UFC fight Night 42 takes place this Saturday night in Alberquerque, New Mexico and we’ve got our predictions for all the fights below.
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Main Card:
Ben Henderson vs. Rustam Khabilov
Intriguing fight here to lead the card. Khabilov has been dominant so far in his appearances inside the Octagon as he suplexes his way up the ranks, but while former champion Henderson might tend to find himself in closer fights, he’s proven to have a knack for emerging the victor.
While he’s a takedown specialist and excellent wrestler, Khabilov also has good striking, while Henderson is well rounded in all aspects of the game and has excellent cardio and the experience that comes from having fought five rounds multiple times.
This really is a fight that could go either way, but Henderson’s unbreakable will and cardio together with being a good wrestler himself swings it ever so slightly in his favor here given that this is a five round encounter.
Ben Henderson to win by decision.
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Ross Pearson vs. Diego Sanchez
This is a card filled with interesting match-ups, and the co-main event is another one, especially considereding that Sanchez is fighting on his home patch here. The mind boggles at how amped up he’s likely to be for this encounter!
It could lead to him fighting even more recklessly than normal though, and while Pearson may struggle to match the pace he sets, he could take advantages of the holes that Sanchez leaves with his cleaner, more technical striking.
While Pearson is capable on the ground, Sanchez is better with good wrestling and BJJ, but I’m not convinced this will be the time he opts to demonstrate this underutilized aspect of his game. That could prove to be his downfall and I’m picking Pearson to outstrike him to earn a hard fought decision win.
Ross Pearson to win by decision.
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John Dodson vs. John Moraga
This should be a fun striking battle between two skilled flyweight fighters.
However, while Moraga is good on his feet, Dodson is great and has more speed, power and versatility on his side, while his excellent takedown defense should shut down any hopes of Moraga taking him to the mat.
I think this will be a good fight for Dodson to showcase his skills and I think he gets a stoppage victory via strikes here.
John Dodson to win by TKO in Rd2.
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Rafael dos Anjos vs. Jason High
A battle of the ground specialists here and for my money dos Anjos is the better of the two in terms of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and also has the superior stand-up.
Dos Anjos has also proved himself against a higher level of competition over the course of his career, while High has faltered at times and I think the Brazilian will be the better man on the night and find a submission finish in the final round.
Rafael dos Anjos to win by submission in Rd3.
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Yves Edwards vs. Piotr Hallmann
While Edwards technically had a no-contest in his last fight due to his opponent failing a drugs test, the reality is that he got KO’d and is now on a three fight losing streak which doesn’t inspire confidence in the 37 year-old veteran heading into this fight.
Hallman lost his last fight by decision, but he still looks to have promise and is the younger, fresher fighter here. I don’t think he’ll be able to finish Edwards, but I think he can outgrapple him to a win on the scorecards.
Piotr Hallman to win by decision.
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Bryan Caraway vs. Erik Perez
Perez is a fun fighter to watch and appears to be becoming more well-rounded as time goes on which bodes well for his future in the UFC.
For the time being he’s still at his most dangerous on the feet though and that’s where he has the best chance of beating Caraway. However, Caraway more than likely won’t be looking to fight him there, instead opting to use his wrestling to try to wear down his opponent on the mat and potentially look for a submission finish.
I think Perez is crafty enough to avoid being tapped out, but I think he might be spending a fair amount of this bout on his back and won’t have enough opportunities on the feet to swing the fight in his favor.
Bryan Caraway to win by decision.
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Prelims:
Yaotzin Meza vs. Sergio Pettis
Lance Benoist vs. Bobby Voelker
Scott Jorgensen vs. Danny Martinez
Jake Lindsey vs. Jon Tuck
Patrick Cummins vs. Roger Narvaez
