The MMA Daily

UFC Vegas 47 Main Card On ESPN+ (7 p.m. ET):

185 lbs.: Jack Hermansson vs. Sean Strickland – This is an excellent main event and one that features two legitimate contenders. However, I believe this is Sean Strickland’s fight to lose. As outspoken as he may be, the man is an excellent fighter. Currently riding a five-fight win streak, Strickland brings forth a well rounded game and a real tenacity to fighting. Having taken out Uriah Hall, Krzysztof Jotko and Brendan Allen, I believe he is more than ready for Jack Hermansson. A solid fighter in his own right, with dangerous submissions and technical striking. While Hermansson has shown holes in his armor, more often than not, he is fairly durable. And it’s that reason, while I do believe this goes five, but with Strickland as the victor.

185 lbs.: Nick Maximov vs. Punahele Soriano – This is a true test to see if Nick Maximov is truly UFC caliber. While his debut featured a more favorable fight, this fight is not favorable at all. I for one, don’t see this going well. In fact, I believe Punahele Soriano will knock him down a few times, eventually winning via TKO.

170 lbs.: Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Carlston Harris – As much as I like Carlston Harris and he always seems to be an underdog, Shavkat Rakhmonov is the future. He’s strong, has good size and is a technical offensive juggernaut. I think we could see a scare or two by Harris, but this is going to be the Rakhmonov show. So with that said, I predict Rakhmonov wins via TKO.

185 lbs.: Bryan Battle vs. Tresean Gore – This should be a fun fight and I’m interested to see Tresean Gore in his UFC debut. With excellent athleticism and power, Gore looks the part. However, he lacks experience and is very green. Meanwhile, Battle already has a UFC fight under his belt and while I thought he looked iffy in his debut, ultimately he got the job done via submission. In this particular fight, Battle can’t start the way he did in his debut. If he does, he will get flatlined. As for a prediction, given the lack of experience and the knockout power being more or less Gore’s only route to victory, I’m siding with Battle to win via decision.

145 lbs.: Julian Erosa vs. Steven Peterson – While Steven Peterson has won two straight, his failed weight cuts and odd fight against Chase Hooper are imprinted in my mind. And while Julian Erosa has his faults, mainly durability concerns, he’s a dangerous fighter that is going to give Peterson fits throughout the fight. In fact, initially I thought Erosa via decision, but now I’m leaning towards a submission victory because Peterson has had a knack of getting into disadvantageous positions.

205 lbs.: Sam Alvey vs. Brendan Allen – Sam Alvey hasn’t won since June of 2018. He has lost six straight, including via knockout to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. I don’t see a fight against Brendan Allen, who despite his most recent loss, is practically a top twenty Middleweight. So with that said, I predict Brendan Allen will win via decision.

UFC Vegas 47 ‘Prelims’ Undercard On ESPN+: (4 p.m. ET):

135 lbs.: John Castaneda vs. Miles Johns – Obviously anything can happen in a fight, but I don’t believe that beating Eddie Wineland at this stage does much for me.
That or losing three of your last five fights. So with that said, give me Miles John to win via decision.

145 lbs.: Hakeem Dawodu vs. Mike Trizano – This is a fun fight and one that should be competitive throughout. For what it’s worth, Mike Trizano is better fighter than given credit for. While Trizano may have controversially edged out Ludovit Klein, he did an excellent job not staying grounded when taken down and sticking with Klein on the feet. Luckily for Trizano, he won’t have to worry about being taken down, as Hakeem Dawodu is a pure striker. An excellent one at that, who when able to strictly strike in a fight, is as dangerous as it gets. And given that notion and the fact that I don’t believe we see much grappling, it’s Dawodu’s striking that I believe carries him to a decision victory.

185 lbs.: Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Chidi Njokuani – This is going to be a chess match on the feet, as you have two strikers who seldomly look to take the fight to the ground. While I do believe Chidi Njokuani is the more dynamic of the two, Marc-Andre Barriault is the more active striker, landing nearly 6 significant strikers per minute. Something that may sway the judges on his side. However, I feel like Njokuani will land the flashier and more impactful strikes. Which in turn leans me to believing he will win via split decision.

170 lbs.: Jason Witt vs. Philip Rowe – I must admit, Jason Witt has fared much better than I thought he would in the UFC. With two wins inside the octagon and a recent upset victory over Bryan Barberena, Witt has some momentum coming into this fight. However, I believe that momemetum gets halted here. While Witt is a takedown machine and has a clear route to victory, his chin and inability to comfortable strike, is a red flag in every fight. With Rowe packing legitimate power, I see one clean exchange ending this fight. So with that said, I predict Rowe will win via TKO.

135 lbs.: Alexis Davis vs. Julija Stoliarenko – This fight comes down to Alexis Davis’ submission defense, as Julija Stoliarenko is a submission specialist. However, in two fights in the UFC, she has been neutralized and controlled. Given Davis has only been submitted once in her thirty-one professional fights, I don’t think this bodes well for the third time being the the char for Stoliarenko. In fact, I believe Davis takes her down and controls her for more than half of the fight, cruising to a decision victory.

205 lbs.: Jailton Almeida vs. Danilo Marques – I’ve never been high on Danilo Marques, but I’ll admit, his success has surprised me. However, his game involves taking opponents down, holding top control and searching for a submission. Against someone like Jailton Almeida, who is an expert on the mat, that might be a dangerous game to play. While both aren’t much on the feet, it’s the cardio of Almeida and lack thereof by Marques that is going to change the complexation of this fight. By round three, if it gets there, Marques is going to be gassed and prime to be finished. In fact, that’s my prediction, Almeida wins via submission.

125 lbs.: Malcolm Gordon vs. Denys Bondar – Despite the odds and the fact that Denys Bondar enters this fight on a ten-fight win streak, I’m siding with Malcolm Gordon here. It’s not that I’m super confident in Gordon, more than I’m not impressed by Bondar. Yet to face anyone relevant during this ten-fight win streak, Bondar has beaten opponents who are a combined 56-38. Of those ten opponents, only two had more than ten fights and six of them had four or less wins. Gordon may not be the best and his durability is very questionable, but he’s already fought three times in the UFC and for that, I edge his experience in this one. So with that said, I predict that Gordon wins via submission.