UFC Fight Night 152: Dos Anjos vs. Lee - Predictions and Picks

#2 Vicente Luque vs. Derrick Krantz

Facing a late replacement, Vicente Luque should pick up another UFC finish

So initially, this would’ve seen Luque – who is currently 8-2 in the UFC and who has finished each and every one of his victories – facing perennial top ten-ranked Neil Magny in what could well have been a breakout fight for the veteran of TUF 21.

With Magny removed due to a USADA issue just days before the show though, the UFC has scrambled for a replacement and come up with Krantz.

‘D-Rock’ currently sports a record of 22-10, has been fighting since 2008, and is on a two-fight winning streak. Glancing at his ledger though, something immediately stands out: almost every fighter on there that I’ve heard of has beaten him, from Dustin Poirier and Andrey Koreshkov to Sean Spencer and Alex Morono.

A champion in the Legacy Fighting Alliance promotion, footage on Krantz appears to show a fighter relatively well-rounded, but one who relies almost purely on his punching power to get him through.

That’s all well and good, but against a guy like Luque it’s almost guaranteed to get him into trouble. ‘The Silent Assassin’ has a ridiculous chin, as evidenced by his February win over Bryan Barbarena, and he has plenty of punching power of his own – not to mention a genuine black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and pretty deadly submission skills.

We’ve seen late replacements shock the world before – remember when Alexander Hernandez cleaned Beneil Dariush’s clock, for instance? – but I can’t see that happening here. Luque is explosive, dangerous, at the top of his game and poor Krantz is coming in on barely any notice at all. I can’t pick against Luque here – I’d be insane.

The Pick: Luque via first round submission