UFC Fight Night 33 takes place in Australia tomorrow night and we’ve got our predictions for all the fights below.
—
Main Card:
Mark Hunt vs. Antonio Silva
Hunt’s got the bigger power and better chin of the two, so Silva would be wise to avoid getting into stand-up exchanges with him even though he has the size and reach advantage.
‘Bigfoot’ has a distinct advantage on the mat however, and while Hunt has shown some improvements defensively on the mat, I think the Brazilian will prove to be too much for him to handle there and will force him to tap.
Antonio Silva to win by submission in Rd1.
—
Mauricio Rua vs. James Te Huna
‘Shogun’s form has been a bit patchy of late, but all his losses have come against high level opponents. On paper Te Huna isn’t quite on that level, though his work rate and toughness could offer the former champion some problems if he’s not well prepared.
I do still think this is the kind of fight that ‘Shogun’ should be able to win though and I think he’ll get the better of the stand-up action to claim a TKO victory here during a hard-hitting first round.
Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua to win by TKO in Rd1.
—
Ryan Bader vs. Anthony Perosh
The grizzled veteran, Perosh has had a couple of surprising wins during his time in the UFC so far, but even with the hometown support behind him I don’t think he’s likely to produce another one against Bader.
From what we’ve seen from Bader this far he’s never likely to be a title contender, but he’s still the kind of guy that’s good enough to ply his trade in and around the mid to upper reaches of the 205lb weight class. He’s stronger, hits harder and has better wrestling than Perosh and I think he stops him inside the distance.
Ryan Bader to win by KO in Rd2.
—
Pat Barry vs. Soa Palelei
In a straight-up striking encounter Pat Barry should have a notable advantage here despite his size disadvantage. On the other hand, if it goes to the mat then Palelei will be the better off of the two and should be able to control the action as Barry’s still far from the complete article there.
Palelei was far from convincing in his debut, and while Barry can sometimes make mistakes and underperfom, I think he can wear him down with his kicks and then as he begins to tire in the second, finish him with punches.
Pat Barry to win by TKO in Rd2.
—
Dylan Andrews vs. Clint Hester
This is is a fight between two former TUF 17 competitors, with Hester’s pro boxing experience making him a genuine threat on the feet, while Andrews has the more well-rounded game of the two.
This could prove to be a close one, but I’ll take Andrews to just edge Hester out in a decision thanks to a little more variety in his offense, mixing in the occasional takedown with stand-up exchanges, and the fact he has the home advantage.
Dylan Andrews to win by decision.
—
Prelims:
Julie Kedzie vs. Bethe Correia
Takeya Mizugaki vs. Nam Phan
Nick Ring vs. Caio Magalhaes
Richie Vaculik vs. Justin Scoggins
Bruno Santos vs. Krzysztof Jotko
Ben Wall vs. Alex Garcia
