UFC Fight Night 150: Jacare vs. Hermansson - Predictions and Picks

#5 John Lineker vs. Cory Sandhagen

John Lineker is one of the UFC's most dangerous strikers

The main event here might be a bit lacking, but you can’t say the UFC hasn’t put together some pretty awesome fights for this card, this Bantamweight match being one of them.

Lineker hasn’t been seen since May 2018 but remains a top contender in the division, as well as one of the most exciting fighters on the roster. And Sandhagen is a top prospect who’s 3-0 in the UFC, beating longtime contender Iuri Alcantara last year.

Judging on both men’s styles, this should be a pretty exciting striking war for as long as it lasts. It may even go the distance, but unfortunately for Sandhagen – who really is an excellent prospect – I think he’s in over his head here and I can’t help but favour Lineker.

Firstly, Lineker’s only losses since his UFC debut have come to Louis Gaudinot and Ali Bagautinov at Flyweight, and then TJ Dillashaw at Bantamweight, and it’s notable that none of them – even Dillashaw – really outstruck the heavy-handed Brazilian.

Dillashaw did have some success on the feet with ‘Hands of Stone’, but a lot of that was due to the threat of his takedown – something Sandhagen doesn’t really offer.

Outside of that then, Lineker has beaten the likes of Michael McDonald, John Dodson, Rob Font and Brian Kelleher, all with his striking. He rarely throws kicks but he chains punches together incredibly well, throwing brutal hooks to the head and body with extreme prejudice.

He’s got incredible punching power for a smaller fighter but more to the point, his chin is sturdy too and I can’t remember him being really hurt, let alone knocked down.

Sandhagen is definitely dangerous but judging by his footage he’s primarily a striker himself, and while he does have some ground skills, it’s not like Lineker is terrible on the ground or anything like that, and he’s tricky to take down, too.

In the end I just can’t see Sandhagen being the guy to outstrike Lineker – he’s good, but is he really going to be better than Dodson or McDonald?

Sandhagen looks tough and so he might last for a couple of rounds, but in the end I think he’ll end up wilting under the power and pressure that ‘Hands of Stone’ brings, and even if he lasts the distance, it’ll be a one-sided decision in favour of the Brazilian.

The Pick: Lineker via unanimous decision