UFC on Fox 31: Lee vs. Iaquinta 2 - Predictions and Picks

#5 The Prelims: Fox Sports 1 card

Jack Hermansson fights Gerald Meerschaert in the best fight on the prelim card

In perhaps the most underwhelming prelim headliner of 2018, Zak Ottow takes on newcomer Dwight Grant. A striker fighting out of the American Kickboxing Academy, Grant burst onto the scene via Dana White’s Contender Series and was initially pegged to fight Erik Koch here before Ottow stepped in on late notice. I give the advantage to Grant here; the man clearly hits hard and while he doesn’t look like the finished article, Ottow simply doesn’t take a punch very well and he’s been KO’d in 2 of his last 3 bouts. I personally question whether he’s a UFC-level fighter and so I’m taking Grant via first-round knockout.

At Lightweight, aggressive wrestler Drakkar Klose takes on Bobby Green, who returned to action to outpoint Erik Koch in January. Green hasn’t been all that active recently but when he’s at his best he’s an excellent boxer – albeit one who gets hit too much – who can also wrestle pretty well too. Klose showed some issues dealing with a solid striker in David Teymur last year, but then did well in handling Lando Vannata earlier this year; I worry for Green given his decade-long tenure in MMA and relative inactivity, so I’ll take Klose to grapple his way to a decision win.

Also at 155lbs, dangerous Brazilian Joaquim Silva takes on Jared Gordon, who won a UFC contract via the Looking for a Fight series back in 2017. Gordon is clearly a tough guy but Silva is a classic TUF Brazil product – a monster with Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu with clear issues in wrestling and stamina. Neither of those are likely to come to the fore in this fight so I think it’s a win for Silva, probably by early knockout.

In a Middleweight tilt, Gerald Meerschaert faces off with Jack Hermansson in a fight between two of the division’s rangiest grinders. At his best – like his recent win over Thales Leites – Hermansson looks fantastic, using his lanky frame to abuse opponents with his striking and to punish them on the ground from the top. Meerschaert is more of a wrestler, but he’s shown surprising skills too – choking out noted grappler Oskar Piechota and stopping Eric Spicely last year with a vicious body kick. This is a tough fight to pick – probably the best on the prelim card in fact – and I’m flipping the coin and landing on Hermansson via decision.

At Featherweight, Dan Ige – another veteran of Dana White’s Contender Series – takes on newcomer Jordan Griffin, a fighter also produced by the same show. Despite making his UFC debut, Griffin is actually far more experienced than Ige, his career dating back to 2009. Despite a 50 second win earlier in the year, Ige just hasn’t impressed that much in his UFC career thus far – and so I’m taking Griffin via late knockout.

Finally, in what could’ve headlined this prelim card, Flyweights Angela Lee and Jessica-Rose Clark face off in a battle with potential title implications. Clark surprised everyone by grinding out two wins over Bec Rawlings and Paige VanZant, but came up short against Jessica Eye in June, while Lee debuted strongly in May with a win over Veronica Macedo. It’s a tricky one to pick but I favour the more dynamic offense of Lee – and given her star potential, I can’t imagine the UFC matching her badly right now. Lee via submission is my guess.