-Jack Hermansson: Hermansson took that next step in his last fight dominating perennial contender Jacare Souza. 31 years old. 7-2 UFC record. Hermansson is best known for his plus plus wrestling and submission game and now his striking on the feet is a plus grade. Jared Cannonier has looked...
-Jeremy Stephens: I could be really wrong here, but I’m still not sold on Yair Rodriguez being an elite top 5 fighter. Rodriguez is 26 years old. 7-1 in the UFC. But the quality of competition he’s beat isn’t that good. Beat Charles Rosa by split decision. His biggest...
-Justin Gaethje: This is the worst style matchup for Donald Cerrone. Cerrone being 36 years old. 17-5 in the UFC at 155 lbs. Lately, he’s showed he can out strike someone like Al Iaquinta but got out struck by Tony Ferguson. That put’s Cerrone’s striking at the plus level....
-Dustin Poirier: Yes, Khabib Nurmagomedov is undefeated at 27-0. 11-0 in the UFC. But I don’t buy into this idea that’s he the best pound for pound fighter in the UFC. Or that he’s unstoppable. The main reason is the lack of quality competition he’s beat and the fact...
-Weili Zhang: UPSET SPECIAL: Casual fans might be surprised by the betting odds and my pick here, but despite only having a 3-0 UFC record, Zhang is very legit. 30 years old. 19-1 pro record. Plus striking. Above average grappling. And pretty impressive she dominated gate keeper Tecia Torres...
-Dusko Todorovic: To be blunt, after I looked over Todorovic’s resume, I was already convinced he was going to win this fight and it didn’t matter who the opponent was. Todorovic is 25 years old. 8-0. Knocked out a well rounded 8-0 fighter in just his 3rd pro fight....
-Leon Shahbazyan: Really close fight. When looking at Leon’s brother Edman Shahbazyan, who’s turned into one of the best prospects in all of the UFC, to think Leon would be an elite prospect too. But it’s too early to say that because all of Leon’s wins are over cans...
-Daniel Cormier: The vast majority of rematches that happen in MMA, whoever won the first fight, will win the rematch. There’s exceptions, but it’s rare. Most of the exceptions have been when the fighter who won the first fight, wins by flash knockout. Which is how Cormier beat Miocic....
-Herdum Alacabek: I’m picking Alacabek because he’s more of a sure thing. 5-0 pro record. 28 years old. Trains out of All Stars in Sweeden. Has beaten a couple pretty good prospects. Above average striking. Average grappling. William Knight is 31 years old. 4-0 pro record. All wins over...
-Valentina Shevchenko: This is one of those title fights where there’s no clear cut #1 contender, so they just give the title shot to whoever has the biggest name. In this case it’s Liz Carmouche who’s now 35 years old. 5-4 in the UFC. Above average wrestling. Above average...