Johnny Walker vs Mingyang Zhang
- Johnny Walker
- Age: 33
- UFC Record: 8-5
- Key Wins: Knocked out Paul Craig, Ryan Spann, Khalil Rountree, Justin Ledet, and Misha Cirkunov. Submitted Ion Cutelaba. Beat Anthony Smith.
- Striking: plus (70)
- Power: plus (70)
- Grappling: plus (70)
- Zhang Mingyang
- Age: 26
- Pro Record: 18-6
- UFC Record: 3-0
- Key Wins: Knocked out Anthony Smith, Brendson Ribeiro, a well rounded 7-2 fighter. Submitted a 4-0 grappler.
- Striking: plus (70)
- Power: plus (70)
- Wrestling: near plus (65)
- Grappling: above average (60)
I don’t think Walker’s skills have regressed yet, but Walker has been knocked out two fights in a row and it’s hard to trust his chin.
Chris’ Pick: Zhang by 1st round knockout.
What odds I think the favorite should be at: Zhang -125
Aljamain Sterling vs Brian Ortega
- Aljamain Sterling
- Age: 35
- UFC Record: 16-5
- Key Losses: Lost a split decision to Bryan Caraway.
- Key Wins: Submitted Cory Sandhagen and Cody Stamann. Beat Calvin Kattar, Pedro Munhoz, Jimmie Rivera, and Brett Johns. Split decision wins over Henry Cejudo and Petr Yan.
- Striking: near plus plus (75)
- Power: near plus (65)
- Grappling: near plus plus (75)
- Brian Ortega
- Age: 34
- UFC Record: 8-4
- Key Wins: Submitted Yair Rodriguez, Renato Moicano, and Cub Swanson. Knocked out Frankie Edgar. Beat The Korean Zombie.
- Striking: plus (70)
- Power: plus (70)
- Grappling: plus (70)
Chris’ Pick: Sterling by decision.
What odds I think the favorite should be at: Sterling -200
Sergei Pavlovich vs Waldo Acosta Cortes
- Sergei Pavlovich
- Age: 33
- UFC Record: 7-3
- Key Wins: Knocked out Curtis Blaydes and Tai Tuivasa, Derrick Lewis, Shamil Abdurakhimov, and Maurice Greene. Beat Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
- Striking: plus (70)
- Power: plus (70)
- Wrestling: plus (70)
- Waldo Cortes-Acosta
- Age: 33
- UFC Record: 8-1
- Key Wins: Knocked out Ryan Spann, Lukasz Brzeski, a 5-0 striker, and a 9-1 striker. Beat Serghei Spivac, Robelis Despagne, Andre Arlovski, Chase Sherman, and Jared Vanderaa.
- Striking: plus (70)
- Power: plus (70)
- Wrestling: near plus (65)
For sure Cortes-Acosta has improved his striking to a 70 as he out struck Spivac 105 to 45.
Chris’ Pick: Pavlovich by 1st round knockout.
What odds I think the favorite should be at: Pavlovich -200
Sumudaerji vs Kevin Borjas
- Sumudaerji
- Age: 29
- UFC Record: 4-4
- Key Losses: Submitted by Louis Smolka and a 10-4 grappler.
- Key Wins: Knocked out Malcolm Gordon, a well rounded 5-0-1 fighter, and a 4-0 grappler. Beat Zarrukh Adashev. Split decision over Mitch Raposo.
- Striking: near plus (65)
- Power: near plus (65)
- Wrestling: above average (60)
- Kevin Borjas
- Age: 27
- Pro Record: 10-3
- UFC Record: 2-2
- Key Wins: Beat Ronaldo Rodriguez and an 11-2 grappler.
- Striking: above average (60)
- Power: above average (60)
- Wrestling: near plus (65)
Chris’ Pick: Sumudaerji by split decision.
What odds I think the favorite should be at: Sumudaerji -175
Nueraji Taiyilake vs Kiefer Crosbie
- Nueraji Taiyilake
- Age: 24
- Pro Record: 11-1
- UFC Record: 1-0
- Striking: above average (60)
- Power: above average (60)
- Wrestling: above average (60)
- Kiefer Crosbie
- Age: 35
- Pro Record: 10-5
- UFC Record: 0-2
- Key Losses: Knocked out by a 16-11 striker.
- Key Wins: Knocked out Alex Oliveira. Beat a 5-2 striker. Split decision over a 6-2 wrestler.
- Striking: near plus (65)
- Power: near plus (65)
- Wrestling: above average (60)
Chris’ Pick: Crosbie by decision.
What odds I think the favorite should be at: Crosbie -225
Maheshate vs Gauge Young
- Maheshate
- Age: 25
- UFC Record: 3-3
- Key Wins: Knocked out Steve Garcia. Beat a 7-0 striker. Split decision over Gabriel Benitez.
- Striking: above average (60)
- Power: above average (60)
- Wrestling: a little above average (55)
- Gauge Young
- Age: 25
- Pro Record: 9-3
- UFC Record: 0-2
- Key Wins: Knocked out a well rounded 4-0 fighter.
- Striking: above average (60)
- Power: a little above average (60)
- Wrestling: near plus (65)
Maheshate is making progress in improving his tools. Striking looks like a 60 now. And slight chance his wrestling could be a 60 now also, but it’s more of a projection as we haven’t see him use it that much lately.
Chris’ Pick: Young by decision.
