Featherweights
Charles
Rosa (11-3) vs. Manny
Bermudez (14-1)
Odds: Bermudez (-140), Rosa (+120)
An all-Massachusetts affair headlines these prelims, as local featherweights collide for a fun fight. Bermudez shot up the bantamweight ranks on the strength of his impressive submission game, but his August fight against Casey Kenney likely marked the end of his days at 135, win or lose; Bermudez has had a rough weight cut in the past, but this one went poorly enough that the fight was switched to a 140-pound catchweight a few days in advance. And as it turns out, Bermudez could use the fresh start, as Kenney was able to neutralize Bermudez's grappling en route to a decision win. So now Bermudez looks to ply his trade up at 145 against the returning Rosa, who's finally back after two and a half years out due to injury. Previous to that long layoff, Rosa was a consistently entertaining fighter and a tough test for opponents, if only because his strangely kick-heavy game makes for a much different look than most other featherweights. That style may keep Bermudez at bay early, but it seems like a matter of time before Bermudez can get inside on Rosa and start working his grappling magic, particularly since one side effect of throwing so many kicks is that Rosa tends to tire himself out. The pick is Bermudez via second-round submission.
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Women's Flyweights
Molly
McCann (9-2) vs. Diana
Belbita (11-4)
Odds: McCann (-355), Belbita (+295)
McCann's UFC debut went about as poorly as possible: Robertson dominated and choked her out in her hometown of Liverpool; but "Meatball" has done well to rebound, winning two fun wars over Priscila Cachoeira and Ariane Lipski. She still doesn't have a particularly high ceiling -- she's not a physical marvel, and her game is more based on heart and aggression than any sort of technical depth -- but that's more than enough to take care of a lot of the flawed fighters at women's flyweight. She'll take on Romanian newcomer Belbita, whose wins to date mostly consist of overwhelming opponents who have even less of an idea of what they're doing than she does. Belbita's gotten blown out of the water against anyone who has any idea what they're doing, and McCann more than clears that bar -- while the Brit isn't much of a knockout artist, Belbita also figures to run directly into her fists, so the pick is McCann via first-round knockout.
Featherweights
Kyle
Bochniak (8-4) vs. Sean
Woodson (6-0)
Odds: Bochniak (-130), Woodson (+110)
Woodson earned a contract on this past season of the Contender Series, which was a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, Woodson did everything that could've been asked of him, stepping in on late notice to score a highlight-reel flying knee knockout of Terrance McKinney. But on the other hand, Woodson spent most of the fight getting out-wrestled and showed little to suggest he's ready for the UFC level until that finishing blow. But Woodson did the cool thing, and that was enough for Dana White, so "The Sniper" makes his UFC debut here against Bochniak. Despite not having a ton of success in the Octagon, Boston's Bochniak has been a pleasant surprise, if only for how well he's been able to hang against tough competition like Zabit Magomedsharipov and Hakeem Dawodu; the UFC's seen fit to use Bochniak as a test for their best talents, and "Crash" has followed a smart gameplan that's allowed him to survive every time out. Woodson doesn't quite meet that bar; his 6-foot-2 frame makes him a tricky challenge, but the Missouri native is still figuring out how to leverage it and still seems fairly wooden on the feet as a result. Bochniak should be able to peck away at his legs from range, implement his wrestling, or use any number of the tools he's shown in previous fights in order to break Woodson down. The pick is Bochniak via decision.
Bantamweights
Randy
Costa (4-1) vs. Boston
Salmon (6-2)
Odds: Salmon (-170), Costa (+150)
Two bantamweight talents look to rebound from debut losses here. The April debut for Hawaii's Salmon was a long time coming; "Boom Boom" was one of two men to earn a contract on the very first episode of the Contender Series back in 2017, but injuries kept Salmon out of the cage for nearly two years. That made it all the more disappointing when his debut lasted just 25 seconds, as Khalid Taha obliterated him in the first exchange of their fight. This time around, Boston will meet a Boston native in Costa, who certainly took a much quicker path to the Octagon. Costa has some talent, but his pre-UFC career lasted all of four fights and less than three minutes, which left him with no real backup plan once Brandon Davis refused to go away quickly in Costa's UFC debut. This is basically a two true outcome fight; either Costa is able to blast Salmon early, or Costa's willingness to dump out his gas tank leads Salmon to coast out a one-sided win. It's a risky pick, but if Costa can win a fight in the UFC, this is probably it; Salmon's often been too patient for his own good, and the Taha fight showed his ability to get shocked by an opponent willing to start aggressively. The pick is Costa via first-round knockout.
Welterweights
Court
McGee (19-8) vs. Sean Brady
(10-0)
Odds: Brady (-235), McGee (+195)
McGee's still chugging along as a tough veteran test, and newcomer Brady is the latest to step up to the plate. Since winning season 11 of “TUF” all the way back in 2010, fan favorite McGee hasn't evolved a ton, but he's still a difficult out, owing to his grinding clinch game and excellent durability. That lack of evolution may mean that McGee now wins one in every three fights rather than one in every two, but he's consistently been able to hang tough against every opponent in his path, save for Santiago Ponzinibbio. As for Brady, the Philly native doesn't immediately jump off the page as a particularly dynamic fighter, but his combination of kickboxing and grappling is the type of well-rounded approach that can break down his opponents, particularly in championship fights on the regional scene. McGee might be able to make this ugly, and that grinding clinch game is a definite concern, but Brady should be able to win enough exchanges on the feet to take rounds; the pick is Brady via decision.
Middleweights
Brendan
Allen (12-3) vs. Kevin
Holland (15-4)
Odds: Holland (-155), Allen (+135)
Holland is one of the more unintentionally entertaining fighters on the UFC roster. He has the physical gifts to win fights easily, whether it's through his range kickboxing or a sneaky grappling game, but Holland seems to fight by throwing out whatever maneuver comes to mind -- heck, he kicked off his UFC career by trying a flying omoplata against Thiago Santos. Still, Holland's natural talent has been enough to win his last three fights at middleweight, even if there's the sense that Holland's eventually in for a rude awakening. Maybe Allen is the man to make that happen; the Contender Series alum has packed a strong resume into his brief MMA career, with his three losses all coming to future UFC fighters. Allen's submission game in particularly could be trouble, but Holland's proved noodly enough to get out of the trouble that he will inevitably put himself in throughout this fight, and his reach and power should carry things from there. The pick is Holland via decision, and it'll be weird.
Heavyweights
Daniel
Spitz (6-2) vs. Tanner
Boser (16-5-1)
Odds: Boser (-135), Spitz (+115)
Lower-tier heavyweights kick things off here. Spitz has some potential, but he's a far way off from achieving it. At 6-foot-7, "Daddy Long Legs" actually does a decent job of using his reach to keep opponents at a distance, but unfortunately, he's not a skilled striker, which means he doesn't have much past the basic fundamentals. That includes defense, which in turn means that at 6-foot-7, there's just more of Spitz to hit. He'll take on Canadian newcomer Boser, who makes his delayed debut after his opponent's failed drug test took him out of a hometown fight at UFC 240. Boser's a weird fighter in his own right as a mobile striker who only throws things one at a time, and that actually gives Spitz a chance here. If Boser was more of a pure headhunter, the combination of a slow pace and Spitz's height might be enough to get the UFC veteran the win, but Boser does seem quite fond of chopping his opponents down with leg kicks, and that figures to be an opening he can exploit throughout this fight. The pick is Boser via decision.
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