UFC Predictions: UFC Fight Night: Jan Blachowicz vs. Aleksandar Rakic

#3. UFC Fight Night: The Main Card

In a bantamweight fight, Davey Grant takes on Louis Smolka. Given that both men are coming off losses – Grant has lost his last two in fact – this could be a loser-leaves-town bout. Thankfully, both men usually put on exciting fights, with Smolka being more of a striker while Grant can basically fight in all areas.

Overall, though, Grant is perhaps the more durable fighter and the fact that he recently went the distance with Adrian Yanez and Marlon Vera, two incredibly dangerous opponents, suggests he’s got plenty in the tank to offer. The pick is ‘Dangerous Davey’ via decision.

In a flyweight bout, Katlyn Chookagian faces Amanda Ribas. This one is actually fascinating as if Ribas can find a way to win, there’s every chance she could claim a future shot at current flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko.

The Brazilian has slick ground skills, solid takedown defense and improving striking, but she will be giving up a lot of size to ‘Blonde Fighter’, namely five inches of height. Given Chookagian’s willingness to slow a bout down and simply pick her opponents apart, this could be tricky for Ribas. Chookagian via decision is the pick.

At lightweight, Frank Camacho takes on Manuel Torres. Camacho has just two UFC wins to his name, but his exciting brawling style has meant he’s been kept around for much longer than many people would’ve expected.

Torres, on the other hand, looks like a very dangerous finisher in all areas. From the available footage on him, including an appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series, he’s got the potential to be a star. This looks like a showcase bout for him, so Torres via submission is the pick.

Finally, Jake Hadley faces Allan Nascimento in a flyweight bout. Hadley is making his octagon debut, while Nascimento was last seen in the UFC in a loss to Tagir Ulanbekov last October. This is a tricky one to pick as Nascimento has more experience, but Hadley looks like an exciting prospect, so the pick is ‘White Kong’ via TKO.

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#4: UFC Fight Night: The Prelims

Picks in bold

Women's flyweight bout: Viviane Araujo vs. Andrea Lee

Lightweight bout: Michael Johnson vs. Alan Patrick

Women's strawweight bout: Virna Jandiroba vs. Angela Hill

Flyweight bout: Tatsuro Taira vs. Carlos Candelario

Middleweight bout: Nick Maximov vs. Andre Petroski