Welterweights
Jordan
Mein (30-12) vs. Alex Morono
(14-4, 1 NC)
Odds: Morono (-125), Mein (+105)
Mein managed to revive his career just in time to get a featured spot in his home province. Mein made his Strikeforce debut at age 21, somehow already 30 fights into his career, eventually finding his way into the UFC once the promotion was absorbed. Mein debuted with a knockout victory over Dan Miller at UFC 158, but a quick turnaround into a fight with Matt Brown was a mistake, as Brown essentially broke Mein's face. Mein eventually recovered, but after losing to Thiago Alves at UFC 183, Mein surprisingly retired, looking like someone who was burnt out on the sport. But MMA retirements rarely last, and Mein returned about two years later for an uninspiring comeback; Mein would have early success, but would cave as soon as fights began to turn against him. But Mein suddenly looked solid against Erick Silva this past December, earning a win and giving his career some new life. He faces Texas' Morono, who has a background in jiu-jitsu, but has mostly used an aggressive, sometimes sloppy striking game to win rounds in his UFC tenure. After some early wins, Morono's hit the point of diminishing returns, but is still an exciting fighter who can do enough to stay on the roster, even if his February knockout of Joshua Burkman was somewhat depressing. I'm still not solid on Mein being over his issues, but Morono doesn't figure to control this fight enough to break him; my pick is Mein via decision.
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Featherweights
Hakeem
Dawodu (7-1-1) vs. Austin
Arnett (15-4)
Odds: Dawodu (-380), Arnett (+315)
Two featherweight prospects look to rebound from disappointing UFC debuts here. Dawodu has long been a top Canadian name to watch thanks to his exciting muay Thai style, but recent inactivity stalled his progress a bit, and he suffered a shockingly quick loss to Danny Henry in March. Dawodu can be a one-note power striker, so Henry had some paths to victory, but nobody expected Henry to blast and sub Dawodu in under 40 seconds. Dawodu returns home to Calgary to face Arnett, who got signed by the UFC in January despite coming off a loss to Brandon Davis. Arnett's a fun regional fighter, but his bouts against better competition have shown him to be the bad combination of both overly patient and overly hittable, which made for a one-sided loss against Cory Sandhagen in his UFC debut. Given Dawodu's knockout ability, things likely won't go much better for Arnett here. My pick is Dawodu by first-round knockout.
Lightweights
Kajan
Johnson (23-11-1) vs. Islam
Makhachev (15-1)
Odds: Makhachev (-700), Johnson (+500)
Johnson has cut an interesting figure outside of the Octagon, partially due to his new-age oddball personality and his being an outspoken unionization advocate. As for inside the cage, durability issues figured to doom Johnson's chances early on, but he's adjusted to an increasingly difficult slate of opponents by adopting a frustrating defensive-range striking game. It's worked thus far, with Johnson scoring a shocking counter knockout over Adriano Martins and earning a decision over Stevie Ray, but Makhachev figures to be his toughest ask yet. A close friend and training partner of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev comes off the conveyor belt of Dagestani sambo athletes, fighting similar to Nurmagomedov, only with a bit less athleticism and ability to control his opponents. But Makhachev' has still managed to put together a solid career, with his lone setback coming against Martins, and a quick knockout of Gleison Tibau at UFC 220 suggests that he may still be continuing to develop. Makhachev isn't particularly quick on the feet, so Johnson's range striking game may work here, but between his wrestling and apparent knockout ability, Makhachev is dangerous enough that he can probably finish the fight with any opening. My pick is Makhachev by second-round TKO.
Light Heavyweights
Gadzhimurad
Antigulov (20-4) vs. Ion
Cutelaba (13-3, 1 NC)
Odds: Antigulov (-155), Cutelaba (+135)
This fight should be a car crash, which is probably just fine with Cutelaba, who's been extremely aggressive in his four UFC fights to date. Cutelaba's December 2016 fight against Jared Cannonier was a memorable back-and-forth brawl that Cannonier edged, and his best performance was in his last action, a 22-second fight that saw him run over Henrique da Silva in frighteningly impressive fashion. Unfortunately, the Moldovan has been out of action for over a year, owing to a suspension stemming from a forbidden type of blood therapy, but his return fight against Antigulov should be a banger. The 31-year old Russian was considered more of a finished product upon his UFC debut, and he hit the ground running, beating Marcos Rogerio de Lima and Joachim Christensen in a little over three and a half minutes combined. Antigulov's got a strong wrestling game and is more than willing to immediately hunt for a takedown and a finish on the ground; but there is some concern about his gas tank if he faces someone who can outlast that barrage. I'll call for Cutelaba to be that someone; he's a strong wrestler in his own right and probably has enough physical power to take Antigulov to the second round, where he should be able to slowly overwhelm his opponent. I'm looking forward to a crazy first round, and I'll take Cutelaba to win via late TKO.
Finish Reading » Fight Pass Prelims
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