Jason High is 7-1 in his last eight outings. | Photo: Daniel Herbertson/Sherdog.com
Welterweights
Jason High (16-4, 0-2 UFC) vs. James Head (9-3, 2-2 UFC): High was thrown into the fire immediately upon his return to the Octagon, as he was submitted by Erick Silva with a triangle armbar a little more than a minute into their UFC on Fuel TV 10 encounter. High is at his best when he can control a fight with his wrestling. Head is the taller fighter and better boxer, but High should be able to ground his opponent enough to earn a decision.Featherweights
Darren Elkins (16-3, 6-2 UFC) vs. Hatsu Hioki (26-6-2, 2-2 UFC): In a main card-worthy 145-pound scrap, Hioki will have to do a better job remaining upright against Elkins than he did in losing a controversial split verdict to Clay Guida at UFC on Fox 6. While Hioki was superior standing and active from his back, Guida’s top control still got the nod from two out of three judges. That fact should not be lost on Elkins, who had a five-fight winning streak brutally halted by Chad Mendes at UFC on Fox 7. However, Elkins is not an especially efficient takedown artist, and he could find himself out-grappled by Hioki. The Japanese standout wins a narrow decision.Middleweights
Papy Abedi (9-2, 1-2 UFC) vs. Dylan Andrews (16-4, 1-0 UFC): After losing his first two UFC appearances, Abedi might have been fortunate to emerge victorious in his outing against Besam Yousef at UFC on Fuel TV 9. The judo black belt should look to close the distance against Andrews and get him to the canvas, because the New Zealand native has enough thunder in his hands to do some damage on the feet. Andrews takes this by decision or TKO.Welterweights
Brandon Thatch (9-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Justin Edwards (8-2, 2-2 UFC): Thatch has been a wrecking machine thus far in his career, finishing all nine of his victories by knockout or submission inside of a round. A veteran of Season 13 of “The Ultimate Fighter, Edwards earned the biggest win of his professional tenure at UFC on FX 5, submitting Josh Neer in 45 seconds. Edwards would prefer to set the tone through takedowns and ground-and-pound, but he could find himself overwhelmed by the dynamic Grudge Training Center product early. Even if Thatch does not keep his first-round finishing streak alive, he will get the job done shortly thereafter.Welterweights
Ben Alloway (12-4, 1-1 UFC) vs. Zak Cummings (15-3, 0-0 UFC): In splitting a pair of Octagon appearances, Alloway has struggled with his defensive wrestling; it is possible that without the front kick that helped him finish Manuel Rodriguez at UFC on FX 6, “The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes” alum could be 0-2 in the promotion. Meanwhile, Cummings, who competed on Season 17 of the reality series, enters the Octagon with some decent experience under his belt, including losses to current UFC talents Ryan Jimmo and Tim Kennedy. Cummings wins by decision.Lightweights
Abel Trujillo (10-5, 1-1 UFC) vs. Roger Bowling (11-4, 0-1 UFC): One can usually count on Bowling to be an all-action type of guy, but his aggression cost him against Anthony Njokuani, who finished the Strikeforce veteran with a left hook as he rushed in at UFC on Fox 7. That was not the first time Bowling’s chin has been exposed in a fight, and the heavy-handed Trujillo should be able to get the best of what could be a slugfest. Trujillo takes this by KO or TKO in round one or two.* * *
TRACKING TRISTEN 2013
Overall Record: 148-89
Last Event (UFC Fight Night 26): 7-6
Best Event (Strikeforce “Marquardt vs. Saffiedine): 9-2
Worst Event (UFC 156/UFC on Fuel TV 8): 5-6