UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Volkov will air on June 26, 2021, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
-Preliminary Card (ESPN+)
YANCY MEDEIROS (15-7-0, 1 NC) VS. DAMIR “THE BOSNIAN BOMBER” HADZOVIC (13-6-0)
This is a three-round fight in the lightweight division. Medeiros brings boxing, karate, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling. Hadzovic brings boxing, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling. Medeiros will look to try and keep his distance. Hadzovic will charge him and keep pressure on him. He will use his boxing to lay hurt on Medeiros. Medeiros will try to defend, but he won’t be able to withstand Hadzovic’s power and aggression. My prediction: Hadzovic wins via TKO in round 1.
CHARLES ROSA (13-5-0) VS. JUSTIN “GUITAR HERO” JAYNES (16-7-0)
This is a three-round fight in the featherweight division. Rosa brings boxing, karate, and jiu-jitsu. Jaynes brings striking, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling. Both are just about identical in style; Rosa is a better striker. He will use his boxing to lay pressure on Jaynes right away. Jaynes will look for a takedown, but only end up walking into more of Rosa’s strikes. My prediction: Rosa wins via knockout in round 2.
#15 JULIA “RAGING PANDA” AVILA (8-2-0) VS. JULIJA STOLIARENKO (9-4-2)
This is a three-round fight in the women’s bantamweight division. Avila brings striking and jiu-jitsu. Stoliarenko brings kickboxing and jiu-jitsu. Stoliarenko’s kickboxing seems to be exactly what she needs to take control of the fight. Avila will avoid her kickboxing and keep her distance from Storliarenko. She will land a few good strikes and then back away and continue this game plan throughout the fight. My prediction: Avila wins via unanimous decision.
MARCIN PRACHNIO (14-5-0) VS. ISAAC “HURRICANE IKE” VILLANUEVA (18-10-0)
This is a three-round fight in the light heavyweight division. Prachnio brings karate and jiu-jitsu. Villanueva brings striking and grappling. Villanueva will look for an early knockout; Prachnio will be able to withstand his strikes. Prachnio will then go for a takedown and use his jiu-jitsu to wear Villanueva down. Villanueva will try to get back to his feet, but Prachnio will not make it possible. My prediction: Prachnio wins via unanimous decision.
WARLLEY “SLINGSHOT” ALVES (14-4-0) VS. JEREMIAH WELLS (8-2-1)
This is a three-round fight in the welterweight division. Alves brings kickboxing, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling. Wells brings striking and jiu-jitsu. Both are well-rounded; Alves is a better grappler. His jiu-jitsu and wrestling combinations will easily overpower Wells’ jiu-jitsu alone. Wells will fight to defend, but he will have no power to get around Alves. My prediction: Alves wins via submission in round 2.
SHAVKAT “NOMAD” RAKHMONOV (13-0-0) VS. MICHEL “TRACTOR” PRAZERES (26-3-0)
This is a three-round fight in the welterweight division. Rakhmonov brings striking, jiu-jitsu, and sambo. Prazeres brings striking and jiu-jitsu. Prazeres looks to avoid grappling with Rakhmonov at all cost. It will not be possible as his takedown defense won’t stand against Rakhmonov’s sambo. Once Rakhmonov brings Prazeres to the ground he will tear him apart with his sambo. My prediction: Rakhmonov wins via submission in round 1.
KENNEDY “AFRICAN SAVAGE” NZECHUKWU (8-1-0) VS. DANILO MARQUES (11-2-0)
This is a three-round fight in the light heavyweight division. Nzechukwu brings striking and grappling. Marques brings striking and jiu-jitsu. Marques looks to try to bring the fight to the ground where he has a chance against Nzechukwu. Nzechukwu will keep the fight standing and force Marques to strike with him. Marques will try to keep up with him, but Nzechukwu will be too fast for him to do so. My prediction: Nzechukwu wins via unanimous decision.
-Main Card (ESPN+)
RENATO MOICANO (14-4-1) VS. JAI “THE BLACK COUNTRY BANGER” HERBERT (10-2-0)
This is a three-round co-main event in the featherweight division. Moicano brings Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu. Herbert brings striking and jiu-jitsu. Both can grapple; Moicano is a better striker. His Muay Thai will give him a great advantage over Herbert. Herbert will try to avoid Moicano’s Muay Thai, but he won’t be fast enough. Moicano will throw strikes until Herbert falls to the ground. My prediction: Moicano wins via knockout in round 1.
TIM “THE DIRTY BIRD” MEANS (31-12-1, 1 NC) VS. NICOLAS DALBY (19-3-1, 2 NC)
This is a three-round fight in the welterweight division. Means brings boxing and jiu-jitsu. Dalby brings kickboxing, Ashihara Karate, and jiu-jitsu. Means is tough and holds plenty of experience under his belt. However, his ability to withstand strikes has decreased and Dalby will take advantage of that. Dalby will hold nothing back while Means tries to defend himself. My prediction: Dalby wins via knockout in round 2.
ANDRE “TOUCHY” FILI (21-8-0) VS. DANIEL “THE PIT” PINEDA (27-14-0, 2 NC)
This is a three-round fight in the featherweight division. Fili brings striking and jiu-jitsu. Pineda brings striking and jiu-jitsu. Pineda is tough and will give Fili a run for his money. Fili will have trouble at first but he will figure Pineda out and begin to attack with force. He will then bring the fight to the ground and score critical points. He will keep him on the ground until the very end. My prediction: Fili wins via unanimous decision.
RAONI BARCELOS (16-1-0) VS. TIMUR “THE LUCKY” VALIEV (17-2-0, 1 NC)
This is a three-round fight in the bantamweight division. Barcelos brings striking, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling. Valiev brings Muay Thai, kickboxing, sambo, and jiu-jitsu. Both are well-rounded in every way; Valiev is more aggressive. He will use his Muay Thai to injure Barcelos right away. Barcelos will try to find an opening, but he will end up eating Valiev’s strikes. My prediction: Valiev wins via TKO in round 3.
TANNER “THE BULLDOZER” BOSER (19-8-1) VS. OVINCE “OSP” SAINT PREUX (25-15-0)
This is a three-round co-main event in the light heavyweight division. Boser brings Muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, and jiu-jitsu. Preux brings boxing, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling. Preux is a freak inside the octagon and always puts on a show. Boser knows he’s tough, but he will not avoid his striking power. Preux will try to avoid Boser at all cost. Boser will keep him under pressure and land plenty of critical strikes. My prediction: Boser wins via knockout in round 1.
#3 CYRIL “BON GAMIN” GANE (8-0-0) VS. #5 ALEXANDER “DRAGO” VOLKOV (33-8-0)
This is a five-round fight in the heavyweight division. Gane brings kickboxing and Muay Thai. Volkov brings kickboxing, Kyokushin, and jiu-jitsu. He is a former Bellator Heavyweight Champion. Gane is tough and has been on a role. His knockout power looks to be all he will need to take down a giant like Volkov. However, Volkov is loaded with power as well and has a big reach as well. Gane has never faced someone who has a big reach before and with knockout power. Volkov will be throwing heavy hands and he will be throwing them fast. Gane will try to defend, but Volkov’s power will prove too much for him to handle. My prediction: Volkov wins via knockout in round 2.
