Al Iaquinta was an “Ultimate Fighter” finalist in 2012. | Photo: D. Mandel/Sherdog.com
Lightweights
Al Iaquinta (8-3-1, 3-2 UFC) vs. Rodrigo Damm (12-7, 3-2 UFC): Brazilian veteran Damm and Serra-Longo Fight Team rep Iaquinta both need a win after dropping their last bouts. Both are fairly well-rounded, though Iaquinta has begun to display a little bit of power in his hands and produces better output at range. Damm is unquestionably the better grappler. If Iaquinta can keep this standing, which he should due to his solid defensive wrestling, he will take a decision on volume.
Middleweights
Rafael Natal (17-6-1, 5-4-1 UFC) vs. Chris Camozzi (19-8, 6-5 UFC): Two longtime UFC veterans meet in a likely loser-leaves-town matchup. Natal is mostly a grappler and one with a substantial amount of skill, though he has added serviceable striking and wrestling to his arsenal over the years. Camozzi is a high-output striker without a ton of power or much in the way of additional skills aside from just-barely-good-enough takedown defense. Either Natal will take down Camozzi and grind him out, with the possibility of a submission, or Camozzi will outwork him from range. The latter seems slightly more likely to me, so Camozzi by decision is the pick.
Bantamweights
Tateki Matsuda (10-5, 0-0 UFC) vs. Chris Beal (9-0, 1-0 UFC): Beal, the top pick of Ronda Rousey on Season 18 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” features a crisp, potent boxing game with especially dangerous counters mixed in with the occasional kick and flying knee. He faces off against another striker, Boston-based Tateki Matsuda, who makes his UFC debut on late notice. Beal should hold notable advantages in athleticism and overall skill, though he is not a reliable finisher. Matsuda is quite durable, so the pick is Beal by decision.
Featherweights
Sean Soriano (8-1, 0-1 UFC) vs. Chas Skelly (12-1, 1-1 UFC): Skelly replaces the injured Andre Fili on a little more than a week’s notice after beating Tom Niinimaki on Aug. 23. Here, he takes on talented Blackzilians product Soriano. Soriano had a brutal debut against Tatsuya Kawajiri, but his mixture of rugged defensive wrestling, great cardio and technical, high-output kickboxing makes him an interesting foil for the Team Takedown fighter. Skelly is an outstanding grappler and good wrestler, but Soriano should be able to stuff his takedowns and exploit the lack of output in his striking game. Soriano by unanimous decision is the pick.