Dhiego Lima was a finalist on Season 19 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” | Photo: K. Mills/Sherdog.com
WELTERWEIGHTS
Dhiego Lima (10-3, 1-2 UFC) vs. Jingliang Li (9-3, 1-1 UFC): “The Ultimate Fighter 19” finalist Lima gets one last shot in the UFC against Li, who has shown real promise in his two outings in the promotion. Lima, the brother of Bellator MMA champion Douglas Lima, is well-rounded. He boasts a decent jab and low kick, good wrestling skills and a solid all-around grappling game. Li is a high-output striker on the feet and also wrestles surprisingly well, although he is still a bit raw and a little too hittable. While Lima is the favorite, he has been wholly unimpressive, and I think Li is the more athletic and diverse fighter. The pick is Li by decision.LIGHTWEIGHTS
Tae Hyun Bang (17-8, 1-1 UFC) vs. Jon Tuck (8-2, 2-2 UFC): Guam’s Tuck takes on South Korea’s Bang in a solid lightweight matchup. Tuck has alternated wins and losses since joining the UFC, most recently dropping a decision to Kevin Lee in September; Bang, meanwhile, viciously knocked out Kajan Johnson in June. Bang is a brick-fisted puncher who throws powerful headhunting combinations, and that is essentially it. Tuck is more diverse, with a nice kicking repertoire and solid grappling skills. The pick is Tuck by decision.LIGHTWEIGHTS
Kajan Johnson (19-11-1, 0-1 UFC) vs. Lipeng Zhang (9-8-1, 2-1 UFC): Canadian veteran Johnson meets “The Ultimate Fighter: China” graduate Zhang in a potential loser-leaves-town matchup. Johnson is mostly a striker with a nice repertoire of punch-kick combinations, but he can hit the occasional takedown as a change of pace. The problem is his chin, which is at the end of its rope. Zhang, a sanda specialist, has an interesting mixture of wrestling skills and striking acumen with an emphasis on the clinch, but he is fairly limited. The pick is Johnson by decision.BANTAMWEIGHTS
Guangyou Ning (4-2-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. Royston Wee (4-0, 2-0 UFC): To be honest, this fight will probably not raise the audience’s pulse, as neither Ning nor Wee will be challenging for a spot in the top 15 anytime soon. Ning won his debut against Jianping Yang in August, while Wee has strung together a pair of wins during his tenure. Ning is a solid wrestler with nice trips in the clinch and a strong base on top, but he has a subpar striking repertoire and below-average size. Wee is a decent wrestle-grappler, but everything else is a problem. It is a close matchup by default, but the pick is Wee by close decision.FLYWEIGHTS
Nolan Ticman (4-2, 0-1 UFC) vs. Zhikui Yao (1-2, 0-1 UFC): Ticman, a product of Kings MMA, takes on “The Ultimate Fighter: China” competitor Yao in a decent flyweight matchup. The American dropped his short-notice debut to Frankie Saenz, while Yao lost a contested decision to Royston Wee in his first official UFC fight. Ticman is an excellent athlete and wrestled at Cal State Fullerton, but he mostly prefers to strike, which he does with great speed and power but inconsistent output. Yao is also mostly a striker and an aggressive one who loves the pressure game and 3-2 combinations, although he, too, can wrestle a bit. Although there is not much to go on here, I think Ticman is more skilled and will have the benefit of a full camp. The pick is Ticman by submission in the second round.FLYWEIGHTS
John delos Reyes (7-4, 0-2 UFC) vs. Roldan Sangcha-an (4-1, 0-1 UFC): While light on name value, this should be a barnburner. Delos Reyes exited in the first round in both of his UFC outings, losing by knockout to Kyoji Horiguchi and by armbar to Dustin Kimura. Sangcha-an came in on short notice against Richie Vaculik in June and put on a spirited effort in a decision loss. Delos Reyes, a native of Guam, is a specimen with outstanding athleticism and big power, but his skills are raw everywhere and he relies too heavily on his physical gifts to get him out of trouble. Sancha-an has an intriguing base in wushu sanda, which gives him an interesting arsenal of punches, kicks and takedowns. He, too, is raw and has nothing to offer on the ground. This is a tossup, but the pick is delos Reyes by decision.Follow Sherdog.com preview expert Patrick Wyman on Twitter.