3/1.44 LAUREANO STAROPOLI -209 ...Staropoli should break his three-fight slide today. Despite an impressive 80″ reach, Pickett often opts to suffocate dangerous situations by wrapping up opponents on the inside and catching his breath. Even with a wrestling advantage, Pickett hasn’t shown the ability to pursue his preferred fight with success. The Argentinian’s volume and creative combinations should catch the judges eyes on the night and overcome the 10″ reach disadvantage.
4/1.53 TABATHA RICCI -262 ...Ricci just needs the right match-ups to truly shine. Enter, Oliveira. The superior striker and greater physical specimen, her equally paper-thin record plasters over a total inability to make use of her striking advantage. An ugly fight that will likely see Oliveira allowing Ricci to close the distance, from which Oliveira will likely be taken down and submitted.
3/1.71 MASON JONES KO,TKO,DQ,SUB -175 ...Onoma isn’t an easy knock-over can that often form most short-notice replacements. The powerful finisher fits the heavy-handed prospect stereotype that has regularly succeeded in securing early knockouts to create a name for themselves. Unfortunately, Jones’ remains the vastly superior fighter. A granite chin, excellent extended striking exchanges, a furious pace and naturally larger frame will drag Onoma into torrid, unproven waters.
Villanueva’s dirty boxing in the clinch, an area that Negumereanu will happily walk head-first into, will cause serious damage. Against an opponent unable to move on the back-foot as sharply as Prachnio, Villanueva will also be able to unload his combinations without much thought. The Romanian owns a couple of decent throws, but his limited top game is unlikely to change the outcome much.
2/2.50 TRINALDO VS GRANT FIGHT ENDS BY KO/TKO +125
Hard to see this fight anything other than an awfully dull staring contest that ends in a brutal knockout and allows us to forget the slothful action prior. Both men use their jab to manage distance and make reads. Trinaldo’s chin was somewhat exposed by Jai Herbert, yet the Brazilian showed uncanny recovery time to find a late finish. Grant’s same short 2-3 shot combinations prolly won’t be enough to out-fox Trinaldo, with the Brazilian’s experience likely too much.
1.56/2 JOSELYNE EDWARDS +128 ...Edwards is the classier technician on the feet and will be benefitting from a far larger frame, but at times she also fails to fight to a winning game plan.
3/3.00 GRANT DAWSON DEC/TECH DEC +100 ...Dawson Decision:Glenn lacks the power to stop Dawson from walking him down and controlling him on the mat. Glenn’s rigid upper body and cripplingly slow footwork will see him cracked fairly often with Dawson’s fast overhand. Even if Dawson’s initial punches miss, Glenn throws full-blooded counters – rooting his feet in the process and leaving himself open for the takedown. This should prove a stylistic nightmare match-up for Glenn, but his granite chin and deep gas tank could spring a few issues late in the fight.
6/3.35 MARVIN VETTORI -179 ...Not really sure what version of Costa will return to the octagon after his title fight spanking, but the change of weight class beforehand has raised red flags. Injuries, mental troubles or gamesmanship have all been considered – but it is anyone’s guess until the fight tonight. The extra weight could well benefit Costa’s natural bruiser style, banking on his nuclear power to walk opponents down and drag them into a fire-fight in the pocket. Vettori’s defense on the back-foot is surprisingly sharp, even Adesanya struggled to land cleanly during the opening rounds of their rematch. Unfortunately for the Italian, his defense begins to unravel after the initial exchanges as a result of backward movement on a straight line. Costa can land cleanly on Vettori if he maintains educated pressure rather than banking on single power shots. While Vettori’s wrestling and grueling pace remain the most likely route of victory, Costa’s underrated grappling could keep the fight standing during the opening sequences. If Vettori consistently pops out his leg kick while he waits for Costa to tire, he can limit the explosiveness of the Brazilian’s bursts similarly to Adesanya/Costa. With Costa’s durability and form questionable after his heavy TKO defeat, Vettori’s pace and consistency on the mat have to be backed.
