Asu Almabayev vs Manel Kape
- Asu Almabayev
- Age: 30
- Pro Record: 21-2
- UFC Record: 4-0
- Key Wins: Knocked out a 10-1 striker. Submitted Ode Osbourne, a well rounded 6-0 fighter, a well rounded 5-0 fighter and a well rounded 10-2 fighter. Beat Jose Johnson, CJ Vergara, a 4-0 grappler, and a 14-4 wrestler.
- Striking: near plus (65)
- Power: a little above average (55)
- Wrestling: plus (70)
- Grappling: plus (65)
- Manel Kape
- Age: 31
- UFC Record: 5-3
- Key Wins: Knocked out Bruno Silva, Zhalgas Zhumagulov, Ode Osbourne, and a 14-1 striker. Submitted a 14-5 striker. Beat Felipe dos Santos and David Dvorak.
- Striking: plus (70)
- Power: plus (70)
- Wrestling: plus (70)
Chris’ Pick: Kape by decision.
Julian Marquez vs Cody Brundage
- Julian Marquez
- Age: 34
- UFC Record: 4-4
- Key Losses: Split decision loss to Alessio di Chirico.
- Key Wins: Submitted Sam Alvey, Darren Stewart, and Maki Pitolo. Knocked out a 7-2 grappler and a 4-1 striker.
- Striking: above average (60)
- Power: above average (60)
- Grappling: above average (60)
- Cody Brundage
- Age: 30
- UFC Record: 4-6
- Key Wins: Knocked out Zachary Reese and Tresean Gore. Submitted Dalcha Lungiambula and a 4-1 grappler.
- Striking: above average (60)
- Power: above average (60)
- Wrestling: near plus (65)
- Grappling: above average (60)
Chris’ Pick: Brundage by split decision.
Esteban Ribovics vs Nasrat Haqparast
- Esteban Ribovics
- Age: 28
- UFC Record: 4-1
- Key Wins: Knocked out Terrance McKinney, an 11-3 striker, a 5-1 grappler, a well rounded 17-6 fighter, and a well rounded 21-6 fighter. Beat Kamuela Kirk. Split decision over Daniel Zellhuber.
- Striking: near plus (65)
- Power: near plus (65)
- Grappling: above average (60)
- Nasrat Haqparast
- Age: 29
- UFC Record: 9-4
- Key Losses: Lost to Marcin Held on short notice.
- Key Wins: Knocked out Jamie Mullarkey and Joaquim Silva. Beat Landon Quinones, John Makdessi, Rafa Garcia, and Marc Diakiese. Split decision over Jared Gordon.
- Striking: near plus (65)
- Power: near plus (65)
- Wrestling: above average (60)
Chris’ Pick: Ribovics by decision.
Mario Pinto vs Austen Lane
- Mario Pinto
- Age: 26
- Pro Record: 9-0
- UFC Record: 1-0
- Key Wins: Knocked out a 6-0 striker. Beat a 5-1 striker and a well rounded 8-3 fighter.
- Striking: a little above average (55)
- Power: a little above average (55)
- Wrestling: a little above average (55)
- Austen Lane
- Age: 37
- UFC Record: 2-3
- Key Losses: Knocked out by a 7-4 striker.
- Key Wins: Knocked out Juan Adams and a 3-1 striker. Beat Robelis Despagne.
- Striking: above average (60)
- Power: above average (60)
- Wrestling: above average (60)
Chris’ Pick: Lane by decision.
William Gomis vs Hyder Amil
- William Gomis
- Age: 27
- Pro Record: 14-2
- UFC Record: 4-0
- Key Wins: Knocked out Yanis Ghemmouri and a 6-1 striker. Beat a 9-1 striker. Split decision wins over Joanderson Brito and Francis Marshall. Majority decision over a well rounded 13-3 fighter.
- Striking: plus (70)
- Power: plus (70)
- Wrestling: near plus (65)
- Hyder Amil
- Age: 34
- Pro Record: 10-0
- UFC Record: 3-0
- Key Wins: Knocked out Jeong Yeong Lee and Fernie Garcia. Beat a 14-4 striker. Split decision win over a 9-7 grappler.
- Striking: above average (60)
- Power: above average (60)
- Wrestling: above average (60)
Chris’ Pick: Gomis by 1st round knockout.
Chepe Mariscal vs Ricardo Ramos
- Chepe Mariscal
- Age: 32
- Pro Record: 17-6
- UFC Record: 4-0
- Key Wins: Knocked out Jack Jenkins. Beat Damon Jackson, Trevor Peek, and Youssef Zalal. Split decision wins over Morgan Charriere and Pat Sabatini.
- Striking: near plus (65)
- Power: near plus (65)
- Wrestling: near plus (65)
- Grappling: above average (60)
- Ricardo Ramos
- Age: 29
- UFC Record: 8-5
- Key Wins: Submitted Luiz Garagorri. Beat Bill Algeo and Journey Newsom. Knocked out Danny Chavez. Split decision wins over Josh Culibao and Kyung Ho Kang.
- Striking: near plus (65)
- Power: near plus (65)
- Grappling: plus (70)
Chris’ Pick: Ramos by 2nd round submission.
Douglas Silva de’Andrade vs John Castaneda
- Douglas Silva de Andrade
- Age: 39
- UFC Record: 7-6
- Key Wins: Submitted Sergey Morozov. Beat Cody Stamann and Marlon Vera.
