This Saturday, for the first time in nearly three years, the UFC will have a TUF Finale. The last time one happened, the UFC hadn't even had an event on ESPN or ESPN+ yet. The latest TUF season featured Bantamweights and Light Heavyweights, and the finals for both divisions will take place on the main card of this event. There's another TUF bout on it, meaning half of the main card will feature fighters who are making their UFC debuts. It's also a weird case where the prelims will feature more UFC vets than the main card.

Like previous TUF Finales, there is some pretty interesting fights on this card. The main event will feature entertaining strikers Edson Barboza and Giga Chikadze in what should be a good litmus test for the latter. Another key fight on the card is Kevin Lee's first fight in a year and a half, as he takes on Daniel Rodriguez. The main card opener between submission specialst Gerald Meerschaert and knockout artist Makhmud Muradov should be interesting too. The prelims, as mentioned above, have a lot of veterans on it and some fights that should yield highlights. For a card that has seen a whopping 11 fights get altered or canceled, this is a pretty nice offering for the most part. Late start time aside, it's a pretty nice card as long as the TUF bouts aren't too underwhelming to handle.

Preliminary Card (7/6c, ESPN+)

Guido Cannetti (8-5) vs. Mana Martinez (8-2)

This fight was supposed to be between Cannetti and Mario Bautista, but the latter tested positive for the coronavirus and had to be replaced. Enter Mana Martinez. All eight of Martinez's wins have come via knockout, mostly in the first round. He is 7-1 over his last eight fights, including a finish over one of the TUF finalists on this card, and is worthy of a shot in the UFC. He was supposed to fight last week but had to withdraw from the card. Cannetti has been a pro for 14 years, but has only 13 fights to his credit. He's had seven layoffs that have lasted over a year, including one that lasted nearly three due to a USADA violation. He's 2-4 in the UFC, his wins came against fighters who have since been released and a loss here might result in the same for him. Cannetti's only been finished due to strikes once, but I feel it will happen again on this night. Prediction: Martinez via tko, round 2

Jamall Emmers (18-5) vs. Pat Sabatini (14-3)

Up next is a Bantamweight bout that is good on paper, but has a surprisingly high of being lackluster in reality. Emmers has a really good record and is well-rounded. He's got a really good gas tank, the power to finish fights early and has submission ability if needed. His only losses since 2015 came against Giga Chikadze, Thiago Moises and Julian Erosa, all of whom are in the UFC right now. He's also a really good neutralizer. In Sabatini, he faces a submission specialist who had a very lackluster UFC debut. Even though Sabatini has finished 11 of his 14 wins, I just don't think he's at Emmers' level. This fight has the vibe of an Emmers decision win written all over it. Prediction: Emmers via decision.

JJ Aldrich (9-4) vs. Vanessa Demopoulos (6-3)

This fight was originally supposed to be between Aldrich and Tracy Cortez, but an injury to the latter allows for Vanessa Demopoulos to make her UFC debut on short notice. Demopoulos has finished four of her six wins and has good submission ability. She's also best known for her other profession. The former LFA Women's Strawweight champion is just 1-2 in her last three fights, but is still getting this chance. Aldrich has had a few performances where she underperformed or snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, but she is 6-3 in the UFC. She should take this one with relative ease, even if Demopoulos will be game and will make her work a bit for it. Prediction: Aldrich via decision.

Darren Stewart (12-7-1, 2 NC) vs. Dustin Jacoby (14-5-1)

Since returning from a four-year boxing stint, Jacoby is 4-0-1 in MMA. Nine of his first ten wins had come via finish, including eight via knockout, but three of his last four have been decisions. In fact, four of his five fights since returning to MMA full-time have gone the distance. Stewart has gone the distance in six of his last eight fights himself, although one of those non-decisions was a no contest due to an illegal knee. He's 1-3 with a no contest in his last five and seems checked out. Even though he does have a black belt in Taekwondo and finishing ability, I think he's going to lose a decision to Jacoby. There isn't much else to say about this fight. Prediction: Jacoby via decision.

Sam Alvey (33-15-1, 1 NC) vs. Wellington Turman (16-5)

Alvey is 0-5-1 over his last six fights. He hasn't won in over three years. The fact that he's still in the UFC is kind of ridiculous. He was supposed to fight Roman Kopylov last month, but the fight got scrapped due to visa issues. Now he faces Wllington Turman, who is 1-3 in the UFC. Turman is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt with seven submission wins, but he's looked out of his element in the UFC. He's also been knocked out in two straight fights. Maybe this is the night where Alvey finds his knockout power again and gets a finish? Screw it, I'm picking it to happen. Prediction: Alvey via tko, round 3.

Alessio di Chirico (13-5) vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan (10-4)

The headlining prelim bout will feature nosediving knockout artist Abdul Razak Alhassan against Alessio Di Chirico. Di Chirico was fighting for his job against Joaquin Buckley in January, pulling off a stunning knockout to avoid the pink slip. He is 4-5 in the UFC, his only loss via finish was a submission nearly five years ago, and he needs another win to avoid being on the verge of another pink slip. As for Alhassan, this is a must win as well. A black belt in Judi, Alhassan has finished all his wins via first round knockout. Eight of those wins have come within 90 seconds. He's lost three straight fights though, missed weight for his last two Welterweight bouts and looked lost in his return to Middleweight in his last fight. It's not smart to pick him to win, when he's a quick knockout artist who is not only in the dumps, but is facing a UFC vet who has never been finished due to strikes. Di Chirico winning this fight is very likely. For no other than a hunch, I'm picking Alhassan to somehow get the job done. Prediction: Alhassan via tko, round 2.

