The UFC returns to New Jersey with their mid-range Fight Night series, this time featuring a main event with hometown hero Jim Miller against top lightweight Donald Cerrone. The card also features striking standouts like John Lineker and Edson Barboza as well as respectable names like Evan Dunham and Rick Story.

Will Jim Miller be able to get past the stand-up prowess of Cowboy? Is this Cowboy's chance to do the same against Miller? I answer those questions and more with my predictions for tonight's fights.

What: UFC Fight Night: Cerrone vs. Miller (UFC Fight Night 45)

Where: Revel Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey

When: Wednesday, the one-fight Fight Pass card starts at 6:30 p.m. ET, the four-fight FOX Sports 1 card starts at 7 p.m. and the six-fight main card starts on FOX Sports 1 at 9 p.m. ET.

Donald Cerrone vs. Jim Miller

Who doesn't love this fight? And who doesn't love either competitor's marriage of grit with technical skill? The problem, though, is that it's not clear that Miller is good at something Cerrone can't handle. Worse, Cerrone's size difference, even for something as punching up above normal height, will cause problems for Miller. I expect these two to have moments where they neutralize each other and other times where it's an all-out assault. In the end, though, Cerrone won't be controlled on the ground and has the distance to keep Miller at bay or on the defense as they strike.

Pick: Cerrone

Edson Barboza vs. Evan Dunham

This is another very tough fight to call. Both guys have precisely the sort of weaknesses the other fighter can exploit, at least in theory. Barboza falls prey to the wrestler-boxer who can mix it up and tap his shaky chin. Dunham can be overwhelmed when he fails to vary his offense. The question here is who is going to have their way. I'm going to side with Barboza, only because I don't think Dunham has the requisite fire power in the stand up game to get Barboza off of his. Dunham should at least make for some scary moments, but Barboza should be able to weather the storm.

Pick: Barboza

Rick Story vs. Leonardo Mafra

Mafra can bang, but against Story, I'm not convinced he'll be able to do much else. And while Story hasn't looked great (or at least consistent), when he's on, there's nothing in Mafra's skill set that suggests the Brazilian can stand up to him. As long as Story doesn't get too reckless with forward pressure or standing still when Mafra's back is against the cage, this is his fight to lose.

Pick: Story

Justin Salas vs. Joe Proctor

Here are two fighters with meat and potatoes games, but Salas is the slightly more polished of the two. He has more athletic wrestling that doesn't require use of the fence, is quicker and overall, probably a better athlete. Proctor can wear on people, but Salas has shown he can go the distance. I suspect he'll be able to establish the takedown at some point and grind out a top control decision from there.

Pick: Salas

John Lineker vs. Alptekin Ozkilic

Lineker made weight, which either means he's drained beyond belief or got his weight cut exactly right this time. We don't know for sure, but based on how he looked on the scales, it appears to be the latter case. That's bad news for Ozkilic. Lineker's wild style of striking does make him susceptible to the takedown. Once there, he's typically shown enough defensive fundamentals to at least survive if not more. I don't think Ozkilic will get routed, at least not early. But he can't hang with the Brazilian power puncher on the feet. Once he tastes the power, Lineker should have much more ease in handling Ozkilic's subsequent takedown attempts. Maybe 'The Turkish Delight' survives, but I have a very difficult time seeing how he takes two of three rounds.

Pick: Lineker

Lucas Martins vs. Alex White

This is a tough pick, but the odds makers have White as the favorite. I respect that and can absolutely see the logic that favors him, but I'm going to side with the Brazilian. What makes this bout hard to predict is that both guys have suspect defense. Plenty of offense, yes, but there isn't much head movement between them. White put Estevan Payan away, but he ate a series of hard rights before he did. Payan might be shopworn, or White packs a huge punch, but either way, he was getting tagged. Martins has also been torn to pieces by superior strikers at times. The outcome will be decided by a combination of who is more durable and more offensively potent. White has the edge is durability, but lacks the same kind of well-rounded muay Thai that Martins has.

http://www.mmafighting.com

Carl Frampton will challenge Kiko Martinez for his IBF super-bantamweight title in September.

