The MMA Daily

Tyson Pedro vs. Harry Hunsucker Prediction

August 18, 2022

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A fight likely not to see the scorecards comes in the Light Heavyweight division, as Tyson Pedro takes on Harry Hunsucker. Coming in as the biggest favorite on the card, Pedro will look to make it 2-0 in 2022. Having successfully returned to the octagon with a first round stoppage victory over Ike Villanueva after an over three year layoff, Pedro enters this fight with a little less rust to shake off. Meanwhile, Hunsucker comes into this fight seeking his first UFC victory. Hoping the third time is the charm, Hunsucker is going to need to find it within him to come out on top. Otherwise, his tenure in the UFC could at an end.

A fight bound to end early, I’m going with Pedro. While no shock, considering his staggering odds, this fight seems as set-up for the Australian to win as his return fight against Ike Villanueva was. The cherry on top in this whole scenario would be if Pedro were to face Chase Sherman next. Nevertheless, and as it pertains to this fight, Hunsucker is a wild card. Having never seen round two, yet alone the four minute mark in round one in twelve professional fights, the American clearly isn’t looking for a long night at the office. Spending only two minutes and forty-three seconds in two fights inside the octagon, as well as absorbing 6.99 significant strikes per minute, Hunsucker simply lacks the durability needed at this level. With that said, I predict that Pedro wins this fight via TKO.
Marcin Tybura vs. Alexandr Romanov Prediction

August 18, 2022

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We have a pivotal fight in the Heavyweight division, as Marcin Tybura takes on Alexandr Romanov. Seeing a five-fight win streak come to an end in a recent defeat to Alexander Volkov, Tybura returns to the octagon looking to bounce back. Ranked eleventh in the Heavyweight division, Tybura is still well positioned to make a run. With a victory, he should find himself among the top ten. Meanwhile, Romanov will look to continue his accession up the Heavyweight division. Undefeated and having stopped four of his five UFC foes, Romanov will finally dip his toes in this ranked matchup.

Despite Romanov being undefeated and the odds indicating he should walk all over Tybura, I’m not as certain that will be the case. Romanov is definitely an exceptional talent, but this is by far his toughest test since joining the UFC in 2020. In fact, Romanov’s five opponents have combined for an 15-24 UFC record. Even worse, the last two opponents in Chase Sherman and Jared Vanderaa are a combined 5-14 in the UFC. Again though, Romanov is very skilled and is bound to be a contender. I just believe that Tybura is a live dog. With excellent takedown defense and evolving wrestling to go along with his already potent striking abilities, Tybura is on paper a tall task for Romanov. A fighter who, while well rounded, has mainly resorted to taking foes down and battering them via ground-and-pound. Considering Tybura hasn’t been taken down in his past eight fights, and has only has succumbed to a takedown in three of his fourteen UFC fights, I’d say Romanov is going to either struggle to get this fight to the mat or wear himself out over the course of the fight doing such. In the end, Romanov may win alone on control time against the cage. However, I’m willing to go on a whim and predict that Tybura wins via decision by creating separation and landing the more impactful strikes throughout the fight.
Jared Gordon vs. Leonardo Santos Prediction

August 18, 2022

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An exciting battle takes place in the Lightweight division, as Jared Gordon takes on Leonardo Santos. Coming off a submission defeat to Grant Dawson, which halted a three-fight win streak, Gordon will look to rebound. With wins in four of the last six, with one of the losses being to the current Champion Charles Oliveira, Gordon heads into this bout with a chance to re-position himself among the top Lightweights. Meanwhile, Santos returns to the octagon for the first time in 2022. Hoping to end a two-fight losing streak, the Brazilian heads into this fight with his back against the wall. At 42 years old, this fight could decide Santos’ career moving forward.

Once unbeaten in his first eight fights, which spanned over seven years due to injuries, Santos finds himself in a rare losing streak. With father time having caught up, the Brazilian has seen his skills regress. No longer a threat over the course of the fight, Santos has about a round of cardio before running on fumes. Having been stopped in back-to-back fights, it’s become hard to trust the Brazilian. Which is why I’m siding with Gordon. A well rounded fighter, Gordon can be best described as a workhorse. Known for his excellent cardio and heavy pace, Gordon looks to wear down foes over the course of fifteen minutes. Against Santos, Gordon has the upper-hand should this fight go past the opening round. A big if though, and legitimate concern, as Gordon has been stopped twice in his five losses (all via stoppage) in round one. Also, Gordon’s takedown defense is not great. However, I trust Gordon at this stage to survive round one, than Santos have the cardio to fight past a round. With that said, I predict that Gordon will in via TKO.
Lucie Pudilova vs. Wu Yanan Prediction

