With my exams finally over for the semester I will be able to return to writing articles. Admittedly I was pretty poor at keeping up with things early this year but I just got super busy at the most inconvenient times. Contender Series news is due to pick up soon according to my “trusted sources” so I should be able to keep you all up to date in article form when that news starts to really ramp up. As for this card, I think it is brilliant. I am aware of Cage Warriors 206 taking place the day before but I am much less interested in that card than this one admittedly. The card will be broadcast at 01:30 PM ET on UFC Fight Pass, with the main card starting 30 minutes before the UFC prelims – so I will be watching both on my live stream fight companion.
OMIEL BROWN (13-3) vs. IEUAN DAVIES (7-0) – Lightweight Championship
When this fight was first booked I actually liked Iean Davies. Davies is clearly the better grappler out of these two and we have seen Brown struggle with similar fighters to him such as Omar Tugarev recently. In that fight Tugarev found a lot of success early, especially in the first round. However he gassed out and Brown being the bigger, more explosive fighter was able to find top control and damage in the later rounds. My issue with Brown in a match up like this is his fight IQ. He pulls guillotine, gives up his back, and chases odd positions instead of standing up. This is significant as Davies is a better pure grappler than Tugarev is. Although I give Davies a decent chance to win for the previous reasons, I ultimately pick against him as I strongly dislike his striking. He is coming off a win over Michael Pagani which is impressive, but his striking holes were shown again. He has a very upright stance with little head movement and poor striking defense. He also got backed up in moments which you don't like to see from someone who wants to take the fight down. Samuel Silva does suck but we saw KO power out of Brown in that fight and I will trust that confidence and momentum to carry over here.
Pick: Omiel Brown by KO/TKO. Low confidence
NATHAN FLETCHER (10-3) vs. RONY HENRIQUE (21-15) – Bantamweight
Cage Warriors once again just padding Fletcher's record. Henrique is coming off a sneaky 5 fight win streak so he isn't totally lost but you can't fool me Cage Warriors – I see those 6 submission losses.
Pick: Nathan Fletcher by submission. High confidence.
SHAY INGRAM (5-0) vs. MARIN VETRILA (7-1) – Lightweight
I love this fight – The winner will be a shoe-in for Contender Series or a straight up signing. It is no secret that I am a fan of Shay Ingram and he should win here but once again, this is his toughest test. Marin Vetrila is an incredible striker with big power and technique. He is massive for the weight class which could play a factor here as he fights against a grappler in Ingram. Ingram has good striking himself but I don't think he would be smart to test it here. We have seen in multiple performances now that Ingram is capable of dominating on the ground, either finding a finish or being “boring” with top control. I think that is how he will need to approach this fight. This is a very close match up between two of Cage Warriors “best but lesser known” lightweight prospects.
Pick: Shay Ingram by decision or submission. Low-medium confidence.
CARL JONES (6-0) vs. ADAM CULLEN (11-3) – Lightweight
It's no secret that I think Adam Cullen sucks but he should win this one, even if it depends on his fight IQ. Cullen is a poor striker with no defense and no chin, but he finds a lot of success when he can get his grappling going. Admittedly, he has only ever been able to beat lay ups and loses to anyone with a pulse but I am not convinced Jones is one of those guys. Jones is an undefeated brawler but his record is extremely padded and he hasn't looked that good in these quick KO wins either. As I said, Cullen is terrible at striking so maybe he gets slept here but there isn't a lot of evidence that suggests that Jones can keep up with grappling.
Pick: Adam Cullen by submission. Medium confidence.
EMILIE VUJAKOVIC (6-1) vs. FARSHAD NAZARNIA (4-1) – Middleweight
Emilie is super athletic which you love to see at this weight class but I can't trust his grappling. Nazarnia is the opposite to him. Nazarnia is clueless on the feet but good at grappling, and Emilie is the opposite. Siding with the grappler to get it done here. Maybe the winner goes to DWCS, the UFC is pretty desperate for middleweights.
Pick: Farshad Nazarnia by submission. Low confidence.
GEORGE STAINES (9-0) vs. CONOR MCCARTHY (6-0) – Lightweight
This feels like a set up for Staines to get a big win over another undefeated fighter before he can sign to the UFC, DWCS, or maybe even the PFL. He isn't the most exciting fighter but he does dominate when he gets the fight to the ground. McCarthy is pretty good himself but against Staines he will be a step behind everywhere.
Pick: George Staines by decision or KO/TKO. Medium confidence.
