UFC On Fuel TV 9 goes ahead this Saturday in Stockholm, Sweden and we’ve go our predictions for all the fights below.
—
Main Card:
Gegard Mousasi Vs Ilir Latifi
The odds are firmly stacked against latifi here and rightly so. Mousasi is a tough fight for anyone, let alone a UFC newcomer on just a few days notice. If an upset were to arise it’d probably be due to Latifi relying on his wrestling -Mousasi’s biggest weakness.
However, it’s far more likely that Mousasi just uses his technical, precision striking to pick apart the Swede and then finish him either by TKO or submission.
Gegard Mousasi to win by TKO in Rd2.
—
Ryan Couture vs. Ross Pearson
Despite his famous name I don’t see Ryan Couture being as successful as his father. He’s a decent all-rounder, but I’ve always felt like he’s going to hit a ceiling when he competes against fighters of a certain caliber. That theory was almost proven correct in his last fight when he was very lucky to scrape through a controversial decision win over KJ Noons in Strikeforce, and I think Pearson will hammer the point home in convincing fashion with a third round stoppage tomorrow.
Ross Pearson to win by TKO in Rd3.
—
Philip De Fries vs. Matt Mitrione
Big punchers have been De Fries achilles heel so far in the UFC and that sounds the alarm bell for him heading into a fight with another heavy-hitter in Mitrione. We could be looking at a quick finish here, but given that Mitrione is in real need of a win I’ll tip him to pace himself in the opening five minutes and then finish the job by KO in the second.
Matt Mitrione to win by KO in Rd2.
—
Mike Easton vs. Brad Pickett
This should be a pretty competitive fight. Easton is the physical specimen here and has the technique to back it up, but he tends to get into a rut and become overly predictable as fights progress. Pickett’s not as imposing a figure, but he’s still aggressive and likes to mix it up with varied offense and a good work rate. It’s a close one to call, but I like Pickett to have a better gameplan and be more creative to catch the judges eyes and secure a decision win.
Brad Pickett to win by decision.
—
Diego Brandao vs. Pablo Garza
TUF: Brazil winner Brandao is somewhat of a spark plug with aggressive, highly dangerous striking skills and a good ground game. Garza’s got good submissions, but he’ll have a hard time submitting a black belt like Brandao and I see him getting overwhelmed on the feet here.
Diego Brandao to win by TKO in R2.
—
Akira Corassani vs. Robert Peralta
Corassani is always up for a scrap and will get a lift from the Swedish fans, but I’ve not been overly impressed with him thus far. There’s holes in his game and I think Peralta is going to prove to be the better fighter here en-route to a decision win.
Robert Peralta to win by decision.
—
Prelims: (Predicted winners in bold)
Michael Johnson vs. Reza Madadi
Adlan Amagov vs. Chris Spang
Marcus Brimage vs. Conor McGregor
Ben Alloway vs. Ryan LaFlare
Michael Kuiper vs. Tom Lawlor
Papy Abedi vs. Besam Yousef
Adam Cella vs. Tor Troéng
