Predictions! UFC Vegas 79 ‘Prelims’ Preview – Pt. 2

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is bringing more “Prelims” fights to ESPN+ this weekend (Sat., Sept. 23, 2023) when UFC Vegas 79: “Fiziev vs. Gamrot” returns to UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. MMAmania.com’s Patrick Stumberg continues the UFC Vegas 79 “Prelims” party with the second (and final) installment of a two-part undercard preview series below.

The ancient “Striker vs. Grappler” rivalry returns this Saturday (Sept. 23, 2023) when Rafael Fiziev and Mateusz Gamrot duke it out inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ten pounds south, Dan Ige looks to keep his resurgence going against the returning Bryce Mitchell, while Bryan Battle squares off with A.J. Fletcher in a clash of rising Welterweight talents.

Three UFC Vegas 79 “Prelims” undercard bouts remain to be examined (checkout the first batch here), so let’s not put it off any longer …

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

135 lbs.: Dan Argueta vs. Miles Johns

Dan Argueta (9-1) bounced back from his UFC debut loss, cruising past late replacement Nick Aguirre seven months later. “The Determined” started strong his next time out against Ronnie Lawrence, but had to settle for a “No Contest” after the referee mistakenly assumed that Argueta’s guillotine put “The Heat” to sleep.

His six professional finishes are split 4:2 between submissions and knockouts.

Miles Johns (13-2) followed his Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) title-winning decision over Adrian Yanez with a contract-winning decision over Richie Santiago on Contender Series. He currently sits at 5-2 in the Octagon, most recently beating Vince Morales in Nov. 2022.

He gives up two inches of reach to Argueta.

“Chapo” has the tools to win this. Argueta is extremely easy to hit and very one-note outside of his takedowns; between Johns’ jab and wrestling pedigree, the ingredients for victory are there. Unfortunately for Johns, he’s never quite figured out how to keep his foot on the gas. Argueta has more than proven his ability to walk through fire and execute his gameplan, while Johns can’t be trusted to excel even in favorable circumstances.

If Johns could just break his propensity for passivity, he’d have several winning matchups in the division (Argueta included). As-is, expect Argueta’s doggedness to carry the day as he shrugs off Johns’ limited return fire to keep him either stuck on the fence or stuck on his back for the bulk of three rounds.

Prediction: Argueta via unanimous decision

Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

170 lbs.: Tim Means vs. Andre Fialho

Now more than a decade removed from his UFC debut, Tim Means (32-15-1) went from reigniting his career with a 4-1 run to losing his last three. “The Dirty Bird” last saw action in May, slugging it out with Alex Morono before falling victim to “The Great White’s” guillotine choke.

He’ll enjoy two inches of height and an inch of reach on Fialho.

Four consecutive first-round knockouts — two of them over UFC veterans in James Vick and Setafn Sekulic — earned Andre Fialho (16-7) a UFC berth in 2022. He’s currently 2-4 in the world’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion, suffering three consecutive knockouts en route to Saturday’s return.

Thirteen of his 14 finishes have come by knockout.

Best as I can tell, Means has the less-damning losing streak of the two. Yes, he’s well past his expiration date, but he kept pace with Max Griffin and Alex Morono for much of their fights. He can still bust out plenty of his old tricks, while Fialho has seemingly been stuck in first gear since smoking the undersized Cameron VanCamp.

Fialho’s ongoing habit of freezing up against competent strikers figures to rear its head once again, and though he still has that death hook at his disposal, it hasn’t shown itself against strong competition of late. Means’ more diverse kickboxing attack overwhelms Fialho to his first (technical) knockout finish in nearly a half-decade.

Prediction: Means via second round technical knockout

Photo by Louis Grasse/PxImages

185 lbs.: Jacob Malkoun vs. Cody Brundage

Jacob Malkoun (7-2) joined UFC at 4-0, only to suffer an 18-second knockout loss to Phil Hawes in his debut. He went on to win three of his next four, the sole loss a narrow one to Brendan Allen.

He’ll have a one-inch reach advantage despite standing three inches shorter than Cody Brundage (8-5).

Undaunted by an unsuccessful Contender Series bid and a loss in his UFC debut, Brundage rattled off back-to-back first-round finishes. Then came three straight defeats, the most recent of which saw him implode against heavy underdog Sedriques Dumas in June 2023.

He steps in for Robert Bryczek — who himself stepped in for Aliaskhab Khizriev — on less than three weeks’ notice.

As much as I respect Brundage for stepping up to the plate, it’s hard to even imagine this going well for him. All five of his professional defeats can be chalked up to the fact that he’s a non-factor off of his back, where Malkoun is ready, willing, able and eager to place him at every opportunity. It also doesn’t help that Brundage regularly folds at the first sign of adversity.

Brundage’s only options are to either successfully sprawl-and-brawl or finally land the guillotine that doomed him against Dumas and Rodolfo Vieira. Neither seem particularly likely, as Malkoun is capable enough on the feet to avoid Brundage’s power swings and is too decorated a grappler to fall victim to a one-note submission attack. In short, Malkoun grinds out another decision without issue.

Prediction: Malkoun via unanimous decision

UFC Vegas 79’s main event looks electric and there are some solid scraps among the undercard, so be sure to tune in. See you Saturday, Maniacs.

Current Prediction Record for 2023: 136-81-1 (3 NC)

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Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 79 fight card right here, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance (also on ESPN+) at 7 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 79: “Fiziev vs. Gamrot” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.