MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main card for UFC 257.
UFC 275 takes place Saturday at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
Last event’s results: 2-4
Overall picks for UFC main cards in 2022: 52-27
Welcome to MMAJunkie’s Quick Picks and Prognostications, where I’ll be giving brief, fight-day breakdowns for UFC main cards.
With that in mind, I hope these write-ups don’t come off as curt or dismissive, as my goal here is to offer quick picks and analysis in a digestible format. All odds listed are provided by Tipico Sportsbook.
If you’d like more detailed analysis from me, then feel free to check out my weekly show, The Protect Ya’ Neck Podcast.
So, without further ado…
Matchup: Jack Della Maddalena (-165) vs. Ramazan Emeev (+130)
Summary: Despite only one-half of this matchup fitting the Joe Silva standard of action-fighting openers, I still find myself excited for Jack Della Maddalena versus Ramazan Emeev.
Although I usually like to back the more proven and experienced veterans over Contender Series prospects, I still find myself siding with Della Maddalena in this spot.
Emeev is a serviceable wrestler and grappler who specializes in slowing fights down, but I suspect that Della Maddelena’s scrambling ability and offensive output will be too much to keep up with. I’ll pick the Australian to score a knockout in the second round, but expect close scores should this reach the final bell.
Matchup: Andre Fialho (-135) vs. Jake Matthews (+105)
Summary: Serving as a newly-minted attraction on the main card is a meeting between Andre Fialho and Jake Matthews.
Fialho finds himself on a fun two-fight finish streak, but I’m not sure how much longer he can keep up the Donald Cerrone impression before his short-notice schedule catches up with him.
Despite not being the most reliable prospect at times, Matthews should carry a solid wrestling and grappling edge in this contest. So long as the Australian can avoid Fialho’s left hook, then I see Matthews either grinding out a decision or scoring a surprising “club-n-sub” early.
Matchup: Weili Zhang (-165) vs. Joanna Jedrzeczyk (+130)
Summary: Serving as a featured attraction for UFC 275 is a rematch between former champions Weili Zhang and Joanna Jedrzeczyk.
Their first fight was nothing short of amazing, but seldom do we ever see the same fight play out twice in MMA. And despite scoring that first meeting for Jedrzeczyk, I find myself siding with the more active fighter here.
Left-sided strikes are a common kryptonite for both women, but I’ll pick Zhang to spark a surprising stoppage early off of a left hook.
Matchup: Valentina Shevchenko (-600) vs. Taila Santos (+400)
Summary: Summary: The co-main event in Singapore features a flyweight title fight between Valentina Shevchenko and Taila Santos.
As stated in my in-depth breakdown, this is a fight between two counter fighters that will likely be decided in the clinch. Santos seems to check the boxes in the size and strength department, but I suspect that Shevchenko’s skills will still be too much for the challenger.
I believe that this fight has all the makings for a tentative affair, so I’ll side with Shevchenko to take a slow-paced decision.
Matchup: Glover Teixeira (+160) vs. Jiri Prochazka (-210)
Summary: Summary: As stated in my in-depth breakdown, the main event for UFC 275 features a fun showdown for the light heavyweight title between Glover Teixeira and Jiri Prochazka.
Even though seeing a sitting champion at underdog odds can feel a bit disrespectful, I’m not shocked to see Prochazka as the odds-on favorite here.
Aside from Teixeira’s age being a red flag for many, Prochazka has the speed and power to close the show early with everything from a flying knee to an uppercut.
That said, I can’t ignore Prochazka’s propensity to throw himself out of position or turtle hard in scrambles, as I see the Brazilian champion weathering the storm and capitalizing on the challenger’s mistakes for a second-round submission win.
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