UFC Vegas 76 Preview and Predictions
The UFC octagon will be in the Apex once again as the promotion hosts UFC Vegas 76. The card is an interesting one. In the main event, Abus Magomedov is getting a massive jump in the rankings as he takes on Sean Strickland. The remainder of the card is filled with fighters that are worth watching.
The Vendetta Sports Media preview team is here to break down and predict each fight on the UFC Vegas 76 main card. You can find our prediction records below.
James: 64-40-2
Garrett: 66-38-2
Jerry: 46-39-1
Anthony: 44-29-1
Brunno Ferreira vs. Nursultan Ruziboev — Middleweight Bout
James: The UFC Vegas 76 main card kicks off with a strange fight to preview. This is because Brunno Ferreira and Nursultan Ruziboev are both strange fighters. Ferreira is coming off a victorious UFC debut against Gregory Rodrigues where he landed a nasty knockout. Meanwhile, Ruziboev is making his debut on short notice.
I honestly have no idea how good Ruziboev is; he is unnaturally long for the middleweight division. At 6-foot-4, he will have a massive reach advantage in most bouts. In terms of skill, somehow Ruziboev is able to land submissions off his back, but he also shows terrible grappling in other scenarios.
The curious case of Ruziboev only gets more strange when you look at his strength of schedule. Simply put, he has fought a ton of bums. In the past, we have seen fighters with horrid strength of schedules look outstanding in their debut while others have looked like trash.
Ferreira is a short and stocky power striker. On the inside, he loves to throw knockout shots that can hurt his opponent. Ferreira can do this with counter shots or forward pressure as well.
This is a tough fight to call with all of the question marks present. I will lean towards Ferreira, however. This looks like a fight between two finishers and it will probably end early. In that type of fight, I will take the guy with more power. If he crashes the distance, he should have success. I will take Ferreira by first-round knockout.
Garrett: Ruziboev via submission
Jerry: Ferreira via KO/TKO
Anthony: Ferreira via decision
Ismael Bonfim vs. Benoit Saint-Denis — Lightweight Bout
James: At UFC Vegas 76, Ismael Bonfim will fight Benoit Saint-Denis. This will be Bonfim’s second UFC fight after knocking out Terrance McKinney in his promotional debut. That type of performance makes him an exciting lightweight prospect. Saint-Denis, 27, will have a chance to prove that he should be the fighter with the hype. Thus far into his career, he has had a solid 2-1 start in the UFC.
Bonfim is an impressive striker. In striking exchanges, he is incredibly measured and is capable of landing counterstrikes that cause damage. In terms of grappling, Bonfim has a checkered past. At times, he struggles to defend takedowns, but he did a great job defensively against McKinney.
This bout appears to be a test for Bonfim. Saint-Denis is an extremely tough, strong, and durable wrestler. In the lightweight division, that is a fighter archetype that prospects need to be able to beat. Bonfim will have a chance to show that he can defeat a strong wrestler.
I think Bonfim will be able to cleanly outstrike Saint-Denis. As long as he can manage in the grappling, he will have a massive advantage. I will take Bonfim by decision.
Garrett: Bonfim via decision
Jerry: Bonfim via KO/TKO
Anthony: Bonfim via KO/TKO
Ariane Lipski vs. Melissa Gatto — Women’s Flyweight Bout
James: At UFC Vegas 76, Ariane Lipski and Melissa Gatto will compete in a women’s flyweight bout. Lipski entered the UFC in 2018 with a ton of hype after finding a lot of success in KSW. Unfortunately, she has failed to live up to those expectations and has gone 4-5 in the promotion. At 29, she still has time to climb the rankings. Gatto, 27, has put together a few impressive performances while earning two victories in three UFC fights.
Lipski is a muay thai striker that loves to strike on the inside with knees and hooks. This is most noticeable in the clinch where she looks to punish opponents with knees to the body.
Gatto is a great grappler. Her skill set is centered around her BJJ. On the ground, she aggressively hunts submissions. Still, on the feet, she can compete. This is largely because she is physical and has power in her hands. The one massive flaw in Gatto’s game is that she is too willing to accept bottom position and attempt submissions.
The preview for this UFC Vegas 76 bout favors Gatto. In this fight, she should be able to land takedowns and control this fight on the ground. If she is disciplined from top position, she can look for submissions. I think she will eventually find one. I will take Gasso by second-round submission.
