The more intriguing fight this weekend is the lightweight battle between Joe Stevenson and Kenny Florian, which will assuredly cement KenFlo’s status as the #1 lightweight contender. That’s right, I’m picking the man whose nickname sounds like an air filter to win. “I’m as ready as I’ve ever been,” Kenny said last weekend. “I really want to fight BJ Penn, but I don’t want to sit around waiting for that fight. I need to stay active and Joe is a great opponent, so I’m really looking forward to this.” You can’t say Kenny isn’t on top of his game right now. Since the season finale of The Ultimate Fighter 1 he’s finished 7 of his last 9 opponents and took Sean Sherk the distance. Although his last fight against Roger Huerta wasn’t as exciting as expected, it was smart. He stayed away from Huerta’s power shots and showed how he can adapt to different opponents. Stevenson is savagely strong for a lightweight, but BJ Penn showed Joe Daddy can be out-techniqued if there is such a thing. I’m a fan of any guy who uses his nickname to give his family props, but KenFlo (it sounds like an air filter doesn’t it?) is maturing and evolving every fight and will submit Stevenson in the third round.

Next prediction-Tamdan McCrory and Dustin Hazelett will be the fight of the night. There’s no real reasoning behind this, except for a hunch. These two guys are exciting fighters who got called up to the main card at the last minute because of Amir Sadollah’s injury. They’ll go at like rabid tasered wolverines to prove they belong. Even though this fight is at Sadollah’s expense and he’s missed a huge marketing opportunity, his future with the UFC is not in question. Sadollah is a charismatic, marketable guy and when he does return to the octagon it won’t matter if he entertains like Forrest Griffin or crumbles under the bright lights and sucks his thumb in a fetal position. I predict he’ll grace the octagon for a few years, especially since the “six figure contract” he won is three years and nine fights long.

The backstory to this UFC has to be the Aaron Riley – Jorge Gurgel fight. Earlier this year Riley trained in Boston with Kenny Florian and Mark DellaGrotte for his fight against Thiago Minu at The Ultimate Warrior Challenge in D.C. Afterward Riley gave Florian and DellaGrotte big thanks for the training and professed how happy he was with the Boston crew. Rumor has it that Riley has been training with Joe Stevenson while his opponent, Jorge Gurgel is training with (wait for it) Mark DellaGrotte and Kenny Florian in Boston. Coincidence? Not sure, but if there’s any grudge match simmering underneath the surface it’s this one. Don’t look for bad words or finger pointing in the octagon-it’s not their style. I’m predicting Riley to emerge victorious in this one because no matter who’s training him, Gurgel has been inconsistent and unimpressive. Since joining the UFC, Gurgel has had six fights, five of which went to decision. He lost three and won three, all of which were against guys with losing records or who are no longer in the UFC. He could deliver the upset of the night, but I can’t see it happening against Riley.

Kelly Crigger is a freelance MMA writer and author of the book "Title Shot: Into the Shark Tank of Mixed Martial Arts" which you can purchase by clicking here. Contact him through his website at IntoTheSharkTank.com