by João Mendes Coelho

Hello guys! Interesting card and very balanced matchups in these prelims. There are some solid underdog picks in this one because I think there’ll be some surprises. Let’s see if we can keep hitting those greens!

(Luke “Cool Hand” Sanders #61 vs. Felipe “Cabocão” Colares #90)

Luke “Cool Hand” Sanders is an American fighting out of Clarksville, Tennessee with a professional record (PR) of 13-4-0 and a UFC record (UFCR) of 3-4-0. He is currently ranked #61 bantamweight worldwide.
+ Well-rounded

+ Best out of the two standing up

+ 0 losses by decision in is career

+ Last fight Nov 2020 (lost by submission)

+ Reach advantage

Felipe “Cabocão” Colares is a Brazilian fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with a professional record (PR) of 9-2-0 and a UFC record (UFCR) of 1-2. He is currently ranked #90 bantamweight worldwide.

+ Best grappler

– More losses by decision

– Last fight in Jan 2020 (lost by decision)                              

+ Height advantage

Pick: Luke Sanders to Win.

Coin-flip bout. More value on Felipe Colares but I’d say Luke Sanders has more chances to win this fight.

(KB “The Bengal” Bhullar #108 vs. Andreas “The Spartan” Michailidis #124)

KB “The Bengal” Bhullar is a Canadian fighting out of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada with a PR of 8-1-0 and a UFCR of 0-1. He is currently ranked #108 middleweight worldwide.

+ Height and reach advantage

+ Better grappler

Andreas “The Spartan” Michailidis is a Greek fighting out of Athens, Greece with a PR of 12-4-0 and a UFCR of 0-1. He is currently ranked #124 middleweight worldwide.

+ Knockout power

Pick: Andreas “The Spartan” Michailidis to Win 

Another coin-flip bout here. More chances to the Greek but much more value here for KB Bhullar.

(Sam “Sampage” Hughes #90 vs. Loma Lookboonmee #24)

Sam “Sampage” Hughes is an American fighting out of Everett, Washington with a PR of 5-2-0 and a UFCR of 0-1. She is currently ranked #90 strawweight worldwide.

– Clearly struggles against better opponents

+ Size (height and reach) advantage

Loma Lookboonmee is a Thai fighting out of Phuket, Thailand with a PR of 5-2-0 and a UFCR of 2-1 . She is currently ranked #24 strawweight worldwide.

+ Better standing up

+ Younger fighter

+ Best record in the UFC

Pick: Loma Lookboonmee to Win

Loma Lookboonmee is the clear favorite in this one. Her opponent will look for submissions, but I think that’s a bit unlikely to happen. Not sure if there’s much value in this bet, considering the odds. Hughes loss was due to a doctor stoppage (eye injury) so we can’t take much from that I still think Lookboonmee is the best fighter here. Her only loss in the UFC is against Angela Hill #11, which is theoretically a superior fighter.

(Kai “Fighting Hawaiian” Kamaka III #108   vs. TJ “Downtown” Brown #131)

Kai “Fighting Hawaiian” Kamaka III is an American fighting out of Pearl City, Hawaii with a PR of 8-3-0 and a UFCR of 1-1. He is currently ranked #108 featherweight worldwide. Coming out of a bit of a surprising loss against Jonathan Pearce #101.

+ Well-rounded

+ Best striker

+ Youngest

– 0 career wins by KO/TKO

TJ “Downtown” Brown is an American fighting out of Little Rock, Arkansas with a PR of 14-8-0 and a UFCR of 0-2. He is currently ranked #131 featherweight worldwide.
+ Best wrestler

+ Height and reach advantage

Pick: TJ “Downtown” Brown to Win

Another really close/coin flip bout here. I’m picking the underdog here.  Slight advantage to Kamaka but his lack of knockouts is concerning. Most of his fights were won by decision and I think TJ will get the knockout here. It’s the do or die here for Brown and I think he’ll get the Win.

(Gabriel “Moggly” Benítez #67 vs. Jonathan “JSP” Pearce #101)

Gabriel “Moggly” Benítez is a Mexican fighting out of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico with a PR of 22-8-0 and a UFCR of 6-4. He is currently ranked #67 featherweight worldwide. Comes out of a win against Just Jaynes (who’s in a horrible 3 losing streak).

+ More experienced fighter

– Smaller cage suits his opponent better

Jonathan “JSP” Pearce is an American fighting out of Tennessee with a PR of 10-4-0 and a UFCR of 1-1. He is currently ranked #101 featherweight worldwide. Comes out of a win against Kai Kamaka, who’s also fighting in this card. 

+ Knockout artist

+ Youngest fighter

+ Both height and reach advantage.

Pick: Jonathan “JSP” Pearce to Win

Underdog pick again, here. I think someone is getting knocked out in this fight and I don’t think it’ll be JSP. With the smaller cage I think it’ll be harder for Moggly against a younger and more powerful fighter.

(Randa “Quiet Storm” Markos #23 vs. Luana Pinheiro #40)

Randa “Quiet Storm” Markos is a Canadian fighting out of Montreal, Quebec, Canada with a PR of 10-10-1 and a UFCR of 6-9-1. She is currently ranked #23 strawweight worldwide. Randa comes out of a horrible streak. Only 1 win in 5 fights back in October 2019.  

+ Experienced UFC fighter

Luana Pinheiro is a Brazilian fighting out of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil with a PRof 8-1-0 and will be making her UFC debut. She’s currently ranked #40 strawweight worldwide.
– Making her UFC debut

Pick: Luana Pinheiro to Win

I’m picking the Brazilian to win here. I think she’ll struggle a bit since it’s her first time in the world’s stage but will hang on and eventually win the fight either by KO or decision.