UFC Fight Island 6: Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie - Predictions and Picks

#6 The Prelims: UFC on ESPN+ card

Newcomer Mateusz Gamrot headlines this weekend's prelims.

All of this weekend’s prelims will be shown live on the ESPN+ streaming service, and there will be a reported seven fights on tap. This could increase to eight if the UFC can find an opponent for David Zawada, but one hasn't been confirmed as of the time of writing.

At the top of the prelim card is a Lightweight clash between Mateusz Gamrot and Guram Kutateladze. Both men are making their UFC debuts here, meaning a pick is always going to be tricky. With that said, from the footage I’ve seen, I’m leaning towards Poland’s Gamrot.

He seems to be the more polished fighter in all areas, and at 17-0 with a lot of experience in a strong promotion in KSW, I think he should have enough here to pick up a UFC debut win, probably by decision.

At Flyweight, Gillian Robertson faces Poliana Botelho. This fight sees two decently well-rounded fighters facing off, but I’m favoring Robertson. She’s got far more experience than her opponent, and more to the point, Botelho hasn’t fought since April 2019. That’s a hell of a layoff, and Robertson is a very tricky opponent to return against. Given Botelho was trucked on the ground by Cynthia Calvillo, I think Robertson can repeat the trick and pick up a submission win.

In a Welterweight bout, Claudio Silva takes on James Krause. This is a tricky fight to pick. Silva – a Brazilian based in the UK – is a phenomenal grappler who knows how to finish, but he’s also somewhat slow and not the best athlete. Krause, meanwhile, is probably past his prime, but he’s dangerous in all areas and knows how to win fights.

Silva can definitely submit him if he can get him to the ground, but overall I’m favoring Krause’s gritty style to wear ‘Hannibal’ down, giving him his ninth UFC win, probably by decision.

At Middleweight, brawler John Phillips takes on Jun Yong Park. Obviously, the last time we saw Phillips, he was throttled by Khamzat Chimaev. Realistically he hasn’t proven himself as a UFC-level fighter, but he hits hard and can capitalize on mistakes. Park, though, is a hard worker with well-rounded skills and a willingness to push the pace. I’m not sure Phillips is going to be able to stay off his back in this fight, and so I’m taking Park by decision.

In a Lightweight clash, Jamie Mullarkey faces Farez Ziam. Australia’s Mullarkey has only fought once in the UFC – a loss to Brad Riddell – but he’s still a pretty excellent striker with a lot of speed, poise, and knockout power. France’s Ziam is also 0-1 in the UFC and has a similar amount of experience. This could go either way, but I’m taking Mullarkey via knockout.

At Light Heavyweight, Maxim Grishin drops to 205lbs to take on Ghadzimurad Antigulov. Antigulov is currently on a horrible run in the UFC, losing his last three bouts, all by finish, too. He’s a solid grappler but struggles due to a lack of athleticism and speed. Grishin had similar issues at Heavyweight, but should be far better down at 205lbs. I like him to win by submission here.

Finally, Mark Striegl faces Said Nurmagomedov in a Bantamweight bout. As you’d imagine, Nurmagomedov is a stifling grappler with plenty of punching power and a tremendous gas tank. He was beaten by Raoni Barcelos in his last fight, proving he’s no Khabib, but he’s still a tricky opponent. Meanwhile, Filipino fighter Striegl is a dangerous prospect making his UFC debut, but this looks like a bad fight for him stylistically as his background is in Sambo. And obviously, Nurmagomedov is a Sambo expert. I’ll take the Russian via decision here.