UFC Vegas 94 Predictions

Here are my predictions for UFC Vegas 94 this weekend.

PRELIMS:

Mohammed Usman(10-3) V Thomas Petersen(8-2)

The first fight of the night is two unranked heavyweights. Mohammed is the brother of former Welterweight Champ Kamaru Usman, and that’s where the similarities stop. Usman won Season 30 of TUF and has gone 3-1 since then. He lost his last one against Mick Parkin. Usman isn’t very talented, but he is athletic, which can get you far at heavyweight. Petersen has had a solid career with many wins in LFA, and his only loss outside the UFC was to UFC heavyweight Waldo Cortes-Acosta. All of his wins have been by finish, so he always got the chance. I feel this should be fairly simple for Usman, but Petersen has finishing ability.

Prediction: Usman by Dec

Luana Carolina(10-4) V Lucie Pudilová(14-9)

This fight is fairly even to me. Even though Carolina has had the better UFC career so far and has won her last two, I feel that Pudilová isn’t as bad as her record seems. Pudilová has gone 3-7 in the UFC over two runs. I do feel she has some skills that she was able to piece together in OKTAGON. If she can find that again, she can be good, and I think she can in this fight.

Prediction: Pudilová by Dec

Loik Radzhabov(18-5-1) v Trey Ogden(17-6)

This could be a solid fight and most likely a good performance from Radzhabov. Radzhabov has been good so far in the UFC going 2-1 with his only loss being to Mateusz Rębecki. He’s got power and has fought at a reasonably high level outside the UFC when he was in PFL. Ogden is a sound fighter who has skills all round but has some really good grappling. If he wins this one you’d expect he would use that side of his game to win.

Prediction: Radzhabov by Dec

Miranda Maverick(13-5) v Dione Barbosa(7-2)

Maverick is someone I see potential in who seems to go on a run then will lose but uses her losses to improve, and it seems like she is on the up right now. Barbosa hasn’t had long in the UFC yet but looked impressive in her Contender Series win and won her first fight in the UFC. It feels like quite the step up for her second fight in the UFC, but you never know.

Prediction: Maverick by Dec

Brian Kelleher(24-15) V Cody Gibson(19-10)

This one should be a fun scrap between two MMA vets. Kelleher has lost his last three and does seem to be near the end of his career, but he always has finishing ability, which could happen here. Gibson is on his second run in the UFC, coming back after being on Season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter, where he didn’t win but got to the final. He lost to Miles Johns last time out, which is not a bad loss. I am leaning towards Gibson as he seems to be still able to compete at a solid level and has the height and reach advantage. He is still able to be caught, but I’d lean towards him to control the fight.

Prediction: Gibson by Dec

Hyder Amil(9-0) v Jeong Yeong Lee(11-1)

This could be the most fun fight on the card. Amil is fun to watch as he’s always going for it and has a natural finishing ability that he has shown in his career. Lee Won a season of Road To UFC and won his first fight in the UFC against Blake Bilder. Lee seems promising, and from what I’ve watched, I believe he’s the better overall fighter. Amil will always have the chance to finish with his power, but this could be a great opportunity for Lee to show his skills.

Prediction: Lee by Dec

MAIN CARD:

Doo Ho Choi(14-4-1) V Bill Algeo(18-8)

The return of the Korean Superboy comes against a very game fighter in Bill Algeo. The smart decision would be Algeo as he’s been active and has had good wins recently but for some reason I feel that Choi is going to win. I think Choi is going to role back the years and have one more run before he’s done.

Prediction: Choi by Dec

Cody Durden(16-5-1) V Bruno Silva(13-5-2)

This is not a fight i’m looking forward to. I’m not a massive fan of Durden but I feel he’s a favourite here and probably wins a boring decision in this one. Silva is on a 3 fight finishing streak which I hope he continues in this one but I feel its unlikely.

Prediction: Durden by Dec

Kurt Holobaugh(20-8) V Kaynan Kruschewsky(15-2)

Holobaugh is on his third run in the UFC after winning Season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter. He lost his last one against Trey Ogden, so I’d think he’d need to go for broke in this one, as this is most likely his last chance in the UFC. Kruschewsky is fast and has many finishes in his career. He won on the contender series with a submission but lost last time to a very good fighter in Elves Brener. I feel he has the speed advantage and is really good on the ground. Both guys are good on the ground, so this might be a fun grappling match.

Prediction: Kruschewsky by KO R2

Steve Garcia(15-5) V Seung Woo Choi(11-6)

This fight I see being very similar to Garcia’s last few. I see Choi starting strong early but Garcia finding something from the second round onwards either getting a finish or a decision win. Could be a fun fight for however long it goes.

Prediction: Garcia by KO R2

Brad Tavares(20-9) V Jun Yong Park(17-6)

This could be a solid scrap between both these guys. Tavares has been around forever in the position of gatekeeper for the division. He’s dropped a bit lately but still has the skills to compete. The Iron Turtle is a very fun fighter to watch. He’s not perfect but when he’s on he’s very fun to watch. He is good on the ground and has some alright striking. I favour Park in this one but its quite close.

Prediction: Park by Dec

Amanda Lemos(14-3-1) V Virna Jandiroba(20-3)

Even though this is the main event, I feel this fight is quite simple. Lemos is a solid fighter, has fought proper opponents, and has finishing ability. Jandiroba is good, but I don’t see her doing well against Lemos.

Prediction: Lemos by Dec