UFC Atlantic City Preview and Predictions
The UFC is back on the road and the octagon will touch down in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The card features a handful of great talent from the region. The most notable of the group is Erin Blanchfield who is headlining the event across from Manon Fiorot.
Join Vendetta Sports Media as we preview and predict the UFC Atlantic City main card. You can find our prediction records below.
James: 31-20
Garrett: 30-21
Anthony: 27-24
Jerry: 23-22
Chidi Njokuani vs. Rhys McKee- Welterweight Bout
James: The UFC Atlantic City main card opens with a middleweight bout between Chidi Njokuani and Rhys McKee. Njokuani is 2-3 in the UFC. In those wins, he looked outstanding. In the losses, he looked pretty bad. It should also be noted that he is cutting down from middleweight to welterweight for this fight. Meanwhile, McKee is on his second UFC run. In the promotion, he is 0-3.
The preview for the UFC Atlantic City main card opener is fairly simple. Njokuani is an elite striker who can land powerful shots with his hands, legs, knees, and elbows. The issue is that he looks horrible if the fight gets outside of the first round. McKee is the complete opposite. On the feet, he has awful striking defense and can be hit hard; however, he is very durable and has good cardio. Essentially, Njokuani will either knock McKee out in the first round or McKee will finish the fight when Njokuani fades. Ultimately, I lean toward Njokuani because he should land massive shots early. I will take Njokuani by first-round knockout.
Garrett: McKee via TKO
Jerry: Njokuani via decision
Anthony: Njokuani via decision
Bill Algeo vs. Kyle Nelson- Featherweight Division
James: UFC Atlantic City features a featherweight fight between Bill Algeo and Kyle Nelson. Algeo has a 5-3 UFC record and has been trending in the right direction. In recent outings, he has looked solid. Nelson is 3-4-1 in the UFC. The majority of his success has come recently as he has won back-to-back fights.
Algeo is a long featherweight that works from the outside. Generally, that is effective because he has strong movement, an effective jab, and a variety of kicks. That selection of tools allows him to keep him back off the fence while landing offensive strikes. If his opponents close the distance, Algeo is there to be hit. That is always a concern, but he does have nice knees and elbows. The danger in his strikes helps even the playing field on the inside. In the grappling, Algeo is not elite but is above average. It will take a primary grappler with strong wrestling to out-grapple him.
A lot of Nelson’s early UFC struggles were because he bounced between weight classes and fought inefficently. That led to him getting tired late in fights. Recently, he has looked much better. Nelson has simplified his game and focused on landing his jab, leg kicks, and body kicks. Plus, he has mixed in clinch control and takedowns. That has allowed him to control flights without gassing out.
In my opinion, this UFC Atlantic City preview favors Algeo. The main reason is that Algeo’s style could bring out Nelson’s previous cardio concerns. Algeo is great at setting the pace and dictating movement. If that holds true in this fight, Nelson will spend a lot of time chasing Algeo while being hit to the body. That is not easy and could bring out the cardio concerns. I will take Algeo by third-round knockout.
Garrett: Nelson via decision
Jerry: Algeo via decision
Anthony: Algeo via decision
Nursulton Ruziboev vs. Sedriques Dumas- Middleweight Bout
James: At UFC Atlantic City, Nursulton Ruziboev will fight Seqriques Dumas. Ruziboev made a splash in his UFC debut with a first-round knockout over Bruno Ferreira. That fight proved he was UFC-caliber, but there are still many questions surrounding his skill level. Dumas proved to be a fun fighter on Dana White’s Contender Series. In the UFC, he has gone 2-1 against entry-level competition.
Despite having a UFC fight under his belt, there are a ton of questions about Ruziboev. What we know is that he is six-foot-four, has a 76-inch reach, and hits hard. Outside of that, it is hard to be confident about his skills. Ruziboev had a suspect run on the regional scene. In those fights, he showed the ability to land submissions while also showing poor grappling. It is a strange mix of highs and lows.
Dumas showed out on Dana White’s Contender Series as he looked to be a dangerous fighter who would hunt finishes. In the UFC, he has taken fewer risks, landed takedowns, and controlled fights from the top position. Similarly to Ruziboev, Dumas is long for the middleweight division. At six-foot-two, he has a 79-inch reach.
It is hard to be overly confident about a Ruziboev fight based on our limited information on his skills. The limited information we have suggests Dumas could pick up a victory. On the regional scene, Ruziboev has a poor record in fights that go to decision. Meanwhile, Dumas has two decision wins in the UFC. Stylistically, Dumas has the length to match Ruziboev and he likely will be able to land takedowns. That is enough for me to take Dumas considering all the unknowns in this fight. I will take Dumas by decision.
Garrett: Dumas via decision
Jerry: Ruziboev via submission
Anthony: Ruziboev via decision
Chris Weidman vs. Bruno Silva- Middleweight Bout
James: The UFC Atlantic City feature bout is a fight between Chris Weidman and Bruno Silva. This fight will be Weidman’s second fight since his brutal leg break against Uriah Hall. In his return, he lost to Brad Tavares. Now, he gets a much easier matchup against Silva. Weidman and Silva are both 1-4 in their last five fights which makes this a must-win for both fighters.
