UFC Fight Night 159: Rodriguez vs Stephens - Predictions and Picks

#6 The Prelims: ESPN+ card

Sergio Pettis returns on Saturday to face newcomer Tyson Nam

All of Saturday’s preliminary fights will be shown on ESPN+, meaning it’s another marathon show for those who choose to watch it all.

Headlining the prelims – as far as I’m aware – is a Flyweight bout between Sergio Pettis and Tyson Nam. It’s been a long road to the UFC for Nam, who exploded to fame back in 2012 when he knocked out then-Bellator Bantamweight champion Eduardo Dantas. A talented but inconsistent fighter, he’s since settled into a journeyman’s career, picking up a major win every now and then – like a head kick KO of Ali Bagautinov in 2017 – but he’s also racked up a handful of losses too. This is a tricky fight for him as he’s taken it on relatively short notice, and is also faced with a highly skilled and technical opponent in Pettis. Assuming Pettis can get back to 125lbs healthily after his excursion to 135lbs I like him to win a decision here, but Nam would be a decent underdog bet due to his striking power.

At Bantamweight, Jose Quinonez faces Carlos Huachin. Huachin came into the UFC as a late replacement and put up a good fight against the tough Raoni Barcelos, out striking him for a round before succumbing on the ground. Quinonez meanwhile has been around for years now; more of a brawler, he seemingly doesn’t have a lot of power standing but he’s super tough and has cardio for days. Quinonez seems like the more reliable fighter to me so I’ll take him to win a decision.

Exciting brawler Polo Reyes returns at Featherweight to take on Kyle Nelson in what should be a fun fight while it lasts. Reyes only knows one style – wade into the pocket with strikes and hope his opponent will engage him in a firefight. Nelson meanwhile looks more like a ground fighter, but I’m not convinced he’s all that great and while Reyes has seen bad results recently, they all came against pretty heavy hitters. Reyes by KO is my pick.

At Strawweight, veteran Angela Hill takes on a replacement in Ariane Carnelossi, who has at least managed about a month’s notice for the fight. Hill hasn’t quite lived up to the potential she showed in Invicta FC – I still suspect she was rushed into her UFC tenure somewhat – and Carnelossi does look like a tricky striker. Having said that, nobody’s really outright beaten Hill in a striking match yet so I’ll take her by decision.

At Light-Heavyweight, Paul Craig squares off with Vinicius Moreira in what should be an exciting fight, as always with Scotland’s Craig. This one is actually a different fight for Craig as he’s facing a fellow grappler rather than an explosive striker. I like Craig but I’m going for Moreira here I think; Craig struggled in a straight grappling match with Jimmy Crute and I feel like he does better when he’s faced with a striker that he can tire out. Moreira via submission is the pick.

Former title challenger Bethe Correia faces Sijara Eubanks at Bantamweight, a surprising choice for a prelim given the semi-high profile of both women. Correia probably needs a win to remain in the UFC; she has one win to her name since her title fight loss to Ronda Rousey in 2015, a contentious decision over Jessica Eye. She’s tough but seems to lack the athleticism to survive at the high end of the UFC. Eubanks, on the other hand, might be a little undersized at Bantamweight, but she’s a high-level athlete and an excellent grappler. I’m taking Eubanks by submission in this one.

Finally former TUF Latin America 3 finalist Claudio Puelles fights Marcos Mariano at 155lbs. Mariano showed very little in his February loss to Lando Vannata, but to be fair it was a tricky fight for his UFC debut. Outside of that, ‘Dhalsim’ is a lanky, dangerous striker who is also pretty inconsistent. Puelles meanwhile is raw but has shown some talent in the past despite being on a crazy layoff coming into this one. I’ll take Mariano via knockout, but it’s a bit of a coin flip.