UFC Predictions: UFC Vegas 14: Felder vs. dos Anjos Predictions and Picks

#6 The Prelims: UFC on ESPN+ card

Cory McKenna (right) headlines this weekend's UFC prelims.

The UFC will show seven prelim fights on ESPN+ this weekend, and at the top of the card sits a Strawweight clash between Kay Hansen and Cory McKenna. This should be a tight one to call. Hansen showed a lot of promise in her UFC debut back in June, although opponent Jinh Yu Frey was far smaller than her.

Wales’ McKenna, meanwhile, appears to have a lot of skills, particularly on the ground, but doesn’t seem too athletically blessed. Hansen has the advantage in experience, but I’m going with McKenna here. She looked excellent in her Contender Series appearance, and likely won’t hit her ceiling until she moves up the ladder. McKenna by decision is the pick.

Also at Strawweight, Miranda Granger faces Ashley Yoder. This should be another close fight to call, as both women are pretty evenly matched. However, the difference could be in experience. Yoder has fought in the UFC on seven occasions, and although she’s just 2-5 overall, she’s better than her record makes her out to be.

She’s also fought some of the top fighters in the division – Angela Hill, Randa Markos, Mackenzie Dern – and has never been finished. Given Granger didn’t show a lot in her last UFC appearance, I’m taking Yoder by decision in this one.

At Welterweight, Alex Morono takes on Rhys McKee. McKee is best known as one of Khamzat Chimaev’s early victims, but to be fair, Skeletor was actually a renowned prospect from the UK prior to that fight.

Similar to fellow Brit and former UFC star Colin Fletcher, McKee’s success comes from his range and length, which allows him to land strikes from distance and latch onto dangerous submissions.

I like him to win this fight with Morono, who is more of a jack-of-all-trades type with solid skills, but nothing that really stands out. He’s got more experience than McKee, but I question how he’ll deal with the range of Skeletor, and so I’m taking the Brit to win by submission.

At Bantamweight, Jose Quinonez faces Louis Smolka. A smaller 135lber who’s fought at Flyweight, Smolka has always been a talented fighter, but he does tend to struggle at times due to his porous defense. Quinonez is similar – he’s good offensively but definitely struggles against a fighter who really pushes him.

This should basically come down to who can start fastest. And with that in mind, I’m leaning slightly towards Smolka to win, probably by submission.

At Strawweight, Kanako Murata debuts against perennial contender Randa Markos. A grappling expert, Murata is coming into the UFC as the reigning Invicta Strawweight champion, which bodes well for her hopes. However, this is a very tricky UFC debut for her. Markos has never quite reached her potential due to inconsistency, but she’s genuinely excellent on her day, particularly on the ground.

This one could probably go either way, but I’m going with the UFC experience of Quiet Storm and taking Markos to outwork the newcomer for a decision.

At Bantamweight, Geraldo de Freitas faces Tony Gravely. A slick grappler, de Freitas bought a strong reputation into the UFC with him and picked up a good win to begin his career, but lost his second UFC outing and hasn’t fought in over a year. Gravely, meanwhile, came into the UFC off a Contender Series win but was largely outworked and submitted by Brett Johns in his UFC debut.

Given Gravely’s struggles with the grappling of Johns, I’m going with de Freitas here. I could be off – Gravely could stop his takedowns and KO him – but I just feel like the Brazilian has more experience and skills overall.

Finally, Don’Tale Mayes takes on Roque Martinez in a Heavyweight clash. Neither man has shown all that much in their UFC careers to date. Martinez was easily submitted by Alexander Romanov in his UFC debut and didn’t look in good shape at all.

On the other hand, Mayes was bulldozed by Ciryl Gane and then lost to Rodrigo Nascimento back in May. Overall though, Mayes is far more athletic, seems to hit harder, and is in better shape. I like him to win this one by KO.