'Ultimate Chaos' predictions, preview and analysis

Ultimate Chaos: "Lashley vs. Sapp" is set to go down from The Gulf Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Miss., on Saturday, June 27. The pay-per-view event airs LIVE at 9 p.m. ET.

To get us pumped for the festivities, MMAmania.com Editor and Senior Writer Jesse Holland (that’s me) has rounded up a good portion of the MMAmania staff to help break down the main event matches and take a closer look at the intricacies of each contest.

This event touts a self-described "train wreck" between its main event behemoths Bobby "The Dominator" Lashley and Bob "The Beast" Sapp.

Let's not pretend there is anything technical about this contest. We can all admit to the guilty pleasure of tuning in to watch two gigantic men beat the snot out of one another.

For a smaller promotion, "Ultimate Chaos" does provide a solid undercard loaded with talented fighters from around the mixed martial arts circuit.

Chris Horodecki gets a tune-up before his big fight at Affliction 'Trilogy' on August 1, as he fights alongside of his boss Tom Atencio, who is trying to prove he's good at more than just selling T-shirts.

Veterans Din Thomas, Pedro Rizzo and Gilbert Yvel are also scheduled to throw down this Saturday and each fighter brings a compelling backstory into each of their contests.

I think we'll know a lot about the future of these guys after Saturday night.

Now, enough with the formalities … let’s get cracking:

Bobby "The Dominator" Lashley (3-0) vs. Bob "The Beast" Sapp (10-4-1)

Backgrounds: Lashley — a former WWE champion and decorated amateur wrestler — is fresh off a submission victory over Mike Cook at MFC 21: "Hard Knocks" just last month. It was a strong showing after a disappointing performance against Jason Guida at "March Badness" two months before that. Most expected the American Top Team-trained fighter in just his second professional fight to steamroll the journeyman. It didn’t happen — Lashley looked a bit green against Guida and his inexperience was clearly evident. Lashley has recently indicated that his ultimate goal is to be a major player in the UFC, but understands that he must first become a reputable fighter prior to a potential debut, vowing to improve and work his way to the top. He’ll have another chance against "The Beast" on fight night. Sapp is no stranger to the sport, as well as the occasional freak show – he recently bested a character from a Japanese anime show, "Kinniku Mantaro," at Fields Dynamite!! in Japan on New Year’s Eve 2008. The former NFL offensive lineman is a bonafide star in "The Land of the Rising Sun," however, that popularity has not carried over to the United States. In fact, the 6’5" 350-pound Sapp dropped his United States debut against 6′11" 330-pound South African, Jan "The Giant" Nortje (2-5), via embarrassing first round technical knockout under the Strikeforce banner last year.

MMAmania predicts: This is one of those fights that we should have a pretty solid idea of where it's headed midway through the first round. Prior to that, unfortunately, it's a crap shoot. Sapp has to be the among the most unpredictable fighters on the planet because his results are all over the map. He puts up good fights against tough guys like Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Jerome LeBanner, but then doesn't show up against lesser competition such as Nortje and Ikuhisa Minowa. So how will he do this Saturday night? Well, for starters, he appears to be in shape and taking the fight serious. How that will translate to performance remains to be seen. On the flip side, we know the Lashley is training his face off down in Coconut Creek, Fla., alongside several of the best fighters and trainers in the sport to validate his move to MMA. His goal is to one day be good enough to become a champion ... not just collect paychecks. Based on drive and motivation, therefore, Lashley appears to be the safe bet. And if he can takedown the big man early and often, avoiding the brain-jarring power bomb in the process, then Lashley can more than likely take control of the fight and break Sapp's will.

