UFC Vegas 70 Preview and Predictions
UFC Vegas 70 should be a fun night of fights. The card does not feature a ton of name value, but the majority of the fights have something that makes them intriguing. That is especially true for the main event between light heavyweights Ryan Spann and Nikita Krylov. I am joined by the Vendetta Sports Media preview team as we preview and predict each fight on the main card. You can find our prediction records below.
James: 15-8-2
Garrett: 14-9-2
Jerry: 8-9-1
Anthony: 10-9-1
Mike Malott vs. Yohan Lainesse- Welterweight
The UFC Vegas 70 main card will open with a welterweight bout between two of the UFC’s top Canadian prospects, Mike Malott and Yohan Lainesse. That is not really saying much though as Canadian MMA is far from its heyday. Nonetheless, this is a fun fight to start to kick off the main card.
Lainesse has massive power in the welterweight division. That is about the only strength he has though. Lainesse throws in low volume and has bad cardio. If he doesn’t find an early finish the odds are that he loses. Meanwhile, Malott will look to throw more volume on the feet and will find success if this fight escapes the first. Plus, he will be the better grappler by a wide margin. Despite all the advantages in favor of Malott, power is the ultimate equalizer. I will take Malot by decision, but I will be sweating through the early power shot of Lainesse.
Garrett: Malott via decision
Jerry: Malott via KO/TKO
Anthony: Malott via TKO
Tatiana Suarez vs. Montana De La Rosa- Women’s Flyweight
James: Tatiana Suarez will be making her highly anticipated UFC return at UFC Vegas 70 against Montana De La Rosa. Suarez’s career hit a massive rough patch as she ran into a string of serious injuries that kept her out of competition since June 2019. Prior to her injuries, Suarez was the most dominant grappler in the female MMA. At 8-0, she was on the verge of challenging for the women’s strawweight title after earning wins over Nina Nunes, Carla Esparza, Alexa Grasso, and others.
For Suarez, UFC Vegas 70 will be all about shaking off the ring rust and getting into top form before she returns to fighting elite competition. With all due respect to De La Rosa, if Suarez of half the fighter she was pre-injuries she will win this fight. De La Rosa is a well-rounded fighter will good wrestling, but that is not enough to beat Suarez. I will take Suarez by second-round submission.
Garrett: Suarez via however she chooses
Jerry: Suarez via decision
Anthony: Suarez via decision
Augusto Sakai vs. Don’ Tale Mayes- Heavyweight
James: At UFC Vegas 70, Augusto Sakai is looking to get back in the win column after losing four straight fights. In fairness, those four losses all came against elite heavyweights. Sakai’s UFC return has not been all bad though as he entered the organization with four straight wins. That puts his UFC record at 4-4. Meanwhile, Don’tale Mayes will be looking to add the fifth straight loss to Sakai’s record. Mayes has been a solid fighter thus far into his UFC runs as he has gone 2-2 with one no-contest in the promotion. Although, he is not at the same level as Sakai’s previous competition.
This fight is a tough fight to call. If Sakai fights at this highest potential he wins this fight every time. The issue is that we have not seen that version of Sakai in several years.
As far as the specifics go, Sakai is a good striker that sticks to the basics. He has the ability to outstrike Mayes for five rounds on the way to a decision victory. For Mayes, he is more well-rounded and carries more power. In this fight, he should be the harder hitter and may look to mix in some offensive takedowns. The power will play a factor in this fight, but Sakai has shown the ability to get up if he is taken down so the wrestling will not be as big of a factor.
When I predict this fight I can not help but think Sakai will be able to rebound against a massive step down in competition. If he can not, it may be time for the UFC to part ways with him. Regardless, I will take Sakai by decision.
Garrett: Mayes via TKO
Jerry: Sakai via KO/TKO
Anthony: Sakai via decision
No. 11 Andre Muniz vs. Brendan Allen- Middleweight
James: In the co-main event of UFC Vegas 70 Brendan Allen will get a crack at the UFC middleweight rankings as he takes on Andre Muniz. Muniz is one of the most promising rising middleweights on the roster. In five UFC fights, he has gone a perfect 5-0 with three submission wins. Despite being the elder of the pair at 33, Muniz has far less UFC experience. At just 27, Allen has already racked up ten UFC fights and has gone an impressive 8-2 with both losses coming against ranked competition.
This fight is an interesting stylistic clash due to the grappling of each fighter. Muniz is one of the best BJJ practitioners in the sport and his armbar submission of Jacare Souza proves that. Although, Allen has solid grappling in his own right. There is a strong chance that Allen could defend takedowns. If he is taken down, he could use sweeps to reverse position or get back to his feet. While the fight is standing, Allen will have the advantage as he is simply a more proficient striker. Additionally, he will have a cardio advantage if he can drag this fight into the late rounds.
Predicting this fight can be tricky. Allen is the more complete fighter and, in theory, is a tough stylistic matchup for Muniz. Although, I am still picking Muniz. I think his BJJ is that good. In this fight, if Allen is aggressive, offensively or defensively, while grappling it will provide Muniz opportunities to find submissions. I think he eventually capitalizes on an opening that Allen leaves and finds a submission. I will take Muniz by first-round submission.
Garrett: Allen via decision
Jerry: Muniz via submission
Anthony: Muniz via decision
No. 6 Nikita Krylov vs. No. 8 Ryan Spann- Light Heavyweight
James: The UFC Vegas 70 main event features a light heavyweight bout between ranked contenders Nikita Krylov and Ryan Spann. Each fighter is searching for an impressive win that will earn them a fight with a top-five opponent.
In this bout, Krylov and Spann with both put their two-fight win streaks on the line. Spann’s wins have come in the form of first-round finishes over Dominick Reyes and Ion Cutelaba. In total, Spann has tallied nine UFC bouts which have led to a 7-2 record. With just two of those fights reaching the judges’ scorecards “Superman” has proven to be one of the most entertaining fighters in the division. Meanwhile, Krylov’s win streak has come with wins over Volkan Oezdemir and Alexander Gustaffson. In comparison to Spann, Krylov’s 10-7 UFC record does not seem as impressive, but a good portion of those losses have come against former champions and title contenders. With both fighters seemingly peaking, this fight should be a scrap.
One way or another, I think we are destined for a finish in this fight. In the case of Spann, he has very technical boxing combinations that carry fight-ending power. At times, he will leave his technique behind and opt to throw wild looping shots instead. Additionitionly, Spann has submission skills in his repertoire as well as he has picked up a pair of submission wins in the UFC. With that being said, it takes two willing participants to make a fight and Krylov will likely entertain a fast-paced bout. Krylov has good boxing as well. He is not as quick or powerful, but he can get the job done with his hands. As far as striking goes, the biggest difference between the two is that Krylov will mix kicks into his combinations. On the ground, Krylov will have better wrestling that he could use if this fight gets hectic.
It is also very important to note that each fighter has defensive flaws which only increases the chances we get an early finish. That only makes it harder to predict this fight though as Krylov has proven to be the more durable of the pair while Spann has proven to be the more powerful. If this two get into heavy exchange I am more confident that Spann’s power will be the deciding factor. I will take Spann by first-round knockout.
Garrett: Spann via TKO
Jerry: Krylov via decision
Anthony: Spann via KO
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