UFC Fight Night 74 Preliminary Card Predictions
The UFC will be heading to Saskatchewan this weekend as UFC Fight Night 74 comes to you live this Saturday. Headlined by featherweight contenders Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira, the night looks to be an exciting one from the top of the card to the bottom.
There are a lot of exciting fighters that will take to this card in an attempt to make a run at the title picture. In addition to Oliveira and Holloway, you have fighters like Erick Silva, Patrick Cote and Chad Laprise, who will ensure that the night will be full of fireworks.
Building on a strong showing at UFC Fight Night 73, where a perfect 7-0 record was had, we look to break away from the .500 mark and continue to have a comfortable spread between wins and losses as we move forward in Canada this weekend.
That said, this will be my last month with Bleacher Report, so I will not be able to finish out the year with my prelim predictions series. However, if you want to continue following my picks, I will start posting them on Twitter, so follow me @BigRilesMMA to stay updated.
With that, let's take a look at the prelims of this card and make some predictions.
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Last Event: UFC Fight Night 74 (7-0)
Daniel Jolly vs. Misha Cirkunov
1 of 6Kicking off the prelims is a light heavyweight affair, as fellow UFC newcomers Misha Cirkunov and Daniel Jolly square off in search of their first UFC win. Jolly fills in for Sean O'Connell, who had to drop out of this fight due to injury.
Cirkunov is a well-rounded fighter, possessing a strong ground game and some solid striking ability. He is good in the clinch and on the ground, where he earns submissions rather proficiently.
That said, one of his most recent bouts was against Rodney Wallace, a UFC veteran, and he knocked him silly with a nasty head kick. That shows he is evolving and becoming a bigger threat at 205, which should add some depth to a dragging division.
Then there is Jolly, an undefeated fighter who is a veteran of Legacy FC and the Southern U.S. regional scene. He is a powerful, athletic fighter who has good knockout power, though this fight with Cirkunov is a big step up in competition.
On short notice, this will be a tough bout for Jolly, who is a serviceable fighter in his own right. Given the full training camp and the sheer violence Cirkunov brings to the cage, he is the smart choice here, potentially by late finish.
Prediction: Cirkunov def. Jolly via TKO
Shane Campbell vs. Elias Silverio
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Next up are the lightweights, as Canadian striker Shane Campbell looks to avenge his UFC debut loss when he takes on Brazilian Elias Silverio.
Campbell is a kickboxer known for his technical prowess and devastating power. He struggles most on the ground, where he is still somewhat green, as evidenced by his submission loss to countryman Jesse Ronson.
Campbell entered the UFC on a three-fight winning streak, including two wins in MAFC and one in the World Series of Fighting organization. He made his UFC debut on short notice against John Makdessi, which halted his streak as Makdessi cleaned Campbell's clock in just under a round.
As for Silverio, he is more of a grinder and a physically imposing presence in the cage. His best work is done in close quarters, where he can hold opponents against the cage, potentially get them down and look to use ground-and-pound and submissions.
Silverio took the UFC by storm, winning his first three bouts against the likes of Joao Zeferino, Isaac Vallie-Flagg and Ernest Chavez. However, in his most recent offering, he was pounded out by Rashid Magomedov, meaning he needs to get back into the win column here.
Campbell has one-strike knockout capability, so he needs to look for that early and often. However, Silverio is good at closing the distance and making opponents uncomfortable, which is why he should secure victory here.
Prediction: Silverio def. Campbell via submission
Chris Kelades vs. Chris Beal
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Kicking off the Fox Sports portion of the card are the flyweights, as Canadian Chris Kelades looks to defend his home turf against the scrappy Chris Beal.
Kelades is a ground fighter, though he is far more effective from top position with his ground strikes and submission game. Nothing overly stands out about him, as the Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt is tough but not completely well-rounded.
Kelades is 1-1 in the UFC thus far, besting Patrick Holohan before losing to Ray Borg in his most recent fight. In look at his full resume, this is a tough matchup for him, as Chris Beal is a better version of Malcolm Gordon, a man who beat Kelades in Bellator.
As for Beal, he is a boxer with great quickness and power in his strikes. His explosiveness and athleticism are great natural tools, something he has a great advantage in over Kelades.
