UFC Fight Night 94 takes place tomorrow night in Texas and we’ve got our predictions for all the fights for you below.
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Main Card:
Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Johnson
It may now be the most glamorous main event, but Poirier Vs Johnson is a very competitive match-up between two quality lightweights, who should produce an entertaining battle.
Poirier has always been a fighter with a great deal of potential and he’s been realizing it since moving up to lightweight with four wins in a row so far, while Johnson was in a similar run of form not so long ago, but has been defeated in his last two fights.
Poirier the more well-rounded of the two fighters and in particular he’s developed into an accomplished striker who seems to have more power now that he’s at 155lbs, which adds extra intent behind his combination striking and offensive approach.
Johnson’s striking has improved as well during his UFC tenure and he puts together fundamental combinations of punches and kicks nicely, though he’s not as much of a finisher as his opponent and while he has good speed, he lacks Poirier’s flair and creativity.
On the mat Poirier is definitely the more dangerous of the two, and will seek to finish with both strikes and submissions. Johnson does have solid wrestling though, so he’d be wise to use that defensively to keep the fight standing.
This is a close fight, but I do think that Poirier is more talented overall and has more routes to victory than Johnson. Poirier flows well between striking and grappling and I think that will lead to takedown opportunities later in the fight, with Poirier locking up a submission finish at some stage in the later rounds.
Dustin Poirier to win by submission in Rd4.
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Uriah Hall vs. Derek Brunson
It’s always tricky predicting a Uriah Hall fight since he can be so inconsistent, showing flashes of striking brilliance at times, mixed in with frustrating spells where he just looks uninspired and can’t pull the trigger.
To be fair to him, he has been showing some signs of getting his act together, but his chances to shine may be limited in this fight, since Brunson will be aggressively coming at him looking for clinch and takedown opportunities.
It only takes the smallest of windows for Hall to land a strike that changes the whole complexion of a fight, and Brunson is definitely hittable, so it’d be foolish to overlook him here, but the more likely scenario is that the wrestler is able to consistently close the distance and put Hall in positions where he’s not comfortable, leading to a decision victory.
Derek Brunson to win by decision.
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Evan Dunham Vs Rick Glenn
Glenn steps in on short notice to replace the injured Abel Trujillo against Evan Dunham, and that’s a tough first crack of the whip for him on the sport’s biggest stage.
That being said, Glenn is not your average late replacement as he’s a former World Series Of Fighting champion who has only lost once in his last 17 fights.
This one should be fairly evenly contested on the feet, with Glenn enjoying a height and reach advantage, which he’ll take advantage of, but Dunham can hold his own with his solid boxing and holds a significant edge in his wrestling that could well be the key factor in enabling to emerge with a late TKO stoppage on the mat.
Evan Dunham to win by TKO in Rd3.
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Chas Skelly vs. Maximo Blanco
Blanco can be a lot of fun to watch and is a very capable fighter, but his 4-4 record in the UFC to date highlights the fact that he’s just not lived up to his potential.
Blanco just seems to veer too often between recklessness and carelessness and so in a match-up with someone like Skelly, who’s not as dangerous, but is more consistent and fully committed to his grinding approach, it’s hard to pick him to emerge victorious, even if it is entirely possible that he does so.
Chas Skelly to win by decision.
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Roan Carneiro vs. Kenny Robertson
Robertson has the edge in both striking and wrestling in this main card welterweight match-up, while Carneiro is the more accomplished BJJ player.
Based on that alone Robertson feels like the safer pick, especially since he’s no stranger to delivering submission finishes himself, but the fact that he’s been on the sidelines for over a year is a concern.
Nonetheless, I think Robertson will force Carneiro into stand-up exchanges that he gets the better of, with a stoppage being a possibility, but a competitive decision being more likely.
Kenny Robertson to win by decision.
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Chris Wade vs. Islam Makhachev
Two promising up and comers on display here, though both are actually coming off a loss last time out.
Generally Wade’s wrestling would serve him well, but in this match-up he may well come off second best and so he may have better success in the striking department.
However, decorated Sambo specialist Makhachev’s relentless pursuit of the takedown and stifling control on top when he does get the fight to the mat should win out here, and earn him a decision win.
Islam Makhachev to win by decision.
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Prelims: (Predicted winners in bold)
Gabriel Benitez vs. Sam Sicilia
Jose Quinonez vs. Joey Gomez
Alejandro Perez vs. Albert Morales
Augusto Montano vs. Belal Muhammad
