UFC Vegas 100 Preview And Predictions

UFC Vegas 100 Preview And Predictions

UFC Vegas 100 is here. The promotion has reached a new milestone event. Unfortunately, it does not hold the weight of UFC 300. It is not as fun to celebrate how many times the UFC has hosted an event at the UFC Apex. Still, the promotion is continuing its trend of fight night events before the next pay-per-view. 

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

James: 119-84

Garrett: 118-85

Anthony: 122-81

Jerry: 103-83

Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Dusko Todorovic- Middleweight Bout 

James: The UFC Vegas 100 main card opens with a middleweight bout between Mansur Abdul-Malik and Dusko Todorovic. Abdul-Malik is making his UFC debut is making his UFC debut after picking up a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series. The 27-year-old, has a 6-0 professional record and has shown a high ceiling as a prospect. Todorovic has had an underwhelming run in the UFC. At this point, he sits at 3-4 in the promotion. 

Abdul-Malik is a fighter with a ton of physical strength and power. This pairs with his wrestling skills to make him a physical grappler. Once he lands a takedown and gets to the top position he can unload with massive ground-and-pound strikes. The concern with Abdul-Malik is his raw striking approach and cardio. 

Todorovic is a big striker who has been in his fair share of brawls. This has shown that he has decent striking offense, but he has also shown poor defense and durability. 

The UFC Vegas 100 main card opener favors Abdul-Malik. The UFC debutant should be able to consistently land takedowns. I simply do not think Todorovic has the defensive grappling skills to keep this fight standing. If that is the case, Abdul-Malik will get to the top position and reign down big strikes. I will take Abdul-Malik by second-round knockout.

Garrett: Abdul-Malik via TKO

Anthony: Abdul-Malik via KO/TKO

Jerry: Abdul-Malik via KO/TKO

No. 13 Luana Pinheiro vs. No. 14 Gillian Robertson- Women’s Strawweight Bout 

James: UFC Vegas 100 features a women’s strawweight bout between Luana Pinheiro and Gillian Robertson. Pinheiro was initially a promising prospect after ripping off three consecutive wins to kick off her UFC career; however, she lost back-to-back fights and sits at 3-2. Robertson recently made the drop from flyweight to strawweight. In the lower-weight class, she sits at 3-1. 

Pinheiro is an aggressive striker who throws massive hooks hoping to rack up damaging shots. This has resulted in various outcomes. On a positive note, she can land big shots and rack up damage. At the same time, she can swing big and gas out. In the grappling realm, she has a judo background. This helps her land clinch takedowns which can be used to get control time and win rounds. 

Robertson has found a home in the women’s strawweight division. In the new weight class, she has consistently been more physical. That has helped take her grappling to another level. Robertson is a heavy grappler who sticks to the path of least resistance. This comes in the form of takedowns and advancing positions. In recent fights, she has shown growth with more aggressive striking. That combination makes her more dangerous while she is in the top position.  

This UFC Vegas 100 bout favors Robertson. In the early rounds, she can use her grappling to help neutralize Pinheiro’s aggressiveness while also being the fresher fighter in the later rounds. At some point, Pinheiro will slow down and Robertson will begin to dominate. I will take Robertson by third-round submission.

Garrett: Pinheiro via decision

Anthony: Robertson via decision

Jerry: Robertson via decision

Gaston Bolanos vs. Cortavious Romious- Bantamweight Bout 

James: At UFC Vegas 100, Gaston Bolanos will fight Cortavious Romious. This matchup pits two fighters with little UFC experience against one another. Bolanos has a 1-1 record in the UFC. Plus, he has some Muay Thai experience. Romious is making his UFC debut after earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series. 

Bolanos has a Muay Thai background which can be seen in his striking skills. Bolanos stays defensively responsible while landing strikes. The best striking in his arsenal are his straight punches and low kicks. 

