UFC 123 Preview: The Main Card

Middleweights
Gerald Harris vs. Maiquel Jose Falcao Goncalves

The Matchup: With a gaudy record, Goncalves, a UFC newcomer, only has two victories outside the first round. He is definitely a guy who fights like he is double-parked. Unbeaten in the UFC and riding a 10-fight winning streak overall, Harris has made a name for himself as a rising prospect with excellent all-around skills. Wrestling remains a staple for Harris, who was one of the favorites on Season 7 of “The Ultimate Fighter” before he ran into Amir Sadollah.

A Chute Boxe Academy product, Goncalves generally comes out aggressive. Harris will certainly look to take away his confidence early in the fight, and he will want to plant Goncalves on his back with a takedown in the opening round if he can. “Big Rig” has not had a fight reach the second round in more than two years and has not gone the distance since 2004, so Harris figures to have a decided advantage in terms of conditioning.

The Pick: Goncalves has a lot to chew on for a first-time bout, and he either lands something huge in a first-round TKO or gets ground down en route to a stoppage from a steady diet of Harris’ ground-and-pound. Count on the latter.