UFC Predictions: UFC Fight Island 8: Chiesa vs. Magny predictions and picks

#3 The Main Card: UFC on ESPN+ card

Former UFC title challenger Roxanne Modafferi fights on Wednesday's main card.

The UFC will present three more fights on this show's main card in three different divisions.

In the Light Heavyweight division, Isaac Villanueva faces Vinicius Moreira. Entering into the UFC last year, Villanueva has thus far struggled, losing both of his fights by TKO. It is worth noting, though, that this will be his first outing at 205lbs.

Moreira has done even worse – he’s 0-3 in the UFC and has been finished three times. However, the Brazilian is a dangerous grappler who simply doesn’t have the greatest defense against strikes, particularly when they come from explosive athletes.

I’m actually favoring Moreira here, though. Villanueva has looked plodding at best in his earlier fights, and if Moreira can get inside and get him down, I suspect he can probably tap him out. Moreira via submission is my pick.

In the Women’s Flyweight division, former UFC title challenger Roxanne Modafferi takes on Viviane Araujo. One of the most popular fighters in the division, Modafferi has been around for years now, making her MMA debut way back in 2003.

The Happy Warrior is a genuinely excellent grappler, but her lack of strength and athleticism have historically let her down. However, in more recent years, she’s improved dramatically in that area, thanks to a hardcore conditioning program. Thanks to it, she’s also beaten the likes of Maycee Barber and Andrea Lee.

Araujo has a solid record of 9-2, and she’s also 3-1 in the UFC. But I’m not sure how skilled she actually is. Her win over Alexis Davis was impressive, but it’s also arguable that Davis was miles past her best at the time.

If Araujo turns out to be much quicker or stronger than Modafferi, there’s a chance she can win this one. But I’m leaning towards The Happy Warrior's experience to win the day, meaning Modafferi via decision is my pick.

Finally, Lerone Murphy and Douglas Silva de Andrade throw down in the Featherweight division. This one has the potential to be a hell of a firefight.

De Andrade is aggressive to a fault and will assault his opponent with wild combination striking. And while Murphy only has two fights in the UFC, he’s been quite impressive. He knocked out Ricardo Ramos last year and took a controversial split draw against Zubaira Tukhugov in his UFC debut.

It was notable that Tukhugov’s success in that fight came on the ground, though – on the feet, the native of the UK clearly landed the best shots. However, will his boxing-heavy style work as well against the Tasmanian Devil-style attack of de Andrade?

For me, this depends on whether Murphy gets right into de Andrade’s face. Fighters who’ve done that in the past – Rob Font, Petr Yan, Tukhugov – all managed to beat him. It’s not an impossible task, but the fact that D-Silva is also a capable grappler makes me lean towards him in a tough one. I’ll take de Andrade via decision.

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#4 The Prelims: UFC on ESPN+ card

Picks in bold

UFC Bantamweight division: Ricky Simon vs. Gaetaho Pirrello

UFC Flyweight division: Su Mudaerji vs. Zarrukh Adashev

UFC Middleweight division: Markus Perez vs. Dalcha Lungiambula

UFC Flyweight division: Francisco Figueiredo vs. Jerome Rivera

UFC Lightweight division: Mike Davis vs. Mason Jones

UFC Flyweight division: Matt Schnell vs. Tyson Nam

UFC Flyweight division: Victoria Leonardo vs. Manon Fiorot

UFC Middleweight division: Omari Akhmedov vs. Tom Breese

UFC Bantamweight division: Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Sergey Morozov