UFC Fight Night 121 takes place tomorrow night in Australia and we’ve got our predictions for all the fights below.
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Main Card:
Fabricio Werdum vs. Marcin Tybura
It’s been an unsettled week for Werdum who was been charged with common assault following an altercation with Colby Covington outside a hotel in Sydney and it’ll be interesting to see if that distraction affects him at all on Saturday night.
Werdum’s striking game has come a long way over the years and he’s now very capable in that regard with solid kicks and punches, but he’ll need to be careful against Tybura who hits hard and though he isn’t the best defensively, is able to withstand a good deal of punishment.
Tybura is also a threat on the mat, but Werdum is on a different level with his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and so I only see there being one winner of that’s where the fight goes.
There’s always a chance Werdum gets caught on the feet here, but generally speaking I think he should edge him in the stand-up while making a bigger impact on the mat to secure a submission victory.
Fabricio Werdum to win by submission in Rd3.
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Bec Rawlings vs. Jessy Rose-Clark
Rawlings is a tough, scrappy customer who likes to go on the offensive, even if it means eating punches along the way, and so far that’s not proven to be a particularly successful strategy given her current 7-6 pro record, including recent back-to-back defeats.
She has a decent chance here to get back to winning ways though since she’s facing a late notice opponent in Rose-Clark, who may have some success with her striking, but will struggle if she’s taken to the mat, leading to a decision victory for the Australian.
Bec Rawlings to win by decision.
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Tim Means vs. Belal Muhammad
Means took this fight on four weeks notice and he’ll provide a stern challenge for Muhammed, who is currently riding back-to-back victories in the UFC.
This is likely to be mostly fought as a stand-up battle and I like Means in that regard as he’s dangerous with all 8 limbs, with his knees and elbows being even more dangerous than his punches and kicks at times.
Muhammed will give him a good fight and might start to turn the screw in the final stages of the bout, but I think the gritty work by Means will have done enough by that stage to establish himself as the winner in the judges minds.
Tim Means to win by decision.
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Jake Matthews vs. Bojan Velickovi
Matthews has yet to live up to his full potential as one of Australia’s best young fighters, but at 23-year-old he still has plenty of time to start laying down a more consistent run of form than his current 4-3 UFC record.
Velickovi is the bigger man and if he can keep this fight standing he can take advantage of Matthews limitations in that regard.
However, Matthews is a natural athlete and will push a hard pace as he constantly looks to get the fight to the floor and put in work with ground and pound and potential submission attempts.
Matthews would like to get a big finish to try to firmly put himself back on the map, but I think he’ll have to make do with a respectable decision win on this occasion.
Jake Matthews to win by decision.
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Daniel Kelly vs. Elias Theodorou
The 40-year-old Kelly has exceeded expectations in the UFC, winning five of his first six fights, but a swift KO loss last time out was a sign that his fortunes might be turning.
The good news for Kelly is that Theodorou is not a knockout specialist, so his chin shouldn’t be under serious threat, but Theodorou is a younger, quicker, more athletic fighter who should be able to outwork the aging Aussie and grind his way to a decision victory.
Elias Theodorou to win by decision.
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Alex Volkanovski vs. Shane Young
Young is getting thrown to the wolves here as he steps in for his UFC debut on a weeks notice in the hopes of undoing rising prospect Volkanovski’s 12-fight winning streak.
Striking and wrestling are strong suits for Volkanovski and that leaves little room for Young to gain a competitive foothold here, with Volkanovski’s aggressive, high-output approach leading to a second round stoppage due to ground and pound.
Alex Volkanovski to win by TKO in Rd2.
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Prelims: (Predicted winners in bold)
Ryan Benoit vs. Ashtan Mokhtarian
Will Brooks vs. Nik Lentz
Anthony Hamilton vs. Adam Wieczorek
Damien Brown vs. Frank Camacho
Fight Pass:
Alex Chambers vs. Nadia Kassem
Jenel Lausa vs. Eric Shelton
Rashad Coulter vs. Tai Tuivasa
