UFC Vegas 101 Preview And Predictions

UFC Vegas 101 Preview And Predictions

The UFC is back with its first fight night event of 2025. The promotion will host UFC Vegas 101 at the UFC Apex. It is not an elite fight night card. That can be seen in the fact that it will go down at the Apex. Still, it has some compelling matchups. Despite lacking highly ranked fighters, the card has several bouts that are worth watching. 

Join Vendetta Sports Media as we preview and predict the UFC Vegas 101 main card. You can find our 2024 prediction records below. 

James: 134-90

Garrett: 131-93

Anthony: 136-88

Jerry: 119-88

Punahele Soriano vs. Uros Medic- Welterweight Bout 

James: The UFC Vegas 101 main card opens with a welterweight bout between Punahele Soriano and Uros Medic. Soriano was on the verge of getting cut before his most recent UFC fight; however, he dropped to welterweight and picked up a victory. That has extended his UFC career and allowed him to get more opportunities in the promotion. Medic has gone 4-2 in the UFC. The former lightweight is 2-1 in the welterweight division. 

Soriano has a few noteworthy skills. In offensive striking exchanges, he throws massive overhands. If he lands, he does serious damage. Plus, Soriano is a good offensive wrestler. The issues are that he can be inefficient with his striking and he can neglect his wrestling skills. 

Medic is a solid striker. This is because of his length, power, and diverse weapons. The southpaw can land a wide variety of damaging strikes. If he lands those strikes, he is knocking out opponents. It also helps that he can throw with volume and will attack all three levels. 

This UFC Vegas 101 preview has positives for both fighters. Medic could have serious success in striking exchanges. It would not be a shock to see him land damaging strikes and hurt Soriano. The fight could swing in Soriano’s favor if he can land takedowns. That is probable considering Medic’s grappling flaws. I will take Soriano by decision. 

Garrett: Medic via TKO

Anthony: Medic via decision

Jerry: Medic via KO/TKO

Christian Rodriguez vs. Austin Bashi- Featherweight Bout 

James: At UFC Vegas 101, Christian Rodriguez and Austin Bashi will square off in a featherweight bout. Both fighters are intriguing prospects, but they are each at different points in their career. Rodriguez is a 27-year-old who is 4-2 against a strong strength of schedule. Meanwhile, Bashi is a 23-year-old looking to debut after earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series. 

Rodriguez has shown impressive skills throughout his UFC tenure. In various matchups, he has leveraged different skills to find victory. On the feet, he can land basic boxing combinations, but he can also mix kicks, knees, and elbows into his shot selection. The ability to throw his knees and kicks at unexpected moments has helped him land damaging shots. Rodriguez is also a capable grappler with solid BJJ and wrestling. This allows him to offensively wrestle, hunt submissions, and defend opponent’s grappling attack. 

Bashi is an interesting prospect. On DWCS, he showed impressive offensive wrestling. The grappling pace he was willing and able to set is difficult to manage. Bashi will look to wrestle immediately, hoping to get to dominant positions that allow him to threaten with submissions or strikes. If forced to strike, his skills are raw. The positive is that he is willing to sit down on dangerous strikes. 

It should be noted that both of these fighters are undersized for the featherweight division. In an ideal world, both would be bantamweights. That said, the matchup allows both fighters to fight an opponent of comparable size. 

This UFC Vegas 101 bout previews as a great fight. Rodriguez has done great against young prospects in his UFC career. I expect that trend to continue. Bashi is one of the best prospects entering the UFC off DWCS Season 8, but he projects as a prospect with elite long-term upside. It would not be a surprise to see him struggle early in his UFC career. It is a tough ask for him to take out Rodriguez in his debut. 

Ultimately, I expect Rodriguez to have the required grappling defense to defend takedowns and survive difficult positions. Plus, his cardio is great and will ensure he can match Bashi’s grappling pace. This dynamic is present alongside a massive striking advantage for Rodriguez. I will take Rodriguez by decision. 

Garrett: Bashi via TKO

Anthony: Bashi via submission

Jerry: Bashi via decision

Chris Curtis vs. Roman Kopylov- Middleweight Bout 

James: At UFC Vegas 101, Chris Curtis and Roman Kopylov will compete in a middleweight bout. Curtis and Kopylov have both been successful in their UFC tenures. The pair both share an identical 5-3 record. The exception is that Curtis has no contest on his record. This fight will be important for both fighters’ career trajectories. In recent fights, both fighters have fallen against ranked competition. A victory would help the winner get back to ranked competition while the loser continues to slide. 

Curtis is a solid boxer for MMA. This is because of his solid defense and ability to land combinations. Curtis has solid defensive instincts and fights with his hands high. On the offensive side, he throws combinations to the head and body. The body shots help him wear on opponents and his head strikes can end a fight. 

Kopylov is a flashy kickboxer who has found success with his range weapons. His best tools are his jab, straight, and kicks. He excels with these attacks when he can stick and move on the outside. Plus, he can land these shots with power and finish the fight. 

This UFC Vegas 101 bout is an interesting fight to preview. In theory, Kopylov has the skills to present Curtis with serious issues. In the past, Curtis has struggled with fighters who can land from range and use movement skills to get out of the pocket. That is a game plan Kopylov could follow. At the same time, he does not have excellent cardio. If he gets tired, Curtis will be able to sit in the pocket and land shots. If that happens, he can land a knockout. I will take Curtis by third-round knockout. 

