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1. UFC 251 ‘Prelims’ Preview - Pt. Stumberg 7/8/2020 January has been the deadliest month for Covid-19 with nearly 80,000 lives lost so far in the US.
2. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is bringing more “Prelims” fights to ESPN and ESPN+ this weekend (Sat., March 6, 2021) when UFC 259: “Blachowicz vs. Adesanya” returns to UFC APEX in.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is bringing more “Prelims” fights to ESPN+ this weekend (Sat., Nov. 28, 2020) when UFC Vegas 15: “Blaydes vs. Lewis” returns to UFC APEX in Las Vegas. 2 days ago  UFC 259 predictions. The stacked lineup also features two-time UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz. The early prelims begin with a six fights on ESPN+ and ESPN2 at 5:15.

“Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, hosts a trio of title fights this Saturday (July 11, 2020), headlined by a late-notice grudge match between powerhouse Welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman, and the inimitable Jorge Masvidal. Meanwhile, 25 pounds south, Featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski, squares off against Max Holloway in an immediate rematch. Just before that, Bantamweight finishers Petr Yan and Jose Aldo throw down for Henry Cejudo’s former 135-pound belt.

ESPN will host UFC 251’s top four “Prelims” undercard bouts this time around (check out the first batch here), and there are some doozies among them. Let’s get to it:

205 lbs.: Volkan Oezdemir vs. Jiri Prochazka

The unsuccessful title bid for Volkan Oezdemir (17-4) against Daniel Cormier kicked off a three-fight skid that saw him tap to an Anthony Smith rear-naked choke and drop a razor-thin decision to Dominick Reyes. “No Time” has since gotten back on track, knocking out Ilir Latifi and handing hot prospect Aleksandar Rakic the first loss of his Octagon career.

He stands two inches shorter than his foe at 6’2.”

The Czech Republic’s Jiri Prochazka (26-3-1) made his name in Rizin, where he’s amassed an 11-1 record in brutal fashion. He avenged a knockout loss to “King Mo” Lawal to win the promotion’s Light Heavyweight title in 2019, then flattened Fabio Maldonado and CB Dollaway in under two minutes apiece.

Twenty-three of his professional wins, including his last eight and 16 of his last 17, have come by form of knockout.

In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll admit that I’ve been a fan of Jiri’s since 2015 and was positively giddy when I heard he’d been signed. I’ll also admit that I’ve got a bad habit of underestimating Oezdemir. With all that on the table, here’s why Prochazka will win.

If Oezdemir has a standout weakness, it’s an occasional tendency to fade down the stretch, which is a bad problem to have against a man who boasts one of the deepest gas tanks in Light Heavyweight history. Prochazka pushes a pace higher than Oezdemir is comfortable with and has enough power, speed, and variety to hold his own in striking exchanges with a fresh “No Time.” Though “Denisa” has shown some vulnerability to low kicks in the past, I favor his avalanche of offense to wear Oezdemir down and secure a late finish.

Prediction: Prochazka via second-round technical knockout

Ufc 231 Prelims Predictions 2018

170 lbs.: Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Muslim Salikhov

Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (22-6) put his narrow UFC debut loss to Nicolas Dalby behind him, embarking on a path of destruction through the Welterweight ranks, winning seven straight and earning three “Fight of the Night” bonuses in the process. A stoppage loss to Li Jingliang halted his rise last August, though he claimed a decision against Alexey Kunchenko this past March.

“Capoeira” will have three inches of reach on “The King of Kung Fu.”

Despite considerable hype and spinning kick knockouts of two UFC veterans under his belt, Muslim Salikhov’s (16-2) Octagon debut went sideways courtesy of an Alex Garcia rear-naked choke. Salikhov got back on track with knockouts of Ricky Rainey and Nordine Taleb, plus a wide decision over the surging Laureano Staropoli in Oct. 2019.

He has knocked out 11 professional opponents and submitted another three.

Zaleski’s recent fights with Li and Kunchenko — the latter of whom I thought he was quite fortunate to get the judges’ nod against — seemed to show the limits of his frantic onslaught against composed strikers. Unfortunately for the Brazilian, Salikhov more than fits that bill. Not only is Salikhov the superior technical kickboxer, he’s even got the edge in the spinning attacks Zaleski so enjoys.

Zaleski’s takedowns could throw a wrench in things, as they did against Kunchenko, but Salikhov’s shown some solid wrestling chops himself recently, taking Staropoli down three times. Salikhov keeps it standing, where he eventually capitalizes on Zaleski’s subpar boxing for a brutal finish.

Prediction: Salikhov via second-round technical knockout

145 lbs.: Makwan Amirkhani vs. Danny Henry

Makwan Amirkhani (15-4) kicked off his Octagon career with two wins in a combined 1:49, ultimately coming out victorious in five of his first six appearances. “Mr. Finland” enjoyed a strong start against Shane Burgos in Nov. 2019, but ultimately succumbed to his foe’s power in the final minute of the third round.

