This coming Saturday, one of the most stacked Fight Night events of the year takes place, as the UFC returns to Abu Dhabi for the first time since last October, with a budding star in the main event.
Umar Nurmagomedov takes on his toughest test to date by way of Cory Sandhagen, pitting the two most well-rounded bantamweights together to find out who is the next challenger for the title.
The co-main event sees another star in the making as Shara ‘Bullet’ Magomedov takes on the extremely durable Pole, Michal Oleksiejczuk in an attempt to preserve his unblemished record and rise up the middleweight rankings.
Let’s get straight into our main card predictions as an utterly tantalizing card awaits.
Charles Oliveira’s teammate opens up the main card in guaranteed banger
Opening up the main card is an incredible lightweight matchup between Elves Brener and Joel Alvarez.
‘El Fenomeno’ bounced back from his loss to Arman Tsarukyan with a win over Marc Diakiese last July, causing an upset in London. Since joining the promotion in 2019, the Spaniard has faced some of the toughest names in the division, making him an extremely tough test himself.
The Brazilian Brener, on the other hand, lost his last fight in Brazil, but it came against one of the dark horses of the division, Myktybek Orolbai.
Prior to that, the Chute Box product pulled off an upset win against Guram Kutateladze and then followed it up with a win over Kaynan Kruschewsky.
Brener is the better striker in this matchup, and is extremely durable, as he showed against Kutateladze. Alvarez, though, is a phenomenal grappler, and that’s where he could pose a problem in this matchup.
The Brazilian has the power and awkwardness to land a crushing blow in this fight, and I believe he will do so.
Prediction: Elves Brener via KO
Mackenzie Dern looking to return to the win column against Loopy Godinez
Mackenzie Dern still has big goals to become UFC double champion, and if she is to realize her dream, she needs to return to the win column this Saturday with a big win over Loopy Godinez.
Seemingly, Dern had made stark improvements when it came to her wrestling entries and top game, and she showcased that in her spectacular win over Angela Hill. But then the two losses to Jessica Andrade and Amanda Lemos that followed put her back to square one.
Loopy Godinez is also looking to return to the win column as she suffered a loss against Virna Jandiroba last time out. Although the Mexican isn’t in the top 15 of the rankings, she has the chance to crack the top 10 with a win over Dern.
Ultimately, Dern’s striking has always let her down, and she is at a disadvantage in this fight when it comes to that, I don’t see her being able to get Godinez down to the ground enough to edge this fight.
Prediction: Mackenzie Dern via decision
- POTENTIAL FIGHT: Shara ‘Bullet’ Magomedov reveals how a potential fight against fellow undefeated star Khamzat Chimaev would go
Tony Ferguson to turn back the clock against Michael Chiesa
With it being Tony Ferguson fight week, it only means one thing, the MMA world has come together to pray he picks up a win.
‘El Cucuy’ is currently on a seven-fight losing streak which is seemingly unheard of in the UFC. This Saturday, though, he is actually fighting in a relatively well-put-together matchup.
Michael Chiesa hasn’t been very active over the past few years and is on a three-fight losing skid of his own.
Admittedly, I am concerned that Ferguson has returned to old training habits and has begun sparring again in the lead-up to this fight, however, nothing can be worse than having David Goggins in your corner for a professional MMA fight.
Chiesa’s bread and butter is his wrestling, but as he isn’t able to do it very effectively anymore, he will likely have to stand with the 40-year-old. If he does, Ferguson will likely have a few moments of success, as he has against his previous seven opponents.
There is a chance that Ferguson somehow wraps up a submission during this fight, especially if ‘Maverick’ gets hellbent on securing a takedown. He has to return to the win column at some point, doesn’t he?
Prediction: Tony Ferguson via submission
A bantamweight banger between Marlon Vera and Deiveson Figueiredo awaits
This fight is more than good enough to headline a card of its own, and it’s not even the co-main event of UFC Abu Dhabi.
Since moving up to 135lbs, Deiveson Figueiredo has looked a good fit at the top of the division, and with a win over Marlon Vera this Saturday, he could put himself in the title picture.
‘Chito’ is looking to bounce back from his title fight loss against Sean O’Malley this past March, and will want to do so in impressive fashion.
Vera will hold a big size advantage in this fight, and if he fights smart, he can likely come out of this fight relatively unscathed, despite Figgy’s speed advantage.
Despite the wrestling ‘Deus Da Guerra’ showed in his matchup against Rob Font, I don’t envision him implementing that much this weekend.
Prediction: Marlon Vera via decision
Shara ‘Bullet’ Magomedov to continue his unbeaten streak
Shara ‘Bullet’ Magomedov is one of the UFC’s brightest prospects at 13-0, and this weekend, he looks to continue his winning ways with an impressive performance over Michal Oleksiejcuk.
Only two fights into his UFC tenure, Oleksiejcuk is probably a good enough step up for the 30-year-old Russian, despite UFC fans wanting to see him fight against ranked opponents.
With a win on Saturday, Magomedov is hoping for a fight against Michel Pereira, who sits just outside of the rankings himself.
I expect Magomedov to pass this test with flying colors, despite Oleksiejcuk’s durability and tendency to make a fight difficult.
Prediction: Shara Magomedov via KO
Cory Sandhagen to hand Umar Nurmagomedov his first career loss
Umar Nurmagomedov competes in his first UFC main event, taking on the ever-impressive, Cory Sandhagen.
This is a huge step up for the undefeated Russian whose last bout was against promotional newcomer, Bezkat Almakhan. The 28-year-old has fought no one anywhere near the caliber of the ‘Sandman’, and Sandhagen has showcased his well-roundedness over his past few fights especially.
His movement on the feet will likely be able to cause Nurmagomedov some struggles when it comes to trying to time his wrestling entries, and in the striking exchanges, he holds a clear advantage.
The question in this matchup is whether the Russian will be able to implement his dominant Dagestani wrestling, or if Sandhagen will be able to stuff that and control the pace of the fight with his own skills.
I’m going with the latter. Why go against something you’ve seen done successfully so often against good opponents? I don’t doubt Nurmagomedov’s skill or potential, but I just simply haven’t seen it in effect against someone of the ilk of Cory Sandhagen.
Prediction: Cory Sandhagen via decision
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