The page turns on the calendar tomorrow, and with that we leave the slowest month in recent memory (as far as the MMA world is concerned). August is the complete opposite, with a whopping 5 events to keep us occupied. We waste no time getting started as the first event is tomorrow, the first of the month, as the UFC brings us UFC Live 2: Jones vs. Matyushenko. The event will be the second UFC event to be broadcast on Versus; the first being UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones.
We’ve got a couple interesting things with this card, the least of which is the return of “Big” John McCarthy. He’ll referee this event, the first time he has refereed at a UFC event in almost 3 years. This will be Matyushenko’s 3rd fight since his return to the UFC, and Jones is a very dynamic opponent, especially compared to his previous 2 fights. I’m also curious about how the 2 wrestlers, Muñoz and Ellenberger, will fare in their matchups. With that said, let’s get to the picks:
Main card
- Light Heavyweight bout:
Jon Jones vs. 
Vladimir Matyushenko - Middleweight bout: Mark Muñoz vs.
Yushin Okami - Welterweight bout: John Howard vs. Jake Ellenberger
- Lightweight bout: Tyson Griffin vs. Takanori Gomi
As good as Matyushenko has been, Jones’ only setback was when he was disqualified for the use of multiple, illegal, 12-to-6 (striking from top of skull and down) elbows so I like Jones to continue to climb the ladder. I’ll also take Muñoz over Okami, Ellenberger over Howard, and Griffin over Gomi.
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