In his most recent fight, Beal was outpointed by Neil Seery. That loss reversed two wins in a row to start off his UFC career, where Beal decisioned Tateki Matsuda and brutally knocked out Patrick Williams (both fights were at bantamweight).
Kelades shocked the UFC world with his UFC debut, but he hasn't really shown an all-around game that has the potential to threaten Beal consistently. The American should sprawl-and-brawl his way to victory.
Prediction: Beal def. Kelades via decision
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Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Nikita Krylov
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A pair of heavy-hitting light heavyweights will do battle next, as Ukrainian Nikita Krylov looks to continue his unlikely success in the UFC against Brazilian finisher Marcos Rogerio de Lima.
Krylov is a striker with youth, power and size on his side. He is best when given space to work his stand-up, as he still struggles with the ground game when on bottom, especially in submission defense.
He owns three wins in the UFC, though they were against lower-level talent in Stanislav Nedkov, Cody Donovan and Walt Harris. He showed holes in his ground games in both of his losses, as he was grounded and pounded out by Soa Palelei and choked out by Ovince St. Preux.
As for De Lima, he is a striker that has added a nice submission game to his arsenal. Though he only has one submission to his credit, he is underrated on the mat, though his real strength lies in putting people down with his striking ability.
He has been very impressive since coming to the UFC, running a 2-0 record after a semifinal run on TUF Brazil 3. He opened up his tenure with a 20-second flattening of Richardson Moreira before brutally putting away Igor Pokrajac in under two minutes in his sophomore outing.
Krylov's biggest success comes when he can bang, especially early in a fight. As things progress, he will get tired and De Lima will use his superior submission game to tap out a fatigued "Al Capone."
Prediction: De Lima def. Krylov via submission
Yves Jabouin vs. Felipe Arantes
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The bantamweights are set to scrap next, as Haitian-Canadian Yves Jabouin looks to dazzle the crowd as usual when he meets Brazilian Felipe Arantes.
Jabouin is a muay thai specialist known for his flashy technique, quickness and output. He throws a high volume of strikes, including fast leg kicks and punches that he can get angles on because he moves in and out so well.
In his four most recent bouts with the UFC, Jabouin has shuffled between wins and losses. Despite setbacks to Eddie Wineland and Thomas Almeida, he has scored decision victories over Mike Easton and Dustin Pague to keep his long Zuffa tenure in tact.
As for Arantes, he drops to 135 for the first time, which could be concerning considering he was not a small featherweight and it could affect his fitness. Like Jabouin, he thrives in the muay thai game, though he has a more proven submission game than his counterpart.
Like Jabouin, Arantes has shuffled between wins and losses in his last four. He did take losses to Andre Fili and Kevin Souza in that time, but defeated Maximo Blanco and knocked out Godofredo Pepey to even out those defeats.
This could be a Fight of the Night contender. What it also could be is a war of who has a bigger gas tank. Jabouin's volume and quickness seem to be the biggest keys here, which should carry him to a close decision.
Prediction: Jabouin def. Arantes via decision
Sam Stout vs. Frankie Perez
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Capping off the prelims is a lightweight bout, as longtime UFC veteran Sam Stout looks to defend his home turf of Canada against invading American Frankie Perez.
Stout is a kickboxer who has been in the UFC seemingly forever. He is known for his iron jaw and technical striking, though the ground game still remains an issue for the Canadian brawler.
Stout has been in the UFC since 2006, showing his longevity with the company and success. However, he has lost three of his last four, and all of those losses came via finish to James Krause, KJ Noons and Ross Pearson.
As for Perez, he is a grappler who runs with both Ricardo Almeida and Nick Catone in New Jersey. He is best when he closes the distance and secures takedowns, as he is proficient in the submission game.
He opened up his UFC career with a devastating knockout loss to Johnny Case, so he needs to get that win back here. It reversed a World Series of Fighting victory that earned him a shot in the UFC, showing that Perez can hang with tough competition.
It seems like the end of the line for Stout, who has slowed down drastically in recent years. Perez could definitely pull the upset, but I will stick with the old war horse out of loyalty.
Prediction: Stout def. Perez via decision
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