UFC Predictions for UFC Fight Night: Alexander Volkov vs. Tom Aspinall

#3. UFC Fight Night: The Main Card

Welterweight grappling star Gunnar Nelson returns to action this weekend for the first time since 2019

In a heavyweight clash, Shamil Abdurakhimov welcomes Sergei Pavlovich back to the octagon. Pavlovich has not fought since October 2019 thanks to some injuries and visa issues, while Abdurakhimov has now lost his last two bouts in a row.

Overall, if he hasn’t lost anything during his time on the shelf, this should be a favorable match for Pavlovich. He’s got brutally heavy hands and thanks to the fact that he’s not the biggest heavyweight, is surprisingly fast.

Abdurakhimov, in contrast, is much more plodding. While he’s dangerous if he can get an opponent to the ground, it seems unlikely that he’ll be able to avoid Pavlovich’s big punches. Pavlovich via KO is the pick.

At light heavyweight, Nikita Krylov faces Paul "Bearjew" Craig. This one should be filled with wild scrambles, as both men are highly aggressive grapplers who don’t exactly have the best defensive skills in the division. It could come down to which man makes the first mistake. Given that the Scot is on a five-fight unbeaten run, the pick is Craig via submission.

Finally, Gunnar Nelson returns for his first bout in over two years, facing Takashi Sato in the welterweight division. The book is essentially written on ‘Gunni’ now. A fantastic grappler with a tricky striking style, he can be beaten, but only by fighters who can either overpower him or lull him into a less offensive style.

Sato, despite holding two decent UFC wins, does not appear to be one of those fighters, as he’s more of an explosive striker than anything else, something that should play into Nelson’s hands. The pick is Nelson via submission.

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#4. UFC Fight Night: The Prelims

Picks in bold

Lightweight: Jai Herbert vs. Ilia Topuria

Flyweight: Muhammad Mokaev vs. Cody Durden

Featherweight: Mike Grundy vs. Makwan Amirkhani

Women's flyweight: Luana Carolina vs. Molly McCann

Bantamweight: Jack Shore vs. Timur Valiev

Women's strawweight bout: Cory McKenna vs. Elise Reed

Bantamweight: Nathaniel Wood vs. Vince Morales