August 17, 2022

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We have an intriguing fight in the Women’s Bantamweight division, as Lucie Pudilova takes on Wu Yanan. Returning to the UFC after being cut back in 2020, Pudilova will hope for better fortunes in her second stint. Going 5-1 (with 1 amateur loss too) since being released, with two straight wins, the fire seems to be back in the Czech. Meanwhile, Yanan has had a tough UFC tenure thus far. Going 1-4 in five fights with the promotion, and currently on a three fight losing streak, Yanan urgently needs to win. Otherwise, her time with the UFC is most likely over.

An under the radar fight, expect both strikers to put on a show. While Pudilova looked to be a future talent in the UFC, she hit a wall against tougher competition. With renewed confidence and more experience, perhaps Pudilova has a better stint this time around. However, I’m siding with Yanan in this fight. Obviously Yanan is in a tailspin, but with her back against the wall, I believe she puts forth her best performance to date. Backed by excellent cardio and durability, Yanan is never one to relent over the course of fifteen minutes. With solid volume on the feet and the ability to mix in a takedown, I believe she has what it takes to end this skid. In the end, I expect this fight to be close, but Yanan coming out the victor via decision
Sean Woodson vs. Luis Saldana Prediction

August 17, 2022

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We have a scrap in the Featherweight division, as Sean Woodson takes on Luis Saldana. Since dropping his first professional fight back in 2020, Woodson has rattled off two-straight. The most recent fight being impressive, as Woodson took care of Collin Anglin via strikes in round one. The victory would be Woodson’s third inside the octagon. Meanwhile, Saldana comes into this fight off a victory over Bruno Souza. The victory was Saldana’s second in the UFC, and sixth in the last seven.

Bound to be an exciting clash, I’m going to side with the sizable dog in Saldana. While I believe that Woodson is a special talent on the feet, especially considering his output and enormous 6’2 frame at Featherweight, styles make fights. Saldana is mainly a striker, who is dynamic and has made strides in his output and cardio. The strength of Saldana though on the feet, and it’s why I like him in this fight, is his arsenal of leg kicks. Averaging a tick over 18 significant leg strikes a fight, Saldana does an excellent job mixing up the location of his attacks. Against a tall, but skinny framed Woodson, I could see Saldana land some debilitating shots to the body and legs over the course of the fight. Showing some evolution with his wrestling too, perhaps a takedown or two could be in store. All in all, I believe this is a much closer fight than the odds indicate and I believe Saldana has the skills to defeat Woodson via decision.
Miranda Maverick vs. Shanna Young Prediction

August 17, 2022

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The spotlight is on the lone Women’s Flyweight fight on the card, as Miranda Maverick takes on Shanna Young in a rematch. Coming off an impressive submission victory over Sabina Mazo, Maverick ended a two-fight skid. Looking to re-ascend in the Flyweight totem, Maverick must first get by a young upstart. Meanwhile, Young comes into this fight off her first UFC victory. An excellent one at that, as Young stopped Gina Mazany via strikes. Previous to the win, Young had dropped two straight.

If anything is certain, the UFC hasn’t done Young any favors since she joined the promotion in 2020. Coming off her first UFC victory, she is tasked with fighting a former top fifteen ranked fighter in Maverick. A fighter whom she clashed with in Invicta FC’s one-night tournament back in 2019. While the fight was deemed an exhibition due to the commission only allowing a strict allotment of rounds for a fighter due to the nature of the tournament, Maverick wound up needing less than a round to put away Young via submission. Obviously this is a great opportunity for Young to get one back and catapult herself up the division. However, given Young, outside of Gina Mazany, has struggled against wrestlers, I can’t see how she is going to keep this fight upright long enough to sway the judges. Especially considering Young has been taken down in all three of her UFC fights, and Maverick has landed eight takedowns at 61% accuracy over the past four fights. With that said, I predict that Maverick will win once again via submission.
AJ Fletcher vs. Ange Loosa Prediction

August 16, 2022

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We have a intriguing battle in the Welterweight division, as AJ Fletcher takes on Ange Loosa. Coming off his first professional loss in his UFC debut, Fletcher will attempt to rebound in short order. The debut itself wasn’t all that bad though, as Fletcher looked sharp early. However, as the fight waned, Fletcher found himself fighting from his back in the last two rounds. Meanwhile, Loosa too is coming off a defeat in his octagon debut. Competitive, but unable to match opponent Mounir Lazzez’s output, Loosa fell defeat via decision. The loss was Loosa’s third in the past five fights.

