UFC 229 Predictions: McGregor vs. Khabib - Early Preliminary Card Predictions

UFC 229 is building up, and with UFC Fight Night: Sao Paolo out of the way, the fans could not be more hyped for UFC 229 than they are now.

The feud between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov has reached another level. It started with Khabib threatening and slapping a friend of Conor's but things amped up even further when Conor came to meet Khabib, with a lot of people by his side. Khabib was in a bus along with several other UFC fighters, and Conor threw a metal dolly into the window of the bus.

The dolly broke the window, injuring a fighter, and leading to legal repercussions for McGregor, but the fight is still on. Khabib and McGregor met at the UFC 229 Presser last week, which saw the two future opponents go at each other verbally. The two opponents did not hold back throwing verbal spars at each other. Conor was the more enthusiastic of the two, but Khabib did not hold back either.

Now, with the fight coming up in less that two weeks, it's time to take a look at what is waiting for us on the card for UFC 229. In this article, we will be looking at the Early Prelims, and predicting each fight..

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#1. Ryan LaFlare vs. Tony Martin

UFC Fight Night: Weidman v Gastelum

One of the first fights on the UFC 229 card, Ryan LaFlare is set to meet Tony Martin in the Octagon. Both fighters have had experience in the UFC, and will be happy to be on one of the most awaited cards in UFC this year.

Ryan LaFlare has lost only two of his nine fights since coming to the company, but both were big fights, against Alex Oliveira and Demian Maia. For him to have lost these fights would be bad enough to find himself at such a low spot on the card. He will be hoping for a win against Tony Martin to jump back into the upper echelons.

Tony Martin has had 9 fights in the UFC as well, but unlike LaFlare, he has lost four of them. Fighting in the 170 pound weight class, at this stage it is imperative for Martin to get a submission hold on LaFlare if he is to win, while Ryan will be concentrating more on getting strikes in.

Predictions: Ryan LaFlare defeats Tony Martin

#2. Gray Maynard vs. Nick Lentz

A Fight made for Maynard!

A fight between two competitors who are both desperate for a win, this has all the making for a classic. While neither fighter has been anything close to consistent, both will be using this opportunity to bounce back and prove that they are better than what they have delivered on so far.

Maynard has had a whole host of losses that he would just as soon forget about, while Lentz's performance of late has been inconsistent to say the least. Two wins and two losses from his last four fights say all that needs to be said.

At 39, some could say that Maynard is reaching the end of his career, and will look to rack up a few more wins. In his prime, he even beat the likes of Nate Diaz, although the loudmouth fighter would take revenge in a later fight, knocking Maynard out in 2 minutes and 38 seconds of the 1st round.

Prediction: Nick Lentz beats Gray Maynard

#3. Scott Holtzman vs Alan Patrick

UFC 113: Machida v Shogun 2

Since coming to the UFC, all but one of Scott's fights have ended in Unanimous Desicions. Unfortunately for him, two of those did not go his way. However, since starting his UFC career in 2012, those are the only to losses against Holtzman's names as he goes into this fight against Patrick.

Patrick has been in the game longer, since 2008, and since then has suffered only one loss. With only six fights in the UFC, Patrick has been working his way up the UFC roster in the Lightweight Division.

Both fighters love long fights, and prefer knockouts to submissions. Heading into this fight it is hard to say who will win, but with the experience of his years, this one goes to Patrick if he can ward off Holtzman enough.

Prediction: Scott Holtzman beats Alan Patrick

#4. Lina Lansburg vs. Yana Kunitskaya

UFC 222: Cyborg v Kunitskaya

Long before Lina Lansburg joined UFC, she had a Muay Thai career, where she fought at some of the biggest stages, winning Gold for her effort. Since joining UFC, she has had a tough time.

Her very first fight was against Cris Cyborg, who made short work of her. However, since then she has picked up two wins, and unfortunately for her, another loss. Currently she is ranked at Number 12 on the Women's Bantamweight rankings and will be looking to make short work of UFC newcomer, Yana Kunitskaya to jump up the ranking. Yana fought Cris Cyborg as well upon her debut in UFC, a fight she lost badly.

Yana depends mostly on Knockouts for wins, not known for going the distance, which is something Lansburg might take advantage of.

Prediction: Lina Lansburg beats Yana Kunitskaya

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