The Ultimate Fighting Championship is raising money for a good cause on Wednesday night. In addition to being a good mixed martial arts card, the UFC Fight for the Troops will raise money for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, with proceeds going toward a research center that will support the thousands of Americans who have suffered traumatic brain injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan. Tickets are available only to soldiers stationed at Fort Bragg, but if you're planning to watch from home, here are the details:
What: UFC Fight for the Troops
Who: The main event is a welterweight battle between Josh Koscheck and Yoshiyuki Yoshida. Other fights on the televised portion of the card include Jonathan Goulet vs. Mike Swick, Razak Al-Hassan vs. Steve Cantwell, Matt Wiman vs. Jim Miller and Nate Loughran vs. Tim Credeur.
When: Wednesday, 9 p.m. Eastern
Where: Crown Coliseum, Fayetteville, North Carolina
How: Free on Spike TV
Predictions after the jump.
Josh Koscheck and Yoshiyuki Yoshida
Yoshida won his UFC debut when he needed less than a minute to choke out War Machine at UFC 84, and he's a well-rounded fighter who's worth keeping an eye on. But I don't think he's quite got the ground skills to match up with Koscheck, who's one of the UFC's best wrestlers. I look for Koscheck to win this one by decision.
Predicted winner: Koscheck
Mike Swick vs. Jonathan Goulet
Like Koscheck, Swick was on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, and if they both win at the Fight for the Troops, I'd love to see Swick and Koscheck fight each other next. Swick has gone the distance in each of his last four fights, but I think he has a good chance of beating Goulet by submission.
Predicted winner: Swick
Razak Al-Hassan vs. Steve Cantwell
Cantwell was the last WEC light heavyweight champion; he moved to the UFC when the WEC got rid of the light heavyweight class. He should get a win in his UFC debut against Al-Hassan, who is 6-0 in his pro MMA career but has never fought in any major promotion.
Predicted winner: Cantwell
Matt Wiman vs. Jim Miller
Miller, who won his debut in the Octagon at UFC 89, has great jiu jitsu skills and is, as a 25-year-old who's still getting better, a guy I could see getting a lightweight title shot some day. Wiman is also 25 and is more experienced than Miller, with a 4-1 record in the Octagon, but I think his four-fight winning streak is coming to an end.
Predicted winner: Miller
Nate Loughran vs. Tim Credeur
Credeur is known mostly for Season 7 of The Ultimate Fighter, on which he lost to both Jesse Taylor and C.B. Dollaway. A veteran of the Navy, Credeur will certainly have plenty of fans among the soldiers from Fort Bragg, but I have a feeling that Loughran (who has built up a 9-0 record against mostly low-level competition) is going to find a way to pull out a submission.
Predicted winner: Loughran.
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