UFC 247: Jones vs. Reyes - Predictions and Picks

#4 Mirsad Bektic vs. Dan Ige

Mirsad Bektic has the skills to become a contender at 145lbs

This Featherweight clash has me intrigued simply because – despite his recent struggles – I still believe Bektic can climb the ladder into title contention at 145lbs. A phenomenal athlete, the Bosnian native has some of the best wrestling skills in the division, he hits incredibly hard, and basically has all of the tools to become a UFC champion.

The problem he’s had has been with his reckless nature; he got too sloppy against Darren Elkins in what was one of the greatest comebacks in UFC history from ‘The Damage’, and against Josh Emmett he traded bombs with one of the division’s hardest hitters when he should probably have looked to have taken him down.

Outside of that, though, he defeated Ricardo Lamas in pretty definitive fashion and also dismantled Godofredo Pepey in 2018 too. Ige is a step down in competition for him; while the Hawaiian is on a 4-fight win streak, he’s also never faced an opponent even close to the level of Bektic.

A solidly rounded fighter, Ige hits hard, and has an excellent chin, but doesn’t really move that quickly in the cage. That should give him a ton of problems against Bektic, who has an incredibly quick shot and can also throw his hands with just as much speed.

The last time we saw Ige face a really excellent athlete was at UFC 220, in his UFC debut against Julio Arce. In that fight, Arce simply used his superior speed to pick Ige apart for three rounds, and while he’s clearly improved since then, I don’t see any reason why Bektic can’t repeat the feat.

As long as the Bosnian can tone down his aggression somewhat – and not fight in such a wild manner as to leave himself wide open – then I think this is his fight to lose. If he gets on top, his furious nature will almost certainly be enough to finish ‘Dynamite’.

The Pick: Bektic via first round TKO