This weekend, UFC returns to the APEX Arena with a card that could be an underrated possibility.
The main event could determine a new women's strawweight title contender, while the undercard will see some of UFC's top prospects battling it out for a chance in the spotlight.
Forecasts contain the opinions of the authors.
Muhammad Usman vs. Thomas Petersen
Petersen plays with fire by getting in range and grabbing his opponent's hands to close the distance. This left him at the mercy of a sluggish Jamal Pogues in his UFC debut. He doesn't attack with takedowns, but is at his best with them. Unfortunately for him, Usman has power in his striking and is effective on the ground. Usman should have the advantage in this fight. (Pick: Usman)
In this bout, I think Carolina's straight punches and southpaw stance will give Pudilova a tough fight, while her length and evasive ability will allow her to easily dominate the match. (Pick: Carolina)
Loic Radjabov vs. Trey Ogden
Ogden has flown under the radar at lightweight, but I believe Radjabov's pressure and grappling ability will win this fight. He also has good boxing skills with some great slip and rip combinations. (Pick: Radjabov)
Miranda Maverick vs. Dione Barbosa
Barbosa looks good, but Maverick is a much better competitor. Barbosa couldn't execute his style against an inexperienced opponent in his last fight and started to give up due to fatigue. If Maverick can avoid a Hail Mary finish from Barbosa, I think he should be able to control the outcome of this fight. (Pick: Maverick)
Brian Kelleher vs. Cody Gibson
For the 37-year-old Kelleher, the losing streak does not bode well for him facing Gibson. Despite his losing streak, Gibson has had very competitive bouts against Miles Johns and Brad Katona. Gibson's size and fighting style could pose serious problems for Kelleher, who may be a bit timid since his knockout loss to Cody Garbrandt. I see a motivated Cody Gibson getting his first win in the new UFC era. (Pick: Gibson)
Haider Amir vs. Jong Yong Lee
I think Amir's southpaw striking will give Lee a hard time in this fight. Lee fights on the front foot a lot, leaving him vulnerable to Amir's brutal inside leg kicks. Lee also has a tendency to lean out, and I can see Amir slamming him down with a spin kick to the body. If Lee dodges or gets out of range, Lee has a tendency to drop his hands momentarily. All of these factors give Amir a chance to end the fight. (Pick: Amir)
Duho Choi vs. Bill Algeo
This is a tough fight for both fighters, but I think Algeo's activity and size will see him win. He's a tall guy and he uses his reach well. Choi's last fight was a draw against Kyle Nelson over a year ago, and prior to that he hadn't fought in over four years. That was Choi's peak period, and Algeo was active throughout that time. (Pick: Algeo)
Cody Dirden vs. Bruno Silva
Darden has the potential to be a top contender in the flyweight division, with slick striking, great grappling and great cardio, and Silva will always have a core option with his finishing ability, but Darden's solid fundamentals should help him greatly as he is shorter than Silva. (Pick: Darden)
Kurt Hollobaugh vs. Kanan Kruszewski
Kruszewski is coming off a brutal knockout loss to Elf Brenner eight months ago, where he showed he was vulnerable to long combination punchers and also vulnerable to left hand counters. Boxing is Holobaugh's forte, and I think he'll have the same success here. (Pick: Holobo)
Steve Garcia vs. Choi Seung-woo
If I was going to get into a hard-fought boxing battle with anyone in the UFC, I wouldn't want to fight Steve Garcia. Choi has proven he can be beaten by a good counter puncher and I think Garcia is the man for the job. (Pick: Garcia)
Brad Tavares vs. Park Jun-young
Tavares is probably the most experienced and well-rounded fighter Park has faced in the UFC. He has good takedown defense and Park is good at grappling. I don't think Park will have an easy time standing up against Tavares, and I don't think he'll easily get the upper hand in grappling. I'm betting on Tavares. (Pick: Tavares)
Amanda Lemos vs. Virna Jandiroba
In this fight, I have the advantage over Jandiroba in terms of striking, power, finishing instincts and competitive level. I don't know if Jandiroba has the physical strength to compete with Lemos in this fight, so I'm going with “Amandinha.” (Pick: Lemos)
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