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With the calendar turning to September, the UFC has given fans a humongous middleweight main event to look forward to with Derek Brunson fighting Darren Till to see who is in line for a potential title fight. Before we get to see that huge matchup, let’s take a look at the preliminary fights for this Saturday afternoon’s UFC Fight Night 191 card.
-120 Ji Yeon Kim (9-3-2) vs. -105 Molly McCann (10-4), Flyweight
Kim vs. McCann will most likely be a fight for who continues to compete for the world’s biggest MMA promotion and who will be looking for work come Monday morning. Each fighter has the potential to make a run in the very thin women’s flyweight division, yet they can’t seem to put together a winning streak that would insert themselves into top contender status. Once again, it’s great matchmaking by the UFC as we no doubt will get a battle of will. I see McCann out-hearting Kim in this one for the decision victory.
Selection: Molly McCann
-500 Jack Shore (14-0) vs. +350 Liudvik Sholinian (9-1-1), Bantamweight
Though a preliminary fight, Liudvik Sholinian vs. Jack Shore has all sorts of headlines attached to it. Sholinian is replacing Zviad Lazishvili, who was cut by the UFC because of his inability to fight this Saturday (injury). Sholinian is a former Ukranian national wrestling champion, but he is best known for his recent stint on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) reality series. On the show, Sholinian gave TUF tournament winner Ricky Turcios his hardest fight. The only negative of Sholinian’s UFC debut is that he’ll be facing Jack Shore, a former MMA champion in the United Kingdom and undefeated fighter who’s oozing with confidence, on short notice. Regardless of Shore’s resume and preparation for this fight, it’s not a bad idea to throw a few pounds on Sholinian simply because of the gigantic money line and because of his potential to dominate in the grappling department.
Selection: Liudvik Sholinian
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-195 Charles Jourdain (11-3-1) vs. +155 Julian Erosa (25-9), Featherweight
Both Jourdain and Erosa have been on the cusp of making a splash in the stacked UFC featherweight division but have fallen short on multiple occasions against superior competition. This contest has all the makings to be a firefight. Jourdain is a high-volume gunslinger, while Erosa, who’s a bit more calculated in his approach, isn’t afraid to stay in the pocket and throw down either. I’ll take the high-volume of Jourdain to overwhelm Erosa.
Selection: Charles Jourdain
Aspiring middleweight standouts looking to make a case for title contention
— UFC (@ufc) September 1, 2021
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-155 Marc-Andre Barriault (12-4) vs. +125 Dalcha Lungiambula (11-2), Middleweight
It’s Barriault’s chin and fundamental striking vs. Lungiambula’s ferocious winging bombs! Barriault has never been knocked out in his career, but that statistic will be tested on Saturday. The much taller Barriault (6-foot-1) floats around the outside of punching range and clinches when necessary to weather a storm. Lungiambula (5-foot-8) on the other hand, fires missiles at his opponent’s head from wild angles. Lungiambula is dangerous, but his biggest flaw will be what Barriault capitalizes on the most – cardio. I expect Barriault to exacerbate his feints and steer clear of the danger zone.
Selection: Marc-Andre Barriault
-160 Jonathon Martinez (13-4) vs. +128 Marcelo Rojo (16-7), Bantamweight
We have another frantic-paced fight to look forward to with this one. Martinez, a Factory X gym product, will be looking into a mirror on Saturday afternoon as Rojo keeps that same march-opponents-down style that makes for nonstop action. Coming off a beatdown at the hands (and legs) of the previously mentioned Jourdain, Rojo is making the 10-pound deep dive down to bantamweight (145 pounds → 135 pounds). While his gas tank may take a hit, I expect Rojo to give it his all, but fall just short to Martinez who needs to bounce back from his first career KO loss.
Selection: Jonathan Martinez
Stay locked here for PART 2 of my UFC Fight Night 191 preview/picks/parlay . . .
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