UFC Fight Previews and Predictions - UFC Vegas 20

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Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs Ciryl Gane

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The UFC’s 3rd Heavyweight Main Event in 4 weeks is closing out a reform of the division and it’s elite status. We’ve already seen Derrick Lewis and Alexander Volkov take advantage and put themselves at the top of the heap. Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Ciryl Gane have a chance to contend with those them if they are able to pull out a victory this Saturday night. Both men are seen as part of the future of the Heavyweight division. Rozenstruik is 5-1 in the UFC with knockouts of UFC Hall of Famers Alistair Overeem, Andrei Arlovski, and Junior Dos Santos. He is 11-1 overall in MMA and holds over 70 professional kickboxing wins. His only stumble came against the scariest man alive Francis Ngannou. Gane is currently looked at by many as the dark horse of the division and the brightest prospect on the rise. He is undefeated in MMA with a record of 7-0. He is also a decorated striker, but holds two UFC wins by submission as well. Gane TKO’d Junior Dos Santos with an incredible elbow from the clinch in round 2 in his last fight. Rozenstruik will be his toughest test to date after steamrolling through his first 4 opponents. I see this bout primarily playing out on the feet. Jairzinho will be looking to land the KO punch and Gane will use his length and movement to keep away from Rozenstruik. I believe Gane to be a future title contender and will take him to get it done. Jairzinho had trouble with Overeem’s evasive style and Gane is much quicker and more powerful. I think Gane will put his name amongst the elite this weekend.

Prediction: Gane, TKO, Round 3

Nikita Krylov vs Magomed Ankalaev

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Nikita Krylov is back in the UFC after a trip around the free agency market for a few fights. Since coming back, he is 2-2 against the best in the world. He has only lost to the champion and number one contender, but in doing so cemented himself back into where he was before his departure. Gatekeeper status. Magomed Ankalaev is the most slept on prospect in the UFC. I believe him to be a real threat for the title at 205, as he has looked sensational since joining the UFC. He is 14-1 in MMA and 5-1 in the UFC. His only lost came at the literal last second against Paul Craig in a fight he was winning up to that point. He’s gone 5-0 since with 4 knockouts. His front kick knockout of Dalcha Lungiambula was something for the highlight reels. A win over Nikita would be his biggest to date and would force him into a top 5ish opponent. I think Magomed has the tools to get it done. Krylov has historically struggled with the highest level of competition and I hold Ankalaev to that standard.

Prediction: Ankalaev, Unanimous Decision

Montana De La Rosa vs Mayra Bueno Silva

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De La Rosa and Silva both have a chance to put some respect on their name in the Strawweight division. De La Rosa is the veteran of the matchup. Saturday will mark her 7th UFC fight, going 4-2 in her previous six. Silva is newer to the promotion, but has all the talent to replace her lack of experience. Mayra is 2-1 since securing a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series. She has shown high level jiu jitsu in her two wins, submitting Gillian Robertson and Mara Borella by armbar in the first round. De La Rosa will be her toughest matchup to date, but I think she can hang. Silva has shown an ability to be able to finish the fight and she seems poised for a run in the division.

Prediction: Silva, Submission, Round 2

Pedro Munhoz vs Jimmie Rivera 2

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Pedro Muhhoz and Jimmie Rivera are running back a fight from early in their careers. Munhoz and Rivera initially squared off at UFC Fight Night 77 in November, 2015. An absolutely juiced Vitor Belfort KO’d Dan Henderson in the Main Event by the way. After a back and forth fight, Rivera was awarded the split decision win by the judges. Many believed this to be the right call and every media member in attendance also scored the fight for Jimmie. Since their clash, each man has reached the top of the division, but faltered against the best of the best. Munhoz has gone 8-5-1 in the UFC with wins over Cody Garbrandt and Rob Font. He brings a “meet in the middle” type style to the cage and has provided fans with great fights throughout his run. Rivera has managed a 7-3 record in his 10 appearances and has gotten a bit closer to the belt than Munhoz. Rivera’s first lost ever in the UFC came in a number one contender fight opposite Marlon Moraes. After bouncing back against former Flyweight Title contender John Dodson, Rivera dropped two straight to Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan. Those two men are fighting for Yan’s Batamweight Championship next week, so those losses are nothing to be ashamed of. Now both men are looking to get back into the top 5 of the division. They are currently sitting at 8 and 9 in the rankings with Munhoz a step ahead. The top 7 of the Bantamweight division now has multiple marketable names and big fights. And this isn’t even counting T.J. Dillashaw, Chito Vera, or Sean O’Malley. A win for either gentleman would get them back into serious title contention. I think it will be a close scrap like the first, but I believe Munhoz has grown more as a fighter and can get it done this time. Also just hoping for a third fight!

