FIGHT FORECASTER: UGP 44 PREDICTIONS

MAIN EVENT
BANTAMWEIGHT GP FINAL & UGP BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
© REDD LENNOX vs #2 ISABEL AZEVEDO

ISAAC’S PREDICTION: Redd Lennox by Decision — The 9th World Miami product has quickly proven herself to be a dominant force that needs to be taken seriously by all accounts since signing to Union GP by way of the DRIP platform. Izzy has the championship competition experience, and given the fact that she has tasted defeat at that highest of levels once before, I believe she’s going to make it a very difficult night for Lennox. Izzy presents a unique challenge for Redd with her world class BJJ, but I think the preparation Lennox has displayed will keep her out of dangerous situations. With that, I think this goes the distance, but Lennox prevails in the end, giving her a second five round victory in as many fights.

KAYLA’S PREDICTION: Redd Lennox by TKO, Round 3 – I didn’t give Redd the credit she was due going into the fight with Gianna Howard, and she made a fool out of my prediction for me doing so. She’s been an absolute destroyer since getting signed to Union out of DRIP, and while Izzy represents a different kind of challenge than Redd’s faced up to this point, I don’t think Izzy’s boxing is going to measure up to Redd’s. She’ll be desperate for a takedown, which will make her predictable. It might take a few rounds, but I don’t see a new champ getting crowned tonight.

CO-MAIN EVENT
UGP MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION
#2 TRAVIS DECKER vs #3 DERRIUS WEBB

ISAAC’S PREDICTION: Travis Decker by Decision — The former 185 pound champion is looking to string together back-to-back wins against one of the brightest young stars MMA has had in a while. People quickly forget how dominant Travis Decker was during his reign as Champ. Beating all-timers like Delaney Donovan and Robert Guilliman, while also finally beating his arch-rival Zion Momo’a when it mattered most in a championship setting, makes for a Hall of Fame run. While I think Derrius will pose problems for the former champ, particularly with his range, Decker will prevail and stay on the short list of title contenders.

KAYLA’S PREDICTION: Derrius Webb by TKO, Round 2 – Since moving to Union from Everest, Derrius hasn’t gone past 3 minutes in any fight he’s had; I don’t think he gets the job done quite that fast on this occasion, Travis is a pretty significant step up in competition, but he’s on such a roll and he’s only getting better, I think this will be the moment he puts a stamp on contendership against the new champion Noah Vanderkaay.

UGP HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION
#3 VIKTOR VOLKOV vs #4 DAX LEVANDRIER

ISAAC’S PREDICTION: Dax Levandrier by KO, Round 2 — The heavyweight division at the top is routinely made of car crash-type match ups. This one is no different. Two big heavy hitters square up, you get the feeling that someone is going to sleep inside three rounds. The hype train for Dax Levandrier got derailed in a sense when he went up against Owen Barnes. This fight will determine whether the meteoric rise was premature for the Canadian or if he truly belongs in the top tier of the division. Volkov has always been that guy who is the measuring stick. Those who manage to get past him tend to go on to be champions. If Dax does just that, he’ll be right back in the thick of a title fight.

KAYLA’S PREDICTION: Viktor Volkov by KO, Round 2 – This is a tough one for me, because Dax is such an impressive striker that it’s hard to ever bet against him, but the same could be said of Viktor, and there’s a lot to be said for momentum. Dax got stopped and stopped hard by Owen Barnes last time out, where Viktor’s coming off that kind of win. That may be just the kind of inspiration Dax needs, but I’m riding the idea that Viktor’s momentum carries him through.

UGP BANTAMWEIGHT DIVISION
#5 EUGENIE BOMBELLES vs #6 IGNACIO ZAMBRANO

ISAAC’S PREDICTION: Eugenie Bombelles by TKO, Round 3 — Both of these fighters had tough losses to make an early exit in the Bantamweight Championship Grand Prix to Rachel Parsons, yet Zambrano has since rebounded with a win in the octagon over Yasmine Vermeulen. Eugenie Bombelles on the other hand looks to rebound from her loss to Parsons. Both of these fighters are lethal strikers, which should make for an exciting match up for the viewers. I’m still very high on Bombelles as a legit contender in the division, and I think she gets it done with some smart, tactical offense that becomes too much for Zambrano as the fight wears on.

KAYLA’S PREDICTION: Eugenie Bombelles by TKO, Round 2 – There’s no getting around the fact that we haven’t quite seen the same destructive power from Eugenie at 135 lbs that we saw at 115, which is something of a surprise, but she feels like a fighter that’s waiting for a chance to uncoil, and Ignacio may engage her with just such an opportunity. In my opinion, his best chance is to take her down and try to finish the fight on the ground, but if her time in Everest showed anything, it’s that that’s easier said than done.

UGP BANTAMWEIGHT DIVISION
#7 MAGDALENA MORUGA vs #9 ALEXANDRA HUGHES

ISAAC’S PREDICTION: Alex Hughes by TKO, Round 2 — I think it stands to reason that there are levels to this sport. Alex Hughes was a huge prospect coming out of DRIP with a lot of hype, but had hit some road blocks during her time in Everest. Her split decision win in her Union debut makes me believe there is plenty to improve on in her game, and we cannot forget the fact she’s just 20 years old as well. She’s got a big test ahead of her against the homegrown favorite, but I think she can get it done inside two rounds given what we have seen from her thus far.

