Sean Strickland – Decision (The Russian Sniper lives up to his name as an accurate counter-striker, but he can be overwhelmed under pressure as he struggles to find pockets of space in which to operate. Part of the issue is Imavov’s refusal to sit into his shots – an area that he may consider flipping against an opponent who will happily walk himself into the firing line. Frustration defines Strickland’s return to the octagon since the motorcycle accident, choosing to ignore the success of his past wrestling performances. Shooting just once (and, successfully) against Jared Cannonier last time out, it’s better to come to terms that Strickland is not going to deviate from his high-pressure, jab-heavy approach)
Damon Jackson – Decision (At his heart, 50K is a fighter who loves a scrap but ultimately lacks the length or pop in his hands to battle with the top dogs. His underrated grappling is an avenue that requires more focus, yet is often relegated to solely defensive purposes. On the one hand, Jackson’s aggressive pursuit of submissions will struggle to overwhelm Ige. On the other, Jackson’s development on the feet (especially his control of range) could see him stealing rounds off an opponent who prefers to fight in bursts)
Punahele Soriano – TKO Round 1 (Soriano carries venomous power and has a penchant for finding early finishes, yet his lacklustre TDD saw him drop a very worrying loss to Nick Maximov. Kopylov has shown barely any intent to take fights to the mat during his UFC stint, however. Rather, Kopylov will be looking to rely upon his chin to survive early exchanges. As seen against Alessio Di Chirico, Kopylov’s deep gas tank can punish fighters down the stretch)
Ketlen Vieira – Decision (Pennington’s voluminous striking and grinding clinch game continues to find the same success it did more than a decade ago. Collecting a 4-win streak since dropping a UD to Holly Holm in 2020, Pennington has decent grounds for a title shot based on her longevity alone. Unfortunately, since being slept by Irene Aldana in 2019, Vieira has focused more-so on her wrestling base and has reaped the rewards. Pennington’s fading athleticism has highlighted holes in her TDD that Vieira has to exploit)
Umar Nurmagomedov – Decision (Barcelos remains a nuisance on the mat to control and an explosive threat on the feet, but he struggled with the pace set by Timur Valiev and Victor Henry. Umar Nurmagomedov may have a dangerous hype train behind him, but it is no surprise considering the nature of his wins in the octagon. The Dagestani may have snapped his 3-fight rear-naked choke streak last time out, but it came at the expense of eating just two significant shots while landing 74 of his own against Nate Maness. Without any easily identifiable chinks in Umar’s armour, the fight stinks of a close affair with Umar’s activity pipping Barcelos)
Abdul Razak Alhassan – TKO Round 1 (Deep into his career twilight, Alhassan is finding it increasingly difficult to set up his one-shot knockout power. The 37-year-old has spent his entire career reaping the rewards of his natural gifts, yet he lacks the tools to trap wilier opponents into eating his renowned power. Thankfully, Ribeiro is a similar mould of power puncher without the greatest fundamentals. Even with Ribeiro entering the UFC on a six-fight stoppage streak, it is difficult to overlook Alhassan in an early 50/50 exchange)
Mateusz Rebecki – Submission Round 2 (A relatively strange match-up, even by the UFC’s standards. Fiore is undefeated in the professional ranks and holds just one loss in the amateurs, yet the 25-year-old has never faced a meaningful test. Two of Fiore’s wins came against Jay Ellis, a fighter with a record of 15-91 and then 15-98 in the rematch. Meanwhile, former FEN Lightweight champion, Mateusz Rebecki has spent most of his career fighting solid competition across European promotions. As Fiore’s best comes on the mat, it’s difficult to see the American owning the tools to catch Rebecki by surprise)
Javid Basharat – Decision (Someone’s ‘0’ has to go! Brazilian debutant, Mateus Mendonca appears to be an athletic specimen with a high ceiling considering his spritely 23 years of age. Yet, Basharat represents quite the step-up in competition for such a green fighter. Better known as McGregor 2.0 for his long, bladed stance, Basharat lacks the electrifying persona or one-shot power, but he still represents a technically polished striker with a knack for nabbing rounds)
Allan Nascimento – Decision (Hernandez is a tactical striker but he lacks the tools to stamp his mark on rounds. Nascimento is a massive physical threat at Flyweight, with his hulking physique papering over some of the deficiencies in his game. It’s difficult to see Hernandez handling the Brazilian’s lay-and-pray game that is designed perfectly for the weight bully)
Daniel Argueta – Decision (Former LFA Bantamweight champion, Daniel Argueta, was manhandled by Damon Jackson over three rounds. Argueta struggled to keep himself standing, sacrificing over ten minutes of control time, but his heart and grit were undeniable in surviving Jackson’s aggressive submissions. Still, Nick Aguirre faces his first test at a decent level and his wrestling base is unlikely to find the same level of success as Jackson)
Charles Johnson – Decision (Johnson is a more consistent, well-rounded fighter who is capable of punishing any high-risk bursts from Flick. The American was lucky to get the nod against Zhalgas Zhumagulov, but he still showed his resilience and emphatic pace on the feet. Flick is a gutsy Flyweight with huge technical holes littered across his game, but damn if he isn’t a fun submission artist to watch)
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