UFC Vegas 88 Preview and Predictions
A run of underwhelming UFC fight night events begins with UFC Vegas 88. The card is set to go down at the UFC Apex. The fights are reflective of their location. Still, there are a few important fights that will take place over the weekend.
Join Vendetta Sports Media as we preview and predict the UFC Vegas 88 main card. You can find our yearly prediction records below.
James: 25-15
Garrett: 23-17
Anthony: 20-20
Jerry: 21-19
Gerald Meerschaert vs. Bryan Barberena- Middleweight Bout
James: The UFC Vegas 88 main card opens with a fight between Gerald Meerschaert and Bryan Barberena. This is a fight between two veterans with a large amount of UFC experience. The problem is that each of these fighters has struggled in recent outings. Meerschaert has lost three of his last four while Barberena has dropped three consecutively. Overall, Meerschaert holds a 10-9 UFC record while Barberena is 9-9. It should also be noted that this is Barberena’s second fight at middleweight since moving up a division.
Meerschaert’s top skill is his BJJ. That usually bails him out of fights that he is losing. Meerschart aggressively attacks front chokes and hunts for the back. On the feet, he throws a good body kick, but he is typically on the losing side of the exchanges.
Barberena is an aggressive boxer who throws respectable amounts of volume. In addition, he attacks the body. At middleweight, he is fairly undersized and he struggles with high-level grapplers.
This UFC Vegas 88 preview is hard to overly confident about. I am not interested in picking either of these fighters to win a UFC fight. I typically pick against Meerschaert because of his overreliance on landing submissions. Meanwhile, I do not like Barberena’s move up to middleweight. I will lean toward Meerschaert because of his ability to quickly find submissions. I will take Meerschaert by second-round submission.
Garrett: Meerschaert via submission
Jerry: Meerschaert via submission
Anthony: Meerschaert via decision
No. 6 Pannie Kianzad vs. No. 10 Macy Chiasson- Women’s Bantamweight Rematch
James: At UFC Vegas 88, Pannie Kianzad will fight Macy Chiasson. This fight is a rematch. The first bout between the pair was The Ultimate Fighters Season 28 finale. In that fight, Chiasson landed a rear-naked choke in the second round to win the fight. In the time since both fighters have held their roster spot. Kianzad is 5-4 in the UFC while Chiasson is 6-3. This will be Chiasson’s first back down at bantamweight since 2021. It will be important to keep an eye on weigh-ins to ensure she makes the 135-pound limit.
A lot of Kianzad’s fights end up being scrappy clinch brawls. Kianzad is solid at backing her opponents up to the fence and attacking with knees, elbows, and dirty boxing. If available, she will attempt takedowns. In the striking exchanges, Kianzad’s offense is focused on boxing combinations.
Chiasson is a big fighter for the bantamweight division. At 5-foot-11, she is very long. That allows her to throw a lot of kicks from the outside. That size is also leveraged while grappling.
Chiasson’s weight cut will be one of the most important factors in this fight. I will work under the assumption that her weight cut goes well. If that is the case, Chiasson’s size advantage will prevent Kianzad from being successful in that clinch. Furthermore, if Chiasson lands takedowns, her size will make it tough for Kianzad to work back to her feet. I will take Chiasson by decision.
Garrett: Chiasson via TKO
Jerry: Chiasson via deicision
Anthony: Chiasson via decision
Christian Rodriguez vs. Isaac Dulgarian- Featherweight Bout
James: The next bout on UFC Vegas 88 previews to be the best fight on the card. This bout pits legit prospects Christian Rodriguez and Isaac Dulgarian against one another. The winner of this fight will earn a lot of respect and will see their prospect status rise. Rodriguez has gained notoriety after taking out Raul Rosas Jr. and Cameron Saaiman. Those wins pushed his UFC record to 3-1. The problem is that he missed weight in both fights. Now, he is fighting up a weight class at featherweight. Dulgarian will be a tough test for his divisional debut. Despite only having one UFC fight, Dulgarian looked outstanding in his debut victory.
Rodriguez has a well-rounded skill set. In the UFC, he has shown legitimate BJJ which he uses to attack submissions and get to strong positions. On the feet, he throws a wide variety of attacks. That includes good counters and solid kicks. Plus, he does a lot of damage with his knees and elbows on the inside. In extended fights, his cardio holds up.
Dulgarian fights with a wrestle-first mindset. In six professional fights, he has yet to fight someone who can stop his takedowns. That has yielded positive results because he is a menace from the top position. Dulgarian excels at finding ways to damage his opponents with ground-and-pound shots. The amount of force he can generate on the ground is remarkable. This skill has led to first-round finishes in all of his fights. With that being said, we have not seen Dulgarian fight an elite grappler, his striking is untested, and his cardio is unknown.
