-Alexey Oleynik: UPSET SPECIAL 1: I’ve been saying for a long time that Oleynik has been one of the top 3 most under rated fighters in the UFC and now he finally gets his due. He takes on Mark Hunt who is on the outs with the UFC and because of that, the UFC is trying to use Hunt to get other heavyweights over and build them up. Stylistically, this is a terrible match up for Hunt. Because one way or another, Oleynik will find a way to get Hunt on the ground. Once that happens, Oleynik will go to work and we’re looking at a 2nd round submission win for Oleynik.
-Nikita Krylov: Love this fight. Probably my favorite fight on the card. Jan Blachowicz has been on an absolute roll finally living up to the potential I thought he had all along. Even though he’s 35 years old, he’s developed and gotten better. Krylov though has way more upside. 26 years old. 24 wins and none of them came by decision. He’s aggressive. Plus striking. Plus submissions. Only real weakness is in wrestling. And because Blachowicz has better wrestling, it’s possible that he takes Krylov down and wins the fight because of it. But I’m picking Krylov based more on projection. In thinking that Krylov will be better than the last time I saw him in the UFC, with better take down defense and I think Krylov wins the striking exchanges to win by decision.
-Shamil Abdurakhimov: Andrei Arlovski went on a 2 fight win streak but lost his last fight to Tai Tuivasa. Arlovski was able to win the 2 fights because his stand up is still crisp and his fight IQ is elite. I think Shamil starts the fight on the feet to see how things go. Shamil’s striking has been getting better. But more than likely Arlovski gets the best of the stand up and Shamil clinches Arlovski. Probably takes him down. And controls the fight enough to win by decision.
-Alexey Kunchenko: Kunchenko might be the best welterweight outside the UFC. But at 34 years of age, he finally makes his UFC debut. He takes on Thiago Alves who’s 34 years old and has lost the last 3 of 4 fights. The UFC clearly booked this fight with Kunchenko against a name opponent to try and put Kunchenko over. Kunchenko’s best tool is his striking. And I don’t think Alves has much of a chin left. If Curtis Millender could knock Alves out, I see no reason why Kunchenko doesn’t do the same thing. 1st round.
-CB Dollaway: UPSET SPECIAL 2: Khalid Murtazaliev is an average prospect. He has plus striking. But not much else. He’s 25 years old and has time to round out his game, but he’s taking this fight on short notice against a very well rounded fighter in Dollaway and it’s going to be too much too soon. Dollaway can start by seeing how things go on the feet but more than likely, Dollaway will make this a dull fight by taking the path of least resistance. Pushing Murtzaliev against the cage. Clinching. Probably taking him down. Dollaway will cruise to a decision win.
-Petr Yan: Yan is a blue chip, elite prospect and this fight was booked with the attempt to make him a star. Jin Soo Son is a below average prospect. Doesn’t have any standout tool. He’s well rounded except he has a weakness in his take down defense. Hasn’t fought anybody who’s any good. I expect Yan to take the fight to the ground and TKO Son in the 1st round.
-Rustam Khabilov: Khabilov is probably one of the most unknown 8-2 UFC fighters on the roster. Wouldn’t surprise me in the least if he headlines a Fight Night card in Europe early next year. He’s getting fed Kajan Johnson, who the UFC has been trying to bury ever since his efforts to unionize UFC fighters went public. Khabilov has elite wrestling, but does have to work on his finishing ability if he expects to beat the very best in the division. But he’ll have no problem outwrestling Johnson to get the win by way of decision.
-Mairbek Taisumov: If Taisumov isn’t already classified as a title contender, he will be soon. 6-1 in the UFC. 5 of the 6 wins coming by knockout. His one weakness is take down defense which makes his fight against Desmond Green interesting in that Green is a pretty good wrestler. But I think Taisumov has improved his take down defense enough to stay on his feet long enough to knock Green out. Probably in the 1st round.
-Magomed Ankalaev: Really interesting fight. Ankalaev and Marcin Prachnio are both very good prospects but both were upset in their UFC debuts. Both are in their prime. And it’s a shame one of these guys is going to have a 0-2 UFC record. But styles make fights and Ankalaev has a big wrestling advantage. His striking has improved enough to where he’ll be able to do OK on the feet against Prachnio, but I see Ankalaev playing things safe and taking Prachnio down when he can to take the decision win.
-Jordan Johnson: Johnson did pretty well at 205 lbs, 3-0 in the UFC so far. Used his plus wrestling to win decisions. But had problems in his last fight against a bigger Adam Milstead. Johnson cuts down to 185 lbs for the first time in this fight and he could be a monster if he’s able to start tapping into his power. Adam Yandiev is a submission specialist and stylistically submission fighters have huge problems against wrestlers they can’t take down. I think that’s the case here and Johnson knocks Yandiev out in the 2nd round.
-Ramazan Emeev: Not a hard fight to pick. Emeev is a top prospect at 185 lbs due to his near elite wrestling and quality of competition he’s beaten. Stefan Sekulic has potential as a grappler, but doesn’t have a single win over a quality opponent. Emeev could win either by taking Sekulic down and controlling him there. Or Emeev could decide to use his wrestling to keep the fight on the feet and probably get the best of the striking exchange. Either way, I think we’re looking at a 1st round knockout and a possible rising contender.
-Terrion Ware: UPSET SPECIAL 3: My original pick was Merab Dvalishvili. But with Dvalishvili being such a huge betting favorite and me thinking this fight is a toss up, I’m changing my pick to Terrion Ware. Both Dvalishvili and Terrion Ware have experienced bad luck in the UFC so far. Dvalishvili’s first 2 loses were very close. And Ware’s first 3 losses in the UFC have been against rising contenders who’ve all turned out to be very good. So something’s going to give for one of these guys. Both are solid wrestlers. It’s possible Dvalishvili has more upside due to his lack of experience and the development curve he’s on. Ware is a finished product at 32 years old. I think the wrestling cancels itself out and the fight stays on the feet. This is going to be a razor close fight and I’m picking Ware to out point Dvalishvili in the striking exchanges to take the decision win.