Anderson Silva or Chael Sonnen? UFC 148 picks

The hype for UFC 148 has been going on for years, and judging by the amount of picks that were made on Cagewriter's Facebook page, you have strong opinions on this card. I've included extra picks of the Silva/Sonnen bout from Cagereaders because you all have plenty to say about the main event.

Kevin Iole -- Silva TKO2 Sonnen: If Silva has a weakness, it's his takedown defense. And clearly, Sonnen has tremendous wrestling ability. That combination is going to cause Anderson some anxious moments. That said, Anderson was clearly intent on walking Chael down in their first fight and he was surprised by Sonnen's striking. This time, there will be no surprises. I think Anderson will utilize his movement and angles and ultimately land something that will decide the fight.

Maggie Hendricks -- Silva SUB2 Sonnen: Silva has had time to learn from his mistakes in the last bout, and he is too good of a fighter not to learn from. Sonnen was unimpressive in his win over Michael Bisping, and despite the trash talk, will not have an answer for Silva.

[Kevin Iole: Chael Sonnen has Anderson Silva's attention this time]

Cagereader -- Chael Sonnen will win. The thing that separates Chael from Silva's other opponents is that he fully believes he can win. No one else that has stepped in the octogon with Silva didn't believe they were going to win. Believing in yourself and having heart is a huge deal in the fight game. Something has to get you through the tough times and since no one else really expected to win, they accepted their fate. Not Chael Sonnen. -- Katie Simmons

Cagereader -- The Spider will win. In the last fight Silva was injured and still beat Sonnen with a triangle choke. On top of that at the end of the fight Sonnen looked way worse for wear than Silva even though Chael got the best of him for most of the fight. I also think Silva is pissed off because of Chael's trash talk and we will see a Silva that we have never seen before.

Cagereader -- If you remember very well dear MMA EXPERTS, Sonnen had Silva on his back for five rounds, yet he hasn't been able to win, maybe he was able to take down Silva, but what from there? YEAH NOTHING... he did exactly nothing, Silva did not struggle to strike back even if he was pinned down, then after all that work Sonnen did for 5 rounds, he was submitted like a little girl... what does this tell you? This time Silva, will not play around like that, and even if it ends on the ground, Sonnen will get submitted again... end of the story! -- Wahb Mabkhout

[Video: Anderson Silva gives Chael Sonnen a cheapshot at weigh-in]

And now, for the rest of the UFC 148 bouts.

Kevin Iole -- Tito Ortiz W3 Forrest Griffin: If history has taught us anything, it's that this fight should be close and that the decision will probably be disputed. They're as even as even can be, so I'll go with a sentimental reason: Ortiz will win it given that he wants to go out in style. I'm not going to be surprised one bit if Griffin wins, but I have a hunch Tito will summon one last great effort.

Maggie Hendricks -- Tito Ortiz W3 Forrest Griffin: I have to agree with Kevin. This bout will be close and probably won't be all that exciting, and someone will get angry with the judges. Afterwards, Ortiz will waffle on retirement.

Cagereader -- Forrest Griffin Over Tito Ortiz by decision. I think Tito has been over the hill for many years now. When fighters talents evolved Tito didn't and has had a hard time with most fighters except for Ken Shamrock. Not saying Forrest is that the much better but I believe he will pull out the decision. -- Tim Hunter

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Kevin Iole

-- Patrick Cote TKO3 Cung Le: Cote has a lot of ability, but he has to believe in himself. His confidence should be back up after winning four consecutive bouts. He'll take some damage from Le's kicks, but I expect a big right hand from Cote to be the defining strike of the fight.

Maggie Hendricks -- Cung Le KO1 Patrick Cote: Though Cote won his last four fights, his opponents weren't at the same caliber as Le. He also doesn't have the same chin as Wanderlei Silva, who survived several tough shots from Le. If Le can bring those same shots, he'll win easily.

Cagereader -- Cung Le OVER Patrick Cote by TKO. Cung Le has much better stand up. Yeah Cung did lose to Wanderlei but I still feel Wanderlei is no joke. -- Tim Hunter

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Kevin Iole -- Demian Maia SUB2 Dong Hyun Kim: Maia is moving down and that's always a concern, especially against a powerful man such as Kim. Maia's toughness is unquestioned, as he proved in taking a pounding from Anderson Silva for five rounds, and he may indeed take a pounding from Kim for a while. But Maia will use Kim's aggressiveness against him and pull off one of his patented submissions.

[Related: Watch UFC 148 live on Yahoo! Sports]

Maggie Hendricks -- Demian Maia SUB1 Dong Hyun Kim: The new weight class should agree with Maia and return him to his submitting ways.

Cagereader -- D. Maia should hand DYK a loss if he sticks to his plan. Pressure and take it to the ground. If it goes the distance, DYK might pull the upset. -- Santiago Alvarez

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Kevin Iole -- Chad Mendes TKO1 Cody McKenzie: I could be proven completely wrong here, but I think these are two different calibers of fighters. I'm expecting Mendes' wrestling and sheer brute force to rule the day and I expect him to stop McKenzie early.

Maggie Hendricks -- Chad Mendes W3 Cody McKenzie: Mendes' wrestling is on a different level, and he'll know how to avoid McKenzie's guillotine. He'll grind out the win.

Cagereader -- Mendes by unanimous decision. As long as Mendes avoids McKenzie's guillotine when he shoots in for the takedown, I see Mendes grinding out a victory. -- Joe Sullivan

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Kevin Iole -- Mike Easton W3 Ivan Menjivar: Easton has a better multi-dimensional game highlighted by tremendous takedown defense and striking defense. He'll control where the fight is contested and earn a decision over Menjivar.

Maggie Hendricks -- Mike Easton TKO2 Ivan Menjivar: Easton's power will be too much for Menjivar.

Cagereader -- Mike Easton- His nickname is The Hulk. (Ed. note -- Good reason) -- Austin Kessler

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