Romious is a fighter with clear offensive upside fix with concerning defensive tendencies. On the offensive side, he is quick and powerful with respectable boxing and kicks. The issue is that he is very hittable. This makes his offensive prowess less dangerous because he can be hit cleanly and knocked out. In the grappling realm, Romious has decent wrestling and several quality submissions. 

This UFC Vegas 100 bout is volatile. In striking exchanges, both fighters will be live to land damaging blows. I tend to believe Bolanos will be the fighter that lands more frequently. That is because of Romious’ over-aggressiveness and defensive flaws. Those problems will allow Bolanos to land tight shots in striking exchanges. I will take Bolanos via second-round knockout. 

Garrett: Romious via submission

Anthony: Romious via decision

Jerry: Romious via submission

Gerald Meerschaert vs. Reinier de Ridder- Middleweight Bout 

James: At UFC Vegas 100, Gerald Meerschaert will welcome Reinier de Ridder to the UFC. de Ridder is a former double champion in ONE Championship. The promotion’s weight-cutting rules resulted in him being the champion at 205 pounds and 265 pounds. In the UFC, he will cut down to 185 pounds. Meerschaert is a UFC veteran with a 12-9 record in the promotion. That includes a two-fight win streak that has him entering this fight with momentum. 

Meerschaert and de Ridder are very similar fighters. The pair are both BJJ experts who tend to get the job done with their grappling. In grappling exchanges, both are live to submit their opponent from any position. The biggest difference between the pair’s grappling is that de Ridder has an edge in wrestling and spends more time in the top position. Furthermore, both fighters struggle on their feet. Meerschaert tends to eat big shots that hurt him while de Ridder struggles against body shots. 

This UFC Vegas 100 bout is an interesting fight to preview. It is rare that two BJJ specialists are matched against one another. That is usually a tough fight to call. In this scenario, it is even tougher considering de Ridder has been fighting in a different promotion without having to cut weight. I do not have a confident pick; however, I will side with Meerschaert because of his UFC experience and cardio. I will take Meerschaert by third-round submission. 

Garrett: de Ridder via TKO

Anthony: de Ridder via decision

Jerry: de Ridder via decision

No. 15 Neil Magny vs. Carlos Prates- Welterweight Bout 

James: The UFC Vegas 100 main event features a welterweight bout between Neil Magny and Carlos Prates. The UFC welterweight division is currently receiving an influx of young talent. Prates is one of the best of the bunch. The 31-year-old earned a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series before making a splash with three consecutive knockout victories. Magny will be the fighter with the honor of welcoming Prates to the rankings. That is understandable considering Magny has been the division’s gatekeeper for several years. The veteran holds a 22-11 record in the UFC and currently sits on a 4-4 run in his last eight fights. In those fights, he has significantly struggled with elite opponents while beating average and below-average competition. 

The best of Magny’s game is his clinch work. On the inside, he can land elbows and knees while controlling position. If his opponent gets tired, he can capitalize. In striking exchanges, he is not great, but he is long and has a solid jab. 

Prates is a violent striker who hunts finishes. That is dangerous considering he has sniper-like accuracy and a plethora of weapons. This is not a fighter that is getting wild in the hopes of landing something big. Instead, he is trying to intelligently set up massive shots that end the fight. This can be accomplished with his jab, straight, counter straight, kicks, and knees. If he finds the flow state, he manages range and smokes opponents with serious strikes. Plus, he is excellent at finding a finish once his opponent is hurt. The catch is that Prates’ aggressiveness can put him in a position to be hit cleanly. That is not to say he is poor defensively; however, he is willing to play with fire. 

The UFC Vegas 100 main event preview favors Prates. In the early rounds, he will likely chop at Magny with leg kicks before landing a knockout shot that finishes the fight. The optimistic viewpoint for Magny is that he could stall with clinch work in the hope that Prates’ gasses out before he finds the finish. After all, this will be the prospect’s first five-round fight. Still, that is not a likely outcome. I will take Prates by second-round knockout.

Garrett: Prates via decision

Anthony: Prates via KO/TKO

Jerry: Prates via KO/TKO

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