UFC Vegas 86 Preview and Predictions
UFC Vegas 86 is not one of the weaker fight nights that the promotion has put in the UFC Apex. Thankfully, the main event features an intriguing middleweight prospect that promises entertainment. A few other fights on the card are solid, but they are few and far between. Still, Vendetta Sports Media is here breaking down the card.
Join Vendetta Sports Media as we preview and predict the UFC Vegas 86 main card. You can find our 2024 prediction records below.
James: 8-6
Garrett: 7-7
Anthony: 5-9
Jerry: 5-9
Rodolfo Vieira vs. Armen Petrosyan- Middleweight Bout
James: UFC Vegas 86 opens with a middleweight bout between Rodolfo Vieira and Arman Petroysan. Vieira is a legend in the BJJ community and rightfully earned the nickname ‘The Black Belt Hunter’. In his switch to MMA, he has had mixed success while working to a 4-2 UFC record. In contrast, Petroysan has leveraged his kickboxing background to a 3-1 UFC record.
Vieira’s BJJ headlines his skill set. Once he lands takedowns, he is great at hunting submissions from the top position. In addition, he implements ground-and-pound into his grappling to better adjust his skills for MMA. On the feet, he has quality offensive striking, but he runs into more problems in his defense.
Petroysan is a high-quality striker that manages range well. This allows him to pick opponents apart on the outside. At the same time, he can crash the distance and land hooks on the inside. Overall, he is a well-rounded and efficient striker.
This UFC Vegas 86 bout previews to be a classic striker versus grappler matchup. Despite being an underrated striker, Vieira should focus on landing takedowns and working towards submissions on top. Furthermore, he will need to accomplish that before he gasses out. As far as a projection goes, I will take Vieira. I think he is making improvements and adjusting to MMA. I am also concerned that Petroysan will be unable to get up if Vieira lands a takedown. Those two factors led me to take Vieira by second-round submission.
Garrett: Vieira via submission
Jerry: Vieira via submission
Anthony: Petroysan via decision
Michael Johnson vs. Darrius Flowers- Lightweight Bout
James: At UFC Vegas 86, Michael Johnson will fight Darius Flowers. In all honesty, this a weird fight with a ton of question marks.
Johnson is a UFC veteran with a career record of 21-19 and a promotional record of 13-15. That is poor. It is worth noting that he fought stiff competition and beat a few great fighters, but that does not vindicate his overall record. More importantly, Johnson is a 37-year-old who is coming off a vicious knockout loss. It was not the first of his career either.
This will be Flowers’ second UFC bout. In his debut, Jake Matthews submitted him in the second round. That bout took place at welterweight. In this fight, he is dropping to lightweight. If you are looking to judge his regional scene experience, he fought most frequently at middleweight. All things considered, it is fairly hard to gauge how Flowers will look at lightweight.
This bout is packed with questions that make it nearly impossible to predict. If Johnson wins, he will need to use his quick hands on the outside while avoiding the shots coming back his way. I find that hard to foresee, however. It is hard to trust that his chin will hold up. At some point, I think Flowers uses size and physicality to make this a dirty fight which will open opportunities for him to find success. I will take Flowers by second-round knockout.
Garrett: Flowers via TKO
Jerry: Johnson via decision
Anthony: Johnson via KO/TKO
Brad Tavares vs. Gregory Rodrigues- Middleweight Bout
James: The UFC Vegas 86 main card features a middleweight bout between Brad Tavares and Gregory Rodrigues. Tavares and Rodrigues are both respectable fighters that sit just outside of the middleweight rankings. Tavares is the more experienced UFC fighter with a 15-8 promotional record. Meanwhile, Rodriguez sits at 5-2 in the UFC.
Tavares is a respectable striker with great takedown defense. This helps him find success against grapplers as he can keep the fight standing while holding a striking advantage. In striking exchanges, he has solid boxing and leg kicks. The problem is that his striking success does not translate against other impressive strikers.
Rodrigues is an aggressive striker who gets in brawls. This typically allows him to find success because he carries a lot of power in his hands. Plus, he has an underrated grappling game. It is uncommon for him to attempt takedowns, but he has found success grappling in previous matchups.
I expect a good portion of this fight to take place on the feet. The combination of Rodrigues’ unwillingness to grapple and Tavares’ takedown defense will minimize the amount of grappling. The striking exchanges will be interesting because both fighters can be hit and neither has an elite chin. With that in mind, I lean toward Rodrigues because he is the more dangerous striker. I will take Rodriguez by decision.
