UFC Fight Night 81: Bleacher Report Main Card Staff Predictions
UFC Fight Night 81 will bring us, at long last, one of the most highly anticipated fights in modern MMA history: UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw against lineal bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz. There are some other fights, sure, but this card is all about the main event. Plain and simple.
The full main card, just for the sake of it, is as follows:
- TJ Dillashaw vs. Dominick Cruz
- Anthony Pettis vs. Eddie Alvarez
- Travis Browne vs. Matt Mitrione
- Ross Pearson vs. Francisco Trinaldo
As per usual, Bleacher Report's prediction team is right here to lay it all out on the line. So who are we choosing in each of these four fights? Find out here!
2016 Standings
1 of 5
Ladies and gentlemen, the champ is here! Not only is he here, but he's also picking up right where he left off, leading the pack in scoring. Here are the standings—one card deep into 2016:
- Steven Rondina: 4-1
- Sydnie Jones: 4-1
- Craig Amos: 4-1
- Nathan McCarter: 2-3
- Scott Harris: 2-3
There is a lot of dissension here at UFC Fight Night 81, so expect the standings to get spread out...and by that I mean look for people to start falling behind.
Ross Pearson vs. Francisco Trinaldo
2 of 5
Scott Harris
I'm a Trinaldo believer. The 37-year-old is on a four-fight winning streak in the UFC, and that last TKO win over Chad Laprise was impressive. I think he outwits and outstrikes the slugger Pearson, playing a sharp-bladed matador to Pearson's charging bull. Sound the upset alarms for the old man.
Trinaldo, unanimous decision
Nathan McCarter
Trinaldo is on an impressive four-fight winning streak that not many of us saw him going on, but it ends in Boston. Pearson's patience will be the difference. He'll rack up points with his jab and avoid any serious threat from the Brazilian.
Pearson, unanimous decision
Craig Amos
Trinaldo's win over Laprise gives me pause to pick against him, but I like the way Pearson matches up. Assuming the fight takes place on the feet—and I assume it will because Trinaldo is usually content to leave it there—the Brit will tally enough points to win on the scorecards.
Pearson, unanimous decision
Sydnie Jones
Wait, Pearson is only 31? I absolutely thought he was, like, 40. Pearson seems to have been around forever and never fully gotten off the ground in the UFC. I don't see that happening now. At best, I see him taking a lackluster decision. I think we'll continue to witness Trinaldo's renaissance.
Trinaldo, unanimous decision
Steven Rondina
This fight ultimately comes down to whether or not you believe in Trinaldo. I don't.
Pearson, unanimous decision
Travis Browne vs. Matt Mitrione
3 of 5
Harris
Boom, bing, bong, boom. Slugging heavyweights at their finest. I always think each heavyweight fight in the UFC is the ultimate "heavyweight" fight. And then another one comes along, like this one.
Browne, TKO, Round 1
McCarter
The fact this fight actually has meaning in the heavyweight division sort of tells the tale of where we stand in 2016.
An athletic, hard-hitting heavyweight like Mitrione always has a chance, but Browne is the far superior fighter between them. Browne most likely ends this early, in impressive fashion, to re-establish himself as a contender.
Browne, TKO, Round 1
Amos
I've picked Mitrione's last five fights wrong. The temptation to pick against my intuition is therefore strong, but I'm just going to keep the streak alive by not overthinking things.
Mitrione, TKO, Round 2
Jones
I want Mitrione to win, but I think Browne will. And wouldn't Browne as a contender once again be just what MMA deserves? Ugh.
Browne, TKO, Round 1
Rondina
These are two heavyweights with soft chins and big hands, and that means we shouldn't be all that confident in our picks, regardless. I'll go with Browne, but I'm not going to be at all surprised if Mitrione breaks off a win en route to a decent offer from Bellator.
Browne, TKO, Round 2
Anthony Pettis vs. Eddie Alvarez
4 of 5
Harris
It's uncertain whether Alvarez has that extra gear one really needs to have to survive at the top of the UFC. There are a lot of miles on that 32-year-old body, and that doesn't seem to be blending well with his ongoing slow period (this is only his fifth fight in the last three-plus years). It's also uncertain how or whether his boxing-based game has improved. And a motivated Pettis is not a cooperative measuring stick.
Pettis, TKO, Round 1
McCarter
I had the opportunity to break this fight down earlier in the week, and I think Pettis brings "Showtime" back. Alvarez takes damage, and he won't be able to pressure Pettis in a way that eliminates his power strikes. This will be emphatic.
Pettis, KO, Round 1
Amos
Pettis suffered a frustrating loss to Rafael dos Anjos in his last outing, but Alvarez is a far better stylistic matchup for him. The former champ will get back in the win column.
Pettis, TKO, Round 1
Jones
I think Pettis' decision loss to dos Anjos will light the proverbial fire for this fight, and he'll put on a show for us. And Alvarez just won't be able to hang.
Pettis, TKO, Round 1
Rondina
I think this fight is a lot closer than we're giving it credit for. Alvarez has smarts and wrestling, and that's all it takes to beat Pettis. The trouble is, Alvarez also has a very malleable chin, and we've seen that in almost every fight he's been in over the past five years. That spells doom against a dynamic finisher like Pettis.
Pettis, Submission, Round 2
TJ Dillashaw vs. Dominick Cruz
5 of 5
Harris
A fight fan's fight. It is also probably the best matchup, ever, in UFC bantamweight history. Both men utilize Jesus lizard footwork, though Cruz uses it for defense, and the champ uses it mainly for offense. That may sum up how alike and different these two men are. That and the smack-talking. Though Cruz is the better man behind a mic, he'll be awfully quiet after Dillashaw is done with him Sunday.
Dillashaw, TKO, Round 4
McCarter
I'm going to be sad when this fight is over as we won't have anymore press events with the two. That has been very entertaining to watch over the weeks leading into this fight. As for the actual fight, I am very hesitant to take Cruz after yet another major knee injury.
But I will anyway. Why? Cruz is one of the very best at breaking down his opponents on film and exploiting each little detail in their game. Ultimately, Cruz's fight IQ is the difference, and he puts Dillashaw away before the championship rounds. Brains over brawn.
Cruz, TKO, Round 3
Amos
Cruz, at his best, beats Dillashaw. But with just one fight over the past four years and multiple serious injuries, it's difficult to believe we'll be getting Cruz at his best. Taking an optimistic stance on Cruz's comeback, I'm making him my pick.
Cruz, unanimous decision
Jones
Cruz is a skillful trash-talker, and if you listen to him, it's easy to be swayed, especially when Dillashaw gets frustrated and stops talking. But not being articulate doesn't necessarily mean Cruz is right—or at least, it doesn't guarantee he'll win.
Urijah Faber, who doesn't particularly care for Cruz or Dillashaw, has fought Cruz twice and has trained with Dillashaw extensively, thinks Dillashaw is going to win. Cruz may indeed prove elusive, but I don't think dodging Dilly will be enough to win, and I am not very confident he'll be able to stop Dillashaw. Maybe his comeback against Takeya Mizugaki is representative of his offense. I guess we'll see. In the meantime...
Dillashaw, TKO, Round 3
Rondina
I'm a mark for Dominick Cruz. I eat up everything he says and does, and I can't even describe what that Jon Anik-mediated verbal beatdown did to me. That makes picking against him really, really difficult. Dillashaw would've represented a major challenge for "Cruz Prime" circa 2011, but it's tough to imagine the 2016 Cruz not just beating Dillashaw...but being able to beat him in such lopsided fashion, he can overcome the "champion's advantage."
Dillashaw, unanimous decision
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