Garrett: Gatto via submission
Jerry: Gatto via decision
Anthony: Lipski via decision
Max Griffin vs. Michael Morales — Welterweight Bout
James: It has been a great year for welterweight prospects. Ian Machado Garry and Jack Della Maddalena have broken into the rankings while Mike Malott has seen his hype train grow. At UFC Vegas 76, Michael Morales will have an opportunity to see his stock skyrocket as he fights Max Griffin. Morales, 24, is an intriguing prospect with massive potential. At 14-0 with two UFC wins, he has started his career hot. Still, he a fairly raw prospect. Griffin, 37, is a veteran with miles more UFC experience as he has gone 7-7 in the promotion.
Morales is a solid fighter at this point in his career. On the feet, he has a stinging right hand that he uses to damage fighters. That right hand, typically used as a straight, is a versatile weapon that he uses to pressure, counter, or end combinations. He also has underrated grappling and can mix takedowns into his game plan. Griffin is a powerful striker that can use his boxing to land knockdowns.
This will be a very interesting bout. On the feet, Morales and Griffin are very similar. Both fighters love to try and set up their right hand on the outside. In that regard, this will be a great litmus test to determine how far Morales is in his progression.
The biggest outlying factor in this fight is Morales’ age. The Ecuadorian has not fought in a year either. In a year, a highly athletic prospect can make massive improvements. I am very interested to see if he has taken strides in his skill set.
As far as this fight goes, I think Morales will be better offensively while Griffin is better defensively. That should make this a close bout. Ultimately, I expect Morales to land a right hand that badly hurts Griffin and ends the fight. I will take Morales by second-round knockout.
Garrett: Morales via TKO
Jerry: Morales via KO/TKO
Anthony: Griffin via decision
No. 12 Damir Ismagulov vs. No. 15 Grant Dawson — Lightweight Bout
James: In the co-main event of UFC Vegas 76, ranked lightweights Grant Dawson and Damir Ismagulov will square off in the octagon.
The talent-rich nature of the lightweight division makes this a bout between two skilled fighters. Dawson, 29, is on an upward trajectory as he has gone 7-0-1 in the UFC while consistently improving. Ismagulov, 32, is coming out of retirement for this bout. While his retirement was short, it did occur. Before that, he established himself as a quality lightweight after going 5-1 in the promotion against tough competition.
This bout should have a ton of fun grappling exchanges. Dawson is a wrestler with solid takedowns. Once it is on the ground, he looks to control fights, advance position, and hunt submissions. Ismagulov will be taxed with defending Dawson’s takedowns for most of the fight. He will have a chance to accomplish that as he is also an excellent grappler.
On the feet, Ismagulov will have the advantage. He is a long striker will a great jab and solid straight. Dawson will have the power advantage, but he will also leave Ismagulov plenty of counter opportunities.
I am really interested to see how Ismagulov looks in this fight. It is hard for fighters to fight at their peak potential while flirting with retirement. That does not mean it is impossible, however. Nonetheless, Dawson has reasonable avenues to success. I do not think it will be easy for him to land takedowns, but he has a great body triangle. That should help him control Ismagulov on the matt. I will take Dawson by decision.
Garrett: Ismagulov via decision
Jerry: Ismagulov via decision
Anthony: Dawson via KO/TKO
No. 7 Sean Strickland vs. Abus Magomedov — Middleweight Bout
James: It is not common that a fighter with one UFC fight headlines a card. At UFC Vegas 76, Abus Magomedov is in that position. On top of that, he will be jumping into the middleweight rankings as he fights Sean Strickland.
Despite only having one UFC fight, he made a statement in that bout as he knocked out Dustin Stoltzfus in 19 seconds. If Magomedov can get the job done against Strickland, he will be in an outstanding position. The middleweight division is in desperate need of title challengers and Magomedov could add parody to the weight class. Although, Strickland will not be an easy opponent considering his striking ability and 18 fights worth of UFC experience.
Do not let Magomedov’s last name fool you, he is more of a striker than a grappler. On the feet, he throws good straight strikes and has solid boxing combinations. That allows him to land power strikes with his hands. Magomedov has solid kicks too, but he usually prefers to box. If a fight begins to go array on the feet, he can mix in takedowns and regain momentum.
Strickland is a well-known UFC commodity at this point. On many occasions, he has shown his ability to pressure with boxing combinations. This is highly effective for Strickland because he has great stamina and can throw ridiculous volume over the course of five rounds. That style is intensified with teep kicks that can take his opponent’s gas tank.
The UFC Vegas 76 main event is hard to preview considering the limited amount of exposure Magomedov has against high-quality fighters. On the bright side, the style clash should make this an entertaining fight. I am interested to see how the power shots of Magomedov clash with the forward pressure and volume of Strickland. In that type of fight, I think Magomedov can use his power to halt Strickland’s pressure. I will take Magomedov by decision.
Garrett: Strickland via decision
Jerry: Strickland via KO/TKO
Anthony: Strickland via decision
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