Preview: UFC Fight Night 145 ‘Blachowicz vs. Santos’

Featherweights

David Teymur (6-2) vs. Chris Fishgold (17-2-1): Liverpool’s Fishgold in 2018 became the latest Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder to make their way to the Octagon, but his debut did not go quite as planned. Fishgold is at his best when grinding out his opponents, but it is always a bit of an adventure arriving there. He mostly chases after his opponent with wild striking before finding his way to the clinch and controlling the fight. That did not get him far against Calvin Kattar, who managed to weather the storm and score an early knockout. Fishgold looks to rebound here against the lesser of the UFC’s Teymur brothers. Teymur is too wild and aggressive for his own good, and while he may have some knockout power, his two UFC bouts have seen him do well early, only to flame out badly in the latter rounds due to exhaustion. This should result in a wild first round where Teymur has a shot at a finish, but Fishgold’s superior ability to keep up the pace is too much of an advantage to ignore. The pick is Fishgold via third-round stoppage. ODDS: Fishgold (-240), Teymur (+180)

Women’s Flyweights

Veronica Macedo (5-2-1) vs. Gillian Robertson (5-3): This preliminary matchup is between two interesting young flyweight prospects, even if the fight itself might be kind of a mess. Canada’s Robertson was one of the anonymous names on “The Ultimate Fighter” season that crowned an inaugural women’s flyweight champion, but she has impressed since. She still has no structure to her approach, but she has flashed a vicious grappling game and shown clear improvement from fight to fight. She is coming off of a sudden armbar loss to Mayra Bueno Silva in her last fight and looks to rebound here. Macedo was about as raw a prospect the UFC will sign when she got the call in 2016. She was just 20 years old, and despite having six pre-UFC fights, she had only turned professional six months prior. Macedo is probably best known for some flashy strikes, but her best skills are her submissions. Unfortunately for her, she just has not been a strong enough athlete to enjoy a ton of success, even if she has hung tough in her two UFC bouts. Macedo is perfectly capable of catching Robertson for a finish, particularly in a scramble. However, Roberson is a much better striker and can probably go hold-for-hold with Macedo if this goes to the mat. The pick is Robertson via decision. ODDS: Robertson (-165), Macedo (+135)

Welterweights

Carlo Pedersoli Jr. (11-2) vs. Dwight Grant (8-2): The margin just became much thinner for Grant to stay on the UFC roster. Despite already being 34, the Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series alum figured to stick around as a fun action fighter and knockout artist, but his UFC debut was a disappointment. While he probably deserved a decision win over Zak Ottow, he did not have many big moments on the way to seeing the scorecards go against him. Grant comes back on a quick turnaround to take on Italy’s Pedersoli, who is coming off of an unlikely co-main event slot against Alex Oliveira in September. Pedersoli has some decent tools, mostly centered around throwing one or two big power punches at a time, but he does not concern himself much with defense -- a fact which allowed Oliveira to starch him in under a minute. Pedersoli is probably the better overall fighter, so he could cruise to a decision. However, Grant’s power and Pedersoli’s ability to get hit look to be just the combination to get the former back into the win column. The pick is Grant via second-round knockout. ODDS: Pedersoli (-130), Grant (+100)

Lightweights

Damir Hadzovic (12-4) vs. Marco Polo Reyes (8-4): This should be a banger. “The Ultimate Fighter Latin America” produced a surprising amount of talent, with Mexico’s Reyes as one of the standouts. Reyes made his name with a 2016 “Fight of the Year” contender against Dong Hyun Ma, which was part of a three-fight winning streak that kicked off his UFC career. A loss to James Vick probably cemented the belief that Reyes is more action fighter than future contender, but after absolutely destroying Matt Frevola in his most recent appearance, it looks like he is more than fine with making that work. He will have a willing dance partner in Bosnia’s Hadzovic, who looked like the kind of interesting-but-limited talent that the UFC typically wastes. It almost did, except that Hadzovic scored an unlikely upset of Marcin Held to stay on the roster and has looked solid since. This should be 15 minutes of these two wailing on each other. Hadzovic seems a bit more practiced and minds his defense, so he is the pick via decision, but this could swing either way. ODDS: Reyes (-160), Hadzovic (+130)

Welterweights

Michel Prazeres (26-2) vs. Ismail Naurdiev (17-2): Prazeres has reeled off eight straight wins, but it has not done the undersized Brazilian grinder much good: The UFC keeps throwing him against tough opponents without much name recognition. That was the initial plan here, as Prazeres was set to face Ramazan Emeev, but with the former M-1 Global champion injured, he instead faces an Australian newcomer in Naurdiev, who should provide an easier test. Naurdiev is a prospect to watch, particularly since he is only 22 and has looked good against solid competition. However, he is mostly a range striker for now, and given that previous opponents have had success when they pursue their wrestling, Prazeres figures to be able to grind this one out. The pick is Prazeres via decision. ODDS: Prazeres (-410), Naurdiev (+315)

Lightweights

Rustam Khabilov (23-3) vs. Carlos Diego Ferreira (14-2): Khabilov has been successful, but he has also become a lot less interesting over the course of his UFC career. Khabilov finished his first two UFC bouts via suplex, which was both unique and impressive, but over time, he has focused more on a defensively sound, low-output striking style that has resulted in a number of lackluster decision wins. Ferreira is the latest opponent to step up and try to crack the puzzle. After serving a drug suspension that took him out for most of 2016 and 2017, Ferreira returned in strong fashion, scoring early finishes of Jared Gordon and Kyle Nelson. Ferreira should make this somewhat interesting. He is a strong Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist if Khabilov decides to pursue his wrestling, and he has some power. It is a difficult call, since Ferreira is unlikely to be discouraged, but the Brazilian is worth the flier. The pick is Ferreira via decision, mostly due to activity, even if there is a chance that Khabilov just pins him to the mat. ODDS: Khabilov (-140), Ferreira (+110)

Lightweights

Damir Ismagulov (17-2) vs. Joel Alvarez (15-1): The UFC’s first fighter from Kazakhstan, Ismagulov made his UFC debut in December, when the former M-1 Global champ stepped in on short notice and outwrestled raw Australian prospect Alex Gorgees. History looks to repeat itself here. Alvarez has done well in his native Spain, but the low-level nature of that circuit means he is probably unprepared for an opponent like Ismagulov. Plus, Alvarez’s upright striking style should make it easy for Ismagulov to score takedowns. Alvarez could have some fun fights going forward, but this will not be one of them. The pick is Ismagulov via decision. ODDS: Ismagulov (-245), Alvarez (+185)