Author: Craig Amos

UFC on Fox 27 Predictions: Main Card Staff Picks

The UFC will finish up a busy January with its third event of the month this Saturday, when it hosts UFC on Fox 27. Airing from Charlotte, North Carolina, the show boasts a four-fight main card capped by a middleweight showdown between Ronaldo “Jacare”…

The UFC will finish up a busy January with its third event of the month this Saturday, when it hosts UFC on Fox 27. Airing from Charlotte, North Carolina, the show boasts a four-fight main card capped by a middleweight showdown between Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Derek Brunson.

Souza enters the contest looking to bounce back from a loss to Robert Whittaker last April. Prior to the defeat, Souza had notched 10 wins in 11 bouts. Brunson, meanwhile, has won two in a row, including a first-round knockout of Lyoto Machida.

The full UFC on Fox 27 main card looks like this:

  • Ronaldo Souza vs. Derek Brunson
  • Dennis Bermudez vs. Andre Fili
  • Jordan Rinaldi vs. Gregor Gillespie
  • Drew Dober vs. Frank Camacho

As usual, Bleacher Report MMA has assembled to provide you with our picks for the event. Read on to get forecasts from Scott Harris, Nathan McCarter, Steven Rondina and, for the final time, Craig Amos.

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UFC Fight Night 121 Predictions: Main Card Staff Picks

The UFC continues its race to the end of 2017 when it brings the Octagon to the Land Down Under this Saturday, November 18, for UFC Fight Night 121. The card features a strong Australian presence, with six nationals populating the show’s main card…

The UFC continues its race to the end of 2017 when it brings the Octagon to the Land Down Under this Saturday, November 18, for UFC Fight Night 121. The card features a strong Australian presence, with six nationals populating the show’s main card. 

Aussies Bec Rawlings and Jessica-Rose Clark will battle it out in the co-main event. Rawlings enters the bout coming off a pair of losses, putting her in a desperate need of a victory. Promotional newcomer Clark brings a 7-4 pro record into her debut and will look to make an early impression on fans by forcing a surprising result.

The main event pits heavyweights Fabricio Werdum and Marcin Tybura head-to-head. Werdum, a former champion, is looking to build off an October win over Walt Harris to reinvigorate his championship prospects.

Tybura, meanwhile, enters the fray riding a three-fight win streak, looking to cement himself as a divisional contender.

The UFC Fight Night 121 main card looks like this:

  • Fabricio Werdum vs. Marcin Tybura
  • Bec Rawlings  vs. Jessica-Rose Clark
  • Tim Means vs. Belal Muhammad
  • Jake Matthews vs. Bojan Velickovic
  • Elias Theodorou vs. Daniel Kelly 
  • Alexander Volkanovski vs. Shane Young

As usual, the Bleacher Report picks team has graciously provided you with insight and prognostications. Read on for calls from Scott Harris, Nathan McCarter, Steven Rondina and Craig Amos.

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UFC 215 Predictions: Main Card Staff Picks

The UFC will mark its second entry of a busy month when the Octagon travels to Edmonton, Canada, this Saturday, September 9, for UFC 215. The fight-card is looking a little worse for the wear after main event participant Ray Borg withdrew from the even…

The UFC will mark its second entry of a busy month when the Octagon travels to Edmonton, Canada, this Saturday, September 9, for UFC 215. The fight-card is looking a little worse for the wear after main event participant Ray Borg withdrew from the event late Thursday night due to illness.

Borg’s withdrawal not only rids the card of its main event, but also its potential to become the answer the trivia question, “At which event did Demetrious Johnson establish the record for most successful defenses of a UFC title?” 

The bantamweight title fight between Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko now slides into the main event slot. The women are familiar foes, having faced off previously in a competitive bout that Nunes won on the judges’ scorecards. This time around the stakes are higher, as Nunes will look to notch her second title defense, while Shevchenko will attempt to capture UFC gold for herself.

Welterweights Neil Magny and Rafael dos Anjos will square off in the co-main event of the evening. Magny enters having won four of his last five, while Dos Anjos has split a pair since losing his lightweight title a little more than a year ago. 

UFC 215 will be rounded out by an additional nine matchups, beginning on Fight Pass, moving to cable and ending on pay-per-view.

The full UFC 215 main card looks like this:

  • Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko
  • Neil Magny vs. Rafael dos Anjos
  • Henry Cejudo vs. Wilson Reis
  • Ilir Latifi vs. Tyson Pedro
  • Jeremy Stephens vs. Gilbert Melendez

In anticipation of the action, Bleacher Report has assembled its usual team of writers to make some prognostications for the final five bouts of the evening. Read on for predictions from Steven Rondina, Nathan McCarter, Scott Harris and Craig Amos.

