UFC Live From London-FULL CARD PREVIEW
Live from London’s Wembley Arena, the UFC on Fuel TV 7 is coming to you with 12 exciting fights including an Interim Bantamweight Title fight. This card brings highly experienced fighters from the first prelim to the main event, with many of the fighters having 20+ fights on record!
Don’t forget that this card has six prelim fights streaming live on Facebook starting at 12pm ET (9am PT), followed by six main card fights starting at 3pm ET (12pm PT).
FREE Facebook Prelims:
Phil “Billy” Harris Vs. Ulysses “Useless” Gomez (125lbs)
This flyweight matchup pits Phil “Billy” Harris (21-10-0, 1NC), fighting out of Portsmouth, England, against Ulysses “Useless” Gomez (9-3-0), fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Both fighters are 29 years of age, both having more than half of their wins by submission and both coming off of a loss. Phil Harris brings experience, a Black belt in Judo and four knockout wins with him to the octagon. Ulysses Gomez, the less experienced fighter, brings with him a Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a Black belt in Pankration.
My prediction goes to the more well-rounded and experienced, Phil Harris.
Vaughn Lee Vs. Motonobu Tezuka (135lbs)
Fighting out of Birmingham, England, Vaughn Lee (12-8-1) faces Motonobu Tezuka (19-5-4) from Osaka, Japan. These two grapplers are fighting to stay afloat, as they are both coming off of losses. Lee tried out for The Ultimate Fighter season 14 and holds the record for most submissions in one night at the tryouts. Tezuka’s loss was a split decision with rising star Alex Caceres back in November. He has a Black belt in both Judo and Zendokai Karate, and a Brown Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
I predict that Lee’s athleticism won’t be enough to stop Tezuka from getting a submission win on Saturday.
Tom “Kong” Watson Vs. Stanislav ”Stucky” Nedkov (185lbs)
Another English fighter, Tom Watson (15-5-0) faces the undefeated Bulgarian, Stanislav Nedkov (12-0-0). Watson has six first round finishes and seven total knockouts, while Nedkov has six knockouts (one of which was on UFC’s Luiz Cane) and four submissions, which may imply that Nedkov is more well-rounded.
Both fighters are most notably strikers and I foresee this being a stand-up battle with Stanislav Nedkov coming out on top and remaining unbeaten.
Andy “The Little Axe” Ogle Vs. Josh “The Fluke” Grispi (145lbs)
Another fighter representing England, Any Ogle (8-2-0) faces the American from Massachusetts, Josh Grispi (14-4-0) in this Featherweight bout. Both relatively young fighters are well rounded with both submission and KO/TKO victories in their pasts. Andy Ogle lost a split decision in a stand-up battle the last time he was in the octagon and was on Team Faber on TUF season 15. Josh Grispi came from the WEC (4-0) with wins over opponents like Mark Hominick and Jens Pulver. In his UFC fights he has lost three, one of which was against Dustin Poirier, who fights later on the card.
This match-up is hard for me to call, but coming off of three losses puts Josh Grispi in a very motivated state. That along with the experience of being in a cage with such talented opponents makes me predict Grispi will win by decision.
Paul Sass Vs. Danny “Last Call” Castillo (155lbs)
Paul Sass (13-1-0) out of Liverpool, England, meets Danny Castillo (14-5-0), out of Sacramento, California in the cage. Paul Sass is a ground fighter and submission expert. He has 12 submission wins, eight of which were triangle chokes, three were heel hooks. Ten of his finishes came in the first round. Even though Danny Castillo has 5 KO victories, his roots are as an accomplished college wrestler and he has four submission wins. His record is full of big names including losses to Donald Cerrone, Anthony Pettis and Michael Johnson, with wins over Joe Stevenson and Dustin Poirier.
Get ready for a ground fight! I predict Danny Castillo starting strong on the feet and with takedowns, but with a sneaky submission victory by Paul Sass.
Terry Etim Vs. Renee Forte (155lbs)
And next is another potentially great ground battle between Terry Etim (15-4-0) and Renee Forte (7-2-0). Longtime UFC veteran Terry Etim has four Submission of the Night Awards and 12 total submission wins. A member of Team Wanderlei on TUF Brazil, Renee Forte is a Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a Purple belt in Karate. Both fighters have two knockout victories as well. This is Forte’s first fight in the Lightweight division, but Etim is still six inches taller.
