Anthony Johnson vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida at UFC 104

Can technique prevail over pure physical ability? It often does in the sports world, and that theory will be tested at UFC 104 as Anthony “Rumble” Johnson brings his hard-hitting, brawling style to the Octagon against judo phenom Yoshiyuki Yoshida.

“Rumble” Johnson has the ability to explode for the knockout blow at any time, and he’s one of the most exciting up-and-coming prospects in the UFC welterweight division.

Yoshida, aka “Zenko,” on the other hand, had a setback in his rise up the ranks as Josh Koscheck knocked him senseless during the UFC Fight for the Troops event in his second-to-last fight.

Yoshida rebounded well, however, bouncing back to choke out Brandon Wolff and to establish himself as a solid force in the division.

The BetUS Sportsbook has Johnson listed as the favorite, however, and by a wide margin. Johnson is a -350 to +250 favorite over the underdog Yoshida as Saturday night draws near.

For Yoshida to shock the UFC betting world and pull the upset, he will need to fight an extremely technical and smart fight and to keep Johnson under wraps using his grappling and breathtaking throws.

Yoshida also has a big edge in the submission game as well, showing off his prowess with wins over the man known simply as War Machine by anaconda before defeating Wolff.

Considering Johnson’s ground game is still pretty raw, that would seem to make Yoshida a good bet in this one.

But Yoshida is outclassed in a huge way from a physical standpoint going in, as he is one of the slightest welterweights in the UFC and not the fastest or most powerful guy.

Johnson on the other hand is one of the biggest, most powerful guys in the division and his athletic ability is second to none.

If Koscheck could knockout Yoshida with the ease that he did in their previous fight, conventional wisdom says that Johnson will have a great chance of doing the same.

Yoshida looked afraid of Koscheck in that one as he backed up against the cage, dropped his hands, and absorbed the biggest knockout blow the UFC had seen in some time.

Expect him to come back stronger mentally and more prepared to face a striker of Johnson’s caliber, but in the end, Yoshida won’t be able to stay away from the big punch as he will end up getting caught in a scramble and blasted when he least expects it, leading to a TKO win as Johnson pounces on Yoshida to finish the fight in the second round.

The pick: Anthony Johnson (-350).