This weekend, World Series of Fighting returns with its 15th show to bring you a great card Saturday night. Live on NBC Sports Network, the card boasts a deep lineup that includes three title fights.
The middleweight, lightweight and women’s strawweight titles will all be on the line, as the triple title defense marks a huge night for the company. Dave Branch, Justin Gaethje and Jessica Aguilar, respectively, look to ward off their top contenders in hopes of extending their title reigns past Saturday night.
So, what should we expect from WSOF 15? Let’s break down the three title fights now and make some predictions.
Dave Branch vs. Yushin Okami
The main event is for the middleweight title, as Dave Branch makes his first title defense against longtime Japanese UFC vet Yushin Okami. It should be a grappling-heavy affair.
Branch won the title in his last fight, which was the finals of a four-man tournament. In the finals, he submitted Jesse Taylor, who was heavily favored over him.
Branch is a submission fighter who uses his ground game as a large part of his attack. He will need to get Okami on his back to be successful here.
However, that won’t be easy. Okami is a wrestler and grinder who thrives in the clinch and from top position. This was seen in his time with the UFC, where he was highly successful and oftentimes bullied opponents.
There will be a change of hands with the title here. Okami is on another level than Branch and will prove it with a workmanlike approach.
Okami def. Branch via unanimous decision
Justin Gaethje vs. Melvin Guillard
The co-main event should be a barnburner, as fellow strikers Justin Gaethje and Melvin Guillard square off in hopes of taking the lightweight title home.
Gaethje has been a wrecking machine since entering WSOF, as the champ is 5-0 with five finishes in the process. He currently owns wins over JZ Cavalcante, Brian Cobb, Dan Lauzon, Rich Patishnock and Nick Newell, all of whom went down via knockout or TKO.
Gaethje looks to defend his title again, but he has an exotic challenge in Melvin Guillard.
Guillard is a longtime UFC vet who made an impressive WSOF debut in his latest fight against JZ Cavalcante. In that fight, he put away the Brazilian with punches and elbows in what can only be described as violent.
This will be a striker vs. striker match and should be good. Gaethje has more diversity and can match power, so he should be able to eventually wear on the questionable gas tank of Guillard.
Gaethje def. Guillard via TKO
Jessica Aguilar vs. Kalindra Faria
The top strawweight in the world and WSOF champ Jessica Aguilar looks to continue her dominant reign at the top, but she has a big challenge on her hands in the form of feared Brazilian Kalindra Faria.
Aguilar has been unblemished since losing to Zoila Gurgel back in 2010, proving to be one of the best in the world. She is a grappling-heavy fighter who dominates opponents, as seen in her WSOF title fights against Alida Gray and Emi Fujino.
She takes on Faria, a fighter who will be fighting for the first time outside her native land of Brazil. In her home country, she has become one of the finest female combatants, owning a well-rounded game and an 11-fight win streak since 2011.
On the feet, Faria stands the best chance, though her ground game is also solid. However, Aguilar’s wrestling and top-game advantages are hard to ignore, as Aguilar wins a close one on home soil.
Aguilar def. Faria via unanimous decision
Full Card Predictions
- Yushin Okami def. Dave Branch via decision
- Justin Gaethje def. Melvin Guillard via TKO
- Jessica Aguilar def. Kalindra Faria via decision
- Jorge Patino def. Eric Reynolds via submission
- Troy Gerhart def. Anderson Hutchinson via decision
- Reggie Pena def. Joe Johnson via TKO
- Ryan Keenan def. Jose Cortes via submission
- Frederico Moncaio def. Tony Way via submission
- Robert Reed def. Hector Ochoa via submission
- Josh Zuckerman def. Matt Frevola via decision
- Steven Esquivel def. Christian Reed via decision
- Javier Torres def. Maurice Salmon via submission
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