FightTicker.com's guest panel is back to predict yet another UFC 87 bout -- this time it's the heavyweight bout between Heath Herring and Brock Lesnar.

The members of the panel are Larry Vollmer of The Journal News, Tom Kim of the Seattle PI, Jared Barnes of the Houston Chronicle, Mark Chalifoux of The Baltimore Sun, Nathan Schafer of WiCombatSports.com and Carlos Arias of the OC Register.

Panel picks

Nathan Schafer (WiCombatSports.com): Brock Lesnar by Unanimous Decision

"It appears that matchmaker Joe Silva is giving Brock Lesnar a tailor-made opponent in Heath Herring who had no answer for the takedowns of Cheik Kongo, a much-improved but still weak wrestler. Lesnar is the UFC's version of Kimbo Slice but as a 2000 national champion wrestler he has the potential to go much further than his EliteXC counterpart. Lesnar is still a big question mark with just over two minutes of ring experience in his career. His striking is abysmal and his submission defense is not where it needs to be. The learning curve is not friendly in the UFC but Lesnar is taking the correct steps to master the sport by hiring Rodrigo Comprido as a BJJ coach.

"Heath Herring is a tough durable veteran who is a survivor and is able to go the distance as evidenced in his last four straight fights against Kongo, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Brad Imes, and Jake O'Brien. Herring's ability to sweep, escape, and reverse opponents leads to some back-and-forth action-filled bouts but I predict that Lesnar is going to have a superb base that will be difficult for Herring to escape. Herring's only way to win will be by a big knee or kick to Lesnar as he lazily shoots in the second or third round. We have no idea what Lesnar's cardio will be, but Herring is so inconsistent that his cardio is just as big a question mark. My opinion is that wrestlers have much better stamina and work ethic than strikers and I'll take a guess and go with Lesnar. I think Herring will be able to weather the storm that Lesnar brings early on and will be tough enough to survive the ground and pound but will lose the decision. My prediction is that Brock Lesnar wins (29-28) in his first real test. "

Larry Vollmer (Inside the Octagon blog): Heath Herring by Submission (armlock) in Round 3

"This is a tough one to call. Brock Lesnar has all the tools to be one of the best heavyweight MMA fighters in the world. The problem is that Brock Lesnar has a humongous ego, and thinks that because he was a great NCAA wrestler 5-10 years ago and a pro wrestling champion, that he should be fighting the upper echelon of MMA talent in the infancy of his mixed martial arts career.

"You would think that Lesnar would scale back a little bit after submitting to a Frank Mir knee bar at UFC 81, but now he finds himself inside the Octagon with Heath Herring.

"Herring is a better heavyweight fighter then Mir, in my opinion. He has been in the ring and the cage with some of the biggest, baddest, and strongest men in the sport. On top of that, he has looked fantastic since he changed camps and is taking his training as seriously as he should have his whole career.

"I have to believe that Lesnar has been training hard. I don't think his desire to win and dedication to training has ever been in question. But he wants to keep fighting the best that the UFC has to offer, and at 250,000 dollars a pop, that is what Dana White is going to give him.

"I believe that this fight will go longer then the Mir fight, but I think the outcome will be quite similar. 'The Texas Crazy Horse' is a threat on the ground and on his feet. I think he will weather the initial storm that Lesnar has to offer, find his rhythm, and eventually catch Lesnar in a submission."

Tom Kim (Ultimate Fan blog): Brock Lesnar by Decision

"This heavyweight match up features the veteran Herring taking on the MMA neophyte Lesnar. The former WWE star received a lot of hype in his UFC debut back in February. While he lost via submission to Frank Mir (as I correctly predicted) Lesnar did show a lot of promise with his combination of top level wrestling and raw strength. Despite being just 30 years old, Herring has seen his fair share of ups and downs, but is most recently coming off a solid decision win over Cheick Kongo. Expect Lesnar to successfully get the takedown early and maintain top position throughout most of the fight. Herring is experienced enough to avoid any major damage or give into a submission, but he doesn't have the skills to finish Lesnar from his back."

Jared Barnes (Brawl Sports blog): Heath Herring by Submission in Round 3

"The deciding factor in this fight is destined to be Lesnar's ability to defend Herring's submission attempts. If Lesnar can keep from being submitted and doesn't get into too much trouble in the stand up, he has a good chance of earning his first victory in the UFC, but if he can't he is likely to be handed his second loss in a row. Lesnar is a guy that's hard to pick against because he's just scary strong and looks like there isn't a man on Earth he couldn't destroy. But this is MMA and how a fighter looks doesn't mean anything."

Mark Chalifoux (MMA Stomping Ground blog): Brock Lesnar by TKO in Round 2

"This is the hardest fight to pick, mainly because we have no idea of what Lesnar is capable. We’ve seen only a few seconds of him against good competition. He has power and should be able to take down Herring at will. Lesnar’s exceptional wrestling doesn’t help Herring as he’s shown problems on the ground against wrestlers worse than Lesnar. Still, Herring is a very experienced fighter who has faced some of the top fighters in the world. He hasn’t beaten any of them, but experience counts for something. Herring isn’t a guy that will go down quickly either -- he’ll last awhile. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Lesnar gassed halfway through the fight as his cardio is another question. He looked fine in 36 seconds, but hopefully we’ll get more this time around. I don’t think Herring is nearly as big an underdog as Vegas makes him, but I’ll give the nod to Lesnar in a second-round TKO."

Carlos Arias (Keep Punching blog): Brock Lesnar by TKO in Round 3

"Heath Herring is an 11-year veteran with 42 pro fights under his belt. He has faced many of the top heavyweights in the world and has a huge edge in experience. Herring is a very good striker, but can he stop Brock Lesnar's shot and keep the fight standing? I don't think so. Lesnar is much more than a former WWE champion. He was a decorated amateur wrestler. He was the 2000 NCAA wrestling champion, a two-time NCAA All-American and a two-time NJCAA All-American. He has only had two MMA fights. He pounded out overmatched Min Soo Kim in 69 seconds in his pro debut. Then he made the jump to the big leagues, going up against former UFC champion Frank Mir at UFC 81 on Feb. 3. Lesnar showed he has tons of potential before getting caught in a kneebar by the crafty Mir. Lesnar remains in the infancy of his pro fighting career, but he has had six more months to train and learn. I believe Lesnar's raw skills will be enough to get past Herring. I'm taking Lesnar by TKO in the third round."

Verdict: Brock Lesnar wins 4-2

(Photo of Brock Lesnar courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)