Prediction: Munhoz, Unanimous Decision

Alex Caceres vs Kevin Croom

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Alex Caceres vs Kevin Croom is a sleeper for Fight of the Night. Caceres is a fan favorite UFC veteran and a former Ultimate Fighter cast member. While “Bruce Leeroy” didn’t win Season 12, he has still managed to carve out a respectable career at the highest level. Caceres will be entering the octagon for the 24th time on Saturday night. He is 12-10-1 in the promotion so far. His inconsistency at the highest level has kept him from ever being among the elite of the division, but he has shown he is far from washed. He destroyed highly touted prospect Chase “The Dream” Hooper and submitted Austin Springer in his last fight. Kinda off topic, and I like Chase, but Chase The Dream might be the corniest UFC nickname of all time. Anyways, Alex is now on a 3-fight winning streak and looking for another decent name in the division. Kevin Croom is a long time veteran of the MMA game, but is only working on his 2nd UFC appearance this weekend. Croom got his shot in the big show by taking a short notice fight against a very tough Roosevelt Roberts. Croom was a 2-1 underdog in the fight, but proved odds makers wrong quickly. Kevin submitted Roberts with a standing guillotine choke in just 31 seconds. Croom’s officially UFC record is actually 0-0-1 because the fight was overturned following a failed drug test. Basically Croom smoked that loud before the fight and they took his W away. Which is BS and they don’t even test for the sticky green anymore. So who cares? He’s 1-0 in my book and a win over Caceres could fast track a run in the division. I expect this fight to be fast paced, but Alex’s precision should beat out Croom’s wild power approach. Caceres is also well versed enough on the ground to not fall into something stupid.

Prediction: Caceres, Submission, Round 3

Prelim Quickies:

Angela Hill vs Ashley Yoder 2

(Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC.)

Angela Hill is awesome! She is wildly underrated in the Stawweight division and truly one of the best in the world. Her 12-9 record may be deceiving, but much like Mark Hunt in the past, she has been fighting the best in the world literally her whole career. She was featured on the 20th Season of The Ultimate Fighter and has fought 3 former Strawweight Champions. The second half of her career has seen her win Invicta gold before coming back to the UFC and cementing herself into the top 10 of the division. She is also the first black woman to fight in the UFC and the first to headline a card. Ashley Yoder has struggled with the top of the UFC’s Strawweight division. She is 3-5 in the UFC and filling in for Tecia Torres on short notice. She is attempting to get back her loss to Angela Hill from 2017. While I do commend Yoder for stepping up, I think Hill was too much for her then and will be too much for her now. That quickie wasn’t so quick man!

Prediction: Hill, Unanimous Decision

Alexander Hernandez vs Thiago Moises

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Alexander Hernandez was given a massive push to start his UFC run. Hernandez was 8-1 heading into his debut, a short notice fight with top 10 Lightweight Beniel Dariush. Hernandez was almost surely going to get another shot after this fight just for stepping in against someone elite, but he wanted to bring it. And he definitely brought it! Alex knocked out Beniel in the very first round. It was his biggest win ever by far. After picking up another win, he was given Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone for his chance at the elite. Let’s just say Hernandez will live on as the star of many “When Trash Talking Goes Wrong” videos. He did his best job to sell the fight and went at Cowboy hard, calling him old and slow. Cowboy didn’t give two shits and finished Alex with a head kick in the second round. Since stumbling to Cowboy, he has gone 2-1 with wins over Francisco Trinaldo and Chris Greatzemacher. Thiago Moises is a talented grappler who has been impressive throughout his run as well. Since earning a shot on the Contender Series, Moises is 3-2 in the octagon with wins over Bobby Green and Michael Johnson. Each man is looking to take one step closer to the top 15 with this fight and its for sure a solid matchup. If Moises can get it to the ground, he can submit anyone. But I’ll swerve, Hernandez has looked very sharp lately.

Prediction: Hernandez, TKO, Round 1

Hoops & Hooks Predictions 2021: 13-8