UFC Vegas 25 - Fight Previews and Predictions
- benwilley18
- May 1, 2021
- 6 min read
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Light Heavyweight has been a revolving door of disappointing contenders since Jon Jones put his stamp on the division almost a decade ago. But now that Jon has moved on, 205 is as wide open as its ever been. Jan Blachowicz and his Polish Power have begun to rule the division, but many young studs are coming for his place at the top. Dominick Reyes and Jiri Prochazka have a chance to catapult themselves into the Title Picture Saturday Night. For Reyes, contender status has begun to feel familiar. Dom rose through the rankings with an impressive 6-fight winning streak that brought him all the way to a shot against Jones. Reyes starched Top Contenders like Jared Cannonier, Ovince St. Preux, and Volkan Oezdemir on his way to the Main Event of UFC 247. Sadly for Reyes, his momentum stopped there. His fight with Jones was an All-Time classic that many thought Reyes won. However, the judges disagreed. Reyes followed that up with a disappointing performance for the Vacant Title against Blachowicz. Prochazka is still riding the momentum wave that brought him to the UFC. Jiri has only one fight in the UFC so far, but may be one win away from the belt. He is one of the most highly regarded prospects in the sport, and for good reason. Jiri is 27-3-1 with over 20 KOs professionally. He was given Top 5 Contender Volkan Oezdemir in his debut and absolutely destroyed him with a bomb of a right hand. Now Reyes and Prochazka have a chance to earn the number one contender spot. Reyes is hoping the 3rd time is a charm for Title fights, and Prochazka is hoping his self belief is correct. Jiri thinks he’s the best in the world right now at 205, and honestly, it's not hard to believe. He has some of the best and most vicious striking I’ve ever seen in the division. He is lightning quick on the feet and moves like a Featherweight. I’m very high on him and wouldn’t be surprised to see him holding UFC gold by the end of the year.
Prediction: Prochazka, TKO, Round 1
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This Co-Main Event slot is massive for rising contender Giga Chikadze. Chikadze is 5-0 in the UFC since making his debut in September, 2019, but has failed to make a massive impression on the masses. Chikadze has shown himself to be a measured and accurate striker, but has lacked a finishing instinct. Cub Swanson is a UFC veteran who is guaranteed to bring a dogfight to Giga. Cub has been involved in a UFC Featherweight Record 6 Fight of the Nights. He is a ruthless, pressure striker with bombs attached to each wrist. He will undoubtedly walk forward and try to take Giga’s head off. Chikadze earned himself a number next to his name in his last fight by finally finishing an opponent. He earned a headkick KO over Jamey Simmons in late 2020. Cub has bounced back from a 4 fight losing streak by dispatching 2 young contenders. Now, he has a chance to make it three in a row. This fight will be determined by Giga’s ability to manage range. If Chikadze can use his reach advantage to keep Cub on the outside, it could be another striking clinic and Unanimous Decision. If Cub can get inside, his bombs will land. Its close, and I love Cub, but I’m going with the young buck.
Prediction: Chikadze, Unanimous Decision
Ion Cutelaba vs Dustin Jacoby
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Dustin Jacoby has a chance to shut up Ion Cutelaba Saturday night. Ion is a super duper intense dude. And not really in a cool way. More of a “calm the hell down” kinda way. Jacoby is stepping in on 2 weeks notice to try and secure the biggest win of his career. The former Middleweight is 2-0 since moving to 205 and securing a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series. He has looked like a more powerful and developed fighter since moving up in weight and returning to the UFC. Cutelaba has been a fringe Top 15 Contender his whole career. It’s hard to already call him a gatekeeper of the Top 15 because he is so young, but that’s exactly what he is. He struggles with the elite and beats up the mid-card. This fight was almost in jeopardy just yesterday because Cutelaba is insane and way too hype all the time. At the Weigh-In Staredowns, Cutelaba grabbed onto Jacoby’s neck. This is only 2 weeks after we saw a fight get cancelled because Drakkar Klose was injured after being pushed at the weigh-ins. So, do I think Jacoby is elite at 205? No. But do I think he’ll beat Cutelaba? Yes. Ion has been extremely inconsistent and I like how Jacoby has looked since the move up in weight. Also Jacoby is pissed now.
Prediction: Jacoby, TKO, Round 2
#15 Sean Strickland vs Krzysztof Jotko
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The Battle for the last Middleweight Ranking spot is on the line Saturday night. Sounds intense right? Not really. But I shouldn’t downplay this fight. It should be a decent scrap between two of the more underrated Middleweights in the division. Sean Strickland is a former Welterweight who looks invigorated at 185. He was good at 170, going 5-3 in the division, but a return to Middleweight has allowed him to become a real Top 10 threat. Sean fought at 185 before entering the UFC and in his first two UFC bouts. He is undefeated at 185 throughout his career, going 4-0. Krzysztof Jotko has fallen into a gatekeeper role for the back half of Middleweight. He made a run of his own when he first entered the UFC in 2013, winning 6 of his first 7 UFC fights and making it all the way to #9 in the Rankings. But Jotko has struggled with elite veterans inside the Top 10. His only UFC losses have come to Top 10 contenders. The problem isn't really losing, it's that he looks outclassed in these high profile fights. He has bounced back with 3 straight wins and is looking to overtake the rise of Strickland. Will he? My guess is no. Sean has looked fantastic at 185. His lanky striking ability and defensive grappling has allowed him to pick opponents apart on the feet. He looks like a much more elite fighter at 185 than he did at 170. And like I said, Jotko struggles with the elite. The battle for #15 is on! And we’re all kinda hyped!
Prediction: Strickland, Unanimous Decision
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Merab Dvalishvili vs Cody Stamann will determine the better young prospect of the Bantamweight division. Both men have shown flashes of brilliance inside the octagon. Lets start with my boy Merab. Subjectively, I love Merab. He’s a happy go lucky type of guy that also smashes peoples faces in. Since losing a controversial Split Decision in his debut, Merab is 5-1 in the division. He begun climbing the ladder by smothering people with elite wrestling. His improved striking has allowed easier entries for takedowns and clinch positions. But he will be tasked with taking down a brick house named Cody Stamann. Stamann has spent most of his UFC run bouncing back and forth from Bantamweight to Featherweight. Switching weight classes like that has kept Cody from building real momentum in either one, but he actually has had success in both divisions. He is 2-1 at 145 and 3-1-1 at 135. This fight will be at 135, and I believe that is Cody’s better weight class. At Bantamweight, he has the ability to hold off smaller wrestlers. The power in his hands also translates much better at 135. He has shared the ring with Top Contenders like Bryan “4-Wheeler Stealer” Caraway, Song Yadong, and Current Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling. Merab is going to look to control Cody, and Stamann is looking to uncork bombs and stay on his feet. Which style will win? I’m leaning Merab. He has looked great in his last 5 fights and has shown unmatched control for the division. He looks like a brute force that is going to be incredibly hard to stop.
Prediction: Dvalishvili, Unanimous Decision
Hoops & Hooks 2021 Predictions: 47-24
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