Back again to provide you with more insight, Mike, Justin and Rich share their thoughts on the upcoming show.

Do you agree with them or do you think they are crazy? Either way, let ‘em know!  When you’re done reading all the pics, feel free to leave your own picks and comments below and let our experts and Houston know who you think is going to win and why.

Meet the experts

Mike Calimbas (mopthemats.com) – (41-34) Mike Calimbas is an MMA Writer, devotee, and fan that has been a part of the Mixed Martial Arts community for over fifteen years. He has served as a ring official & timekeeper for amateur MMA in numerous local events in Texas with the USACA/Lonestar Beatdown. Mike has also written and provided analysis on the topic of MMA & Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for various online publications, including FightLine, Ploomy, and MoptheMats.com. Mike has been training BJJ, etc. on-and-off for the past six years. Off the mats, he spends most of his time with his family, including his baby son, Nicholas and girlfriend, Megan. For more on Mike, check him out on http://twitter.com/mikecalimbas.

Justin Trapp (fighterportraits.com) – (44-31) Justin Trapp is a photographer, designer and one of the premier marketing minds in the MMA industry. He manages the branding and marketing for mma companies, fighters and gyms. He has been a loyal fan of the sport since its inception and works to educate the biased. To see some of his work visit his website, fighterportraits.com.

Richard Burmaster (thecagedoor.net) – (41-27) Richard Burmaster is co-founder of (and a writer for) thecagedoor.net. He has been active in the MMA scene for close to 8 years and has trained in MMA for the last 5 years. His job keeps him on the go across the United States, and thus has afforded him the opportunity to train in many of the top gyms across the nation. From Army combatives to the Militech Fighting Systems, he has been able to try out many of the martial arts from coast to coast. When Richard is not working on his full time job, training in MMA or working with thecagedoor.net, he enjoys spending time with his wife and son.

THE PREDICTIONS

AWARD PREDICTIONS

	Mike	Justin	Richard
	Chaw vs Pilarte	Chaw vs Pilarte	Chaw vs Pilarte
	Andrew Craig	None	Jason Sullivan
	Adam Schindler	Gerzan Chaw	Adam Schindler

FIGHT PREDICTIONS

	Andrew Craig	Name	Joshua Foster
	Smiles	Nickname
	6’1″ / 185lbs	Ht/Wt	6’3″ / 205lbs
	Not Ranked	Rank	#7
	2-0-0	Record	2-1-0
	Team Tooke-Houston	Gym	No Gym on File
	Vs

Mike: This will be Joshua Foster’s 12th fight if you count both amateur and professional bouts. In total, Foster has won more than he’s lost but he hasn’t faced a fighter as talented as Andrew Craig, who is fresh off a win over tough-as-nails BJJ Black Belt Rodrigo Pinheiro from the San Antonio area. Foster is a scrapper but Craig can hold his own in and is technical to boot. I see Craig controlling the transitions in this bout and eventually finishing off Foster via submission sometime in the last first, early second round.  Prediction: Craig via submission

Justin: I had a great fighter from the Houston scene tell me that of all the guys in Houston, Andrew Craig is the one he would be hesitant to fight.  Josh is a tough dude but I don’t see him beating Craig.  Prediction: Craig via TKO

Rich: Foster has shown good power and a great chin in his recent fights. Andrew Craig may be the best 185lber in the city and with his solid ground game and sick reach he is a handful for all. Foster will need to try and get inside of the reach of Andrew and beat up the body in the clinch. Andrew will look to finish the fight from standing or ground as he is comfortable everywhere. Prediction: Craig via TKO

	Chad Cook	Name	Ruben Davila
		Nickname
	6’0″ / 205lbs	Ht/Wt	5’11″ / 220lbs
	#3	Rank	Not Ranked
	8-9-0	Record	1-1-0
	No Gym on File	Gym	No Gym on File
	Vs

