Lightweight Bout: Paul Felder (17-5) vs. Rafael dos Anjos (29-13)
Luke Irwin: Like Jerry Lawler removing his crown from behind the table, Paul Felder comes out from behind the announcing desk to do battle. Felder is as tough as it gets, but fighting someone like RDA, even in this latter stage of his career, on a few days’ notice is very tough sledding. dos Anjos via R2 Submission.
Welterweight Bout: Abdul Razak Al-Hassan (10-2) vs. Kalinn Williams (10-1)
Luke: No bullshit here. 20 combined wins, 15 by knockout. All ten of Al-Hassan’s wins have come by T/KO, and Williams is coming off of a 27-second knockout in his UFC debut. Al-Hassan, however, hasn’t won a fight that has gone past the first round. Khaos has enough tools and defense to withstand Al-Hassan’s opening barrage and can take him into the later rounds and bank some points while he’s at it. Williams via UD.
Middleweight Bout: Julian Marquez (7-2) vs. Saparbek Safarov (9-3)
Luke: Safarov has lost three out of his four UFC fights, and has been stopped in all three. Unfortunately for him, he’s facing a man in Marquez who just LOVES finishing fighters! He mostly does it with his fists, but can also do it with his feet or submission. Marquez via R1 TKO.
Middleweight Bout: Antonio Arroyo (9-3) vs. Eryk Anders (13-5)
Luke: After two wins on the Contender Series, Arroyo made his UFC debut and promptly dropped a decision to Andre Muniz via UD. In Anders, you have someone at least on Muniz’s level who is just miserable to fight against. He’s a fine gatekeeper, but his ugly, physical, punishing style make him an extremely hard out, and I don’t think Arroyo is there. Anders via UD.
195lb Catchweight Bout: Brendan Allen (15-3) vs. Sean Strickland (21-3)
Luke: I think these are two incredibly-evenly matched fighters, and Vegas backs me up, having each at similar -115 betting lines. While Allen is a bit more dynamic in the cage, Strickland has the experience advantage, and is 8-3 in the UFC, with one of his losses coming to Kamaru Usman. This is an enormous test for Allen and his four-fight UFC winning streak, but I really like his game lately. I think this is your fight of the night, and it goes fifteen bruising minutes, with Allen escaping with the win. Allen via SD.
2020 Picks Record: 142-73 (66.0%)
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