Alessandro Costa is definitely better than his record. I don't want to fall into the same trap of picking him with confidence and seeing him lose to a young prospect like I did last time, so I won't. I will pick him with confidence and he will win against a busted prospect. I'm going to ignore the Coria loss because Coria is much better than we thought and if you remember, Costa's foot got stuck in the cage, split wide open and shortly after, thats what ended the fight. I fully understand that Costa was taken down twice in his last fight and Stewart will be looking to get takedowns in this one, but Stewart doesn't have good enough striking to set up the shots. I expect Costa to be the much better striker with speed, power and accuracy and whatever takedowns come his way will likely be desperate and poorly timed. I am pretty confident and Costa here.

Alessandro Costa

Alessandro Costa is a solid striker with pretty good takedown defense. His striking style is a high tight guard and patience. He will wait and find his spots. When he decides to throw, he throws with 100% intent and does a really nice job of small combinations. He will leap in with a left to the body then a right up top to the head. He has very real power and insane leg kicks, but can be low volume. He is coming off the finish loss to Alden Coria at Noche UFC

Stewart Nicoll

Steward Nicoll is is a decent wrestler and slick grappler. When he takes you down he has solid control and is always working. He is looking for positions, landing strikes and staying busy. He is a strong guy and uses that strength well. His striking is a bit stiff, but he has nice leg kicks and isn't afraid to exchange. You're going to see a bunch of KOs on his record, but they are pretty much ground and pound finishes. He is coming off the decision loss to Lucas Rocha where he had a handful of takedowns but was obliterated on the feet.