UFC 239: Jones vs. Santos - Predictions and Picks

#7 The Prelims: UFC Fight Pass card

Prospect Edmen Shahbazyan could pick up his third UFC win against Jack Marshman

Finally we’re getting 3 fights on UFC Fight Pass – a rarity these days – too. In the headliner, young Middleweight Edmen Shahbazyan faces Welsh brawler Jack Marshman. Marshman can definitely crack, but he’s also very limited overall and we saw in Shahbazyan’s debut win over Darren Stewart that he’s quite happy to use his grappling to get past opponents like this. It’s a dangerous fight for him because Marshman could knock him out if he screws up, but I think Shahbazyan will outwork him for a decision or late TKO.

Welterweight Ismail Naurdiev had one of the most surprisingly good UFC debuts of 2019, outpointing Michel Prazeres, who hadn’t lost in 9 fights. He’s now faced with Chance Recountre, who picked up his first UFC win in January. I was really impressed with Naurdiev’s debut, though – he showed skills and the kind of calm you can’t really teach – and I think he’ll knock Recountre out here.

And in the opener, Bantamweights Pannie Kianzad and Julia Avila face off. I don’t know all that much about Avila to be honest, but while she’s got wins over Marion Reneau and Nicco Montano – both in the early days of their careers – I worry for someone who only has 6 professional fights in her UFC debut. Kianzad isn’t the best athlete but she’s a proven fighter at this level and has far more experience, so I think she’ll outwork Avila and probably take a submission late on.