UFC Fight Night 86 predictions: Zagreb FOX Sports 1 ‘Prelims’ undercard preview, Pt. 2

More fights are coming to Fight Pass and FOX Sports 1 this weekend (Sun., April 10, 2016) when UFC Fight Night 86: “Rothwell vs. dos Santos” kicks off from Arena Zagreb in Zagreb, Croatia. MMAmania.com’s Patrick Stumberg continues the UFC Fight Night 86 “Prelims” party with the second (and final) installment of a two-part undercard preview series.

Hope you enjoyed that break, because it’s time for things to heat up.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) kicks off three consecutive weekends of fights this Sunday (April 10, 2016) with UFC Fight Night 86, live from Arena Zagreb in Zagreb, Croatia, airing on FOX Sports 1. In the main event, Junior dos Santos looks to rebound from his knockout loss to Alistair Overeem against the rising Ben Rothwell, while Gabriel Gonzaga co-helms against late replacement Derrick Lewis.

Four “Prelims” undercard matches join the six-fight main card on FOX Sports 1 starting at 12 p.m. ET. Your lunchtime appetizers are as follows (check out the brunch menu here):

170 lbs.: Nicolas Dalby vs. Zak Cummings

Sweden’s Nicolas Dalby (14-0-1) has been nothing but entertaining in his two-fight UFC career, beginning with a gritty split decision over Brazilian knockout artist Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos. In October, he threw down with top British prospect Darren Till and battled through a knockdown to force a draw and earn Fight of the Night in the process.

“Sharpshooter” has knocked out four opponents and submitted another three.

Zak Cummings’ (18-4) run on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 17 came to an end in the Round of 16 with a decision loss to Dylan Andrews. He’s gone 3-1 in UFC itself, including an upset decision over Yan Cabral and 43-second knockout of Dominique Steele in July 2015.

He replaces the injured Bartosz Fabinski on one month’s notice.

In many ways, Dalby reminds me of Martin Kampmann. He’s capable on the feet, but doesn’t have much stopping power and can struggle with bigger hitters. One thing he lacks that Kampmann relied heavily on, however, is a powerful offensive and defensive wrestling game.

Hence the reason I’m picking Cummings.

Cummings is huge for the weight class and is a very capable grappler when not dealing with beasts like Gunnar Nelson. Expect him to edge a decision through effective top control.

Prediction: Cummings via unanimous decision

155 lbs.: Mairbek Taisumov vs. Damir Hadzovic

Mairbek Taisumov’s (24-5) one-sided loss to Michel Prazeres in 2014 has given way to three straight knockouts, his head kick finish of Alan Patrick in May 2015 earning him “Performance of the Night.” “Beckan” was set to take a step up against Beneil Dariush in January, only for Darush to suffer an injury and Taisumov to run into visa issues.

He has just one decision victory in nine years as a professional.

Damir Hadzovic (10-2) has won six straight since a 2012 loss to current UFC middleweight Krzysztof Jotko, four of them via stoppage. Training alongside Nicolas Dalby, Hadzovic has stopped eight opponents overall with five knockouts.

“The Bosnian Bomber” stands three inches taller than Taisumov at 6’0.”

I picked Taisumov to beat Dariush and Wade, so no prize for guessing what I think of Hadzovic’s chances. The Bosnian is a decent, slow-starting striker, but lacks Taisumov’s speed, power, and kicking prowess. “Beckan” will also have a considerable edge in wrestling and can do major damage from top position.

To win this fight, Hadzovic would have to keep Taisumov at range and try to exhaust him. Taisumov just hits too damn hard for that to work, unfortunately. The Chechen chews him up with kicks before putting him down late in the first.

Prediction: Taisumov via first-round technical knockout

135 lbs.: Ian Entwistle vs. Alejandro Perez

Ian Entwistle’s (9-2) relentless pursuit of submissions came back to bite him in the UFC debut, where he held fast to a heel hook attempt and, in doing so, allowed Daniel Hooker to beat him senseless with elbows. “Enty” returned to Bantamweight and had a bit more success with his leglocks against Anthony Birchak, whom he tapped in 64 seconds.

He has never gone past the first round as an amateur or a professional, scoring seven submissions.

Mexico’s Alejandro Perez (16-6) took home gold on the inaugural TUF: “Latin America” with a decision over teammate Jose Alberto Quinones. He suffered a quick submission loss to Patrick Williams his next time out, but rebounded with an injury stoppage of Scott Jorgensen in Nov. 2015.

