UFC 246, McGregor vs. Cowboy: Predictions and picks

#6 The Prelims: ESPN card

Super-prospect Maycee Barber headlines this weekend's prelims

Four of this weekend’s prelims will be shown on the ESPN network, beginning with a big fight at Flyweight between prospect Maycee Barber and veteran Roxanne Modafferi. Nobody expected Modafferi to still be doing well in the UFC at this stage of her career; never a great athlete, she stunned everyone by beating Antonina Shevchenko in 2019, belying her 37 years.

I think she’s in trouble here, though; Barber is a hugely powerful striker and while she’s not the finished article from a technical standpoint, she’s a phenomenal athlete who hits very hard. I like Barber to take this one by second-round TKO.

At Featherweight, we’ve got a hugely intriguing fight between Andre Fili and Sodiq Yusuff. Both of these men have been on a roll; Yusuff is 3-0 in the UFC and has shown himself to be a remarkably powerful puncher; the Nigerian is one of the most explosive athletes in the entire UFC.

Fili meanwhile looked tremendous in his last two fights, finally showing some consistency after struggling for it since his UFC debut in 2013. This one is a tough fight to pick, but I’m going with Yusuff. He appears to be slightly quicker and hits slightly harder, and I think that’ll be the difference. Yusuff via third-round TKO is my pick.

At Lightweight, hard-hitting brawler Drew Dober takes on prospect Nasrat Haqparast. Haqparast, who resembles a smaller Kelvin Gastelum, is on a 3-fight winning streak and has solid skills in all areas, but Dober might prove to be a trickier test than some would expect – he’s got big power in his punches and is also a stout wrestler. I feel like Haqparast has the higher ceiling so I’ll take him to win a decision, but to see Dober take this wouldn’t be a shocker.

Finally, Chas Skelly takes on Grant Dawson at Featherweight. A skilled wrestler, Skelly has good technique on the ground, but he’s also proven to be open to being caught in submissions and doesn’t always weather punishment well. Dawson is still a prospect, but he’s also 2-0 in the UFC and looks very dangerous, particularly on the ground. I like Dawson by submission here.