-Antonina Shevchenko: Jaimelene Nievera is taking this fight on about 1 week’s notice. Grappling and submissions are her strong suit. Shevchenko has an extensive muay thai background and has shown patience and distance with her striking. I expect that to play out in this fight where Nievera will go hard for the take down in the 1st, knowing her cardio isn’t going to hold up. But Shevchenko will keep her distance, get in and get out and pour it on even more in the 2nd half of the fight as Nievera slows down. Decision win for Shevchenko.
-Te Edwards: UPSET SPECIAL: Striking specialist vs submission specialist. All 5 of Edwards wins have been by 1st round knockout. All 8 of Tweedy’s wins have come via submission. Both have yet to face quality competition. This is a hard to predict fight because Edwards hasn’t really been tested on his take down defense, but because of how quick he can end fights with his hands and because the fight will start on the feet, I’m going to go with Edwards knocking Tweedy out in the 1st round.
-Greg Rebello: Rebello has been around the regional circuit for a long time but never got his chance in the UFC. Now he’s 36 years. Rebello is primarily a striker. Decent wrestling. Late replacement Josh Parisian is well rounded, but has lost to Tony Lopez and a 3-2 fighter. Rebello will have a huge advantage on the feet and I see no way Parisian takes him down either. Rebello by an easy 1st round knockout.
-Jamall Emmers: Julian Erosa is enigmatic. He can look great at times. Pretty well rounded, except lacking a bit in wrestling. Great record. Has beaten solid competition. But he hasn’t developed his skills as much as you’d think. He takes on Emmers who’s in contrast one dimensional, but the dimension he’s really good at, wrestling, is going to give Erosa problems. Erosa would have the advantage on the feet, but Emmers will have no problem taking the Erosa down whenever he wants. And will do enough on the ground to get a dull decision win.
-Tim Caron: Both Caron and late replacement Jordan Williams are strikers. Both have feasted on tomato cans. But I see Caron having an edge based on each fighter’s losses. Caron’s only pro loss came against a really good grappler in Jordan Young. But with Williams’ two losses, both have been knockout losses. So he can and has been out struck. Plus, Williams is taking this fight on 1 week’s notice. Got to go with Caron by 1st round knockout.