UFC Kansas City
Garry vs. Prates - This is not a bad main event at all for a non-PPV card. If Prates can keep the fight standing, it will be a problem for Garry, but Garry has shown that he can take almost anyone down and put them against the cage. The question is: can he do it for 25 minutes, or is he a 15-minute fighter?
Smith vs. Mingyang - Anthony Smith, on paper, should win this fight. This will be his last fight of his career, which spanned over a decade and started in other top organizations. If he gets out of the 1st round, I honestly don't see how he will lose because he should be able to get him down with rather ease
Chikadze vs. Onama - This should be a stand-up fight for the most part unless Onama is pressuring him to get him to the ground, which isn't the easiest thing to do against a striker with good takedown defense who is also taller. Shooting for takedowns could put him to sleep, so I think both of these guys' paths to victory will be striking. Onama is also fighting in his hometown, so he should get a boost in this position
Pereira vs. Magomedov - The people's main event for the card, besides Anthony Smith's retirement fight. I don't see how this fight makes it to the final bell at all. If you like explosive first-round finishers, you will be in for a treat.
Brown vs. Dalby - Randy "Rudeboy" Brown returns after a split decision loss to more than likely future title challenger Bryan Battle. I think this is a great matchup for him, and I don't see how he could lose.
Aliskerov vs. Muniz - Ikram is coming off a rough early loss to Whittaker, which isn't a bad loss by any means. He will be fighting a solid grappler in Muniz, who has 15 submissions out of his 24 wins thus far. Classic grappler vs. striker matchup for this one.
Schnell vs. Flick - The flyweights get after it in this great fight. Schnell is coming off 3 straight losses, all by finish. He will be taking a slight step down in competition in this one. The question is: how much does he have left in his tank after being finished in his last 3 fights? He has been in the UFC for the last 9 years. He will be fighting with his back against the wall in this one.
Elder vs. Young - Elder is a hometown fighter looking to get a huge win in front of the hometown crowd. Both of these guys are small lightweights, so it's a perfect matchup for both of them. This should be a great fight for the fans and a great stepping stone for whoever wins.
Gutierrez vs. Castaneda - This fight got rebooked, and the line moved a bit in favor of Gutierrez, which is a bit odd because the fight wasn’t planned that long ago. I think they are fixing their mistake from the last time. Either way, I think that Gutierrez will have too much for him in the striking.
Blackshear vs. Alatengheili - Blackshear can be frustrating to watch at times because he is so talented, but he can't seem to string together good performances in a row to be great. He will be fighting Alatengheili, who is part of the Fight Ready team and has been in the UFC for a while. However, he hasn't faced the best of opponents thus far, so this will be a huge upgrade in competition for him.
Wellmaker vs. Saaiman - Wellmaker looks like a great prospect fighting off the Contender Series. He's an explosive athlete that is sound technically, which is hard to find in the UFC because they are normally playing other sports. Saaiman didn't look good his last 2 times out, but we will see if he learned from those losses, with a stiff task in front of him.
Amorim vs. Viana - This fight should not have such a large spread, especially if neither of these women is ranked. I do believe Amorim is a better fighter overall, but Viana is way more experienced with a great team behind her. I expect this fight to be closer than the line suggests.
Cuamba vs. Romero - This is a fight between two guys who are struggling in the UFC at this point, and honestly, the person who loses this fight will be in danger of getting cut. I think that this fight will end up going the distance with several takedowns shot by Romero.
Chandler vs. Edwards - They looked like they were about to get into a fight at the Fighter FaceOff, so I wouldn’t be surprised if this one doesn't make it to the final bell.
