UFC Edmonton Preview And Predictions

UFC Edmonton Preview And Predictions

The UFC is heading north of the border. The promotion is taking a solid fight card to Edmonton. The event features a pair of highly-ranked match-ups at the top of the card.  The remainder of the event is filled out with some of Canada’s best fighters.

Join Vendetta Sports Media as we preview and predict the main card. You can find out prediction records below.

James: 115-83

Garrett: 115-83

Anthony: 119-79

Jerry: 99-82

Mike Malott vs. Trevin Giles- Welterweight Bout 

James: The UFC Edmonton main card opener is a welterweight bout between Mike Malott and Trevin Giles. At one point, Malott had a serious hype train that was quickly gaining passengers. That is what happens when you start your UFC career with three finish victories. The problem is that all his progress halted when Neil Magny finished him with ground and pound in the third round. At UFC Edmonton, he will attempt to regain some of his lost momentum. Giles is a UFC veteran with a 7-6 record. This bout was booked as a test for Malott. If he drops, consecutive bouts to Malott and Giles, his future will not be as exciting as many expected.

Malott is a dangerous fighter who can finish fights with striking or submissions. In the striking realm, he is patient and throws with power, best seen in his hands. Once he has an opponent hurt, he will aggressively hunt for submissions. The issue is that his cardio is awful. If Malott does not land an early finish, he may get finished in the later rounds. 

Giles has a solid skill set. In any realm, he can compete, especially against unranked opponents. Giles can box with opponents on the feet or mix in wrestling. The issue is that he does not have great durability. Giles can put together several strong minutes before getting finished. 

This UFC Edmonton preview is tricky. It is difficult to be overconfident on either side. Malott is dangerous and can finish a fighter with Giles durability concerns. At the same time, Giles could survive and do serious damage in the late rounds. Ultimately, we simply have too much evidence to suggest Giles can be finished against dangerous opponents. I will take Malott by first-round submission. 

Garrett: Malott via decision

Anthony: Malott via submission

Jerry: Malott via KO/TKO

Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Dustin Stoltzfus- Middleweight Bout

James: UFC Edmonton features a middleweight bout between Marc-Andre Barriault and Dustin Stolzfus. Barriault holds an uninspiring 5-7 record in the UFC. The catch is that a lot of his losses have been against high-quality opponents. It does not bode well for his long-term position in the promotion, but it does provide optimism when fighting outside of the rankings. Meanwhile, Stolzfus is 2-5 in the UFC. It is harder to find excuses for his performances. Regardless, both fighters need a win to keep their jobs. 

The biggest assets in Barriault’s game are his clinch work and cardio. The goal of his game plan is to get the clinch and throw volume punches. This forced his opponents to work and it can tax their gas tanks quickly.  

Stolzfus does not bring many impactful skills to the octagon. His most common weapons are his leg kicks and boxing. At times, he will also look to wrestle offensively. 

This UFC Edmonton preview favors Barriault. In the simplest terms, he has more skill and is better at executing his game plan. That should allow him to get the fight to his preferred area and find success. That will likely result in Barriault dominating in the clinch and winning rounds. I will take Barriault by decision. 

Garrett: Stolzfus via submission

Anthony: Barriault via decision

Jerry: Barriault via decision

Caio Machado vs. Brendson Ribeiro- Light Heavyweight Bout 

James: At UFC Edmonton, Caio Machado will fight Brendeson Ribeiro. This fight is a matchup between fighters with winless UFC records. Machado is 0-2 at heavyweight and will drop down to light heavyweight for this fight. In all fairness, the weight class change looks like it has gone well. Machado has lost enough body fat to make it look like he has been on Ozempic. Meanwhile,

Ribeiro has attempted to get in fun light heavyweight scraps but it has yet to produce wins. 

This UFC Edmonton bout is a dud to preview. It is one of the worst fights on the card and it’s a shock that it is on the main card. It is simply a matchup between to fighters that are not UFC caliber. I expect that this fight will result in some sloppy striking exchanges. That makes it a coin-flip fight. If forced to pick, I prefer Ribeiro. I think he is the most powerful of the pair. I will take Ribeiro by second-round knockout. 

Garrett: Ribeiro via TKO

Anthony: Machado via decision

Jerry: Ribeiro via decision

No. 11 Derrick Lewis vs. Jhonata Diniz- Heavyweight Bout 

James: UFC Edmonton features a heavyweight matchup between Derrick Lewis and Jhonata Diniz. Lewis is a legend of the sport. Aside from his hilarious personality and endless quotables, he holds the record for the most UFC knockouts. On top of that, his 19-10 record makes his a highly experienced fighter for the heavyweight division. Diniz is the complete opposite. The former kickboxer is 8-0 in professional MMA and 2-0 in the UFC. This bout will determine if he is ready for the heavyweight rankings.

Lewis is a solid fighter. On the feet, he is a powerful striker. The main weapon he uses is his boxing. He will patiently wait for opportunities and throw massive punches. Additionally, he has underrated wrestling and athleticism. Lewis can surprise opponents with dynamic strikes or takedowns. 