The Northern Ireland fighter beat Martinez last February, stopping him in the ninth round to win the European belt.

But Martinez has since bounced back from that reverse to win the world crown, beating Jhonatan Romero in Atlantic City in September.

The Spaniard has also defended his title against Jeffrey Mathebula and Hozumi Hasegawa, stopping both rivals to take his record to 31-4 and taking his knockout number to 23.

Frampton earned his shot at challenging Martinez with a win over Hugo Cazares in April, stopping him in the second round of their eliminator at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast.

A venue and precise date for the clash is yet to be announced.

www1.skysports.com

Now that super featherweight Rances Barthelemy (20-0, 12 KOs) has claimed the IBF championship belt from Argenis Mendez in a July 10 bout held in Miami and promoted by Mike Tyson’s Iron Mike Promotions, the stakes have been raised in a lawsuit filed weeks before by Barthelemy’s co-promoter, Bad Dog Productions, LLC, and the litigation is now sure to heat-up. The lawsuit, filed in Miami-Dade circuit court, asserts serious claims against the fighter, Barthelemy’s other promoter Warriors Boxing, and advisor Al Haymon.

The six count Complaint filed by attorney Jorge L. Fors, Jr. of Coral Gables, Florida, alleges that Barthelemy, Warriors Boxing, and Al Haymon essentially locked-out the Plaintiff, Bad Dog Productions, by prohibiting Bad Dog from promoting the fighter’s increasingly lucrative bouts beginning with Barthelemy’s IBF title elimination bout against Thailand’s Fahsai Sakkreerin in June of last year that ended with Barthelemy dropping his opponent in the second round.

“We want nothing but the best for this fighter,” said Richard Dobal of Bad Dog, “it’s a shame it had to come down to this but, after exploring every possible resolution to the problem, we were left no choice but to take legal action when it became apparent that everyone, including our partners, Warriors Boxing, were trying to shove us out of the picture once Barthelemy started living up to the championship potential we saw in him from the beginning… we simply could not allow Warriors who suddenly became empowered by Al Haymon to intimidate us into walking away from Barthelemy after all the hard work we put into getting the fighter to where he is today.”

The lawsuit points to Al Haymon as a possible catalyst for Bad Dog’s ouster, alleging that the media-shy Haymon inked a deal with the fighter around the same time period, whereby he purportedly became Barthelemy’s “adviser” though, as the lawsuit alleges, Haymon acts more like a “promoter”, which is a defined term under the Muhammad Ali Act, a federal law that prevents boxing “managers” from serving as “promoters” and vice-versa.

This is not the first case where Haymon, who has inked agreements to “advise” a stable of prominent fighters, has been named in a suit due to his mysterious relationship with professional boxers. Only a few months ago in April, Main Events, a New Jersey boxing promotion company filed a lawsuit against Haymon and others decrying Haymon’s dealings in this capacity.

Bad Dog’s attorney, Jorge L. Fors, Jr., commented, “I believe this case represents one of many to come that will call into question this newly created “adviser” role in boxing. It is a handcrafted relationship, designed to allow a self-labeled ‘adviser’ to pull strings, controlling a fighter and his promoters, while staying conveniently outside the mutually exclusive definitions of a ‘promoter’ and a ‘manager’ under federal law. Those rigid definitions exist for a reason.”

http://www.fightnews.com/

That’s right boys and girls, it’s time for another edition of the Downes Side! I know last week may have been difficult without me, but fear not, the Nostradamus of MMA is back in your life ready to give guidance.

Home of the Miss America Pageant, this week Atlantic City hosts the far less confrontational UFC Fight Night. Live from the Revel Casino Hotel, the main event of the  evening features Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Jim Miler in a battle between top 10 lightweights. In the co-main event of the night, Edzon Barboza can gain some momentum back in the 155-pound division with a win over Evan Dunham.