Mike: Chad Cook is a very seasoned pro looking to rebound off the heels of two consecutive losses. Davila is a hard-working brawler but I have not seen his prowess on the ground as of yet. That coupled with his age (41) leads me to believe this bout will go in the favor of the submission fighter, Cook, who I see looking to catch his opponent via leg lock within the first two rounds.  Prediction: Cook via submission

Justin: Both of these guys are seasoned veteran fighters.  Davila is coming off of a long layoff, having not fought since August of 2009.  Cook dropped a gritty decision to Artenas Young at Strikeforce, but showed he’s baack and healthy again. Prediction: Cook via submisson

Rich: Cook is coming off of a knee injury in his last fight and that may hamper his takedowns. Davila loves to brawl and he has big power in each hand. This fight will come down to who has the better gas tank for this fight. Prediction: Cook via decision

	Marc Ramirez	Name	Adam Schindler
		Nickname
	5’9″ / 155lbs	Ht/Wt	5’8″ / 155lbs
	Not Ranked	Rank	#1
	2-0-0	Record	8-1-0
	No Gym on File	Gym	Gracie Barra – The Woodlands
	Vs

Mike: This is going to be an exciting fight no matter what. Marc Ramirez has shown a well-rounded arsenal as of late, proving himself to be proficient in both the striking and ground aspects of the fight. We’ve seen the same from Adam Schindler in his own recent few bouts, standing toe-to-toe at Bellator and submitting his opponent at Strikeforce: Houston via standing RNC. In this bout. Adam Schindler is vastly more experienced and exhibits a wrestling pedigree that Ramirez hasn’t seen before. That’s going to be the huge difference maker. I believe Marc Ramirez has a bright future ahead but Schindler will prove to be too much, too soon for him. Prediction: Schindler via TKO in the first round.

Justin: It’s hard to pick against Adam who has exceptional wrestling and ground skills.  I think he controls where the fight goes and gets another W on his record.  Prediction: Schindler via tko.

Rich: Ramirez will have his hands full with Schindler. Marc should look to stay on the outside and try to outstrike Adam. Adam combines his GB brown belt BJJ skills with his black belt wrestling skills into a very aggressive combination that is always looking to end the fight. It’s not if Adam can take Marc down its when he decides to that will determine this fight.  Prediction: Schindler via submission

	Brian Lightfoot	Name	Ike Villanueva
		Nickname
	6’5″ / 205lbs	Ht/Wt	6’3″ / 205lbs
	#2	Rank	#4
	2-2-0	Record	6-4-0
	Gracie Barra Texas	Gym	No Gym on File
	Vs

Mike: This is going to be a battle of two extremely proficient strikers with contrasting styles. At 6’5″, Lightfoot is a very lean and long fighter who seems to enjoy picking off his opponents from the outside. Not a small fighter himself at 6’3″, Villanueva has shown a preference to take the fight inside and utilize his dirty boxing in the clinch. The outcome of this bout may be decided by who can most effectively dictate distance and inflict his game. This fight could go either way but I’m picking Ike Villanueva for several reasons. (1) Lightfoot is coming off an injury. (2) Ike has been the more active fighter in the back half of 201. And (3) Ike has been cross-training at Prince’s Boxing Gym and generally staying busy.  Prediction: Villanueva

Justin: Brian beat Artenas Young, whom Ike lost to a couple of months later.  That said, I think that style will determine a lot of this fight.  I think Ike will be a lot more aggressive than Artenas was so he will keep the pressure on and could very well catch Brian.  Lightfoot has good ground game thoug.  Ultimately I see Lightfoot taking Ike down and grinding out a decision.  Prediction: Lightfoot via decision

Rich: This fight could determine the number one spot in the next TCD rankings. Ike will look to push forward and land the big shot to end the fight early. Lightfoot will look to use his reach and technique to stay on the outside and control the fight with distance. This could resemble the Chico/Lightfoot fight with Brian using a great gameplan to dictate the pace of the action.  Prediction: Lightfoot via decision

QUICK PICKS