KAYLA’S PREDICTION: Magdalena Moruga by Decision – Despite a perfect record coming out of DRIP, Alex has been up and down since getting signed; two losses to eventual Flyweight Champion Victoria Marshall and more than a little controversy over her decision win over Tilly Jean Wade. Meanwhile, Magdalena’s only struggle since coming to Union has been to the new Bantamweight Champion, Redd Lennox, and Mags fights with the same kind of pressure that Victoria does, that’s given Alex so many headaches in the past. Combine that with the kind of striking Mags has, that Alex simply hasn’t shown, and I think it’ll be a tough, bruising kind of fight, that ultimately ends with the only Mexican fighter on the card getting her hand raised.

UGP LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION
#5 MADDOX MOON vs #8 BENJI MEYERS

ISAAC’S PREDICTION: Benji Meyers by TKO, Round 2 — The last time out for Maddox Moon was an eye opener for him. He tried to trade blows with a dangerous Alistair McKay and it cost him his consciousness in under a minute and a half. Benji Meyers is not at the level of McKay, but he’s still a solid striker with a lot of range. I think that size advantage will be the x-factor that nullifies Moon’s intentions to drag the fight to the ground. It’ll take a little longer, but I believe Meyers pieces up Moon for a stoppage somewhere mid-to-late second round.

KAYLA’S PREDICTION: Benji Meyers by TKO, Round 2 – Maddox is getting a rough one-two punch, so to speak; his fight against Alistair McKay back at UGP 42 was, uh…there’s no nice way to say this, he fought a bad fight that night. I appreciate the guts, but squaring up with Alistair is the wrong decision to make, and if he makes it again against Benji, it may not end quite so violently, but he’ll get picked apart at range. Now, the caveat to that, of course, is that Benji’s shown a significant weakness on the ground–if Maddox takes him down, the finish is there for the taking.

UGP MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION
#8 VENUS SAGAPOLUTELE vs #9 KIAN DE BEER

ISAAC’S PREDICTION: Kian De Beer by KO, Round 2 — I wish I had a lot more insight and breakdown for this fight, but the simple fact of the matter is, this pick is based on the ocular test. Kian De Beer has looked absolutely flawless and dominant since he arrived in Everest MMA, and really has yet to be challenged. Venus Sagapolutele on the other hand, has struggled. Granted, her two losses in as many fights have come at the hands of current Middleweight Champion Noah Vanderkaay and three-time Everest Welterweight Champion Derrius Webb. She needs a win in the worst way, because three straight losses will surely drop her out of the top ten rankings, and potentially put her in the chopping block. Even with those high stakes, I don’t see a scenario where De Beer doesn’t get his hand raised and keep that unblemished record intact.

KAYLA’S PREDICTION: Kian De Beer by TKO, Round 1 – Venus had a lot of hype when she debuted, and she made a spectacular first showing when she knocked out Kaprice Gamble–but since then, it hasn’t been pretty. She’s fought a murderer’s row, admittedly, but two first round losses in a row against great strikers, and now she comes up against a third. Barring a spectacular turn around on her part, I think we see Kian do what he did in Everest, and just maul his way to a victory. I don’t know that I expect it done in less than a minute like he was prone to in Everest, but I’d be surprised if we saw the second round.

UGP HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION
#9 MAURO SANTOS DE LIMA vs KA’ILI TUIASOSOPO

ISAAC’S PREDICTION: Mauro Santos de Lima by Submission, Round 1 — Until I see otherwise, I’m never going to pick against Mauro Santos de Lima, no matter who his opponent is. He has destroyed his competition in a way we haven’t seen in the heavyweight division, and I feel like this guy is something special. To me, this is merely a fight to keep him busy and he’ll have no problem putting this one away early.

KAYLA’S PREDICTION: Mauro Santos de Lima by Submission, Round 1 – It’s honestly hard to bet against someone who’s won every single fight so far in less than 2 minutes, all by submission. While Ka’ili’s main style is BJJ, and I think he might be able to put up more of a fight than some of Mauro’s other opponents have on the ground, I’ll go back to what I said about the other Heavyweight fight–momentum means a lot, and Mauro has a ton. Ka’ili…doesn’t. 

UGP LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION
REGIS PIERRE PAUL vs JETHRO BENSON

ISAAC’S PREDICTION: Regis Pierre Paul by TKO, Round 3 — I’m going to be blunt here and say, this is a tune up fight for RPP. No disrespect to Jethro Benson, but he’s bounced around between Union GP and Everest MMA without generating much success. He’s 43 years old, and this just feels like he’s collecting a check at this point. He’ll probably keep it competitive because at the same time, RPP hasn’t blown us away with a spectacular performance. Of course, when you get these types of feelings for a matchup, they tend to prove you wrong and turn out to be a banger.

KAYLA’S PREDICTION: Regis Pierre Paul by Decision – This is a weird fight, because Jethro’s shown an ability to get the better of elite strikers; he can take a punch and keep coming, and he can land some big shots if he gets an opening. But RPP can do the same, and probably has the better pure boxing of the two. I don’t know that I see either man throwing just bombs tonight, I think the bigger focus might be just ensuring they get the win, and if it goes to the judges, I think RPP’s more crisp, accurate boxing will get him the nod.