LUCAS MARTINS VS. ALEX WHITE

The main card begins in the 145-pound division with Lucas Martins and Alex White. After competing at both lightweight and bantamweight, Lucas Martins now returns to featherweight. Word has it that if he tries out two other weight classes, UFC matchmakers will award him a gold-plated scale to celebrate his accomplishment. Alex “The Spartan” White hasn’t moved around weight classes, but when you’re undefeated, you don’t tend to mess with success. White only needed one minute and 28 seconds to knock out Estevan Payan in his UFC debut.

Both of these fighters are primarily strikers. White has the power advantage, but has never been tested in his career. Martins has already competed in the UFC three other times, and his experience will be key. As long as Martins avoids the early rush, he’ll control White with straight punches. Then, in the third round, he’ll land a hook as White rushes in and finish him off to take the third round TKO.

JOHN LINEKER VS. ALPTEKIN OZKILIC

We drop to flyweight for John Lineker and Alptekin Ozkilic. Living up to his nickname “Hands of Stone,” Lineker’s 11 KOs have secured his place as the hardest hitter in the division. He’s looking to get back into the mix of the division after Ali Bagautinov ended his four-fight win streak in February. A former Division I wrestler, Alptekin Ozkilic had his four-fight win streak ended in his last UFC appearance as well. He defends strikes at a 60% rate, but it only takes one punch from Lineker to change the course of a fight.

Both fighters are well-rounded, but this will be one of those striker vs. grappler type of matches. Lineker defends takedowns at a 60% rate, but his last fight against Bagautinov showed that he can have a hard time getting off his back. Ozkilic doesn’t have the most the most fluid striking game, but he doesn’t normally allow himself to get flat-footed. He’ll avoid the big punch enough to get in the inside and finish the takedown. He might not get the finish, but he’ll avoid the power punching of Lineker to take the unanimous decision win.

JUSTIN SALAS VS. JOE PROCTOR

We move to lightweight for Justin Salas and Joe Proctor. A former collegiate wrestler at Wyoming, Justin “J-Bomb” Salas used his hands to pick up a first round TKO over Ben Wall in May. A TUF 15 veteran and accomplished grappler, Joe Proctor returned from an over two-year long layoff with a decision win over Cristiano Marcello in February.

Salas is an extremely aggressive fighter. It’s worked to his advantage in some fights, but his two UFC losses have been by first-round stoppage. He’ll have the wrestling advantage, but Proctor has the edge everywhere else. Salas will come out hard and try to put Proctor on the mat, but he won’t be able to keep him there. Proctor will wear Salas down on the feet and then jump for his guillotine choke as J-Bomb tires out. Proctor takes the second-round submission win.

RICK STORY VS. LEONARDO MAFRA

We jump up to welterweight for Rick Story and Leonardo Mafra. Once on the cusp of being the next welterweight contender, Rick “The Horror” Story has had a hard time stringing together wins as of late. In the last two years of competition inside the Octagon, he has a 3-3 record. A contestant on the first season of TUF Brazil, Mafra was cut after his one and only appearance (a TKO loss to Thiago Perpetuo). Since that time, he’s finished five straight opponents and earned a chance to step back inside the Octagon.

Rick Story may not have strung together a long win streak since 2010, but he’s been fighting some of the best in the division. Mafra has a lot of talent and ability, but he’s not at Story’s level. His Muay Thai will give others trouble, but Story’s wrestling and boxing will be able to counteract it. Combine that with the fact that Mafra still has cardio issues, and you expect Story to drag Mafra down and take the unanimous decision win.

EDSON BARBOZA VS. EVAN DUNHAM

That brings us to the co-main event between Edson Barboza and Evan Dunham. Barboza was starting to make some noise in the lightweight division with wins over Danny Castillo, Rafaello Oliveira and Lucas Martins. That momentum was halted after Donald Cerrone submitted him in the first round in April. Evan Dunham fell victim to a first round submission loss to Cerrone of his own at UFC 167.

