MMA has one of the best sweats in DFS. Two fighters compete at a time with only one coming out as the winner. It's the best feeling in the world when you are watching the main event of a show and know you need a first round knockout to win the entire tournament.

And nothing feels worse than when you need a first round knockout by Stipe Miocic to win thousands of dollars in a tournament, but when he lands that knockout punch, you realize that you placed 14th because Jacare Souza was too dominant in a previous fight. This was a serious scenario that I had to live through when Miocic won the Heavyweight Championship.

Anyway, Jason and I will be taking a look at the main card for UFC on Fox 22. We will be keeping track based on picking winners and losers. We will also predict how the fight will be finished, but that will not reflect in the records.

Justin's Record: 70-33

Jason's Record: 56-47

Without anymore waiting, here are our picks and analysis for the main card at UFC on Fox 22.

 

Alan Jouban vs Mike Perry 

Justin’s Pick 

Perry has a ton of power, but his path in the UFC is about to get much harder. In his first fight, he caught an overconfident Hyun Gyu Lim before the fight ever started and ended him early. He then put on a show with Danny Roberts, who I view more as a prospect than a player at this point in his career. This weekend, he will face a hard-hitting Alan Jouban, who has a chin to match Perry’s. Perry loves getting into brawls, and he’s a hittable fighter. I’m not sold his chin will be able to hold up against someone like Jouban, and this fight will be ending early.

Alan Jouban via TKO, 2nd Round

 

Jason’s Pick

Justin refuses to believe the hype behind Mike “Platinum” Perry, but that is simply unwise. Perry is a very athletic fighter with great power and a solid chin. That bodes well for him this week against Alan “Brahma” Jouban, who is likely going to stand with Perry. Perry has slightly better defense, but Jouban is a little bit more accurate. This is going to be an interesting, back-and-forth fight, but Perry has the ‘WOW’ factor and loves to push the action. If he doesn’t get clipped, he will likely eventually find a home for his right hand.

Mike Perry via TKO, 2nd Round

 

Urijah Faber vs Brad Pickett

Justin’s Pick

The narrative of this fight adds up perfectly for a Faber win. It’s his retirement fight, and he’s fighting in front of his home crowd. On top of that, this will be one of his “easiest” fights in a long time. It would be silly to assume Pickett has no chance, though. He has a clear path to victory, and it’s through his wrestling. He is extremely accurate with his takedowns, and if he can continuously plant Faber on the mat, he can pick up the decision victory. I don’t see that happening, though, as Faber is simply too talented. I expect this fight to stay standing for the majority of it, which will favor the hometown fighter. It’s wouldn’t be all that surprising if he were able to pick up a finish in his last fight either.

Urijah Faber via Unanimous Decision

 

Jason’s Pick

This is a going away party for Urijah “The California Kid” Faber. He announced his retirement after this next fight, and the UFC lined him up against Brad “One Punch” Pickett. Pickett is no slouch in the octagon, but Faber is, or at least used to be, an elite-level talent in mixed martial arts. He has the ability to take Pickett to the ground and end him via submission, but even if this fight stays standing, Faber has the superior striking, as well. There is little to no chance that Faber loses this fight.

Urijah Faber via Submission, 2nd Round

 

Sage Northcutt vs Mickey Gall

Justin’s Pick

Mickey Gall is far from a complete fighter, and his first two UFC victories have essentially been handed to him with a ribbon on top. Luckily for him, he called out another young, unpolished fighter in Sage Northcutt. Northcutt has had a few rough moments in the UFC, and they have all come on the ground. Gall has been training at an elite camp, while Northcutt has been finishing his college semester, and I believe the amount of training will play a huge part in this fight. Gall is at his best on the ground, and that will be his fastest way to victory. This fight should be another early finish that showcases Gall’s submission skills.

Mickey Gall via Submission, 1st Round

 

Jason’s Pick

“Super” Sage Northcutt recently lost to Bryan Barberena, who happens to also fight on this card, but he avenged that loss by picking up a win against Enrique Martin in July. This week, he fights against Mickey Gall, who recently dominated CM Punk. Yes, the Punk fight was a stunt by the UFC to make a little bit extra money, but that does not mean that Gall is not legitimate. He is a great fighter with above-average takedowns and submissions. This is a bad matchup for Northcutt, and Gall is going to make him pay.

Mickey Gall via Submission, 3rd Round

 

Paige VanZant vs Michelle Waterson

Justin’s Pick

This very well could be the most difficult fight on the card to predict. Paige VanZant and Michelle Waterson are two up and coming fighters, who both have solid finishing rates. VanZant should have the edge in strength, while Waterson is the more disciplined of the two fighters. I expect VanZant to use her flashy offensive attack throughout this fight, which will score well with the judges, while Waterson uses a more technical approach and tries to take this fight to the ground. VanZant was exposed against Rose Namajunas two fights ago, and I could see something similar happening this weekend. This fight is razor thin, but I expect Waterson to pull off the slight upset.

Michelle Waterson via Submission, 5th Round

 

Jason’s Pick

This is going to be a very interesting fight between Paige “12 Gauge” VanZant and Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson. VanZant has won three of his last four fights, dating back to April of 2015, while Waterson only has one fight in the UFC, which resulted in a win back in July of 2015. It would not be surprising to see Waterson upset VanZant, but VanZant is the better, more active fighter. She is also younger and hungrier. The women’s strawweight division better take notice because she is coming for the belt eventually.

Paige VanZant via Unanimous Decision