Ronny Markes vs. Derek Brunson
Derek Brunson
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Division: Middleweight
Two charismatic young fighters lock horns in a fight I'm frankly surprised drifted down to Facebook.
Derek Brunson is well-rounded but was uncharacteristically snoozy in smothering Chris Leben in his UFC debut. But a win is a win, and smothering is pretty smart against Leben.
Nevertheless, Brunson seems like the type who cares about a good show, which probably means he'll want an exciting fight with Ronny Markes, a promising UFC prospect in his own right.
The 25-year-old Markes, who fights with the Nova Uniao camp, hasn't lost in three UFC contests. The grappler should keep it going by smothering Brunson.
Live by the blanket, die by the blanket. How ironical.
Prediction: Markes, Split Decision