UFC Predictions: UFC Fight Night - Anthony Smith vs. Ryan Spann

#3: UFC Fight Night: Main Card

'Violence Queen' Ariane Lipki is in action this weekend on the UFC main card.

As of the time of writing, three more fights are set for this weekend’s UFC Fight Night main card. In a flyweight bout, Ariane Lipski will take on Mandy Bohm. This fight was initially pegged for the UFC Fight Night card two weeks ago, but got postponed.

It also marks the 7-0 Bohm’s UFC debut. While that record sounds strong, she hasn’t really fought anyone who is UFC-calibre just yet. This, then, sounds like a tricky debut for her. Lipski hasn’t quite reached her potential yet. But her aggressive style makes her a match for anyone, particularly a debutant. Considering the same, the pick is Lipski via decision.

In a fascinating lightweight clash, Arman Tsarukyan will face Christos Giagos. Tsarukyan debuted against Islam Makhachev in 2019. Interestingly, he seems to have now settled into the Dagestani’s spot on the UFC roster as the grappling monster nobody really wants to face.

Giagos is a capable fighter, though, and should be able to give Tsarukyan a test. An excellent technical grappler, he lacks the athleticism to make the top of the UFC. But he’s still more than capable of submitting opponents or grinding out wins.

However, this sounds like a bad fight for him. Tsarukyan is a phenomenal wrestler and grappler, appears to be stronger than Giagos, and should be capable of pushing a nasty pace. The pick is Tsarukyan via submission for this fight.

Finally, Joaquin Buckley will take on Antonio Arroyo in a middleweight bout. Buckley famously went viral thanks to a wild spinning kick KO in 2020. But he hasn’t really been able to follow that up. He’s now coming off a bad loss to Alessio di Chirico in January.

KO of the Year! 🔓Go all angles on @NewMansa94's masterpiece 😳[ #UFCFightIsland5 | #InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/1ywVZzin5U

— UFC (@ufc) October 10, 2020

This fight may prove to be better for him, though. Arroyo is wildly aggressive in all areas, but does have a tendency to leave himself open. He hasn’t picked up a win in the UFC to date. He is also likely to be at a speed disadvantage in this one. So the pick, then, is Buckley via TKO.

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#4: UFC Fight Night: Preliminary bouts

Picks in bold

UFC light-heavyweight division: Mike Rodriguez vs. Tafon Nchukwi

UFC bantamweight division: Pannie Kianzad vs. Raquel Pennington

UFC bantamweight division: Nate Maness vs. Tony Gravely

UFC lightweight division: Dakota Bush vs. Zhu Rong

UFC bantamweight division: Montel Jackson vs. JP Buys

UFC flyweight division: Erin Blanchfield vs. Sarah Alpar

UFC welterweight division: Impa Kasanganay vs. Carlston Harris

UFC bantamweight division: Gustavo Lopez vs. Heili Alateng

UFC strawweight division: Hannah Goldy vs. Emily Whitmire

UFC lightweight division: Niklas Motta vs. Cameron VanCamp.