UFC Fight Night 146 Predictions: Bleacher Report Main Card Staff Picks
The UFC keeps spitting out quality heavyweight main events, and UFC Fight Night 146 will be no different.
When the Octagon is assembled in Wichita, Kansas, at the Intrust Bank Arena, Derrick Lewis and Junior dos Santos will enter the cage to see which man can re-enter title contention.
Lewis is coming off a failed title bid against Daniel Cormier—the two-division champion and Olympic wrestler outgrappled him with ease and finished with a choke.
Meanwhile, former UFC champion Dos Santos has enjoyed back-to-back wins to put himself in this position. Now, who takes that next step toward gold?
The remaining five bouts on the main card may lack significant name appeal, but it is filled with quality scraps between fighters vying for a ranking.
The Bleacher Report staff assemble once again to try their hand at prognostication.
The team of Scott Harris, Nathan McCarter and Jonathan Snowden gather around the round table to look into the crystal ball with UFC Fight Night 146 tarot cards spread across the satin cloth.
Tim Boetsch vs. Omari Akhmedov
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Jonathan Snowden
Tim Boetsch may only be 38, but he's 138 in fight years after 19 fights in the UFC's Octagon. Still, he once picked up a dude and kind of tossed him.
For real, he threw him down the way your dad might have thrown you into the pool. For that, I will pick him always, against the odds and common sense.
Boetsch, KO, Rd. 2
Scott Harris
Boetsch just keeps chugging along, seemingly indestructible in any meaningful way. But he won't get the best of this one.
Omari Akhmedov is a hard-charging striker. Boetsch will oblige his need to brawl and catch a hard shot for his troubles.
Akhmedov, TKO, Rd. 2
Nathan McCarter
Akhmedov drew against Marvin Vettori, but I'm supposed to believe he walks through "The Barbarian"? Get out of here.
Boetsch will bully Akhmedov around the cage and use the clinch to his advantage. Hard body shots will wear the Russian down.
Boetsch, constantly moving forward without gassing, will break his opponent late in the fight. Expect the referee to pull 38-year-old off of a fallen Akhmedov in the third.
Boetsch, TKO, Rd. 3
Beneil Dariush vs. Drew Dober
2 of 6
Snowden
Drew Dober is on a three-fight win streak, but Beneil Dariush represents a step up in competition. There are levels to this game, and I think Dariush makes that clear to Dober early on and continues pressing his point for 15 minutes.
Dariush, decision
Harris
Not long ago, Dariush was billed as having some of the best grappling in the lightweight division. He's fallen on hard times but should continue an upward trend against Dober, a fun fighter who reminds me a lot of a video game NPC.
Dariush, submission, Rd. 2
McCarter
Dober's stocky build is going to hurt him in this spot. Dariush has good enough striking to keep him stuck on the outside and good enough grappling to win those battles.
Dober will have to rely on KO power, and he's not going to be in a position to land the clean shot. Dariush's ground control allows him to coast toward a judge's decision.
Dariush, unanimous decision
Blagoy Ivanov vs. Ben Rothwell
3 of 6
Snowden
This is a very even fight. I'm picking Ben Rothwell over Blagoy Ivanov because I really want him to win so I can hear his evil laugh again after an absence of almost three years.
Rothwell, submission, Rd. 2
Harris
Welcome back, Ben Rothwell! If anyone picks anything in this fight besides Rothwell by Gogo choke, well, myself and that person are consuming this sport in very different ways.
Rothwell, submission, Rd. 1
McCarter
I, too, can't pick against Rothwell in his return. Even though Ivanov is probably the smarter pick due to activity and well-roundedness, Rothwell has good skills that should give him problems.
I'll stop short of picking the submission just out of fear Rothwell has lost a step during his time off.
Rothwell, unanimous decision
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Tim Means vs. Niko Price
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Snowden
Tim Means is on the decline. The younger, fresher Niko Price is on the rise. Had they met two years ago, this might have ended differently. But in 2019, this is Price's fight to lose.
Price, decision
Harris
I'm never going to get Price's hammerfist-from-the-bottom knockout of Randy Brown out of my head.
Means is a great dance partner for that sort of random act of violence. Given that Means is built out of old railroad ties, there'll be no such improvisation this time around.
Means, unanimous decision
McCarter
I'm with Jonathan here. If it was a few years ago I'd take Means due to his battle-tested nature.
Now? Price will be able to take advantage of Father Time and the wars Means has been in. Price will rebound from his last KO loss by using a more measured approach against a less dynamic opponent.
Price, TKO, Rd. 3
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Curtis Millender
5 of 6
Snowden
Is Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos just Junior dos Santos in a mask? What is the story here?
Unless that's true, I'm taking Curtis Millender.
Millender, decision
Harris
This is a good scrap and a much-deserved co-main event slot for both guys. Dos Santos is a bit of battle axe, whereas Millender is more of a scalpel, but both can mess you up.
This will play out on the feet, and it has strong Fight of the Night potential. Here's guessing Dos Santos walks through Millender's attempts at range control.
Dos Santos, TKO, Rd. 2
McCarter
The winner of this fight is going to take a significant jump up the welterweight ladder. It's a big spot, and the winner is likely going to be who handles the pressure better. That's why I'll go with Millender here.
He has a bit more experience, fighting against names like Thiago Alves and featuring on more PPV events than Dos Santos. He'll be more equipped with the stage and spot of the co-main event. That will lead to a better gas tank and a late-round finish.
Millender, TKO, Rd. 3
Derrick Lewis vs. Junior dos Santos
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Snowden
We've all had a lot of fun watching Lewis over the last couple of years. He seems like a genuine and real person, something you don't come across too often in the fight game.
But, truth be told, he's just not as good a fighter as we all wish he was. His title shot against Cormier will likely be his career highlight. This loss certainly won't be.
Dos Santos, KO, Rd. 2
Harris
Lewis comes from the classic Dave Kingman mold. It's either a home run or, well, something a lot less glamorous. There's no middle ground.
Against the great boxing of Dos Santos, he'll be on the wrong side of that equation. The fact that this is like his 17th fight in the past six months doesn't help.
Dos Santos, TKO, Rd. 3
McCarter
I can't disagree with the assessments of my colleagues here, but on the other side of the coin is the fact that JDS is shopworn.
His chin isn't completely gone, but it certainly can't handle getting clubbed by someone like Lewis. While Dos Santos' boxing will keep him out of slugfests, he still gets hit quite a bit.
There is just a feeling in my stomach that Lewis is going to land a clean shot on him. And that will be all it takes. One shot.
Lewis, KO, Rd. 2
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