Barboza is an incredible athlete with a dynamic striking attack. The big knock against him, though, has been his chin. Having a chin is not something that’s ever been a problem for Evan Dunham. At times, though, he relies on that too much and allows himself to take unnecessary shots in order to give one back. Barboza may not have

the durability of others in the division, but sometimes the best defense is a good offense. He’ll overwhelm Dunham with his attack and not allow his opponent to counter. Barboza will beat up Dunham’s legs early and then finish him off with a head kick in the second round. Barboza by TKO.

DONALD CERRONE VS. JIM MILLER

Time for the main event! Fan favorite Donald Cerrone tries to continue his climb back up the lightweight ladder after three straight wins. Known for his desire to stand and go toe-to-toe with opponents, the majority of Cerrone’s wins (15 to be exact) have been by submission. Jim Miller also wants to position himself atop the crowded lightweight division with a win here. Tied with Gleison Tibau for the most wins in lightweight history, Miller’s diverse submission game has given him the majority of those victories.

Miller’s boxing has improved over the years, but he’s not going to want to get in a firefight with Donald Cerrone. Given Cowboy’s takedown defense and range, the alternative isn’t much easier either. Cerrone never likes to play things safe, and there will be back and forth exchanges on the feet, but Cowboy will ultimately end up on the winning side. He’ll stun Miller on the feet, and even mix up a couple takedowns of his own to take a third-round submission win.

That wraps up another enlightening edition of The Downes Side. Follow me on Twitter @dannyboydownes. Also, don’t forget to leave your own predictions, comments, persiflage and current favorite iPad game on the page here. Anyone try this one yet?

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UFC Fight Night Albuquerque Tickets are now on Pre-Sale, Get them before they are available to the public April 18th

We hope you are as excited about the first ever UFC card to hit New Mexico on June 7th at the Tingely Coliseum. The main event will pit former lightweight champion and currently number one ranked Benson Henderson against number 15 ranked, Albuquerque trained Rustam Khabilov. Also, on the card will be New Mexico natives and former Ultimate Fighter winners Diego Sanchez and number one ranked flyweight John Dodson.

UFC Fight Night – Albuquerque: Henderson vs. Khabilov tickets are now available on pre-sale at Ticketmaster and can only be purchased with a code.

Here’s the code: edge

Shout out to Albuquerque’s 104.1 The Edge for the information: http://www.1041theedge.com/event_portal/view/calendar/event.html?event_id=374465

Stay tuned for SWFight.com’s coverage of the UFC Fight Night Albuquerque event with pre-fight articles and interviews.

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The Highly Unofficial Half-Year awards season continues with the best submissions of 2014 thus far...

From the sublime to the spectacular, the first half of 2014 had more than its share of memorable submission finishes. Here are this scribe’s picks for the five best of the year so far.

5 – Daniel Cormier-Dan Henderson

On these lists there’s usually one sub on here not because of its technical wizardry, but because it showed the versatility of the victor. That was precisely the case with Daniel Cormier’s win over Dan Henderson, as “DC” showed the evolution of his game by putting Hendo to sleep with a rear naked choke that produced his first submission win (not due to strikes) since 2010.

> Watch this fight on UFC Fight Pass!

4 – Leandro Issa-Jumabieke Tuerxun

A high-level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, Leandro Issa’s groundfighting credentials are well-established, but he spent the majority of his July bout with China’s Jumabieke Tuerxun standing, trading hard shots with “The Wolf” throughout. Yet by round three, Issa was down on two scorecards, a fact not helped when he was docked a point for grabbing the fence, and he needed a miracle finish. He got one, armbarring his way to a win, as well as $100,000 in bonus money for earning Fight and Performance of the Night awards.

