The one and only UFC show of the weekend that should be a barnburner between two of the best at a 145 pounds.
Prelims
Bantamweight: Andre Ewell (14-5) vs Anderson dos Santos (20-7)- Ewell TKO
Middleweight: Deron Winn (5-0) vs Eric Spicely (12-4)- Winn TKO
Women’s Flyweight: Ariane Lipski (11-4) vs Molly McCann (8-2)- Lipski Split Decision
Heavyweight: Allen Crowder (10-3) vs Jairzinho Rozenstruik (7-0)- Rozenstruik KO
Lightweight: Matt Wiman (16-7) vs Luis Pena (6-1)- Pena Unanimous Decision
Women’s Strawweight: Ashley Yoder (6-4) vs Syuri Kondo (6-2)- Yoder Split Decision
Featherweight: Dan Ige (11-2) vs Kevin Aguilar (17-1)- Ige Submission
Main
Middleweight: Kevin Holland (14-4) vs Alessio Di Chirico (12-2)- Holland Submission
Kevin Holland or “Mouthy” according to Dana White, is very unconventional. He is long and hard to read for the middleweight division. His striking is unorthodox, and has showcased a solid grappling ability. Di Chirico is more convential, and likes to use forward pressure to make his opponents uncomfortable. I’m picking Holland because I believe he has more ways to win. He has the length and range to win at distance, and has the grappling to give Di Chirico issues as well.
Women’s Flyweight: Andrea Lee (10-2) vs Montana De La Rosa (10-4)- Lee Split Decision
A clash of Texans in South Carolina, and also a major difference in styles. Andrea “KGB” Lee is a dynamic striker who prefers to keep the fight standing. De La Rosa is a tough, physical wrestler who likes to grind out submissions or decisions. I am picking Lee in a very close fight because she has the advantage on the feet. However, I feel her grappling is solid enough for her to avoid De La Rosa’s shots and or reverse them for her favor. Lee is very strong and big for the 125 division.
Welterweight: Bryan Barberena (14-6) vs Randy Brown (10-3)- Barberena TKO
Barberena is very tough, and always brings the fight to his opponents. He isn’t a technical striker, but packs a heavy leather in both hands. He also has solid takedowns and submission skills. Randy Brown is very long and tall for the division. He does his best work from distance as a technical striker. I have Barberena taking this one for his ability to make the fight a physical battle. Brown struggles against that grinding type approach, and I feel will come up short Saturday.
Featherweight: Renato Moicano (13-2-1) vs Chan Sung Jung (14-5)- Moicano TKO
Many believe Moicano has the skills to be a future UFC champion. He is looking for a standout performance after losing via TKO to former featherweight king Jose Aldo. Jung on the other hand lives up to his nickname “The Korean Zombie”. He has an innate to walk through punches and drop bombs of his own. He is never in a dull fight, and this is the reason he is loved by MMA fans around the world. Jung is also looking to taste victory again after suffering a final second knockout loss to phenom Yair Rodriguez. This is an underrated main event that has the makings of a fight of the year candidate. I am picking Moicano in this fight because he is a much more technical striker than Jung. He does not have that take one to give one mentality. They both are adequate on the ground, but I expect this to a striking only affair. If Jung can force this fight to the later rounds he has a solid chance of winning. Moicano has little to no experience in those deep waters.