Garrett: Rodrigues via decision
Jerry: Rodrigues via KO/TKO
Anthony: Rodrigues via KO/TKO
Robert Bryczek vs. Ihor Potieria- Middleweight Bout
James: At UFC Vegas 86, Robert Bryczek will make his UFC debut against Ihor Potieria. Bryczek is a unique addition to the UFC roster. At 33, he got the call to join the promotion and was not forced to go through Dana White’s Contender Series or any other UFC entry series. If I were forced to guess, his aggressive fighting style and violent highlight reel piqued the promotion’s interest.
Potieria’s career has not been great. On the regional scene, he logged wins against atrocious fighters, got a fight on Dana White’s Contender Series, and beat an opponent that also had a fraudulent record. In the UFC, he is 1-3. All three losses were knockout losses. The only win came against 41-year-old Mauricio Rua in his retirement fight. Congratulations!
The book is out on Potieria. Despite having offensive weapons, he gets hit too much and does not eat shots well. That leads to knockout losses. Based on his regional tape, I am not overly excited about Bryczek, but he hits hard. That is about all you need to beat Potieria. I expect Bryczek to throw massive shots in the pocket and land a knockout. I will take Bryczek by first-round knockout.
Garrett: Bryczek via decision
Jerry: Bryczek via KO/TKO
Anthony: Bryczek via KO/TKO
No. 13 Dan Ige vs. Andre Fili- Featherweight Bout
James: The UFC Vegas 86 co-main event features a fan-friendly featherweight scrap between Dan Ige and Andre Fili. Both of these fighters are quality featherweights who have fought tough levels of competition throughout their careers. Ige has a promotional record of 9-6 while Fili sits at 11-9.
Ige is an impressive boxer who rips combinations to the head and body. This is particularly effective because he can throw multiple shots from the same angle. Ige can also switch stances and has power in both hands.
At 5’ 11”, Fili is a uniquely long featherweight. This length is utilized the most while throwing head kicks. Fili is great at setting up and landing head kicks. Furthermore, he uses his length to throw jabs, straights, and leg kicks from the outside.
The UFC Vegas 86 co-main event should be mainly contested on the feet. In that type of fight, I have to lean toward Ige. From a general standpoint, I think he is level ahead of Fili. It takes an elite featherweight to beat Ige in a pure striking match. In this specific stylistic clash, he should be able to find success at close range. Plus, he is good at neutralizing his opponent’s jab. That will be beneficial in this fight. I will take Ige by decision.
Garrett: Fili via decision
Jerry: Ige via decision
Anthony: Fili via decision
No. 10 Jack Hermansson vs. Joe Pyfer- Middleweight Bout
James: The UFC Vegas 85 main event features a middleweight bout between Jack Hermansson and Joe Pyfer. Pyfer is a hyped-up prospect that deserves the recognition he has gained. In the UFC, he has logged a 3-0 record with three finishes. Now, he is looking to break into the UFC rankings. Hermansson is a veteran in the promotion that has been ranked for several years. At 10-6, he is not a world beater but is a solid test for the upcoming Pyfer.
Hermansson will be at a sizable disadvantage while this fight is standing. That said, he brings some interesting striking skills to this matchup. On the outside, Hermansson looks to stay elusive while throwing kicks. Those kicks work to help prevent his opponent from crashing distance. Hermansson is a respectable grappler. This is mostly because of his submission upside as well as ground and pound. The issue is that he does not have great takedowns.
Pyfer is a powerhouse boxer with a good mix of power, physicality, and technique. This is because he has a stiff jab, several quality combinations, and can make reads. That mix allows him to land shots that badly hurt his opponent. The concerns in this matchup are that Pyfer is not great at checking leg kicks and has not been tested over five rounds.
The UFC Vegas 86 main event preview heavily favors Pyfer. The main reason for that is because his strength in boxing aligns with Hermasson’s weakness in the area. If Pyfer can get past Hermansson’s kicks and get into boxing exchanges, he will have a massive technical and physical advantage. I expect Pyfer to walk forward and threaten his power. Eventually, I think he can work past Hermansson’s kicks and land a knockout shot. If Hermansson offensively grapples, Pyfer has respectable grappling and holds a large strength advantage. Plus, Pyfer throws uppercuts which will present danger for Hermansson if he shoots for takedowns. A lot of roads lead to a Pyfer finish. I will take Pyfer by second-round knockout.
Garrett: Pyfer via TKO
Jerry: Pyfer via KO/TKO
Anthony: Pyfer via KO/TKO
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