Manel Kape vs Kyoji Horiguchi
- Manel Kape
- Age: 32
- UFC Record: 7-3
- Key Wins: Knocked out Brandon Royval, Asu Almabayev, 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)
- Kyoji Horiguchi
- Age: 35
- Pro Record: 35-5
- UFC Record: 8-1
- Key Wins: Submitted Manel Kape. Knocked out Ian McCall. Beat Amir Albazi, Darrell Montague, Chico Camus, Neil Seery, Ali Bagautinov.
- Striking: plus (75)
- Power: near plus (65)
- Wrestling: plus (70)
I still can’t believe Horiguchi out struck a quality contender in Amir Albazi 71 to 12. Unreal.
Chris’ Pick: Horiguchi by decision.
What odds I think the favorite should be at: Horiguchi -225
Navajo Stirling vs Ion Cutelaba
- Navajo Stirling
- Age: 28
- UFC Record: 5-0
- Key Wins: Knocked out Bruno Lopes and a 6-1 striker. Beat Rodolfo Bellato, Ivan Erslan, and Tuco Tokkos.
- Striking: plus (70)
- Power: near plus (70)
- Wrestling: near plus (65)
- Ion Cutelaba
- Age: 32
- UFC Record: 7-10-1
- Key Losses: Split decision loss to Modestas Bukauskas.
- Key Draws: Fought Dustin Jacoby to a split draw.
- Key Wins: Knocked out Tanner Boser, Khalil Rountree, and Gadzhimurad Antigulov. Beat Devin Clark. Split decision over Ivan Erslan.
- Striking: near plus (65)
- Power: near plus (65)
- Wrestling: near plus (65)
Chris’ Pick: Stirling by decision.
What odds I think the favorite should be at: Stirling -300
Andre Fili vs Vinicius Oliveira
- Andre Fili
- Age: 35
- UFC Record: 13-12
- Key Losses: Split decision loss to Michael Johnson.
- Key Wins: Knocked out Lucas Almeida, Gabriel Benitez, and Sheymon Moraes. Split decision wins over Christian Rodriguez, Cub Swanson, Bill Algeo, and Charles Jourdain.
- Striking: plus (70)
- Power: above average (60)
- Wrestling: near plus (65)
- Vinicius Oliveira
- Age: 30
- UFC Record: 5-1
- Key Wins: Knocked out Bernardo Sopai, a well rounded 15-4 fighter, a 12-3 grappler and a 12-2 wrestler. Beat Kyler Phillips, Said Nurmagoedov, Ricky Simon, a well rounded 12-3 fighter, and a 13-1 wrestler.
- Striking: plus (70)
- Power: plus (70)
- Wrestling: near plus (65)
Chris’ Pick: Oliveira by 2nd round knockout.
What odds I think the favorite should be at: Oliveira -200
Christian Rodriguez vs Hyder Amil
- Christian Rodriguez
- Age: 28
- UFC Record: 6-4
- Key Losses: Split decision loss to Andre Fili.
- Key Wins: Submitted Joshua Weems. Beat Austin Bashi, Cameron Saaiman, Raul Rosas Jr, and a 5-1 striker. Split decision over Isaac Dulgarian.
- Striking: plus (70)
- Power: above average (60)
- Wrestling: near plus (65)
- Grappling: above average (60)
- Hyder Amil
- Age: 35
- UFC Record: 4-2
- Key Wins: Knocked out Jeong Yeong Lee and Fernie Garcia. Beat a 14-4 striker. Split decision win over a 9-7 grappler. Split decision over William Gomis.
- Striking: plus (70)
- Power: plus (70)
- Wrestling: near plus (65)
Very possible Amil’s wrestling could be a 60, but I’m keeping the tool a 65 for now because I think he gassed out mid way through his loss to Jamal Emmers and that’s why he was controlled on the ground.
Chris’ Pick: Rodriguez by decision.
What odds I think the favorite should be at: Rodriguez -135
Andre Lima vs Kevin Borjas
- Andre Lima
- Age: 27
- UFC Record: 5-0
- Key Wins: Submitted Daniel Barez. Knocked out a well rounded 3-0 fighter and a well rounded 7-2 fighter. Beat Felipe dos Santos and a 14-1 grappler. Split decision over Mitch Raposo.
- Striking: plus (70)
- Power: plus (70)
- Wrestling: plus (70)
- Kevin Borjas
- Age: 28
- UFC Record: 2-4
- Key Wins: Beat Ronaldo Rodriguez and an 11-2 grappler.
- Striking: a little above average (55)
- Power: a little above average (55)
- Wrestling: above average (60)
Lima really blew me away in his last fight out striking Barez 90 to 32. Crazy. Lima looks like someone who’ll be fighting for the title in the next year or two.
Chris’ Pick: Lima by 1st round knockout.
What odds I think the favorite should be at: Lima -500
Melsik Baghdasaryan vs Murtazali Magomedov
- Melsik Baghdasaryan
- Age: 34
- UFC Record: 4-2
- Key Wins: Knocked out Collin Anglin. Beat Tucker Lutz, Bruno Souza, and a 4-1 wrestler.
- Striking: near plus (65)
- Power: near plus (65)
- Wrestling: above average (60)
- Murtazali Magomedov
- Age: 26
- Pro Record: 10-0
- UFC Record: 1-0
- Key Wins: Knocked out a 9-0 striker and well rounded 5-2 fighter. Submitted a well rounded 5-1 fighter.
