Predictions: 5 of 13 Winners, 2 Perfect, 325 Points
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Tied for 2890th
No doubt. I'm more just highlighting there really isn't a top 15 at LW. Its more like a top 7-8 and then an entire new tier begins.
The only two I'm all but certain get ranked on that list are Bonfim and Aliev. I could see them eventually cracking that next tier.
I could see Paddy and Garcia eventually ranked and wouldn't be surprised if Moises and Alvarez return to the rankings, but I dont see any of them ever truly contending.
EDIT: God damn phone posting is killing me this AM with the auto correct.
Predictions: 5 of 13 Winners, 2 Perfect, 325 Points
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Tied for 2890th
Magny vs. Rowe Philip Rowe, DEC Arguably the closest fight on the card. After initially leaning Magny, I actually think Rowe is a very live dog here. This is a very intriguing matchup because Magny is used to having a few inches of reach on almost all his opponents. That's not the case in this fight. Magny has a lot of miles, and has been finished plenty of times. The fight that kind of swayed me in this direction when I came back to it was Magnys fight with Max Griffin. He was getting pieced up in that fight and argueably lost the first 2 rounds cleanly. The one thing maybe saving Magny here is that while Rowe has decent TDD he can't grapple for ****. Hes been definitely working on that part of his game but Magny probably has him beat there despite not being a great grappler himself. I see at least one round for Magny that will be mostly hugging and a round of Rowe piecing him up. Whoever wins that tie breaker round wins the fight. Im gonna take a flyer on Rowe by decision and could see him getting a late finish. I strongly encourage everyone to rewatch Griffin vs. Magny. I thought he was getting finished in that fight and Rowe has 4 additional inches of reach on Griffin. This is not a great matchup for Magny IMO.
Brown vs. Turman Randy Brown, SUB, R2 This is a borderline comical mismatch. UFC throwing Rudeboy a bone here after agreeing to fight JDM. Brown anyway he pleases. Turman is terrible.
Rębecki vs. Radzhabov Loik Radzhabov, TKO, R3 I dont think Rebecki is anything special. Radzhabov should be able to grapple with him and I think he's the better striker. I think the odds are backwards here. I think Rebecki will tire himself out trying to grapple after realizing he can't stand and trade with Loik.
Ricci vs. Robertson Tabatha Ricci, DEC Another very close fight. Two wrestlers with negative strike differentials. I'll take Ricci because Robertson only seems to have success over fighters with limited grappling. Robertson striking has definitely gotten WAY better than when she first arrived but I think Ricci is still better as of right now. Should be some fun scrambles but I like Ricci to win two rounds here. I think Robertson needs a somewhat early sub to pull this off.
Zhumagulov vs. Van Zhalgas Zhumagulov, DEC This fight is 50/50 for me because I haven't done a crazy deep dive on Van yet, but from the tape I've seen he looks like an absolute stud. I gotta give Zhalgas some respect here despite his lackluster UFC career thus far. He had very good wins on his way into the promotion and has had some bad luck with the judges. Van probably needs a finish here. I don't see him winning a decision over someone this experienced and Zhalgas is very hard to put away.
Peek vs. Mariscal Trevor Peek, TKO, R2 This fight is going to be so fun. I think skill for skill this isn't close. Chepe is a more polished product. However this is not his weight class and hes fighting a brawler with the heart of a demon. Peek is just built different. Chepe is a good test for Peek to see if hes been making any improvements. Peek showed us awhile ago he can hang with borderline UFC guys when he KOd Khama Worthy. I think Peek might show some respect to Chepe at first but hes eventually going to overwhelm him. Peek has mallet hands but his best attribute might be that he just seems completely fearless, which will eventually be a detriment as he tries to climb the ranks until he learns to defend better.
Emmers vs. Jenkins Jamall Emmers, DEC I dont know if it was just me but I really wasn't blown away by Jenkins UFC debut whereas I was very impressed by the improvements Emmers showed in his last fight. The big thing for me is I don't see Jenkins having as much success with the leg kicks with Emmers having a nice reach advantage. Otherwise this is a pretty close fight but I gotta give Emmers some respect here. Not every decent Australian fighter is the next Volk. Jenkins gotta show me something first.
Taira vs. Rodrigues Tatsuro Taira, DEC Kleydson is a good fighter but looks like another weight miss. Can't take him with confidence here against Taira who has looked excellent so far. I think KR is Tairaa toughest opponent to date. Tairas offensive striking needs some work but defensively he's not bad. He was working with Mariscal whos debuting on this card not long ago. I think this fight will be competitive but Taira probably wins 2 rounds here with his grappling. I will be massively impressed if he gets another finish.
Brundage vs. Dumas Cody Brundage, SUB, R2 Dumas is not a UFC caliber fighter. He needs a strength and conditioning coach and 3-4 more regional fights. This is an awful stylistic matchup for him. Brundage should have a power advantage here. I honestly don't think this fight will be that close. Brundage was doing really well against a good fighter in Vieira before he got too excited chasing a finish where as Dumas looked like a deer in headlights in his first fight. I thought Dumas was going to destroy Fremd but he looked totally unprepared. Dumas has some intangibles for sure but I think he was signed too early.
Predictions: 7 of 13 Winners, 3 Perfect, 440 Points
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Tied for 1282nd
Damn , I for sure thought they'd still fight. Loik also weighed in heavy, as well as Emmers who was given an hour to drop that extra pound. Think I'm taking Rebecki now and JJ is more of a lock