I see the fight ending as a submission win by either of them, though I give Etim the edge.
Main Card on FUEL TV
Che Mills Vs. Matthew Riddle (170lbs)
Striker Che Mills (15-5-0, 1NC) out of Gloucester, England, faces wrestler Matthew Riddle (7-3-0, 1NC), out of Del Rio, Texas. Though Riddle has a good ground game, don’t forget he has a knockout win from when he was in TUF season 7, making him out to be a more well-rounded fighter. Mills’ last loss is to the Welterweight stand-out Rory MacDonald, which broke his five-fight win streak.
In this match, I foresee Matthew Riddle taking control of the fight (either standing of going to the ground) and winning by decision.
James TeHuna Vs. Ryan “Big Deal” Jimmo (205lbs)
All the way from Australia, James TeHuna (17-5-0) faces Canadian Ryan Jimmo (17-1-0). TeHuna’s only loss in his last five fights is to Light-Heavyweight top contender, Alexander Gustafsson. The majority of his wins are via KO/TKO, but he also has good takedowns and three submission wins. Ryan Jimmo, from TUF season 8, is a good wrestler but also has seven KO wins. He is a second degree Black belt in Chito-Ryu Karate.
On paper I would argue a likely win for James TeHuna, but instinct is telling me Ryan Jimmo will come out on top this Saturday, with a surprising victory.
Gunnar “Gunni” Nelson Vs. Jorge “Sandman” Santiago (170lbs)
Gunnar Nelson (10-0-1) of Iceland faces Jorge Santiago (23-10-0), a Brazilian fighting out of Coconut Creek, FL. Nelson is coming off of a first round submission win against DaMarques Johnson and is a well-rounded fighter. Santiago, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black belt, has nine KO wins and 12 submission wins. The experienced Santiago has fought big names like Demian Maia, Brian Stann, Alan Belcher and Chris Leben.
This time, I am predicting the less experienced fighter, Gunnar Nelson, for the win via decision.
Jimi “Poster Boy” Manuwa Vs. Cyrille “The Snake” Diabate (205lbs)
Jimi Manuwa (12-0-0) fighting out of London, England, faces Frenchman Cyrille Diabate (20-8-3). Manuwa is a finisher with 11 of his 12 wins by KO and one by submission. Diabate, at 39 years old, has been a pro since 1999. He has won 11 of his last 13 fights and recently beat UFC star Chadd Griggs.
This will be a striker’s fight and this Light-Heavyweight fight will surely push the action. I predict a knockout in the second round by Jimi Manuwa.
Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier Vs. Cub Swanson (145lbs)
Fighting out of Coconut Creek, FL, Dustin Poirier (13-2-0) squares off with Cub Swanson (18-5-0) fighting out of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Dustin Poirier stepped into this fight in mid-January to replace Dennis Siver. He is 5-1 in his last six fights, with the last three of those wins being by submission. Poirier is a dangerous fighter on the ground and standing up with his five KO wins. Cub Swanson has won his last three fights by KO/TKO, though he is a Jiu-Jitsu Black belt. Fightnomics recently tweeted that Swanson was “awarded most accurate striker in [the] UFC Featherweight division.”
This is an exciting bout with two stand-out featherweights. I can really see this going either way, but I see Cub Swanson being the more dangerous fighter and winning by decision with the potential for a Fight of the Night award.
Michael “Mayday” McDonald Vs. Renan Barao (135lbs)
And now, the Interim Bantamweight Championship Belt fight: The Californian Michael McDonald (15-1-0) hopes to take the strap from Brazilian Renan Barao (31-1-0). Renan Barao trains in Brazil with UFC champion Jose Aldo. He is a good striker but don’t let that fool you because he has won 13 of his fights by way of submission. Another well-rounded fighter, Michael McDonald is known for his knockout power and his last two fights prove it, both ending in round one by KO/TKO. Having just turned 22, McDonald is the second youngest fighter in the UFC.
This fight I predict either ending in the first round via KO/TKO, or being an all-out war through five rounds of the main event. I’m giving the win to the more experienced fighter, Renan Barao.
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