UFC Fight Night 150 takes place on Saturday night in Florida and you can check out our predictions for all the fights below.
Main Card
Ronaldo Souza vs. Jack Hermansson
Hermansson might not have the high-profile of Yoel Romero, who he replaced on just a few weeks notice, but he is in fine form at this moment in time with three wins in a row under his belt.
This is a tough test though as Hermansson’s at his best on top on the mat landing big ground and pound, but that’s going to be hard to accomplish against a ground specialist like ‘Jacare’, whose elite level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu could quickly put his opponent in serious danger.
That being said, Hermansson is no slouch on the feet and may well look to test the 39-year-old Souza there, but though the Brazilian may no longer be in his absolute prime, he’s still a good striker too and has improved over time, so I fancy him to be able to be able to mix things up here and emerge with a second round submission victory.
Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza wins by submission in Rd2.
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Greg Hardy vs. Dmitrii Smoliakov
The UFC and ESPN seem eager to continue to push former NFL troublemaker Hardy despite his chequered past and disastrous Octagon debut earlier in the year, so he gets the co-main event spot on the card.
Smoliakov is about as underwhelming an opponent as they could muster for him, holding two losses in his UFC record and having been out of action for the past two years other than a warm-up fight on the regional circuit.
Smoliakov is probably a bit more versatile than Hardy at this stage in their career’s and interestingly he has been hinting that he might have given Hardy a tough time when the trained together in the past.
Hardy’s cardio is suspect if the fight goes long, but these are two fighters who are used to finishing fights quickly and so it’s likely they are going to throw down early and I favor Hardy’s big knockout power to bring home an early victory here.
Greg Hardy wins by KO in Rd1.
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Alex Oliveira vs. Mike Perry
This should be an entertaining one with Oliveira and Perry being the kind of fighters who will be looking to engage early and often.
Perry is the heavier handed of the two and is very durable, but Oliveira will have a significant 5.5″ reach advantage and is the more versatile striker.
In general ‘Cowboy’ is also the more well-rounded martial artist and that could well be a key factor here as he works well in the clinch and could make life very uncomfortable for Perry if he also works for takedowns too.
Perry always has a chance if Oliveira just tries to slug it out with him, but by using his full range of skills Oliveira should be able to get the better of the action and come away with a decision victory.
Alex Oliveira wins by decision.
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Glover Teixeira vs. Ion Cutelaba
Teixeira’s mix of striking and wrestling together with his durability has always made him a tough customer to deal with in the UFC’s 205lb division, but at 39-years-old there’s been clear signs that he’s starting to decline in recent fights.
The Brazilian is clearly slowing down as age catches up with him and given that his chin has also diminished that’s a troubling combination.
That could pose problems for him in this fight as Cutelaba certainly had the power to put him away, and coming from a sambo and judo background he’s not out of his depth in other aspects of MMA either.
Teixeira can still crack and he may well lean more heavily on his wrestling here to try to eek out a victory, but I think Cutelaba’s speed advantage coupled with his offensive, hard-hitting style will lead him to a TKO stoppage in the opening round here.
Ion Cutelaba wins by TKO in Rd1.
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John Lineker vs. Cory Sandhagen
Lineker brings his ‘Hands Of Stone’ back into battle after a year layoff against a notable rising prospect in Sandhagen, who is on a three-fight winning streak.
Sandhagen has distinct physical advantages here, being 8″ taller than Lineker, though the reach advantage is actually only 3″, though it might actually be on the mat that he could have more success here as he should have the edge there.
On the feet he’ll likely have a hard time keeping Lineker at bay given that the Brazilian is willing to rely on his strong chin as he wades into range and uncorks big power punches.
Perhaps Sandhagen’s movement will make life difficult for Lineker, but I just think he’s going to find himself outgunned here and get finished inside of 10 minutes.
John Lineker wins by TKO in Rd2.
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Roosevelt Roberts vs. Thomas Gifford
Roberts caught the attention of Dana White during his Contender Series and he’s now looking for his second win inside the Octagon to date.
Roberts is tall for a lightweight at 6ft 1″, but as it happens Gifford matches up with him physically almost exactly.
Skill wise though I feel Roberts should hold most of the aces here. Gifford is a decent fighter, but I’d expect Roberts to be the strong in the clinch and on the mat. Gifford does have good submission, but at the same time he’s much weaker defensively in that regard and I can see Roberts tapping him out by the second round here.
Roosevelt Roberts wins by submission in Rd2.
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Prelims (Predicted winners in bold)
Ben Saunders vs. Takashi Sato
Andrei Arlovski vs. Augusto Sakai
Carla Esparza vs. Virna Jandiroba
Gilbert Burns vs. Mike Davis
Early Prelims
Jim Miller vs. Jason Gonzalez
Angela Hill vs. Jodie Esquibel
Court McGee vs. Dhiego Lima
