UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. dos Santos
1-25-20
From Raleigh, NC
Available on ESPN+
By Dylan Hager
Dylan's 2020 picks record: 5-6
The UFC is off to a hot start in 2020, with Conor McGregor picking up a 40 second victory over Cowboy Cerrone last weekend. The octagon travels to Raleigh, North Carolina this weekend for an ESPN+ exclusive card. There is not a ton of big names on the card, but we do get two great fights on top of the card, and several sleeper fights spread throughout the rest of the card. Time to pick!
Curtis Blaydes (12-2 (1)) (3) vs Junior dos Santos (21-6) (4)
Two of my personal favorites collide in the main event this weekend. Curtis "Razor" Blaydes squares off with Junior dos Santos, #3 vs #4! Curtis only has two career losses, and they both came against Francis Ngannou. He's on a two fight win streak with wins over Justin Willis and Shamil Abdurakhimov. JDS, the former champ, was on a three fight win streak against Blagoy Ivanov, Tai Tuivasa, and Derrick Lewis before he lost to Francis Ngannou last June.
Both of these guys have very dangerous fist. Both are capable of knocking out their opponent. Junior has fifteen career KO/TKO finishes, and Razor Blaydes has nine career KO/TKO finishes. The biggest "X Factor" is going to be Blaydes wrestling. Blaydes probably has the best wrestling in the Heavyweight Division, with the exception of Daniel Cormier. Junior does have a black belt in BJJ, so he is capable on the ground, but he'll definitely want to keep this fight standing. It is so hard to pick a winner in this fight! I'm leaning towards Razor getting the win, but it would not shock me if JDS scored a 2nd round TKO. Blaydes has never gone longer than three rounds, so it could be interesting to see how his gas tank holds up if this goes into the 4th or 5th round. I love both guys. It is going to suck to see one of them lose, but I'll take Curtis Blaydes to keep rolling. Prediction: Curtis Blaydes 3rd Round TKO
Rafael dos Anjos (29-12) (5) vs Michael Chiesa (16-4)
An excellent fight in the co-main slot this weekend between two former Lightweights turned Welterweight. Chiesa has won both of fights since moving up to 170. He submitted Carlos Condit in December 2018, and outworked Diego Sanchez for a decision win in July 2019. RDA is 4-3 at 170. He has quality wins over Neil Magny, Robbie Lawler, and Kevin Lee, and his losses are to the top of the division in Kamaru Usman, Colby Covington, and Leon Edwards.
RDA will have the striking advantage, but he has struggled against elite wrestlers like Khabib, Colby, and Usman. Chiesa's wrestling is not at that elite level, but he is very good on the ground with eleven career submission wins. Now, RDA is no slouch on the ground with ten submission wins of his own, and with no dominant wrestling in play, I'm very intrigued to see how this fight plays out on the ground. I could legitimately see either guy pulling out the submission. If RDA keeps this fight standing up, I think he runs away with this one. I think this goes the distance, and I think RDA does what it takes to get back in the win column. Prediction: Rafael dos Anjos Decision
Jordan Espinosa (14-6 (1)) (11) vs Alex Perez (22-5) (12)
Dynamite fight between two top fifteen Flyweights! Espinosa has split his two UFC fights, beating Eric Shelton and dropping his last fight to Matt Schnell. Perez has won nine of his last ten fights, including a win over Mark de la Rosa in his last fight. The one loss was against Joseph Benavidez, and lets be real, very few fighters get past Benavidez. Like most Flyweights, both of these fighters have great quickness. I think I like Perez to have the better ground game. The stand up could be a toss up. Jordan has good defense, but Perez has a lot of power for 125. Don't sleep on this fight. Prediction: Alex Perez 3rd Round TKO
Hannah Cifers (10-3) vs Angela Hill (10-7)
Love the Women's Strawweight division! Cifers comes in 2-1 in the UFC. She lost her debut to Maycee Barber, but won her last two against Polyana Viana and Jodie Esquibel, both by decision. Angela Hill is a fan favorite. She has struggled to put together a run though, as she is only 3-3 dating back to the beginning of 2018. Hill has fought the much better competition, but Cifers is a very tough out. I love Hill's footwork and constant movement. She has a good stand up game, but Hannah's striking game is very solid as well. I'd probably give Cifers the edge on the ground. I really enjoy watching both of these women fight. I have trouble putting faith in Hill. She struggles to win back to back fights, and she is coming off a win. Cifers is a gritty fighter, and I think she does what it takes to grind out a decision win. Prediction: Hannah Cifers Decision
Jamahal Hill (6-0) vs Darko Stosic (13-3)
Main card starts off with a battle of two up-and-comers in the Light Heavyweight division. Hill comes in with a 6-0 record, but he is making his UFC debut here. Stosic was on a nine fight win streak before dropping his last two fights. He is 1-2 in the UFC. I like Stosic's power game, but Hill should have the advantage in the clinch. Stosic has a good top game on the floor. Groin shots could play a factor here, as each fighter had trouble controlling their shots in their last fights. Stosic probably would have won the decision if it was not for deducted points. This should be a pretty fun, pretty even fight. I like Stosic to get the job done. Prediction: Darko Stosic Decision
Seven fights on the prelim card this week. Arnold Allen is a name on the rise. The Sara McMann vs Lina Lansberg fight could also be fireworks. Quick picks for the prelims!
Bevon Lewis (6-2) vs Dequan Townsend (21-9) Prediction: Bevon Lewis
Arnold Allen (15-1) vs Nik Lentz (30-10-2 (1)) Prediction: Arnold Allen
Justine Kish (6-2) vs Lucie Pudilova (8-5) Prediction: Lucie Pudilova
Montel Jackson (8-1) vs Felipe Colares (9-1) Prediction: Montel Jackson
Sara McMann (11-5) (10) vs Lina Lansberg (10-4) (11) Prediction: Lina Lansberg
Brett Johns (15-2) vs Tony Gravely (19-5) Prediction: Tony Gravely
Herbert Burns (9-2) vs Nate Landwehr (13-2) Prediction: Nate Landwehr