UFC Singapore Preview and Predictions
The UFC octagon is heading to Singapore. This will be the promotion’s first trip to Asia in 2023. The card is pretty good too. The main event presents a fan-friendly scrap and the remainder of the card is filled with intriguing matchups. If you are planning to watch the card, set your alarm clock. The main card starts at 8 a.m. ET with the prelims kicking off the action at 5 a.m. ET.
Join Vendetta Sports Media as we preview and predict the UFC Singapore main card. You can find our prediction records below.
James: 90-58-2
Garrett: 93-55-2
Anthony: 69-48-1
Jerry: 69-55-1
Junior Tafa vs. Parker Porter–Heavyweight Bout
UFC Singapore will begin with a heavyweight bout between Junior Tafa and Parker Porter. Tafa is incredibly raw in MMA. At 4-1, he simply does not have much experience. Although, he is a credentialed kickboxer. In his UFC debut, Mohammad Usman was able to defeat him while exposing his grappling flaws. Porter is an average UFC heavyweight with a 4-3 promotional record.
Porter’s ability to close the distance and land takedowns will determine the outcome of this fight. I am not optimistic he can get Tafa to the ground, however. Tafa is an accurate striker with a lot of power. I think he lands the shot that finishes Porter. I will take Tafa by first-round knockout.
Garrett: Tafa via TKO
Jerry: Tafa via KO/TKO
Anthony: Tafa vis KO/TKO
No. 3 Erin Blanchfield vs. No. 4 Taila Santos–Women’s Flyweight Bout
James: At UFC Singapore, Erin Blachfield and Taila Santos are in what seems to be a No. 1 contenders bout. In her last bout, Blanchfield submitted Jessica Andrade and proved that she was an elite fighter. At 24, a win over Santos would prove she is already championship-caliber.
Meanwhile, Santos is coming off a questionable decision loss to former champion Valentina Shevchenko. According to Santos, Shevchenko was scared of the rematch too. The winner of this bout will be in a great position to fight for the title and win it. The only problem with this fight is that it is only three rounds.
Blanchfield is an outstanding grappler who excels once she gets in the top position. On top, Blanchfeild has great top pressure and works herself to dominant positions. This allows her to chase finishes on the ground with great submissions and punishing ground-and-pound. At times, she struggles to get the fight to the ground, but she eventually finds the right takedown that gets her on top. The striking is a work in progress, however. In the long term, she will be fine. In the short term, she may run into some issues.
Santos is an incredible grappler in her own right. This begins with her clinch takedowns and extends to top pressure and back takes. On the feet, she throws big shots and has above-average power.
I am a big fan of Blanchfield’s skills so I will ride with her in this matchup. I believe the difference will be Blanchfield’s top pressure and cardio. Blanchfield should have more success keeping Santos on her back than the inverse. The cardio of Blanchfield should make that difference even more pronounced in the later rounds. Lastly, Blanchfield pressures on the feet which should force clinch exchanges and I trust her wrestling in those scenarios. I will take Blanchfield by decision.
Garrett: Blanchfield via decision
Jerry: Blanchfield via decision
Anthony: Blanchfield via decision
Rinya Nakamura vs. Fernie Garcia–Bantamweight Bout
James: At UFC Singapore, Rinya Nakamura will fight Fernie Garcia. Nakamura is an elite prospect who could fight for UFC gold down the line. At 28, he has an accomplished freestyle wrestling background and was the bantamweight winner of Road to the UFC Season 1. With a perfect 7-0 record, he is looking to grow his resume under the UFC banner. Garcia, on the other hand, has lost his two UFC appearances.
Nakamura is an outstanding finisher. On the feet, he has knockout power and will engage in a brawl. On the ground, he controls fights, lands ground-and-pound, and hunts submissions.
Garcia’s game is centered around his boxing. On the feet, he can put combinations together and he is a good counterpuncher. Garcia’s grappling does leave a lot to be desired, however.
Frankly, Nakamura will have an advantage wherever this fight goes. I expect him to finish this in the first round, it is just harder to tell if he would rather knock out Garcia or submit him. I will take Nakamura by first-round submission.
