UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs Harris
5-16-20
From Jacksonville, FL
By Dylan Hager
2020 Picks Record:
Overall 59-56-1
Main Card 33-20
Prelim 26-36-1
What did we learn this week? We learned I cannot pick fights in the middle of the week! After a fun card in Jacksonville on Wednesday night, UFC brings their third card in eight days Saturday. Top 10 Heavyweights Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris collide in the main event, and Strawweight veterans Claudia Gadelha and Angela Hill do battle in the co-main. Time to pick!
Alistair Overeem (45-18 (1)) (8) vs Walt Harris (13-7 (1)) (9)
Let the big boys bang! Heavyweight veteran Alistair Overeem will stand across the cage from "The Big Ticket" Walt Harris. This is Walt's first fight since the tragic passing of his daughter. I'm excited to see how Harris looks in his return.
Overeem is a legend in this sport. He's beaten the likes of Lesnar, Werdum, Vitor, Mir, Hunt, and JDS. He was on a two fight win streak before being robbed in the Rozenstruik fight last December (Reem won the first four rounds, and yes, he was rocked by a big shot with only four seconds left in the fight, but he immediately started to stand up. ROBBED!). Overeem has a kickboxing background, and his ground game is always improving.
After a "so-so" start to his UFC career, Walt Harris has started to make a run in the Heavyweight Division. He hasn't lost since 2017. In that time he has wins over Daniel Spitz, Sergey Spivak (50 seconds), and Aleksei Oleinik (12 seconds) and a No Contest against Andrei Arlovski (originally a decision win for Harris.) Harris is athletic with good speed and a great striking game.
I've went back and forth on this fight all week. I can see Harris getting a 1st Round KO, but I can just as easily see Overeem controlling the fight for 25 minutes. If Harris is too emotional and makes mistakes in his return, Overeem will take advantage and end this one early. Overeem will have the advantage in the clinch and on the ground. Walt's best chance at winning is to finish Overeem early, but I think Overeem will take this fight deep. I like Reem to get this to the ground and grind his way to victory. Pick: Alistair Overeem Decision
Claudia Gadelha (17-4) (6, 14 P4P) vs Angela Hill (12-7)
Women's Strawweight almost never disappoints! Former title challenger Claudia Gadelha takes on the streaking Angela Hill. Gadelha has won four of six since losing a title fight to Joanna in July 2016 with wins coming over Cortney Casey, Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Carla Esparza, and Randa Markos. Hill is on a three fight win streak and has won four of her last five. She has fought a remarkable six times since the start of 2019. Her last fight was a win over Loma Lookboonmee in February.
Both women have solid striking games. Angie Hill is the more accomplished fighter on the feet, but Gadelha's striking has improved since she started training with Mark Henry (no, not The World's Strongest Man). Claudia will have the advantage on the ground, if she can get Hill to the mat. Hill is on a run, but Gadelha is easily better than any of Hill's last several opponents. Hill has done a great job of making me eat crow, but I'm going to pick against her once again. Gadelha's striking is good enough to give Angela problems, and her ground game is good enough to finish off Hill. Maybe we get Joanna vs Claudia 3 after this fight? Pick: Claudia Gadelha Decision
Dan Ige (13-2) (15) vs Edson Barboza (20-8) (11 LW)
This fight could easily steal the whole show. Dynamic striker Edson Barboza drops down a weight class to fight the rising Dan Ige. Ige has won five straight. He has a very good ground game training out of AKA. Barboza was KO'd by Justin Gaethje and lost a very close split decision to Paul Felder in his last two fights. I'm very interested to see how Barboza looks at 145 lbs. If the weight cut leaves his body drained, Ige's wrestling will quickly tire out Barboza, but if Barboza has the same power and speed, he will be a huge problem for the division. Ige has looked very good lately, but Edson will be the best fighter Ige has faced. I expect fireworks in this one. Edson has struggled with wrestlers in the past, but I think his striking will be too much for Ige. I like Barboza to finish this fight late. Winner: Edson Barboza 3rd Rd TKO
Eryk Anders (13-4) vs Krzysztof Jotko (21-4)
"Ya Boi" returns to action this weekend to fight the UFC veteran, Krzysztof Jotko. Eryk Anders has been impressive in the UFC moving back and forth between Middleweight and Light Heavyweight. He's won two straight over Vinicius Moreira and Gerald Meerschaert. Jotko has been in the UFC since 2014. He's also on a two fight win streak with wins over Alen Amedovski and Marc-André Barriault. Both of these guys will look to keep this fight standing. If it goes to the ground, I think Anders might have the slight edge. I like Anders striking power better, but Jotko is probably the better overall striker. These guys are pretty evenly matched, and a win would be pretty big for either guy. I'm torn on making a pick, but I'll go with Anders. I really like his power, and if he lands a clean shot, this one could be over. Pick: Eryk Anders 3rd Rd TKO
Song Yadong (15-4-1 (1)) (14) vs Marlon Vera (15-5-1) (15)
A very fun fight kicks off the main card when the fourteenth ranked Bantamweight Song Yadong takes on the fifteenth ranked Marlon Vera. Even though both are ranked Bantamweight, this fight will be at Featherweight. Yadong won seven straight before going to a draw with Cody Stamann last December. Vera has won five straight and had a very impressive finish of Andre Ewell last October. Both fighters are well rounded, but Yadong is the better striker and Vera will have the ground advantage. Yadong is very powerful, and I like him to get the finish in this one. Pick: Song Yadong 2nd Rd TKO
Not much name recognition on the prelim card, but veteran Matt Brown will be making his return. Darren Elkins is always fun to watch, and Casey vs MRB should be a fun fight as well. Quick picks on the prelims as always.
Matt Brown (22-16) vs Miguel Baeza (8-0) Pick: Matt Brown
Anthony Hernandez (7-1) vs Kevin Holland (16-5) Pick: Kevin Holland
Giga Chikadze (9-2) vs Irwin Rivera (9-4) Pick: Giga Chikadze
Cortney Casey (8-7) vs Mara Romero Borella (12-7 (2)) Pick: Mara Romero Borella
Darren Elkins (24-8) vs Nate Landwehr (13-3) Pick: Darren Elkins
Rodrigo Nascimento (7-0) vs Don'Tale Mayes (7-3) Pick: Rodrigo Nascimento