UFC Predictions: UFC Vegas 31: Islam Makhachev vs. Thiago Moises Predictions

#2. UFC Vegas 31: The Main Card

UFC veteran Jeremy Stephens is set to fight on Saturday's main card

UFC Vegas 31 has a further three fights scheduled for its main card. In a lightweight bout, the always-controversial Jeremy Stephens faces Mateusz Gamrot.

It’s been over a year now since Stephens last fought – that’s because a weigh-in shove caused an injury to opponent Drakkar Klose, canceling a planned fight for April. ‘Lil Heathen’ is still a dangerous power puncher, but recently his form has been terrible. In fact, he hasn’t won since his February 2018 win over Josh Emmett.

Gamrot, meanwhile, has looked excellent since arriving in the UFC in 2020. He came up short in his debut against Guram Kutateladze, but it was a fantastic back-and-forth fight, and most recently he sparked out Scott Holtzman.

Based on Gamrot’s dangerous skills and the fact that Stephens appears to be aging and slowing down at this point, ‘Gamer’ by decision is the pick.

In a middleweight bout, Dustin Stoltzfus takes on Rodolfo Vieira. This is an interesting clash as Vieira is coming off one of the biggest upsets in some time. He suffered a stunning submission loss to Anthony Rodriguez after gassing out, which was embarrassing considering his grappling credentials.

Essentially, Vieira looks so heavily muscled that he needs to win early if he’s going to win at all. Thankfully for ‘The Black Belt Hunter’, this looks like a favorable match. Stoltzfus appears to be largely a grappler and struggled for traction in his UFC debut against Kyle Daukaus. Therefore, Vieira via submission is the pick.

Finally, a bantamweight fight sees Gabriel Benitez take on Billy Quarantillo. This one should be exciting as both men come to throw down, so expect a potential ‘Fight of the Night’ contender. Both men have well-rounded, solid skills, but Quarantillo seems slightly more durable and tough, so a decision victory seems likely for him.

---

#1. UFC Vegas 31: The Prelims

Picks in bold

UFC bantamweight division: Khalid Taha vs. Sergey Morozov

UFC flyweight division: Francisco Figueiredo vs. Malcolm Gordon

UFC bantamweight division: Cameron Else vs. Aaron Phillips

UFC bantamweight division: Miles Johns vs. Anderson dos Santos

UFC strawweight division: Amanda Lemos vs. Montserrat Ruiz

UFC heavyweight division: Rodrigo Nascimento vs. Alan Baudot

UFC welterweight division: Daniel Rodriguez vs. Preston Parsons