UFC Nashville Preview and Predictions
The UFC octagon will be in Nashville, Tennessee this weekend. The event features 12 fights with a bantamweight banger that sits atop the card. All things considered, the UFC is bringing a solid selection of fights to the Music City. For the most part, every fight brings fans something intriguing or entertaining to look forward to.
Join Vendetta Sports Media as we preview and predict the UFC Nashville main card. You can find our prediction records below.
James: 80-51-2
Garrett: 81-50-2
Jerry: 58-49-1
Anthony: 56-44-1
Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Ludovit Klein — Lightweight Bout
James: The UFC Nashville main card opens with a lightweight bout between Ignacio Bahamondes and Ludovit Klein. Essentially, this bout will prove which young prospect deserves to climb the divisional ladder. Bahamondes, 25, is 3-1 in the UFC. Meanwhile, Klein, 28, is 3-2-1 in the UFC. Although, he has gone 2-0-1 since moving up to lightweight.
The UFC Nashville main card opener previews to contain a lot of striking. Bahamondes is a massive kickboxer that stands at 6-foot-3. This massive height allows him to sit on the outside and land a ton of leg kicks while mixing in some boxing. Plus, he loves to throw violent spinning attacks.
Klein is a solid striker as well. On the feet, he will throw combinations in the pocket while mixing in impressive kicks. Klein has found success in the past landing damaging counter shots as well.
I like Bahamondes in this fight. The size difference will be difficult for Klein to overcome. Simply put, this is a massive lightweight against a former featherweight. The skill leans in Bahamondes’ favor as well. I will take Bahamondes by second-round knockout.
Garrett: Bahamondes via TKO
Jerry: Bahamondes via KO/TKO
Anthony: Bahamondes via decision
Tanner Boser vs. Aleksa Camur — Light Heavyweight Bout
James: The UFC Nashville main card hosts a light heavyweight matchup between Tanner Boser and Aleksa Camur. Despite not being a massive bout, it will have implications on each fighter’s career as they both are in danger of being cut by the UFC. This will be Boser’s second UFC fight at light heavyweight since dropping from heavyweight. In his divisional debut, he was knocked out in the first round by Ion Cutelaba. Overall, he is 4-5 in the UFC. Meanwhile, Camur is 1-2 in the promotion. That makes you wonder: why is this fight on the main card? Yes, there are better fights on the prelims, but here we are.
Boser did not look great at light heavyweight and I am not exactly sure how to describe his style in the division. At heavyweight, he used his speed to out-strike opponents. The issue is that he does not have a speed advantage at light heavyweight. I am interested to see if he can find a better grasp of what his style will look like in his second fight in the division.
Camur is a solid light heavyweight boxer. On the feet, he has solid jabs, powerful straights, and looping hooks. On occasion, he will mix in kicks and a few other strikes as well. The most common is his leg kick.
I prefer the 27-year-old Camur in this fight. I believe that Camur has been making strides in his game. In his brief career, he has transitioned away from being knockout-dependent and has begun to win minutes. If Boser has not fully fleshed out his fighting style at light heavyweight, I think Camur will find success on the feet. I will take Camur by decision.
Garrett: Camur via TKO
Jerry: Boser via KO/TKO
Anthony: Boser via TKO
Diego Lopes vs. Gavin Tucker — Featherweight Bout
James: At UFC Nashville, Diego Lopes will fight Gavin Tucker. This will be Lopes’ second fight in the UFC after an impressive short-notice debut against Mosvar Evloev that showed he deserves a roster spot. Despite losing that fight, he left many people impressed. Now, he is looking to pick up his first UFC victory. Tucker is an established UFC fighter with a quality 4-2 record. The problem is that he has only fought six times since his UFC debut in 2017. The inactivity has cost him as he is now 37 and his durability seems to be deteriorating. In this bout, he is coming off a two-year layoff after suffering a knockout loss to Dan Ige.
Lopes is a very dangerous finisher. On the feet, he is not over technical and his striking is not sophisticated, but he hits hard and is capable of hurting fighters. On the ground, he has lethal submissions from all positions and uses them frequently.
Tucker is a great grappler that makes his money wrestling. Tucker often finds success wrestling off the cage. That allows him to either control fighters and win a decision or advance position before landing a submission.
The preview for this UFC Nashville bout can go in both directions. If Lopes wins, he will either hurt Tucker on the feet or catch a submission on the mat. If Tucker wins, he gets the top position and grinds out a decision. In that type of fight, Tucker’s age and durability decline is highly concerning. That leads me to favor Lopes. I will take Lopes via second-round knockout.
