UFC 198 may be the biggest event of the year, but don’t forget about the UFC 198 prelims!
While many of us are looking forward to the heavyweight title fight between Fabricio Werdum and Stipe Miocic, there are a slew of other great bouts to tune in to on the UFC 198 prelims including Demian Maia vs Matt Brown. This is a preview of those UFC 198 prelims, so pull up the odds and start putting money down while you can.
Renato “Moicano” Carneiro vs. Zubaira Tukhugov
Starting the UFC 198 prelims off is a featherweight tilt between Moicano and Tukhugov; both fighters who have yet to lose inside the Octagon. We last saw Carneiro make his UFC debut back in 2014 when he took out Tom Niinimaki. Meanwhile, Tukhugov gathered three straight wins with his last being a split decision over Phillipe Nover. Under different circumstances, I would favor Moicano in this bout because I think he presents a tough stylistic match up for Tukhugov. Carneiro is a pressure fighter with great jiu-jitsu, and if he can stay in Tukhugov’s face, I think he can overwhelm the overly-cautious Chechnyan and pull of the submission. While he may very well do this, his recent inactivity worries me. This is why Tukhugov is the safer pick as he has proven himself more recently. Tukhugov is a slugger on the feet who winds up on every shot, and is a grinder on the mat. A smart bet would be to take Tukhugov by decision.
Sergio Moraes vs. Luan Chagas
Filling in for Kamaru Usman is UFC newcomer Luan Chagas who fights out of Curitiba, Brazil. He’s gets a very stiff test in his first outting as he meets Sergio Moraes who is 4-0 since dropping his UFC debut. Moraes is an easy pick here as he has all the experience, and has proven himself time and time again to be a solid talent. Chagas is an exceptional grappler, but you won’t find many better than Moraes on the mat. On the feet, Chagas is dangerous, but Moraes has shown good movement and an ability to survive bad situations. Age is not on Moraes’s side, but while he may be slowing down, I still favor him. He should be able to snag the submission at some point throughout the bout, or at least take home the decision.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Patrick Cummins
Headlining the UFC 198 prelims on Fight Pass is a light heavyweight bout between the Brazilian “Lil Nog” and the American Cummins. Nogueira possesses some slick boxing skills, but over time he has drastically slowed down and become more and more fragile. Plagued with injuries and inactivity, he’s a shell of who he was even before he came to the UFC; this won’t go well against a tenacious wrestler like Patrick Cummins. Nevertheless, Nogueira is a savvy veteran who could very well clip Cummins coming in defenseless on the takedown attempt. However, I favor Cummins’s chances here in getting the fight to the ground, and smashing Nogueira for three rounds in the guard.
John Lineker vs. Rob Font
At bantamweight, reknowned slugger John Lineker meets up-and-comer Rob Font in what should be an explosive start to the UFC 198 prelims on Fox Sports 1. Lineker is ultra-aggressive as he uses offensive footwork to corner his opponent in order to bite down on his mouth piece and destroy his opponent’s body with wild hooks. Lineker has shown to have a freakishly strong chin too which allows him to abandon defense in order to maximize his offense. Font on the other hand is a bit more sophisticated, and is 2-0 in the UFC (both stoppages). Font will be the much taller and longer fighter here, but that won’t protect his body. Unless Font can showcase some expert cage control, which he very well could, I expect Lineker to resort to his usual corner-and-batter method of fighting for either a decision victory or a late TKO.
Francisco Trinaldo vs. Yancy Medeiros
This is perhaps the most over-looked bout on the card in my eyes. Trinaldo has been on a tear lately racking up five straight wins since losing to Michael Chiesa. Medeiros on the other hand has racked up some good wins, and only has losses to top level talent. Nevertheless, the momentum is with Trinaldo in this fight who looked sensational when he dominated Ross Pearson for three rounds. Trinaldo is a southpaw fighter who throws thunderous kicks and steadily improving boxing combinations. He’s also a very physically strong fighter, and I have faith he can take Medeiros down and dominate from the top position. Medeiros is dangerous though, and he does his best work against opponents who discount this. As long as Trinaldo can keep his head clear of chokes when going for takedowns, he should be able to overpower and outstrike Medeiros for a decision win. This could be a fight of the night.
Thiago Santos vs. Nate Marquardt
A surging middleweight in Thiago Santos meets a past-his-prime Nate Marquardt here for what could very well end in a knockout. Santos is known for his devastating and effective kicking game which he uses to not only produce highlight reel knockouts, but also batter his opponent’s arms as even blocking these strikes yields a negative outcome. Marquardt is as savvy and experienced as they come, and is definitely the more well-rounded fighter here. If he can take Santos down, it becomes a very interesting match up. If he can’t, then Nate’s fragility could really be exploited. He still has knockout power in his hands, as shown by his most recent outting against CB Dolloway, but Santos is far too calculated for Marquardt to catch rushing in like Dolloway did. Santos is also very athletic and is steadily improving his grappling, so a confident pick here is Santos by TKO.
Demian Maia vs. Matt Brown
Here it is, the diamond in the rough which is located nicely at the top of the UFC 198 prelims. Demian Maia looks to turn his win streak to five as he meets Matt Brown who is desperate to get back at the top of the 170 lb mountain. We all know Maia is one of the best grapplers to even grace the Octagon, and while his other skills are still lagging behind, he has shown that he can rely strictly on his jiu-jitsu to win fights. His functional stand up skills act as just enough of a distraction for him to slip underneath and wrap his opponents up. From here, Maia is deceptively strong and is an expert with trips and throws. Once he gets the fight to the mat, Maia is in a league of his own as even skilled grapplers (like Gunnar Nelson) are outmatched. This presents a big problem for Brown who actively seeks out the clinch and close-quarter engagements to batter his opponent with elbows and knees.
The first round is going to be crucial for Maia to establish his dominance, if he can’t, then expect Brown to build momentum as he defends trips and throws, and makes Maia pay with blistering strikes from every angle. Brown is a vampire in the Octagon as he sucks his opponent’s energy and uses it to fuel himself, which makes him particularly dangerous later in the fight. However, Maia is a crafty veteran who has faced good strikers before, and you better believe Maia is going to be cautious about Brown’s clinch offense. While standing at a distance isn’t safe either, at least Maia can conserve energy and avoid getting split open by elbows.
The safe bet here is Maia as he should be able to floor the Brown, who hasn’t shown any spectacular takedown defense, and dominate yet another foe who tricked himself into thinking Maia couldn’t win with just jiu-jitsu. But don’t be surprised if Brown shocks everyone and uncorks an onslaught that Maia can’t handle. Brown has the ability to throw out caution and go for broke. This is a very important weapon that can spark an upset against virtually any opponent not named Robbie Lawler. I’m still picking Demian Maia to win a controlled decision, or a late submission victory.
