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We are hours away from UFC Fight Night: Brian Ortega vs The Korean Zombie and while the event promises some close fights, here are our last-minute predictions for the main card.
Brian Ortega vs Chang Sung Jung (UFC Featherweight division)
It seems unlikely that Max Holloway will get a third shot against champion Alexander Volkanovski and therefore the main event for the evening is practically a number one contender bout for the UFC Featherweight title.
While “The Korean Zombie” is coming into the fight with two highlight-reel worthy first-round knockouts, BJJ specialist Ortega returns after nearly 2 years following his devastating loss to Max Holloway.
However, we believe that “T City” will be able to weather the storm early in the fight and tame the Zombie to eventually get the victory.
Prediction: Ortega via submission (Round 4)
Katlyn Chookagian vs Jessica Andrade (UFC women's Flyweight division)
Former UFC Strawweight queen Jessica Andrade makes her Flyweight debut as she looks to halt her two-fight skid which she has experienced for the first time in her storied career.
Katlyn Chookagian fought for the UFC Flyweight title in February earlier this year and was stopped in the third round by champion Valentina Shevchenko. She would then go on to win a comfortable decision victory over Valentina’s elder sister Antonina. A win here puts her back into the title contention.
While Chookagian will have the size advantage, we believe Andrade’s blitz will be too hot to handle for her.
Prediction: Andrade via knockout (Round 1)
Jimmy Crute vs Modestas Bukauskas (UFC Light Heavyeight division)
Jon Jones relinquishing his Light Heavyweight title and Jan Blachowicz being crowned the new king at Light Heavyweight has opened up the division and these two young stalwarts would be keen on making a name for themselves.
A fight with a truly international flavor has the Lithuanian Modestas making his second UFC appearance against the Aussie Crute.
While Modestas is a certified knockout artist, Crute has slowly been making a name for himself ever since bagging a UFC contract in July 2018 after appearing on Dana White’s Contender Series.
Both fighters are in their mid-20s and are known for their high-risk style of fighting. Crute however, has more experience in UFC having fought bigger names and also possesses a better, well-rounded game. He would look to weather the early storm and then use his superior BJJ to secure another win for himself.
Prediction: Crute via submission (Round 3)
Claudia Silva vs James Krause (UFC Welterweight division)
Our pick for the “fight of the night” for the card.
The veteran Krause fights professionally for the 36th time on Sunday, making his 13th UFC walkout. Krause returns to welterweight and will be looking to gain lost momentum after suffering a loss in his last outing in February earlier this year in a keenly contested bout against Trevin Giles, which also marked his Middleweight debut. He has rightly decided to return to the 170-pound division where he had amassed a 6 fight win streak before his loss to Giles.
The Brazilian Silva on the other hand is on a 14 fight win streak having last suffered a loss in his MMA debut way back in 2007. He, however, has not fought in over a year and rustiness just might be the deciding factor in this war between two seasoned veterans.
As is the case when two elite grapplers face-off, there is a high probability that the fight stays on the feet as both fighters will respect each other's submission skills. Krause has a distinct advantage in this scenario due to his larger gas tank and more active fight schedule.
Prediction: James Krause via Unanimous Decision (also, Fight of the Night)
Thomas Almeida vs Jonathan Martinez (UFC Featherweight division)
In another interesting bout, Brazilian Almeida takes on Texan Martinez who will be stepping up from the UFC bantamweight division after missing weight in his last outing in August earlier this year where he secured a knockout win against Frankie Saenz.
The Brazilian returns to the Octagon having last fought in January 2018 wherein he suffered a brutal head kick knockout at the hands of Rob Font at UFC 220. Incidentally, he too will be fighting at 145 pounds for the first time.
While lack of activity and a 1-3 record in his last 4 fights will haunt Almeida, we believe his experience and much crisper striking will be too much for the 26-year-old Martinez.
Prediction: Almeida via Unanimous Decision
