UFC Fight Night 43 Predictions

UFC Fight Night 43 from Auckland, New Zealand is the first of two UFC events this Saturday and we’ve got our predictions for all the fights below and betting on fights can be done via this link.

Main card:

James Te Huna vs. Nate Marquardt

Neither of these two headliners has looked good in their recent defeats inside the Octagon and this could prove to be a do or die occasion for both of them.

Te Huna is a reasonably solid fighter, but not exceptional in any regard. This will be his first fight at middleweight, so we’ll have to see whether that proves to be a good or bad move for him, but he should be all kinds of fired up for this fight with the home fans cheering him on.

Moving back up to middleweight is more than likely a good move for Marquardt, though it’s questionable whether his slump in form was due to dropping down to welterweight, or the fact that it coincided with him voluntarily coming off TRT. His chin also seems to be failing him these days which is troubling, though Te Huna’s coming off a KO loss himself.

It’s difficult to pick either of these two with any confidence at this stage in their careers, but while I think that on his day Marquardt is the better of the two, there’s too many bad omens surrounding him at the moment and I’m going for Te Huna’s power and home town advantage to help him to victory here.

James Te Huna to win by TKO in Rd2.

Soa Palelei vs. Jared Rosholt

Palelei’s 11 fight unbeaten record seems impressive at first glance, but while it shows he’s got a lot of power in his hands and is dangerous on top, he’s barely fought anybody of note.

The same could be said of Rosholt, but he’s got the superior wrestling here and better cardio too which will mean that the longer the fight goes the better it will be for him. Palelei is weak off his back and as long as Rosholt can limit his opportunities to land something big on the feet he’ll be able to grind him down and potentially even notch up a late submission here.

Jared Rosholt to win by submission in Rd3.

Hatsu Hioki vs. Charles Oliveira

Interesting fight here between two fighters who’ve underperformed in the UFC so far, but are both coming off a victory and looking to extend upon that.

I’ve always been a fan of Oliveira, he’s a lot of fun to watch and is dangerous on the feet and particularly on the mat, but he often pays for being too eager to finish fights, leaving himself vulnerable in the process. That’s a real concern against someone of Hioki’s quality as he’s more composed and has the talent to seize on any mistakes or openings in the grappling exchanges.

It’s a tough one to call. Hioki is perhaps the more reliable of the two, but I feel Oliveira will have the edge on the feet and is the more dynamic of the two overall, so I think he can catch the judges eyes attention and eek out a competitive decision victory.

Charles Oliveira to win by decision.

Robert Whittaker vs. Mike Rhodes

Whittaker has struggled to make his mark since winning the TUF Smashes show a couple of years, starting off promisingly enough with two victories, but then slumping to back-to-back defeats.

The UFC has been kind to him here though as he’s been paired up against Rhodes who’s 0-1 in the Octagon so far and on the evidence of that fight he doesn’t have a whole lot for Whittaker who should be more aggressive in the striking exchanges and earn a much needed decision victory here.

Robert Whittaker to win by decision.

Prelims:

Jake Matthews vs. Dashon Johnson
Richie Vaculik vs. Roldan Sangcha-an
Chris Indich vs. Vik Grujic
Neil Magny vs. Rodrigo Goiana de Lima
Dan Hooker vs. Ian Entwistle
Gian Villante vs. Sean O’Connell

Ross launched MMA Insight (previously FightOfTheNight.com) in 2009 as a way to channel his passion for the sport of mixed martial arts. He's since penned countless news stories and live fight reports along with dozens of feature articles as the lead writer for the site, reaching millions of fans in the process.