UFC Predictions: UFC Vegas 12: Hall vs. Silva - Predictions and Picks

#7 The Prelims: UFC on ESPN+ card

UFC Lightweight contender Alexander Hernandez headlines this weekend's prelim card.

UFC Vegas 12 will see seven prelim fights broadcast on the ESPN+ streaming service. At the top of the prelim card sits a Lightweight clash between Chris Gruetzemacher and Alexander Hernandez. Hernandez is looking to bounce back from a brutal KO loss to Drew Dober, while Gruetzemacher hasn’t fought since a KO win over Joe Lauzon back in April 2018.

For me, this is an easy fight to pick. Gruetzemacher is almost purely a wrestler with some boxing, but he’s up against a superior athlete here who is probably a better wrestler too. Add in his layoff, and I think he’s in deep trouble. For me, Hernandez will be too fast for the veteran and will probably pick up his fourth UFC win by submission or TKO.

At Bantamweight, Adrian Yanez takes on late replacement Victor Rodriguez. A strong prospect who earned a shot in the UFC via Dana White’s Contender Series, Yanez is 11-3 in MMA and is an extremely quick striker who hits hard too. Rodriguez is also making his UFC debut, but despite sporting four straight KO wins, he doesn’t appear to share Yanez’s athletic talents and doesn’t look nearly as fast. I like Yanez to win this one, probably by KO.

At Middleweight, Sean Strickland faces Welsh striker Jack Marshman. This should be an intriguing one as Strickland is technically excellent but struggles to put things all together, while Marshman is more of a crude brawler but can be trusted to bring a fight to his opponent.

For me, this will go one of two ways. Either Marshman will catch Strickland in a rush and take him out early as Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos did, or he’ll find himself picked apart over the course of three rounds. The more likely outcome for me is Strickland outworking Marshman for a decision, picking up his eighth UFC win in the process.

In a Welterweight bout, Cole Williams faces Jason Witt. Both of these men made their UFC debuts on late notice and were quickly dispatched; Williams lost to Claudio Silva in 2019 while Witt was KO’d by Takashi Sato in June. This one could go either way, as in all honesty, neither fighter is probably UFC level. I like Witt by decision simply because he hasn’t had so much of a layoff.

At Light Heavyweight, Dustin Jacoby takes on Justin Ledet. People who remember Jacoby from his initial UFC run back in 2011 probably need to take another look as since then, he’s developed into a very excellent kickboxer who’s even had success in the GLORY promotion.

Meanwhile, Ledet got his UFC career off to a good start with three straight wins but has lost his last three, being outstruck in all of them. With that in mind, I suspect Jacoby will be able to pick his slightly slower foe apart on the feet, picking up his first-ever UFC win in the process, probably by KO.

In the Flyweight division, Cortney Casey faces Priscila Cachoeira. Cachoeira is actually coming off an excellent KO win over Shana Dobson – her first UFC victory – but prior to that, she hadn’t looked quite up to UFC standard.

Meanwhile, Casey has a pretty questionable UFC record – she’s 5-7 – but she’s actually a much better fighter than that suggests. Sure, her takedown defense is poor, but she hits hard, strikes well, and can grapple decently too. I suspect she’s a level above Cachoeira, and so I’ll take her to win a comfortable decision.

Finally, Miles Johns faces Kevin Natividad in a Bantamweight showdown. This should be a close fight, as both men are well-rounded fighters with skills in all areas and appear to look for the finish in their fights. Given this is Natividad’s UFC debut, and he’s never been tested at this level, I like Johns here, but to be honest, it could go either way.