Marlon Vera versus Cory Sandhagen is sure to be an exciting match. But, just like two weeks ago, we still want to know: Why are these two people competing?
Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili are the headliners for UFC Las Vegas on Saturday, but regardless of who wins that match, neither Vera or Sandhagen (who is ranked 6th and 5th respectively in an MMA ranking system by fighters) will be guaranteed to get a title shot right away. This is because UFC often gives these titles to more well-known fighters, like T.J. Dillashaw and Henry Cejudo, rather than to those who have actually been consistently trying hard in one the toughest parts of MMA.
Vera versus Sandhagen is one of the best fights anyone can see right now. The fighters have been nice and not made any problems, so everyone likes them. Tonight’s fight is bound to be exciting and whoever wins should get a lot of respect.
The UFC is coming to San Antonio’s AT&T Center and there will be some exciting fights. In the main card, Holly Holm will fight Yana Santos, Nate Landwehr will take on Austin Lingo in a featherweight match, Andrea Lee is up against Maycee Barber, and Alex Perez will meet Manel Kape in a flyweight battle. Finally, Chidi Njokuani and Albert Duraev Round out the competition as they are set to open the show.
On Saturday 25th of March, you can watch five amazing fights starting at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN and ESPN+. After that, there will be six more great matchups from 7 p.m. EST also available on ESPN and ESPN+. These fights are ranked by MMA Fighting out of all the different tournaments around the world.
The bantamweight division in men’s sports is really competitive, so if you think you know who will win, you’re probably more knowledgeable than me!
I think Marlon Vera will win this fight. It’s hard to predict what might happen when two fighters are so good, so let’s just guess that they’ll mostly stay standing up, and it will be Vera who wins because he’s got more power.
Cory Sandhagen is able to pull off quick surprises during his fights and he must be very careful not to mess up, as one error can change the whole match. Everything is possible here: either Cory wins super quickly at the start of the battle; or it becomes a long battle that lasts for several rounds; or even both combatants get so exhausted by the end that no one knows who is going to win.
I’m going with the second option and hoping that Vera can beat Sandhagen. To win, she will need to exhaust him in three rounds before finally knocking him out in the fourth round. It won’t be easy but I believe that Vera has what it takes to finish him off. So, I’m choosing Vera as my pick!
Holly Holm and Yana Santos both rank in the top 10 of the Women’s Bantamweight division despite the fact that Holm has not won a match since 2020, and Santos has not fought in 20 months. If either of them do well on Saturday, one of these two could have a chance at fighting for the title.
Holly Holm often has bad luck when competing, but her special strategy of boxing helps her win. This style is called “wall-and-stall,” and it’s based on Holly’s strength and balance; on top of that, she can take very little damage. It may not be an exciting way to fight, but it has helped Holly stay in the ring for a long time!
Can Santos win this match by making things difficult for Holm? She’ll have to work hard and since she hasn’t been playing for a while, that may not be easy. But since she’s young, if it comes down to strikes, she has a good chance at winning more than if Holm constricts her movements.
I’m predicting that Holm will be more open during the fight as she shouldn’t feel too scared since Santos’ defense isn’t strong. Usually when Santos loses, it’s a big surprise, so I’m expecting Holm to land some strikes later on in the fight and win her first match since 2017.
Nate Landwehr and Austin Lingo are going to have a match that everybody is really excited about! Nate was the original person in this match, but when Alex Caceres couldn’t make it for less than two weeks’ notice, Austin stepped in. This could be an amazing fight – but even if we don’t get to see what a Nate vs. Alex match would look like, there’s still something really special about this one.
Lingo hasn’t been doing as well in the UFC compared with before when he had three quick successes. But, it seems like he can do something special by going through three rounds of fighting without losing. He might need to do that again this Saturday because Landwehr wants to challenge Lingo and will be tough if not put down within the first round.
I think either Lingo will win in the first round or Landwehr will gain a victory in the fight, and I choose to bet on the latter. If it turns out to be a good fight both fighters will receive an extra $50,000 as a reward. So, my pick is Landwehr!
The people in charge of predicting who will win the fight think Maycee Barber is more likely to win (she has a higher chance than Andrea Lee) because of how well she’s been doing recently. This also means that some people are not sure if Andrea can still be successful and become a champion.
Barber is very good at using her hands to overpower opponents in close combat. She has a lot of energy, but she’s still learning how to fight in the standing position. If Lee is ready, it will be tough for Barber because Lee can outwit and outplay her on their feet and on the ground.
I think that Barber’s athletic ability and speed will help her not get into bad situations when fighting. On top of that, I’m expecting her to pressure Lee enough so he’ll stay on the defensive for most of the match.
So, I’m choosing Barber to be the winner.
Alex Perez needs to be careful in his wrestling if he wants to win this match. If he chooses to just trade punches with Manel Kape, it won’t end well for him. He’s got good boxing and movement that might help out a bit, but Kape’s the best fighter among flyweight contenders.
It’ll all depend on if Kape can figure out when Perez is going to try to take him down, and punish him for attempting it. Kape has a lot of patience, which hasn’t helped him in past fights, but will be useful against Perez. This fight might come down to one key moment – either Perez succeeding in taking Kape down and getting some points, or Kape knocking Perez down abruptly.
I think it will be a really interesting match and I think Kape is going to win by knocking out their opponents. My prediction is that Kape will take the victory.
At a UFC Fight Night in 2023, we will witness an amazing matchup between Chidi Njokuani and Albert Duraev. Chidi is known for his striking while Albert is known for his grappling. So it’ll be interesting to see which one will come out on top. It’s very likely that either Chidi or Albert wins by relying on their expertise, but something unexpected could always happen as well – like if Chidi pulls off an armbar or Albert lands a knockout punch! Stuff like that is why MMA never fails to surprise us all.
I predict that Njokuani will stay away from takedowns and attack Duraev with counter punches for most of the three rounds. In Round 3, he will speed up his attack and finish off the fight quickly. Also, Tucker Lutz, Lucas Alexander, Trevin Giles, CJ Vergara, Vinicius Salvador and Victor Altamirano will all win their respective fights.
