arlovski shockingly stopped Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva in Brazil.
Fans can only hope the UFC Fight Night 52 card from Saitama, Japan, and headlined by Roy "Big Country" Nelson and Mark "Super Samoan" Hunt follows suit.
Both Nelson and Hunt bring enormous power into the Octagon, thus increasing the chances we'll see a KO finish. The event is a UFC Fight Pass exclusive, and fans stateside will have to stay up late or rise pretty early in the morning to watch it live.
Here's a look at viewing information plus predictions for the entire card. Just below the table is a closer look at the top three fights on the show.
| UFC Fight Pass on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 9:30 p.m. ET for prelims, 12 a.m. for Main Card | ||
| Matchup | Weight Class | Predictions |
| Maximo Blanco vs. Dan Hooker | Featherweight | Hooker by TKO |
| Kazuki Tokudome vs. Johnny Case | Lightweight | Case by KO |
| Michinori Tanaka vs. Kyung Ho Kang | Bantamweight | Tanaka by decision |
| Hyun Gyu Lim vs. Takenori Sato | Welterweight | Gyu Lim by KO |
| Katsunori Kikuno vs. Sam Sicilia | Featherweight | Sicilia by decision |
| Alex Caceres vs. Masanori Kanehara | Bantamweight | Caceres by TKO |
| Main Card | ||
| Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Jon Delos Reyes | Flyweight | Horiguchi by decision |
| Kiichi Kunimoto vs. Richard Walsh | Welterweight | Walsh by TKO |
| Miesha Tate vs. Rin Nakai | Women's Bantamweight | Nakai by TKO |
| Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Amir Sadollah | Welterweight | Akiyama by decision |
| Myles Jury vs. Takanori Gomi | Lightweight | Jury by decision |
| Mark Hunt vs. Roy Nelson | Heavyweight | Nelson by submission |
Card per UFC, predictions by Brian Mazique
Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Amir Sadollah
Akiyama is a bit of a legend in his country, though he's yet to pick up a big victory in his UFC career. As a matter of fact, Akiyama has lost his last four fights, and he's been inactive since 2012. In his defense, the losses have come to some of the biggest names in the sport: Jake Shields, Vitor Belfort, Michael Bisping and Chris Leben.
That said, the 39-year-old is clearly past the days when he was an elite competitor in K-1. Another loss would probably push him toward retirement.
Does Akiyama have a chance against Sadollah? Should be a fun one. http://t.co/YKepwDmVxA #UFCJapan pic.twitter.com/4mHGEQjvHF
— MMA Infographics (@MMAInfographics) September 16, 2014
When asked why he was coming back to the Octagon to fight, Akiyama told Thomas Gerbasi of UFC.com: "To win the fight. That’s the only motivation." Somehow, that will be enough. Akiyama has a favorable draw with Sadollah.
The 34-year-old from Richmond, Virginia, has never been an elite fighter. He's traded wins and losses in his last three fights, and he also hasn't fought since 2012. Sadollah hasn't won a meaningful bout in the UFC since he defeated Phil Baroni in 2009.
Because Akiyama has the grappling edge over Sadollah and he will be spurred on by the energy of the crowd, look for him to capture a close unanimous-decision win.
Myles Jury vs. Takanori Gomi
Gomi is another Japanese legend set to perform in front of his hometown. The man known as the Fireball Kid has a wild and relentless striking style with underrated grappling skills, but he won't be a match for Jury.
Currently ranked ninth among lightweights in the UFC, Jury's plan will be to take Gomi to the mat and to force him to fight off his back. Because Gomi isn't comfortable there and is sometimes in less than ideal physical condition, Jury will outlast him en route to a unanimous-decision victory.
Mark Hunt vs. Roy Nelson
The question in the main event is simple: Does Nelson want to win or put on a show? If his objective is simply to win, he'll take Hunt down and lay on him for five rounds or until he locks in a submission that finishes the fight.
If he wants to put on a show in a brutal and exciting stand-up affair, he'll open the door for Hunt to drop him with his enormous power shots.
As pure striking goes, Hunt has the edge with his background as a kickboxer, but Nelson is the far more accomplished grappler. Let's bet that Nelson fights to his advantage and takes the fight to the mat.
He'll win by submission in the third round.
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.
