Middleweight Bout: Chris Weidman (13-3) vs. Kelvin Gastelum (13-2)
Luke Irwin: Coincidentally, ever since USADA came on board, Weidman has fallen off of a fucking cliff. His striking isn’t there, his wrestling is for shit, and his chin has turned into a heated game of Thin Ice. I can’t trust Weidman anymore. Gastelum via R2 KO.
Nolan Howell: At their best, Weidman is the more proficient fighter technically in just about every aspect. Better credentialed wrestler, better submission grappler, best striker and has beaten better strikers at their own game, and on and on. There is just the fact that Weidman has been knocked out in his last three outings that really suggests that he has hit his peak and it could very well be the case at 33. Gastelum, despite racking up as many fights at 25 years old, seems to show new wrinkles every time out. While Weidman may still have the edge in skill to edge out a decision victory and perhaps submit Gastelum, the physical advantage not being there is deadly against someone reaching their athletic peak and someone who is developing each time out. Gastelum takes advantage in a major way with his pressure. Kelvin Gastelum by first-round TKO.
Featherweight Bout: Darren Elkins (22-5) vs. Dennis Bermudez (16-6)
Luke: I’ve learned to not bet against Darren Elkins. His shitty chest tattoo has somehow turned into Wolverine. I bet he gets his ass kicked, then somehow rallies and finds a way. Elkins via R3 TKO.
Nolan: Bermudez is the more dangerous fighter of the two in terms of ability to end a fight, but that sort of susceptibility leads him into the wheelhouse of a fighter like Elkins who will survive whatever you throw at him to wiggle his way through that tiny hole in your game. Bermudez’s lapse in fight IQ could put him on his back for an entire round and or open him up to the almost too patient striking of someone like Elkins. Still, despite Elkins being a live dog, Bermudez has all the tools that make him the safer choice to pull out the win. Dennis Bermudez by first-round TKO.
Light Heavyweight Bout: Gian Villante (15-8) vs. Patrick Cummins (9-4)
Luke: Remember when Light Heavyweight was the marquee division of MMA? Good lord. These two are essentially the same type of fighter, so either one will fall after a punch, or they’ll put on a thoroughly drab wrestlefest. Villante via UD.
Nolan: This comes down to which impresses me more in their given skillset and that nod goes to Cummins, who has shown some stifling and sometimes dangerous top game once he gets you down to the mat. Villante has been a striker who can be beaten by worse strikers with the right gameplan. You do the mat. Patrick Cummins by unanimous decision.
Bantamweight Bout: Jimmie Rivera (20-1) vs. Thomas Almeida (22-1)
Luke: This is a fucking awesome bout that should be getting a ton more attention. Almeida is a monster that got caught by the Bantamweight champ, and Rivera is on a twenty-fight win streak. These are bulldozers; tiny, tiny, bulldozers. Almeida is the more dynamic of the strikers, but Rivera is more well-rounded. This is going to be a hell of a time. Rivera via SD.
Nolan: Almeida’s crazy striking may not get the chance to be displayed here against the likes of Rivera, who should play it ugly and avoid anything too engaging on the feet at all costs if he wants to win or at the very least not want to learn the intricacies of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum lighting system. Jimmie Rivera by unanimous decision.
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