Adesanya, the striking maestro, faces a durable Strickland. In a dance of fists and wills, who will reign supreme?

Tyson Pedro vs Anton Turkalj:

The opener of the main card will feature two light heavyweights looking for a shot at ending both their losing streaks. To be fair Tyson Pedro did only lose his last fight, but he has the hometown advantage over Anton which will have an added pressure to this fight. Anton is on a two-fight losing streak and has yet to have a win in the UFC, so this fight is basically for his job. Both fighters have a decent striking game, but Tyson’s ground game does have the advantage over Anton’s as he is a Black Belt in BJJ. If Pedro takes this fight to the floor, he would be able to increase his chances of winning, but in his last 5 fights, I’ve noticed the striking approach he has decided to go with. Pedro’s striking is technically great, but he will be running a bigger risk compared to taking it to the ground. Due to this take, I feel as though Anton will be able to win a close striking battle since he will be the fighter with more to lose and he has shown to be the more durable fighter. This fight does seem like it will be very tentative since both fighters have a lot to lose.

Justin Tafa vs Austen Lane:

These two heavyweights will get the chance to finally fight after their last attempt in Jacksonville (Lane’s hometown) in which the fight ended in a no contest due to an eye poke on Tafa. Now they are looking to make it even in Tafa’s hometown tonight. This fight should be a good one due to both these fighters being primarily strikers. Tafa is known for his stand-and-bang approach with a good mix of Muay Thai combinations as well, while Lane I would say is predominantly a boxing-type style, but has a rounded-out striking game as well. On paper, this fight could be a finish in the earlier rounds, but look for this to be a competitive striking battle between the two heavyweights. Look out for the overhands of Tafa, he knows how to mix those up in combos very well, and if one lands Lane could be in huge trouble. The pick for tonight however is Lane as he has the height and reach advantage and could outpoint Tafa.

Manel Kape vs Felipe Dos Santos:

This flyweight matchup in my opinion is the sleeper fight of this main card. The former RIZIN champion Manel Kape is starting to find his footing in the competitive flyweight division. After losing two split decision matchups (Including one to the current champ Alexandre Pantoja) he has found himself on a three-fight winning streak and is looking to continue to raise his ranking to potentially get his rematch. Look out for his flashy techniques, since he is a very dynamic fighter. Dos Santos is interesting because he’s an undefeated fighter who is making his UFC debut on the main card of a PPV and also took this fight on weeks’ notice. Making your UFC debut on weeks’ notice against the #10 ranked fighter in the division is very ballsy. He does have an impressive record with 7-0 with 5 of those wins coming by finish. He is the huge underdog especially fighting against a vet of the division, but look for Dos Santos to surprise the critics. I feel this fight will go to a decision with Dos Santos potentially getting the win, but also look for Kape to try and get a statement win to solidify himself as a contender.

Co-Main - Tai Tuivasa vs Alexander Volkov:

The featured Heavyweight bout of the night is between two top-10-ranked heavyweights looking to make a statement. Bam Bam is currently on a two-fight losing streak against two of the top contenders in the division in Gane and Pavlovich, while the former Bellator champ Volkov is on a two-fight winning streak beating the likes of Rozenstruik and Romanov. This fight should be on the feet as both fighters love to strike. Volkov does have the height and reach advantage and usually uses those to his advantage in his fights. He will be looking to throw a lot of body kicks spanning from teep kicks to even flashier ones such as spinning back kicks. Tuivasa however is a brawler that looks to close the distance in any way possible. Be on the lookout for his strong leg kicks, he is a big puncher, but he loves to mix up his hands with his leg kicks. This fight may go the distance since both fighters have proven to be durable, but I do see Tuivasa being the aggressor and the eventual winner of the fight. It should be slightly reminiscent of the game plan he had against Stefan Struve but without the finish.

Main Event - Israel Adesanya vs Sean Strickland:

Now it’s time for the fight a lot of fans have been waiting for, the Champ Israel Adesanya is looking to make his first title defense after winning it back from Poatan while Sean Strickland is looking to play the underdog and shake up the UFC with a win. Strickland will have the edge on the ground sporting some great wrestling and a BJJ black belt, but after seeing the fight week and hearing what Strickland has to say about this battle, I am sure that he would much rather do the “Man-Dance” and test his chances in the striking department. This could prove to be dangerous for Strickland though since Adesanya is the best striker in the division and potentially the UFC. Strickland should be looking to close the distance with a lot of straight punches and try to mix in some nice hooks as well, but based on past fights I’m confident he will be headhunting the entire fight. Adesanya will probably be moving a lot throughout the fight trying to mix in a lot of low kicks which he will use to set up for some head kicks and also look for Izzy to counter a lot of Sean’s punches with some fight-ending hooks. Izzy will win this fight if kept on the feet, but Strickland has proven in the past that he is durable enough to last the 5 rounds and that is why the pick for tonight is Izzy by decision.

Round-by-Round + Post Fight Analysis

Click here to read my live and post fight analysis!