Garrett: Lopes via decision
Jerry: Lopes via decision
Anthony: Lopes via decision
No. 15 Dustin Jacoby vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu — Light Heavyweight Bout
James: At UFC Nashville, Dustin Jacoby and Kennedy Nzechukwu will fight for the No. 15 spot in the UFC light heavyweight rankings. Jacoby has found success in his second UFC stint as he has compiled a 6-2-1 record. The issue is that those two losses have come in his last two bouts. Meanwhile, Nzechukwu has seen a large portion of his MMA career take place in the UFC octagon. Of his 15 professional MMA fights, nine were in the UFC and two were in Dana White’s Contender Series. In total, that led to a 6-3 UFC record and a 2-0 DWCS record. At this point in his career, he seems to be getting better in each bout and has won his last three fights.
Jacoby, 35, had a credentialed kickboxing career before starting his UFC career. That can be seen in his style. Jacoby likes to sit on the outside and punish opponents with straight shots and leg kicks. That technical striking has allowed him to outstrike a lot of light heavyweights.
Nzechukwu, 31, is a unique fighter with great intangibles. The UFC simply does not have many light heavyweights that are as tall and long as Nzechukwu. This allows him to find success in striking exchanges as he can utilize his size to his advantage. Plus, he has been consistently getting better under the tutelage of Sayif Saud and Fortis MMA.
I am picking Nzechukwu in this bout. In the skills, his length can limit Jacoby’s outside striking. Although, Nzechukwu’s striking defense is concerning. That is less of an issue because Nzechukwu will have more power if these two begin to trade. Lastly, Nzechukwu seems to be rising while Jacoby is slipping. I will take Nzechukwu by decision.
Garrett: Nzechukwu via TKO
Jerry: Nzechukwu via decision
Anthony: Nzechukwu via decision
No. 5 Jessica Andrade vs. No. 10 Tatiana Suarez — Women’s Strawweight Bout
James: In the co-main event of UFC Nashville, Jessica Andrade will fight Tatiana Suarez. Suarez is fighting for the second time in 2023 after being sidelined for more than three years. In her UFC return, she proved to be back as she submitted Montana De La Rosa at flyweight. Now, she is working back down to strawweight. Suarez, who is 9-0 professionally and 6-0 in the UFC, looks to have serious championship potential. A win over Andrade would only help solidify her status as a future title contender. On the flip side, Andrade desperately needs a win two prevent losing her third fight in a row.
Suarez is one of the best grapplers in the women’s strawweight division. Suarez has a credentialed wrestling background combined with solid submission skills. It will not be easy to find someone that can counter her grappling.
Andrade is a violent striker that has powerful boxing. In the strawweight division, she typically holds a massive power advantage. That provides her fight-finishing upside that few fighters in the division hold.
The preview for his UFC Nashville bout leans heavily in Suarez’s favor. Saurez is an elite grappler and we have seen Andrade struggle against that fighter archetype. It is hard to project that Andrade has a lot of success once is able to begin grappling. Although, her power could cause hesitancy and make it difficult for Suarez to get her grappling started. Still, that is not even to push the prediction in Andrade’s direction. I will take Suarez by second-round submission.
Garrett: Suarez via decision
Jerry: Suarez via submission
Anthony: Suarez via submission
No. 4 Cory Sandhagen vs. No. 7 Rob Font- 140–Pound Catchweight Bout
James: In the main event of UFC Nashville, ranked bantamweights Cory Sandhagen and Rob Font will square off in a 140-pound catchweight bout. The bout is a catchweight because Font took the fight on short notice after Umar Nurmagmedov, Sandhagen’s original opponent, was forced to pull out of the contest. This bout will greatly affect each fighter’s climb toward the bantamweight title. Sandhagen has bounced back from an interim title loss to Patr Yan with consecutive wins over Marlon Vera and Song Yadong. In those bouts, he proved that he is still one of the best bantamweights alive and will sit in the upper echelon of the division for years to come. Meanwhile, Font looked outstanding in his last fight as he halted the Adrian Yanez hype train.
The UFC Nashville main event previews to have a lot of striking exchanges. Sandhagen is a talented striker with a lot of impressive tools. On the feet, he throws a wide variety of combinations, will attack all three levels, and utilizes a bunch of different weapons.
Font is one of the best pure boxers in the bantamweight division. This is because of his jab. Once Font begins to land his jab, he can follow up with big straights and combinations. This allows him to sit in the pocket and pressure his opponents with a ton of volume.
I am siding with Sandhagen in this fight. I think his movement and footwork will allow him to manage the range and avoid sitting in the pocket. This will allow him to use his kicks. On the inside, Sandhagen has slicing elbows that he lands from various angles. Not to mention, he has been wrestling more frequently lately which is another path to victory. I will take Sandhagen by decision.
Garrett: Font via TKO
Jerry: Sandhagen via KO/TKO
Anthony: Sandhagen via decision
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