UFC Predictions: UFC Fight Night: Jack Hermansson vs. Sean Strickland

#3. UFC Fight Night: The Main Card

Welterweight prospect Carlston Harris features in this weekend’s main card.

In a welterweight bout, Shavkat Rakhmonov faces Carlston Harris. This is definitely one of the better fights on the card, as both men have looked fabulous in the UFC thus far. Rakhmonov submitted both of his opponents, while Harris has also picked up two finishes.

Overall, it’s a difficult one to pick, as we haven’t seen either man fight through any adversity yet. However, Rakhmonov appears to be the slightly more aggressive fighter, so expect him to come out all guns blazing. Quite how Harris would handle that is anyone’s guess, so the pick here is Rakhmonov via TKO.

Meanwhile, in a middleweight fight, Phil Hawes will take on Sam Alvey. In all honesty, this feels like a bounce-back fight for the hot prospect Hawes following his surprise knockout against Chris Curtis last year.

A high-level wrestler with bricks for hands, Hawes has all the tools to reach the top. However, if he wants to do so, he’ll need to protect his chin better than he did against Curtis.

This is a good fight for him, though, as Alvey rarely throws anything but his counter right hook. ‘Smilin Sam’ is also on a horrible slide. He hasn’t won a fight since 2018. Considering the same, the pick here is Hawes via TKO.

In another middleweight clash, Bryan Battle will square off with Tresean Gore. Interestingly, this should’ve been the final of TUF 29, but Gore was forced out with an injury, allowing Battle to instead beat Gilbert Urbina.

Will this fight live up to the standards of say, Griffin vs. Bonnar? It’s unlikely, but it should still be watchable. Essentially, it should come down to whether Battle can weather a likely storm from the more inexperienced Gore before wearing him out for a decision.

It’s possible, but Gore showed himself to be a dangerous finisher during TUF, while Battle’s penchant for taking damage could cost him dearly. The pick here is Gore via TKO.

Finally, Julian Erosa takes on Steven Peterson in a featherweight bout. This should at least be a wild and entertaining fight, as both men tend to come forward swinging wild strikes at their opponents until one gets stopped.

Of the two, Erosa seems to be slightly more well-rounded. While Peterson is definitely a gritty fighter who can avoid being finished, he can also be outworked. Therefore, the pick here is Erosa via decision.

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#4. UFC Fight Night: The Prelims

Picks in bold

Bantamweight bout: Miles Johns vs. John Castaneda

Featherweight bout: Hakeem Dawodu vs. Michael Trizano

Middleweight bout: Chidi Njokuani vs. Marc-Andre Barriault

Bantamweight bout: Alexis Davis vs. Julija Stoliarenko

Light-heavyweight bout: Jailton Almeida vs. Danilo Marques

Welterweight bout: Jason Witt vs. Phillip Rowe

Flyweight bout: Malcolm Gordon vs. Denys Bondar.