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#6 The Prelims: ESPN card
The ESPN network will showcase the top four prelims from this weekend’s card, giving the fighters involved a nice platform to put on a show.
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Headlining this portion is the returning prospect Sean O’Malley, who faces Jose Quinonez in a Bantamweight clash. ‘Sugar’ is unbeaten in MMA at 10-0, but by the time this fight rolls around, it’ll be well over two years since he last fought due to issues with PEDs. Quinonez meanwhile has been a reliable action fighter for some time, but despite being 5-1 in his last 6, he’s never really beaten a high-level fighter. I think O’Malley should be able to outwork him for a decision but to see things go the other way due to O’Malley’s long layoff wouldn’t be a shocker.
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At Lightweight, Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler Mark O Madsen faces Austin Hubbard, who is 1-1 in the UFC after edging a decision over Kyle Prepolec last year. Hubbard has more experience in MMA but I like Madsen in this one; he’s the kind of special athlete who will probably climb the ladder quickly, and I can’t see Hubbard dealing well with his power. Madsen via TKO is my pick.
World-class grappler Rodolfo Vieira is back at Middleweight, facing former Light-Heavyweight Saparbek Safarov. In all honesty, this sounds like a classic squash match; Safarov isn’t anywhere near close to the level of athletic ability that Vieira has, and the fact that he was tapped by Tyson Pedro – hardly an accomplished grappler – rings instant alarm bells. Vieira might be found out as he moves up the ladder, but I doubt it’ll be in this fight, and so ‘The Black Belt Hunter’ should take another submission.
Also at Middleweight, tricky veteran, Gerald Meerschaert faces prospect Deron Winn. Winn – a protégé of Daniel Cormier – was a little exposed in his last fight, as Darren Stewart managed to fend off his takedowns and outpoint him, but he’s still a fantastic wrestler and athlete. Meerschaert though has far more experience – 30 wins and 12 losses – and while he’s not a great athlete he knows how to finish from any area. I’m taking Winn to grind a decision out based on his wrestling and the fact that Meerschaert may be past his prime after 13 years in the game, but he’ll need to be very, very careful.