Eight of his 10 professional submissions have come via choke.

Danny Henry (12-3) survived an early onslaught to upset Daniel Teymur in his Octagon debut, then scored an even larger upset by choking out Hakeem Dawodu in just 39 seconds his next time out. He couldn’t make it 3-0 against Dan Ige, whose immediate blitz netted the Hawaiian a 67-second tapout victory.

This will be his first fight in nearly 16 months.

Now this is a two-true-outcome fight if I’ve ever seen one. Henry’s fights with Teymur and Ige showed that he’s vulnerable to early aggression, which Amirkhani’s wrestling attack offers in spades. On the flip side, that Teymur fight proved that Henry can quickly become a nightmare to deal with if that initial onslaught fails to take him out, and watching a gassed Amirkhani get pummeled by Burgos should give “The Hatchet” confidence.

Henry has to survive to make that comeback happen, though, and Amirkhani’s got the submission skills to keep him from doing so. Amirkhani drags him to the mat and chokes him out before he can get his snowball going.

Prediction: Amirkhani via first-round submission

155 lbs.: Leonardo Santos vs. Roman Bogatov

Leonardo Santos (17-3-1) — who turned 40 this past February — has yet to taste defeat inside the Octagon. He’s won five straight since drawing with Norman Parke, earning post-fight bonuses for his knockouts of Kevin Lee and Stevie Ray.

He fights for the first time since June 2019 and for just the second time since 2016.

When M-1 lightweight champion Damir Ismagulov joined UFC in 2010, Roman Bogatov (10-0) faced Rubenilton Pereira for the now-vacant belt, claiming it via grueling five-round decision. He successfully defended it with a submission of Michel Silva and an injury stoppage of UFC veteran Mickael Lebout last August.

He has earned five professional wins by submission.

On the one hand, Santos is 40 years old and painfully inactive. On the other, Bogatov looks tailor-made for him. The Russian relies extensively on his wrestling and smothering top control, which is a mighty dangerous game to play against someone with Santos’ Brazilian jiu-jitsu pedigree. The stand up doesn’t look much safer for him, either — Bogatov is generally easy to hit and Santos has seemingly developed some stunning power lately.

Bogatov will have to bank on Santos’ age and rust catching up to him, which isn’t the worst plan in the world considering how exhausting the former’s takedown attack can be to deal with. Still, the likeliest outcome sees Santos either club-and-sub Bogatov or snatch up his neck on an ill-timed shot.

Prediction: Santos via first-round submission

I don’t think I need a pithy closing statement to sell you on this card — just don’t miss it. See you Saturday, Maniacs.

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 251 fight card this weekend, starting with the ESPN+/Fight Pass “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPN+/ESPN at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 251: “Usman vs. Masvidal” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

Current UFC “Prelims” Prediction Record for 2020: 43-46-1

Ultimate Fighting Championsh caps off a roller coaster year with some quality violence, as elite Welterweight strikers Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson and Geoff Neal headline the promotion’s final event of the year this Saturday (Dec. 19, 2020). Down at Bantamweight, Jose Aldo attempts to rebound from his destructive loss to Petr Yan against Marlon Vera, while Welterweight slugger “Khaos” Williams looks for his third consecutive first-round knockout against Brazilian wild man Michel Pereira.

Despite several cancelations and reschedulings, we’ve still got eight “Prelims” undercard bouts to set the ESPN+ main card stage. Here’s the first batch ...

135 lbs.: Aiemann Zahabi vs. Drako Rodriguez

Aiemann Zahabi (7-2) — brother of legendary trainer Firas — entered UFC with six first-round finishes under his belt and enjoyed a successful debut against Reginaldo Vieira. He’s yet to taste victory since, suffering a knockout loss to Ricardo Ramos and subsequent decision loss to Vince Morales.

This will be his first fight in 19 months and just his second in the last three years.

Wins in his first three King of the Cage appearances led Drako Rodriguez (7-1) to a title fight against future UFC competitor Tony Gravely, who overpowered him with wrestling for a late finish. Three fights later, he took on prospect Mana Martinez on “Contender Series,” catching him in a contract-winning triangle choke midway through the first round.

He went undefeated (13-0) as an amateur before turning professional in 2017.

This would be a difficult task for Zahabi even at the best of times, as he lacks to wrestling to grind Rodriguez down the way Gravely did and doesn’t seem to have a notable edge on the feet. To defeat a well-rounded, well-seasoned finisher like Rodriguez after such a layoff looks to be beyond the Canadian’s capabilities.

