This weekend’s UFC action will feature a heavyweight showdown between Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis and Aleksei “Boa Constrictor” Oleinik and will take place once again at the UFC’s APEX facility in Las Vegas on August 8, 2020.
Former middleweight champion Chris Weidman finds himself in a doe or die situation here. The All-American faces Omari Akhmedov in a three-rounder. Also in the main card is a quality lightweight bout between Beneil Dariush and Scott Holtzman. But before we get to see the main combatants of the event, UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs Oleinik also has an exciting prelims undercard bout that is full of betting value.
Let’s take a look at the prelims undercard bouts of this weekend’s UFC event:
Tim Means is a former King of Cage lightweight and junior welterweight champion. The 36-year old from New Mexico has been fighting since 2004 and he has also fought for Legacy FC. Dirty Bird has a record of 29-12 with 19 knockouts and five wins via submission. He stands 6-2 tall with a reach of 75 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. Means is 3-5 in his last eight bouts and is coming off a loss to Daniel Rodriguez.
Laureano Starpoli fought in his native Argentina before joining the UFC in 2018. The 27-year old from Buenos Aires is 2-1 inside the UFC and he has an overall record of 9-2 with five knockouts and two wins via submission. This former Police Officer is an orthodox fighter who stands 6-1 tall with a reach of 71 inches. He is coming off a loss to Muslim Salikhov at UFC Fight Night 162.
Dirty Bird has an inch of height and four inches of reach advantage over Staropoli and he has the obvious edge in striking prowess. However, after losing to Daniel Rodriguez, this bout will be a gauge of how much Means has left in him. Staropoli loves to brawl but against a bigger man, it won’t be easy for him. If Staropoli gets going on the feet, Means also has a good wrestling game that will give him confidence. I think Means has enough in the tank to beat Staropoli. I’m taking that plus money here.
PREDICTION: TIM MEANS (+110)
Nasrat Haqparast fought in Germany before joining the UFC in 2017. The 24year old from Hamburg, Germany 3-2 inside the UFC octagon with two of his wins earning post-fight bonuses. Haqparast is 11-3 with nine knockouts. He stands 5-10 tall with a reach of 72 inches and is a southpaw fighter.
Alex Munoz is one of the prospects of Team Alpha Male. This 30-year old appeared in Dana White’s Looking for a Fight Series and was booked to make his Octagon debut last February before suffering an injury. He is 6-0 with two knockouts and one win via submission. The XKO veteran stands 5-9 tall with an undisclosed reach and is a switch-hitter.
Haqparast remains a blue-chip talent who has enough power in his hands to dispatch most fighters in the lightweight division. Munoz has a good wrestling game and he is an effective counter striker. However, I think that Munoz’s best shot here is to smother Haqparast from top control, which won’t be easy. Haqparast’s high-volume offense is going to tire his opponent at some point. He’s going to get a finish here, possibly late in the second round or in round three.
PREDICTION: NASRAT HAQPARAST (-240)
Andrew Sanchez is a former Resurrection Fighting Alliance middleweight champion who defeated Khalil Rountree in The Ultimate Fighter 23 Light Heavyweight tournament. The 32-year old from Belleville, Illinois is 4-3 under the UFC banner. He has a record of 11-5 with five knockouts and two wins via submission. He stands 6-1 tall with a reach of 74 inches and is an orthodox fighter.
Wellington Turman gained popularity after beating “The Joker” at UFC Sao Paulo in November 2019. The 24-year old from Curitiba in Brazil competed for Immortal FC and Brave CF among other promotions. He stands 6-0 tall with a reach of 72 inches and is an orthodox fighter. Turman owns a record of 16-3 with four knockouts and seven wins via submission.
I’ve always liked Sanchez’s skill set. He has powerful hands and quality wrestling and should be a contender even at this level. However, he does not have the cardio to back up his offensive attack and that could be a problem here. Turman loves to go for takedowns and he likes to grind opponents on the way to victory. But Sanchez has a four-inch reach advantage that should allow him to win a striking affair.
PREDICTION: ANDREW SANCHEZ (+130)
Kevin Holland is the former XKO middleweight champion who also competed for Bellator, King of Cage, and Legacy Fighting Alliance. The 27-year old from Riverside, California stands 6-3 tall with a reach of 81 inches and is an orthodox fighter. He has a record of 17-5 with 8 knockouts and six wins via submission. Holland is 4-2 inside the UFC octagon and he is coming off a TKO win over Anthony Hernandez.
