UFC 248: Adesanya vs. Romero - Predictions and Picks

#7 The Prelims: ESPN+ card

Giga Chikadze headlines the early preliminary card

ESPN+ will also show three prelims this weekend, beginning with a Featherweight bout between Jamall Emmers and Giga Chikadze. Georgian wrestler Chikadze grinded his first UFC win out in September over Brandon Davis, while Emmers will be making his UFC debut here. ‘Pretty Boy’ has a strong record of 17-4, giving him much more experience, but I’m unsure how he’ll deal with Chikadze’s wrestling, particularly considering ‘Octagon shock’. I’ll take Chikadze via decision here.

At Strawweight, Emily Whitmire faces Polyana Viana. Neither woman has really impressed in their UFC stints, but Whitmire at least has a pair of solid wins over Jamie Moyle and Aleksandra Albu. Viana has been thrashed in her last 3 fights, and I see no reason why that should change here; I’ll take Whitmire via decision.

Finally, veteran Guido Cannetti takes on Mongolia’s Danaa Batgerel in a Featherweight fight. It’s hard to get a handle on exactly what Batgerel brings to the table due to the limited footage on him, while Cannetti is a solid fighter in all areas – if ‘Ninja’ could bring more calm to the table then he could well be a contender. Given how good the Argentine has looked at times – his win over Diego Rivas and the first round of his loss to Marlon Vera – I’m happy to take him via submission in this one.