UFC Fight Night 124: Stephens vs. Choi

#Preliminary Card (FOX Sports 1)

#1 Darren Elkins vs. Michael Johnson

Michael Johnson (Left) has dropped down to the UFC Featherweight Division

Michael Johnson has dropped to Featherweight after his stoppage loss to Justin Gaethje.

While Johnson is a legitimate top-5 caliber fighter, whether or not the weight cut hurt his performance, remains to be seen. While Elkins is a decent scrapper, his striking skills are not on par with MJ.

Provided that the drop down to 145 pounds hasn’t adversely affected his body, expect Johnson to pick Elkins apart in Round 1, before sealing the deal with his fast hands in Round 2.

Prediction: Michael Johnson def. Darren Elkins via KO

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#2 James Krause vs. Alex White

James Krause and Alex White are your run-of-the-mill MMA scrappers; decent at every aspect of the game.

While Krause’s striking offense may be slightly better than that of White, both fighters throw with reckless intent and do not have good defensive layers to their striking. Expect Krause to keep White at bay, with minimal ground exchanges.

Krause is likely to do just about enough so as to sway the judges in his favor.

Prediction: James Krause def. Alex White via Decision

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#3 Matt Frevola vs. Marco Polo Reyes

Marco Polo Reyes is a good fighter but seems to consistently underperform under the bright lights.

On the other hand, Matt Frevola is quite the opposite and despite not having the best skill-set in the world, he leaves it all inside the cage. Regardless, skill is likely to trump will in this matchup.

Expect Reyes to out-point Frevola on the feet. With the grappling exchanges being even-steven, the judges will probably score the decision in favor of Reyes.

Prediction: Marco Polo Reyes def. Matt Frevola via Decision

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#4 Talita Bernardo vs. Irene Aldana

Talita Bernardo possesses good grappling skills, with a striking game that’s decent as well, albeit with a few defensive lapses.

On the other hand, Irene Aldana is decent in both the striking and grappling departments, but often has trouble executing a given game-plan as and when the fight rolls on.

Look for Bernardo to dictate the pace in this matchup. With Bernardo forcing Aldana to play by her rhythm, the judges are likely to score this bout in favor of Bernardo.

Prediction: Talita Bernardo def. Irene Aldana via Decision