UFC Predictions: UFC Vegas 27: Rob Font vs. Cody Garbrandt Predictions & Picks

The UFC returns to its APEX facility this weekend for UFC Vegas 27: Rob Font vs. Cody Garbrandt.

UFC Vegas 27 features a major bantamweight main event between two highly ranked contenders, as well as numerous other fascinating fights.

It may not be as big with the casual fans as the recent UFC 262 card, but this one should still be worth watching.

Here are the predicted outcomes for UFC Vegas 27: Rob Font vs. Cody Garbrandt.

---

#1 UFC bantamweight division: Rob Font vs. Cody Garbrandt

Can Rob Font pick up a win over a former UFC champion in Cody Garbrandt?

With current UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling on the shelf and still waiting for his rematch with former champ Petr Yan, the title picture in the division is up in the air.

That means that for Font and Garbrandt – ranked #3 and #4 respectively – the stakes are very high in this fight.

An impressive win for either man could see them leapfrog top contender Cory Sandhagen for the next title shot, particularly as the Sandman’s fight with TJ Dillashaw is still yet to happen.

So who will take this one?

Garbrandt is, of course, the more widely recognizable fighter. A former UFC bantamweight champ in his own right, No Love hit a bad skid after losing that title to TJ Dillashaw in 2017.

He ended up losing three straight fights by KO. Garbrandt only got back on the winning track last year with his knockout of Raphael Assuncao.

Essentially, Garbrandt is a genuinely fantastic striker with a solid wrestling background that allows him to keep a fight standing. After all, who else was able to outstrike Dominick Cruz in the way he did?

However, the Dillashaw fights brought to light a major flaw in Garbrandt’s style. He’s a great striker, but only when he can remain emotionally stable in a fight. And when he brawls, his chin isn’t good enough to allow him to succeed.

Dillashaw clearly got into his head, and so it came as no surprise when Garbrandt threw his gameplan out of the window. He was drawn into a brawl and found himself outgunned.

More worrying was his fight with Pedro Munhoz. That fight was about as far from a personal one as you’d find in the UFC. But after an accidental headbutt, Garbrandt saw red, started swinging wildly and quickly fell to a TKO loss.

So can he keep his head in the game against Font?

Well, one thing’s for certain. Font isn’t likely to make this fight a personal one. In fact, it’s hard even to recall the Boston native talking any trash.

However, Font is one of the more dangerous strikers in the UFC bantamweight division.

Standing at 5’8” and boasting a 71.5” reach, Font uses that length to great effect inside the octagon. He’s won eight UFC fights, picking up knockouts in five of them. Font most recently took out former UFC title challenger Marlon Moraes.

However, Font hasn’t been infallible in the UFC. He’s lost three fights, all largely due to an inability to really keep a smarter fighter at distance.

Basically, then, this fight should come down to whether Garbrandt can quickly get to grips with Font’s reach, get inside and land the bigger shots on him.

No Love is definitely the more credentialed striker in this fight, but whether he can get inside Font’s reach without getting hurt is another thing. If Garbrandt does get hit, there’s every chance he’ll react badly and start swinging.

And to be frank, the likelihood is that would get him knocked out.

This one could go either way, but the pick is Font via a second-round KO.

The Pick: Font via second-round KO

#2 UFC strawweight division: Yan Xiaonan vs. Carla Esparza

Can Carla Esparza earn a shot at the UFC strawweight title she once held?

With Rose Namajunas now the new UFC strawweight champion, theoretically, at least, Joanna Jedrzejczyk should be out of contention as she’s lost to Thug Rose twice in the past.

That means that this fight – between the #3 and #4 ranked fighters in the division – could well act as a de facto top contender’s fight.

So who will get through to face the champ? The grappler Esparza, a former UFC champion who already has a win over Namajunas? Or Xiaonan, a striker with an undefeated 6-0 UFC record?

It’s definitely an intriguing fight.

Of the two women, we know far more about Esparza than Xiaonan. The Cookie Monster is an excellent wrestler and a tremendous submission artist. Esparza has also greatly improved her striking over the years after looking amateurish in her early UFC days.

Since dropping the UFC strawweight title to Jedrzejczyk in 2015, Esparza has largely flown under the radar. But in reality, her record is pretty impressive.

Esparza picked up seven wins and three losses. But two of those losses – to Randa Markos and Claudia Gadelha – were hugely controversial decisions. Only the monstrous wrestler Tatiana Suarez has really beaten her in violent fashion.

Xiaonan, meanwhile, has beaten everyone the UFC’s thrown at her. However, it is worth noting that she’s never faced a grappler of Esparza’s caliber before. Xiaonan did defeat Gadelha in her most recent fight, but then Claudinha has never had the best takedowns in the division.

The issue for Esparza here is how she gets inside a fighter who is 4” taller than her and has a sizeable reach advantage.

If Xiaonan can keep Esparza at bay with her strikes, then she’s very likely to win, probably by decision.

However, Esparza is a wily veteran who knows how to win fights. And she’s gotten inside on taller strikers before, beating the likes of Marina Rodriguez and Maryna Moroz with her takedowns.

Overall, Xiaonan can definitely win this fight. But the smart money is probably on Esparza grinding out a decision win, setting up an unlikely rematch of the UFC’s inaugural strawweight title clash.

The Pick: Esparza via unanimous decision

#3 UFC Vegas 27: The Main Card

Jack Hermansson opens Saturday's main card against Edmen Shahbazyan.

In a heavyweight bout, Justin Tafa faces Jared Vanderaa. This is likely to be a sloppy striking bout, if we’re honest, with the hope being that one of the two gets knocked out.

Neither man has shown themselves to be UFC level, but the likelier winner seems to be Tafa via KO.

At featherweight, Felicia Spencer takes on Norma Dumont Viana. We haven’t seen Spencer since her loss to Amanda Nunes. But despite that, she’s a tough grappler with good takedowns and top control.

Viana, meanwhile, picked up her first UFC win last November, outpointing the smaller Ashlee Evans-Smith. But she hasn’t shown enough for her to be a safe pick here, and so Spencer via decision is the safe bet.

In a flyweight fight, David Dvorak takes on Raulian Paiva in a battle of pretty solid prospects. This one could go either way as both men seem skilled in all areas and well capable of pulling off a win, and so the pick is Dvorak in a bit of a coin flip.

Finally, a rebooked middleweight clash sees Jack Hermansson face Edmen Shahbazyan. This one would’ve bolstered UFC 262 heavily, as both men are highly ranked, excellent fighters.

It should come down to whether Hermansson can avoid the likely early rush from Shahbazyan. If he can do that, then he should be able to use his freakish reach and ability to push the pace to pick up a win. Hermansson is tough enough to do that, and so the Joker via third-round submission is the pick.

---

#4 UFC Vegas 27: The Prelims

Picks in bold

UFC bantamweight division: Ricardo Ramos vs. Bill Algeo

UFC heavyweight division: Ben Rothwell vs. Chris Barnett

UFC welterweight division: Court McGee vs. Claudio Silva

UFC flyweight division: Bruno Silva vs. Victor Rodriguez

UFC featherweight division: Josh Culibao vs. Sha Yilan

UFC lightweight division: Damir Hadzovic vs. Yancy Medeiros

UFC lightweight division: Rafael Alves vs. Damir Ismagulov