(Photo via Heavy/FightDay)

6.) Roy Nelson‘s penchant for VADA testing comes back to bite him in the butt.

We feel as if we should clarify this particular prediction by saying we do not believe Roy Nelson will test positive for a banned substance or anything of that sort — at least not until the athletic commissions place a cap on fighter’s triglyceride levels. What lies at the heart of #6 is “Big Country”‘s diatribe against the use of PED’s in his sport and his insistence that anyone who wants to fight one of the best heavyweights in the UFC should subjugate themselves to VADA testing. That is, of course, if they don’t have anything to hide. As if guys didn’t have enough on their plate leading up to the fight, he wants them to undergo even more invasive testing, taking away more time from hitting the mitts or rolling with their sparring partner. That’s asking a lot of an opponent, and much of the UFC heavyweight roster will wonder if fighting Roy is worth the aggravation. Don’t be surprised if Nelson only fights once next year.

7.) Bellator surges past all expectations with Spike TV partnership.

What can we say? Bellator is finally coming home. Spike TV reaches a much wider audience because it’s in more homes and occupies a more favorable spot in the channel lineup than Bellator previously enjoyed with MTV 2. Airing right after the popular TNA Impact! will undoubtedly draw in new fans, as will the forthcoming reality show. CEO Bjorn Rebney will also look to add a hot free agent or two to spice things up for his super fights, which will only fuel their ascent as legitimate competition to the juggernaut that is UFC.

8.) Ariel Helwani finally gets slapped for “gotcha” questions.

What do the following fighters have in common besides the obvious: “Rampage” Jackson, Nick Diaz, Josh Koscheck, Hector Lombard, and Tito Ortiz? These are all men who’ve had beef with the Canadian video reporter for one reason or another. Diaz is the one who infamously said that people like Helwani get slapped where he’s from. It’s one thing to throw a few softballs for every hardball you send sailing, but throwing a spitball when the clear understanding is that there will be no spitballs is just bound to get you cold-cocked. Here’s hoping we’re wrong.

9.) Declining PPV numbers force Zuffa to reduce the number of shows in 2014.

The numbers are in and they’re not exactly promising. Many of you have debated whether or not the UFC is over-saturating the market. Others still haven’t recovered from witnessing Ryan Bader upset Quinton Jackson at UFC 144 back in February, and haven’t really noticed much of anything other than their old PRIDE tapes. It’s funny how watching old fights can take us back to a time when everything made sense, you know, like not having back-to-back fight cards or double-booking a Saturday in two different countries. Money talks, so when average Joe hits up @DanaWhite on Twitter to say he’d spend more money buying a bunch of stacked PPVs as opposed to waiting for a really good one every now and then, the Zuffa brass will listen.

10.) Former CagePotato pen-monkeys Ben Fowlkes and Chad Dundas have their Co-Main Event Podcast syndicated nationally and outdraw Jim Rome in the first 90 days.

Listen to any episode and you’ll not need any further evidence that we’re right on the money with this prediction.

Honorable Mention: 2013 will be the first time in years that CagePotato.com doesn’t do, say, publish, or imply anything that will evoke the wrath of Dana White putting us higher atop his black list.

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