UFC Vegas 84 Preview and Predictions
The UFC’s holiday hiatus ends as promotion kicks off the 2024 calendar year with UFC Vegas 84. The event is a solid fight night card to begin the year. The top of the card features two rematches that hold serious title implications. The remainder of the card is filled with close matchups that should provide entertainment.
Join Vendetta Sports Media as we preview UFC Vegas 84. You can find our 2023 prediction records below. Those records will start fresh after this week.
James: 141-78-3
Garrett: 135-84-3
Anthony: 117-71-2
Jerry: 118-68-2
Phil Hawes vs. Bruno Ferreira — Middleweight Bout:
James: UFC Vegas 84 opens with a fight between Phil Hawes and Bruno Ferreira. Hawes has had a curious UFC career. At 4-3, he has had outstanding performances, but he has also been beaten badly. Meanwhile, Ferreira is a new face in the promotion. The 31-year-old has gone 1-1 in his two UFC bouts.
Hawes’ up-and-down career can largely be attributed to his chin. At his best, he is a violent striker with serious power. He also has a collegiate wrestling background, but the problem is that he can not take a punch. That is why four of his career losses have come by knockout.
Ferreira is a short and stocky striker who lands knockout punches on the inside. In the pocket, he is willing to exchange with opponents in the hope of being the fighter that lands the knockout shot. If needed, he can walk opponents down and hunt powerful shots.
This bout previews to be one of the crazier bouts from UFC Vegas 84. I am expecting these two fighters to hunt a knockout. That will lead to a ton of powerful shots being exchanged. In that matchup, I will pick against the fighter with a highly suspect chin. I will take Ferreira by first-round knockout.
Garrett: Ferreira by decision
Jerry: Ferreira via KO/TKO
Anthony: Hawes via KO/TKO
No. 13 Ricky Simon vs. Mario Bautista — Bantamweight Bout
James: At UFC Vegas 84, Ricky Simon will fight Mario Bautista. Simon is looking to bounce back after suffering a knockout loss to Song Yadong. The 31-year-old has a lot of impressive skills and worked his way to an 8-3 UFC record. Bautista is currently red-hot. The 30-year-old has won five consecutive bouts to push his UFC record to 7-2.
Simon has a promising skill set. This is because he has a great combination of wrestling and power. In grappling exchanges, Simon excels at landing takedowns and getting work done from the top position. If he is forced to strike, he has basic boxing that is very powerful. The problem is that Simon is still waiting for everything to click. If he puts his tools together he will begin to find more success.
Bautista is a good grappler in his own right. In previous outings, he has shown the ability to land takedowns and find submissions in grappling sequences. On the feet, he does not have a ton of power, but he will throw a lot of volume. That helps him edge out close decisions. In addition, his cardio is respectable which always helps in tough fights.
This is one of the tougher fights to preview on UFC Vegas 84. The grappling acumen of each fighter should create some interesting scrambles. It is tough to tell who will win those exchanges, but I have more confidence in Bautista. In his last fight, he showed solid defensive wrestling against Da’ Mon Blackshear. That will be useful in this fight. I believe his volume and cardio will help him earn favor with the judges while the fight is standing. I will take Bautista by decision.
Garrett: Bautista via decision
Jerry: Simon via decision
Anthony: Simon via decision
Jim Miller vs. Gabriel Benitez — Lightweight Bout
James: At UFC Vegas 84, Jim Miller will fight Gabriel Benitez. Miller is the definition of a veteran. The 40-year-old holds UFC records for having the most fights and wins in promotional history with 42 and 25, respectively. Meanwhile, Benitez has quietly racked up UFC experience as he has tallied a 7-6 UFC record.
Miller is a BJJ ace who has leaned into striking in the later stage of his career. In recent outings, Miller has shown his powerful hands and has supplemented his striking with leg kicks. It is pretty clear that he is not the most technical striker, but he is tough, durable and fights hard on the feet. Despite grappling no longer being a focal point of Miller’s game plan, it is beneficial that he has submission upside in his back pocket.
Benitez has shown respectable striking in his UFC tenure. The kicking game is his best skill, but he is capable of boxing as well. I would not deem him an outstanding striker, however. If he runs into another high-quality striker, he often struggles.
This should be a close fight. I am expecting a lot of heavy striking exchanges early in this fight. I have serious questions about each fighter’s cardio. That makes the later rounds tough to call. Although, I think it is safer to lean toward the fighter that is tougher and more durable. Those will be important attributes if both fighters face cardio issues. I think Miller is better in those categories. I will take Miller by third-round knockout.
Garrett: Benitez via decision
Jerry: Miller via submission
Anthony: Miller via decision
No. 3 Magomed Ankalaev vs. No. 7 Johnny Walker — Light Heavyweight Rematch
James: The UFC Vegas 84 main event features a rematch between Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker. The pair originally fought at UFC 294. That fight ended in a no-contest after Ankalaev landed an illegal knee in the opening round. On top of settling their previous beef, this bout will play a role in future title talks.
Ankalaev is a very well-rounded light heavyweight. The light heavyweight division lacks elite grapplers and Ankalaev is one of the few capable wrestlers at the top of the division. In most matchups, he can land takedowns and control opponents from the top position. Still, if he opts to strike he has a solid arsenal of kicks and he is a fair boxer. On the feet, his best weapon is his jab.
Walker is one of the most unique fighters in the light heavyweight division. At 6-foot-6, he is absurdly long and has massive reach. That size combined with his power makes him a dangerous opponent. In terms of skills, his size allows him to find a ton of success throwing strikes from a distance. On the ground, he has underrated grappling and has found success in that realm.
This bout is terrible to predict. The light heavyweight division is the most volatile weight class in MMA. If that’s not enough, Walker has fight-ending power and poor durability. That creates a tough dynamic as he could catch anyone and get caught by everyone. Meanwhile, Anakalev’s last two fights, despite being a heavy favorite, have gone to a no-contest and a draw.
In the stylistic aspect of this matchup, Ankalaev’s wrestling should provide Walker with serious problems. The only issue is that Anakalev often waits too long to use his wrestling. If that happens, Walker could use his newfound technical approach to land leg kicks. Still, I have to lean toward Ankalaev winning rounds with his wrestling, The fact that this is now a five-round fight will give him some leniency if he does not grapple early. I will take Ankalaev by decision.
Garrett: Ankalaev via TKO
Jerry: Ankalaev via decision
Anthony: Walker via KO/TKO
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