Preview: UFC Fight Night 160 ‘Hermansson vs. Cannonier’

Middleweights

John Phillips (21-9, -115) vs. Alen Amedovski (8-1, -105): If nothing else, the UFC has made the best possible use of Phillips, as the promotion has consistently put the Welsh brawler in fights that look fun on paper. Phillips still has yet to get a win, though, as his limited oeuvre of skills has made it easy for opponents to either pick him off from range or outgrapple him. For his fourth bout in the Octagon, Phillips takes on Macedonia’s Amedovski, who has also been a fun striker for the balance of his career. However, Amedovski did not get the chance to show much against the much more well-rounded Krzysztof Jotko in his debut in April. On the whole, Amedovski is a sharper, quicker boxer and has more ancillary skills on which to fall back, so there is a chance this looks like Phillips’ fight with Jack Marshman, where a straight-ahead brawler managed to fight against type and earn a cautious win. If Amedovski plans to meet Phillips head-on, the Welshman has at least shown off some impressive durability. It is a bit of a flier, but the pick is Phillips via first-round knockout.

Middleweights

Makhmud Muradov (22-6, -145) vs. Alessio Di Chirico (12-3, +125): Di Chirico remains one of the better fighters of this most recent wave of Italian prospects. Nothing about Di Chirico’s game is particularly flashy, but he has a solid set of skills and an ability to take the fight anywhere. That has led him to three wins in six UFC bouts, and an argument could even be made that Di Chirico won two of those losses. After dropping a June bout to Kevin Holland, Di Chirico looks to get back into the win column against a newcomer and late replacement in Muradov, who becomes the first fighter out of Uzbekistan to set foot inside the Octagon. Muradov has overcome a rough start to his career to put together a solid resume, including wins over UFC vets Alberto Emiliano Pereira and Wendell de Oliveira Marques in his last two bouts. Muradov’s style should work well here. He is quick and willing to work at range, so against someone as plodding as Di Chirico, “Mach” should be able to pick his shots and snipe away at the Italian. If Muradov does not take the right approach, Di Chirico’s grinding clinch game becomes a concern, but this is the newcomer’s fight to lose. The pick is Muradov via decision.

Welterweights

Ismail Naurdiev (18-3, -185) vs. Siyar Bahadurzada (24-7-1, +160): Naurdiev has been part of two of the biggest upsets of 2019, which is half good news and half bad news. “The Austrian Wonderboy” shockingly stopped Michel Prazeres’ eight-fight winning streak in his late-notice UFC debut, only to turn around and drop what appeared to be a showcase fight against Chance Rencountre. Size seemed to be a big factor in those results; Naurdiev managed to shut down the stocky Prazeres’ wrestling while having tons of issues with the much taller Rencountre. As such, it will be interesting to see him take on someone his own size in Bahadurzada. Even though he can wrestle in a pinch, Bahadurzada is a power kickboxer at heart, and he has the weapons necessary to cause serious damage to a young prospect like Naurdiev. However, Naurdiev’s range kickboxing, when combined with Bahadurzada’s low output, makes this the Austrian’s fight to lose. If it goes to the mat, Naurdiev should be able to get solid positions on Bahadurzada, who is a willing wrestler but typically unable to lock down much control. It would have been nice to see the younger welterweight get an easier rebound fight when coming off such a disappointing loss, but the pick is still Naurdiev via decision.

Featherweights

Brandon Davis (10-7, -130) vs. Giga Chikadze (7-2, +110): If nothing else, Davis is becoming a reliable late-notice replacement for the UFC across two weight classes. He squeezed four featherweight fights into 2018, and after starting his 2019 campaign with two appearances at bantamweight, “KillerB” steps in for a late-notice spot back at 145 pounds. He will take on a Georgian newcomer in Chikadze, who is an interesting prospect, though an entirely unproven commodity when it comes to mixed martial arts. Chikadze is a talented kickboxer with a highlight reel of finishes in that realm, but all of his wins have come while crushing cans in Gladiator Challenge, and he did not look particularly dynamic or impressive in his Dana White’s Contender Series loss to Austin Springer. On the plus side for Chikadze, Davis does not look to wrestle unless his opponent takes the fight to the mat, so this is the right type of style matchup for the Georgian to get a win that actually means something. However, given how flat he looked in his lone fight against actual competition, it is difficult to make a case for Chikadze. The pick is Davis via decision.

Women’s Bantamweights

Macy Chiasson (5-0, -400) vs. Lina Lansberg (9-4, +325): Even the late stages of “The Ultimate Fighter” can find a good prospect, and Chiasson, the Season 28 winner, looks like the rare surging talent at women’s bantamweight. The Louisiana native has used her rangy frame to excellent results thus far, as she has shown some solid ground skills in wins over Pannie Kianzad and Sarah Moras, which sandwiched a quick obliteration of Gina Mazany. Chiasson is now ready to move up a tier, and Sweden’s Lansberg should provide a solid test. Lansberg is not a particularly dynamic fighter, but her willingness to clamp down and grind out things in the clinch has made her a solid gatekeeper between the wheat and the chaff at 135 pounds. While Chiasson is reedy, Lansberg does not appear to have a huge physical advantage, so the American prospect should be able to take this, whether it is via something particularly vicious in the clinch or just winning rounds by doing more. The pick is Chiasson via second-round stoppage.

Lightweights

Marc Diakiese (13-3, -155) vs. Lando Vannata (10-3-2, +135): This should be a corker of a fight, but seems a bit cruel that someone has to lose this one, given that both fighters appear to finally be turning a corner. England’s Diakiese rightfully came in with a ton of hype and quickly got to work showing off his knockout power, with a 2017 stoppage of Teemu Packalen being particularly brutal. However, Diakiese soon faced opponents who would not go away. Then came the struggle. Drakkar Klose grinded to a decision, Daniel Hooker managed to score a sneaky guillotine and Nasrat Haqparast just overwhelmed Diakiese with pressure and volume. Even so, everything suddenly clicked in Diakiese’s last bout, a March affair against Joseph Duffy. Diakiese fought a patient fight, picking apart Duffy with low kicks and countering at will, all while showing the type of progress that gave new hope to his living up to his potential. He will now take on Vannata, who looked like a breakout star at the end of 2016. His short-notice debut was an absolute barnburner against Tony Ferguson, and “Groovy Lando” followed it with a blistering knockout of John Makdessi. Like Diakiese, Vannata’s willingness to live in the flow state and hunt for the finish gave way to a four-fight winless streak, as he alternated draws and losses before a win over Marcos Mariano in February. Vannata is slowly learning patience and a more well-rounded style, but Diakiese looks to already be there based off his past performance, and the Brit has elite-level athletic gifts on which to fall back. Vannata should keep this interesting, but the pick is Diakiese via decision.

Bantamweights

Jack Shore (11-0, -170) vs. Nohelin Hernandez (9-3, +150): After working his way through the Cage Warriors Fighting Championship ranks, Shore becomes the latest Welshman to find his way inside the Octagon. Shore’s workmanlike approach does not appear to give him a particularly high ceiling in a deep bantamweight division, but he has already shown a willingness to fight back from adversity and score a finish -- a trait that should make a him a tough out against most opponents. To that end, he takes on Hernandez, who put together a solid resume outside of the UFC before stepping in and giving Marlon Vera a tough fight in July. Hernandez has some interesting tools, particularly from range, but Shore figures to overwhelm him with wrestling and pace. It is a tough call given that Hernandez could turn the corner at any moment, but the pick is Shore via decision.