Main Card (10/9c, ESPN and ESPN+)

Gerald Meerschaert (32-14) vs. Makhmud Muradov (25-6)

A clash of styles kicks off the main card, as submission specialist Gerald Meerscheart takes on knockout artist Makhmud Muradov. Muradov was 4-4 to start his career, and is 21-3 since then. He has won 14 in a row, and ten of his last 12 fights have been finished due to strikes. He is 3-0 in the UFC and could warrant a ranked opponent with a win.

Meerschaert may have been finished due to strikes in two of his last three fights, but he has only been finished due to strikes three total times in his 46-fight career. A black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, 32 of Meerschaert's fights have ended via submission, including 24 wins. He's only gone the distance in five of his fights. If his chin hadn't been tested so much lately, I'd pick him to win. I really don't like picking against him. However, I feel like his UFC run reached its peak years ago, has gone better than expected and the game has caught up to him. Maybe he can surprise me and get a vintage victory, but I'm worried he will get finished in this fight. Prediction: Muradov via tko, round 2.

Micheal Gallimore (6-3) vs. Andre Petroski (4-1)

Why exactly is a matchup between a TUF quarterfinalist/can crusher and TUF semifinalist on the main card? The only way to justify the decision is if they feel like Petroski will provide a highlight on the card. The stage is set for him, as Gallimore is indeed a can crusher who had mixed success on the regional scene, while Petroski has a 100% finish rate and his fights end quickly. Let's hope this one is quick so that more important matters can be handled. Prediction: Petroski via tko, round 1.

(11) Kevin Lee (18-6) vs. Daniel Rodriguez (15-2)

Heading into 2017, Kevin Lee had a 16-2 record, was 9-2 in the UFC and was getting an interim title fight against Tony Ferguson. Since then, he is just 2-4, including a flop attempt at Welterweight. One of his wins in the last four years was a stunning knocked over then-undefeated Gregor Gillespie, but that was nearly two yaers ago. He needs a win to remind people how good he can be.

Lee was supposed to face Sean Brady, but Brady sustained a foot infection and got replaced by Daniel Rodriguez. Rodriguez has been great in the UFC, going 5-1 so far. He's finished 12 of his 15 pro wins, has never been finished and has a huge opportunity in this fight. I think Lee will win, but Rodriguez can keep it close and make it very interesting. Prediction: Lee via decision.

Ultimate Fighter 29 Bantamweight tournament final: Ricky Turcios (10-2) vs. Brady Heistand (4-1)

In the first of two TUF final bouts, the Bantamweights will the the stage. Turcios was a decision machine to start his career, but four of his last five fights have been finishes. He had a chance to make the UFC back in 2017, but lost in the Contender Series to Boston Salmon. He's never been finished in his career, went the distance in both of his TUF bouts and Hiestand may have three first round finishes in his four pro wins, but the combined record of his wins was 1-24. The one time he faced anyone close to decent before TUF, he lost. He did pull off two surprising wins over vastly more experienced opponents inside the TUF house, but I still won't pick him to win in the UFC until he actually does it. Prediction: Turcios via decision.

Ultimate Fighter 29 Middleweight tournament final: Bryan Battle (4-1) vs. Gilbert Urbina (6-1)

In the co-main event, Middleweight finalist Bryan Battle will face short-notice fill-in Gilbert Urbina. Urbina lost in the semifinals to Tresean Gore, but Gore's injury prevented him from fighting in the Finale. For that reason, Urbina gets another chance, because TUF makes sense like that. Battle went the distance in the quarterfinals before winning via submission in the semis to get here. Urbina is an LFA vet whose only loss came against still unbeaten Sean Brady. He's gone the distance in four of his seven pro fights and isn't bad at anything. Battle is a grappler who has had four of his six pro wins end via submission. He's won four straight pro fights, but has never beaten anyone who has better than a 2-1 record. I guess I'll pick Urbina to win a decision, since he's actually faced and defeated some decent competition before. Prediction: Urbina via decision.

(9) Edson Barboza (22-9) vs. (10) Giga Chikadze (13-2)

In the main event, strikers Edson Barboza and Giga Chikadze will duke it out in what is a perfect main event for a TUF Finale card. Chikadze was nearing star status for GLORY as a kickboxer some years back, before deciding to give MMA a chance too. He has since gone full-time into MMA, has won eight straight fights and is 6-0 in the UFC. His first four UFC bouts all went the distance, but his last two were finishes, including a 63-second tko win over longtime fan favorite Cub Swanson in May.

As good a striker as Chikadze is, Edson Barboza is still better in my opinion. A veteran of nearly 30 kickboxing bouts himself, the Muay Thai wizard has been in the UFC for over a decade. He went 13-4 to start his UFC career in the Lightweight division, but lost four of his next five fights. He then moved down to Featherweight, where his record should be 3-0. He seems rejuvenated and might even have contender potential. Even though Chikadze is younger and has less miles on him, I still think Barboza is a level above. I expect it to show in this fight. Prediction: Barboza via decision.

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