Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will limp into the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino tomorrow night (June 27, 2015) for its UFC Fight Night 70 mixed martial arts (MMA) extravaganza on FOX Sports 1, featuring a middleweight headliner pitting former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida against Olympic powerhouse Yoel Romero.
And after the visa fiasco, we're lucky to get anything.
Now that all the pieces are in place, the promotion will deliver just nine fights. The final five will play out on the televised main card, while the beginning four kick things off on FOX Sports 2. The sharp-tongued Patty Stumberg took a look at those match ups here.
Take a look at the UFC Fight Night 70 odds and betting lines here.
Getting back to the main card, there's not much to unpack here, so we'll take a closer look at the "Machida vs. Romero" main event, then lock in some quick picks for the remaining FOX Sports 1 bouts. If UFC is going to mail it in this weekend, then dammit, so am I.
185 lbs.: Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida (22-6) vs. Yoel "Soldier of God" Romero (9-1)
Nostradumbass predicts: For those folks who don't understand the difference between amateur wrestling and MMA wrestling, I present to you Yoel Romero. "The Soldier of God" not only medaled at the Olympic games, he also defeated the legendary Cael Sanderson.
Then he signs with Strikeforce for one bout before joining UFC and goes a staggering 0-12 on takedown attempts in his first four fights. In addition, he was taken down three times by Derek Brunson in their 2014 affair. This idea that he can drag Lyoto Machida to the mat -- at will -- is a fantasy.
The Brazilian has some of the stingiest takedown defense in the division (76-percent).
Fortunately for Romero, he's been able to compensate for his flawed MMA wrestling with truly frightening power. Eight of nine wins by way of knockout or technical knockout is terrifying, but Rafael Cavalcante also showed him that when you live by the sword, you die by the sword.
And let's just go ahead and recognize that laying pipe on Machida is not like chin-checking Clifford Starks.
Romero holds a marked advantage in power, but the admittedly hot-and-cold "Dragon" is clearly the more refined striker. I also saw "Soldier of God" get worked by Tim Kennedy in a bout that ended with some blatant monkey business.
Simply put, the Cuban clipper is not indestructible.
That's going to become apparent when this bout carries over into the later rounds. I fully expect the Brazilian bicycle to be peddling furiously in the first few frames, as Romero runs around the cage in hot pursuit. Once his tank is depleted, however, the karateka takes over.
This time, there won't be any extended coffee breaks to intervene.
Final prediction: Machida def. Romero via technical knockout
170 lbs.: Lorenz "The Monsoon" Larkin (15-4, 1 NC) vs. Santiago "Gente Boa" Ponzinibbio (19-2)
Nostradumbass predicts: Lorenz Larkin recently dropped to welterweight and helped everyone forget about his abysmal 1-4 run at middleweight from 2013-14. Unfortunately, his signature win at 170 pounds came over the rapidly-fading John Howard, loser of three straight. That doesn't leave me feeling overly optimistic against Santiago Ponzinibbio, who's won nine of his last 10 and looks to be just now hitting his stride. Larkin may have faced tougher competition, but outside of his athleticism, I don't think his paint-by-numbers offense is enough to seal the deal.
Final prediction: Ponzinibbio def. Larkin via unanimous decision
185 lbs.: Eddie "Truck" Gordon (7-3) vs. Antonio Carlos "Cara De Sapato" Junior (4-1)
Nostradumbass predicts: I thought Eddie Gordon was going to be a major player at 185 pounds after destroying Dhiego Lima at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 19 Finale, but then he got slept by Josh Samman and dropped a decision to Chris Dempsey. Fortunately for him, the tailor-made Antonio Carlos Junior has just five fights with zero knockouts, so this is a silver platter opportunity for him to work those Ray Longo-trained mitts and get back into the win column in style.
Final prediction: Gordon def. Carlos Jr. via knockout
185 lbs.: Steve "The Boss" Bosse (10-1) vs. Thiago "Marreta" Santos (10-3)
Nostradumbass predicts: Steve Bosse is a bona fide smashing machine -- evidenced by his eight knockouts in 10 wins -- but he hasn't fought in over two years and previously retired once before, claiming he no longer felt the rage required to make war. Thiago Santos may be inconsistent, but unlike "The Boss," he has lots of Octagon experience and works a regular fight schedule. Expect the former hockey player to gas himself out by spamming overhand rights, only to get taken down and choked out.
Final prediction: Santos def. Bosse via submission
145 lbs.: Hacran "Barnabe" Dias (22-3-1) vs. Levan "The Hornet" Makashvili (7-1)
Nostradumbass predicts: This might be too much, too soon for the highly-regarded Levan Makashvili. "The Hornet" has just one fight under the UFC banner -- a split decision win over the unheralded Mark Eddiva -- and I don't know if that's going to cut it against Hacran Dias. "Barnabe" is well-rounded, owns three times the experience, and has already faced some of the best fighters in the division. As far as I'm concerned, this is the Brazilian's fight to lose.
Final prediction: Dias def. Makashvili via unanimous decision
There you have it.
You've got my picks, now let's get yours. Who gets it done tomorrow night in Hollywood?