Fight Night ~ Feb 26
- Thread starter mrpickem
- Start date
mrpickem
SDQL Badass Stat Boss
UFC Fight Vegas 49: Prelims
- Altamirano Decision ...A couple of DWCS split decision winners who thrive in a brawl. With almost guaranteed fireworks to kick off the night, Altamirano’s hellacious pace is being given the nod. Hernandez is the more disciplined grappler on the mat, but Altamirano should out-work Hernandez on the feet and get the nod on the cards.
- Brahimaj Sub ...A durable, conditioned brawler, Gillmore is going to struggle to survive the first round. Even with Brahimaj entering on late notice, this is a stylistic disaster for Gillmore. Brahimaj, an aggressive submission artist, will take heart from Gillmore folding with ease to Andre Petroski’s takedowns. Gillmore could drag Brahimaj into deeper waters if he keeps himself off the mat in the opening round, he is a seriously durable live-wire on the feet, but that doesn’t seem like a realistic possibility.
- Martinez Decision ...I feel like Perez will struggle to get inside the American’s 3″ reach advantage. Perez is the sharper boxer on the inside, yet as shown in his last outing against Johnny Eduardo, Perez has a frustrating tendency to linger on the edge of an opponent’s striking. Martinez’s kicks are lethal and opponents need to stay in Martinez’s face. Perez certainly has an edge on the mat, whether the Mexican opts to wrestle, however, is debatable.
- McKinney KO ...Tall, long, and a thoroughly disciplined kickboxer, Fares Ziam is up against the wall in this bout. His size advantage that he relied upon through the regionals will be negligible against Terrence McKinney. McKinney struggled with Sean Woodson’s reach back in his DWCS appearance, but Ziam lacks the explosiveness or creativity to replicate such a knockout. Also, McKinney’s wrestling prowess and exceptional back-taking are overlooked – T’Wrecks may well beeline for the mat and overwhelm the Frenchman.
- Nunes KO ...Even with such a fundamentally basic kit, Nunes could be a handful for anyone incapable or unwilling to shoot. While Ramona Pascual represents the more natural fit at Featherweight, this appears to be a stylistic nightmare for the late-notice debutant. Pascual’s striking defense is awfully flakey with her guard breaking under 2 or more incoming strikes. Nunes carries the sort of power that will punish such shortcomings.
Ignacio Bahamondes (12-4) vs Zhu Rong (18-4)
Lightweight (155)
- Bahmondes ...Roosevelt Roberts secured zero from 12 takedown attempts against Bahamondes. It is difficult to see Rong finding more success than the American. Even if Rong can take this to the mat, his preference for heavy ground and pound often sees opponents making their way back upright. Bahamondes’ insane length, powerful kicking game, and ridiculous pace most likely overwhelm the single-shot counters of Rong.
mrpickem
SDQL Badass Stat Boss
Main Card:
Priscila Cachoeira (10-4) vs Ji Yeon Kim (9-4-2)
Women’s Flyweight (125)
Women’s Flyweight (125)
- Kim Decision ...Zombie Girl is a cardio test for Women Flyweights at this point. The Brazilian carries heavy hands and owns a cracking chin, but the bluepoint to defeat is so clear at this point. Kim has never shown any offensive wrestling in the UFC, but even then, it has to be considered more potent than Cachoeira’s TDD. If this fight stays on the feet, Kim can hold a strong pace that the judges probably favor over the Brazilian’s telegraphed single right hands.
Arman Tsarukyan (17-2) vs Joel Alvarez (19-2)
Lightweight (155)
Lightweight (155)
- Tsarukyan Decision ...The real FOTN finds itself lingering awkwardly in the middle of the main card. Tsarukyan may be the favorite, but this is a far more equal match-up than most believe. Knees and elbows battered Thiago Moises into a R1 knockout, but it was Alvarez’s kicking game that broke Moises. Hard leg kicks prevented Moises from resting on the outside, while front kicks through the center punished Moises who failed to enter on an angle. Tsarukyan is a more potent threat on the inside than Moises, but the Armenian can similarly be criticized for lingering on the edge of striking distance. Of course, Tsarukyan’s wrestling and Alvarez’s defensive subs are a hugely interesting dynamic. Tsarukyan was wild in chasing takedowns against Davi Ramos – a similar performance could see Alvarez locking in yet another guillotine finish. More likely, Tsarukyan’s insane speed on the takedown takes the giant Spaniard to the mat. A particularly risk-averse top game will be necessary considering Alvarez’s threat off the back, but I envision a potential 10-8 round somewhere.
