The MMA Daily

For the 6th consecutive week, the UFC is back with a PPV card in Edmonton, Canada. Headlining the event, is a Featherweight title fight between Champion Max Holloway and challenger Frankie Edgar. After several booking, the fight that many have wanted to see is finally coming to fruition. Can Frankie Edgar capture gold again, or will Max Holloway defend his title for the third time?

*Predictions were meant to be published at 4pm eastern, but weren’t for whatever reason*

UFC 240 Main Card On ESPN+ PPV (10 p.m. ET):

145 lbs.: UFC Featherweight champion Max Holloway vs. Frankie Edgar – The road to this fight has been long. Several cancellations have delayed this inevitable fight, which all but seems likely to be a five round battle. Now, I’m not saying it’s unlikely that Edgar wins because he’s one of the very best to do it. However, his age and disadvantages coming into this fight are apparent. Holloway is the bigger man, with a reach that’s going to keep Edgar at bay. Holloway is extremely durable, as we saw against Dustin Poirier. So don’t expect Edgar to win via knockout. Holloway has ridiculous cardio, pace and volume, so what exactly is Edgar going to do that edges him in this fight? Wrestle? Perhaps, but Holloway has solid takedown defense. I guess what I’m trying to say is, Holloway takes this via late TKO.

145 lbs.: Cris Cyborg vs. Felicia Spencer – I like Spencer, but this is a far leap in skill set. Cyborg is on another level, in fact another planet when talking about this fight. I expect the form P4P queen to make quick work of the undefeated Canadian. So with that, I have Cyborg winning via knockout.

170 lbs.: Geoff Neal vs. Niko Price – This fight is pure fireworks. Price is a kill or be killed fighter, who is wild and aggressive in his pursuit to absolutely knock your head off. Neal is a calculated killer, who’s got legit power and excellent takedown defense to keep the fight standing. The one facet I really love about his arsenal is that he will go upstairs with head kick with authority. In a fight that’s going to be chaotic, I want the calculated powerhouse. So with that, I have Neal winning via knockout.

155 lbs.: Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Arman Tsarukyan – How raw of a deal is Tsarukyan getting? A debut against Islam Makhachev and then, an enemy territory bout against OAM? That’s pretty piss poor for a talented fighter that’s being feed to wolves way to soon. OAM is seasoned and energized fighting in his home country. He’s also an excellent grappler, who’s striking is really improving. So with that, I have OAM winning via decision.

185 lbs.: Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Krzysztof Jotko – This main card isn’t exactly the best I’ve seen, especially if this is the fight that is starting up the PPV. No offense. As for a prediction, I’m going with Jotko. As long as he can avoid the power shots of Barriault, he should be able to win based off his volume striking. So with that, I have Jotko winning via decision.

UFC 240 ‘Prelims’ Undercard On ESPN (8 p.m. ET):

125 lbs.: Viviane Araujo vs. Alexis Davis – I feel like Davis is on the back nine. She’s tough as nails, but just too slow. Araujo is a young lioness who’s going to swallow up the veteran and take her spot in the rankings. So with that, I have Araujo winning via decision.

145 lbs.: Hakeem Dawodu vs. Yoshinori Horie – Who is this poor soul that’s about to be to be snatched by Dawodu? Honestly, I see this is a coming out party for a special talent. So with that, I have Dawodu winning via knockout

145 lbs.: Seungwoo Choi vs. Gavin Tucker – Not sure who Choi is, but I’ll go with Tucker who’s got good speed and power. Now if he was a bit taller, he’d be a formidable threat at Featherweight. Anyways, I’ll go Tucker via decision.

125 lbs.: Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Alexandre Pantoja – I like Figueiredo, but he oddly got neutralized on the feet by a grappler in Jussier Formiga. That’s concerning, especially for a guy who was starching people on his rise up the ranks. As for Pantoja, he is on a nice little three-fight win streak. The last two fights, he won both via first round finishes. Pantoja has the striking, grappling and pace to do exactly what Formiga did to Figueiredo. So with that, I have Pantoja via decision.

UFC 240 ‘Prelims’ Undercard On UFC Fight Pass (7 p.m. ET):

125 lbs.: Sarah Frota vs. Gillian Robertson – Frota is huge for the weight class and she looked good in her recent fight. However, I love Robertson’s aggressive sub hunting. I am a little concerned that Frota’s size stifles Robertson from getting this to the mat, but at the same time her takedown defense is what failed her against Livinha Souza.

170 lbs.: Erik Koch vs. Kyle Stewart – Toss up, but going with the veteran Koch. He desperately needs a win. So with that, I got Koch winning via decision.