It’s an event like no other. With some world class fighters on show, we are guaranteed a very good night of MMA. I thought I’d run down my predictions and give you an insight into who I thought would walk out of UFC 94 victorious.

Georges St-Pierre vs. BJ Penn
I have to go for a St. Pierre win in this. It’s almost too close to call but I reckon St-Pierre may pull of a TKO or a slim decision victory with the judges. That said, GSP very rarely performs fantastically when he’s got to step up to the plate. His fight with Fitch showed that. The advantage for GSP is that he has the cardio to outlast Penn and he will no doubt use that to his advantage early. He’ll have a very slow game plan and I expect this to work to his advantage. The question is, will Penn’s slick stand-up defeat St-Pierre’s solid ground game? Prediction: St. Pierre to win via unanimous decision.

Lyoto Machida vs. Thiago Silva
This is certainly not going to be one for fans who like the big hits in the UFC. This will be a solid tactical fight that I expect to go to the judges. Whoever scores well will win the fight. One thing Machida has to do is be more aggressive than he has previously. I’d expect Silva to come out fast and Machida has to watch that. This should be a very interesting fight. A win for both men sets them up very nicely. I’m going to go with the upset and give Silva the win by decision. Prediction: Silva to win via unanimous decision

Stephan Bonnar vs. Jon Jones
Bonnar’s return to the UFC couldn’t be more difficult. I hope he’s worked hard on his cardio because Jon Jones will definitely punish him if the fight goes far. I expect Bonnar to struggle in the later rounds and for me, that gives Jones the edge with the judges. However, I’d also expect an explosive Bonnar to come out the traps quick and take a TKO victory. Prediction: Bonnar to win via TKO in round two

Karo Parisyan vs. Dong Hyun Kim
This, like the Machida fight, will be a very tactical battle. Hyun-Kim showed complacency in his fight with Matt Brown and Parisyan will look to exploit that early. Twelve of Parisyan’s last seventeen fights have gone the distance however, and that doesn’t bode well for the fighter. If Kim can do what Thiago Alves did to great effect, then I’d expect Kim to take this victory by TKO. Prediction: Kim to win via TKO in round two

Nate Diaz vs. Clay Guida
Both of these fighters have to win this fight. They have found themselves missing in a very stacked lightweight division. Therefore, the fight will either be a slow and tactical battle or both will come out all guns blazing. I’d expect the latter to be honest. That would work well for Diaz and I expect him to pick up a submission victory late into the fight. Prediction: Diaz to win via submission in round three

Jon Fitch vs. Akihiro Gono
I’d expect a fired up Jon Fitch to win this. The man has a point to prove after his quick release by the UFC. Gono didn’t look impressive in his defeat against Dan Hardy and I’d expect him to take the fight slowly. With four of his last six fights going to the judges, Gono will no doubt try to out-point Fitch. This could favour the American, who himself has gone the distance in his last three fights. This might not be one for the fans, but a unanimous decision for Fitch. Prediction: Fitch by unanimous decision

Thiago Tavares vs. Manvel Gamburyan
Both fighters need this win – particularly Tavares who is 1-3 in his last four fights. There’s something about big day nerves that I feel gets to Tavares and that could bother him here. However, Gamburyan was destroyed in his last fight and that will no doubt have knocked his confidence. I doubt this will finish on the ground as both are skilled there. A flip of the coin decision for to evenly matched fighters. Prediction: Gamburyan to win via TKO in round two

John Howard vs. Chris Wilson
Chris Wilson always seems to pull something out of the bag. He certainly knows how to drag a fight through the trenches. If Howard’s nerves don’t get to him on his debut, I think he’ll do well. However, Wilson has been in good form lately and I have to go with him. Prediction: Chris Wilson to win via TKO in round one

Jake O’Brien vs. Christian Wellisch
A tough fight to call. Jake O’Brien didn’t have a fantastic year in 2008 and he’ll want to pick that up this year. Wellisch has fought some tough guys over the last two years and certainly knows how to scrap. It’ll be a close one this. Prediction: Jake O?Brien to win via TKO in round two

Matt Arroyo vs. Dan Cramer
Impossible to call as Cramer is 0-0 in MMA. However, I do remember Cramer on TUF as a kid who likes to hit hard. Arroyo is more of a ground guy and I’d expect him to take it to the mat immediately. If he gets it there, he’ll win. The experience might prove vital here. Prediction: Arroyo to win via submission in round one

Martin Smith
martin@ifight365.com