Prelims
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#1 Takanori Gomi vs Jon Tuck
Takanori Gomi is a legend of the sport and no matter what happens from this point moving forward, he’ll go down in the annals of MMA as one of the most creative to have ever practised the Savage Science.
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Now with that being said, I see Jon Tuck picking Gomi apart in this matchup, and by picked apart, I mean he will piece up and eventually finish Gomi.
A few years back, this fight would’ve been a wash for Takanori Gomi, but in 2017 we’ll see Tuck break him down and score a TKO via ground-and-pound or a late submission.
Prediction: Jon Tuck def. Takanori Gomi via TKO
#2 Cyril Asker vs Walt Harris
Yet another battle of giants, this matchup differs from the aforementioned Arlovski-Tybura clash in the sense that both Asker and Harris aren’t separated by too much come fight night.
On paper, this is a fight that Harris should take, however, given the man’s past tendencies to leave himself open to strikes at close-to-mid-range, don’t be surprised if Asker sleeps Harris with a grazing shot to the dome.
I see both fighters coming out tentative, with Harris eventually securing the finish – that is if he stays cautious in the pocket.
Prediction: Walt Harris def. Cyril Asker via KO
#3 Alex Caceres vs Rolando Dy
Alex Caceres is a good fighter, with decent striking and grappling, but so is Rolando Dy.
In my opinion, this matchup will be decided by the fighter whose work-rate prevails over the course of three rounds. And the answer to that is likely Alex Caceres, who, I feel, will outpoint Dy to a clear-cut decision win.
Prediction: Alex Caceres def. Rolando Dy via Decision
#4 Justin Scoggins vs Ulka Sasaki
Justin Scoggins is a scrappy fighter and can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the division, including the divisional elite.
Nevertheless, Sasaki is by no means a slouch with regards to his all-round MMA skillset, however – and this is something that Sasaki has been criticised for time and again – he tends to give away advantageous positions both on the feet as well as the mat to his opponents.
Despite Sasaki’s apparently low ring-IQ, I still see this matchup being somewhat close, with Scoggins pulling away in the end.
Prediction: Justin Scoggins def. Ulka Sasaki via Decision
