The UFC is in London with a card headlined by top 10 Light Heavyweights and features a clash between two world class Welterweights. The card also contains some of the most exciting prospects in Europe at the moment such as Marc Diakiese.
Main Card
Main Event: Jimi Manuwa vs. Corey Anderson
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Jimi Manuwa is looking to get another crack at the top of the division by beating Corey Anderson at home in London. Manuwa has only lost to Alexander Gustafsson and Rumble Johnson and is coming off a knockout victory over Ovince St. Preux in October.
Manuwa is a power puncher, he likes to stalk his opponent and wait for the perfect opportunity to explode with a punch. He will use leg kicks to corral his opponent and limit their lateral movement but he is patient with his punches, not throwing a lot of combinations or volume and instead opting for power.
Manuwa isn’t much of a grappler but he is very strong in the clinch and is capable of landing vicious shots from that position.
Ultimate Fighter winner Corey Anderson beat Sean O’ Connell in his last fight to bounce back from a close defeat to Shogun Rua. A win over a top 10 fighter such as Manuwa would establish Anderson as a potential contender at Light Heavyweight.
Anderson is a great wrestler, he has the ability to time his shots well and is relentless with takedowns against the fence. Once he gets the fight to the ground he has good top control and continuously peppers away with shots from top position.
His striking is good but it is still very clunky, he hasn’t really been able to put it together yet, even if the basics are there.
Anderson will need to get the fight to the ground to win this, as Manuwa hits too hard not to find a big shot in 25 minutes. Once Anderson gets on top his grappling may be too much for Manuwa, who has never shown anything to suggest he can offer much threat from his back.
Once Anderson can secure takedowns and tire Manuwa out he is the favourite, but he will be in big trouble if he strays from his gameplan.
Prediction: Corey Anderson via Decision
Co-Main Event: Alan Jouban vs. Gunnar Nelson
Both of these fighters have records of 6-2 in the UFC but are ever improving and eager for another shot at the top of the division. Nelson is one of the more unique fighters in the UFC, blending a deadly jiu-jitsu game with an in-and-out karate style of striking.
Nelson very rarely throws his lead hand, preferring to wait for the perfect moment to explode forward with it.
His real talent though is in grappling. He is good at hiding his takedown attempts behind his strikes and transitioning between the two seamlessly, once he gets control on the ground that is usually the end.
His speciality is getting to the back and locking in a body triangle before working for the rear naked choke, and with four UFC victories via rear naked choke, he is very good at it.
Jouban has the instincts and the tendencies of a brawler but with a much more refined game. He has good movement and is comfortable fighting either at range or in the pocket. He also has very powerful kicks and if he commits to attacking the body he could slow Nelson down, as Rick Story did when he fought him.
Jouban is a solid wrestler and is decent off his back due to his training in 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu. If this fight stays standing Jouban should easily outscore Nelson, but Nelson just needs to get this to the ground once and he can find the submission.
Prediction: Gunnar Nelson via Submission
Brad Pickett vs. Marlon Vera
Pickett is fighting at home in the last fight of his long career of fighting at the top level. Pickett has great skills as a boxer, particularly in the pocket. He has good head movement and fast hooks to punish his opponent with counters. His takedown game is also a real asset, once he has established his striking on the inside he can counter with reactive takedowns.
Ecuador’s Vera is in on short notice here and is fairly inexperienced at only 24 years of age. As a striker, he likes to stay on the outside and throw pot shots. He doesn’t throw enough volume to win rounds and hasn’t got the accuracy or power yet to finish fights consistently.
His real strength is his grappling but he hasn’t got the takedown game to implement it enough. Pickett should be the better striker and wrestler in this match-up, Vera will try attack off his back but I don’t think he can trouble Pickett.
Prediction: Brad Pickett via Decision
Arnold Allen vs. Makwan Amirkhani
Amirkhani is a great wrestler, he explodes with speed and power into his takedowns. He has good variety with his takedowns and is relentless once he gets a hold of his opponent. As a striker, his game is not very refined, but the athleticism which makes his wrestling great still applies to some degree, so he is dangerous due to his ability to close the distance quickly and throw with power.
