UFC 187 Preliminary Card Predictions
At least one new champion will be crowned this Saturday, as UFC 187 comes live this Sunday on pay-per-view. Headlined by two title bouts, the card is absolutely stacked from the opening prelim to the main event.
The featured bout sees Anthony Johnson and Daniel Cormier compete for the vacant 205-pound strap, which was vacated by Jon Jones and his indefinite suspension. That card will be supported by UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman, who defends his title against old warhorse Vitor Belfort.
The UFC's first trip to the Philippines was not fruitful for me, especially with the prelim picks. We hope to right the ship here, as things have been inconsistent in 2015.
With that, let's take a look at the prelims and make some predictions.
2015 Riley's Record: 56-39
Last Event: UFC Fight Night 66 (2-4)
Justin Scoggins vs. Josh Sampo
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Kicking off the prelims are the flyweights, as Josh Sampo looks to keep his UFC roster spot against Justin Scoggins.
Scoggins is a well-rounded, athletic fighter with top-notch speed. He has a wrestling base with good kickboxing ability, though his gas tank has come into question in his losses.
His UFC career has seen mixed results thus far. Though he owns victories over Richie Vaculik and Will Campuzano, he has faltered when stepping up in competition against Dustin Ortiz and John Moraga.
As for Sampo, he is a wrestler with explosive takedowns and solid grappling ability. He has good ground-and-pound and underrated submission ability. However, his striking is somewhat limited, especially when matching up with the technique of a Scoggins.
He finds himself in a must-win situation here. After a successful debut where he submitted Ryan Benoit, Sampo is on a two-fight skid against Zach Makovsky and Patrick Holohan.
This should be an intriguing matchup and could set the pace for an exciting night. While Sampo's wrestling can certainly get it done, Scoggins, with his counter-wrestling and striking, is likely the safer pick.
Prediction: Scoggins def. Sampo via decision
Islam Makhachev vs. Leo Kuntz
2 of 7An exciting debut comes next, as highly touted fighter Islam Makhachev looks to make a successful first appearance with the UFC against fellow debutant Leo Kuntz.
Kuntz made a brief appearance on The Ultimate Fighter, where he failed to make it out of the elimination round. He is fairly well-rounded, though the ground seems to be where he thrives the most.
He has been putting in work with American Top Team as of late, which could help explain his current five-fight win streak. Hopefully, his striking is tight enough to an extent that he can avoid a grappling affair with his current adversary.
Then there is a Makhachev, a teammate of top UFC lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov and one of the best prospects coming into the UFC in recent times. He is a submission grappler and takedown artist whose fighting style is similar to his aforementioned teammate.
He also makes his UFC debut here after an 11-0 run outside the organization. Most of his wins have come by submission, which is unsurprising given his background,
This is a showcase for Makhachev, who has shown to be a potential future contender in his time with the sport. He should rag-doll Kuntz here, scoring a finish in the process.
Prediction: Makhachev def. Kuntz via submission
Mike Pyle vs. Colby Covington
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A veteran and a young gun will cap off the Fight Pass prelims next, as Mike Pyle and Colby Covington square off in a welterweight showdown. Covington steps up on late notice after Sean Spencer suffered an injury in training.
Pyle is a longtime veteran of the sport and has been fighting seemingly forever. He is a cornerstone of Xtreme Couture and a legendary gym rat, which can explain his well-rounded ability in the cage.
He is currently in a long run with the UFC but has failed to find consistency as of late. He has shuffled wins and losses in his last four, taking victories over Rick Story and TJ Waldburger while falling to Matt Brown and Jordan Mein.
As for Covington, he is a wrestler who runs with American Top Team, where he has looked to round off his skills. He is strong and athletic, which is why he is able to secure takedowns as proficiently as he does.
Covington is undefeated at 7-0, including his current 2-0 run in the UFC. After tapping Anying Wang to strikes in his UFC debut, he came back with a submission of Wagner Silva in his sophomore outing.
Pyle is an old warhorse who has a great deal of experience and success in MMA. However, the wrestling and athleticism of Covington are hard to ignore, as he signals a changing of the guard in this bout.
Prediction: Covington def. Pyle via decision
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Rose Namajunas vs. Nina Ansaroff
4 of 7The ladies will kick things off on Fox Sports 1 next, as TUF runner-up Rose Namajunas looks to score her first official UFC win against Nina Ansaroff.
Namajunas is about as they come. She is well-rounded and aggressive, utilizing a flashy striking arsenal, slick submissions and a signature flying armbar to get fans on the edge of their seats.
