UFC Fight Night 140 takes place tomorrow night in Argentina and you can check out all our predictions for the fights below.
Main Card (FOX Sports 1)
Neil Magny vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
Two welterweight’s who have been quietly but effectively compiling strong UFC records go up against each other here, with Ponzinibbio in particular having real momentum heading into the fight, racking up six wins in a row.
Magny is a solid all-rounder with a distinct advantage in terms of his height and reach, but he’s not the hardest hitter around and I think he might find it difficult to deter Ponzinibbio, who is the harder hitter and better all-round striker.
Magny does have good wrestling however and could use that to try to grind his opponent down, but I think Ponzinibbio will be able to keep the fight standing for significant periods of the fight and will make good use of those opportunities, eventually leading him to a TKO stoppage.
Santiago Ponzinibbio wins by TKO in Rd3.
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Ricardo Lamas vs. Darren Elkins
Lamas is coming off back-to-back wins here, but I don’t think that neccessarily means the 36-year-old has gone off the boil completely, but he’ll know he has to work hard on Saturday night to get back in the win column as Elkins is not the kind of fighter who will be easily put away.
Elkins durability and resilience is well established by now and he’ll continually press forward and look to clinch and wrestle with Lamas in the hopes of breaking him down.
Lamas is the more skilled fighter here though and should get the better of Elkins on the feet, but he’ll have a hard time putting him away.
Lamas is also well conditioned and while he can be taken down it’s not easy to keep him there, so I feel it’ll be the striking battle that decides this one, with Lamas eventually emerging with a decision victory.
Ricardo Lamas wins by decision.
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Khalil Rountree vs. Johnny Walker
This fight is likely to be won and lost on the feet and Walker will be looking to make an immediate impression as he comes in from Dana White’s Contender Series with a good number of stoppage wins on his resume due to strikes.
Walker stands no less than 6ft 5″ tall and has an impressive 82″ reach, which gives him a considerable physical advantage over Rountree, but his opponent is a hard-hitting kickboxer who won’t be intimidated by the size differential between them.
Rountree can fade as the fight goes on, but he’s very explosive in the early stages of a fight and I think that’s going to prove to be a problem for Walker, leading to a KO stoppage inside the first five minutes.
Khalil Rountree wins by KO in Rd1.
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Guido Cannetti vs. Marlon Vera
These two originally appeared on the TUF: Latin America series and now there paths cross again in the Octagon.
Up until this point it’s Vera who has had the more notable run in the UFC, fighting far more frequently and against a higher level of opposition, picking up a few notable wins along the way.
Vera has a good submission game and I think that will be his key to victory here as Cannetti has been vulnerable to being tapped in the past and I think it’s only a matter of time here before he’s taken down and forced to submit.
Marlon Vera wins by submission in Rd2.
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Cezar Ferreira vs. Ian Heinisch
Heinisch made his mark in the Contender Series and is now thrown into his UFC debut on just a week’s notice against Ferreira.
That’s not likely to overwhelm Heinisch though as he’s got a colorful past, including spending time behind bars for drug trafficking, not to mention the fact that he has an 11-1 record and has a solid wrestling base and throws with plenty of power.
Ferreira is on a good run at the moment though and has combated concerns about his chin by focusing more on his grappling for the last few years, racking up a 5-1 record during that period.
Heinisch can overcommit on the feet and isn’t as strong when put on his back, so I think Ferreira will find opportunities to take him down and seize upon a submission for a second round finish.
Cezer Ferreira wins by submission in Rd2.
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Cynthia Calvillo vs. Poliana Botelho
Calvillo has been out of action for 9 months due to a marijuana suspension and now returns looking to get back to winning ways after losing for the first time in her career last time out.
Bothelo has proven to be a finisher on the feet so far in her MMA run, but it’s still too early to say whether she can continue that against tougher opponents in the UFC.
Calvillo doesn’t possess that kind of finishing power on the feet, but she is improving her striking skills. Nevertheless, it’s her Jiu-Jitsu that really makes her dangerous and I think her relentless pursuit of submissions and natural ability in scrambles will prove to be a headache for Bothelo and result in Calvillo tapping her out inside of ten minutes.
Cynthia Calvillo wins by submision in Rd2.
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Prelims (FOX Sports 1) (Predicted winners in bold)
Michel Prazeres vs. Bartosz Fabinski
Alexandre Pantoja vs. Ulka SasakI
Austin Arnett vs. Humberto Bandenay
Laureano Staropoli vs. Hector Aldana
Prelims (Fight Pass)
Devin Powell vs. Jesus Pinedo
Nad Narimani vs. Anderson dos Santos