Joaquin Buckley has fought for Shamrock FC, Bellator, and Legacy Fighting Alliance. The 26-year old from St. Louis, Missouri is taking this fight on short notice after Trevin Giles was removed from the fight card. Buckley is 5-10 tall and has a reach of 73 inches. His record stands at 10-2 with seven knockouts. In his last bout, Buckley knocked out Jackie Gosh at LFA 87 in the fight that earned him a slot in this weekend’s UFC event.
Holland is light on his feet and he is constantly on the move with his elite boxing skills. He has quick feet, fast hands, and powerful punches that can end the fight at any given moment. He closes the distance well and also does well enough to survive on the canvass. Buckley is a big puncher but he’s at a big size disadvantage here and may not get close enough to land his shots on Holland. Holland has the edge in reach and boxing. There is no way he loses this unless he gets careless and is caught.
PREDICTION: KEVIN HOLLAND (-450)
Gavin Tucker is a former Extreme Cage Combat featherweight champion. This 34-year old Canadian joined the UFC in 2017 and went 1-1 that year. He was hurt and did not fight in 2018 and then returned to submit Seung Woo Choi at UFC 240. Tucker is is a southpaw who stands 5-6 tall with a reach of 66 inches. He has a record of 11-1 with four knockouts and five wins via submission.
Justin Jaynes fought in the regional scene and amassed a 15-4 record. Then he took a short-notice fight against Frank Camacho last June. He won the bout by first-round knockout and now he’s taking a short notice fight against Gavin Tucker. Jaynes stands 5-7 tall with a reach of 68 inches and is an orthodox fighter. He has a record of 16-4 with 8 knockouts and five wins via submission.
This will be Tucker’s first bout in nearly two years and ring rust could be an issue here. However, Jaynes has spent his entire career fighting around the 145-170 pound divisions. He is entering unfamiliar territory at this weight class. Tucker has the edge in experience and he is also the better man on the feet plus he can handle himself well on the mat. I think everything points to Tucker winning this bout on points.
PREDICTION: GAVIN TUCKER (-135)
Youssef Zalal has spent most of his career fighting for Legacy Fighting Alliance. This 23-year old from Colorado is known as the Moroccan Devil. He joined the UFC this year and has fought already twice and is 2-0 inside the octagon. He is coming off a win over Justin Griffin at UFC on ESPN 12: Hooker vs Poirier last June 27, 2020. Zalal is a switch hitter who stands 5-10 tall with a reach of 72 inches. He owns a record of 9-2 with two knockouts and five wins via submission.
Peter Barrett is a veteran of Cage Titans FC and CES MMA. He earned his UFC contract after defeating Sang-Hoon Yoo at Dana White’s Contender Series Season 3 and this will be his first UFC bout after his debut was canceled due to the pandemic. Barrett is a southpaw who stands 5-10 tall with a reach of 73 inches. He is 11-3 with seven knockouts and two wins via submission.
Barnett went unbeaten in his first eight fights before dropping three of four. He has good power with seven knockouts but is coming off a nearly one-year layoff here. Zalal has been impressive so far in his early UFC career, and I think he has the better striking here. Barrett doesn’t have good takedown defense so Zalal can take this fight to the ground if necessary. I can’t think of how Barrett wins this except if he gets lucky to land a knockout shot. I’ll eat the chalk with Zalal.
PREDICTION: YOUSSEF ZALAL (-400)
Irwin Rivera fought for Fight Time, LFC, Combate Americas, and Titan FC before joining the UFC in this year. The 31-year old New Yorker stands 5-6 tall and is a southpaw. Rivera has a record of 9-5 with five knockouts and one win via submission. He lost to Giga Chikdaze in his UFC debut last May 16, 2020.
Ali Qaisi is a veteran of Phoenix FC, Desert Force, and Brave CF. The 29-year old from Amman, Jordan is an orthodox fighter who stands 5-8 tall. He has a record of 8-3 with one knockout and three wins via submission. This will be Qaisi’s first fight under the UFC.
Al Qaisi doesn’t have great footwork and he just walks around, waiting for the opportunity to shoot for a takedown. That isn’t going to work against Rivera who is a good scrambler and who can dictate the pace of the fight if it stays up. Qaisi though is two inches taller and that makes him an interesting pick. However, Rivera’s cardio, power, and ability to escape dangerous patches make him the pick here.
PREDICTION: IRWIN RIVERA (-185)
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
