UFC Predictions: UFC 255: Figueiredo vs. Perez - Predictions and Picks

#6 The Prelims: UFC on ESPN+ card

Streaking Flyweight Brandon Royval headlines this weekend's prelims

The UFC will present seven preliminary fights on ESPN+ this weekend, and like the main card, a key Flyweight battle sits at the top.

In this case, it sees Brandon Moreno take on Brandon Royval. It’s highly likely that the winner here could receive a title shot in the near future. And if Figueiredo or Perez is forced out this week, then one of these two will probably step in. But who will win?

Moreno is an excellent fighter overall, and while his grappling is his best area, he’s also a capable striker. Royval, on the other hand, has been awesome since he debuted in the UFC earlier this year, submitting both Tim Elliott and Kai Kara-France with deadly skills.

This one is a close fight to call, but right now, I’m leaning slightly towards Royval, who appears to be a little more polished even if he doesn’t have the experience levels of his opponent. I’m taking Royval by decision.

At Middleweight, Joaquin Buckley – who scored one of the UFC’s greatest-ever knockouts in October – returns to face Jordan Wright. It’s a curious choice as I suspected the UFC would look to push Buckley onto the main card in his next fight. But perhaps they don’t trust him to be able to follow it up.

Essentially, the UFC have likely put this together simply because Wright won his UFC debut by spinning kick, meaning they’ll be hoping for a repeat – either way it goes. This one is a tough fight to pick as Wright looked pretty decent in his UFC debut at 205lbs, while Buckley usually fights at 170lbs. And so I’m leaning towards Wright to pick up another win here, probably by KO.

At Flyweight, an interesting clash sees Antonina Shevchenko face Ariane Lipski. Lipski – known as The Violence Queen – is coming off an all-time great submission win, as she almost snapped Luana Carolina’s leg in half in July. Shevchenko, meanwhile, was last seen in a loss to Katlyn Chookagian.

This one’s a tricky fight to pick as Shevchenko is clearly the more polished fighter. But Lipski brings a lot of aggression and I think she’s better on the ground than Pantera, who has shown weaknesses there before. I’m going with the upset here – and taking Lipski to win by submission.

At Welterweight, the talented Daniel Rodriguez faces Nicolas Dalby. Rodriguez is taking this fight on short notice, but was training for a clash at UFC Vegas 14 last week, so should still be in good shape.

This fight looks tailor-made for him, too. Dalby is an excellent technical striker, but he’s not the greatest athlete and has struggled on the ground before. Rodriguez, meanwhile, has great skills in all areas but particularly shines on the ground. I like him to win by decision or submission here.

In another Welterweight clash, veteran Alan Jouban takes on Jared Gooden. Jouban is definitely the more proven fighter here – he’s 7-5 in the UFC – but he hasn’t fought in well over a year. Gooden, meanwhile, is making his UFC debut, but he hits extremely hard. And Jouban also doesn’t weather punishment like he once did. This is a close one to call, but I’m taking the newcomer, probably by stoppage.

In a Middleweight bout, Germany’s Dustin Stolzfus faces Kyle Daukaus. Stolzfus is a real finisher, with only five of his 13 wins going the distance, but it’s safe to say that he’s never fought an opponent close to the UFC level yet. Daukaus, meanwhile, put on an excellent UFC debut in losing to Brendan Allen and looks strong in all areas.

It’s a close fight, but I like Daukaus to grind out a decision in this one.

Finally, newcomers Louis Cosce and Sasha Palatnikov face off at Welterweight. Both men are making their UFC debuts, are inexperienced and unproven, but I like Cosce here. He looked like a real killer in his Contender Series appearance, KOing his foe in just over a minute, and Palatnikov has been KO’d recently by fellow UFC fighter Mounir Lazzez. I’ll take Cosce to start the show with a bang, winning by KO.