UFC Fight Night 137 takes place on Saturday night in Brazil and we’ve got our predictions for all the fights below.
Main Card (FOX Sports 1)
Eryk Anders vs. Thiago Santos
Anders comes into this fight on only six days notice and his lack of fight preparation plus a hard weight cut makes this a tough challenge for him.
As such I think Anders will be looking to pace himself here and that could be good news for Santos who is very effective with hard kicks from the outside and is likely to be the more active figher here.
Anders has fight-ending power and Santos is hittable an doesn’t have the best chin, so he can definitely win this fight in the blink of an eye, but overall I think the Brazilian is going to be more active, do more damage and can capitalize on a tiring Anders with a third round TKO stoppage.
Thiago Santos to win by decision.
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Alex Oliveira vs. Carlo Pedersoli Jr
Coming off a win over Carlos Condit, Oliveira may have expected a bigger name opponent than the up and coming Pedersoli this time out, but that doesn’t mean it’s a fight he can coast to victory in.
Pedersoli has only lost once in his 12-fight career and has proven to be a fight-finisher in his career to date with striking being his main forte, while he also offers up a submission threat too.
Oliveira can match him in those regards however, but is also strong in the clinch and has the better wrestling game, and I think his pace and pressure will also stand him in good stead as he fights his way to a third round TKO victory.
Alex Oliveira to win by TKO in Rd3.
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Sam Alvey vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
At the age of 42, Nogueira returns to the Octagon for the first time in two years in an attempt to get back to winning ways after losing two of his past three bouts.
The Nogueira of 10 years ago may well have had a good chance here, but this is a slower, less durable version of the Brazilian star and so he’s going to have to find a way to get Alvey to the mat and use his BJJ to be effective here.
It won’t be easy to get Alvey down though, and the former middleweight is a heavy-hitter who will be looking to land one big punch that cracks Nogueira’s increasingly fragile chin, and I think he’ll do just that and earn himself a second round knockout victory.
Sam Alvey to win by KO in Rd2.
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Renan Barao vs. Andre Ewell
Despite his dominance in the bantamweight division earlier in his career, Barao really has looked like a shadow of his former self in recent years.
Nevertheless, he’s still a big test for the debuting Ewell, who is a tall, rangey fighter that’s proven to be a finisher on the regional circuit, but hasn’t gone up against anyone of ‘The Baron’s’ caliber yet.
Barao is running low on confidence, so if Ewell starts strongly that could get to him, but I do think that the former champ is a far more polished, technically proficient fighter and should be able to outstrike and outgrapple him en-route to a second round submission victory.
Renan Barao to win by submission in Rd2.
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Randa Markos vs. Marina Rodriguez
Markos has had an off-and-on run in the UFC to date and a less than impressive 8-6 record in her MMA career as a whole, but that doesn’t make her a pushover for the newcomer Rodriguez, despite the fact that she wields a perfect 10-0 record to date.
Markos is inconsistent, but she has been fighting against a higher level of opposition and does have a good grappling game, serviceable striking and can blend between the two fairly well.
Rodriguez has so far shown that she’s got good muay thai and that could be an issue for Markos if the entirety of the fight takes place there, but I think Markos will look to mix things up and will prove to be the stronger grappler and emerge with a decision victory.
Randa Markos to win by decision.
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Prelims (FOX Sports 2) [Predicted winners in bold]
Charles Oliveira vs. Christos Giagos
Evan Dunham vs. Francisco Trinaldo
Luis Henrique vs. Ryan Spann
Chase Sherman vs. Augusto Sakai
Prelims (Fight Pass)
Sergio Moraes vs. Ben Saunders
Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Gillian Robertson
Thales Leites vs. Hector Lombard
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Luigi Vendramini
Livia Renata Souza vs. Alex Chambers
