UFC Vegas 96 Preview And Predictions

UFC Vegas 96 Preview And Predictions

UFC Vegas 96 is an underrated fight card with some solid matchmaking. The main card features three fights that include ranked opponents, including a main event that will be crucial for the middleweight division. In addition, the main card features two finales from The Ultimate Fighter Season 32. 

Join Vendetta Sports Media as we preview and predict the UFC Vegas 96 main card. You can find out prediction records below. 

James: 87-69

Garrett: 90-66

Anthony: 95-61

Jerry: 76-63

Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Gerald Meerschaert- Middleweight Bout 

James: The UFC Vegas 96 main card opens with a middleweight bout between Edmen Shahbazyan and Gerald Meerschaert. Shahbazyan is a former hyped prospect who struggled against ranked opponents. That has pushed his UFC record to 6-4. Meerschaert, 36, is a long-tenured UFC fighter who sits at 11-9 in the promotion. 

Shahbazyan has a list of great strengths and serious flaws. On a positive note, he has dangerous striking. This comes in the fashion of powerful boxing and kicks to all three levels. The problem is that he has poor cardio and bad defensive grappling. In most fights, he finishes his opponent early or gets finished late.

Meerschaert is a submission grappler. In most fights, he loses until he turns the fight around with a front choke or rear-naked choke. Despite not being a great striker, he does have powerful body kicks from the southpaw stance.

This UFC Vegas 96 bout is a hilarious fight to preview. This matchup pits both fighters against an opponent who presents stylistic challenges. Meerschaert can be finished early against dangerous finishers. If he gets deep into the bout, he can finish those dangerous opponents when they tire. Shahbazyan is live to finish the fight early, but falls apart in the later rounds. In a sense, that makes this a coin flip. I will take Meerschaert because I lack faith in Shahbazyan’s grappling and cardio. I will take Meerschaert by round three submission. 

Garrett: Shahbazyan via TKO

Jerry: Shahbazyan via KO/TKO

Anthony: Shahbazyan via decision

No. 12 Neil Magny vs. Michael Morales- Welterweight Bout

James: At UFC Vegas 96, Neil Magny will fight Michael Morales. Magny, 37, has been in the UFC for years. At 22-10, he is one of the longest-tenured fighters in the UFC. In his most recent string of fights, he is 3-3 in his last six. Morales is an impressive prospect who has yet to hit his ceiling. Still, he is 16-0 professionally and 4-0 in the UFC. Now, he fights the welterweight gatekeeper with a ranking on the line.

Magny’s best skill is his clinch work. At this portion of his career, his goal is to get his opponent to the clinch where he can land knees and elbows. In addition, he can use his length to jab from the outside. 

Morales is one of the most athletic fighters on the UFC roster. In terms of pure skills, he has a great right hand. This allows him to land powerful straights. At times, he will land that shot as a counter or use it in combinations. Overall, as a distance striker, he can pick at his opponents with big punches and kicks to rack up damage. Occasionally, he unloads powerful hooks on the inside as well. 

This UFC Vegas 96 bout heavily favors Morales. It is blatantly obvious he is bigger, faster, stronger, younger, and more dangerous. Magny’s advantages are his experience and length. Ultimately, the physicality edge for Morales will make it difficult for Magny to utilize his clinch skills. As a result, Morales will be able to take advantage of his striking and grappling advantages. On the feet, he will be landing the more damaging strikes. If he wants, he could land takedowns and threaten submissions. I will take Morales by second-round knockout. 

Garrett: Morales via TKO

Jerry: Magny via decision

Anthony: Morales via decision

Kaan Ofli vs. Mairon Santos- TUF Featherweight Finale 

James: The first TUF finale is a featherweight bout between Kaan Ofli and Mairon Santos. This fight will bring high-level skills to the octagon despite being a TUF finale. Ofli, 31, will be the older of the two prospects. On TUF, he earned a spot in the finale with a submission and decision victory. In his career, he is 11-2-1. Santos, 24, has a lot of skill for his age. That was evident as he picked up two decision victories on TUF. In his career, he holds a 13-1 record. 

Ofli is a strong grappler with the ability to finish fights on the ground. At five-foot-six, he is undersized for the division; however, he still manages to get fights to the ground. This is because he times takedowns well and finishes once he gets to the hips. On the feet, he holds some power in his hands. If he can connect with his hands, it helps him set up his takedowns. 

Santos is a great striker with a lot of tools. At a distance, he boxes well and lands kicks. This is done while attacking all three levels. Santos has a strong lead hand that he uses to land jabs, hooks, and counters. Similarly, he counters jabs with his rear hand. In addition, he throws leg kicks and teeps. Santos is great at mixing his strikes and keeping his offensive attacks unpredictable. One way he accomplishes this is by throwing two-piece combinations that include shots to the head and body. 

This UFC Vegas 96 is a great matchup considering it’s two fighters competing on TUF. The winner of this matchup should be viewed as a prospect worth keeping an eye on. As far as a prediction goes, this is a tough fight to call. On the regional scene, Santos struggled against a UFC-level grappler while Ofli had a suspect striking defense. Those flaws were not nearly as present in their fights on TUF. If those improvements hold, the fight will be a coin flip. That said, I lean toward Santos. I expect him to use his size and power to control the center of the octagon. This will help him to land strikes while making it harder for Ofli to land takedowns. I will take Santos by decision. 

