UFC Fight Night 129 takes place tomorrow night in Chile and you can see our predictions for all the fights below.
Main Card (Fox Sports 1)
Demian Maia vs. Kamaru Usman
Maia is one of MMA’s finest ever BJJ players and he’s still a danger for anybody on the mat, but a major issue he’s struggled to overcome is being able to get strong, dynamic wrestler to the ground in the first place.
That could be a real problem here as Usman fits that mould perfectly, and though his seven fight winning streak in the UFC hasn’t included the biggest names in the division, he certainly looks like he has the ability to compete with that caliber of opposition.
Usman is also younger, more athletic and can certainly hold his own in the striking department, so I think there’s a good chance that this will be his time to shine on the big stage, as he takes out a tiring Maia in the fourth round.
Kamaru Usman by TKO in Rd4.
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Alexa Grasso vs. Tatiana Suarez
Two promising prospects here, though Grasso’s hype train has slowed somewhat since joining the UFC and not proving to be quite the runaway success that was anticipated.
she might find the going tough here too as former TUF winner Suarez is a strong wrestler who won’t be easily deterred from moving in close to find opportunities to bring the fight to the mat.
Grasso has good footwork and can put punches together from range, but I think Suarez will be able to walk her down and use her grappling to control the fight on the ground to secure a decision victory.
Tatiana Suarez to win by decision.
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Jared Cannonier vs. Dominick Reyes
Two hard-hitting 205lb’ers on show here, with Reyes in particular having notched up some serious highlight reel finishes in his undefeated 8-0 career to date.
Cannonier is a solid striker in his own right, but he has struggled against a higher level of opposition.
Reyes now faces the same test, moving up a level talent-wise and I think he will prove to be up to the challenge here, with his power being the difference maker in a competitive striking battle, leading to a second round TKO finish.
Dominick Reyes to win by TKO in Rd2.
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Andrea Lee vs. Veronica Macedo
There’s been a buzz around Lee for a while now and she’s finally making her UFC debut tomorrow night against Macedo.
Lee has a strong muay thai background and has also proven to be a finishing threat on the floor with submissions too during her MMA career to date.
Macedo comes from a karate base and likes to go for eye-catching kicks and spinning attacks, and she may look to work submissions of her back if taken down, but she’s been out of action for the best part of two years and so I like ‘KGB’ Lee to produce the better offense and win this one with a late submission stoppage.
Andrea Lee wins by submission in Rd3.
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Guido Cannetti vs. Diego Rivas
Rivas gets a main card spot thanks to the fact that he actually comes from Chile, going up against the 38-year-old Argentian Cannetti, who has so far mustered only one win from his three UFC outings.
Cannetti will put up good numbers in terms of striking output in the early going, but I think he’ll struggle to maintain that, while his submission defense is also suspect.
The younger Rivas should establish himself as the harder puncher and I fancy him to be able to continue to do that down the stretch, cheered on by the Chilean support, to eek out a win on the scorecards.
Diego Rivas to win by decision.
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Chad Laprise vs. Vicente Luque
The main card opener should be a fun one, with both Laprise and Luque having put up strong finishinig records in their recent Octagon outings.
I expect Luque to be a bit more aggressive on the feet and he has a solid submission record, but Laprise isn’t easy to break down and I think he can prove to be the more consistent, methodical fighter over the course of the fight to claim a decision win.
Chad Laprise to win by decision.
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Prelims (Fox Sports 2)
Zak Cummings vs. Michel Prazeres
Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja
Poliana Botelho vs. Syuri Kondo
Gabriel Benitez vs. Humberto Bandenay
Prelims (UFC Fight Pass)
Enrique Barzola vs. Brandon Davis
Henry Briones vs. Frankie Saenz
Claudio Puelles vs. Felipe Silva