Prediction: Lashley via submission (strikes) in round two

Pedro "The Rock" Rizzo (16-8) vs. Gilbert "The Hurricane" Yvel (35-13-1)

Backgrounds: The 35-year-old Rizzo, a four-time Brazilian Muay Thai champion, may be feeling a sense of urgency. "The Rock" still garners respect from his ability to hit like a wrecking ball, but he’s not been able to demonstrate the kind of striking that made him famous earlier in his career. His knockout loss to Josh Barnett at Affliction "Banned" last July probably hasn’t helped matters, but it looks like he’ll get another chance to turn things around against Yvel. From a career standpoint, it could be now or never — against a fighter who has 30 (T)KO wins to his credit. Yvel was roughed up at Affliction: "Day of Reckoning" at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., by former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett back on January 24. The Dutch Muay Thai specialist had a difficult time getting licensed to fight in the United States because of a history of "dirty" behavior inside the ring — everything from assaulting referees to eye gouging to biting opponents. In fact, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) rejected his application to compete against Sergei Kharitonov at PRIDE 33 in Las Vegas as recently as February 2007. The California State Athletic Commission eventually pushed his license through, but suffice it to say "The Hurricane" was under the microscope when he faced Barnett. Prior to the beating he took against "The Babyface Assassin", Yvel was enjoying a seven-fight win streak dating back to mid 2006. His last win was a stoppage over Alexander Timonov via technical knockout (punches) in just 22 seconds at M-1 Challenge 9.

Nostradumbass predicts: I always enjoyed watching Rizzo compete because he was the kind of fighter that could end things with one punch. That kind of ability adds a certain amount of suspense to any fight because no matter what happens or how poorly things go, you know that it can be lights out at any time, regardless of the opposing chin. Having said that, it's been a long time since we've seen "The Rock" of old, and he comes into 'Ultimate Chaos' having competed a mere five times since 2003 -- that's five years if you're working without an abacus. That kind of inactivity is a near death sentence in caged combat, because no amount of training can substitute for actual fighting. Barnett cleaned his clock at Affliction: "Banned," effectively robbing the Brazilian of any momentum he built from the Monson stoppage back in 2007 at Art of War 3. Now Yvel may not be much younger, but he's certainly been busier. I can't go crazy over the loss to Barnett at "Day of Reckoning" because the "The Babyface Assassin" is ranked number two in the world in his division (haters: insert laugh track here). Yvel was on a nice win streak coming into the January contest with six of his seven straight wins coming by way of (T)KO. The Dutchman fought four times in 2008 compared to Rizzo's one and I just see him as the fresher, more comfortable fighter come show time. At this stage in his career Rizzo is a one-trick pony -- which is okay in mixed martial arts when you can execute the same trick over and over. However once it starts to fail, so do you, and I expect Rizzo to look like the fighter he is come Saturday night: A man who is ten years removed from his competitive prime.

Prediction: Yvel via technical knockout

Tom Atencio (1-0) vs. Randy Hedderick (0-0)

Backgrounds: When they aren’t fighting, Tom Atencio is selling t-shirts and promoting fight cards while Randy Hedderick is dealing cards in a Mississippi casino. Atencio has a 1-0 MMA record and that win came over four years ago when he got the decision over David Martinez at Total Combat 7 in Tijuana, Mexico. For Hedderick this will be his pro MMA debut. Despite its dubious foundation, this fight will likely be entertaining and thus worth keeping tabs on. It is kind of hard to scout a fight where the fighters in question have a combined one fight on their MMA record so we will look at the intangibles to predict a winner here.

Brian Oswald predicts: Tom Atencio has a previous fight which one would assume gives him some sort of advantage in the experience department. Call it the "no longer a virgin" factor. Atencio also has access to the best trainers in the sport and has been utilizing them for this fight. Atencio has called this fight a labor of love and won’t want to lose as it will give his detractors plenty of fodder for ribbing. For Hedderick this fight is his fifteen minutes of fame and if he wins he might get another thirty. Hedderick has talked about what a huge opportunity this is for him. He calls himself a stand-up fighter, a brawler who lives for 'Fight of the Night' and will be looking for a knockout. While it is fun to root for the guy that has nothing to lose it’s not always the clearest path to hindsight. It is a safe bet that Atencio will be the smarter, more technical fighter while Hedderick has already coughed up his strategy, assuming it’s not some elaborate rouse to bait Atencio. Assuming no rouses, Atencio will ride out the initial flurry of punches by Hedderick and take this one to another decision win. Then again, let’s assume Hedderick will gas and Atencio can utilize his Muay Thai skills to finish the fight by TKO in the third round.