Weidman, 39, is far past his prime. At this point, he does have some solid skills, but his age is also evident. On a positive note, his grappling is still solid. Weidman has solid takedowns and does good work from the top. It should also be noted that Weidman is tough and willing to exchange on the feet. That is not always true for someone at the tail end of their career. That said, Weidman is pretty slow. That makes it hard for him to land efficiently and get out of the way of strikes coming back his way. Additionally, he eats a lot of leg kicks.
Silva has been on a rough streak as well. At one point, he was 3-0 in the UFC and showed some promise. That changed when he fought Alex Pereira and received a ton of damage. That has led to a downward spiral. The mix of good and bad performances makes him difficult to project. The one thing that we do know is that he is powerful and presents danger.
This UFC Atlantic City bout is difficult to preview because it is hard to be confident in either of these fighters. That is what happens when each fighter has consistently been on the wrong side of things. Considering this is a Weidman fight, his offensive grappling will be the key outcome. If he lands his takedowns, he has a path to victory. On the other hand, while he is standing, Silva should land solid punches and leg kicks. That does not make me optimistic because Silva hits hard and Weidman has been finished several times. I will take Silva by second-round knockout.
Garrett: Silva via TKO (sadly)
Jerry: Silva via KO/TKO
Anthony: Silva via KO/TKO
No. 8 Vicente Luque vs. Joaquin Buckley- Welterweight Bout
James: The UFC Atlantic City co-main event is a welterweight bout between Vicente Luque and Joaquin Buckley. Luque has entertained fans throughout his UFC tenure with his brawling fight style. That has also led to success as he has gone 15-5 in the promotion. Buckley made a name for himself with a viral knockout against Impa Kasanganay. In his career, he has followed up his notoriety with a 7-4 UFC record. Recently, he dropped down from middleweight to welterweight where he has impressed with consecutive victories.
In Luque’s most recent fight, he returned after suffering a brain hemorrhage and picked up a victory. That is quite that feat, but it is also noteworthy that he changed his fighting style. Luque fought much more cautiously and successfully utilized his grappling. That contrasts his brawling style which is centered around counter hooks and leg kicks.
Buckley is an explosive striker who hunts finishes. That style has been successful because he hits hard and throws powerful kicks. With his hands, Buckley throws his left hand from various angles and throws to the body. At times, he can get overaggressive and blitz with wide hooks. The best aspect of his striking may be his kicks. Buckley throws his kicks to all three levels and has landed impactful head kicks on multiple occasions.
Luque’s change in style makes this UFC Atlantic City bout difficult to preview. This is a drastically different fight depending on his game plan. On the feet, Buckley could give Luque serious issues. Historically, Luque has struggled with southpaws. Buckley is a southpaw with a good left hand and solid kicks. If Luque grapples, he could find success. Buckley has made a lot of notable improvements in that realm, but Luque is undoubtedly the best grappler he has fought. At a minimum, Luque will have a lot of submission upside because of his front chokes. All of that considered, I lean toward Buckey. In my opinion, Luque did not look as confident striking in his most recent fight and he has absorbed a ton of damage in his career. Once you add the southpaw concerns into the discussion I favor Buckley. I will take Buckley by decision.
Garrett: Buckley via TKO
Jerry: Luque via decision
Anthony: Luque via submission
No. 2 Erin Blanchfield vs. No. 3 Manon Fiorot- Women’s Flyweight Bout
James: The UFC Atlantic City main event is a women’s flyweight bout between Erin Blanchfield and Manon Fiorot. This fight is crucial to the division as the winner will likely earn a title fight. In all honesty, both fighters should be fighting for the title, but the draw between Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko extended that rivalry. As a result, Blanchfield and Fiorot are put head-to-head with a title shot on the line.
Blanchfield and Fiorot are both elite prospects who have lived up to the hype. Both fighters have a matching 6-0 UFC record with wins over respectable opponents.
Blanchfield is a sensational fighter and is only 24 years old. Despite her age, she fights like a crafty veteran. Blanchfield fights at an insane pace and never slows down. That is paired with a strong clinch game and offensive grappling. This all works together to wear on her opponent as she gets to the clinch, uses her physicality, throws knees to the body, and attempts takedowns. Eventually, her opponents slow down which creates opportunities for offensive striking and accentuates her grappling advantage. At a distance, Blanchfield struggles against elite strikers and she gets hit with counters. It is clear her striking is progressing. In the pocket, she can compete with her boxing. Still, she is several years from being elite. That said, if her opponent gets tired, she will land big shots.
Fiorot is an elite distance striker. The best aspect of her game is her ability to control the distance while throwing side kicks, oblique kicks, and straight punches. That range management paired with good movement and footwork makes her hard to track down. Plus, she has great takedown defense and has shown respectable grappling.
This is a sensational fight between two of the best fighters in this division. It is also a unique matchup as they are both unique and elite in different areas. In this fight, Fiorot should be able to hit Blanchfield from a distance and throw knees when Blanchfield closes the distance. This fight will get interesting in the clinch. Blanchfield will need to land takedowns or clinch knees to wear on Fiorot’s gas tank. The key for Fiorot will be to get underhooks and get her back off the fence.
The factors that influence my prediction are Blanchfield’s intangibles. I love her tenacity, toughness, and commitment to her game plan. Those traits give me optimism that she can fight through Fiorot’s most potent offense and pull ahead in the later rounds. I will take Blanchfield by fifth-round submission.
Garrett: Blanchfield via decision
Jerry: Blanchfield via decision
Anthony: Blanchfield via decision
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