Taylor vs. Baroni | UFC 186 Edition

UFC 186 goes down tomorrow night live from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

The pay-per-view event is headlined by a flyweight title fight featuring current champion Demetrious Johnson taking on challenger Kyoji Horiguchi.

BJPENN.com’s Chris Taylor recently sat down with UFC and PRIDE veteran Phil “NYBA” Baroni to discuss this weekend’s main card bouts.

Here are their predictions for the final four bouts of the evening:

Lightweight: John Makdessi vs. Shane Campbell

Taylor: John Makdessi has gone 5-1 when fighting in his home counrty of Canada. “The Bull” has good striking and solid knockout power which I think he can utilize to defeat fellow Canadian Shane Campbell. I think once Makdessi finds his range he will be able to put Campbell away with something viscous.

Prediction: Makdessi wins via second-round knockout

Baroni: I’m not very familiar with either fighter, but I know Makdessi trains at Tri-Star, so I will take “The Bull” via unanimous decision.

Prediction: Makdessi wins via unanimous decision

Middleweight: Michael Bisping vs. C.B. Dollaway

Taylor: Michael Bisping has very good takedown defense, which should serve him well in this fight with C.B. Dollaway. The brash Brit has excellent footwork and will look to overwhelm Dollaway in the striking department. If Bisping can keep the fight standing, which I believe he will, I see him taking this bout with relative ease.

Prediction: Bisping wins via unanimous decision

Baroni: I think Dollaway can out-wrestle “The Count”. Bisping is hard to pick against, especially when fighting a guy outside of the top 10. And I know Dollaway has come up short in all of his ‘big fight’ opportunities in the past, but I think he gets it done this time. I think his wrestling-based game plan will earn him the decision win.

Prediction: Dollaway wins via unanimous decision

Catchweight: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Fabio Maldonado

Taylor: It’s the highly anticipated return of former UFC tittle holder Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. He’s facing a good stand-up fighter in Fabio Maldonado. The fight is taking place at a catchweight so it will be interesting to see if Quinton’s cardio will hold up for three rounds. What that said, I definitely give “Rampage” the power edge in this fight. I think if Jackson can land one of his big punches it should spell and end to Mr. Maldonado’s night, who is well known for his willingness to brawl. I’m going to take “Rampage” via first-round KO, but if Maldonado can escape the opening round he may be able to mount a comeback on a “Rampage” who just weighed in at 216-pounds. I’m excited to see how this one plays out.

Prediction: Quinton Jackson wins via first-round KO

Baroni: “Rampage” is definitely the ‘bigger puncher’ in this one. Both guys are known for their ability to give and absorb punishment. Maldonado has solid boxing but Jackson is BY FAR the bigger puncher and the sturdy Maldonado will have to take a seat. Probably second round.

Prediction: Quinton Jackson wins via second-round KO

Flyweight Title Fight: Demetrious Johnson vs. Kyoji Horiguchi

Taylor: Those who are doubting Kyoji Horiguchi’s skill set will be surprised on Saturday night. The Japaenese fighter is a stud who possesses knockout power and is equally as fast as “Mighty Mouse”. With that said, he has all of a punchers chance of winning this fight. That’s no insult to Kyoji Horiguchi, it’s just that Johnson is that good. If Horiguchi can match “DJ” in the striking, then Johnson will just take him down and use his ground game to earn the win.

Prediction: Demetrious Johnosn wins via second-round submission

Baroni: I think having Matt Hume in Johnson’s corner will prove to be the deciding factor in this main event. Kyoji Horiguchi is fast and explosive but Hume will have Johnson ready for all of that. Trust me when I say Johnson won’t be caught sleeping on Kyoji Horiguchi. I think this one goes the distance due to Horiguchi’s toughness.

Prediction: Demetrious Johnson wins via unanimous decision

Do you agree with picks made by “The New York Bad Ass” and staff writer Chris Taylor? Sound off Penn Nation!

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