Garrett: Ofli via decision

Jerry: Ofli via decision

Anthony: Santos via decision

Robert Valentin vs. Ryan Loder- TUF Middleweight Finale 

James: The second TUF bout at UFC Vegas 95 is the middleweight finale between Robert Valentin and Ryan Loder. Valentin’s run in the TUF house saw him land a knockout and a submission. The 29-year-old was 10-3 before competing on the show. Meanwhile, Loder made the finale off the back of a submission and decision win. In his time on the regional scene, he went 6-1. 

Valentin is a dangerous fighter capable of finishing the fight with striking or grappling. On the feet, he uses his six-foot-two frame to attack with straight shots from the outside. Additionally, he is great at landing knees and elbows in close. As a grappler, Valentin takes a lot of risks in hopes of getting to advantageous positions where he can threaten submissions. 

Loder was a Division I All-American wrestler at the University of Northern Iowa. That can be seen in his fighting style. Loder has solid takedowns and threats with strikes and submissions once he is on top. On top of that, he works hard to ensure his opponent works hard in grappling exchanges. On the feet, Loder is underdeveloped. That said, he hits hard, has a nice jab, throws kicks, and is defensively responsible. I would not take him to win pure kickboxing matches, but he has decent skills considering he has nine MMA fights under his belt. 

This UFC Vegas 96 preview favors the All-American wrestler. Valentin is not a poor grappler, but he has struggled on the regional scene against fighters who commit to offensive grappling. In striking exchanges, his straight shots could end the fight, but I expect Loder to grapple early and often. If Valentin cannot land an intercepting knee or elbow, Loder should land takedowns and get to the top position. This opens the door for Loder to land ground and pound or submissions. I will take Loder by second-round submission. 

Garrett: Loder via submission

Jerry: Valentin via KO/TKO

Anthony: Valentin via decision

No. 9 Angela Hill vs. No. 11 Tabatha Ricci- Women’s Strawweight Bout

James: The UFC Vegas 96 co-main event features a women’s strawweight bout between Angela Hill and Tabatha Ricci. Hill is one of the longest-tenured female fighters on the UFC roster. In the UFC, she has a 12-13 record against an extremely tough strength of schedule. At 39, she is still getting the job done as she has won back-to-back fights. Ricci is a strong prospect for the division. At 29, she holds a 5-2 UFC record. One of those losses came in her UFC debut in a flyweight bout against Manon Fiorot. A win over Hill would help her start to clinch the strawweight rankings. 

At her core, Hill is a distance striker who uses her length to efficiently attack her opponents. On the outside, Hill will throw a lot of straight punches and kicks. This is effective because of her accuracy. In recent outings, she has shown a lot of clinch improvements. Hill is doing a much better job at defending grappling attempts in the clinch while landing elbows and knees in those exchanges. 

Ricci is a well-rounded fighter with striking and grappling skills. I would not consider her elite in either realm, but she is certainly skilled. On the feet, Ricci will use her boxing to land strikes. At times, she can mix kicks into her game as well. On top of that, she will attempt takedowns and can get to top positions. It would be nice to see her land those takedowns at a higher rate, but she has fought solid defensive grapplers in recent fights. 

The UFC Vegas 96 co-main event previews to be a close fight. This matchup pits two athletes who often fight to close decisions against one another. I expect that to be the outcome of this fight. Ultimately, I would rather side with Ricci. It is nice that she is the younger of the pair, but I like her skills too. I believe her pressure boxing could help her land strikes. Despite Hill’s improved clinch game, I expect Ricci to use traditional wrestling takedowns to get this fight to the ground. In a close fight, those small factors could be the difference maker. I will take Ricci by decision. 

Garrett: Ricci via decision

Jerry: Ricci via decision

Anthony: Hill via decision

No. 5 Jared Cannonier vs. No. 12 Caio Borralho- Middleweight Bout

James: The UFC Vegas 96 main event features a middleweight bout between Jared Cannonier and Caio Borralho. Cannonier is looking to bounce back after a career-alerting loss to Nassourdine Imavov. In that bout, he was on the wrong side of an early stoppage. Now, the 40-year-old is fighting tooth and nail for another shot at UFC gold. Borralho has grown from one of the best middleweight prospects into a ranked fighter. A win over Cannonier would him help jump into the top five and become a potential title challenger. 

Cannonier is a powerful striker who sets up shots with feints and footwork. This makes him a dangerous opponent because he can control the center of the octagon and land damaging strikes. The big issue with Cannonier is his age. At 40, despite being skilled, his chin has been suspect. In many recent fights, including victories, he was hurt at some point. Similarly, he is not quick and can get aggressive, which leaves him open to being countered. 

Borralho is at his best when he can land takedowns. In the top position, he controls well and threatens with submissions. On the feet, he is not an elite striker. The best part of his striking is his jab. Occasionally, he will also land his lead hand as a hook and will land straights. This is often done with quick footwork that allows him to get in and out of the pocket.

The UFC Vegas 96 main event previews as a close fight. It will be interesting to see if Borralho manages to land takedowns and control Cannonier. That is a tall task. Cannonier has solid takedown defense and works back to his feet when grounded. In addition, Cannonier should be able to control the center of the octagon. This will make it more difficult for Borralho to attempt takedowns. Borralho will have the power to hurt Cannonier which makes the striking exchanges closer than they would be otherwise. Ultimately, I believe Cannonier can deal with Borralho’s grappling which allows him to win striking exchanges with his power and volume. I will take Cannonier by round four knockout. 

Garrett: Borralho via decision

Jerry: Cannonier via decision

Anthony: Cannonier via KO

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