Gregory Rodrigues (11-3) vs Armen petrosyan (6-1)
Middleweight (185)
Middleweight (185)
- Rodrigues ITD early ...Petrosyan did little on his DWCS appearance to disprove the belief that his atrocious TDD will be the death of him. Rodrigues is a far more powerful wrestler than Kaloya Kolkev, and even with Petrosyan’s canny knack of finding his way back to his feet, the Brazilian is brutally efficient if he can work his way onto an opponent’s back. Does it matter that Petrosyan carries lights out the power? Rodrigues dug deep and banked on his chin against Park. If this exits the first round, Petrosyan could deliver a brutal knockout that punishes the tiring Brazilian and his low hands later down the line.
mrpickem
SDQL Badass Stat Boss
Co-Main Event
Misha Cirkunov (15-7) vs Wellington Turman (17-5)
Middleweight (185)
Misha Cirkunov (15-7) vs Wellington Turman (17-5)
Middleweight (185)
- Cirkunov Sub Round 1 ...The Latvian is a walking muscle at Middleweight and his debut against Krzysztof Jotko was always destined to be a stylistic stinker. With the extra physicality at 185lbs, Cirkunov has a realistic chance of controlling most MWs against the cage, especially the ridiculously limited skillset of Wellington Turman. After two devastating knockout losses to Andrew Sanchez and Bruno Silva, Turman is lucky to survive in the UFC, although his mental still appeared shot against Sam Alvey. Turman can handle himself on the mat against most MWs, unfortunately, Cirkunov is one of the few exceptions.
Andy
Pretty much a regular
yeah media was majority rodrigues. kim was almost unanimous. brutal
mrpickem
SDQL Badass Stat Boss
Main Event
Islam Makhachev (21-1) vs Bobby Green (29-12-1)
Catchweight (160)
Islam Makhachev (21-1) vs Bobby Green (29-12-1)
Catchweight (160)
- Makhachev Sub Round 1 or 2 ...If there were ever a fighter not to be fazed by an opponent’s skillset, nor a two-week turnaround from his last fight, it would be King Bobby. Unfortunately, all the mental fortitude in the world will be unable to bridge the grappling gap tonight. Makhachev has more than proven his ability on the ground. Thiago Moises looked amateur on the mat underneath the oppressive presence of Islam Makhachev. More worryingly, a sharpened striking defense will only further benefit his transition into takedowns. Green’s TDD is functional while his grappling has long been underrated. Rewatching a tiring Rafael Fiziev keep Green against the cage for short periods of time, however, raises huge red flags. While King Bobby could frustrate Makhachev on the feet, flustering the Dagestani with regular stance switches and short flurries off the back-foot, the odds feel far too stacked against the vet. A somewhat intriguing element is all that remains...having one of the best-proven chins in the business and a habit of pulling ahead in the third round, there is reason to believe that Green is a more natural five-round fighter. Whether Green can keep himself on the feet is a Herculian task, but there is a tiny flickering possibility that Green pushes a late pace that breaks Makhachev. Sadly, even I, a self-proclaimed fanboy, am struggling to believe it even at huge plus money odds.
skanless13
Fly, Eagles, Fly!
Kim should have won that fight 2 rnds to 1
skanless13
Fly, Eagles, Fly!
Truman’s translator is a beast
skanless13
Fly, Eagles, Fly!
Islam by Sub
mrpickem
SDQL Badass Stat Boss
Hope it's early :shake:
skanless13
Fly, Eagles, Fly!
Islam a PROBLEM
skanless13
Fly, Eagles, Fly!
It’s Khabib with better striking almost
mrpickem
SDQL Badass Stat Boss
Not quite just yet, but it may be eventually. Gaithge may be a test if he beats Charles
skanless13
Fly, Eagles, Fly!
Yep. I’d like to see a better test. Dariush would have been interesting. He’s not there yet, but he has all the tools
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