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

#7 The Prelims: ESPN card

Veteran Ben Saunders headlines the prelim card

In a baffling move, the top half of the preliminary card for this show is set to be broadcast on the ESPN network, while the main card is instead on the ESPN+ streaming service. Doesn’t matter for a UK fan like myself, but it still doesn’t make a lot of sense!

At the top of the prelim card we’ve got a Welterweight match between Ben Saunders and Takashi Sato. Saunders is one of the longest-standing UFC veterans on this card – his first stint there began back in 2007 and he’s got 18 Octagon bouts to his name – while Sato, a veteran of Pancrase, is making his UFC debut.

I’ve always liked Saunders but I worry about him here; his durability seems largely shot at this stage and Sato appears to hit hard. Saunders could pull off a submission I guess, but I think this ends badly for him and I’m going with Sato via TKO.

At Heavyweight, former UFC champ Andrei Arlovski takes on prospect Augusto Sakai. After righting the ship somewhat in 2018 with a couple of wins, Arlovski has been back on a slide recently, losing three in a row – although he hasn’t been finished at least.

Sakai made a successful UFC debut last year by taking out Chase Sherman, but this is a big step up for him. Sakai might be able to catch Arlovski with something heavy, but I actually think Andrei’s wrestling can take him to a decision here.

Another former UFC champion returns at Strawweight, as Carla Esparza faces newcomer Virna Jandiroba. Jandiroba – the current Invicta champion at Strawweight – is unbeaten at 14-0 and definitely looks skilled, but this is a huge step up for her, particularly as she’s taking the fight on late notice as a replacement for Livinha Souza.

Esparza might be on a two-fight slide, but she probably should’ve been given the nod against Claudia Gadelha, and Tatiana Suarez might be the worst match for her in the whole division. I like Esparza to outgrapple the newcomer for a decision in this one.

At Lightweight, Gilbert Burns takes on late replacement Mike Davis after Eric Wisely withdrew with an injury just days ago. Burns has never quite lived up to the early promise he showed, but I can’t see a late replacement who’s 6-1 and hasn’t fought anyone on that level causing him too many problems. I like Burns via first round submission here.