Stefan Struve - Like it or not Stefan Struve is nearing a title shot contention. He is racking up some good wins lately and I would say he's 2 wins away from fighting for a title. If he fights Cain I see Cain taking him out in 1. Although I'm not sure how good Cain's Sub defense is and Struve has some good subs off his back. Still let's go with some good punches leading to a knock down combined with some ground and pound for TKO1 Roy Nelson - Roy's right hand and Cain's questionable chin could make this interesting if Cain chooses to stay on the feet too long. Roy is pretty hard to take down himself, although I do believe Cain wouldn't have much problems with taking him down. I see Cain kick boxing smartly till Roy starts to gas then we see some take downs and ground and pound . Give me a TKO3 Frank Mir - I see Cain pretty much going through Mir. I don't think Mir has anything to stop Cain with. I see Cain taking him out in 2 rounds. TKO2. Ground and pound all the way. Fabricio Werdum - This fight right here possibly after the Overeem fight catches my interest the most. Werdum has greatly improved his stand up and like I said before I don't know much about Cain's SUB Defense. Will Cain risk it and take Werdum down ? Is Cain's chin and stand up good enough to beat Werdum ? I see this being a safety first type decision for Cain with lots of flopping and baiting from Werdum. In other words an ugly cautious fight. Cain UD5 Alistair Overeem - I will actually pick Overeem here. I think if Cain comes in with the same style he did against JDS against Overeem he will get caught with something and taken out. JDS has great boxing but it's very predictable and elementary. Overeem's stand is very versatile. I will go with Overeem landing some wild out of left field PED enhanced knee and taking Cain out . Let's go with Overeem KO1 Did I leave any out ? Also how would you guys rate Cain's SUB D ?
Obviously in MMA anything can happen. But here's my quick thoughts: Struve--- I've seen Struve get completely busted up via ground and pound from much lesser fighters than Cain. I see this being a brutal beatdown from the top by Cain. I don't think Struve catches Cain in any sub from the bottom and gets badly busted up in the process. Nelson---Frank Mir had great success taking Nelson down and controlling him from top position. Cain can do the same but even more easily and with greater damage in the process. Nelson's big right hand is good enough to catch average fighters but it hasn't served him well against better opposition. Mir--- Mir is about as shot as an MMA fighter can get. I doubt he's ever in another meaningful MMA bout. And he has absolutely nothing to beat Cain with. Werdum--- To me, this is the most interesting fight. Werdum has the size, range and improved stand-up to make this interesting. And on the ground, he's as good as it gets off his back. In the end Cain's pace and power better boxing will be the difference. Overeem---- Certainly Overeem has the puncher's chance, but he's done in the 2nd round from shear fatigue if he doesn't get Cain out quickly. I don't think he will. I think Cain goes all out for take downs like he did against JDS and whether he's successful or not, he will have Overeem gasping for air after 2 minutes. After that, it's an easy fight for Cain.
I like Struve allot. What impresses me the most is his youth. It reminds me of Nick Diaz. Struve is like barely over 21(not sure exact age as I'm typing), but he already has a resume better than most vets, and the funnier thing is he's a UFC vet himself. I also look at him and think of how tough he is gonna be as he puts on mass/weight. At this point, I'm with Trp, I think Cain beats him up pretty easily with GNP. But I think Struve will be a champion. Just not yet. I think Roy can beat Cain standing. But I don't see it standing. I think this is a long boring fight with Cain keeping top control and not doing much else. If Dana wants to give us a fun matchup I think Cain/Mir is fun and entertaining. I think Cain beats him up pretty good though. This could be another snoozer, especially if Werdum goes to pulling guard all the time. Don't get me wrong, he probably should, Werdum's best chance is to catch Cain in a sub, and he could get it no doubt. But Cain will be very careful in his guard and not take many chances. If I have to pick, Cain in boring decision. I love the Overeem/Cain fight. So intriguing to me. Overeem has the standing to catch Cain, and KHTFO. But If Cain can get this passed the 3rd round, I see Overeem getting KO'd from GNP. Hope it gets made.
Not officially. Overeem has to get by Big Foot first but I bet Dana will announce it in the post fight press conference of that card if Overeem wins.
