Bantamweights

Pedro Munhoz (15-3) vs. Brett Johns (15-1)

A solid bantamweight bout headlines the prelims, as two prospects look to rebound from recent setbacks. Munhoz has an interesting style predicated on pressuring his opponents; he relies on his durability and wades through his opponents’ offense to try and force them into mistakes, often ending things with his signature guillotine choke. More elusive fighters can give Munhoz trouble, and John Dodson managed to stick, move and earn a clear decision win against him at UFC 222. He takes on Johns, who went undefeated through 15 fights on the back of a strong wrestling game. The Welshman has a fairly simple power striking game but has done well using it to set up his takedowns, at which point “The Pikey” can chain wrestle his way to victory. A quick calf slicer submission of Joe Soto had Johns’ stock at an all-time high, but Aljamain Sterling shut down his game in April. I do not expect Johns to fare well here. Munhoz as a dangerous a submission threat limits the effectiveness of Johns’ wrestling game. Munhoz can probably pressure him on the feet until Johns is forced to take things to the mat, whether out of reflex or an attempt at survival. I like Johns as a prospect, but this is the second straight terrible matchup for him. The pick is Munhoz via second-round submission. ODDS: Munhoz (-270), Johns (+230)

Bantamweights

Ricky Simon (13-1) vs. Montel Jackson (3-0)

The UFC has an embarrassingly deep bantamweight division, and these two 2018 additions only make it deeper. Washington’s Simon had one of the more memorable debuts of the year in April, winning via submission and leaving Merab Dvalishvili unconscious at the final horn. While Simon has put together a well-rounded game built around constant activity, he had issues dealing with Dvalishvili’s constant pressure, making the comeback win even more shocking. Simon faces the debuting Jackson, a Milwaukee product who finished Rico DiSciullo in a solid performance on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. Jackson has a well-rounded game of his own, but his main skill is his knockout power, as he has stopped five of his six professional opponents. This is a dark horse contender for “Fight of the Night, and I think Jackson’s length, power and ability to exploit Simon’s sometimes-lax defenses favor him here. The pick is Jackson via third-round stoppage. ODDS: Simon (-125), Jackson (+105)

Women’s Bantamweights

Bethe Correia (10-3-1) vs. Irene Aldana (8-4)

Correia’s bizarre personality and extreme overconfidence have made the former bantamweight title challenger a punchline at times, but she has done well to remain relevant, crafting out a solid boxing game despite being one of the most unathletic fighters on the UFC roster. That has kept her in a lot of fights she should have lost handily, and this bout against Mexico’s Aldana could be cut from the same cloth. Aldana has struggled since going from top prospect in Invicta Fighting Championships to the UFC. Leslie Smith exposed Aldana’s inability to deal with pressure on the feet, and she looked a bit slow against Katlyn Chookagian. She is still a powerful boxer with a lot of talent, but it does feel a bit like Aldana has been disappointingly stagnant, even if her current skill can still carry her up a thin bantamweight division. Due to her physical gifts, I have to favor Aldana by decision, but Correia, as always, should keep this close enough for everyone to sweat out the scorecards. ODDS: Aldana (-310), Correia (+255)

Featherweights

Matt Sayles (7-1) vs. Sheymon Moraes (9-2)

It has been a tough few years for top Brazilian prospect Moraes. The onetime World Series of Fighting title challenger was kept relatively inactive with his former promotion, and after he finally made his way to the UFC, he was matched with uber-prospect Zabit Magomedsharipov and was dominated accordingly. Moraes has an interesting power muay Thai game, which he hopes to show against Sayles, an Alliance MMA product. Sayles is the first contract winner off Season 2 of DWTNCS to make his debut, earning that deal with a quick win over Yazan Hajeh. This figures to be a firefight, and Moraes appears to be the much better striker. Moraes by decision is the pick. ODDS: Sayles (-125), Moraes (+105)

Flyweights

Alex Perez (20-4) vs. Jose Torres (8-0)

