UFC Vegas 21 - Fight Previews and Predictions
- benwilley18
- Mar 13, 2021
- 8 min read
(Zuffa LLC.)
(USA Today Sports)
Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad are both looking to make a statement Saturday night. They both need a win, and for similar reasons. Lets start with Leon. Edwards is one of the best Welterweights in the world and currently sits at #3 in the Rankings. He is a world-class striker with long and explosive punches. He has UFC wins over Vicente Luque, Future UFC Hall of Fame “Cowboy” Cerrone, and Former UFC Lightweight Champ Rafeal Dos Anjos. The problem is Leon, and for Belal, is that people tend for forget about them when it comes to naming true Welterweight contenders. Leon’s case is based off inactivity. Because of a plethora of issues including testing positive for Covid, travel bans, and previous injuries, Edwards hasn’t fought since the RDA fight in July 2019. When he is active, he is a top 5 Welterweight in the world.
(Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC.)
Now for Belal. Belal enters this fight with a UFC record of 9-3. He took this fight on just 3 weeks notices after Edwards’ original opponent Khamzat Chimaev had to pull out of the fight with Covid. This short notice call is the biggest fight of Belal’s career, but it's not foreign to him. Muhammad has 4 UFC wins coming in short notice fights. This guy is truly down to fight whoever, whenever. Despite the stellar UFC record, Belal doesn’t hold a win over a big name in the sport. It is the only thing missing from his resume. He has said his goal is to put himself into title talks by the end of 2021. He has a chance to skip the line if he were to beat Leon.
(Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC.)
What a segway into a prediction! I love the short notice story, and hate to be a party pooper, but I really believe in Edwards is this fight. He is massive for the weight class and has some of the most underrated striking in the UFC. I think Belal will eventually climb into the top 10 of the division, but give me “Rocky” Edwards in his return fight.
Prediction: Edwards, Unanimous Decision
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Misha Cirkunov and Ryan Spann are both on a mission to prove their worth in the Light Heavyweight division. Cirkunov has been in the UFC a bit longer and has the more impressive resume. He is 6-3 in the octagon since his debut against Daniel Jolly in 2015. His high level grappling game has led him to 9 career submission wins, 6 coming in the UFC. Cirkunov has been hovering inside and around the top 10 of the division for a long time. He is now being trust into a gatekeeper role in this fight against Spann.
(USA Today Sports)
Spann has been disappointing since entering the UFC. Despite having a UFC record of 4-1, his last fight versus Sam Alvey most likely should’ve been a loss. Spann has looked like a killer in the cage, and has also look tentative at times. Many believe Cirkunov to be the biggest test of his career. The winner of this fight has a chance to break into the top 10. Cirkunov is just on the outside at #11, but has been inside the top 10 for much of the last 3-4 years. Spann has never risen that far due to his inconsistency and lack of UFC appearances. For a prediction, give me the Latvian. Cirkunov has great ground control and has held his own against the very top of the division. He also has good enough standup to not be a deer in the headlights on the feet against Spann.
Prediction: Cirkunov, Submission, Round 1
#9 Dan Ige vs Gavin Tucker
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Gavin Tucker is entering the biggest opportunity of his young UFC career by stepping in on short notice to fight Dan Ige. Ige is one of the most promising stars from Dana White’s Contender Series so far. He holds wins over Mirsad Bektic and Edson Barboza and just headlined his first Fight Night card in his last fight. Although it was a loss to Calvin Kattar, Ige showed incredible toughness and an ability to hang with the top 5 of the division.
Tucker is coming in to replace jiujitsu expert Ryan Hall. Gavin has looked impressive in his 5 UFC bouts. He is 4-1 and riding a 3 fight winning streak. He is coming off a dominating victory over hot prospect Billy Quarantillo. Tucker has 2 submission victories out of his 4 UFC wins and continues to grow as an all-around fighter. Many believe him to be a real prospect at 145.
(Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC.)
A short notice opportunity is usually a win-win. If you win, then you win. Duh. If you lose, you are putting yourself in the good graces of the UFC brass. I believe this is a step forward for Tucker, but I do believe he losses the fight. Ige has shown himself to be a very strong grappler with crisp hands. He evolves every time we see him and I believe he is a certified top 10 Featherweight. This should be an absolute banger of a fight!
Prediction: Ige, Unanimous Decision
Jonathan Martinez vs Davey Grant
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Jonathan Martinez and Davey Grant both need to show out on Saturday. Davey a bit more than Martinez. Grant is coming into this fight as the underdog with a UFC record of 3-3. Since finishing 2nd on the 18th Season of The Ultimate Fighter, Grant has not been able to consistently get wins in the promotion. He has won his last 2 fights, but he was dangerously close to being on a 4 fight losing streak. His last two wins were a Split Decision over Grigorii Popov and a late TKO over Martin Day in a fight he was certainly losing. He must find a way to show consistency moving forward.
