UFC Vegas 85 Preview and Predictions
The UFC schedule is on the verge of heating that. That begins with a UFC Vegas 85. The event is not the best fight night to ever grace the UFC Apex, but the card features a few interesting bouts.
Join Vendetta Sports Media as we preview and predict the UFC Vegas 85 main card. You can find our 2024 prediction records below.
James: 5-4
Garrett: 4-5
Anthony: 3-6
Jerry: 3-6
Gilbert Urbina vs. Charles Radtke- UFC Welterweight Division
James: The UFC Vegas 85 main card starts with a welterweight bout between Gilbert Urbina and Charles Radtke. In all honesty, this is not a very high-level fight and it is quite a surprise that it is on the main card. Radtke and Urbina are both relatively inexperienced and do not have many UFC fights under their belt. Urbina is the more experienced fighter in the UFC as he sits at 1-1 while Radtke is 1-0.
Urbina is a long fighter who uses his length to throw kicks and land knees on the inside. That is his best form of offense. On the regional scene, Urbina also had success grappling and found several rear-naked choke finishes.
Radtke has some solid skills on the ground. In the past, he has leveraged wrestling to work his way to victories. On the feet, he has decent power.
I am not overly interested in hopping on either fighter’s bandwagon, but I have to pick one of them. I slightly lean toward Radtke. On the feet, Urbina will likely have a decent advantage; however, I trust Radtke more if this fight gets extended. Furthermore, if these two grapple early in the fight, Radtke will be more likely to maintain a pace on the mat. Overall, Urbina may bigger and more skilled on the feet, but Radtke is a bigger dog. I will take Radtke by third-round submission.
Garrett: Urbina via decision
Jerry: Urbina via decision
Anthony: Urbina via decision
Aliaskhab Khizriev vs. Makhmud Muradov- UFC Middleweight Divison
James: On the UFC Vegas 85 main card, Aliaskhab Khizriev will fight Makhmud Muradov. Khizriev is a highly touted prospect with an undefeated MMA record of 14-0. Unfortunately, after signing with the UFC in 2020, he has only fought once. In that fight, he got a submission victory over Denis Tiuliulin. Now, he is looking to get his career back on track. Muradov is a solid opponent for that. At 4-2, he has established himself as a quality middleweight. The winner of this fight should be in a solid position while pushing toward the rankings.
Khizriev is an aggressive grappler who hunts finishes. The best aspect of his wrestling is his single-leg takedown. Khizriev gets deep on shots and finishes at a high rate. On the ground, he throws massive ground and pound while looking for submissions. If an opponent gives up his back, he will take the position and land a rear naked choke. Khizriev is capable of striking. The best weapon in his arsenal is his kicks from Southpaw. Plus, he carries power in his hands.
Muradov is a balanced fighter that can find success in striking or grappling. Typically, he looks to take advantage of his opponent’s weaknesses. I would have to call his striking his better skills if forced to choose. Muradov is a long fighter who finds success with straight shots and kicks.
This should be a fairly competitive bout. It is tough to be overly confident in picking a side because Khizriev has fought so inconsistently. Furthermore, his natural weight class is probably welterweight and his cardio is untested. That all presents questions. In the bout, Muradov could have success landing straight shots. I also like his ability to catch and counter kicks. Those will be positives in this fight. Still, Khizriev is a dangerous grappler who should be able to land takedowns. Ultimately, I expect Khizriev to find enough grappling success to get the win. I will take Khizriev by decision.
Garrett: Khizriev via submission
Jerry: Khizriev via submission
Anthony: Khizriev via decision
No. 7 Viviane Araujo vs. No. 9 Natalia Silva- UFC Women’s Flyweight Bouts
James: At UFC Vegas 85, Viviane Araujo will fight Natalia Silva. Araujo, 37, is a ten-fight UFC veteran who has gone 6-4 in the promotion. A good portion of that experience has come against ranked competition. Silva, 26, is a fresh face that made her UFC debut less than two years ago. In her short time in the octagon, she quickly proved to be a premier talent in the division. At 4-0 in the UFC, she already has a ranked win and is looking to earn another boost in the rankings.
Araujo is a powerhouse with a lot of strength. The physicality can be seen in her striking as her boxing combinations pack a punch. In most matchups, she is a more powerful puncher which allows her to trade punches and still find success. Furthermore, Araujo holds grappling upside and can use that aspect of her game to help her win rounds.
Silva has a ton of striking skills that jump off the page. The most impressive aspect of her skills is her diverse set of offensive weapons. Plus, she strings those weapons together in unique ways which creates a plethora of combinations. Silva has great kicks, can throw with both legs, and can attack all three levels. On top of that, she mixes her hands into combinations which creates a tough puzzle to crack. It should be noted that she is athletic, quick, and accurate. Those attributes make her varied striking attack even more effective. In terms of grappling, Silva has impressive takedown defense and offensive submissions. The flaws in her game are that she can leave her chin exposed at times and she can be put in dangerous positions if taken down.
This bout previews to be one of the toughest matchups on UFC Vegas 85. It isn’t easy to craft a path to victory for Araujo. At a distance, Silva will be able to use her quick striking to outpoint Araujo. If Araujo counters with forward pressure, she will struggle to win a brawl because Silva has accurate counters. Another area of concern is that Araujo does not have great cardio which is most noticeable in grappling-heavy bouts. In grappling exchanges, Silva is good enough defensively to make Araujo work which will lead to Silva pulling ahead in the second and third rounds. The only hope for Araujo will be to control Silva up against the fence or land a quick finish. I am not optimistic about either outcome. Instead, Silva picks Araujo apart before finishing her. I will take Silva by third-round knockout.
