UFC Predictions: UFC Fight Night: Josh Emmett vs. Lerone Murphy

`The UFC is back at the Las Vegas APEX for an ESPN Fight Night this weekend. As usual, the card isn't too strong, but might still produce some fun fights.

UFC Fight Night: Josh Emmett vs. Lerone Murphy features some intriguing bouts across multiple weight classes, making it a show worth watching, especially for hardcore.

With this in mind, here are the predicted outcomes for UFC Fight Night: Josh Emmett vs. Lerone Murphy.

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#1. UFC featherweight bout: Josh Emmett vs. Lerone Murphy

This weekend's headliner is a classic bout between an aging, fading veteran and a red-hot young prospect. So can the older fighter Josh Emmett roll back the years and come out on top, or will he become the biggest scalp on Lerone Murphy's ledger to date?

Now 40 years old, in many ways, Emmett is probably lucky to still be ranked in the top 10, currently sitting at No. 8. Sure, he knocked out Bryce Mitchell in his last fight, but that was his first win in three, and it also came back in 2023.

Initially known for his strong wrestling, Emmett has slowly developed into a feared power puncher with brutal knockout capabilities. His finishes of Mitchell, Ricardo Lamas, and Michael Johnson in particular were terrifying.

However, Emmett is limited of sorts. He isn't the best technical striker, preferring to wing haymakers, and while he was once a strong wrestler, it's rare he even looks to take his foes down now.

In many ways, Murphy is Emmett's opposite. 'The Iceman' has never lost in MMA, boasting a record of 15-0-1. However, he's also only finished two of his foes in the octagon.

Despite that, the native of England is a fantastic technical striker. He boasts a 73 inch reach - something that puts him at an advantage over Emmett - and knows how to use it.

Murphy loves to pick at his foes from range, and to see him pull that gameplan off for five rounds and dismantle Edson Barboza in his last fight was hugely impressive.

On paper, he's more than capable of doing that to Emmett here, with the x-factor being Emmett's power.

If Emmett can land one clean shot, then he can knock out 'The Iceman', and that means Murphy will need to be very careful across five rounds. With that said, Barboza offered a similar threat, and he found himself outclassed.

With that considered, then, with Emmett's age and layoff also thrown into the mix, the pick is definitely 'The Iceman'.

The Pick: Murphy via decision

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#2. UFC featherweight bout: Pat Sabatini vs. Joanderson Brito

Given that neither Pat Sabatini nor Joanderson Brito is currently ranked at 145 pounds, quite why this one has been chosen as a co-headliner is anyone's guess. However, it could still be a fun fight to watch.

Sabatini is probably one of the more underrated fighters out there at featherweight. He's 6-2 in the UFC, and one of his losses came to Diego Lopes, a fighter who there's no shame in losing to.

Overall, Sabatini is a very slick, dangerous grappler who can do plenty of damage on the ground. However, his other loss, to Damon Jackson, was a little more concerning.

Jackson basically caught Sabatini cold with a front kick and finished him off moments later, something that should be worrying for his chances here.

Although Brito is not a flawless fighter, he's a ruthless finisher, particularly with strikes. He's scored five wins in the octagon, has TKO'd Andre Fili and Jack Shore - two very tough fighters - and was unfortunate to lose to William Gomis in his last bout.

Interestingly, Brito also holds a win over Lopes on his ledger, which, given what Lopes has done since, looks more impressive by the week.

Like Sabatini, though, the Brazilian does have a red-flag loss on his record. His defeat to Bill Algeo saw him run out of steam badly after a quick start, and he ended up in trouble both on the feet and on the ground.

If 'Tubarao' has not improved his cardio, then, he could easily find himself in danger with Sabatini, particularly on the ground.

However, given Brito's deadly striking skills and the question marks around Sabatini's durability, the Brazilian should probably be confident coming into this one. The prediction is a TKO win for 'Tubarao'.

The Pick: Brito via TKO

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#3. UFC Fight Night: The Main Card

In a bantamweight fight, Cortavious Romious takes on Lee Chang Ho. This one is a bit of a confusing choice for a main card fight given Romious has only fought in the UFC once, a forgettable loss last November.

Chang, on the other hand, claimed victory on the Road to the UFC 2 tournament, and looks like a solid prospect, with a strong 10-1 record and some nice knockouts on his ledger.

Based on the fact that Romious just didn't show that much in his debut, the pick here is Chang via decision, but with the caveat that Romious is clearly a strong athlete and could win too.

In a heavyweight bout, Kennedy Nzechukwu takes on Martin Buday. This is one of the few bouts on this card sporting a ranked fighter, as Nzechukwu is currently No. 15.

In many ways, that's a damning indictment of the division, as 'The African Savage' struggled for traction at 205 pounds, but has looked good even as a smaller heavyweight, winning two fights.

Buday, meanwhile, has a somewhat underrated octagon record, winning five of his six bouts. However, he's still looked somewhat slow, something that can't be said for Nzechukwu.

'The African Savage' is still raw, then, and isn't a title contender just yet, but this does look like a winnable fight for him. The pick is Nzechukwu via TKO.

In a middleweight clash, Brad Tavares takes on Gerald Meerschaert. Neither of these men has been on the best form, with Meerschaert falling to Reinier de Ridder in a bout labeled "sloppy" by some fans and Tavares being on a run of one win in four.

Even at their best, though, this one would come down to a simple question: can Tavares' more grinding style outdo the excellent finishing skills of Meerschaert, who's more open defensively?

A few years ago, the Hawaiian might've been a good pick here. However, he's slowing down in his 15th year with the promotion, while 'GM3' remains, if nothing else, a deadly submission artist.

However, given Tavares has never been submitted, he might well have enough to pull off a win here. This is the riskiest pick on the card, but the pick is Tavares via decision.

Finally, at middleweight, Torrez Finney takes on Robert Valentin. Finney has garnered a lot of hype for his two appearances on 'Dana White's Contender Series', and although he's a tiny 185-pounder at 5 ft 7 in, he still looks talented.

Valentin, meanwhile, didn't show a lot in his octagon debut loss to Ryan Loder, but before that, was on a solid five-match unbeaten run. However, given the hype around 'The Punisher', this does feel like a bit of a setup bout for him. The pick is Finney via TKO.

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#4. UFC Fight Night: The Prelims

Picks in bold

UFC flyweight bout: Ode Osbourne vs. Luis Gurule

UFC bantamweight bout: Davey Grant vs. Daniel Santos

UFC flyweight bout: Diana Belbita vs. Dione Barbosa

UFC welterweight bout: Rhys McKee vs. Daniel Frunza

UFC strawweight bout: Loma Lookboonmee vs. Istela Nunes

UFC bantamweight bout: Victor Henry vs. Pedro Falcao

UFC strawweight bout: Vanessa Demopoulos vs. Talita Alencar