3 – Joseph Benavidez-Timothy Elliott

With four previous wins by guillotine choke, it would be safe to say that Joseph Benavidez had the move down pat, especially since he finished two jiu-jitsu black belts – Miguel Torres and Wagnney Fabiano – with it in the past. So when he locked the choke that he has since renamed the “Joa Constrictor” on Timothy Elliott at UFC 172 in April, it was game, set, and match, and also the rarest of tap outs, as Elliott surrendered with his feet, not hands.

2 – Mitch Clarke-Al Iaquinta

After nearly a year out of action, Canada’s Mitch Clarke wanted to return with a bang, and he did, defeating highly-regarded Al Iaquinta in the second round with a slick D’arce choke that put an end to the New Yorker’s night. The Performance of the Night effort showed just how cool the grappling game can be when in the hands of someone who knows how to use it, especially when some assume that if you’re on your back, you’re losing. Not so, my friends, not so.

1 – Charles Oliveira-Hatsu Hioki

There are certain bouts that you show to folks who say they like fighting, but just not “that ground stuff.” The June matchup between jiu-jitsu black belts Charles Oliveira and Hatsu Hioki is one of those bouts. Compelling and action-packed from start to finish, this was high-level MMA grappling at its finest. When it was over, Oliveira became the first man to submit Hioki, and whether you call it a guillotine, an anaconda, a D’arce, or any modification of those, it was a thing of beauty in a fight you wish they could have restarted and continued.

Honorable Mention: Caceres-Pettis, Nelson-Akhmedov, Saint Preux-Krylov, Henderson-Khabilov, Rockhold-Boetsch, Miller-Sicilia, Backstrom-Niinimaki, Borg-Howell, Kunimoto-Sarafian, Miller-Medeiros.

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Timely takedowns, excellent lateral movement and intermittent power punches carried Gleison Tibau to a unanimous decision over Healy at  UFC Fight Night “Cerrone vs. Miller” on Wednesday at the Revel Casino in Atlantic City, N.J. All three cageside judges sided with Tibau (29-10, 14-8 UFC): 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.

The hulking Brazilian controlled the first half of the fight, as he kept Healy from employing the grinding clinch game for which he has become known. Tibau did his best work in the opening round, where he secured the first of his four takedowns, settled in side control and punished the Strikeforce veteran with ground-and-pound. Healy (29-20, 0-5 UFC) came on late in the second frame, as he closed the distance more effectively on the fatiguing American Top Team standup and piled up points with volume punching. However, Tibau answered with two takedowns near the end of round three, avoiding any real danger of squandering his lead.

Healy, 30, has lost his last four fights, all by decision.

‘The Peacemaker’ Chops Down Duke

Leslie Smith dispatched “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 18 graduate Jessamyn Duke with first-round punches in a preliminary women’s bantamweight battle. Duke (3-2, 1-2 UFC) folded 2:24 into round one, as she was beaten for the second time in as many appearances.

Smith (7-5-1, 1-1 UFC) walked down “The Gun” with punches, neutralizing her height and reach advantage. Duke found herself in a constant state of retreat, and Smith pressed the issue along the cage, overwhelming with a barrage of steady, accurate strikes. The Cesar Gracie disciple never relented, as she peppered her wilting adversary with punches to the body and head until one last left hook to the liver brought it to an end.

Sterling Improves to 10-0

Serra-Longo Fight Team representative Aljamain Sterling put away “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil” Season 1 semifinalist Hugo Viana with ground-and-pound from the mount in the third round of their undercard scrap at 135 pounds. Viana (8-2, 3-2 UFC) succumbed to the blows 3:50 into round three.

Sterling (10-0, 2-0 UFC) paired creative kicks with well-disguised takedowns and an aggressive top game. The 24-year-old former Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder made his move in the third round. A single-leg takedown led to half guard and then full mount. Trapped along the fence, Viana had no means of escape. Sterling worked for an arm-triangle choke before posturing up and letting the punches fly. A final volley of hammerfists brought it to a close.