- Striking: above average (60)
- Power: above average (60)
- Grappling: above average (60)
Chris’ Pick: Baghdasaryan by decision.
What odds I think the favorite should be at: Baghdasaryan -200
Bia Mesquita vs Melissa Mullins
- Bea Mesquita
- Age: 35
- Pro Record: 7-0
- UFC Record: 2-0
- Key Wins: Submitted Montserrat Rendon, Irina Alekseeva. Knocked out a well rounded 4-0 fighter.
- Striking: near plus (65)
- Power: near plus (65)
- Grappling: near plus plus (75)
- Melissa Mullins
- Age: 34
- Pro Record: 6-2
- UFC Record: 1-2
- Key Wins: Knocked out Klaudia Sygula, a 7-0 striker. Beat Irina Alekseeva and a 3-1 striker.
- Striking: above average (60)
- Power: above average (60)
- Wrestling: near plus (65)
Mesquita’s striking could be as high as a 70, it’s just we haven’t seen much of it yet.
Chris’ Pick: Mesquita by 1st round submission.
What odds I think the favorite should be at: Mesquita -500
Allan Nascimento vs Mitch Raposo
- Allan Nascimento
- Age: 34
- UFC Record: 4-2
- Key Losses: Split decision losses to Tagir Ulanbekov and Raulian Paiva.
- Key Wins: Submitted Cody Durden, Carlos Hernandez, a 4-0 grappler, and a 10-3 grappler. Beat Jafel Filho, Jake Hadley, a well rounded 16-4 fighter, and a well rounded 8-1 fighter.
- Striking: near plus (65)
- Power: a little above average (55)
- Grappling: plus (70)
- Mitch Raposo
- Age: 27
- Pro Record: 10-3
- UFC Record: 1-3
- Key Wins: Beat Azat Maksum.
- Key Losses: Split decision losses to Sumudaerji and Andre Lima.
- Striking: near plus (65)
- Power: near plus (65)
- Grappling: near plus (65)
Chris’ Pick: Raposo by split decision.
What odds I think the favorite should be at: Raposo -135
Michael Aswell Jr vs Gaston Bolanos
- Michael Aswell Jr
- Age: 25
- Pro Record: 11-4
- UFC Record: 1-3
- Key Losses: Split decision loss to Bogdan Grad
- Key Wins: Knocked out Lucas Almeida, a 5-2 grappler and an 11-4 striker.
- Striking: above average (60)
- Power: above average (60)
- Wrestling: above average (60)
- Gaston Bolanos
- Age: 33
- Pro Record: 8-5
- UFC Record: 2-2
- Key Losses: Submitted by a well rounded 6-3 fighter. Beat Cortavious Romious.
- Striking: above average (60)
- Power: above average (60)
- Wrestling: a little above average (55)
Chris’ Pick: Aswell Jr by decision.
What odds I think the favorite should be at: Aswell Jr -175
Luana Santos vs Karol Rosa
- Luana Santos
- Age: 26
- UFC Record: 5-1
- Key Wins: Submitted Tainara Lisboa and Mairya Agapova. Knocked out Juliana Miller. Beat Melissa Croden, Stephanie Egger, and a well rounded 4-1 fighter.
- Striking: above average (60)
- Power: above average (60)
- Grappling: near plus (65)
- Karol Rosa
- Age: 31
- UFC Record: 8-4
- Key Wins: Knocked out an 8-3 striker. Beat Nora Conrolle, Pannie Kianzad, Joselyne Edwards, and Vanessa Melo. Split decision over Lara Procopio. Majority decision over Lina Lansberg. Split decision over Yana Santos.
- Striking: plus (70)
- Power: above average (60)
- Wrestling: plus (70)
Chris’ Pick: Rosa by decision.
What odds I think the favorite should be at: Rosa -350
Leon Shahbazyan vs Levan Chokheli
- Leon Shahbazyan
- Age: 30
- Pro Record: 12-4
- Striking: a little above average (55)
- Power: fringe average (45)
- Grappling: above average (60)
- Levan Chokheli
- Age: 29
- Pro Record: 14-3
- Key Wins: Knocked out a well rounded 7-1 fighter. Beat an 8-0 striker and a well rounded 13-3 fighter.
- Striking: a little above average (55)
- Power: a little above average (55)
- Wrestling: a little above average (55)
Chris’ Pick: Shahbazyan by 1st round submission.
What odds I think the favorite should be at: Shahbazyan -135
Otari Tanzilovi vs Shane Collins
- Otari Tanzilov
- Age: 28
- Pro Record: 10-1
- UFC Record: 0-1
- Key Losses: Split decision loss to Josias Musasa.
- Key Wins: Beat an 8-2-2 striker.
- Striking: above average (60)
- Power: above average (60)
- Wrestling: above average (60)
- Shane Collins
- Age: 26
- Pro Record: 7-0
- Key Wins: Knocked out a well rounded 6-2 fighter and a well rounded 6-2 fighter. Beat a 4-0 striker.
- Striking: above average (60)
- Power: above average (60)
- Wrestling: a little above average (55)
Chris’ Pick: Tanzilovi by split decision.
What odds I think the favorite should be at: Tanzilovi -135