UFC Fight Night: Pettis vs. Moreno Preview

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By Kyler Kuehler

UFC Fight Night: Pettis vs. Moreno will air on August 5, 2017, in Mexico City, Mexico.

#6 SERGIO “THE PHENOM” PETTIS (15-2-0) VS. #7 BRANDON “THE ASSASSIN BOY” MORENO (14-3-0)
This is a five-round main event in the flyweight division. Pettis brings kickboxing, taekwondo, and jiu-jitsu giving him knockout power with grappling control and cardio. Moreno brings Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu giving him knockout power and extreme grappling control. From what both of these fighters bring it looks to be a tough fight ahead for both of them. Though Moreno appears to bring much better striking power with his Muay Thai that could prove to be too much of a challenge for Pettis to handle. There is even the jiu-jitsu of Moreno that is more well-rounded than that of Pettis, which also leaves everyone to wonder if he will be able to find a way to use his own jiu-jitsu to try and even the score, but for how well paced Moreno is in his style it does not look to be in good favor for Pettis. My prediction: Moreno wins via submission in Round 3.

#9 RANDA “QUIET STORM” MARKOS (7-4-0) VS. ALEXA GRASSO (9-1-0)
This is a three-round co-main event in the women’s strawweight division. Markos brings boxing, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling giving her striking power with grappling control and a little cardio. Grasso brings striking, jiu-jitsu and wrestling giving her knockout power with grappling control and cardio leading her to a near perfect record. Now this fight looks to be a possible war ready to go down and from what both of these amazing female athletes bring to this fight it is hard to pick a favorite, but all in all Grasso looks to be the one taking this fight with her great combination of striking power mixed with jiu-jitsu and wrestling which might be a little more than Markos can handle. Yes, Markos has jiu-jitsu and wrestling of her own, but it doesn’t appear as well-rounded as Grasso and unless Markos keeps the fight standing keep Grasso from turning this into a grappling match this fight will probably not go the way she had planned it. My prediction: Grasso wins via unanimous decision.

ALAN “BRAHMA” JOUBAN (15-5-0) VS. NIKO “THE HYBRID” PRICE (9-0-0, 1 NC)
This is a three-round fight in the welterweight division. Jouban brings Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling giving him knockout power with grappling control and cardio. Price brings striking, kickboxing and jiu-jitsu giving him knockout power and grappling control. In this fight are two well-rounded fighters in many aspects of the sport, but when it comes down to who is more efficient Price looks to be more equipped with his striking and grappling techniques that could prove to be a great challenge for Jouban. Indeed, Jouban has great wrestling which he could use to try and give himself the advantage, but at the same time Price has great takedown defense along with jiu-jitsu that could be a tough wall for Jouban to get through and if he cannot find a way around both of these defenses of Price then it looks like this fight could turn ugly for him. My prediction: Price wins via TKO in Round 2.

MARTIN “EL TORO” BRAVO (11-0-0) VS. HUMBERTO BANDENAY (13-4-0, 1 NC)
This is a three-round fight in the featherweight division. Bravo brings boxing, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling giving him knockout power and grappling control leading him to a perfect record. Bandenay brings striking and grappling giving him knockout power with grappling control. With both fighters bringing their techniques Bravo looks to take this fight with his well-rounded boxing mixed with jiu-jitsu and wrestling where Bandenay doesn’t seem to have any set based techniques in any specific striking or grappling techniques. Unless Bandenay somehow manages to find some kind of striking power of grappling control that could put Bravo in great danger this fight looks to be just a one-sided beating. My prediction: Bravo wins via knockout in Round 1.

SAM “SMILE’N” ALVEY (30-9-0, 1 NC) VS. RASHAD “SUGA” EVANS (19-6-1)
This is a three-round fight in the middleweight division. Alvey brings boxing, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling giving him knockout power with grappling control and cardio. Evans brings Gaidojutsu, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling giving him knockout power with grappling control and cardio. Now, this fight contains two fighters with great striking and grappling techniques but based on Evans’ past performances he most likely will not be able to stand toe-to-toe with the techniques of Alvey. Yes, Evans has great wrestling but also has great wrestling himself that appears to be more effective along with his combination of ground-and-pound that Evans looks in no condition to be able to withstand. My prediction: Alvey wins via knockout in Round 1.

ALEJANDRO “EL DIABLITO” PEREZ (17-6-1) VS. ANDRE “THE ASIAN SENSATION” SOUKHAMTHATH (11-4-0)
This is a three-round fight in the bantamweight division. Perez brings boxing and jiu-jitsu giving him knockout power with grappling control. Soukhamthath brings striking with some grappling giving him knockout power and grappling control. Both of these fighters bring almost the same techniques, but Perez looks to be more well-rounded with his combinations compared to Soukhamthath who really doesn’t have much striking or grappling combinations. Even Perez’s jiu-jitsu will probably be too much for Soukhamthath to handle and unless he can try to keep the fight standing and look for a weak spot in Perez’s chin then this fight will probably not end well for him. My prediction: Perez wins via unanimous decision.