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UFC on Fox 25 Predictions: Main Card Staff Picks

With Mayweather vs. McGregor just over a month away and Jones vs. Cormier II on the horizon, you’d be forgiven for overlooking UFC on Fox 25, which is set for Saturday. But while the event may be eclipsed by the shadows of more momentous occasions, UFC…

With Mayweather vs. McGregor just over a month away and Jones vs. Cormier II on the horizon, you’d be forgiven for overlooking UFC on Fox 25, which is set for Saturday. But while the event may be eclipsed by the shadows of more momentous occasions, UFC on Fox 25 boasts a handful of exciting fights worthy of attention. 

The four-fight main card in particular plays hosts to some intriguing matchups, including a headliner between middleweights Chris Weidman and Kelvin Gastelum. The two men enter the bout from opposite sides of the spectrum, with Gastelum having won three in a row (though his latest win was overturned after he tested positive for marijuana) and Weidman having lost his last three. But despite the disparate routes taken to the Octagon, the match is, on paper, a competitive affair.

The co-main event of the evening pits featherweights Dennis Bermudez and Darren Elkins against one another. Bermudez will be looking to bounce back after a recent loss, while Elkins will attempt to run his win streak to five.

The full main card billing is as follows:

  • Chris Weidman vs. Kelvin Gastelum
  • Dennis Bermudez vs. Darren Elkins
  • Gian Villante vs. Patrick Cummins
  • Jimmie Rivera vs. Thomas Almeida

As usual, the Bleacher Report MMA picks team has assembled to forecast the outcome for each main card matchup. Read on for predictions from myself, Scott Harris, Nathan McCarter and Steven Rondina.

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UFC Fight Night 111 Predictions: Main Card Staff Picks

The UFC’s quest for global appeal continues this weekend, as the Octagon lands in Singapore for Fight Night 111. While local fans will get a rare taste of top-flight mixed martial arts action, North American fans will be forced to set their alarms Satu…

The UFC’s quest for global appeal continues this weekend, as the Octagon lands in Singapore for Fight Night 111. While local fans will get a rare taste of top-flight mixed martial arts action, North American fans will be forced to set their alarms Saturday morning or forego the event altogether.

Headlining the 12-bout UFC Fight Pass event are a pair of bantamweights looking to find their footing in the pursuit of division gold. Holly Holm once held the title but has scuttled to three straight losses after she emphatically ended the era of Ronda Rousey. Bethe Correia has meanwhile posted a 1-1-1 since her ruinous title run ended with a 34-second knockout defeat to the fighter known as “Rowdy.”

The co-main event features another former champion, Andrei Arlovski, go up against an up-and-coming foe. The Belarusian, who has dropped four straight contests, will look to turn back the clock against Marcin Tybura, who has posted consecutive wins since faltering in his UFC debut.

The main card is rounded out by a pair of welterweight showdowns between Dong Hyun Kim and Colby Covington, and Rafael dos Anjos and Tarec Saffiedine.

As Bleacher Report is wont to do, we’ve assembled our predictions crew to provide insight into how these fights will play out. Read on for predictions from Scott Harris, Nathan McCarter, Steven Rondina and Craig Amos.

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UFC Fight Night 107: Main Card Staff Predictions

The UFC takes its Octagon across the Atlantic for Fight Night 107 this Saturday, March 18, when it will set up at the O2 Arena in London, U.K.
The host nation will be well represented throughout the event, including the main card, which features three …

The UFC takes its Octagon across the Atlantic for Fight Night 107 this Saturday, March 18, when it will set up at the O2 Arena in London, U.K.

The host nation will be well represented throughout the event, including the main card, which features three British fighters competing over the course of four fights. The headliner, a light heavyweight clash, pits London’s own Jimi Manuwa against America’s Corey Anderson.

Since starting out in the UFC with a trio of wins, Manuwa has alternated victories and defeats over his last four bouts, most recently besting Ovince Saint Preux. Anderson, meanwhile, has found success in four of his last five outings, and he is coming off a TKO win over Sean O’Connell.

In the co-main event, Iceland’s Gunnar Nelson takes on the American Alan Jouban. Nelson has won two of his last four, while Jouban enters the scrap riding a three-fight win streak. 

The full Fight Night 107 main card is as follows:

  • Jimi Manuwa vs. Corey Anderson
  • Gunnar Nelson  vs. Alan Jouban
  • Brad Pickett vs. Marlon Vera
  • Arnold Allen vs. Makwan Amirkhani

The Bleacher Report team has assembled to provide you with our predictions for each of these contests. Read on for what I like to think of as our collective and considerable wisdom. 

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