He will give up two inches of height to the 5’8″ Entwistle.

Entwistle fights are annoying to pick because he either wins big or loses big — there are no in-betweens. Either he scores an immediate sub or gets smashed to pieces in the process. This fight should be no different, as Perez is by far the better striker and has some decent grappling of his own.

Honestly, though, I think Entwistle catches him.

Perez, while very skilled and well-rounded, doesn’t have the top-tier submission defense he’d need to survive the early onslaught. Entwistle wraps up a heel hook sometime in the first two minutes.

Prediction: Entwistle def. Perez via first-round submission

135 lbs.: Filip Pejic vs. Damian Stasiak

Filip Pejic (10-1) has gone 8-0-1 since a technical knockout loss in 2012, including a four-fight first-round knockout streak through 2013. Following a draw against Serbia’s Slobodan Maksimovic, he destroyed Zoltan Turai with soccer kicks 57 seconds into their Oct. 2015 showdown.

“Nitro” stands three inches taller than Damian Stasiak (8-3) at 5’11.”

A five-fight win streak brought Poland’s Stasiak to UFC, where he debuted in Aug. 2015 in Krakow. There, he struggled with Yaotzin Meza’s grappling en route to a unanimous decision loss. He was originally set to face Erik Perez back in Nov. 2015 before withdrawing.

I watched Pejic’s draw with Maksimovic and came away with a distinct “meh” impression. He’s decent with his hands and decent off his back, but doesn’t throw very much and doesn’t have much in the way of wrestling. Stasiak, meanwhile, is every bit as capable on the feet and also has a decent grappling game to go along with it.

Seems pretty cut-and-dry to me.

Stasiak should have at least a slight edge everywhere the fight goes, plus the option of hitting a takedown if things get hairy. Expect a clear decision win for the Pole.

Prediction: Stasiak via unanimous decision

There are plenty worse ways to spend a Sunday afternoon than watching European prospects kick the snot out of each other.

See you Sunday, Manaics!

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Fight Night 86 fight card, starting with the Fight Pass “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. ET, and then the remaining undercard balance on FOX Sports 1 at 12 p.m. ET, before the FOX Sports 1 main card start time at 2 p.m. ET.

Current UFC “Prelims” Prediction Record 2016: 29-27-1

More fights are coming to Fight Pass and FOX Sports 1 this weekend (Sun., April 10, 2016) when UFC Fight Night 86: “Rothwell vs. dos Santos” kicks off from Arena Zagreb in Zagreb, Croatia. MMAmania.com’s Patrick Stumberg continues the UFC Fight Night 86 “Prelims” party with the second (and final) installment of a two-part undercard preview series.

Hope you enjoyed that break, because it’s time for things to heat up.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) kicks off three consecutive weekends of fights this Sunday (April 10, 2016) with UFC Fight Night 86, live from Arena Zagreb in Zagreb, Croatia, airing on FOX Sports 1. In the main event, Junior dos Santos looks to rebound from his knockout loss to Alistair Overeem against the rising Ben Rothwell, while Gabriel Gonzaga co-helms against late replacement Derrick Lewis.

Four “Prelims” undercard matches join the six-fight main card on FOX Sports 1 starting at 12 p.m. ET. Your lunchtime appetizers are as follows (check out the brunch menu here):

170 lbs.: Nicolas Dalby vs. Zak Cummings

Sweden’s Nicolas Dalby (14-0-1) has been nothing but entertaining in his two-fight UFC career, beginning with a gritty split decision over Brazilian knockout artist Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos. In October, he threw down with top British prospect Darren Till and battled through a knockdown to force a draw and earn Fight of the Night in the process.

“Sharpshooter” has knocked out four opponents and submitted another three.

Zak Cummings’ (18-4) run on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 17 came to an end in the Round of 16 with a decision loss to Dylan Andrews. He’s gone 3-1 in UFC itself, including an upset decision over Yan Cabral and 43-second knockout of Dominique Steele in July 2015.

He replaces the injured Bartosz Fabinski on one month’s notice.

In many ways, Dalby reminds me of Martin Kampmann. He’s capable on the feet, but doesn’t have much stopping power and can struggle with bigger hitters. One thing he lacks that Kampmann relied heavily on, however, is a powerful offensive and defensive wrestling game.

Hence the reason I’m picking Cummings.

Cummings is huge for the weight class and is a very capable grappler when not dealing with beasts like Gunnar Nelson. Expect him to edge a decision through effective top control.