Allen is a good fighter in all aspects of the game. As a striker, he is light on his feet and has great counters. He is also a good grappler, with his first UFC win coming via submission. Amirkhani may just have an edge in the wrestling which will decide this fight. This will be a really close one but Amirkhani can score enough takedowns to win it.
Prediction: Makwan Amirkhani via Decision
Preliminary Card
Joseph Duffy vs. Reza Madadi
Duffy is 3-1 in the UFC and is likely to leave the promotion after this fight, so he will want to go out on a high. Duffy began his career as a submission fighter but took a break from MMA to fight as a professional boxer in 2013 and has shown improved striking since then. He is a threat in all areas but Dustin Poirier exposed holes in his wrestling when they fought.
Madadi will certainly be testing that wrestling, he is a grinder who will look to push Duffy up against the fence and soften him up and score takedowns. Duffy may concede a few takedowns but he will score heavily enough in the striking to negate it, and may even stop Madadi.
Prediction: Joseph Duffy via Knockout
Francimar Barroso vs. Darren Stewart
This is a rematch after the first fight ended in a no contest due to a clash of heads. Both of these fighters are grinders, who are at their best punishing their opponent against the fence and then getting takedowns and landing hard ground and pound.
Stewart looked to be the better athlete in the first fight, with superior strength and power and that will be the difference here.
Prediction: Darren Stewart via Knockout
Timothy Johnson vs. Daniel Omielanczuk
Two Heavyweight gatekeepers clash here. Omielanczuk put together a three-fight winning streak before being beaten by Stefan Struve in his last fight. He likes to keep the fight standing and kickbox at range.
Johnson is a wrestler who will certainly be looking to take this fight to the ground often. He has heavy shots from top position to wear down his opponents and he is huge, having to cut weight to make the Heavyweight limit. His wrestling will be too much for Omielanczuk.
Prediction: Timothy Johnson via Decision
Marc Diakiese vs. Teemu Packalen
Diakiese is a very exciting prospect, going 2-0 already in his UFC career. He has exciting and dangerous striking but it is still spotty in places and needs work. He has an excellent takedown game with fast and well-timed shots and powerful slams.
Packalen is at his best as a submission fighter. He has some skills standing up but not consistently enough to win rounds and his wrestling game isn’t strong enough to get him to the ground consistently.
Diakiese’s athleticism will be too much for Packalen and he will land something hard eventually.
Prediction: Marc Diakiese via Knockout
Oluwale Bamgbose vs. Tom Breese
Bamgbose is an incredible athlete, his power and speed make him a dangerous striker but unfortunately, his grappling is not there at the moment. Breese is a well-rounded fighter and he will expose that weakness. Breese will be looking to take the fight to the ground and land ground and pound in order to open up a submission.
I don’t think Bamgbose will be able to offer much resistance on the ground, his only hope is landing a huge shot.
Prediction: Tom Breese via Submission
Leon Edwards vs. Vicente Luque
A fight between two well-rounded Welterweights who are on the up. Luque has developed a very good kickboxing game, aggressively closing the distance and landing hard shots on the inside. Edwards is an athlete striker with a really crisp and technical game. He has shown some submission skills in recent fights proving how well-rounded his MMA game is.
I fancy the local fighter to get the nod in a very close fight.
Prediction: Leon Edwards via Decision
Ian Entwistle vs. Brett Johns
Entwistle is a leg lock specialist. He will attack it early and often and he commits to it, often to his detriment.
Johns is a wrestler who can pack a punch. He will have surely prepared to counter the leg lock attacks of Entwistle and if he can do that, he can begin to rain down ground and pound.
Prediction: Brett Johns via Knockout
Scott Askham vs. Brad Scott
Two British journeymen who have losing records in the UFC so need a win. Askham would have the advantage in striking, while Scott would have the advantage in grappling with Scott being the more well-rounded of the two.
He is the better striker in the pocket so if he can close the distance he will win the fight.
Prediction: Brad Scott via Decision
