UFC 186 could make history Saturday night in Montreal, as a win by Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson would make him the fifth man in UFC history to successfully defend his title six consecutive times.
That would put him in elite company, as Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones and Jose Aldo are the others to have accomplished the feat.
Johnson will go toe-to-toe with Kyoji Horiguchi, a 24-year-old with an undefeated UFC record. He hopes to become the first flyweight to beat Johnson.
Johnson and Horiguchi aren’t the only fighters doing business in the Octagon on Saturday. There’s a deep fight card, including preliminary fights, that should also be exciting for fans to watch as a lead-in to the main event.
You’ll find predictions for all 12 matches of the night below, as well as the start time and live stream information for UFC 186.
Start Times to Note
- Early Prelims: 6:30 p.m. ET
- Pre-fight show: 7 p.m. ET
- Prelims: 8 p.m. ET
- Main event: 10 p.m. ET
Live Stream Info
- Early Prelims: UFC Fight Pass
- Pre-fight show: Fox Sports GO
- Prelims: Fox Sports GO
- Main Event: Pay-per-view only
Early Prelim Predictions
Of the three early prelim bouts, one to keep an eye on is Nordine Taleb vs. Chris “The Menace” Clements.
Taleb, a former Bellator competitor, has great physical tools and has picked up UFC wins over Vik Grujic and Jingliang Li. Clements is aging (39) but still packs a punch that could knock most fighters to their knees. If Taleb runs into just one well-placed smash, the fight will be over in a hurry.
That’s why Taleb needs to focus on getting Clements to the mat. The contrast in these two fighters is so unique that this bout has the potential to be one of the top prelims of the night. Taleb’s skills on the mat far outweigh Clements’, so that needs to be the Frenchman’s strategy right from the opening bell.
Prediction: Taleb wins via second-round technical knockout.
Prelim Predictions
The big fight to tune in to during the prelims is Alexis Davis vs. Sarah Kaufman, if only for the implications.
Davis and Kaufman, both bantamweights, are ranked No. 3 and No. 5, respectively. Davis is coming off a 16-second train wreck of a defeat at the hands of Ronda Rousey, while Kaufman’s last outing was a win against Leslie Smith.
Kaufman can leapfrog Davis in the rankings and become a contender with a win on Saturday. A win would put her on the short list to fight Rousey in the future, and while defeating Davis for a third time might not improve her resume all that much, it only reinforces the fact that she’s ready for a higher-profile opponent.
This is by far the best women’s fight on the card; don’t miss out on a bout that has enormous stakes.
Prediction: Kaufman wins via third-round submission.
Main Card Predictions
The best fight of the night (outside of Johnson vs. Horiguchi, of course) is Quinton “Rampage” Jackson against Fabio Maldonado, if only for the fact that it’s going to be a bloody slugfest.
Maldonado is known solely as a boxer who blatantly disregards defense in an effort to take every opportunity available to pound the snot out of his opponents. Jackson, one of the hardest hitters in the UFC, will look to take advantage of this neglect.
Jackson understands that Maldonado’s “best technique is taking a lot of punishment,” via the Instagram post linked to the following tweet:
The possible repercussions of this fight are different for each fighter. Whether Maldonado wins or loses doesn’t necessarily matter. He’s an entertaining fighter with a simple approach whom fans can rally behind. Jackson, however, is in somewhat of a must-win situation. He’s not moving up the ranks anytime soon, so a loss might make him plummet into the depths of UFC matchups.
Prediction: Maldonado wins via third-round knockout.
Johnson vs. Horiguchi
This might be the main event of the night, but don’t expect Johnson vs. Horiguchi to be the most exciting fight of the evening. Sure, these two men are arguably the most skilled fighters on the card, but Johnson outmatches Horiguchi so much that this shouldn’t be a difficult bout at all.
Johnson doesn’t exactly have the personality of some of the other top-notch fighters in the UFC, but Bleacher Report’s Scott Harris thinks that shouldn’t stop you from getting in his corner:
Enough about Johnson’s low-key personality and his inability to move the needle of public interest. He’s an amazing fighter, with lightning quickness in his limbs and his brain and the ability to shift effortlessly between a full array of expert skill sets. Horiguchi is young and fun, but he’s going to fall, just like the rest of them.
And while Harris’ analysis is simple, it is completely spot on. Johnson’s personality takes a backseat to his incredible fighting ability. Horiguchi is nowhere near quick enough to keep up with Mighty Mouse, who’s both light and quick on his feet. That’s a lethal combination for someone with the talent level of Johnson.
Horiguchi likely won’t win Saturday, but he can impress many analysts and fans just by giving Johnson a run into Round 4 or 5.
Prediction: Johnson wins via third-round submission.
Kenny DeJohn is a Breaking News Team Featured Columnist. Follow him on Twitter.
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