Garrett: Silva via decision
Jerry: Silva via decision
Anthony: Silva via decision
Randy Brown vs. Muslim Salikhov- UFC Welterweight Division
James: At UFC Vegas 85, Randy Brown will fight Muslim Salikhov. Brown and Salikhov are both quality welterweights who sit just outside of the welterweight rankings. Brown has an impressive 11-5 record and has won five of his last six fights. Salikhov is 6-3 in the UFC.
At 6-foot-3 with a 78-inch reach, Brown will be the much longer fighter in this matchup. That is the standard for Brown and his fighting style is reflective of his size. Brown excels when he can fight from the outside and utilize his long-range weapons. For the most part, that is centered around straight shots and kicks. It should also be noted that Brown’s length helps create a dangerous submission game.
Salikhov, a Sanda practitioner, has a good selection of kicks. This includes standard kicks to all three levels as well as lethal spinning kicks. Salikhov can also crash the distance to land hooks. That helps expand his game and adds another layer of danger. In close fights, Salikhov will also land takedowns to help him win competitive rounds. That is an underrated part of his game that pays dividends.
This should be a competitive fight. On the feet, Brown should control the action from the outside while Salikhov closes the distance to land hooks or leg kicks. The winner of this bout will be determined by how much damage Salikhov can do in the moments that he has success on the interior. I lean toward Brown because he should control the large portion of rounds which is appealing to judges. I will take Brown by decision.
Garrett: Salikhov via TKO
Jerry: Brown via decision
Anthony: Brown via KO/TKO
No. 13 Renato Moicano vs. No. 15 Drew Dober- UFC Lightweight Divison
James: The UFC Vegas 85 co-main event features lightweight contenders Renato Moicano and Drew Dober. Moicano is a newly minted fan favorite after dropping an electric post-fight interview at UFC 281. Thankfully, he has legitimate skills as well. In his UFC career, he has a 9-5 record. At lightweight, he is 4-2. Meanwhile, Dober is a mainstay in the UFC lightweight division. In his last fight, he picked up a massive bounce-back victory after suffering the first knockout loss of his career. That win made him 4-1 in his last five fights. In total, he has a 13-8 record in the UFC.
Moicano has a ton of finish upside regardless of where the fight goes. This is most obvious on the ground. Moicano has impressive back takes which allows him to consistently land rear-naked chokes. On the feet, despite not having an in-depth striking skill set, his length allows him to have stinging straight shots.
Dober is a powerful boxer that sits down on heavy shots. That includes big punches to the body and head. Those skills have translated into many knock-out finishes in the UFC.
The UFC Vegas 85 co-main event previews to be a volatile fight because of each fighter’s finishing upside. Dober should be able to land big punches in the pocket while Moicano could quickly end the fight with a submission. If Moicano gets this fight to the ground, he should be able to find success and get to dominant positions. The issue is that he does not have elite takedowns. That provides optimism that Dober can keep this fight on the feet. Additionally, Moicano’s striking defense in the pocket raises concerns. Those factors push this fight in Dober’s favor. I will take Dober by second-round knockout.
Garrett: Moicano via decision
Jerry: Dober via KO/TKO
Anthony: Dober via KO/TKO
No. 8 Roman Dolidze vs. No. 11 Nassourdine Imavov- UFC Middleweight Division
James: The UFC Vegas 85 main event features a middleweight fight between Roman Dolidze and Nassourdine Imavov. This bout will be massive for the landscape of the division. With both fighters sitting around the No. 10 spot in the rankings, a win will likely earn them another ranked opponent. At the same time, the losing will probably have to fight back in the rankings.
Dolidze and Imavov are impressive prospects who have impressed early in their careers; however, they are both looking to bounce back after rough performances. Dolidze is looking to rebound after an incredibly close loss to Marvin Vettori. In total, he is 6-2 in the UFC. On the other hand, Imavov is coming off a no-contest against Chris Curtis and a loss to Sean Strickland. Overall, he is 4-2 with a no-contest.
Dolidze is an impressive finisher. He throws powerful hooks on the feet and deals a ton of damage. Those shots land at a far better rate when he is pressuring his opponents and able to back them up. Plus, on the ground, Dolidze has legit BJJ skills. This can be seen in his ability to threaten submissions and land uncommon sweeps.
Imavov is a great distance striker. At his best, he operates as a sniper at range that picks his opponent apart with quick straights and kicks. That is something he can accomplish at a high rate because he has solid length and impressive footwork.
The UFC Vegas 85 main event previews to be a close fight that is tough to predict. In theory, Dolidze should have a large advantage if he can utilize offensive grappling and clinch work. Although, he tends to use his grappling as a counter to offensive grapplers. If he does not grapple, Imavov can poke at him with straights and kicks from a distance to slow his forward pressure. That could help stifle Dolidze’s offense and body kicks could slow him down in the later rounds. At the same time, I have worries about Imavov’s defensive grappling and ability to escape the clinch. Overall, both fighters present a solid mix of positives and negatives when evaluating this matchup. Ultimately, I have to side with the fighter that has a sizeable grappling advantage and more finishing upside. I will take Dolidze by decision.
Garrett: Imavov via decision
Jerry: Dolidze via decision
Anthony: Dolidze via decision
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