What odds I think the favorite should be at: Young -200
Lone’er Kavanagh vs Charles Johnson
- Lone’er Kavanagh
- Age: 26
- Pro Record: 9-0
- UFC Record: 3-0
- Key Wins: Knocked out a 6-0 striker and a well rounded 4-0 fighter. Beat Felipe dos Santos, Jose Ochoa, and a 6-0 striker.
- Striking: plus (70)
- Power: plus (70)
- Wrestling: plus (70)
- Charles Johnson
- Age: 34
- UFC Record: 6-5
- 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)
Chris’ Pick: Kavanagh by decision.
What odds I think the favorite should be at: Kavanagh -300
Rongzhu vs Austin Hubbard
- Rongzhu
- Age: 25
- UFC Record: 5-3
- Key Wins: Knocked out a 9-1 wrestler, a well rounded 6-1 fighter, a well rounded 7-2 fighter, and a well rounded 15-5 fighter. Submitted Shin Haraguchi and a 19-4 grappler. Beat Kody Steele and Sang Wook Kim.
- Striking: near plus (65)
- Power: near plus (65)
- Wrestling: above average (60)
- Austin Hubbard
- Age: 33
- UFC Record: 4-7
- Key Losses: Split decision losses to MarQuel Mederos and Alexander Hernandez.
- Key Wins: Knocked out a 5-0 grappler and a well rounded 11-0 fighter. Beat a well rounded 9-1 fighter.
- Striking: above average (60)
- Power: above average (60)
- Wrestling: above average (60)
If there was any doubt that Rongzhu’s striking was a 65, he squashed it in his last fight out striking hyped up Kody Steele 125 to 58. I’d even say it’s possible Rongzhu’s striking could have elevated to a 70 grade.
Chris’ Pick: Rongzhu by decision.
What odds I think the favorite should be at: Rongzhu -300
Michel Pereira vs Kyle Daukaus
- Michel Pereira
- Age: 31
- UFC Record: 3-2 at 185 lbs. 10-4 overall.
- Key Losses: DQ loss to Diego Sanchez. Lost to Tristan Connelly.
- Key Wins: Knocked out Andre Petroski, Danny Roberts. Submitted Ihor Potieria, Michel Oleksiejczuk and an 8-2 striker. Beat Andre Fialho, Niko Price, and Khaos Williams. Split decision over Santiago Ponzinibbio.
- Striking: plus (70)
- Power: plus (70)
- Wrestling: near plus (65)
- Kyle Daukaus
- Age: 32
- UFC Record: 2-4
- Key Wins: Submitted Jamie Pickett and a 12-2 grappler. Beat Dustin Stoltzfus and an 8-1 wrestler.
- Striking: near plus (65)
- Power: a little above average (55)
- Grappling: near plus (65)
It was just 3 years ago that Daukaus closed as a -245 favorite over Roman Dolidze. So despite Daukaus’ UFC record, he has skills.
Chris’ Pick: Pereira by 2nd round knockout.
What odds I think the favorite should be at: Pereira -250
Zha Yi vs Westin Wilson
- Zha Yi
- Age: 28
- UFC Record: 5-2
- Key Losses: Split decision loss to Jeong Yeong Lee.
- Key Wins: Knocked out a well rounded 8-3 fighter. Submitted Kaiwen Li and a well rounded 9-1 fighter. Beat Sang Won Kim. Split decision wins over a 13-5 striker and a well rounded 10-3 fighter.
- Striking: above average (60)
- Power: average (50)
- Wrestling: above average (60)
- Grappling: a little above average (55)
- Westin Wilson
- Age: 36
- Pro Record: 17-9
- UFC Record: 1-2
- Key Losses: Submitted by an 8-4 wrestler.
- Striking: a little above average (55)
- Power: fringe average (45)
- Grappling: above average (60)
Chris’ Pick: Yi by decision.
What odds I think the favorite should be at: Yi -225
SuYoung You vs Long Xiao
- SuYoung You
- Age: 29
- Pro Record: 15-3
- UFC Record: 4-0
- Key Wins: Submitted a well rounded 11-4 fighter. Knocked out a well rounded 19-5 fighter. Beat AJ Cunningham, Jieleyisi Baergeng. Split decision over Zhawupasi Daermisi.
- Striking: near plus (65)
- Power: near plus (65)
- Grappling: near plus (65)
- Xiao Long
- Age: 27
- UFC Record: 3-2
- Key Losses: Split decision loss to Chang Ho Lee.
- Key Wins: Knocked out Quang Le. Submitted a 5-0 striker. Beat a well rounded 5-1 fighter and a 5-1 grappler. Split decision over a 10-3 grappler. Majority decision over a 13-1 grappler.
- Striking: above average (60)
- Power: average (50)
- Wrestling: above average (60)
Chris’ Pick: You by decision.
What odds I think the favorite should be at: You -300
Diyar Nurgozhay vs Uran Satybaldiev
- Diyar Nurkozhay
- Age: 28
- Pro Record: 10-1
- UFC Record: 1-1
- Key Wins: Knocked out a well rounded 8-2-1 fighter. Beat a 12-3 grappler.
- Striking: above average (60)
- Power: above average (60)
- Wrestling: above average (60)
- Uran Satybaldiev
- Age: 30
- Pro Record: 8-1
- UFC Record: 0-1
- Key Wins: Knocked out a 9-3 striker. Submitted a 9-2 striker.
- Striking: above average (60)
- Power: above average (60)
- Wrestling: above average (60)
Chris’ Pick: Nurkozhay by 1st round knockout.
What odds I think the favorite should be at: Nurgozhay -125