Prelims
Bantamweight: Benito Lopez (9-1) vs Vince Morales (9-3)- Lopez Unanimous Decision

Bantamweight: Pingyuan Liu (13-5) vs Jonathan Martinez (10-2)- Martinez Split Decision

Women’s Strawweight: Livia Souza (13-1) vs Brianna van Buren (8-2)- Souza Submission

Featherweight: Darren Elkins (24-7) vs Ryan Hall (7-1)- Elkins Unanimous Decision

Women’s Bantamweight: Julianna Pena (8-3) vs Nicco Montano (4-2)- Pena Unanimous Decision

Featherweight: Andre Fili (19-6) vs Sheymon Moraes (11-3)- Fili Unanimous Decision

Light Heavyweight: Mike Rodriguez (10-3) vs John Allan (13-5)- Rodriguez TKO

Main
Middleweight: Marvin Vettori (12-4-1) vs Cezar Ferreira (13-7)- Ferreira Submission
Vettori makes his return after being suspended for a failed drug test. Vettori is an underrated striker, solid wrestler, and solid offensive grappler. Vettori’s last appearance in the cage was against the current Middleweight Interim champion Israel Adesanya. Ferreira is a massive middleweight who tends to rely on his takedowns and elite level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I have Ferreira using his size and grappling prowess to ground Vattori into submission. 

Middleweight: Karl Roberson (7-2) vs Wellington Turman (15-2)- Roberson TKO
Roberson returns to his natural weight class of Middleweight after stepping up last minute in a losing effort to Glover Teixeira. Roberson is talented kickboxer with legit knockout power. His major problems have come against superior grapplers with both of his losses coming by way of submission. Turman is a talented 22 year old standout representing Brazil. Turman has dominated on the regional scene with his takedowns and submission skills. He is an above average striker, but has not faced a talent like Roberson. I am going with Roberson, I feel his striking is going to overwhelm the young Turman.

Featherweight: Josh Emmett (14-2) vs Mirsad Bektic (13-1)- Bektic Unanimous Decision
Emmett is a former collegiate wrestler who has become one of the most dangerous knockout artists in the featherweight division. Emmett is coming off a comeback one punch knockout over the talented Michael Johnson. Bektic has the potential to be a future UFC champion. The Bosnia native is a grinder with his ability to drag opponents to the mat with his nonstop pressure. He has improved as a striker, and is no longer a pure wrestler/grappler. This fight could launch one of these two into title shot conversation with a standout performance. I am going to lean with Bektic in this contest. I simply feel he is better all-around, and has the youth game on his side.

Bantamweight: Urijah Faber (34-10) vs Ricky Simon (15-1)- Simon Split Decision
The California Kid makes his return after a short retirement in his hometown of Sacramento. Faber is one the most recognizable stars in MMA and a true pioneer for the lower weight class fighters. He has always been an unorthodox striker, excellent wrestler, and above average submission artist especially with chokes. Simon is actually undersized for the bantamweight division, but makes up for it with his heart and relentless pressure. Simon sets a pace that a lot of his opponents simply cannot handle. Simon has improved as a striker, and has shown an ability to shoot and defend takedowns. This will be his biggest test by far, and a victory could put him into the limelight. Faber is the better fighter on paper, but Simon has more to gain from this fight. He also has been the more active fighter as Faber has not fought since 2016. I have Simon winning in a very closely contested contest.

Women’s Bantamweight: Germaine de Randamie (8-3) vs Aspen Ladd (8-0)- Ladd TKO
de Randamie was the inaugural UFC Women’s Featherweight champion after a controversial win over Holly Holm. She faced a heavy amount of criticism for refusing to fight Cris Cyborg, and eventually had the title stripped because of her stance. Germaine has always been known for her high level muay thai attacks, and showcased this in her last fight against Raquel Pennington. She has also improved her takedown and submission defense. Her size for the division is also a big factor in this fight. Aspen Ladd has the makings of a future superstar in the Women’s Bantamweight division. Ladd is undefeated, and has overwhelmed all of her UFC opponents, including former Invicta Women’s Bantamweight champion Tonya Evinger. Ladd uses her size, athleticism, and strength to take her opponents down. When she gets them down she unleashes her dangerous, non-stop ground and pound. Ladd has a solid ground game especially in terms of positioning herself to strike on the mat. The winner of this fight could possibly earn a title shot against the dominant Amanda Nunes. I have a feeling that Aspen Ladd is going to be the victor in this fight. I believe she will use her takedowns and grappling to eventually finish de Randamie. The cardio of Ladd will be key in this fight, as she has never competed in a five round fight.

Photo Credit: https://mmajunkie.com/2019/05/ufc-targs-aspen-ladd-germaine-de-randamie-sacramento-main-event