UFC Predictions: UFC 256: Figueiredo vs. Moreno Predictions and Picks

#7 The Prelims: UFC on ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass card

Billy Quarantillo headlines this weekend's early prelims.

Five prelims will also be aired on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass, and at the top of this portion sits a Featherweight clash between Gavin Tucker and Billy Quarantillo.

A well-rounded fighter, Quarantillo has thus far looked fantastic in the UFC. He’s gone 3-0 and has shown skills in all areas while also showing insane toughness in his brawl with Spike Carlyle, one of the better fights of 2020.

Tucker, meanwhile, has fought four times in the UFC since he arrived in 2017. He’s 3-1 and has taken out his last two opponents via submission. Despite Tucker having well-rounded skills, I like Quarantillo here. I think he’s slightly superior in all areas, and we know he’s more than willing to push a torrid pace. Quarantillo via decision is my pick.

In the Heavyweight division, Sergey Spivak faces Jared Vanderaa. This will be Vanderaa’s UFC debut after impressing on Dana White’s Contender Series. He appears to be just what you’d expect coming off that show – somewhat sloppy, but a finisher nonetheless.

Meanwhile, Spivak has done far better than his initial UFC appearance – a loss to Walt Harris – as he’s submitted Tai Tuivasa and outworked Carlos Felipe in his last outing.

For me, this one smacks of the kind of fight that Spivak can win. Vanderaa has a number of submission losses to his name and doesn’t look like the kind of explosive fighter who could get Spivak out quickly. Therefore, I’m taking Spivak via submission.

In the Middleweight division, Karl Roberson faces Dalcha Lungiambula. This will be Lungiambula’s debut at 185lbs, and if he can make the weight, he should be huge in his new weight class. A native of South Africa, Lungiambula is an insanely good athlete, and he’s 1-1 in the UFC, with his loss coming to the outstanding Magomed Ankalaev.

Meanwhile, Roberson is a kickboxer of some regard, but despite going 4-3 in the UFC, there are questions around him, particularly over his ground game. So with that in mind, I think Lungiambula can follow Marvin Vettori’s gameplan and ground Baby K to beat him down, probably for a decision.

At Welterweight, China’s Li Jingliang takes on Dwight Grant. Li hasn’t fought in the UFC since February, when he picked up his first loss in two years against Neil Magny. At his best, The Leech is a fantastic pressure fighter with skills in all areas, even if he’s not really beaten a true top-level opponent.

Meanwhile, Grant was last seen in a KO loss to Daniel Rodriguez, and overall he’s 2-2 in the UFC. Despite Li’s layoff, there’s basically nothing to suggest Grant can beat him here. I think The Leech is better in all areas and should comfortably outwork him for a late TKO.

Finally, in the Featherweight division, Chase Hooper squares off with Peter Barrett. Hooper – one of the UFC’s youngest ever fighters – impressed in his UFC debut but was then outworked by veteran Alex Caceres in his second outing.

Barrett has more experience than Hooper, but he isn’t the hardened veteran that Caceres is. He was also comfortably beaten in his own UFC debut. With that in mind, I’m going with Hooper via submission in this one.