(Christopher Lee/Getty Images)
Jonathan Martinez is kind of the opposite. Martinez is a botched Split Decision away from being on a 5 fight winning streak. He has shown incredible striking and patience on the feet. His ability to finish fights in unorthodox ways has caught the attention of the casual fan. He must show out on Saturday because he is not a big talker and is currently flying under the radar. He looks like one of the better Featherweight prospect, but not many people are talking about him. An impressive win over Grant would put him on a real 5 fight winning streak and could draw the attention of the top 15.
(Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC. via Getty Images)
If I’m being honest here, I think Martinez is a much better fighter. I think he has shown potential to be a real threat in the top 15, and Grant hasn’t been able to put it all together in his career. Give me Martinez and his oddly timid post-fight interviews.
Prediction: Martinez, Unanimous Decision
Matheus Nicolau vs Manel Kape
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Matheus Nicolau is back after a suspension due to a failed drug test and a 2 fight stint outside of the UFC. Nicolau was cut after testing positive and getting knocked out in the same fight. The positive test was definitely the catalyst here, as Nicolau was 3-1 in the UFC after the loss. He showed promise as a rising star in the Flyweight division, which is a weight class desperate for contenders. Since coming off Season 4 of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, Matheus has shown his stellar jiujitsu and grappling skills. He is all over his opponents like a wet blanket and suffocates their movements. His first fight back in the octagon was supposed to be against Tigir Ulanbekov, but Tigir had to pull out of the fight.
(Gary Vasquez/USA Today Sports)
Now Manel Kape has stepped in on short notice. What a fire card for short notice fights. Kape enters this fight as a bit of a derailed hype train. He was supposed to be the next big thing at Flyweight entering 2021. He was chosen as the back-up to a Flyweight Title Fight before his debut. Insane! Manel is a former Champion outside of the UFC. Unfortunately, his debut did not go as planned. He lost a Unanimous Decision to #5 ranked Alexandre Pantoja. Pantoja is no slouch and the excitement around Kape shows by matching him up in the top 5 immediately. He is now looking to get some respect on his name against Nicolau.
(Esther Lin/MMA Fighting)
This fight is closer than people think and harder to predict than I thought. One part of me says Kape is the better fighter overall, but Nicolau has looked better as of late. I’m going to slightly lean Kape here. I do think he is the better fighter in the grand scheme of things and this is the first time Nicolau is cutting down to 125 in 2 and a half years.
Prediction: Kape, TKO, Round 2
Eryk Anders vs Darren Stewart
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Eryk Anders and Darren Stewart are two of the more puzzling Middleweights on the roster. Lets begin with Anders. He started off his UFC career hot, winning his first 2 appearances after entering the octagon as the LFA Middleweight Champion. He was quickly given a Main Event against Future Hall of Famer Lyoto Machida in Brazil. Look this fight up if you want, but it’s quite strange. Both men were very tentative and Machida escaped with a controversial Split Decision. It was a fight that both men lost. Since the Machida fight, Anders has flip-flopped up and down from Middleweight to Light Heavyweight. It is strange he keeps changing weight classes so often, especially because he isn’t finding very much success in either one. He is 3-4 in his last 7 and needs to prove himself against Stewart.
(Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC.)
Darren Stewart has shown flashes of being a top 15 caliber fighter in the UFC. His UFC career started terribly. He went 0-3-1 through his first 4 and was a prime candidate to be released. Since then, he has turned it around, going 5-3 in his next 8. His 3 losses have all been by decision, 2 being Split. Furthermore, both of those Split Decision losses came against men currently ranked in the top 15. “The Dentist” is coming off a loss to surging contender Kevin Holland. It was a very close fight that many believe Stewart won. Holland is currently the #10 ranked Middleweight. If Stewart can find consistency and show his best self on Saturday, I think he wins the fight.
(@Darren_MMA)
Anders is the slightly bigger fighter, but Stewart also used to compete at 205. I think Eryk Anders is the prime example of an athletic football player competing in MMA. I’m not saying he's not a good fighter, but his athleticism is his main weapon. I think Stewart is much more well-rounded and get the W.
Prediction: Stewart, Unanimous Decision
Prelim Quickies:
#12 Angela Hill vs Ashley Yoder
This fight was supposed to happen 3 weeks ago, but a cornerman for Yoder got Covid. Its now rebooked as both women has tested negative multiple times and Yoder has distanced herself from that cornerman. To keep things short and sweet, I think Angela Hill is on another level than Yoder. Hill has been floating inside the top 10 and around the top 5 for since returning to the UFC in 2016. She is coming off two straight Split Decision losses that both could’ve been wins. Yoder is 1-2 in her last 3 and 0-3 in the UFC against ranked opponents.
Prediction: Hill, Unanimous Decision
Rani Yahya vs Ray Rodriguez
Jiujitsu ace Rani Yahya has stepped in to fight Ray Rodriguez after Ray’s original opponent was arrested. For first-degree murder. Yep, you read that right. Rodriguez was supposed to fight Irwin Rivera before Rivera murdered people. Anyways, Rani Yahya is a veteran who is still super slick on the ground. I think he uses his mat skills to get it done. Crazy story right??
Prediction: Yahya, Submission, Round 1
Hoops & Hooks 2021 Predictions: 23-10 (<---- That's Fire)
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