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

#6 Davi Ramos vs. Austin Hubbard

Davi Ramos is a rare specialist in the modern-day UFC

I’m not really sure how this one made the main card over a couple of the better prelims here, but there you go. The last time we saw world-class grappler Ramos, he was submitting John Gunther with terrifying ease at the UFC’s 25th anniversary show, giving us all some nice Royce Gracie flashbacks.

This time he’s up against newcomer Austin Hubbard, and to be honest, Hubbard isn’t a name I’d heard of before this fight was announced.

A look at his highlight reel and his fight footage appears to show a classic modern-day MMA fighter. Seemingly a jack-of-all-trades type, Hubbard looks aggressive, throws some nice strikes, has some decent enough takedowns and his ground-and-pound looks excellent.

Fighting out of the famed Elevation team under UFC veteran Eliot Marshall, it’s hardly a surprise to see him sign with the UFC after putting together a 10-2 record.

I actually think he’s in trouble here, though. The problem for Hubbard is that historically, unless you’re a truly great fighter – think someone like Georges St-Pierre or Jose Aldo – jack-of-all-trades types tend to struggle against fighters who are truly elite in one single area, even if their skills are generally lacking a bit elsewhere.

Ramos is one of those rare specialists still around in MMA at the top level today. An Abu Dhabi champion in 2015, Ramos is arguably one of the most skilled and decorated grapplers in the sport today, and while his striking might be lagging behind his submissions, like Demian Maia before him it doesn’t tend to matter when you’re that good on the ground.

The Brazilian’s last 3 wins have been total shutouts – finishes by rear naked choke in the first round – and in all honesty given what I’ve seen from Hubbard, who could easily go on to some decent success down the line, I just don’t see that he’s going to be able to prevent Ramos from just taking him down and tooling him on the ground too. There’ll be no shame in it, but this feels one-sided to me.

The Pick: Ramos via first round submission