UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Johnson main card predictions
The UFC heads to Hidalgo, TX for an exciting fight night headlined by top-10 lightweights Dustin Poirier and Michael Johnson. In the co-main event, Uriah Hall battles Derek Brunson while the rest of the card is filled with up-and-coming fighters looking to put their name on the map.
Let’s dive in and take a look at how some of the interesting matchups on the UFC Hidalgo main card might play out.
In a little over a year, Dustin Poirier has gone from featherweight contender on the outskirts of a title shot, to lightweight banger ready to snatch the belt at any moment. Johnson on the other hand has gone from lightweight contender to the brink of dropping out of the top 10 in that same time range. So it’s clear who has momentum heading into their main event fight on Saturday.
Since jumping up to 155-pounds, Poirier has knocked out Bobby Green, Yancy Medeiros and Diego Ferreira as well as scoring a hard-fought, bloody victory over Joe Duffy. Poirier is the same fighter, stylistically, that he was a featherweight, he’s just appears to be more confident at lightweight and has raved about what the easier weight cut has done for his performance.
Don’t get me wrong, Johnson is a really solid lightweight but there are few 155ers at the moment that can stand-and-trade with this new-and-improved Poirier and walk away with a win.
Prediction: Poirier by fourth-round knockout
When Uriah Hall is on, he’s easily one of the more dynamic and dangerous fighters on the UFC roster. However, his inability to pull the trigger on the biggest stages have stopped him from becoming a more popular name in the UFC.
He’ll need to do much more than just show up on Saturday against Derek Brunson, who has quickly proven himself as one of the tougher competitors the middleweight division has to office. Brunson has won his last three fights by knockout and his only two losses under the UFC/Strikeforce banner have come against Yoel Romero and Ronaldo Souza.
Statistically, Brunson and Hall matchup pretty well. Hall is the far more accurate striker but they both land approximately three strikes per minute while only absorbing two and successfully defend over 50 percent of the punches thrown their way.
Brunson, however, relies much more on his dominant ground game and I believe that’s how he wins this fight.
Prediction: Brunson by decision
Resurgent lightweight Evan Dunham was scheduled for a hard-hitting affair against Abel Trujillo on Saturday before an injury forced his opponent to pull out. Now, he’ll be facing former World Series of Fighting featherweight champion Rick Glenn with just 12 days to prepare.
Despite the short notice, the seven-year UFC veteran Dunham shouldn’t have many issues walking away from Hidalgo with a win over the newcomer. He’s won three straight over the likes of Joe Lauzon and Ross Pearson, and his striking during that span has looked better than ever.
Prediction: Dunham by decision
Roan Carneiro is 1-1 since returning to the UFC and he’ll be looking for another big win in Texas against Kenny Robertson, a hard-hitting welterweight with the grappling chops to match.
Robertson is going to try to push the pace and try to force Carneiro into a gritty grappling match while he works his dirty boxing. If he can get out to a fast start, the 38-year-old Carneiro likely won’t be able to slow him down.
Prediction: Robertson by second-round knockout
Chris Wade and Islam Makhachev are both young, well-rounded prospects looking to continue climbing the lightweight ladder on Saturday night. Both are also accomplished grapplers, so this fight could easily turn into a stand-up war if their Sombo and wrestling bases cancel each other out.
I really like what I’ve seen from Makhachev in the stand-up during his short time in the UFC, so I think if the fight remains there, he should have the edge.
Prediction: Makhachev by decision
It’s no secret that former All-American wrestler Chas Skelly will attempt to immediately take this fight against heavy-handed Maximo Blanco to the canvas as soon as possible. Skelly has a suffocating ground game, which has helped him win eight fights by submission, including two inside the Octagon, and when he gets the fight to the floor, he is constantly working, as evidenced by his 2.79 submission attempts per fight.
To Blanco’s credit, he’s defended 80 percent of the takedowns attempted against him and is an accomplished wrestler himself. But the Venezuelan can be a bit reckless with his striking. If Skelly can capitalize, and score a takedown off an errant haymaker, he can dictate where the fight goes and how it ends.
Prediction: Skelly by second-round submission