Garrett: Kopylov via decision

Anthony: Kopylov via decision

Jerry: Kopylov via KO/TKO

Cesar Almeida vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan- Middleweight Bout 

James: At UFC Vegas 101, Cesar Almeida will fight Abdul Razak Alhassan in a middleweight bout. Almeida is a kickboxer who has translated to mixed martial arts in the latter portion of his combat sports career. At this point in his UFC tenure, he sits at 2-1. Alhassan has had a lengthy UFC career. In total, he is 6-6 with a no contest. In the UFC middleweight division, he is 2-3. 

Almedia’s kickboxing credentials are evident in the octagon. This can be seen in his ability to intelligently land strikes from a distance. It is also helpful that he has a solid clinch game. The positives can be quickly negated by his grappling flaws, however. 

Alhassan is a dangerous fighter with a ton of power. In his career, he has failed to consistently land his massive power shots. It happens in about half of his fights. That is reflected in his 6-6 UFC record. In the fights where Alhassan lands his power shots, it is often done with counterstriking or clinch work. The one underrated skill for Alhassan has been his offensive grappling. Despite not being an elite grappler, he is a willing wrestler and his strength has helped him in those situations. 

This UFC Vegas 101 bout is difficult to preview. That is largely because it will be dependent on each fighter’s game plan. The most important factor will be Alhassan’s willingness to grapple. If Alhassan neglects to grapple, Almedia will use his technical advantage to pick up a victory. On the other hand, if Alhassan lands takedowns, he should be able to rack up minutes of control time. I am optimistic that Alhassan will look to use his wrestling early and often. I will take Alhassan by decision. 

Garrett: Almeida via TKO

Anthony: Almeida via KO/TKO

Jerry: Almeida via decision

Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Carlston Harris- Welterweight Bout 

James: The UFC Vegas 101 co-main event is a welterweight bout between Santiago Ponzinibbio and Carlston Harris. Ponzinibbio has struggled since returning to MMA after suffering serious health issues. The former rising contender is 2-5 in his last seven fights. In his defense, he has fought a solid level of competition throughout that span and was on the wrong side of three split decisions. Meanwhile, Harris is 4-2 in the promotion and is looking to come back after suffering a knockout loss to Khaos Williams. 

Ponzinibbio wins fights with his boxing skills. This is done with a simple yet effective approach. He looks to consistently land his jab and body jab to set up his right hand. This allows him to win minutes while also landing knockout shots. Unfortunately, the combination of aging and injuries has made him a less effective striker in comparison to his prime. At this portion of his career, he is simply less durable and much slower. 

Harris’ stand-out skill is his submission game. This is mostly because he uses his length to land front chokes. On top of that, he pairs his submissions with respectable wrestling skills. In striking exchanges, his aforementioned length can be used to land straight punches. Plus, he throws big overhands. 

This UFC Vegas 101 bout is another difficult fight to preview. It is hard to make confident statements about Ponzinibbio’s skills considering his regression. I still expect him to be the better striker. If Harris cannot manage to have copious grappling success, Ponzinibbio should do more damage with strikes. I will take Ponzinibbio by decision. 

Garrett: Harris via decision

Anthony: Harris via decision

Jerry: Harris via KO/TKO

No. 6 Mackenzie Dern vs. No. 10 Amanda Ribas- Women’s Strawweight Rematch 

James: The UFC Vegas 101 main event is a women’s strawweight rematch between Amanda Ribas and Mackenzie Dern. The pair first fought back in 2019 when both fighters were unranked prospects. The situation is now the opposite. Dern is looking to reestablish momentum in the strawweight division. In her last bout, she picked up a decision win over Lupita Godinez that broke a two-fight losing skid. Meanwhile, Ribas has alternated wins and losses en route to a 3-3 record in her last six fights. That has occurred while hopping between the strawweight and flyweight divisions. 

Dern is a unique fighter. This is largely because of her extensive BJJ background. That grappling experience is evident in the octagon. Dern is at her best when she can get the fight to the ground and work towards dominant positions. That allows her to utilize her deep tool bag of submission skills or attack with strikes. The issue is that her takedowns are not good enough to get her to the top position consistently. This results in pulling guard to look for sweeps or submissions from her back. Despite her grappling skills, Dern is willing to strike with opponents. In her career, she has made a lot of offensive strides. She is willing to throw hard shots and her technique has continuously improved. Still, she has flaws. The most potent is her defense and, more specifically, her lack of head movement. This often results in taking a lot of damage. 

Ribas is an interesting fighter with some impressive skills. This begins with her straight punches. On the outside, Ribas will work behind her jab to set up hooks and kicks. This is her best offense because she is quick and has solid timing. Plus, she is a quality grappler. Ribas has a mix of judo and BJJ skills that give her well-rounded grappling. The biggest problem with Ribas is that she can make frustrating in-fight decisions. A few examples include using the head-and-arm throw from the clinch, hunting for heel hooks, or overthrowing her spinning kicks. These can all result in losing rounds. 

The UFC Vegas 101 main event is a compelling fight to preview. In the first fight, Ribas won. That said, this time around, I think Dern can get it done. The striking exchanges should be much closer in this fight. Ribas still has an edge in technicality, but Dern’s improvements should help her land big strikes. That could swing the fight in Dern’s favor. If Dern can land big shots and implement her physicality, it will be easier to get the fight to the ground. Plus, Ribas has had spotty durability throughout her career. All things considered, Dern’s ability and willingness to create a brawl can win her this fight because it will help her land shots and get the bout to the ground. I will take Dern by fourth-round submission. 

Garrett: Ribas via decision

Anthony: Dern via decision

Jerry: Dern via decision

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