The UFC heads to the PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. on Saturday, January 26, 2020, for UFC Fight Night 166 or UFC on ESPN + 24.
The event will be headlined by a heavyweight showdown between Curtis Blaydes and Junior Dos Santos in a match that will feature elite wrestling vs elite boxing. Welterweights Rafael Dos Anjos and Michael Chiesa will also clash in the undercard while Jordan Espinosa and Alex Perez square off in a flyweight clash.
The prelims undercard fights are also packed with terrific fights and we have covered some of them for you. Take a quick look at the key prelims fights as we preview them for your MMA betting consumption.
Montel Jackson started his MMA career in the Pacific Northwest regional scene where he put up a record of 6-0 before he was signed by the UFC. In 2018, he appeared in the Dana White Tuesday Night Contender Series where he picked up a TKO win. He lost to Ricky Simon in his UFC debut but has picked up back to back wins over Brian Kelleher and Andre Soukhamthath. Jackson stands 5-10 with a reach of 75 ½ inches while fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He has a record of 8-1 with 5 knockouts and one submission.
Felipe Colares started his career with a perfect 7-0 record including three consecutive wins at the Jungle Fighting Championships. In 2017, he became the Jungle Fighting Championship bantamweight champion with a win over Caio Gregorio. He joined the UFC next and lost to Geraldo de Freitas in his UFC debut. Colares then defeated “Contender Series” veteran Domingo Pilarte on points.
Jackson is one of the top prospects in the UFC and he is a very gifted fighter. Against Colares, he has a huge advantage in striking and is the more superior wrestler. Colares’ best chance here is to take this fight to the ground and pound Jackson from top position but Jackson is an elite wrestler and that’s going to be a problem. Likewise, Jackson hits harder and Colares doesn’t have the firepower to respond nor does he have skills to avoid getting hit. I think this one ends in a quick stoppage.
PREDICTION: MONTEL JACKSON
Sara McMann is a former Olympic wrestler and the first American female wrestler to win a medal after she bagged a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. The 39-year old from Takoma Park in Maryland, USA stands 5-6 with a reach of 66 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. She has a record of 11-5 with one knockout and five wins by submission. McMann has lost back to back fights and is coming off a submission loss against Marion Reneau.
Lansberg is known as the “Elbow Queen”. The 37-year-old was knocked out by Cris Cyborg in her UFC debut but since then, she has won four out of her last six bouts with here two losses coming at the hands of Aspen Ladd and Yana Kunitskaya. The Swedish fighter is currently ranked 11th in the UFC women’s bantamweight rankings and she stands 5-7 tall with a reach of 65 inches while fighting with a Muay Thai and Kickboxing style. She has a record of 10-4 with four knockout wins.
The “Elbow Queen” is the taller fighter here but she gives up half an inch when it comes to reach. Lansberg shut down Macy Chiasson’s takedown offense but she had a hard time when Aspen Ladd and Yana Kunitskaya dragged her down to the mat. As for McMann, she has knockout power and world-class wrestling. However, she often gets into uncomfortable positions on the mat and has been forced to tap out several times. Luckily, Lansberg isn’t a submission threat and I expect McMann to drag Lansberg down and turn this into an ugly contest on the ground.
PREDICTION: SARA MCMANN
Justine Kish was a former Muay Thai champion and competed in the UFC strawweight division. She appeared in the 20th edition of The Ultimate Fighter but was forced out of the competition due to injury. She defeated Nina Asaroff in her UFC debut in 2016 and has a record of 6-2 with two wins by submission. Kish stands 5-5 with a reach of 64 inches and is a southpaw fighter. In her last bout, Kish lost via split decision to Ji Yeon Kim.
Lucie Pudilova is the former Gladiator Championship Fighting bantamweight champion who signed with the UFC in 2017. The 25-year old Czech stands 5-8 tall and has a reach of 67.4 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. She has a record of 8-5 with two knockouts and two wins by submission. Pudilova has lost three straight UFC bouts and she heads to this matchup after a submission loss to Antonina Shevchenko last August 2019.
Kish isn’t very technically skilled and she relies mostly on her size and strength to win bouts. She struggled with her weight and moved up to 125 pounds but I’m not sure if her strengths are going to work in a higher weight class. While Pudilova isn’t bull strong, she has held her own against the bantamweights and Kish should be able to bully her. Kish’s best chance here is to bull rush and overwhelm Pudilova which I think she can’t do. Pudilova will be more than willing to trade punches and her technique plus natural size are going to carry her to a win.
PREDICTION: LUCIE PUDILOVA
Arnold Allen started in Britain’s regional promotions before fighting for Cage Warriors. He signed with the UFC in 2015 and has won six consecutive bouts under the world’s top promotion. The former M4TC lightweight champion has a couple of post-fight bonuses in the UFC and is coming off a win over Gilbert Melendez. Allen is 15-1 with five knockouts and four wins by submission. He stands 5-8 tall and has a reach of 70 inches.
Nik Lentz fought for EFX and Brutal Fight Night before heading to the UFC in 2009. The 35-year old from El Paso, Texas stands 5-8 tall and has a reach of 68 inches. Lentz has NCAA Division I wrestling background and has a record of 30-10-2-1 with 11 knockouts and 8 submissions. Lentz was booked to fight Nad Narimani but the latter pulled out due to injury. Lentz has won just half of his last six bouts and is coming off a second-round TKO loss versus Charles Oliveira.
Allen’s difficult bouts came against opponents who were skilled grapplers. His takedown defense isn’t that good so if Lentz could take advantage, this could very well turn out to be an interesting match. However, Allen is taller, rangier and seems to have the confidence to take out a veteran opponent. Lentz will likely try to put Allen on his back as much as he can but every fight begins on the feet and Lentz isn’t difficult to hit. Expect Allen to take advantage of that and win this fight via decision.
PREDICTION: ARNOLD ALLEN
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