Staff Standings
Ben Kohn: 57-26 .687
TC Engel: 69-35 .663
Josh Hall: 33-18 .647
Luke Irwin: 98-54 .645
Earl Montclair: 51-31 .622
Lucas Bourdon: 3-2 .600
Nolan Howell: 47-36 .566
Dan Galvan: 5-6 .455
Middleweight Bout: Gegard Mousasi (34-4-2) vs. Mark Munoz (13-4)
Luke Irwin: Gegard’s constant bored face infuriates me. I think Munoz does the Lawal treatment and puts Gegard on his ass for five rounds, but unlike Lawal, Munoz actually has fists that work. Munoz via R4 TKO.
Nolan Howell: Mark Munoz’s standup is too much of a liability against a great striker like Gegard Mousasi. While the power wrestling of Munoz could present some problems, Mousasi should be capable enough to keep him at bay and do damage. Hopefully he ends this shitty shit card before Froch-Groves II. Gegard Mousasi by second-round TKO.
Middleweight Bout: CB Dollaway (14-5) vs. Francis Carmont (22-8)
Luke Irwin: Carmont’s recent streak was a mirage, and it’s starting to come crashing down, and CB will ugly up and grind out this fight to take a decision. Dollaway via UD.
Nolan Howell: Very impressed by the slick striking of CB Dollaway in his last outing. Wrestling and ground game should favor Dollaway. Francis Carmont might have the more diverse striking, but Dollaway has the power and improving technique. His fight to lose. CB Dollaway by unanimous decision.
Middleweight Bout: Luke Barnatt (8-0) vs. Sean Strickland (14-0)
Luke Irwin: I like Strickland a lot and have followed him for a while, back to his KOTC days, but Barnatt is a nasty, nasty dude and he’s going to be overmatched here. Barnatt via R1 Submission.
Nolan Howell: Luke Barnatt would be best served to actually follow up when he knocks Sean Strickland down here. Luke Barnatt by first-round TKO.
Featherweight Bout: Niklas Backstrom (7-0) vs. Tom Niinimaki (21-5-1)
Luke Irwin: Yeah…Niklas Backstrom is just a bit more than a tiny step down from Thiago Tavares. Niinimaki via R1 submission.
Nolan Howell: Tom Niinimaki impressed against Rani Yahya, controlling him on the ground. Niklas Backstrom isn’t even an MMA fighter, I don’t think. He’s like a hockey goalie, right? Tom Niinimaki by first-round submission.
Lightweight Bout: Drew Dober (14-5) vs. Nick Hein (10-1)
Luke Irwin: Neither of these guys do anything particularly fantastic, so I always trust the guy with actual UFC experience. Dober via UD.
Nolan Howell: Drew Dober has better opposition. Drew Dober by unanimous decision.
Middleweight Bout: Krzysztof Jotko (14-0) vs. Magnus Cedenblad (11-4)
Luke Irwin: Cedenblad needs to use his reach markedly better to develop into a decent fighter. Jotko via UD.
Nolan Howell: Krzysztof Jotko by unanimous decision.
Bantamweight Bout: Iuri Alcantara (29-5) vs. Vaughan Lee (14-9-1)
Luke Irwin: Don’t see how this will be close. Lee loves to get caught in submissions and Alcantara is a top-10 guy who loves to slap them on. Alcantara via R2 submission.
Nolan Howell: This fight is disgusting. Iuri Alcantara by first-round submission.
Welterweight Bout: Pawel Pawlak (10-0) vs. Peter Sobotta (13-4-1)
Luke Irwin: Any time Sobotta takes a step up in competition, he looks awful. He looked out of place in his last UFC run, and Pawlak is a solid prospect. Pawlak via UD.
Nolan Howell: Peter Sobotta lost to Amir Sadollah. Pawel Pawlak by unanimous decision.
Featherweight Bout: Andy Ogle (9-4) vs. Maximo Blanco (9-6-1)
Luke Irwin: Ogle isn’t good. Blanco has been pretty damned awful in his UFC run, but he’s still much, much better than Ogle. Blanco via R1 TKO.
Nolan Howell: Andy Ogle has a shot here by DQ. That’s not enough. Maximo Blanco by unanimous decision.
Heavyweight Bout: Ruslan Magomedov (11-1) vs. Viktor Pesta (9-0)
Luke Irwin: Magomedov has thrived in Russia’s Fight Night promotion, which is becoming a great breeding ground, especially for heavyweights. I think he runs through here. Magomedov via R2 TKO.
Nolan Howell: Ruslan Magomedov by first-round KO.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
