UFC 191 Prelim Predictions

Some very respectable prelims here, and I expect them to deliver action in every bout. More of these matches are roughly even than the main card, and the fights could end up better for it. Here are the prelim predictions:

Paul Felder vs. Ross Pearson

Yet another favourable matchup here, as Felder will have an opponent in Pearson who is more than willing to stand and trade with him for fifteen minutes. This could be another highlight finish for Felder, but Pearson is a solid fighter and has enough power that you can never count him out. Still, Pearsons KO wins in the past few years have all been over shot fighters (Sam Stout, Grey Maynard, George Sotiropoulis), so don’t expect too much here. The younger, bigger Felder takes this one.

Prediction: Paul Felder by KO

John Lineker vs. Francisco Rivera

This is a very tough one, and I have changed my mind a dozen times this week over who takes this one. At first it seemed that the Rivera size advantage would be too much, as Lineker is only fighting at 135 because he missed 125 on four different occasions. It could be that he is going to find his right weight class with a great performance here however, and he has the experience edge on Rivera, as well as having a better chin, which should be important here. Tough, tough pick, but I think Lineker has the better wins and will relish having an opponent who is not afraid to stand with him.

Prediction: John Lineker by TKO

Jessica Andrade vs. Raquel Pennington

There is not too much to say on this fight, as the two women have already fought and I expect the result to be the same this time. Pennington has underrated toughness, but not really much else. Andrade is a better fighter, and while it won’t be easy, she should pull off the win here fairly convincingly.

Prediction: Jessica Andrade by decision

Clay Collard vs. Thiago Trator

I was a big fan of Collard after his first couple of UFC fights, but I think he looked awful against Gabrial Benitez at UFC 188. Collard barely hung on to lose a decision, gassing badly and almost being finished several times. Still, Trator seems like the kind of fighters Collard should look good against, and hopefully without the Mexican altitude Collard will have improved cardio. Giving my boy Clay one more shout here, otherwise we may have to accept that he isn’t quite UFC calibre.

Prediction: Clay Collard by TKO

Joe Riggs vs. Ron Stallings

I’ll keep this short, Riggs barely made weight and reportedly needed medical assistance backstage, so I’m surprised he is even fighting. Stallings is not great, but Riggs is too old, too worn down and too fragile to compete at this level anymore.

Prediction: Ron Stallings by TKO

Nazareno Malegarie vs. Joaquim Silva

I admit that I am not too familiar with either of these guys, but I’ll give it a shot regardless. Both have great finishing rates, Silva is undefeated at 7-0, though Malagerie has more experience and a very respectable 23-3 record. Malagerie is the pick, simply down to experience and an impressive 15 submission victories.

Prediction: Nazareno Malagerie by submission