UFC 252: Miocic vs. Cormier 3 - Predictions and Picks

#6 UFC 252 Prelims: ESPN Card

Longtime UFC veteran Jim Miller headlines the card's ESPN prelims

Four of this show’s prelim fights will be shown on ESPN. At the top of the portion is a battle between Lightweight veterans Jim Miller and Vinc Pichel. With a combined age of 73, quite how long these two men have left in the UFC is anyone’s guess.

Of the two, Miller is naturally more shopworn. Debuting in the UFC back in 2008, he’s had 35 fights in the promotion, and has seen mixed results as of late. His most recent fight though saw a big return to form – he armbarred prospect Roosevelt Roberts in the first round.

The question here for him is how he deals with Pichel’s physical strength. Not the greatest fighter in terms of skills, the bullying style of ‘From Hell’ has allowed him plenty of UFC success. In fact, powerful grapplers Gregor Gillespie and Rustam Khabilov are the only men to beat him during his seven-fight run in the promotion.

Skill-for-skill this ought to be a winnable fight for Miller, particularly as Pichel hasn’t fought in well over a year. However, his physical deterioration makes me suspect that ‘From Hell’ will be able to grind out a surprising decision win.

At Strawweight, Ashley Yoder takes on Livinha Souza. A former Invicta champion, Souza hasn’t quite hit the ground running in the UFC as she’d hoped. In fact, she hasn’t fought in over a year following an upset loss to Brianna Van Buren.

Yoder, meanwhile, has far less experience, and while she’s a good athlete, she’s traditionally struggled with the higher-level fighters in this division. I feel like she could win this one if she takes the fight to Souza, but the more likely outcome is ‘The Brazilian Gangster’ winning via either decision or submission.

A late-notice Heavyweight bout sees debutants Chris Daukaus and Parker Porter square off. As with any fight between UFC debutants – particularly at Heavyweight – this one is near impossible to pick. Porter has been around for ages – he even has a loss to a pre-UFC Jon Jones on his record. Daukaus, meanwhile, is the brother of current UFC Middleweight Kyle Daukaus and he also moonlights as a Philadelphia cop.

Footage on Daukaus is sparse, but he appears to be a heavy hitter – even if he’s not in the best shape. However, I’m leaning towards Porter here. He’s the more experienced fighter, having been in Bellator and even faced Gabriel Gonzaga a few years ago. I’ll take Porter via TKO.

Finally, in another Strawweight fight, veteran Felice Herrig returns from a long time on the shelf to face Virna Jandiroba. This one is tricky to call. If Herrig were in her prime, I’d probably pick her easily. She’s largely underrated in all areas and her stand-up had come on leaps and bounds in recent years.

However, she’s also 35, is coming off a serious knee injury, and has been fighting for over a decade. Jandiroba, meanwhile, has lost to the best opponent she’s faced – Carla Esparza – but she’s a very skilled grappler and is clearly on her way up. If Herrig is fit and healthy, then I think she can outwork the Brazilian for a decision, but it could easily go the other way.