Preview: UFC Fight Night ‘Bermudez vs. Korean Zombie’

Women’s Strawweights

Tecia Torres (7-1) vs. Bec Rawlings (7-5): Rawlings has made some nice strides since her move to Alliance MMA. Under coach Eric Del Fierro, she has cleaned up her boxing and learned to control herself a little bit better in the process. Rawlings still has a sort of if-I-see-it-I’m-attacking-it attitude about her, but it takes more than a reckless brawler to land several clean counters on a fighter like Seo Hee Ham. Unfortunately for Rawlings, the improvements simply are not coming fast enough. Torres has been one of the most promising prospects at 115 pounds since her second pro fight, and she has essentially spent the last three years carefully studying the ideas Rawlings has only just started to pick up. Torres has developed into an extremely disciplined fighter, but she retains the mean streak and willingness to throw down. If Rawlings does go that route, Torres will have the choice of either outlasting her or putting her on her back. Either way, expect Rawlings to look too slow and a step behind throughout most of the bout. Torres by third-round TKO is the pick.

Heavyweights

Adam Milstead (8-1) vs. Curtis Blaydes (6-1): Blaydes had a rough go of it in his UFC debut against Francis Ngannou, but that does not look so bad in retrospect now that Ngannou has proven his ability to tool up heavyweights with substantially more experience. At 25, Blaydes is still less than three years into his career. He is a rarity in this division, a big man who excels at shooting blast doubles. Unfortunately, the reason that style of wrestling is uncommon north of 205 pounds is that it takes a lot of energy and risks putting the offensive wrestler in a very dangerous position underneath his opponent. The good news is that Blaydes showed off some newly layered chain wrestling in his bout with Cody East, even though he still struggled somewhat with East’s speed and power on the feet. Milstead is similar to East in some ways, which could afford Blaydes the opportunity to improve upon his past performances. Milstead is quite possibly a harder puncher than East, but he appears to have some of the same problems: shaky stamina, for one, suspect takedown defense, for another. Blaydes is well-conditioned, but his heavy, controlling wrestling style also makes him well-suited to a potentially long, drawn-out fight. If Blaydes gets stuck at range, however, Milstead will do his best to get his sixth knockout win. The pick is Blaydes by third-round TKO.

Featherweights

Chas Skelly (16-2) vs. Chris Gruetzemacher (13-1): In his UFC debut, Gruetzemacher was hailed as a longtime training partner of former UFC champion Benson Henderson; however, Henderson is not the first man that comes to mind when watching “Gritz” work. The name that comes to mind is Court McGee. Like McGee, Gruetzemacher is all pressure and volume. Just about everything he throws comes packaged with at least two other strikes, and while he absorbs more than his fair share of punishment, his pace is one that only the best fighters can match. McGee always struggled with more dynamic athletes, and Gruetzemacher will suffer the same fate. Skelly is a great athlete and also an electric submission grappler. Like all of John Crouch’s fighters, “Gritz” is not easy to put on his back, but few men scramble as well as Skelly, who is just as likely to gain top position by turning a leg lock into a sweep as he is to score a clean takedown. Skelly is not lost on the feet, either. He is perhaps even more hittable than Gruetzemacher, but he is similarly tough and uncannily good at timing his heavy right hand. Gruetzemacher’s grimy style has its positives, but it also makes him a hard man on whom to rely. Skelly has struggled with his gas tank in the past, so Gruetzemacher may set himself up for a late win by working the body early. Still, the pick is Skelly by second-round submission.

Bantamweights

Ricardo Lucas Ramos (9-1) vs. Michinori Tanaka (11-2): Another one of Dana White’s “Lookin’ for a Fight” discoveries receives yet another stiff test in his first UFC bout. Ramos looks like a fantastic edition to the action-packed UFC bantamweight division, with crisp striking, well-timed takedowns and a submission game as smooth as butter. Fortunately for Ramos, he may have gotten the obligatory “prospect loss” out of the way already. Typically, young fighters have to learn a lesson or two in restraint and discipline before they can fulfill their potential, and for Ramos, that lesson was taught by Manny Vazquez via rear-naked choke. Tanaka is a young fighter himself but sadly has never lived up to his apparent potential. Athleticism is Tanaka’s standout quality. He does not pack a huge punch, but his speed and lightness of foot are top notch, and as a part-time member of Team Alpha Male, he naturally takes to wrestling and scrambling. Tanaka has a problem with stamina, however, and he has yet to fix it six years into his professional career. In a word, Tanaka has yet to learn the difference between “too much” and “too little” and historically has just alternated from one to the other, fight by fight. With his smooth kickboxing and aggressive ground game, Ramos should be able to match Tanaka everywhere and maybe, just maybe, break that Dana White curse. Ramos by unanimous decision is the pick.

Welterweights

Alex Morono (13-3-1) vs. Niko Price (9-0): Price likes to strike. Six of his nine wins are by knockout, and according to the man himself, striking was the plan going into his short-notice debut against Brandon Thatch. Upon being hit cleanly a few too many times, though, Price took down Thatch. Price is a quick scrambler and uses pressure on the ground to force his opponents into transitions they stand little chance of winning. You might say he is actually a better grappler than a kickboxer, despite his preference for swangin’ and bangin’ in the cage. That essentially makes Price a supercharged version of Morono, whose submission game has not reared its head as often as expected in his two UFC bouts. Whereas Price is too wild for his own good, Morono is virtually technique-less. On the feet, he is a whirlwind of hooks and overhands and yet manages to keep up with better strikers. Price has the physical and technical advantages in many aspects of this matchup, but Morono is not to be counted out. He was a sizeable underdog in each of his first two UFC bouts and won both. The tentative pick is Price by unanimous decision.

Light Heavyweights

Daniel Jolly (5-1) vs. Khalil Rountree (4-2): Jolly was knocked out in the first round of his first UFC fight, so he may be having mixed emotions about this sophomore matchup. For one, Rountree is an even more powerful striker than Misha Cirkunov -- the man who poll-axed Jolly in 2015. Virtually every shot Rountree throws comes with every ounce of mustard he can muster, which makes him exceptionally dangerous but also limited. Rountree does have a couple of decision wins on his record, but level of competition matters; and the first time he went the distance with a similarly experienced fighter, he lost. Rountree certainly does not have the ground game or takedown defense Cirkunov does. Fortunately for Rountree, Jolly is not an exceptional wrestler. His strong sprawl should be enough to keep “The Werewolf of Texas” from gaining top position. The pick is Rountree by first-round TKO.

Connor Ruebusch is an analyst of striking and boxing technique for Sherdog.com, as well as BloodyElbow.com and BadLeftHook.com. He has written hundreds of articles examining fighting form and strategy, and he is not done yet. Every Wednesday he talks about the finer points of face-punching on his podcast Heavy Hands. Though he dabbles in fantasy MMA, he is not a regular gambler, nor is he an expert in the field. If you use these predictions as a betting guide, please do so in combination with your own best judgment and a healthy pinch of salt. It is your money.