Prediction: Cummings via unanimous decision

155 lbs.: Mairbek Taisumov vs. Damir Hadzovic

Mairbek Taisumov’s (24-5) one-sided loss to Michel Prazeres in 2014 has given way to three straight knockouts, his head kick finish of Alan Patrick in May 2015 earning him “Performance of the Night.” “Beckan” was set to take a step up against Beneil Dariush in January, only for Darush to suffer an injury and Taisumov to run into visa issues.

He has just one decision victory in nine years as a professional.

Damir Hadzovic (10-2) has won six straight since a 2012 loss to current UFC middleweight Krzysztof Jotko, four of them via stoppage. Training alongside Nicolas Dalby, Hadzovic has stopped eight opponents overall with five knockouts.

“The Bosnian Bomber” stands three inches taller than Taisumov at 6’0.”

I picked Taisumov to beat Dariush and Wade, so no prize for guessing what I think of Hadzovic’s chances. The Bosnian is a decent, slow-starting striker, but lacks Taisumov’s speed, power, and kicking prowess. “Beckan” will also have a considerable edge in wrestling and can do major damage from top position.

To win this fight, Hadzovic would have to keep Taisumov at range and try to exhaust him. Taisumov just hits too damn hard for that to work, unfortunately. The Chechen chews him up with kicks before putting him down late in the first.

Prediction: Taisumov via first-round technical knockout

135 lbs.: Ian Entwistle vs. Alejandro Perez

Ian Entwistle’s (9-2) relentless pursuit of submissions came back to bite him in the UFC debut, where he held fast to a heel hook attempt and, in doing so, allowed Daniel Hooker to beat him senseless with elbows. “Enty” returned to Bantamweight and had a bit more success with his leglocks against Anthony Birchak, whom he tapped in 64 seconds.

He has never gone past the first round as an amateur or a professional, scoring seven submissions.

Mexico’s Alejandro Perez (16-6) took home gold on the inaugural TUF: “Latin America” with a decision over teammate Jose Alberto Quinones. He suffered a quick submission loss to Patrick Williams his next time out, but rebounded with an injury stoppage of Scott Jorgensen in Nov. 2015.

He will give up two inches of height to the 5’8″ Entwistle.

Entwistle fights are annoying to pick because he either wins big or loses big — there are no in-betweens. Either he scores an immediate sub or gets smashed to pieces in the process. This fight should be no different, as Perez is by far the better striker and has some decent grappling of his own.

Honestly, though, I think Entwistle catches him.

Perez, while very skilled and well-rounded, doesn’t have the top-tier submission defense he’d need to survive the early onslaught. Entwistle wraps up a heel hook sometime in the first two minutes.

Prediction: Entwistle def. Perez via first-round submission

135 lbs.: Filip Pejic vs. Damian Stasiak

Filip Pejic (10-1) has gone 8-0-1 since a technical knockout loss in 2012, including a four-fight first-round knockout streak through 2013. Following a draw against Serbia’s Slobodan Maksimovic, he destroyed Zoltan Turai with soccer kicks 57 seconds into their Oct. 2015 showdown.

“Nitro” stands three inches taller than Damian Stasiak (8-3) at 5’11.”

A five-fight win streak brought Poland’s Stasiak to UFC, where he debuted in Aug. 2015 in Krakow. There, he struggled with Yaotzin Meza’s grappling en route to a unanimous decision loss. He was originally set to face Erik Perez back in Nov. 2015 before withdrawing.

I watched Pejic’s draw with Maksimovic and came away with a distinct “meh” impression. He’s decent with his hands and decent off his back, but doesn’t throw very much and doesn’t have much in the way of wrestling. Stasiak, meanwhile, is every bit as capable on the feet and also has a decent grappling game to go along with it.

Seems pretty cut-and-dry to me.

Stasiak should have at least a slight edge everywhere the fight goes, plus the option of hitting a takedown if things get hairy. Expect a clear decision win for the Pole.

Prediction: Stasiak via unanimous decision

There are plenty worse ways to spend a Sunday afternoon than watching European prospects kick the snot out of each other.

See you Sunday, Manaics!

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Fight Night 86 fight card, starting with the Fight Pass “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. ET, and then the remaining undercard balance on FOX Sports 1 at 12 p.m. ET, before the FOX Sports 1 main card start time at 2 p.m. ET.

Current UFC “Prelims” Prediction Record 2016: 29-27-1