Lightweight Bout
Abdul-Kareem "Prince of Palestine" Al-Selwady vs Loik "The Tajik Tank" Radzhabov - This is a great fight, both of these guys are really high level. I didn't like Al-Selwady's performance on Contender Series but he still got the win and got the contract and I've been impressed with him in the past. I could basically say the same about Radzhabov though as he's 3-2 over his last 5 and had a couple disappointing losses, but overall, he's a really good fighter. In my opinion, Al-Selwady is being a bit over favored here, but I'm still going to pick him. Radzhabov needs to show something in the UFC more than beating Esteban Ribovics by decision for me to trust him against a guy like Al-Selwady right now. A few months ago my opinion on this fight could have been very different though, so if Radzhabov grinds out a decision win, don't be surprised. That being said, the movement and low kicks of Al-Selwady should score him another win on points.
Pick: Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady by Decision
Bantamweight Bout
Vinicius "Lok Dog" Oliveira vs Bernardo "The Lion King" Sopaj - Sopaj is stepping in here on short notice to replace Yanis Ghemmouri. Sopaj is good, he's a fighter I've had my eye on, and he does have a great team behind him at Allstars Training Center, bur coming in on short notice to make his debut against a fighter like Oliveira is a tall task. Oliveira is bigger and super aggressive so I think he should be able to get the stoppage and if not, do enough damage to get the decision.
Pick: Vinicius Oliveira by KO/TKO RD 1
Middleweight Bout
Christian "CLD" Leroy Duncan vs Claudio Ribeiro - This is going to be a fun fight, both fighters are strikers, and both are going to be looking for the knockout. Duncan is the more efficient and technical striker between the two, has better defense, and has the reach advantage. Ribeiro is wild and will try to brawl and swing his hooks and Duncan will pick him off with straight shots.
Pick: Christian Leroy Duncan by KO/TKO RD 1
Bantamweight Bout
Javid "The Snow Leopard" Basharat vs Aiemann Zahabi - This is a great fight as well as both of these guys are very technical and high-level fighters. Even though Zahabi is a sizeable underdog in this fight, and he's 36 years old, I feel like he's just starting to come into his own and has really put it all together over his last 3 fights. Zahabi has a 75% takedown defense in the UFC and 72% strike defense, the guy is a smart and technical fighter and he's going to make this a hard fight for Basharat so I don't like the odds, but it's hard to bet against the undefeated Basharat. I'm going to say the pressure and output from Basharat edges him out the rounds, but Zahabi is great defensively so he's going to have a hard time still and it will be close.
Pick: Javid Basharat by Decision
Lightweight Bout
L'udovit "Mr Highlight" Klein vs AJ "The Savage" Cunningham - Cunningham is stepping in here on short notice to replace Joel Alvarez and make his UFC debut. This is a huge step down in competition for Klein and it should make this a showcase fight for him. Cunningham is a big guy and he's well rounded, but he's slow and defensively poor, I expect Klein to tee off on him and put him away within two.
Pick: L'udovit Klein by KO/TKO RD 1
Middleweight Bout
Eryk "Ya Boi" Anders vs Jamie "The Night Wolf" Pickett - This isn't a good fight between two low end fighters and it should end in a knockout. Pickett is 2-6 in the UFC and coming off 4 straight losses. Anders has had a bit of a rough patch lately as well but this is a gift matchup to get him back on track and send Pickett packing.
Pick: Eryk Anders by KO/TKO RD 1
Bantamweight Bout
Umar Nurmagomedov vs Bekzat Almakhan - This guy Almakhan is no joke and he has a huge opportunity here to pull off a massive upset, break into the top 15 of the Bantamweight division, and cement himself as a real contender. I don't see it happening though. Nurmagomedov fights safe, outworks him, and gets the submission within two.
Pick: Umar Nurmagomedov by Submission RD 2
Flyweight Bout
Matt "Danger" Schnell vs Steve "AstroBoy" Erceg - I know this fight was supposed to happen already and Schnell had to withdraw, but I don't see the point of rebooking it. Schnell is overrated and Erceg should be able to score another win here and extend his streak.
Pick: Steve Erceg by Decision
Flyweight Bout
Alex Perez vs Muhammad "The Punisher" Mokaev - Perez is 6-3 in the UFC but he's had 12 scheduled fights cancelled since signing with the promotion and 6 of those were his fault. I wouldn't be shocked if this fight doesn't happen. If it does, Perez is getting crushed. Mokaev is undefeated and on a roll and Perez doesn't have the tools to stop him.
Pick: Muhammad Mokaev by Submission RD 3
Light Heavyweight Bout
Vitor "Icao" Petrino vs Tyson Pedro - I'm a fan of both of these fighters and I hate to have to see either take a loss right now, but one fighter is undefeated and a big favorite for a reason. Pedro is so inconsistent that picking him against an undefeated rising contender like Petrino would just be a mistake. Petrino does have some holes in his game and it wouldn't necessarily shock me if Pedro pulls off the upset, but Pedro also has issues that Petrino is likely to exploit. Petrino's forward pressure, his power, and his wrestling ability are the biggest X-Factors in this fight. Pedro has good leg kicks, he's got a dangerous submission game even off his back that Petrino will need to be careful of, and he's got power in his punches as well, so Pedro is a live dog, especially since Petrino does slow down in fights and doesn't have the greatest defense. I still think Petrino is going to catch Pedro before any of that becomes relevant though.
Pick: Vitor Petrino by KO/TKO RD 1
Heavyweight Main Event
Jairzinho "Bigi Boy" Rozenstruik vs Shamil Gaziev - Don't blink this fight is going to be over quick. Rozenstruik has a couple finishes in less than 30 seconds, but for some reason I tend to think of him as a bit of a slow starter. He can get better the longer the fight goes and he's been finished in the first round in both of his knockout losses and his lone submission loss as well. Gaziev starts fast and is really accurate with his shots, so I'm leaning towards him, but he's still a bit unproven and could get slept.
Pick: Shamil Gaziev by KO/TKO RD 1
Cancelled Bouts
Lightweight Bout
Joel "El Fenomeno" Alvarez vs L'udovit "Mr. Highlight" Klein - CANCELLED - This is a great stylistic matchup for Alvarez but he really doesn't have much to gain from it. He's already much higher in the division than Klein, but 2 out of 4 of Klein's losses have been by submission, so Alvarez should be able to get him as well. The more I watch Alvarez the more impressed I am with him and hope he can stay more active. Klein has shown pretty decent takedown defense, but Alvarez always finds a way to get his grappling going. Expect him to lock something up within two.
Pick: Joel Alvarez by Submission RD 2 UPDATE: CANCELLED
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