UFC on ESPN: Munhoz vs. Edgar - Predictions and Picks

#5 The Prelims: UFC on ESPN card

Japan's Mizuki Inoue headlines this weekend's preliminary card

As of the time of writing, the UFC has not announced any further main card fights for this show. That suggests that one of the following prelims will likely be moved up, but which fight(s) might get the bump remains to be seen.

At the top of the preliminary card is a Strawweight fight between Amanda Lemos and Mizuki Inoue. A kickboxing veteran of some regard, Japan’s Mizuki debuted in the UFC last year with a win over Wu Yanan. Her aggression essentially won her that fight, as she was more than willing to walk through Wu’s shots to land one of her own.

This fight is interesting as it marks the first one at Strawweight for Lemos, who most recently submitted Miranda Granger in December. It’s a tricky one to pick as Lemos is somewhat of an unknown quantity, while Mizuki has far more experience but is the smaller fighter. I’m leaning towards Mizuki via decision, but it could go either way.

At Lightweight, Austin Hubbard faces Joe Solecki. A well-rounded fighter, Hubbard is coming off a win over noted wrestler Max Rohskopf, while Solecki debuted in the UFC last December with a win over veteran Matt Wiman.

Solecki essentially used his wrestling and ground-and-pound game to beat Wiman down in that fight, but can he do the same to Hubbard, who’s been in with the likes of Rohskopf, Mark Madsen and Davi Ramos? In all honesty, I doubt it. Solecki looks talented, but this is the type of fight that ‘Thud’ can thrive in using his toughness and overall skills. I like Hubbard via decision here.

In a Flyweight bout, Mariya Agapova squares off with Shana Dobson. Her name might not be so familiar, but Agapova looked excellent in her UFC debut, a submission of Hannah Cifers in June. Dobson, meanwhile, is horribly inexperienced and has lost three of her four UFC fights, all largely in one-sided fashion. With that in mind, Agapova via TKO seems like the smart pick here.

At Welterweight, Dwight Grant faces debutant Jared Gooden. This should be a fun fight as both men are high-level athletes, with Grant even showing the skill to outpoint longtime UFC veteran Alan Jouban in his last fight. Will the layoff of over a year affect him here? Perhaps, but his UFC experience and the fact that Gooden doesn’t tend to go deep into fights makes me favor him. Grant by decision is my pick.

At Light Heavyweight, Ike Villanueva and Jorge Gonzalez face off in a fight moved from last weekend’s UFC 252 event. Gonzalez’s visa issues forced the rescheduling, but I still like him to win this one. The native of Mexico has a solid 16-5 record and plenty of experience, while Villanueva has been fighting since 2010 and showed very little in his UFC debut. Gonzalez via TKO is my pick.

In the UFC’s Bantamweight division, debutants Timur Valiev and Mark Striegl face off. A native of Dagestan, Valiev trains with compatriot Zabit Magomedsharipov in New Jersey with Mark Henry’s side. Like most Dagestani fighters, he’s an excellent grappler with an improving striking game, and he’s got plenty of experience too, having fought in the PFL promotion.

Striegl is a native of the Philippines and appears to be quite the grappler – having numerous submissions to his name including two rare scarf hold tapouts. However, he’s not faced the kind of competition that Valiev has, outside of a win over the much smaller Kai Kara-France. I like Valiev via TKO in this one.

At Welterweight, Matthew Semelsberger faces Carlton Minus in another battle of UFC debutants. As always with UFC debutants, it’s hard to pick based on the fact that there’s not all that much footage available. However, Minus has more experience and has fought UFC veterans, and also appears to be the more battle-tested. I’ll take ‘Clutch’ to win a decision.

Finally, Maki Pitolo returns at Middleweight to face Impa Kasanganay. This is an interesting one as Pitolo was submitted by Darren Stewart just two weeks ago, while Kasanganay only earned his UFC contract a week ago on Dana White’s Contender Series. Based on his fight there, this should be a winnable one for Kasanganay. He used his grappling chops to outwork opponent Anthony Adams while also showing a willingness to trade bombs. If he can avoid the big shot from Pitolo, there’s every chance he grounds him to grind out a victory. Kasanganay via decision is my pick.