UFC Fight Night 51 Preliminary Card Predictions
The UFC is back in Brazil, as UFC Fight Night 51 comes live to you on Fight Pass on Saturday. Headlined by Antonio Silva and Andrei Arlovski, the card boasts many native sons who will look to put on a show.
The preliminary predictions for UFC Fight Night 50 were strong, though a controversial decision loss for Chris Camozzi denied me a chance to go undefeated. We will see if we can go for that perfect record this time around.
Without further ado, here are the prelim predictions for UFC Fight Night 50.
2014 Riley's Record: 124-75
Last Event: UFC Fight Night 50 (4-1)
Rani Yahya vs. Johnny Bedford
1 of 5
Kicking off the prelims is a bantamweight rematch, as Brazilian Rani Yahya defends his home turf against American Johnny Bedford.
Bedford is a wrestler who is coming off two controversial fights that have deprived him of wins. After an inadvertent headbutt halted his first contest in Abu Dhabi with Yahya (no-contest), he was knocked out by Cody Gibson in a stoppage that looked quite premature.
He will need to use his wrestling defensively here, as Yahya is a world-class submission fighter. Of his 19 wins, Yahya has secured 15 by submission, using boa constrictor-like squeeze to choke out opponents.
This figures to be a win-or-go-home situation for both men, who are winless in their last couple of bouts. Bedford is superior on the feet and will be able to sprawl on Yahya's shots, thereby taking a decision.
Prediction: Bedford def. Yahya via decision
Paulo Thiago vs. Sean Spencer
2 of 5
Next up are the welterweights, as Brazilian veteran Paulo Thiago looks to right the ship in his native land against American Sean Spencer. Spencer takes the bout after Mike Rhodes and Joe Riggs were forced to withdraw from the bout.
Spencer is a boxer who will need to keep Thiago from shooting on him and putting him on his back. The American will need to incorporate his athleticism and strength to stay out of Thiago's shooting range and implement his technical boxing.
As for Thiago, despite recently signing a new deal with the UFC, one has to assume he is in danger of losing his job if his lack of success continues. He is 1-4 in his last five bouts, with his only win coming against late replacement Michel Prazeres.
Thiago has been a tad overrated, and it's not his fault. When you knock out Josh Koscheck in your first UFC fight, you are going to have high expectations.
Spencer is all-around superior to Thiago. While he is inferior in submission grappling, his wrestling and stand-up are better, which will allow him to score a win here.
Prediction: Spencer def. Thiago via decision
Francisco Trinaldo vs. Leandro Silva
3 of 5
Moving forward, we have a matchup in the lightweight division, as Francisco Trinaldo meets late replacement Leandro Silva. Silva fills in for Efrain Escudero, who moved to the main card when Lukasz Sajewski fell out of a bout with Leonardo Santos.
Trinaldo, a physical brute and powerful fighter, has been inconsistent thus far in the UFC, likely because of a shallow gas tank. He is 4-3 with the company but has failed when stepping up in competition.
He is a ground fighter, though if he hits you with one of his huge punches, he can knock you out. He will likely be larger than Silva, so he should look to impose his will in short distances.
Silva makes his return to the UFC after a five-fight win streak in the regionals. He had a one-off fight with Ildemar Alcantara in the company but was given the ax after a lackluster performance.
Silva needs to stick and move, as he is likely the quicker fighter. However, Trinaldo is good at closing the distance and getting in on guys, which will allow him to get the upper hand in this fight.
Prediction: Trinaldo def. Silva via decision
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Igor Araujo vs. George Sullivan
4 of 5
For the next fight we move to the welterweight division, as American George Sullivan looks to make it 2-0 in the company against suddenly surging Igor Araujo.
Sullivan is a striker who showed off an impressive arsenal in his short-notice bout against Mike Rhodes. He is a big welterweight as well, which can make him rangy from the outside and forceful when in close.
Not only that, but Sullivan is a finisher. Of his 15 wins, 10 have come by way of knockout including drubbings of UFC vet Greg Soto and "Let Me Bang, Bro" Julian Lane.
As for Araujo, there is no secret that he will want to get this fight to the ground. He is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter with great grappling and underrated submissions.
However, given the work he puts in with jiu-jitsu artist Kurt Pellegrino, Sullivan will be prepared for that. He will ward off takedown attempts from Araujo and eventually down him with a powerful striking onslaught.
Prediction: Sullivan def. Araujo via TKO
Godofredo Pepey vs. Dashon Johnson
5 of 5
Capping off the prelims are the featherweights, as Godofredo Pepey welcomes Dashon Johnson to his native land of Brazil.
Pepey is a jiu-jitsu fighter, though he has some solid muay thai techniques that he will incorporate while on the feet. This was evident in his latest fight, when he decapitated Noad Lahat with a cruise missile of a flying knee.
That said, he is susceptible to wrestlers with ground-and-pound, though he will likely not find that in Johnson. He will want to get Johnson to the mat and use his superior submission skills to make quick work of him.
Johnson is a boxer who is looking to make a second impression here. He debuted in New Zealand, where he was absolutely dominated by Jake Matthews, who triangle-choked him after almost three rounds of punishment.
Johnson's record and resume were questionable upon entering the UFC, and in seeing his performance against Matthews, those doubts may have been justified. Look for Pepey to make this an easy win.
Prediction: Pepey def. Johnson via submission
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