Diniz is a respectable striker. In his Dana White’s Contender Series bout, he showed that his kickboxing background can be useful the UFC. This is because he has a solid amount of technicality, good movement, and power. The problem is that his grappling looks horrendous. At some point, it will catch up to him. 

This UFC Edmonton preview is tricky. In a wild twist of events, Lewis is the fighter with a grappling upside. The issue is that I have no idea if he will proactively grapple. Regardless, Lewis is a massive step up in competition in comparison to his previous UFC matchups. I will side with Lewis because of his potential grappling upside, experience, and ridiculous power. I will take Lewis by decision. 

Garrett: Diniz via TKO

Anthony: Lewis via KO/TKO

Jerry: Lewis via KO/TKO

No. 3 Erin Blanchfield vs. No. 5 Rose Namajunas-Women’s Strawweight Bout 

James: The UFC Edmonton five-round co-main event features a women’s strawweight bout between Erin Blanchfield and Rose Namajunas. The Blanchfield is looking to bounce back after her first UFC loss. That came against Manon Fiorot. In total, she is 6-1 in the UFC. Namajunas, the former strawweight champion, holds a 2-1 record since moving up a division.  A win over Blanchfield would put her in a solid position to eventually fight for a title. 

Blanchfield is a great grappler. In the clinch, she controls positions and lands strikes. In the top position, she can set up submission and be aggressive with strikes. The deciding factor in her game is her offensive wrestling. Blanchfield’s takedowns have been inconsistent at the UFC level. If she is landing them, she is tough to beat. In addition to her grappling, she has solid physical attributes. This includes her toughness, durability, cardio, and physicality. 

Namajunas is a great striker. The combination of speed, distance management, and range weapons makes her a tough fighter to deal with. The strikes that she has the most success with are her jabs and kicks. Plus, she is good at finding openings and landing strikes. In the grappling realm, she can be taken down and held down. It is not necessarily as easy as it sounds, however. Namajunas’ movement makes her hard to track down and she can threaten submissions. 

The UFC Edmonton co-main event previews to be a compelling fight. This bout will make it easier to understand where each woman sits at this stage of their career. Personally, I do not think it is time to cast Blanchfield aside after her loss to Fiorot. In hindsight, it was a tough matchup. Blanchfield’s two most recent fights have come against physical opponents in Fiorot and Taila Santos. The physicality of both fighters made it much more difficult for Blanchfield to land takedowns. That will not be the case with Namajunas. The former strawweight is small for the division and is not as physical. This should be what allows Blanchfield to get the fight to the ground. If that’s the case, she can put Namajunas in dangerous positives for long periods. That should result in a finish. I will take Blanchfield by four-round submission. 

Garrett: Namajunas via decision

Anthony: Blanchfield via decision

Jerry: Blanchfield via decision

No. 2 Brandon Moreno vs. No. 3 Amir Albazi- Flyweight Main Event 

James: The UFC Edmonton main event features a flyweight bout between Brandon Moreno and Amir Albazi. Moreno is looking to get back on track after a pair of losses. The first came when he lost the flyweight title to Alexandre Pantoja. In his subsequent fight, he dropped a decision to Brandon Royval. The 30-year-old former champion will always be a serious name in the flyweight division, but he will need a win to prevent seriously slipping down the rankings. Albazi has a perfect 5-0 record. In his most recent fight, he won a controversial decision against Kai-Kara France. Despite many thinking he lost, the judges scored the fight in his favor. This fight against Moreno is a great opportunity to get the fight out of people’s memory. At the same time, he has dealt with neck injuries that have had him sidelined. A dominant performance against Moreno would cast doubts and concerns aside. 

Moreno is one of the best flyweights in the world when he is at the top of his game. This is because of his well-roundedness. On the feet, Moreno has solid hands and can mix kicks into his boxing-heavy approach. In addition, he is a sensational grappler. It is incredibly difficult for opponents to find success grappling against Moreno. This is because of his mix of BJJ and wrestling. This gives him great takedown defense while also having the ability to land sweeps. These skills are present alongside trustworthy attributes including toughness and cardio. 

The highlight of Albazi’s game is his grappling. This is most obvious once he lands a takedown. In the top position, he can rack up control time and advance position. This provides him openings to attack with strikes and submissions. In terms of physical ability, his biggest strong point is his physical strength. 

The UFC Edmonton main event is a tough fight to preview. It is hard to fully trust or be skeptical about either opponent. Moreno is on a slide and has not produced at his top level. Meanwhile, Albazi has been active. Those concerns do not help provide a pick, however. Instead, it just provides concern on each side. Ultimately, I lean toward Moreno. At this point in his career, we have seen him be a tough fighter to grappler. If Albazi cannot get his grappling flowing, Moreno should win striking rounds. I will take Moreno by decision.

Garrett: Albazi via decision

Anthony: Moreno via decision

Jerry: Moreno via decision

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