Early UFC Fight Night Predictions: Best Picks Ahead of UFC on ESPN 55
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Vladislav Tchakarov
The UFC took a rare week off after arguably one of the best events in combat sports history. While there are five days until the next card, we have some early UFC fight night predictions to kick off fight week.
UFC on ESPN 55 Predictions: This Card Will Surprise Us
Matchmakers did their best to build a competitive card with the limited pool of available fighters. You will not see any high-ranked fights this week but there are plenty of bouts that could shift the rankings in multiple divisions.
Nicolau vs Perez Prediction
Given that this is one of the less competitive divisions nowadays, this is a crucial clash for both fighters. Perez is 8th and Nicolau is 5th in the rankings.
This one is particularly important for Alex Perez who once rushed through the division and reached a title fight with Deiveson Figueiredo.
He enters this contest with three consecutive defeats, losing to Figueiredo, Pantoja, and Mokaev. He will be at a disadvantage in this bout as he agreed to fight on short notice.
Nicolau managed to get off to a good start in the UFC – the guy won 4 fights in a row, and the opposition was quite decent. As soon as he faced Brandon Royval, it became clear that he was not yet ready to fight the Top 3 in the division.
This should be a fairly straightforward fight for Nicolau. The fighters have similar wrestling skills, so we do not expect a submission of any kind. As for striking, Nicolau has the advantage and we pick him for our early UFC Fight Night predictions.
Spann vs Guskov Prediction
This is one of the harder fights on this card and it is nearly impossible to pick a favorite. Ryan Spann is an interesting fighter as he is better than average but far from the level of the top fighters.
He beat fighters like Dominick Reyes and Ion Cutelaba but lost to Johnny Walker, Nikita Krylov, and twice to Anthony Smith. His advantage here will be on the ground as Guskov's power is truly frightening.
As for the Uzbek, this will be his third appearance in the UFC after losing his debut to Volkan Oezdemir and beating Zac Pauga in February. He may get a knockout but Spann is far more experienced, which is why we prefer him for our UFC on ESPN 55 predictions.
Lane vs Diniz Prediction
Austen Lane's fights never fail to entertain as he is as straightforward as they come. He will either get a knockout or get knocked out.
This usually happens as early as the first round and he went past that point only twice in 17 fights. He is yet to get a win in the UFC after an NC and a defeat against Justin Tafa.
Jhonata Diniz is a new name in the world of MMA and he debuts in the promotion with a record of 5-0-0. He won all of his fights with knockouts. Moreover, his kickboxing record is 22-7.
On paper, Lane has more experience but he was already knocked out four times in his brief career. We haven't seen much from Diniz but we know that he has brutal power.
This is why we would rather pick him for our early UFC Fight Night predictions and since the odds are quite low, we recommend the KO option.
Let's take a look at some of @AlexPerezMMA's best finishes in the UFC 👊
Starting a successful career in the UFC is not something every fighter can do right away. Uroš made his way into the organization through Dana White's Contender Series and so far has been performing with varying degrees of success. He is quite incompetent on the ground and only wins via knockouts.
Tim Means is already nearing the end of his career and this will be his 51st professional fight. He has been in the UFC since 2012 and although he had some success throughout the years, he never reached the level of the top fighters.
Knowing that Means is 40 years old and he never impressed in any of his recent fights, this is an incredible opportunity for Medic. However, getting a knockout against Means is nearly impossible. He was knocked out only twice in 15 defeats. Therefore, we recommend the moneyline for our UFC Fight Night predictions.
Vlad is a former amateur MMA fighter. After a series of injuries, he found a different way to connect with the sport and its fanbase - through writing. He's been covering everything-UFC for over 5 years on various platforms and has been part of the team at NYFights since early 2022.
