UFC Predictions: UFC Fight Night: Edson Barboza vs. Giga Chikadze

#3. UFC Fight Night: The Main Card

Makhmud Muradov faces Gerald Meerschaert on this weekend's main card

The main card of this show obviously has a heavy TUF flavor, with three of its six fights comprising cast members from the recent series. As a caveat, for the most part, these TUF fights are nearly impossible to predict, as fighting on short notice after living in a reality show environment is very different from training for a fight in a real camp.

In the middleweight finals, Bryan Battle takes on Gilbert Urbina. Unfortunately, Battle was actually set to fight Tresean Gore in this clash, but when Gore injured his knee, Urbina – who was knocked out by Gore in the semi-finals – stepped in.

It’s perhaps arguable that Battle was the more impressive fighter during the show’s tapings. He won both of his bouts and came from behind to defeat Andre Petroski by submission in the semi-finals. Urbina looks like a fellow grappler, so this one should be settled on the ground, and the pick is Battle in a close decision.

In the bantamweight finals, Ricky Turcios faces Brady Hiestand. It’s probably safe to say that Turcios is the more proven fighter here. A member of Team Alpha Male, he’s got more experience, has fought on Dana White’s Contender Series, and arguably looked more impressive during TUF too. Hiestand looks capable of pulling off an upset, but the pick is Turcios via decision.

In another middleweight clash of TUF cast members, Andre Petroski faces Michael Gillmore. This one looks tailor-made for Petroski, as he has more experience, a better record, and looked far more impressive on the reality show. Petroski via submission is the pick.

Andre Petroski and Michael Gillmore have been signed to the UFC after #TUF29. Wondering if there are going to be any more TUF fighters from this season added to the prelims.

— Newsome (@Newsome_MMA) August 22, 2021

Finally, in a middleweight bout, Gerald Meerschaert takes on Makhmud Muradov. Meerschaert is probably best remembered as one of Khamzat Chimaev’s victims, but he’s a genuinely excellent, tough veteran with finishing skills in all areas.

However, Muradov is the kind of explosive striker that he’s always struggled with, as he looks to be faster than Meerschaert with some brutal knockout power in his strikes. Muradov via KO is the pick.

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#4. UFC Fight Night: The Prelims

Note: Picks in bold

UFC middleweight division: Antonio Braga Neto vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan

UFC middleweight division: Sam Alvey vs. Wellington Turman

UFC light-heavyweight division: Dustin Jacoby vs. Darren Stewart

UFC featherweight division: Jamall Emmers vs. Pat Sabatini

UFC bantamweight division: Mario Bautista vs. Guido Cannetti

UFC flyweight division: JJ Aldrich vs. Vanessa Demopoulos