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UFC Fight Night 208 Preview and Predictions

UFC Fight Night 208

(Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

UFC Fight Night 208
(Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

UFC Fight Night 208 Preview and Predictions

The UFC will be in London, England at the O2 Arena on Saturday, July 23 for UFC Fight Night 208. This is the second UFC event in London this year and once again, the UFC brought a stacked card for the English fans. For the second week in a row, the card will have an earlier start time than normal. The main card will start at 3 p.m. ET while the prelims start at 12 p.m. ET. Both will be available on ESPN+. I am joined by Garrett Burroughs to provide a preview and prediction for each fight on the main card.

Three weeks into tracking our prediction records here are our results.

James: 9-6

Garrett: 10-5

#8 Paul Craig vs. #9 Volkan Oezdemir- Light Heavyweight

James: Paul Craig is on the best streak of his career. He has won five of his last six fights and the one outlier was a draw. That draw came to Mauricio Rua and Craig eventually defeated him in a rematch. Outside of Rua, he also beat Jamahal Hill and Nikita Krylov. Volkan Oezdemir is a formidable opponent, but he has been on a skid losing five of his last seven.

In all honesty, you could copy and paste any other Craig fight breakdown and insert it here. He will have a massive advantage on the ground as his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is on another level. His best path to victory will be locking up a submission. However, he does have solid ground-and-pound to pair with his submission skills. At the same time, Craig will likely take a lot of damage while the fight is on the feet. Oezdemir’s path to victory is to stay on the outside and land power shots while avoiding Craig’s grappling. With that being said, I have a hard time picking against Craig. If he gets a hold of Oezdemir once, he could end the fight in seconds. For that reason, I will take Craig by first-round submission.

Garrett: Paul Craig via TKO

Molly McCann vs. Hannah Goldy- Women’s Flyweight

James: Scouser Molly McCann made a name for herself at the UFC’s last show in London, brutally knocking out Luana Carolina — which became McCann’s second victory in a row. Now, she looks to continue winning as she fights Hannah Goldy. Goldy landed an armbar finish in her last fight against Emily Whitmire to get herself back in the win column. Now, Goldy sits at 6-2 in MMA, while McCann is 12-4.

In this fight, McCann seems to have a good matchup on her hands. In the striking realm, she will have better boxing and much more power. On the ground, McCann will have a wrestling advantage which should allow her to control position while on top. From a stylistic standpoint, McCann and Goldy have a lot of similarities, but McCann is better in a lot of the arenas they both specialize in. That makes her an upgraded version of Goldy. This is a good recipe for a McCann decision victory.

Garrett: Molly McCann via TKO

#11 Nikita Krylov vs. Alexander Gustafsson- Light Heavyweight

James: Alexander Gustafsson is moving back down to light heavyweight after a one-fight stint at heavyweight — a submission loss to Fabricio Werdum. Before that, Gustafsson had lost his last two light heavyweight bouts against Anthony Smith and Jon Jones. Gustafsson was a great fighter at one point in his career, but he was never able to reach the top of the division as he could not beat Jones or Daniel Cormier. However, he looks to find his prime form again as he fights Nikita Krylov. Krylov is coming off losses to Paul Craig and Magomed Ankalaev. This brought his UFC record to 2-4.

The prediction for this fight is straightforward. If we see prime Gustafsson he will dismantle Krylov. That is a testament to how good Gustafsson was at the height of his career. However, if a lesser version of Gustafsson appears, Krylov will win. Unfortunately, we have seen the lesser version of Gustafsson for years now as he has not won a fight since 2017. As much as I would love to see it, I do not see any reason to believe a 35-year-old Gustafsson will abruptly turn the ship around. I will take Krylov by decision.

Garrett: Alexander Gustafsson via decision

Paddy Pimblett vs. Jordan Leavitt- Lightweight

James: Paddy Pimblett is one of the most popular fighters in the UFC. He is so popular that he was the first athlete to sign with Barstool Sports. The Scouser has three UFC fights under his belt and has won each fight with a first-round finish. This success has only brought him more notoriety. His opponent, Jordan Leavitt provides an interesting fight for Pimblett. Leavitt is 10-1 in MMA with a 3-1 UFC record.

From a stylistic view, I am very intrigued by this fight. Pimblett and Leavitt both excel in the grappling department, and it is each fighter’s biggest strength. They both possess tremendous submissions skills, and they are willing to attempt submissions at a high rate. At the same time neither has great takedown offense. I think that may result in this fight taking place on the feet as each fighter will struggle to get the fight to the ground. On the feet, neither guy is a tremendous striker, but Pimblett will have an advantage. Pimblett throws to the head with more efficiency and power while Leavitt’s striking is limited to leg kicks and teeps. I will take Pimblett by first-round knockout.

Garrett: Paddy Pimblett via TKO

#8 Jack Hermansson vs. Chris Curtis- Middleweight

James: Jack Hermansson was originally scheduled to fight Darren Till. However, due to injury, Till was forced to pull out and now Chris Curtis will fight Hermansson on three weeks’ notice. Curtis is no stranger to taking a fight with a quick turnaround. His willingness to take short-notice fights has resulted in him going 3-0 in the UFC in under a year. However, Hermansson will be his toughest fight thus far in his career. Hermansson has been a mainstay in the UFC ranking over the last couple of years, but he has begun to slide as he has gone 2-3 in his last five.

Usually, when an unranked fighter steps in on short notice to fight a ranked opponent, the ranked fighter is the heavy favorite. However, Curtis has a good chance in this one. The 35-year-old’s sprawl and brawl style is perfect for defeating Hermansson. Hermansson’s biggest advantage in this fight is his ground game but Curtis’s takedown defense will make it hard for him to employ that game plan. Instead, if it stays standing Curtis should be able to outland Hermansson. I think that is exactly what will happen. I will take Curtis by decision.

Garrett: Chris Curtis via decision

#4 Curtis Blaydes vs. #6 Tom Aspinall- Heavyweight

James: Curtis Blaydes and Tom Aspinall will headline UFC Fight Night 208. Blaydes is 16-3 in MMA and has only lost to heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and Derrick Lewis. Outside of losses to some of the most powerful strikers of all time, Blaydes defeated Alexander Volkov, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Chris Daukaus, Junior Dos Santos, and others. In each fight, he proved to be an elite heavyweight. On the other hand, Aspinall has less experience, but he has impressed in his five UFC wins. This five-fight win streak includes a round-one submission of Volkov. That fight headlined the UFC’s last card in London. I think it goes without saying that Blaydes and Aspinall are two of the best heavyweights in the world. Because of that, the winner of this fight will be on the verge of a heavyweight title shot.

This fight is by far the hardest fight to predict on this card. Blaydes and Aspinall are both fighters that I hate picking against. In Blaydes’ case, he is a fantastic wrestler, and he can lean on that skill to earn a decision victory. At the same time, he throws vicious elbows from the top that can finish a fight. He has also shown improvements in his striking throughout his UFC career. For Aspinall, he is one of the most balanced heavyweights. On the feet, he is a great striker that utilizes a variety of attacks. On the ground, he has high-level Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. For a prediction, I will lean in favor of the more balanced fighter, but I think this will be a competitive fight. I will take Aspinall by decision.

Garrett: Tom Aspinall by decision

*All fighter records and fight results via Tapology*

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