Cedeno, Leg Injury Stops Sanders

Former Championship Fighting Alliance titleholder Yosdenis Cedeno stopped Jerrod Sanders on a technical knockout in between the first and second rounds of their preliminary lightweight clash. A late replacement for Leo Kuntz, Sanders (14-2, 0-1 UFC) was undercut by an apparent leg injury, his 12-fight winning streak halted in anticlimactic fashion.

Cedeno (10-3, 1-1 UFC) enjoyed a dominant opening round, as he caught a body kick and floored the onetime NCAA All-American wrestler with a straight right hand inside the first minute. Sanders countered with a single-leg takedown, only to be reversed by the MMA Masters representative. Cedeno settled in top position, punishing his compromised counterpart with punches to the head and occasional knees to the body. After the horn sounded, Sanders needed assistance to walk to his corner and was forced to retire on his stool.

Unbeaten Gadelha Outpoints Lahdemaki

Nova Uniao’s Claudia Gadelha kept her perfect professional record intact, as she defeated Tina Lahdemaki by unanimous decision in the first women’s strawweight match in UFC history. All three judges scored it for Gadelha (12-0, 1-0 UFC): 30-26, 30-27 and 30-27.

The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt benefitted from a strong start. She backed up Lahdemaki (5-1, 0-1 UFC) with straight punches and counter left hooks before trapping her in the Thai clinch and dragging her to the mat. Once there, Gadelha softened the Finnish export with ground-and-pound, carved through her guard to full mount and transitioned to her back. Rear-naked choke and face crank attempts came next, but Lahdemaki survived.

Gadelha seemed to fatigue midway through round two, allowing the RNC Sport Club representative to surge in the standup. Her efforts went for naught, however, as Gadelha landed a pair of key takedowns in the final round to seal it.

http://www.sherdog.com

Elongated southpaw Zolati Tete (20-3, 16 KOs), 114, from South Africa, easily acquired the vacant IBF super-flyweight belt as he stuck southpaw jabs all night, whipped previously unbeaten ex-Japanese champ Teiru Kinoshita (19-1-1, 3 KOs), 115, and scored a very unanimous decision on Friday in Kobe, Japan. It was a monotonously one-sided affair with Tete outjabbing the hometowner without Kinoshita’s retaliation. Probably even Tete hadn’t expected such an easy and lopsided victory before the contest, as Kinoshita was just a disappointment that showed nothing throughout the bout.

Official tallies: Chris Flores and Deon Dwarte (both US) both 118-110, and Katsuhiko Nakamura 119-109, all in favor of the much more effective Tete. Referee was David Fields (US).

The opening session saw Tete, two inches taller, began to toss stinging rights to the crouching stylist, who was cautious enough to cover him up for fear of Tete’s possible explosion in the initial round because of his twelve quick wins inside the first three minutes. Kinoshita, former Japanese titlist having defended his belt on five occasions, survived the first round, but his negative and defensive attitude continued in the first ten rounds. The South African fully took advantage of his longer reach by five inches.

Tete, three years his junior at 25, was also cautious without taking a risk to lose his energy against the Japanese foe that was obviously waiting for him to punch out, although he constantly piled up a point in every round.

It was with Tete’s sharp but sporadic jabs that completely controlled the lopsided contest since Kinoshita couldn’t come close to him and mix it up effectively—probably due to his lack of heart or a proper strategy. He looked pathetic without a game plan to win.

In round eleven, Kinoshita attempted to score with roundhouse lefts and rights, almost all of which couldn’t hit the mark, while Tete kept sticking the reckless but ineffective warrior. The last session followed a similar pattern as Kinoshita occasionally threw positive but least accurate combinations, though Tete cleverly kept his distance and connected with sharp and swift jabs. Tete looked like having won only with his right hand.

Senrima Kobe Promotions.

IBF supervisor: Ray Reed (Australia).

http://www.fightnews.com/