UFC Fight Night 57 Preliminary Card Predictions
The UFC returns Saturday night with UFC Fight Night 57. Live on Fox Sports 1, the card is deep with prospects and established vets alike.
The card is headlined by featherweights Frankie Edgar and Cub Swanson, both of whom are likely vying for a title shot. Before that, we have some good prelim fights that should entertain.
UFC 180 was good to me, as I came away with a 4-2 record. We will continue to look at making a strong finish to 2014, as I am well above the .500 mark.
Without further ado, here are the UFC Fight Night 57 prelim picks.
2014 Riley's Record: 160-95
Last Event: UFC 180 (4-2)
Doo Ho Choi vs. Juan Manuel Puig
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Kicking off the prelims will be an international featherweight affair, as South Korea's Doo Ho Choi looks to make a good first impression in the UFC against Mexican scrapper Juan Manuel Puig.
Choi is a top prospect coming out of South Korea who possesses excellent striking ability and is somewhat reminiscent of countryman Chan Sung Jung. He has spent most of his career in Japan, where he has been a feared knockout artist.
He has one-strike knockout ability, as well as a strong clinch game. He has very sneaky knees, which he uses to plaster opponents to the head and body.
As for Puig, he looks for his first UFC win in his second try here. His opening bout saw him get thrown into deep water, as the Mexican fighter was pummeled by superior Brazilian Adriano Martins.
Puig likes to scrap on the feet, though most of his wins come via submission. And while he does have some good wins on his record, he will struggle with Choi, who will remain upright and score the finish with strikes.
Prediction: Choi def. Puig via TKO
Paige VanZant vs. Kailin Curran
2 of 6Up next are the women, as debuting strawweights Paige VanZant and Kailin Curran look to make headroom in a division that will soon be inhabited by a plethora of top-level fighters.
Curran is a grinder who has quietly carved out a good start to her career in the PXC promotion. She has solid takedowns and developing striking, which could make her a great all-around fighter in the near future.
This is a step up in competition for her, as she has fought regional level talent thus far. Her decision wins over Kaiyana Rain, Emi Tomimatsu and Yoo Jin Jung were impressive, but she is now in the big leagues and will need to elevate her game.
As for VanZant, she has spent some time with Team Alpha Male, which means her wrestling has improved, but her submissions are underrated. She does have solid striking though, which is why this may be a dogfight.
Her only career loss was to Tecia Torres, which is nothing to be ashamed of. Other than that, she has been pretty immaculate, owning wins over Amber Stautzenberger and Jordan Nicole Gaza.
This should be a great battle between prospects, but don't expect either woman to get in the title mix just yet. It will be close, but Curran's persistence and aggression should take this one.
Prediction: Curran def. VanZant via decision
Yves Edwards vs. Akbarh Arreola
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Kicking off the Fox Sports 1 portion of the prelims are the lightweights, as longtime vet Yves Edwards looks to save his job in the UFC opposite Mexican brawler Akbarh Arreola.
Edwards is a true veteran of the sport, owning 65 career pro fights to his record. In that time, he has faced a who's-who of men in the sport, making a name for himself as one of the great lightweights of all time.
He finds himself winless in his last four, as he has shown some slowdown in his game. He was decisioned by Daron Cruickshank and Ike Vallie-Flagg, as well as finished by Piotr Hallmann and Yancy Medeiros, although the latter earned a no-contest for a hot drug test.
As for Arreola, he is another Mexican fighter that the UFC has brought in to cater to the new market. That said, he is one of the most experienced, skilled Mexican fighters with well-rounded ability.
Arreola was a cast member of The Ultimate Fighter 15 but failed to make the house. He then got a call back to face Tiago dos Santos in his official UFC debut, where he dropped a decision.
Arreola will give Edwards a run for his money, and if he can touch the chin of Edwards, he can break through the withered jaw of The Thugjitsu Master. However, Edwards is crafty and should do enough to save his job.
Prediction: Edwards def. Arreola via decision
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James Vick vs. Nick Hein
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Moving forward, we stay in the lightweight division, as Texan James Vick looks to stop an invading German in the form of Nick Hein.
Vick has become a dark horse at 155 pounds, as the TUF 15 veteran has carved off a couple of nice wins in the UFC. He is a striker with good boxing, though he has shown that he has some good submissions as well.
In his UFC premiere, Vick needed less than a minute to slap on a guillotine choke on Ramsey Nijem. He followed that up with a firefight with Valmir Lazaro, where he rocked the Brazilian multiple times en route to a fun decision victory.
As for Hein, the top German prospect looks to be a very good competitor, as he shown to be a strong grappler and competent striker. He is more comfortable on the ground, though, as he throws solid strikes from the top, where he can search for a submission.
Hein's UFC premiere came in his homeland, as he fought Drew Dober to a unanimous-decision victory. He looked solid there but gets a step up in competition against Vick.
Vick is incredibly underrated and should be able to defend takedowns here. His long frame and range will be a big trouble for Hein, who gets outstruck and finished by strikes.
Prediction: Vick def. Hein via TKO
Luke Barnatt vs. Roger Narvaez
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The middleweights are due to the cage next, as Luke Barnatt looks to get back in the win column when he takes on hometown fighter Roger Narvaez.
Barnatt is a huge middleweight, holding a 6'6" frame with extremely long arms and legs. That has made him a successful striker, as he keeps guys on their back feet and peppers them from afar.
His UFC career has been successful so far. Despite a controversial loss to Sean Strickland in his most recent outing, he won impressively three times previous to that with a decision over Collin Hart, a submission of Andrew Craig and a knockout of Mats Nilsson.
Narvaez is a Legacy FC veteran who is making the drop from 205 for this bout, as 185 is his normal home. However, he got a late-notice call to face Patrick Cummins for his UFC debut, something he couldn't pass up.
While he did get finished by Cummins in his UFC debut, he has shown to be a solid prospect otherwise. He owns finishes in all but one of his pro bouts, showing he can get it done on the mat and on the feet.
Narvaez is running into a guy who is hitting his stride right now. Expect him to struggle against Barnatt, who will put him down with some of his great striking.
Prediction: Barnatt def. Narvaez via TKO
Ruslan Magomedov vs. Josh Copeland
6 of 6The heavyweights will cap off the prelims, as RFA champion Josh Copeland looks to make a good first impression in the UFC against Ruslan Magomedov.
Magomedov is one of the many great Russian heavyweights that the country is producing right now, as he is 12-1 with half of his victories coming by finish. He is one of the many Russians to come out of the Fight Nights promotion, which has provided the UFC with some great talent from the region.
He made his UFC debut successfully in Germany, taking a hard-fought decision over Viktor Pesta. To his credit, he owns wins over former UFC champ Tim Sylvia, Ricco Rodriguez and Mike Hayes.
As for Copeland, the RFA champ is undefeated at 9-0 with seven finishes on his resume. He trains with Grudge Training Center at elevation, which means he likely has great cardio for a big man.
His biggest win to date came for the RFA title, as he upset Jan Jorgensen via TKO to claim the belt. He is more known for his striking, though he does have some underrated submissions that he throws in from time to time.
Copeland is definitely a welcome addition to the UFC, but Magomedov is a tall task for a first order of business. Magomedov will take a back-and-forth fight by decision, which will serve as a nice learning experience for Copeland.
Prediction: Magomedov def. Copeland via decision
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