Prediction: Atencio via technical knockout

Din "Dinyero" Thomas (24-8) vs. Javier Vasquez (12-2)

Backgrounds: Thomas — the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) veteran was dropped from the promotion in 2008 after suffering back to back losses to Josh Neer and to also now lightweight number one contender Kenny Florian. The setback prompted a smart move down to 145 lbs., which has payed off for Thomas as so far he’s absolutely been obliterating the competition with ease. He firstly quickly submitted Dustin Pierkin with a triangle lock this February. Then this March he viciously knocked out Gabe Lemley with a brutal knee on boxing legend Roy Jones. Jr.’s "March Badness" boxing/mixed martial arts hybrid PPV. He now looks to continue that return to form he’s found in the featherweight division against formidable foe Javier Vazquez. "Showtime" is a jiu-jitsu whiz who loves to grapple his opponents and as expected favors the submission game while grounded. He boasts some decent wrestling and has a fantastic shoot which can catch many off guard. He holds decision victories over Shooto legend Rumina Sato and the UFC’s Rob Emerson. He has not competed for quite some time and hopefully ring rust won’t play a factor in the fight. He last competed for the now defunct Elite XC in October of 2007.

Stefan Manojlovic predicts: While Thomas is being touted as the favorite in this bout, victory might not be as easy for him as some suspect. Vazquez is a tough customer and can’t be written off. The weakest part of Thomas’ game just so happens to be Vazquez’s strong point and it certainly wouldn’t be a shock to see Din get caught in a submission by "Showtime". That said I’m still picking Thomas in this one, if he can keep the fight vertical and not get taken down by Vazquez he should do fine. And he should be able to use his reach advantage to keep his opponent at distance, peppering him with some shots to wear him down and when the chance presents itself go in for the kill. Though Vazquez is gritty and can be hard to put away I think Thomas will be able to do it, perhaps late into the fight.

Prediction: Thomas via technical knockout

Chris "The Polish Hammer" Horodecki (12-1) vs. William "The Bull" Sriyapai (12-4)

Backgrounds: This will be the first fight for Horodecki since out-pointing Nate Lamotte to a unanimous decision at an IFL event back in April 2008. The former IFL lightweight champ had been scheduled to fight Dan Lauzon at Affliction: "Day of Reckoning" in January, but failed a pre-fight physical due to a bulging disc in his neck that sapped 80 percent of his strength in his right arm. Ouch. Now presumably recovered, "The Polish Hammer" will look to outwork an opponent 16 years his senior. A four-time World Muay Thai title-holder, Sriyapai was born in Japan but now lives in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Now 37 years old and recognizing that he’s fighting on borrowed time, "The Bull" has called this fight "the most important of (his) career." He’s specifically worked on his ground game and takedown defense but expects a stand-up war.

Adam Wagner predicts: While going 8-1 under the IFL banner, Horodecki looked outstanding. However, the babyfaced Canadian (by way of Poland) lost a unanimous decision to Hiroki Shishido in the first round of "S-Cup 2008," a Shootboxing tournament held in November 2008, which isn’t reflected on his MMA record. Coupled with a lopsided beatdown courtesy of Ryan Schultz in December 2007 and Horodecki is just 1-2 in the past 19 months. How much those performances were affected by his neck injury is anyone’s guess. Despite saying that Horodecki has a "suspect ground game," Sriyapai doesn’t think his opponent will want to stand with him, once he eats a few punches and kicks. With nearly 60 percent of his victories coming by way of (T)KO, and another 25% via submission — combined with the fact that "The Bull" has only been finished once in his career — expect the fight to end before the 15-minute mark. Unfortunately for Sriyapai, he hasn’t faced anyone as dangerous as Horodecki when the kid shows up to fight. Expect a cautious Horodecki in the first round until he feels comfortable in the ring again from his long layoff. Assuming he can weather the initial Muay Thai storm and still have gas in the tank, a more relaxed Horodecki will look to rain down Polish hammers mid-way through the second.

Prediction: Horodecki via technical knockout

That’s a wrap, folks.

Remember to come check us out after the show for all the latest results, recaps and our coverage of "Ultimate Chaos."

What do you think? Now it’s your turn … let us have it in the comments section and share your thoughts and picks for Saturday’s event.