Check out UFC 164 picks from Kevin Iole, Maggie Hendricks and Cagereaders like you
Check out our picks for UFC 164, going down Saturday night in Milwaukee. Thank you to all the Cagereaders who submitted picks on Facebook.
Kevin Iole -- Anthony Pettis W5 Benson Henderson: This is as close to a 50-50 fight as you're going to see. Pettis is a bit more dynamic and I think that might be the difference in a grueling, back-and-forth bout.
Maggie Hendricks -- Benson Henderson W5 Anthony Pettis: I cannot wait for this fight. Their first scrap is remembered only for the Showtime kick, but a fantastic, close bout happened before that. Henderson has improved with every fight, and I think we'll see him make up for that loss.
Cagereader -- Benson will win. He has a bad taste in his mouth from when Pettis beat him. Also the hometown crowd will make Pettis to much attack mode and he will be open for the counter right hand. -- Joseph Gordon Holman
Cagereader -- Pettis by head kick K.O. Pettis has better standing skills than Ben, a more sound jiu-jitsu game. Definitely more knockout power because of his kicks, Anthony is younger at 26, Henderson is 29. Ben has absolutely no knockout power. Pettis also has hometown advantage and the confidence knowing he has already defeated Ben. -- Justin Majewski
***
Kevin Iole -- Josh Barnett W3 Frank Mir: I'm picking Barnett mainly because I think he has more left. He hasn't fought a lot of elite guys recently as Mir has, and that's an edge for Mir, but I'm wondering if Mir is still able to raise his game to that elite level any more. I'm not sure after seeing his effort against Daniel Cormier.
Maggie Hendricks -- Frank Mir SUB2 Josh Barnett: If Mir can stick to his strengths, he can win with a submission.
Cagereader -- Mir by submission because Barnett will underestimate his ground game and Mir will catch him sleeping. -- Tyree Goins
***
Kevin Iole -- Chad Mendes W3 Clay Guida: I think Mendes is the better overall fighter and has the more complete game. That will be the difference.
Maggie Hendricks -- Chad Mendes KO2 Clay Guida: Mendes has better wrestling, so he can neutralize the best aspect of Guida's game. Couple that with Mendes' power, and he'll get the win.
Cagereader -- Guida by Decision. He'll keep a pace that Mendes can't keep while landing take down after take down. It will be a classic Giuida "measuring stick" type win.
***
Kevin Iole -- Brandon Vera TKO2 Ben Rothwell: Just a hunch, but I liked what I saw from Vera against Shogun (even if it was a year ago).
Maggie Hendricks -- Brandon Vera W3 Ben Rothwell: Like Kevin, I'm going with a hunch. My other hunch is that this fight won't exactly be a thriller.
Cagereader -- Vera defeats Rothwell. For the first time in years, Vera was actually able to pull the trigger against Shogun. Despite the fact that he lost he certainly had his moments in that fight. Now that he's assertive in his attack again, he will use his speed against the flat footed Rothwell to pick up the W. If Mark Hunt was able to beat Rothwell to the punch, what do you think Vera is gonna do to him? -- Michael Cordello Jr.
***
Kevin Iole -- Erik Koch TKO3 Dustin Poirier: I'm looking forward to this bout as much as any on the card except for the main event. It's another toss-up, but I see Koch landing something big and finishing the fight.
Maggie Hendricks -- Erik Koch SUB2 Dustin Poirier: Fighting in front of a home crowd, Koch will want to stop his losing skid with the slick skills he has shown in previous fights.
Cagereader -- Both guys are similar in their skillsets. Good all around fighters with no real standout thread. I think Koch wins this fight with a close decision. He's looking to rebound from that Lamas loss and has the boxing to give Poirier trouble. -- Tom Hogan
