UFC On FOX 29 takes place tomorrow evening in Glendale, Arizona and we’ve got our predictions for all the fights below.
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Main Card (FOX):
Justin Gaethje vs. Dustin Poirier
Fans should get their money’s worth here as both Gaethje and Poirier are a lot of fun to watch and are proven finishers in the Octagon.
Gaethje is one of the most aggressive fighters on the roster, constantly throwing caution to wind as he goes on the offensive, showing little regard for his own well-being, which has actually worked for a surprisingly long time, though it finally caught up to him last time out when he was KO’d by Eddie Alvarez.
Meanwhile, Poirier has a more technical stand-up game and generally is a talented, well-rounded MMA fighter, but that’s not to say he can’t be drawn into a slug-fest if it is presented to him, and unless Gaethje’s chin has significantly degraded due to his last fight I still think he’ll prove to be the more durable fighter in a firefight, leading to a TKO victory here.
Justin Gaethje to win by TKO in Rd3.
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Carlos Condit vs. Alex Oliveira
Condit finds himself facing a late-replacement opponent in Oliveira after Matt Brown pulled out injured a couple of weeks ago, and it’s certainly not an easy match-up for the veteran star as he attempts to get back to winning ways in the Octagon.
Condit looked very rusty last time out after a long layoff and talk of retiring, while his vulnerability to being taken down continues to be a real problem for ‘The Natural Born Killer’, though when he’s on form he’s still a dangerous striker.
Oliveira is coming off a tough loss, but can still mix it up on the feet with Condit and can cause him real problems with takedowns and mat work, so given that Condit seems to be fading as a fighter I’m taking ‘Cowboy’ to get the better him over the course of three rounds.
Alex Oliveira to win by decision.
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Israel Adesanya vs. Marvin Vettori
Adesanya is one of the most exciting strikers to emerge in the UFC in recent times and the kickboxer’s finished record is impressive, with never gone the distance in his unbeaten 12-0 record to date.
Now he’s going up against Italy’s Vettori, who doesn’t have the same hype train behind him, but is a solid fighter who may just have the wrestling capabilities to expose Adesanya’s grappling deficiences.
Adesanya is sure to have his moments in this fight with his flashy techniques, but I think Vettori is durable enough to keep up the pressure and put his opponent on his back and control him for enough of the 15 minut encounter to emerge with the decision win.
Marvin Vettori to win by decision.
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Cortney Casey vs. Michelle Waterson
Waterson hasn’t quite lived up to the promotional push the UFC has given her, suffering defeat in her last two Octagon outings, but she is still a very capable fighter.
She’s small for the weight class though and that’ll be evident in this fight as Casey is the bigger, stronger and harder hitter here and will be looking to bully her in the striking and clinch exchanges.
Waterson will be the quicker, more agile of the two on the feet and can be quite crafty on the mat, but I think Casey will bring the fight to her and battle her way to a win on the scorecards.
Cortney Casey to win by decision.
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Prelims (FOX):
Tim Boetsch vs. Antonio Carlos Junior
Muslim Salikhov vs. Ricky Rainey
John Moraga vs. Wilson Reis
Krzysztof Jotko vs. Brad Tavares
Prelims (UFC Fight Pass):
Matthew Lopez vs. Alejandro Perez
Gilbert Burns vs. Dan Moret
Luke Sanders vs. Patrick Williams
Arjan Bhullar vs. Adam Wieczorek
Dhiego Lima vs. Yushin Okami
Shana Dobson vs. Lauren Mueller
