Darren Till – TKO Round 1 (A frustratingly difficult bout to call, more so for considering each fighters flaws rather than their skills. While it is too early to call, Brunson appears to have finally cracked the sweet spot between his striking and transitioning into his wrestling. Out-wrestling Kevin Holland isn’t too surprising, it was a stylistic nightmare for Holland, yet Brunson’s victory over Edmen Shahbazyan showcased his quality. Thriving at an uncomfortably short striking range, Brunson can land his powerful overhands and left high kick, while pursuing a takedown in the ensuing chaos. With a deep-ish gas tank, Brunson should be more than capable of beating Till on activity if he can escape the first round. Unfortunately for Brunson, he isn’t the most composed fighter during the opening sequences. Brunson’s aggression and high chin often result in him eating heavy shots early. While he was able to shrug off a clean head kick by Ian Heinisch in the first seven seconds of their fight, more heavier-handed foes have exploited this. Till has never shown one-shot knockout quality in the UFC, but he has also dropped Whittaker early and his powerful counter straight is primed to crack Brunson. I’m listening to my heart rather than my brain here, but I’m backing Till’s early distance control and speed differential to stop an ageing Brunson early)
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Tom Aspinall – TKO Round 2 (For such a highly regarded prospect, Tom Aspinall almost fell at his first real career hurdle last time out. When Arlovski proved unwilling to fold under the Brit’s physical prowess, Aspinall appeared to run out of options on the feet. Saved by his underrated wrestling (in regards to the division), Aspinall will have to return to his boxing against Spivak. Physically inferior, Spivak will struggle to take this fight to the mat early and will have to bank on his chin under early Aspinall pressure. With a far greater physical ceiling and a solid TDD, Aspinall should overwhelm Spivak without needing to burn the entire fuel reserves)
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Alex Morono – Decision (In an equal fight between two risk-takers, Morono should just barely be favoured based on his volume. Zawada is the bigger physical threat, and Morono is defensively open enough for the German to exploit. Morono, however, will have more opportunities to land on Zawada. Able to string together lengthy combinations, Zawada’s inability to form educated counters and tendency to move back on a straight line will leave him eating more shots than he can return)
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Modestas Bukauskas – Decision (Leg kicks will be a hugely important factor behind Rountree’s success on Saturday night. Bukauskas prefers to use his range with a long jab, leaving his extended lead leg primed to be chopped. As seen against Anders, Rountree can land leg kicks successfully whether they are set up or naked. Bukauskas improvements to pacing and distance control make him the safer bet than trying to guess what form of Rountree will appear)
Paddy Pimblett – Decision (A relatively stern test for Pimblett’s hotly-anticipated debut in the UFC. Of greatest concern will be Pimblett’s uninspired striking. Vendramini often wades forward into danger, but Pimblett doesn’t have any form of quality counter-striking to pose a threat. If he flies out in the opening round, in a similar manner to the final round against Fares Ziam, then he could spoil the Scouser’s party. More likely, Pimblett finds a takedown in the chaos of an early exchange and rides out a fairly one-sided decision on the mat)
Ji Yeon Kim – Decision (A bit of a stinker of a match-up. A patient counter-striker, Kim does very little to force opponents to engage. Her inactivity often leaves her falling to close cut decisions despite her educated counters. McCann will likely fall upon her wrestling, yet failed to utilise it against stronger grappler opponents such as Lara Procopio and Taila Santos. An uninteresting toss-up)
Jack Shore – Submission Round 3 (Now facing his third scheduled opponent, both Said Nurmagomedov and Zviad Lazishvili pulling out, Shore faces the most favourable match-up of the lot. Liudvik Sholinian is best known for his upset TUF victory over Bantamweight favourite, Mitch Raposo. Unfortunately for the Ukrainian, he is at a disadvantage on the feet, technically and athletically, and will have to rely on his ground game against a slicker operator)
Charles Jourdain – Decision (Charles Jourdain always brings the heat to the octagon. Setting a high pace throughout, Jourdain operates behind exotic kicks, flying knees and spinning attacks. Erosa needs to watch out for is the counter to the counter. Jourdain is wide open after attempting an explosive strike, yet the Canadian has a canny knack of responding immediately when tagged)
Marc-Andre Barriault – Decision (Lungiambula is a Middleweight who carries heavy hands, but his stout frame leaves him relying heavily on his grinding top control. His ceiling at 185 was evidenced by a back-and-forth war with Markus Perez. Barriault is well-rounded to a boring tee, yet by virtue of owning the better gas tank, he is best prepared to collect an ugly win deep into the fight)
Jonathan Martinez – TKO Round 2 (Forget the record, Marcelo Rojo is a pretty fun fighter to watch who brings the heat. Technical deficiencies are clear upon reviewing the Jourdain fight, however. While a volume heavy offence can paper over the cracks, his chin will struggle to hold up to Martinez power in a similar fashion. The perfect comeback test for Martinez who suffered a devastating knockout to Davey Grant)