UFC Fight Night 174 Predictions

Robert Whittaker vs Darren Till

I’m giving the nod to Whittaker on this one. Till needs the win really badly but I don’t see him being able to put together a game plan that doesn’t end in him getting knocked out. Till doesn’t have the power Yoel Romero has and that is why he won’t be effective in this fight.

Maurício Rua vs Antônio Rogério Nogueira

A classic matchup and a throwback to a bygone era. Rua says he’s only got a couple fights left in him and I think this should be a solid win for him, a loss here may bring about an even earlier retirement.

Fabrício Werdum vs Alexander Gustafsson

This fight can go either way but I don’t really have much faith in Gustafsson. Fabricio is a veteran, that has enough left in the tank to take the soul out of Gustafsson; Gustafsson just doesn’t have that killer instinct and lacks the heart of a warrior.

Carla Esparza vs Marina Rodriguez

Esparza needs this win badly and I think she will get it in a split decision, problem is it’ll only prolong the inevitable. Her next fight will be must win as well so Carla Esparza will remain on the bubble even after this win. Marina Rodriguez isn’t exactly a push over but she a couple of draws and quite a few decisions on her record. 

Paul Craig vs Gadzhimurad Antigulov

I’m order to generate some sort of buzz, Craig is going to need to finish this fight. Antigulov is coming off of a 2 fight losing streak, both of which he got beat up in. The last time he lost, he dropped 3 in a row before going a pretty cool win streak. Antigulov may be on the bubble here but I think Craig is the one that should be worried.

Alex Oliveira vs Peter Sobotta

A win over Max Griffin doesn’t impress anyone so Oliviera is going to need a more substantial victory and a win over Sobotta should suffice.

Alex lost to Dalby while Peter has a win over him one of only 3 men to defeat Nicolas Dalby. MMA math is a thing and it is sometimes the stick in which I use to measure things. I’m going to go with Oliviera though, I just think it’s his time for Oliviera to get some big wins and give himself a serious push.

Khamzat Chimaev vs Rhys McKee

Chimaev has yet to be defeated yet he doesn’t have a win over any big names. McKee has only two losses but he also doesn’t have any victories over someone of note. This is the chance for one of them to make a name for themselves by finishing this fight. Neither man is a stranger to finishing fights so this one is going to be a toss up.

Prelims

Francisco Trinaldo vs Jai Herbert

Herbert has been finishing fights and I’m not going to bet against that guy. I like Trinaldo but I’m going to go with Jai.

Nicolas Dalby vs Jesse Ronson

He’s got a win over Alex Oliviera so I’m going with Dalby.

Tom Aspinall vs Jake Collier

As I said before, go with the guy that finishes fights and Tom Aspinalli has been doing just that.

Movsar Evloev vs Mike Grundy

With only 1 loss, Mike Grundy should be the heavy favorite but Movsar is undefeated so it looks like we are going to have a real fight on our hands. Whoever was me is going to have all eyes on them. I can’t tell ya who’s gonna win but I can tell you that this will likely end in a decision.

Tanner Boser vs Raphael Pessoa

Both men won their last fight but I doubt Boser has what it takes to finish Pessoa which is what I believe he needs to do here.

Bethe Correia vs Pannie Kianzad

Talk about being on the bubble, Correia has to win every fight she’s in to stay in the UFC. Pannie has been winning on decisions and I don’t know if that’s good enough to beat someone who’s on the bubble. Correia may win this time but the next time she is going to have to face the same fears.

Ramazan Emeev vs Niklas Stolze

Coming off of a loss in UFC is never easy and it won’t get any easier for Emeev. Gimme Stolze in a hard fought decision victory.

Nathaniel Wood vs John Castañeda

I like Wood but John Dodson made very short work of him in the third round and when he loses he loses big, he’ll most likely be finished by Castañeda. Castañeda pretty much only loses by split decision and wins with a finish so I’m going with him over Wood.

Final take

They should call this card, “the bubble” because there are quite a few names that don’t have a lot of room for error. A loss is going to end the career of some fighters and the biggest part is that it won’t be immediate, it’ll just set the process in motion. An interesting card and a great opportunity for fighters to get some eyes on their performances.