This is a tough fight to call because of the questions surrounding Dulgarian. It is impossible to have informed opinions on various parts of his skills because we have not seen them in action. What we do know is that he will cause issues early in this fight and he will be live to get an early finish. Ultimately, I will side with Rodriguez, however. I simply have more trust in Rodriguez’s overall skills based on what he has shown. Stylistically, he has also shown the ability to compete with respectable grapplers. In this matchup, his front chokes will present difficulty as Dulgarian attempts takedowns. I will take Rodriguez by decision.
Garrett: Dulgarian via TKO
Jerry: Dulgarian via KO/TKO
Anthony: Rodriguez via decision
Ovince Saint Preux vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu- Light Heavyweight Bout
James: The UFC Vegas 88 feature bout is a light heavyweight fight between Ovince Saint Preux and Kennedy Nzechukwu. It is a shock that Saint Preux is an active UFC fighter. The 40-year-old former title challenger is far past his prime and has lost three of his last four fights. The sole win was two years ago against aging former champion Mauricio Rua. Meanwhile, Nzechukwu is a 31-year-old prospect who has gone 6-4 in the UFC. In his last fight, he lost to Dustin Jacoby to snap a three-fight win streak.
This fight is fairly straightforward. Saint Preux is in the end portion of his career. In recent fights, he has struggled in early striking exchanges and his durability has not held up. That is not promising considering Nzechukwu is a powerful striker with unique length. I will take Nzechukwu by first-round knockout.
Garrett: Nzechukwu via TKO
Jerry: Nzechukwu via KO/TKO
Anthony: Nzechukwu via KO/TKO
Bryan Battle vs. Ange Loosa- Welterweight Bout
James: The UFC Vegas 88 co-main event is a welterweight fight between Bryan Battle and Ange Loosa. Battle won The Ultimate Fighter Season 29 at middleweight and has since dropped a division. In the UFC, he has seen positive results as he sits at 5-1. Loosa is 2-1 with his only loss being a short-notice UFC debut. It should also be noted that Battle will be the toughest opponent of his career.
At six-foot-one, Battle is large for the welterweight division. Not only is he long, but he has a fair amount of muscle on his frame. That size is used effectively as Battle attacks his opponents with jabs and teeps while fighting from the outside. If his opponent gets into boxing range, Battle is willing to exchange. That can result in him landing or eating big punches. Battle finds more success when close-range exchanges get into the clinch because his length allows him to throw big knees. I would not classify Battle as an elite grappler, but he has done good work on the ground and has slick submissions.
Loosa is capable of hurting opponents with his right hand. That is his best weapon. In addition to that, he looks to land his jab and leg kicks. If he falls behind in striking exchanges, he will look to land takedowns and rack up control time. Loosa could be better in both realms, but he has used his skills to pick up wins at the UFC level.
This UFC Vegas 88 preview favors Battle. I am expecting Battle to use his size and length to attack Loosa from the outside. That should be done with a lot of teeps to the body. If he is consistently landing that shot, Loosa’s cardio should take a hit. That greatly depletes his game as he becomes slower and easier to hit. It also makes it far harder for him to offensively grapple. As a result, Battle should be able to find a submission if he invests in bodywork early. I will take Battle by second-round submission.
Garrett: Battle via decision
Jerry: Battle via decision
Anthony: Battle via KO/TKO
No. 9 Tai Tuivasa vs. No. 10 Marcin Tybura- Heavyweight Bout
James: The UFC Vegas 88 main event features a heavyweight bout between Tai Tuivasa and Marcin Tybura. Tuivasa is a fan-favorite heavyweight that has never shied away from a brawl. That has yielded him an 8-6 UFC record along with great professional opportunities. This bout will be crucial to his career as he sits on a three-fight losing streak. Tybura has spent a significant amount of time in the UFC. At 11-7, he has serious experience in the promotion and has been featured in the rankings for a large portion of his tenure.
Tuivasa is a knockout artist. The highlights of his career come in striking battles when he manages to find big shots. That is because he sets up powerful shots well and lands counter punches. Tuivasa’s game is extended with damaging clinch work and powerful kicks.
Tybura is at his best when he can implement his grappling. From the top position, he maintains control and looks to do damage. In the clinch, Tybura is not afraid to hold position and rack up control time. At a distance, Tybura can win minutes with his jab and teeps.
I would not go as far as to say this is a striker versus grappler matchup; however, I have a hard time seeing Tybura win a pure striking matchup. On the feet, Tybura is not very fast. In this fight, that will allow Tuivasa to land a variety of strikes. Tuivasa should be able to land while being offensive or while looking to land counters. The kicks will be an issue at range too. Lastly, Tybura will not be able to hunt for control time in the clinch because Tuivasa is dangerous in that area. That is a lot of avenues for a lethal striker to find a knockout shot. That said, if Tybura can land takedowns those avenues begin to disappear. Ultimately, I lean toward Tuivasa landing one of those shots before Tybura gets his grappling going. I will take Tuivasa by first-round knockout.
Garrett: Tuivasa via TKO
Jerry: Tuivasa via KO/TKO
Anthony: Tuivasa via KO/TKO
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