UFC Fight Night: Ian Machado Garry vs. Carlos Prates full card picks & predictions

UFC Kansas City Main Card Predictions

Ian Machado Garry vs. Carlos Prates

I’m as much a fan of what the “Fighting Nerds” have been doing in the UFC recently as anyone else, but after seeing Garry go the distance with Shavkat Rakhmonov I expect him avoid the big shots from Prates early on and take thing over the longer this fight goes.

(Pick: Garry)

Anthony Smith vs. Mingyang Zhang

Fans have seen Smith play spoiler in matchups like this before, but after his near-retirement I have a hard time seeing how "Lionheart" wins this unless Zhang makes a serious mistake and ends up on the mat at some point.

(Pick: Zhang)

Giga Chikadze vs. David Onama

Onama could have a difficult time here if he decides to test his striking against Chikadze, but if “The Silent Assassin” immediately starts looking for takedowns then he should have a clear path to victory.

(Pick: Onama)

Michel Pereira vs. Abus Magomedov

I’m a little surprised at how closely lined this fight is given that Pereira is only one fight removed from a lengthy win streak, and I’ll side the Brazilian to get back on track in what could be a chaotic fight with Magomedov.

(Pick: Pereira)

Randy Brown vs. Nicolas Dalby

This matchup is certainly a “Fight of the Night” candidate on paper, and I’m going to slightly lean with Dalby to work around Brown’s height and reach advantage in order to score an upset.

(Pick: Dalby)

Ikram Aliskerov vs. Andre Muniz

Aliskerov could find himself caught in a submission if he gets careless here, but with Muniz returning for the first time in more than two years this looks like it’s the Russian’s fight to lose.

(Pick: Aliskerov)

UFC Kansas City Preliminary Card Predictions

Matt Schnell vs. Jimmy Flick

Similar to the Aliskerov vs. Muniz matchup, this looks like a big chance for Schnell to get back into the win column as long as he doesn’t play around with Flick on the ground too much.

(Pick: Schnell)

Evan Elder vs. Gauge Young

Young steps in to make his UFC debut on short notice here against Elder, who had a difficult start to his own UFC career but should be able to earn a third-straight win when these two lightweights meet in Kansas City.

(Pick: Elder)

Chris Gutierrez vs. John Castañeda

I’m glad this matchup stayed together after it was originally supposed to take place last month, and while it should be a competitive scrap I have to side with Castañeda to get things done.

(Pick: Castañeda)

Da’Mon Blackshear vs. Alatengheili

Blackshear makes a quick turnaround for this matchup after submitting Cody Gibson last month, and a third-straight win here against Alatengheili could set the 30-year-old up for a big matchup later this year.

(Pick: Blackshear)

Cameron Saaiman vs. Malcolm Wellmaker

It wasn’t all that long ago that Saaiman was an undefeated prospect like Wellmaker, and I’m going to give the South African a slight edge in this fight to get back on track after suffering back-to-back losses.

(Pick: Saaiman)

Jaqueline Amorim vs. Polyana Viana

Viana may be fighting for her spot on the roster following back-to-back losses, and she’s unfortunately facing a confident fighter in Amorim that’s riding the momentum of three-straight finishes.

(Pick: Amorim)

Timmy Cuamba vs. Roberto Romero

Things haven’t exactly played out the way Cuamba was probably hoping when he joined the UFC last year, but I’ll pick the 26-year-old to finally earn his first Octagon victory when he meets Romero in Kansas City.

(Pick: Cuamba)

Chelsea Chandler vs. Joselyne Edwards

Chandler at least made weight for this fight after missing the bantamweight limit ahead of both her outings last year, but she could still be in for a tough night of work in this matchup with Edwards.

(Pick: Edwards)

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