The good aspect of this fight, is that someone is likely to capture their first UFC victory. In my opinion, that man will be Loosa. Carrying a seven-inch reach advantage, I believe Loosa will be able to keep range of Fletcher’s heavy hands and good kicks. With excellent output and power at his disposal, as well as an iron chin, Loosa is problematic for anyone on the feet. The only concern is Fletcher’s wrestling, which has proven to be effective against virtually everyone he has faced. However, Loosa too has some wrestling chops and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him being in top control at some point. Backed by solid cardio, I believe Loosa should be fresher man in the later rounds. Which could be key in what I believe will be a competitive fight. With that said, I predict Loosa will win via decision.
Amir Albazi vs Francisco Figueiredo Prediction

August 16, 2022

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We have a showdown in the Flyweight division, as Amir Albazi takes on Francisco Figueiredo. Returning to the octagon after an eighteen month layoff, Albazi will look to build off a three-fight win streak. Still ranked eleventh, with a victory, Albazi could very well find himself inside the top ten. Meanwhile, Figueiredo comes into this fight off an impressive kneebar submission over Daniel da Silva. The victory was his second inside the octagon, and first via stoppage. With an opportunity against a ranked opponent, Figueiredo would join his brother among the top fifteen in the division.

As impressive as Figueiredo was in his recent fight, I’m not yet on board with the Brazilian. While his grappling and submission abilities are excellent, his striking and cardio are less to be desired. Against a well rounded fighter, who is solid on the mat too, I don’t believe Figueiredo can strike lightning in this match-up. Instead, I expect Albazi to thwart off Figueiredo’s would-be attempts to get this fight to the ground. In doing such, a tired Figueiredo will be more susceptible to getting tagged and eventually finished. With that said, I predict Albazi to make a triumphant return to the octagon, winning via TKO.
Aoriqileng vs. Jay Perrin Prediction

August 16, 2022

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We have an exciting scrap in the Bantamweight division, as Aoriqileng takes on Jay Perrin. Coming off a sensational performance over Cameron Else, in which snapped a two-fight skid, Aoriqileng looks to make it two straight. Returning to Bantamweight, a division in which he is 13-6 in, Aoriqileng has an opportunity to generate some buzz with another victory. Meanwhile, Perrin returns to the octagon after an unsuccessful UFC debut. Admirable in the fight, especially considering he jumped in on short notice, we should see the best version of Perrin on Saturday.

Despite the odds leaning towards Aoriqileng, I’m going with the underdog in Perrin. As impressive as Aoriqileng looked in his recent victory, he’s had issues with wrestlers. In the defeat against Cody Durden, Aoriqileng was taken down five times and controlled for over five and a half minutes. Perrin, a wrestler with solid cardio, will look to follow that blueprint. Having a full training camp this time around too, I expect Perrin to be fresh throughout the fight. While Aoriqileng certainly has the edge on the feet, Perrin’s takedowns and feints will force Aoriqileng to drop his hands and allow the American to land some clean shots on the feet. I don’t foresee anything impactful, but useful shots to sway the judges. In what could be a close fight, give me Perrin’s wrestling to help him score UFC victory number one via decision.
Victor Altamirano vs. Daniel da Silva Prediction

August 15, 2022

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The curtain jerker comes in the Flyweight division, as Victor Altamirano takes on Daniel da Silva. Coming off an unsuccessful UFC debut, Altamirano will look for better results in his second appearance. A former LFA Champion, Altamirano had won four straight prior to the defeat. Meanwhile, da Silva will hope that the third time’s the charm. Losing back-to-back UFC fights, both of which came inside the distance, da Silva has had a rough time finding his footing inside the octagon. With another opportunity to prove he belongs, da Silva needs to find a way to score a victory.

When da Silva first touched down in the UFC, I was pretty hyped for him. Between his karate based arsenal, which included spinning and flying attacks and his dangerous guard, there was a buzz about the Brazilian. However, that buzz, has died down. With two straight defeats, both coming via stoppage within two rounds, it’s hard to trust a fighter who’s less impactful as the fight wanes. Which leads me to siding with Altamirano. A well rounded fighter, who has fought tough competition throughout his career, Altamirano is the more trustworthy of the two. Also, the Mexican has excellent cardio and should the fight go deep, he has a clear edge. With that said, I predict Altamirano to win via submission.