She had an impressive run on TUF, where she made it to the finals. There, she lost to Carla Esparza for the inaugural UFC title, putting her on an official two-fight skid after falling to Tecia Torres in Invicta.
As for Ansaroff, the former flyweight-turned-strawweight is a member of American Top Team who is able to work with high-quality female teammates, including the aforementioned Torres. She has a solid ground game, especially from the top, where she has good striking and positional grappling.
She entered the UFC after an Invicta upset of Munah Holland in a fight that really put Ansaroff on the map. However, her UFC debut did not go as planned, as Juliana Lima beat her in an interesting affair.
Ansaroff is a sustainable strawweight, but her loss to Lima isn't doing her any favors in this matchup. Namajunas is more well-rounded and aggressive, which will lead to Ansaroff's downfall.
Prediction: Namajunas def. Ansaroff via decision
Uriah Hall vs. Rafael Natal
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Moving forward, we head to the middleweight division, as Uriah Hall looks to continue his ascent up the rankings against Brazilian veteran Rafael Natal.
There is no secret anymore that Hall is a technical, powerful, flashy striker with excellent punches and devastating kicks. He also has good takedown defense and defensive grappling, which continue to improve from fight to fight.
He is most famous for a knockout that took place on TUF 18, where he nailed Adam Cella with a soul-stealing spinning wheel kick. It gave him big hype when he made his official debut, and after a rocky 0-2 start, he has won three in a row over Chris Leben, Thiago Santos and Ron Stallings.
As for Natal, he is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who makes his bones beating opponents on the ground. His striking has been noticeably better in his last few fights, though one would assume he would elect not to spend a lot of time on the feet in this outing.
He wound up on the chopping block recently after a two-fight skid against Tim Kennedy and Ed Herman. However, he saved his job with a controversial win over Chris Camozzi and another victory against Tom Watson.
Natal has gotten by in recent fights in suspect fashion, and his willingness to stay upright is a bad decision if he continues that trend here. Regardless, Hall won't hit the mat unless he chooses to and should pull the plug on Natal's consciousness.
Prediction: Hall def. Natal via KO
Dong Hyun Kim vs. Josh Burkman
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An intriguing welterweight bout is afoot next, as Korean juggernaut Dong Hyun Kim looks to refute Josh Burkman and his quest up the UFC welterweight ladder.
Burkman is a wrestler by base but a true mixed martial artist. Though he can beat you up on the ground, this gritty athlete has good movement and striking as well, which has shown in his continued improvement in this sport.
After exiting the UFC a few years ago, Burkman continued to work hard and improve, using regional promotions and WSOF to raise his stock. That earned him a call back at UFC 182, where he fought Hector Lombard in a losing effort, though that turned into a no-contest after Lombard failed a drug test.
Then there is Kim, a judoka with ferocious grappling ability from the top and great physical strength. He has used his striking more in recent bouts, demonstrating that he has made improvements to that aspect of his game.
That striking and overall ability led him to a recent four-fight winning streak, where he rattled off wins over Paulo Thiago, Siyar Bahadurzada, Erick Silva and John Hathaway. However, Kim went out on his shield in his most recent affair, as Tyron Woodley brutally put him down.
This is a much closer matchup than people give it credit for, which is why I am going with the upset. Burkman's wrestling and underrated striking should carry him against a trigger-happy Kim.
Prediction: Burkman def. Kim via decision
John Dodson vs. Zach Makovsky
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The flyweights will headline the prelims on Fox Sports 1, as returning flyweight contender John Dodson looks to punch a ticket at a title rematch by beating former Bellator bantamweight champion Zach Makovsky.
Dodson returns after a long layoff from injury. We will see if that not only gives him ring rust but affects his great speed. He is a striker with excellent takedown defense; his movement is so good that it’s hard to get a handle on him.
Since a failed title bid against Demetrious Johnson three fights ago, Dodson has recovered well with two straight wins. He mowed down Darrell Montague in his first post-title bout before scoring a victory over John Moraga in his most recent outing.
As for Makovsky, he is a wrestler who constantly searches for the takedown and holds opponents on the mat. He is the former Bellator bantamweight champion, something that is impressive and should be taken into account.
He has been fairly successful since entering the UFC, with his only loss coming to Jussier da Silva in his third outing. Other than that, he owns victories in the company over Scott Jorgensen, Josh Sampo and Tim Elliott, showing he can hang with some of the best.
If Dodson's takedown defense is as stout as it normally is, he will stick, move and generally make Makovsky's night a frustrating one. He's done it plenty of times before and should be able to do it again.
Prediction: Dodson def. Makovsky via decision
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