Zahabi’s got a chin on him and Rodriguez is willing to chase subs off of his back, so the former surviving on the feet and leaning on top control to eke out a decision isn’t totally out of the question. It is, however, far likelier that Rodriguez lands the heavier shots and dictates the ground exchanges to claim a debut victory.

Prediction: Rodriguez via unanimous decision

185 lbs.: Tafon Nchukwi vs. Jamie Pickett

Ufc Prelims Channel

Three consecutive amateur knockouts gave way to three consecutive pro knockouts for Tafon Nchukwi (4-0), one of which came over recent Octagon signee William Knight. This led him to “Contender Series,” where he wiped out Al Matavao with a vicious head kick to earn a contract.

He faces a three-inch reach deficit and a two-inch height disadvantage.

The first two bids for Jamie Pickett (11-4) on “Contender Series” went poorly, as he suffered a submission loss to Charles Byrd and a decision loss to Punahele Soriano. The third time proved the charm, resulting in an impressive second-round knockout of Jhonoven Pati that earned him a contract.

He has knocked out eight professional foes and submitted one other.

Nchukwi would have been better served with a developmental contract than a direct invitation to the Octagon. He’s clearly a terrifying physical specimen with some nice tricks on the feet, but there remains work to be done. I’m also not sure Middleweight is the best place for him, as he was painfully slow even at 205 pounds.

Even with those misgivings, however, I like him to win here. Pickett has a lot of the skills that Matavao used to great effect, namely his movement and long-distance offense, but his fight with Soriano showed that he can also be backed to the fence with unfortunate ease. If Nchukwi simply presses forward consistently and works the body, he’ll catch Pickett circling sometime in the second round.

Prediction: Nchukwi via second-round technical knockout

125 lbs.: Jimmy Flick vs. Cody Durden

Wrote this two weeks ago when they were first booked to fight. Waste not, want not ...

Jimmy Flick (15-5) — two fights removed from a loss to future UFC competitor Ray Rodriguez — needed just 38 seconds to choke out Greg Fischer and claim the LFA Flyweight title. His grappling prowess showed itself again on “Contender Series,” where he choked out unbeaten Nate Smith in a contract-winning effort.

Thirteen of his professional wins, including all of them since 2011, have come by submission.

Seven finishes in seven consecutive wins carried Cody Durden (11-2-1) to a late-notice Octagon debut against Chris Gutierrez this past August. He spent nearly the entire first round attached to the favorite’s back, but found himself unable to secure takedowns in the second and third rounds, resulting in a draw.

Though the taller man by one inch, he gives up 3.5 inches of reach.

There’s two ways this fight can go: either we get an incredible ground battle between a phenomenal submission ace and a pedigreed wrestler, or we get an awful standup slog. Luckily for us, I’m thinking the latter; both men are far more comfortable initiating the wrestling than trying to sprawl-and-brawl.

Not that it’s necessarily the best idea for Durden — he’s the better takedown artist, sure, but Flick’s front chokes, sweeps and scrambling skills more than offset that difference. Whether by putting Durden on his back or punishing him for attempting to do the same in return, he gets his arms around Durden’s neck before long.

Prediction: Flick via first-round submission

155 lbs.: Rick Glenn vs. Carlton Minus

Rick Glenn (21-6-1) upset Bellator veteran Georgi Karakhanyan for the World Series of Fighting (WSOF) Featherweight title in 2014, only to lose it to Lance Palmer in his first defense. After three more wins, “The Gladiator” entered the Octagon in 2016, ultimately amassing a 3-3 record with notable wins over Gavin Tucker and Dennis Bermudez.

This marks his first fight in more than two years.

After a career spent almost exclusively in Alaska FC, Carlton Minus (10-2) unsuccessfully stepped up on short notice against Rick Story in Professional Fight League (PFL). Following an 18-month layoff, he returned to AFC with a decision win, leading to a UFC debut loss against Matthew Semelsberger in August.

Though the shorter man by two inches, he’ll enjoy a 4.5-inch reach advantage.

Minus had better have learned something against Semelsberger, because Glenn offers that same sort of unchecked aggression. Though he figures to be the larger man, as he’s dropping from 170 while Glenn moves up from 145, his inability to blunt Semelsberger’s offense with his superior technical boxing bodes ill.

If Glenn is rusty and winds up stuck on the end of Minus’ jab, “Clutch” has a shot at a decision win. Otherwise, Glenn outworks him on the feet and mixes in a takedown or two to claim his first uncontroversial win since 2017.

Prediction: Glenn via unanimous decision

Four more UFC Vegas 17 “Prelims” undercard bouts remain to preview and predict, including an intriguing Middleweight fight pitting Karl Roberson against Dalcha Lungiambula. Same time tomorrow, Maniacs!

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 17 fight card this weekend, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 17: “Thompson vs. Neal” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.