A battle of top flyweight prospects headlines a fun slate of UFC Fight Pass prelims. Torres’ UFC debut in June was much anticipated, despite his only being a shade over two years into his pro career. Torres was both flyweight and bantamweight champion in the Titan Fighting Championship organization, and despite a background in wrestling, he has mostly gotten by thanks to a pressure striking game and relentless cardio. He also had a memorable UFC debut, even though it was a comeback affair, as he won when Jarred Brooks knocked himself cold on a slam. Torres returns against California’s Perez, who has quietly put together two solid UFC wins. Perez has a well-rounded game, but his grappling is the best part of it, as he combines some solid wrestling with a strong ability to chain submissions. This might be the hardest call on the card. Perez’s wrestling should control a lot of this fight, but I have questions about his ability to deal with Torres’ aggression on the feet. Torres has an elite gas tank, so I expect him to stay dangerous throughout the balance of the bout. By the narrowest of margins, I will take Torres via late finish. ODDS: Perez (-145), Torres (+125)

Bantamweights

Ricardo Lucas Ramos (11-1) vs. Kyung Ho Kang (14-7)

This should be a crazy brawl at bantamweight, as Kang fits right into the South Korean tradition of all-offense, no-defense fighters. Mandatory military service did not stop “Mr. Perfect,” as Kang returned from more than a three-year layoff to score a first-round submission on Guido Cannetti in January. Having shaken off the rust, Kang now faces Brazil’s Ramos, an exciting talent in his own right. Turning 23 just days before this fight, Ramos is still more dependent on his own dynamism than anything else, but that has mostly worked. Aiemann Zahabi managed to control him for much of their bout at UFC 217 -- until Ramos unleashed a spinning elbow that resulted in one of the most brutal knockouts of 2017. Kang could easily charge into something similar, but I expect the Korean fighter to win here. He is a tenacious grappler, and I have concerns about Ramos’ ability to deal with that constant pressure. Expect fireworks as long as this one lasts, but I am optimistic it goes 15 minutes. Kang via decision is the pick. ODDS: Ramos (-220), Kang (+180)

Women’s Strawweights

Danielle Taylor (9-3) vs. Weili Zhang (16-1)

As the UFC has decided to make inroads into China, it was only a matter of time before it signed Zhang, who was probably the best Chinese prospect available, male or female. Zhang’s game is still a bit unstructured, but she is the rare strawweight with knockout power and a strong finishing instinct, whether it is hunting a KO or using a solid grappling game. Somewhat surprisingly, her UFC journey starts in Los Angeles rather than somewhere in Asia, and she gets an interesting first test in California’s Taylor. At 5-foot and with a stout frame, Taylor uses an odd fighting style, mostly focused around circling her opponent from a distance and trying to divebomb with big blows. It gave her a solid win over Jessica Penne in 2017 and a controversial decision win over Seo Hee Ham the year before, but in general, it tends to make for some ugly stalemates where neither fighter gets much done. I am curious to see what Taylor’s style looks like against someone as aggressive as Zhang, as the former may be uniquely qualified to make sure the latter does not get the brawl she wants. Still, I believe the newcomer can hit the more effective offense, even if I am not sure this will be an impressive debut. Zhang by decision is the pick. ODDS: Zhang (-250), Taylor (+210)

Bantamweights

Marlon Vera (10-5-1) vs. Buren Wuliji (9-4)

Buren is a perfectly competent fighter, and given where the Chinese MMA scene was a few years ago, that is impressive in its own right. However, he is hurt here by an injury to Bharat Khandare. India’s Khandare figured to be a fighter Wuliji could beat, but instead, he now faces “Chito” Vera, a man who is still figuring out his game but has solidly established himself as a UFC-level fighter. Vera can oscillate between being overly opportunistic and overly patient, but whatever form he takes, he should still have enough tools to take care of Wuliji. Vera by first-round knockout is the pick. ODDS: Vera (-475), Buren (+380)

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