Preview: UFC on ESPN 3 ‘Ngannou vs. Dos Santos’

Bantamweights

Ricardo Ramos (12-2, -300) vs. Journey Newson (7-1, +250): Ramos is a frustrating prospect. There is a lot to like between his lanky frame, well-rounded skills and experience level for his youth, but the Brazilian’s all-offense, no-defense style figured to hit a wall at some point. That point came in February. In a fight that looked relatively even on paper, Said Nurmagomedov managed to nail Ramos with a perfect shot and get him out of the Octagon in a shade under two and a half minutes. Originally slated for a fun fight against Sergio Pettis here, Ramos instead faces a late replacement in Newsom. The promotional newcomer looks solid coming off of the Pacific Northwest scene, as he is a fairly consistent pressure fighter with some knockout power. However, Ramos’ size and activity should allow him to win rounds, assuming that Newson is unable to take advantage of his poor defense. It will be a tense fight throughout, but the pick is Ramos via decision.

Light Heavyweights

Eryk Anders (11-4, -350) vs. Vinicius Moreira (9-2, +290): Plans for 2018 to be the breakout year for Anders did not exactly work out. Through his first two UFC fights in 2017, the former University of Alabama linebacker showed a ton of potential. He is obviously a high-level athlete and showed some innate feel in running over Rafael Natal and wearing out Markus Perez. However, after the Perez win, Anders called out Lyoto Machida and actually landed a main event fight, which may have been the worst thing to ever happen to him. Machida won a slow-paced, low-output affair, and because Anders was established as an event headliner, he has not gotten much of a soft landing to figure out things since. Tim Williams was a decent bounce-back opponent in a fight that Anders needed a late finish to win, but then it was right back into tough tests against Thiago Santos and Elias Theodorou. There are plenty of red flags for Anders. He has not developed much in the way of actual skill during what should be his prime prospect years, and fights against Santos and Khalil Rountree have seen him accumulate a ton of damage that could cost him later in his career. The good news is that Moreira is the type of opponent that Anders needs. The Brazilian mostly made his name in India using an aggressive takedown and submission game, but his debut loss to Alonzo Menifield was a bad sign that he may not have the type of athleticism necessary to compete at the highest level. Even if Moreira can get in on takedowns, he figures to be physically overmatched and should tire himself out before Anders does. The pick is Anders via second-round stoppage.

Featherweights

Jordan Griffin (17-6, -360) vs. Vince Murdock (10-5, +300): Griffin seems like the kind of fighter UFC President Dana White would sign. The Roufusport product may not have the highest ceiling, but he will consistently bring the action with an active striking game and a grappling style that is opportunistic if not reliable. That latter point got exposed a bit in his UFC debut, where Dan Ige managed to outwrestle and wear him out, but Griffin gets a more forgiving sophomore bout against a late replacement in Murdock. The organizational newcomer is fine enough as an undersized power striker, but Griffin is going to have a huge size advantage and should be able to overwhelm the relatively low-volume Murdock through sheer output. The pick is Griffin via second-round stoppage.

Lightweights

Jared Gordon (14-3, -360) vs. Dan Moret (13-5, +300): It has been a disappointing UFC run thus far for Gordon. Upon his signing, he looked to check all the boxes as someone who would make an impact. He has a gripping life story that involves a comeback from drug addiction, an exciting fight style built around relying on his durability to bring constant pressure and a strong resume coming up through the strong Northeast scene. After a solid 2017 campaign, 2018 saw Gordon plateau quite badly. Diego Ferreira managed to crack Gordon’s chin, raising some concerns about how effective his constant pressure could be at the highest level. Then, Joaquim Silva simply survived and kept fighting through whatever Gordon had to offer. Gordon is still an entertaining fighter, so he will continue to get chances, but needs to switch up things to become the contender his pre-UFC career suggested was possible. The good news is that Minnesota’s Moret makes for a forgiving style matchup, as he is a fairly meat-and-potatoes fighter who looks to pressure and find his opponent’s back. Gilbert Burns was a tough first ask for Moret inside the Octagon, but a failure to get a win over Alex White does not bode well for his chances here, as he will likely go strength for strength with Gordon and find himself overpowered. The pick is Gordon via second-round stoppage.

Women’s Strawweights

Emily Whitmire (4-2, -170) vs. Amanda Ribas (6-1, +150): Whitmire is quietly turning into a solid strawweight prospect. She did not impress much on the flyweight season of “The Ultimate Fighter” and lost to Gillian Robertson coming off of the show, but the UFC kept her around; and after dropping to 115 pounds, she has done well. She mostly got the best of Jamie Moyle, who has traditionally been physically overmatched, but running through Aleksandra Albu in February was a solid sign as far as Whitmire’s ability to hang with stronger athletes is concerned. She will now take on Brazil’s Ribas, who was supposed to make her debut in 2017 before testing positive for ostarine. Ribas is a black belt in judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, but she fits firmly into the mold of a lot of the UFC’s recent female signings out of Brazil, relying on aggression and little else. That should at least keep Whitmire on her toes, and Ribas’ submission skills should take away her best weapons. With that said, the American is the much more proven and reliable fighter at this point. The pick is Whitmire via decision.

Heavyweights

Maurice Greene (7-2, -125) vs. Junior Albini (14-5, +105): There was a brief time when Albini was an interesting heavyweight prospect. Belying his chubby frame, Albini looked surprisingly agile on his feet in his UFC debut, where he earned a surprising knockout of Timothy Johnson. Three straight losses have followed. The Brazilian is still just 28 years old, so there might still be some untapped potential there, but he needs a win over Greene in this one. Greene is a towering kickboxer whose game seems a bit limited, but it has gotten him two UFC wins in as many fights. He tapped Michel Batista with the world’s slowest triangle choke, then earned an ugly decision win over Jeff Hughes. Albini is at his best on the feet, where Greene should be able to pick him apart. However, Greene is never going to be a good wrestler at his height, so there is always a chance that Albini can rely on some ugly wrestling to earn a win. If that does not happen, Greene should be able to keep Albini at bay and pick up momentum as the fight goes on. The pick is Greene via third-round stoppage.

Light Heavyweights

Dalcha Lungiambula (9-1) vs. Dequan Townsend (18-7): Newcomers collide in a fight that could be entertaining, even if it devolves into a bit of a mess. Lungiambula comes to the UFC via South Africa’s Extreme Fighting Championship promotion, and he is a strange fighter. He is a physical specimen who only has two speeds, patiently waiting on the feet before deciding to blitz in like a madman. Lungiambula has enough power to make things interesting, but it is an approach that probably will not work for long at the UFC level. He takes on Michigan’s Townsend, who steps in for Justin Ledet on three days’ notice. Townsend is a perfectly fine journeyman fighter with enough skill to be competent everywhere, if not particularly dangerous against a better slate of competition. Townsend might actually be a trickier matchup for Lungiambula than Ledet, if only because he possesses some grappling and submission skills. However, Lungiambula’s strength-first approach should still see him through any danger, and he likely has the better gas tank even before factoring in Townsend’s lack of a camp. The pick is Lungiambula via second-round stoppage.