Cory Sandhagen – Decision (Kung Fu Kid is a fantastically well-rounded fighter, but there haven’t been many signs that he will be able to stamp his identity against an elite operator. Song prefers to plant his feet and sit into his combinations, offering ample opportunity for Sandhagen to escape laterally. Even with Song’s newfound power, it is difficult to look past Sandhagen’s masterful striking clinic against the heavier-handed, John Linekar. One area of concern is Sandhagen’s pedestrian pace at times. There is a possibility that Song can out-gun Sandhagen in trades, pushing a far higher volume than the American is capable of. Still, with Song’s wrestling unlikely to factor much into the equation, Sandhagen’s constant adaptations on the feet have to be favoured over the five rounds)
Gregory Rodrigues – Submission Round 2 (A fantastic wrestler, Njokuani will struggle massively if Robocop shoots for the hips. Interestingly for fans, the Brazilian has regularly matched his opponent’s preferred fight during his time at the UFC. Although Njokuani carries frightening power, much of the fight rests upon whether Bang Bang can slip and find the perfect one-shot counter. Backing Robocop’s short, intelligent combinations to keep Njokuani on the back foot before finding the finish on the mat)
Andre Fili – Decision (Can Bill Algeo handle himself at range against Fili? Algeo looks to wade into the pocket and create chaos up-close. This very well could be three rounds of Fili jabbing the head of Senor Perfecto. Add in Fili’s solid TDD against top UFC names, Algeo could find himself in bad positions if he falls into panic wrestling. Still, Fili is coming off of a shocking 45-second icing to Joanderson Brito which may carry over some mental hangover)
Joseph Pyfer – Submission Round 1 (Amedovski carries heavy hands but doesn’t use them particularly wisely, whilst there are huge holes in his defensive wrestling. Pyfer’s powerful wrestling base offers a direct route to victory, but we could also see the American opt to replicate his crushing DWCS KO. A fun introduction, regardless, for an interesting Middleweight prospect)
Tanner Boser – Decision (Nascimento is unlikely to be put away early, but the Brazilian’s immobility plays into Boser’s fleet feet and darting combinations. This is Heavyweight, however, and it will only take one of Nascimento’s trademark right-hook counters to change momentum. Add in the Brazilian’s sneakily diverse submission arsenal, and the safety of backing Boser lies on shaky ground)
Anthony Hernandez – Decision (Njokuani-aside, Barriault is an unbreakable brute who comes on strong late by virtue of grit. Hernandez tends to lose against stronger grapplers, an area that Barraiult has succeeded in the past but against humble opposition. Hernandez’s aggression creates regular opportunities in an ugly affair that Barriault likely lacks the fundamentals to punish Hernandez)
Pat Sabatini – Decision (A banging featured prelim between two ‘experienced prospects’. Jackson is a scary submission threat anywhere on the mat, but Sabatini is all about control. This creates the scenario where Jackson cannot be written off at any point, but Sabatini is willing to swallow crowd boos to snatch rounds. On the feet, Jackson’s size and aggression will overawe Sabatini, but it’s unlikely either opts to stand up for long)
Louis Cosce – Decision (Cosce is a competent striker, certainly smart enough to take apart a stationary Giles, alongside owning solid wrestling chops. There is still the terrible black mark of a Sasha Palatnikov loss on his record, however. How much has Cosce improved over the last couple of years on the sidelines – has his conditioning/decision-making improved? If even a smidge improvement, it’s hard to back the Welterweight-version of Giles)
Loma Lookboonmee – Decision (Gomes pumped out a huge volume on the DWCS, yet there is a scrappiness to the striking that can only be ironed out with minutes in the octagon. Without the size to bully Lookboonmee, or the wrestling quality to threaten takedowns, this could be a long night at the office)
Daniel Zellhuber – Decision (Aggression, varied striking and a lethal finisher – dynamism underlines every area of Zellhuber’s game. There need to be several defensive layers added to the Mexican’s striking, but he is young and extremely durable. Meanwhile, Ogden was unable to crack Leavitt on the feet)
Mariya Agapova – TKO Round 1 (The Canadian will struggle to handle Agapova’s ferocious early aggression but has long proven her ability to dig deep and find hail marys late into fights. It usually tends to be a submission off her back, however, and it is certainly an area that Agapova is insane enough to chase. A tough call to back one of the least consistent fighters in the organisation, but hey ho)
Tony Gravely – Decision (One worry is Gravely’s recent love affair with his hands. Basharat’s ability to strike on the move will leave Gravely chasing the fight. If Gravely accepts he needs to wrestle, he can chain-takedowns together and target Basharat’s well-extended lead leg. Still, Gravely does stick his head in awful positions – an area that even Basharat could exploit)
Nikolas Motta – TKO Round 1 (As seen against Miller, VanCamp has to focus on weaving in leg kicks. Despite all the flaws in his striking, VanCamp is a big physical unit and capable of landing firepower. Once he lands, however, VanCamp tends to unravel in pursuit of pushing his advantage again. Against Motta’s permanently planted feet, VanCamp will walk onto a brutal
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