Rafael dos Anjos – Decision / SUB Round 4-5 (Insanely fast on the outside and in the pocket, Rafael Fiziev manages to balance offence and defence expertly. In a tit-for-tat match with his former sparring partner, Brad Riddell, Fiziev was constantly first to the punch (or kicK). While Dos Anjos owns a stellar chin, it would be unwise for the thirty-seven-year-old to contemplate anything other than an early grappling-centric approach. The major concern resides with Fiziev’s questionable gas tank. Bobby Green ate a fair bit of punishment, but he also slipped and rolled with several of Fiziev’s explosive shots. By the mid-point, there was a clear dropoff in output for the Kyrgyzstani. Over five rounds against a consistent pressure fighter in RDA, Fiziev is certain to struggle with the pace by the championship rounds)
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Caio Borralho – Decision (Petrosyan showed decent TDD and effective scrambles against Gregory Rodrigues last time out. The Armenian also possesses natural power and an entertaining array of knockout shots that will ensure it is a tasty affair early. Borralho is a consistent, methodical grappler, however. There is a high chance that Borralho finds Petrosyan’s back and rides out the later rounds)
Said Nurmagomedov – TKO Round 3 (Said Nurmagomedov is an electric striker with a ferocious bag of kicks. Said’s control of range is exceptional, an area that Silva de Andrade regularly struggles with. While the Brazilian will remain an explosive threat throughout, it’s unlikely that he will be able to lull Said into his third highlight reel KO in a row. Without consistent cage-cutting to drag the fight on to the inside, this may well be the breakout performance that pushes Said into bigger fights)
David Onama – TKO Round 1 (A rematch of an amateur match-up in the KC Fighting Alliance 27, in which David Onama secured a unanimous decision. It’s unlikely that Armfield will be able to counter in volume as he did in their first affair. Three years on, Onama is a far more refined striker and will finish Armfield if he hurts his former dance partner early)
Jamie Mullarkey – TKO Round 3 (Johnson still possesses blistering hand speed, but his defensive awareness appears to have degraded further. Mullarkey is happy to trade 50/50, but once the Australian has been tagged enough times, he will shoot. If the fight hits the mat, it could be a classic Michael Johnson capitulation. As the Aussie has shown exceptional recovery over his career, and Johnson often finds a perfect way to lose, Mullarkey has to be considered the safer back)
Jared Vanderaa – TKO Round 2 / SUB Round 2 (Vanderaa is far worse in every department when compared to Sherman apart from mental fortitude. Sherman is a broken husk of a fighter while Vanderaa is consistently durable. As long as the thirty-year-old continues to plod forward and press an uncomfortable pace, he will eventually break Sherman’s waning confidence)
Ricky Turcios – Decision (Turcios is a terrible decision-maker, but his fluid adaptive skillset often makes him a difficult opponent to game plan against. Turcios will be more than happy if he can drag Zahabi into punch-for-punch trades and ensure he can draw on his gas tank to pull away late. Add in Turcios’ high-octane grappling and Zahabi’s real flaws emerge)
Nina Nunes – Decision (Calvillo can be dragged into a war on the feet and will ignore her strong grappling base. Nunes has always suffered on the mat and it just so happens that the UFC has chucked her in with two of the best on the mat. If Calvillo pursues aims to grapple, this could be interesting. Recent fights indicate that Calvillo is adamant about striking her way back to form, allowing Nunes’ pressure and volume to claim rounds on the scorecards)
Antonina Shevchenko – Decision (Far too happy to work off her back, an image emerges of Antonina dominating from top position while Casey fruitlessly searches for an armbar. Casey has never set about refining her striking from range, allowing Antonina’s technical prowess to shine on the night. Casey does push a hard pace and may be rewarded on the scorecards for it, yet it feels like Cast Iron will have no answer to the lesser Shevchenko’s takedowns)
Tresean Gore – TKO Round 3 (Owing to Gore making fewer mistakes, Mr Vicious has shown enough ability to keep himself standing against Brundage’s early takedown attempts. Both men are prone to tiring, but Gore’s dynamite hands, combined with Brundage’s total lack of striking defence, is a deadly combination)
Kennedy Nzechukwu – TKO Round 2 (A jack of all trades, Roberson’s functioning kickboxing is unlikely to offer much against far more physically imposing 205lbers. Grappling likely has to be the central focus of Baby K’s game, yet Roberson has never been a relentless (or massively successful) wrestler. Nzechukwu’s issues are all mental, unwilling to open up in the face of incoming damage. Against one of the smaller Light Heavyweights, the Nigerian’s power will make a difference)
Ronnie Lawrence – Decision (This has all the trimmings of an entertaining bout. Lawrence’s boxing still lacks many fundamentals, but the American’s slick array of kicks is usually enough of a threat. A pressure wrestling base may well break Saidyokub Kakhrahmonov considering Trevin Jones controlled the Uzbeki prospect has been outwrestled in the past. Lawrence can take a pasting on his way to the takedown, however)
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