By Brad Young
Posted 01/31/2009 at 03:55 AM

Friday's weigh-ins for UFC 94: Penn vs. St. Pierre 2 was packed to the rafters, and the MGM had to close its doors leaving another few hundred fans outside.  I've never seen that for any previous boxing or UFC events.  Even as a member of the media, I luckily found one seat about 10 rows behind where I usually sit. 

For all the fans in attendance, it appears that more fans were cheering for B.J. Penn than for Georges St. Pierre.  However, I was one row in front of Penn's family so I might not have an accurate read on crowd loyalty.  Walking around the casino saw a ton more Hawaii shirts and Penn caps than Maple Leafs and hockey jerseys though.

Now let's break down some of my selections for UFC 94: Penn vs. St. Pierre 2.

PENN +152 at Pinnacle
Penn won the standup against St. Pierre in the first meeting, while 'Rush' won the next two rounds with ground and pound once he took the fight to the canvas.  I'm a little leary of Penn's cardio, but his takedown defense is incredible.  He reduced wrestler Sean Sherk to a boxer in his last fight when Sherk was unable to take Penn down.  I see Penn controlling the fight with his jab and frustrating St. Pierre, but the longer the fight goes the worse it will be for 'The Prodigy.' 

I'm predicting the fight will end with a submission after St. Pierre is rocked with punches early in the fourth round. That would be a dream scenario for the UFC, that could stage the third and final chapter in this triolgy with a fight sometime next year in Hawaii at Aloha Stadium.

MACHIDA -230 at Palms
This fight will be a battle of styles, and Machida's style frustrates fighters.  Silva has shown a questionable gas tank in the past, and will spend time chasing Machida who is a master of countering his opponents.  I'm not a big fan of Machida's style, but he continues to plow through the best UFC has to offer at light heavyweight.  If its another slow-paced decision victory, look for Machida to get bypassed for a title shot if 'Rampage' beats Jardine in March.  Machida by unanimous decision.

HYUN KIM +220 at Caesars Palace
The Dong Hyun Kim-Karo Parisyan fight will be a judo matchup, with Parisyan coming into this fight off a back injury.  Kim's judo skills should neutralize Parisyan's main strength, and the Korean will have the advantage should this matchup go to the ground.  A worthy underdog to bet in this spot, take Kim by technical knockout in the second round.

DIAZ -130 at Caesars Palace
Nate Diaz will have the advantage once this fight goes to the ground, his lanky frame helps him lock in submissions.  Clay 'The Carpenter' Guida is a high-energy fighter who will have to eat some punches and kicks to get inside.  Once there, the fight could very easily go to the ground.  This is a really bad matchup for Guida, and I'm looking for Diaz to prevail with a second-round submission.