Robert Whittaker vs Ikram Aliskerov I know Aliskerov has a ton of hype right now. Three 1st round finishes in three UFC fights. Each lasting a little over 2 minutes. But. The striking numbers between Aliskerov and Hawes were close to equal. And despite the quick KO with Alves,...
Alex Perez vs Tatsuro Taira It’s possible Taira’s grappling could be as high as a 75, but I don’t it because his striking is definitely no higher than a 65 and I don’t think his grappling is that further ahead over his stand up. I was surprised to see...
Jared Cannonier vs Nassourdine Imavov Total coin flip fight on paper, but I give Imavov a slight edge in that he’s 11 years younger than Cannonier. Chris’ Pick: Imavov by decision. What odds I think the favorite should be at: Imavov -135 Dominick Reyes vs Dustin Jacoby Despite losing...
Jieleyisi Baergeng vs Yunfeng Li Chris’ Pick: Jieleyisi by 2nd round knockout. What odds I think the favorite should be at: Jieleyisi -135 Kierandip Singh Sahota vs Shuai Yin At times, Shuai looks like he has 60 tools, but his cardio isn’t great and from what I’ve seen, isn’t...
Zhawupasi Daermisi vs Ren Ozaki Zhawupasi’s wrestling could be a 65. It’s really close. But he does seem one dimensional and his striking could be as low as a 50. Chris’ Pick: Zhawupasi by decision. What odds I think the favorite should be: Zhawupasi -225 John Dave Almanza vs...
Bin Xie vs Yibugele Yibugele’s wrestling is close to a 55, but not quite there yet. I like Bin’s cardio. His tools could be as high as 60’s. Chris’ Pick: Bin by decision. What odds I think the favorite should be at: Bin -175 Ming Shi vs Ye Dam...
Kangjie Zhu vs Tatsuya Ando I’m pretty sure I have Kangjie’s striking graded right as a 60, but the wrestling tool could be a 50. I wasn’t as impressed with what I saw from him there. Chris’ Pick: Ando by split decision. What odds I think the favorite should...
Islam Makhachev vs Dustin Poirier When in doubt, zoom out. And after Poirier’s last fight with St Denis, not only did he show he’s not regressing yet, his 75 striking showed up again too. It’s on the low end of a 75, but Poirier’s durability and cardio is what...
Edson Barboza vs Lerone Murphy Very possible Murphy shows up improved. And if he does, then it could be a close fight. But with the skills I’ve seen from Murphy up to this point, I don’t see how he out strikes Barboza. Chris’ Pick: Barboza by decision. What odds...
Derrick Lewis vs Rodrigo Nascimento The only way Nascimento wins this is if he shows up improved. Lewis has lost 5 out of his last 7 fights, but this is a winnable fight for Lewis. Nascimento was knocked out by Chris Daukaus in 45 seconds. I don’t see this...