5 bold predictions for UFC 274

UFC 274 will take place on May 7 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. The card will be headlined by a lightweight fight between Justin Gaethje and Charles Oliveira for UFC gold.

Oliveira is on a fantastic run in the UFC right now. 'Do Bronx' has won 10 fights in a row, and nine of them have been finishes. Gaethje, on the other hand, recently won a hard-fought war against Michael Chandler to earn his second shot at the undisputed lightweight title.

The co-main event of UFC 274 will see another title match. Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza will collide in a rematch eight years in the making for the strawweight title. Their first encounter took place in December 2014 and ended with a submission victory for Esparza.

Apart from the two title fights, the UFC 274 card is stacked from top to bottom. A lightweight barnburner between Michael Chandler and Tony Ferguson will also take place on the main card, which will begin with a showdown between veterans Donald Cerrone and Joe Lauzon.

The event's prelims will feature exciting fighters like Khaos Williams, Randy Brown, and Brandon Royval.

With that said, let's take a look at five bold predictions for UFC 274:

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#5. Khaos Williams will win the 'Performance of the Night' bonus at UFC 274

Both Randy Brown and Khaos Williams are two action-packed fighters in the UFC's welterweight division. Brown has 14 MMA career wins, and 11 have been finishes. Williams, on the other hand, has 8 finishes in 13 victories.

So, it would be fair to assume that the fight will not go the distance.

Williams has showcased his devastating punching power on multiple occasions in the UFC. The 28-year-old won four out of his five fights in the promotion, and three have come via knockout.

Williams has won a 'Performance of the Night' bonus for each of his knockouts. In addition, the 28-year-old has never been finished in a fight, so the chances of him scoring another 'Performance of the Night' bonus at UFC 274 seem pretty good.

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#4. Brandon Royval will submit Matt Schnell in the UFC 274 prelims

Both Brandon Royval and Matt Schnell are known for their submission skills. The two flyweights have eight submission victories each on their resume.

However, the difference is the level of competition faced by the two. Royval has submitted fighters like Kai Kara-France and MMA veteran Tim Elliot during his stint in the UFC.

Schnell, on the other hand, lacks big-name wins on his resume. Also, when it comes to Brazilian jiu-jitsu credentials, 'Raw Dawg' ranks higher as a black belt than Schnell, who's a purple belt.

So, on May 7, Royval will likely prove himself to be the superior submission artist by forcing a tap out of Schnell in their flyweight matchup.

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#3. Donald Cerrone will return to winning ways

Both Donald Cerrone and Joe Lauzon have seen better days in their MMA careers. 'Cowboy', who is a well-respected personality in the sport, is going through a rough patch in the UFC. The 39-year-old has been unable to secure a win in his last six fights. Cerrone's current MMA record stands at 36-16-2.

Lauzon has also lost three of his last four UFC fights. 'J-Lau' has been out of action for quite some time, with his last fight taking place in October 2019. This may prove advantageous for 'Cowboy', who has competed four times since Lauzon's last fight.

Another factor that may prove crucial in this fight is the difference in the level of competition faced by the two fighters.

Cerrone has fought big names like Conor McGregor, Tony Ferguson, Justin Gaethje, Darren Till, Jorge Masvidal, Robbie Lawler, Rafael dos Anjos, Leon Edwards, and Nate Diaz. The same cannot be said for Lauzon.

Cerrone's experience against several high-level fighters may help him emerge victorious on May 7. There's a good chance UFC 274 may be the last promotional outing for both combatants, so they will most likely do their very best to win.

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#2. Charles Oliveira will submit Justin Gaethje inside three rounds

Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje are two of the most exciting fighters competing in the UFC today. Their MMA records prove just that. Oliveira has 32 wins in his MMA career, and 29 of them have been finishes.

'The Highlight' has been the victor in a fight a total of 23 times. Of those, 20 fights have ended in a finish.

Many believe that the Brazilian will face difficulty taking the fight to the ground, considering the wrestling credentials possessed by 'The Highlight'. But Oliveira's fight against Dustin Poirier showed that a takedown isn't necessary for 'Do Bronx' to submit an elite fighter.

Another important thing to note here is that in his 41-fight career, 'Do Bronx' has never gone past the third round in a fight. Gaethje has also gone past the third round on only two occasions.

Considering this, along with the fact that Oliveira has the most submission wins in the UFC (15), the lightweight champ has a great chance of submitting Gaethje, whose last loss also came via submission, incidentally in a title fight.

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#1. Michael Chandler will win a 30-27 decision over Tony Ferguson at UFC 274

Michael Chandler has been nothing but entertaining ever since his arrival to the UFC. In his last fight, 'Iron' went to war with Justin Gaethje and delivered an instant classic. Chandler is likely to bring the same action to his upcoming fight against Ferguson.

Tony Ferguson has been completely outclassed by his opponents in his last three bouts. After being TKO'd by Gaethje, the 38-year-old was out-grappled by Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush. After a 12-fight win streak, 'El Cucuy' has lost every round in his last three bouts.

It does not look like things will get better for Ferguson at UFC 274. Power, speed and athleticism, all these qualities appear to be on Chandler's side for this fight.

While it is possible that 'El Cucuy' may manage to make the fight competitive and land some dangerous blows on 'Iron', Chandler may cruise to a unanimous decision victory by winning all three rounds.