Garrett: Nakamura via TKO
Jerry: Nakamura via KO/TKO
Anthony: Nakamura via KO/TKO
No. 9 Giga Chikadze vs. No. 15 Alex Caceres–Featherweight Bout
James: The next bout on UFC Singapore previews as a fun striking battle between Giga Chikadze and Alex Caceres. Chikadze is looking to get back in the win column after taking a beating from Calvin Kattar. Prior to that, he looked to be a promising prospect. Now, after a year and a half layoff, he is looking to prove he is still a future title contender. Caceres is an established UFC veteran with a promotional record of 16-11 with one no-contest. Throughout his UFC tenure, we have seen Caceres progress and bloom into a ranked fighter.
Chikadze is an outstanding kickboxer with an absurd kicking game. From the southpaw stance, Chikadze has one of the best liver kicks in the business and can throw an elite head kick from the same side. In terms of boxing, while opponents look to defend kicks on the outside, Chikadze darts into range with powerful boxing.
Caceres is a long-striker with roots in traditional martial arts. This can be seen in his stance and style. In practice, Caceres has a strong kick game and can land straight shots on the outside. Caceres is not elite in grappling exchanges, but he is a slick back-taker with tricky BJJ.
In the striking exchanges, Chikadze should have an advantage because he carries more power and is better defensively. The issue with Chikadze is his cardio and grappling. Those issues can compound on top of each other too. The problem is that I cannot be confident that Caceres, a striker at heart, uses his grappling to gain an edge. I will take Chikadze by decision.
Garrett: Chikadze via TKO
Jerry: Chikadze via decision
Anthony: Chikadze via decision
No. 8 Anthony Smith vs. No. 10 Ryan Spann–Light Heavyweight Rematch
James: In the UFC Singapore co-main event, Anthony Smith and Ryan Spann will compete in a rematch. The pair first fought in 2021 which saw Smith get his hand raised after landing a rear-naked choke in the first round. Although, since that bout, Smith has gone 0-2 while Spann went 2-1. This bout will be crucial to Smith’s career. In his last fight, Smith looked poor in a loss to Johnny Walker which led to speculation over his retirement. If he gets the job done against Spann, those questions will be sidelined.
Smith is a solid boxer that gets work done with his hands. The best example of this is his jab and straight combination. On top of that, he can find openings to land shots from a lot of different angles. On the ground, Smith is not a sensational wrestler, but he has good BJJ. The biggest issues for Smith arise in takedown defense, leg kick defense, and pacing.
Spann is a lethal finisher that starts hot. On the feet, he throws massive shots with knockout intentions. His length allows him to do a good job of landing straight shots that can finish a fight. While his grappling is not highly advanced, his guillotine choke can finish a fight in a split second.
This is one of the harder bouts from UFC Singapore to preview because both fighters are fairly volatile. I lean toward Spann, however. I think he is the fighter who has improved more since their first meeting. Furthermore, Smith simply looked flat in his last fight which makes him hard to pick. I will take Spann by first-round knockout.
Garrett: Spann via decison
Jerry: Smith via decision
Anthony: Smith via Submission
No. 1 Max Holloway vs. No. 8 Chan Sung Jung–Featherweight Bout
James: In the main event of UFC Singapore, historically great featherweights Max Holloway and Chan Sung Jung will throw down.
Holloway has proved that he is undoubtedly the top featherweight on the planet outside of Alexander Volkanovski. Since 2014, Holloway is 17-3 at featherweight with each loss coming to Volkanovski. The strength of schedule in that time period has been insane as well. Meanwhile, Jung has been fighting elite competition since the creation of the UFC featherweight division. However, he was brutally beaten by Volkanovski in his last fight and may potentially retire after this bout.
The preview for the UFC Singapore main event will be a little less dense. I typically take a deep dive into the stylistic clash of every main event. I am not sure that is necessary here.
Holloway is a 31-year-old in his prime while Jung is a 36-year-old that is flirting with retirement. How do you pick against Holloway? The former champion is in the midst of changing his style and slowing down the pace, but he will still hold a massive boxing and cardio advantage. The growth of his kicking game and elbows is noticeable too. I will take Holloway by fourth-round knockout.
Garrett: Holloway via decision
Jerry: Holloway via KO/TKO
Anthony: Holloway via KO/TKO
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