UFC 293 predictions
By Andy Lang
UFC 293 takes place in Sydney, Australia, and is headlined by Israel Adesanya facing Sean Strickland for the middleweight title. The Australian crowd will be electric in their support of Australian-born Tai Tuivasa, who will square off against Alexander Volkov in the co-main event, and if Tuivasa wins, expect shoey's galore from Tuivasa and the fans.
Australian and New Zealand fighters Justin Tafa, Tyson Pedro, Carlos Ulberg, Jack Jenkins, Jamie Mullarkey, and Shane Young will all have the support of the Australian crowd in their fights, and with newcomers who have plenty of finishes on their resumes like Charlie Radtke, Landon Quinones, and Felipe Dos Santos this card could provide many exciting fights and finishes.
The prelims get started with local favorite Kevin Jousset taking on Keifer Crosbie followed by Gabriel Miranda who will be looking to spoil the evening for Australian Shane Young, and fans will get treated to another fight from the legend himself, Mike Diamond. Nasrat Haqparast will look to spoil the UFC debut of TUF contestant Landon Quinones, and Mullarkey, Jenkins, and Ulberg will look to give the Australian fans three wins to cheer for before the main card.
Here are the predictions for each fight.
Kevin Jousset vs. Kiefer Crosbie prediction
If Kevin Jousset controls the pace of this fight, expect a low volume boring fight where he wins by decision. Kiefer Crosbie has more power than Jousset, and he will have to keep his distance so he doesn’t get clinched up by Jousset, but Jousset should be able to close the distance and look for clinches and takedowns while avoiding the big shot of Crosbie.
Prediction: Jousset by decision
Shane Young vs. Gabriel Miranda prediction
Shane Young has lost three fights in a row and Gabriel Miranda is coming off his UFC debut where he got knocked out by Benoit Saint-Denis so we haven’t gotten a good look at Miranda. Young has good movement on the feet, but his strikes aren’t powerful, and he does not have a ground game to speak of. Miranda will be more aggressive, but his cardio is a big concern as his fights do not go very long, and he’s lost his last two fights that went to decision.
Prediction: Young by decision
Charlie Radtke vs. Mike Diamond prediction
Mike Diamond is a really bad fighter who is 0-2 in the UFC, and the only thing he does well is throw body and head kicks, and even those aren’t impressive. Charlie Radtke will be making his UFC debut and he has good power, but if he has any wrestling or grappling game he should implement it as Diamond has been dominated by wrestling in his two UFC fights. However, Radtke prefers the fight to stay on the feet, and eventually he should find the big strike to put Diamond away.
Prediction: Radtke by knockout in round two
Nasrat Haqparast vs. Landon Quinones prediction
Landon Quinones is coming off The Ultimate Fighter where he lost his first fight in 55 seconds and was eliminated. Quinones has power, but his technique is not close to Haqparast. This should be a clinic for Haqparast as his experience and overall offense will overwhelm Quinones. Haqparast’s last three wins have been by decision, but if ever there was a fight that he can get the knockout, it’s this one.
Prediction: Haqparast by knockout in round one
Jamie Mullarkey vs. John Makdessi prediction
Mullarkey will be looking to get back to the winning ways after losing a fight to last-second replacement and UFC debutant Muhammad Naimov, and even though he lost, he was winning the striking battle before eating a big knockout punch. Mullarkey is a point fighter at this point, but he should have the advantage over 38 year old John Makdessi who does not fight very often. Makdessi does not have a finish win since 2015, and Mullarkey’s last two wins are by decision so the winner will probably win a close decision. Mullarkey should have more volume and that will sway the judges.
Prediction: Mullarkey by decision
Jack Jenkins vs. Chepe Mariscal prediction
Jack Jenkins is a technical fighter who will fire off hard leg kicks and he will also look for takedowns, but Chepe Mariscal will be looking for a brawl as he loves getting into tough standup striking battles. He beat Trevor Peek in his UFC debut in a brutal fight where he showed his toughness and power, and Jenkins is coming off a controversial split decision win against Jamal Emmers, and if he struggled against Emmers, he could struggle against Mariscal who will eat strikes so he can deliver strikes of his own. Mariscal is a live dog who’s power can finish Jenkins.
Prediction: Mariscal by knockout in round three
Carlos Ulberg vs. Da Woon Jung prediction
Carlos Ulberg’s striking keeps getting better and better with each fight as he’s won three fights in a row in the first round, and he should get another KO win in this fight. Da Woon Jung has lost two fights in a row and will be a bit slower on the feet than Ulberg, and unless he lands big strikes of his own early, he is in danger of getting knocked out.
Prediction: Ulberg by knockout in round two
Tyson Pedro vs. Anton Turkalj prediction
Tyson Pedro has good power, but he’s had real problems with his cardio the longer the fight goes. Anton Turkalj will be looking to clinch and wrestle, but his striking defense is really bad, and if he hasn’t fixed that part of his game Pedro will have a good chance of an early finish. Pedro is coming off a loss to Modestas Bukauskas where the speed of Bukauskas caused Pedro to get tired and lose by decision. Turkalj doesn’t have that kind of speed on the feet though, and Pedro’s power should break through the weak guard of Turkalj.
Prediction: Pedro by knockout in round one
Justin Tafa vs. Austen Lane prediction
The judges probably will not be needed in this fight as Austen Lane has never been to round three in 15 professional fights, and Justin Tafa’s last two fights have lasted less than three minutes combined. Lane will have a big height and reach advantage which will help him keep the distance from Tafa’s big shots, and Lane will be able to soften up Tafa before he finishes.
Prediction: Lane by knockout in round two
Manel Kape vs. Felipe dos Santos prediction
Felipe dos Santos was supposed to fight on Contender Series, but his opponent pulled out so the UFC put him against Manel Kape who lost his opponent as well for this card. This is too big of a step up in competition for dos Santos who doesn’t have the technique or endurance to hang with Kape who has won three fights in row in the UFC. Kape won his last fight by decision over David Dvorak, but his previous eight wins were by knockout, and that’s what I expect here.
Prediction: Kape by knockout in round one
Tai Tuivasa vs. Alexander Volkov prediction
Don’t blink in this fight as both fighters look to finish. Tai Tuivasa has 15 wins in his professional career, and 14 of them have been by finish, and Alexander Volkov has four finishes in his last five wins. Tuivasa will be looking for a big knockout punch, but the long arms and legs of Volkov will make it difficult for Tuivasa to close the distance. Ciryl Gane put on a striking clinic against Tuivasa two fights ago, and Sergei Pavlovich needed only 54 seconds to knockout Tuivasa.
Prediction: Volkov by knockout in round two
Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland prediction
Sean Strickland loves to box in his fights, but he will have problems landing his punches on Israel Adesanya who has terrific movement and counter punches. Adesanya has a plethora of offensive weapons with his punches and kicks, and those strikes will take their toll on Strickland. Strickland himself says he doesn’t have a lot of power, and that he depends on volume, but over five rounds he will struggle to land consistently. Adesanya knocked out Alex Periera in his last fight, but his three previous wins were by decision, and Adesanya doesn't have the motivation to get the finish as he did against Alex Pereira.
Prediction: Adesanya by decision
Next. 5 of the best fighters from Australia and New Zealand. dark