UFC 192 Prelim Predictions

Sage Northcutt vs. Francisco Trevino

Northcutt could be the real deal, or he could end up another in a long line of busted prospects. For now though, it looks like his athleticism and well rounded skillset will be enough to see off Trevino. Trevino is a good mixed martial artist, but I don't really see any area in which he won't be beaten by Northcutt, even at this early stage of his career.

Winner: Sage Northcutt by TKO

Derrick Lewis vs. Viktor Pesta

It is a crapshoot every time Lewis fights, as his outrageous knockout power means that any fight could be won at any second. This becomes considerably less likely, however, after the first round. Lewis does not have great stamina, and isn't particularly great at anything apart from sloppy ground and pound. Pesta should overwhelm him steadily to a late stoppage, but considering Pesta can have sometimes suspect defense, I'm going with the slight upset here.

Winner: Derrick Lewis by KO

Chris Cariaso vs. Sergio Pettis

I'll admit I questioned my pick for this one when I saw that Pettis is the slightly bigger man in this bout. Usually Pettis is outsized, as in his fight against Alex Caceres, and he has trouble handling this. As the bigger guy, Pettis won't deal with this problem. I still don't think that Pettis is that good, however, and I think Cariaso is just good enough to remind us all that not all Pettis' are created equal.

Winner: Chris Cariaso by Decision

Angela Hill vs. Rose Namajunas

This is another one of many fights where the upset is possible. Neither fighter has an extensive record, and Namajunas has been a bit of a busted prospect, hyped up on TUF but lost in the finals and hasn't been able to get a fight since. Hill has a pretty one dimensional skillset, but if she can keep it standing then she could give Namajunas trouble. I'm going to take the unpredictable Namajunas by something cool.

Winner: Rose Namajunas by submission

Adriano Martins vs. Islam Makhachev

This is a close one for me, because I can't help but think of the last time Martins fought a Dagestani fighter as the underdog, and put on a great performance against Rustam Khabilov. This could repeat itself, or Makhachev could be too much. Martins has a solid 4-1 UFC record, only falling to Cowboy Cerrone, but this one could be another loss incoming. I am going to go with my gut pick Martins to pull this out.

Winner: Adriano Martins by Decision

Alan Jouban vs. Albert Tumenov

I was torn on this one all week. Jouban is the bigger guy, and puts on some great fights with his reckless style. The problem with this fight is that Tumenov has the kind of style that should work well against Jouban. I expect this to be a great fight, but Jouban gets hit and dropped far too much for me to pick him with any degree of confidence. An upset is definitely possible here, but Tumenov should get it done.

Winner: Albert Tumenov by TKO

Daniel Hooker vs. Yair Rodriguez

I watched lots of fights for both these guys this week, trying to think about how the fight will play out. It could either go like the Hatsu Hioki/Hooker fight, where Hooker is losing almost the whole way, then gets the finish. Or it could go like the Yair Rodriguez/Charles Rosa fight, where Rodriguez comes out stong and puts on too much pressure for his opponent to handle. I think if it goes to decision then Rodriguez wins, and he could also catch a submission along the way. I think Hooker will find a home for his elbows, and get a stoppage after a couple of very exciting rounds.

Winner: Daniel Hooker by TKO