UFC On FOX 25 takes place this Saturday night in Long Island, New York and we’ve got all our predictions for the fights below.
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Main Card:
Chris Weidman vs. Kelvin Gastelum
A young, hungry, rising star like Gastelum seems like just the kind of fighter Weidman wouldn’t want to be facing right now as he tries to get back on track after suffering three tough losses in a row via strikes.
Gastelum might not be the biggest middleweight around, but he’s quick, endlessly energetic, hits hard in a calcualated, consistent fashion, can take a punch and is well-rounded.
Weidman has a very good all-round skill set too, but he’ll struggle to match Gastelum’s pace and cardio over the course of five rounds and a series of T/KO losses can’t have been good for his chin or his confidence.
I can see this being a competitive battle in the early rounds, but Gastelum’s continual forward pressure and superior gas tank will wear on Weidman in the championship rounds, leading to an eventual TKO stoppage.
Kelvin Gastelum to win by TKO in Rd4.
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Dennis Bermudez vs. Darren Elkins
Elkins is currently enjoying the best form of his career, having strung together four victories in a row inside the Octagon, while Bermudez is coming off a KO loss last time out.
However, Bermudez won’t have too many concerns about meeting a similar fate against Elkins as his opponent is not known for his knockout power. Instead it’s Elkins stifling wrestling and toughness that will pose him the biggest problems tomorrow night.
If Bermudez can keep Elkins at bay and work his strikes then he has a good chance of winning here. He has very good takedown defense and is a capable wrestler himself, so though it won’t be easy by any stretch of the imagine, I’m taking Bermudez to hurt Elkins on the feet, but ultimately have to settle for a decision victory.
Dennis Bermudez to win by decision.
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Gian Villante vs. Patrick Cummins
This is very much a striker vs grappler match-up, and Cummins will be eager to use his wrestling skills to get this fight to the mat sooner rather than later as his chin is decidedly dodgy and Villante is the kind of fighter that will be hunting for it all fight long.
This one really could go either way, with a T/KO for Villante being a real possibility, but I’ll take Cummins to land the takedowns he needs to stifle his opponent’s offensive output and claim a win on the scorecards.
Pat Cummins to win by decision.
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Jimmie Rivera vs. Thomas Almeida
This should be a fun fight between two of the bantamweight division’s best rising stars.
Both men excel in the striking department, with Almedia in particular being a dangerous, dynamic offensive threat with genuine knockout power.
Rivera is not as potent a fight finisher, but he’s a little more sound defensively, is less reckless and can wrestle too when required.
Fighting at a more measured, calculated pace, Rivera could certainly take this fight via decision, but I’ll take a gamble that Almedia’s offensive onslaught pays off and leads to a TKO finish here.
Thomas Almedia to win by TKO in Rd2.
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Prelims:
Lyman Good vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
Rafael Natal vs. Eryk Anders
Frankie Perez vs. Chris Wade
Ryan LaFlare vs. Alex Oliveira
Chase Sherman vs. Damian Grabowski
Kyle Bochniak vs. Jeremy Kennedy
Timothy Johnson vs. Junior Albini
Brian Kelleher vs. Marlon Vera
Shane Burgos vs. Godofredo Pepey