- Striking: near plus (65)
- Power: a little above average (55)
- Wrestling: near plus (65)
- John Castaneda
- Age: 33
- UFC Record: 4-3
- Key Wins: Knocked out Eddie Wineland, a well rounded 6-1 fighter. Submitted Miles Johns. Beat Kyung Ho Kang, Muin Gafurov, and a 6-0 grappler.
- Striking: near plus (65)
- Power: near plus (65)
- Wrestling: above average (60)
- Grappling: average (50)
Chris’ Pick: Silva de Andrade by split decision.
Andrea Lee vs JJ Aldrich
- Andrea Lee
- Age: 35
- UFC Record: 5-8
- Key Losses: Split decision losses to Montana de la Rosa, Maycee Barber, Lauren Murphy, and Joanne Calderwood.
- Key Wins: Submitted Antonina Shevchenko. Knocked out Cynthia Calvillo. Beat Montana de la Rosa and Ashlee Evans-Smith.
- Striking: above average (60)
- Power: below average (40)
- Grappling: above average (60)
- JJ Aldrich
- Age: 32
- UFC Record: 9-5
- Key Wins: Knocked out Na LIang. Beat Montana de la Rosa, Gillian Robertson, Vanessa Demopoulos, Polyana Viana, and Lauren Mueller. Split decision over Cortney Casey.
- Striking: above average (60)
- Power: average (50)
- Wrestling: near plus (65)
Chris’ Pick: Aldrich by split decision.
Sam Patterson vs Danny Barlow
- Sam Patterson
- Age: 28
- Pro Record: 12-2-1
- UFC Record: 3-1
- Key Wins: Submitted Kiefer Crosbie, Yohan Lainesse, an 8-1 grappler and a 14-1 grappler. Knocked out a 9-3 striker. Beat an 18-6 grappler.
- Striking: above average (60)
- Power: above average (60)
- Grappling: near plus (65)
- Danny Barlow
- Age: 29
- Pro Record: 9-0
- UFC Record: 3-0
- Key Wins: Knocked out Josh Quinlan and a 7-1 striker. Split decision over Nikolay Veretennikov.
- Striking: above average (60)
- Power: above average (60)
- Wrestling: above average (60)
Chris’ Pick: Patterson by 2nd round submission.
Montana de la Rosa vs Luana Carolina
- Montana de la Rosa
- Age: 29
- UFC Record: 7-6-1
- Key Draws: Fought Mayra Bueno Silva to a majority draw,
- Key Wins: Knocked out Ariane Lipski. Submitted Nadia Kassem. Beat Mara Romero Borella. Split decision over Andrea Lee.
- Striking: above average (60)
- Power: average (50)
- Grappling: near plus (65)
- Luana Carolina
- Age: 31
- UFC Record: 6-3
- Key Losses: Split decision loss to Joanne Wood.
- Key Wins: Knocked out Julija Stoliarenko. Beat Lucie Pudilova, Ivana Petrovic, an 8-2 striker, and a 7-0 wrestler. Split decision over Poliana Botelho.
- Striking: near plus (65)
- Power: a little above average (55)
- Wrestling: above average (60)
Chris’ Pick: Carolina by split decision.
Lucas Almeida vs Danny Silva
- Lucas Almeida
- Age: 33
- UFC Record: 2-3
- Key Wins: Submitted a 4-1 striker. Knocked out Michael Trizano, a well rounded 9-3 fighter, a 7-1 wrestler, a 12-3 grappler, and a well rounded 9-2 fighter. Beat Timothy Cuamba.
- Striking: near plus (65)
- Power: near plus (65)
- Grappling: above average (60)
- Danny Silva
- Age: 27
- Pro Record: 9-1
- UFC Record: 2-0
- Key Losses: Majority decision loss to Canaan Kawaihae.
- Key Wins: Beat a 7-1 striker and a 4-0 wrestler. Split decision over Josh Culibao.
- Striking: above average (60)
- Power: above average (60)
- Wrestling: a little above average (55)
Chris’ Pick: Almeida by decision.
Charles Johnson vs Ramazonbek Temirov
- Charles Johnson
- Age: 34
- UFC Record: 6-4
- Key Losses: Split decision loss to Ode Osbourne.
- Key Wins: Knocked out Joshua Van, Jimmy Flick and a well rounded 6-0 fighter. Submitted a well rounded 6-0 fighter. Beat Sumudaerji, Jake Hadley and Azat Maksum. Split decision wins over Zhulgas Zhumagulov, a well rounded 7-2 fighter and a 5-1 wrestler.
- Striking: near plus (65)
- Power: near plus plus (65)
- Wrestling: near plus (65)
- Ramazonbek Temirov
- Age: 27
- Pro Record: 18-3
- UFC Record: 1-0
- Key Wins: Knocked out CJ Vergara, a well rounded 10-3 fighter and a 4-1 wrestler. Beat a well rounded 5-1 fighter and a well rounded 10-2 fighter.
- Striking: near plus (65)
- Power: near plus (65)
- Wrestling: above average (60)
The market thinks Temirov has 65 tools. I’m not there yet though. Yes, Temirov knocked Vergara out in a few minutes, but he blitzed Vergara and emptied the gas tank. So I have his striking as a 65 tool for now, but very possible it’s just a 60. But also possible he’s the real deal and his wrestling is a 65 instead. Sumudaerji out struck Johnson 68 to 49 and thus, I can’t grade his striking a 70 anymore.
Chris’ Pick: Johnson by decision.
What odds I think the favorite should be at: Johnson -125