UFC 216 PRELIM CARD

Matt Schnell (10-4) Vs. Marco Beltran (8-5)

After two consecutive losses in the UFC, Schnell will be hoping to retain his place in the promotion. The former Legacy interim flyweight champion will face Mexican Marco Beltran will also be hoping to return to winning ways, as the flyweight had previously won his first three bouts in the UFC.

Brad Tavares (15-4) Vs. Thales Leites (27-7)

Tavares made it two consecutive victories at the TUF 25 Finale in July, defeating Elias Theodorou. This will be the fifteenth time that Tavares has made the walk to the Octagon. Brazilian Leites has been a mainstay in the middleweight division in his time since joining the promotion back in 2006. In his second run with the leading promotion, the former title challenger secured a win over Sam Alvey.

Magomed Bibulatov (14-0) Vs. John Moraga (17-6)

After building a perfect record in Russia, as well as picking up a World Series of Fighting title, twenty-nine-year-old Magomed Bibulatov joined the UFC and began proceedings with a comfortable victory over Jenel Lausa at UFC 210. He will look to make it fifteen out of fifteen. John Moraga snapped a three-fight losing streak with a victory over Ashkan Mokhtarian at UFC Auckland earlier this year and the former title challenger will hope to make his way back into the top ten in the flyweight division.

Walt Harris (10-5) Vs. Mark Godbeer (12-3)

American heavyweight Walt Harris lost his first three Octagon bouts, but has since rebounded with winning three of his last four, including a victory over Chase Sherman. Former BAMMA heavyweight champion Mark Godbeer will hope to build on his 1-1 Octagon record after defeating Daniel Spitz at UFC 209.

Pearl Gonzalez (6-2) Vs. Poliana Botelho (5-1)

After losing rising star Cynthia Calvillo in her UFC debut, Pearl Gonzalez returns to seek her first Octagon victory over her Brazilian Botelho. The injury prone fighter will make her UFC debut in Las Vegas after winning the XFC flyweight title over two years ago.

Lando Vannata (9-2) Vs. Bobby Green (23-8)

Vannata made his UFC debut last year, losing out to headliner Tony Ferguson on short notice before defeating John Makdessi with a stunning knockout in his second outing. He has received three bonuses in his three Octagon outings and will look to return to winning ways following his recent loss to David Teymur at UFC 209.

Bobby Green has lost three consecutive bouts and hasn’t won in over three years with injuries not assisting the American’s career. Previous impressive wins over Josh Thomson, Pat Healy and James Krause show his talent, but can he snap his losing streak? This should be a spectacular stand-up battle.

Will Brooks (18-3) Vs. Nik Lentz (27-8-2)

The hype train surrounding Will Brooks has faded following consecutive losses to Alex Oliveira and Charles Oliveira. The former Bellator lightweight champion was a key recruit for the UFC last year and big things were expected. Nik Lentz will also look to return to winning ways following his loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 208 earlier this year. This will mark the nineteenth occasion that the scrappy American has walked to the Octagon.

UFC 216 Main Card

Tom Duquesnoy (15-1) Vs. Cody Stamann (15-1)

The former BAMMA two-weight champion Duquesnoy comes in with an impressive 15 win and one loss record, which matches his opponent’s. The Fire Kid won his UFC with a stoppage in the second round in April. Cody Stamann also makes his second Octagon appearance after his debut victory at UFC 213 over Terrion Ware. It will be his fourth fight of this calendar year but this should represent a big step up in competition with Stamann dropping down a weight class from featherweight.

Evan Dunham (18-6) Vs. Beneil Dariush (14-3)

Evan Dunham is quietly making his way towards the top ten lightweights after four consecutive decision victories, and a win over Dariush but would seal his place. His last loss came to Edson Barboza in 2014, and he called out his opponent in order to secure his wanted matchup. Dariush also lost to Barboza last time out in March and will look to return to the form that has seen him pick up an 8-3 Octagon record.

Fabricio Werdum (21-7-1) Vs. Derrick Lewis (18-5)

Fabricio Werdum will look to return to winning ways following his decision loss to Alistair Overeem at UFC 213. This will be one of the most entertaining fights of the night, where anything can happen.

The former heavyweight champion is a favorite on the odds, and he hopes a win will propel him to a rematch with heavyweight king Stipe Miocic. Derrick Lewis’ six-fight win streak was undone by Mark Hunt at UFC Auckland earlier this year and said after the fight that he would retire due to back issues, before reversing his decision two weeks later. Lews has made a name for himself for his hilarious, and sometimes inappropriate social media commentary, and hopes to further his popularity with the biggest win of his career in this matchup. The heavy hitter will only be a punch away from making this a reality.

UFC Flyweight Championship

Demetrious Johnson (27-2-1) Vs. Ray Borg (11-2)

Demetrious Johnson is arguably the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. “Mighty Mouse” has the opportunity to make history as he bids to surpass his record of ten title defences held by the legend Anderson Silva. The last time that Johnson tasted defeat was back in 2011, in a bantamweight title bout with Dominick Cruz. Johnson has since won twelve consecutive bouts and looks to establish himself as the longest reigning champion in the UFC.

A huge underdog in Ray Borg becomes the ninth different challenger to attempt to wrestle the flyweight crown away from Mighty Mouse. Borg’s last four bouts have gone the distance and Betsafe has him as one of the biggest underdogs in a UFC title fight that we have seen in a long time. If you are looking to bet on an underdog on this card, I’d look elsewhere as his most recent fight withdrawal due to illness shows that the fighter’s ability to make weight in the flyweight division is too tough on him. Let’s hope that the American’s finally square-off in the cage this time, and I expect Johnson to be holding his belt over his head before the scheduled 5-round fight ends.

Interim UFC Lightweight Championship

Tony Ferguson (22-3) Vs. Kevin Lee (16-2)

Tony Ferguson finally gets the opportunity to raise a UFC championship after amassing nine consecutive victories dating back over five years. He hasn’t fought in eleven months due to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s withdrawal from UFC 209 earlier this year. After winning the Ultimate Fighter Season 13, the American wrestler aims to become the eighth athlete to win both the show and a UFC title. “El Cucuy” is an odds on favorite and will have to use his reach and cardio to his advantage.

With the aforementioned Russian sidelined, Kevin Lee has emerged as the contender after his submission victory over Mike Chiesa in June this year. He certainly has the personality and the showmanship to match his talent and with three consecutive submission victories, the “Motown Phenom” has emerged at the pinnacle of the lightweight division. Lee is a big-time underdog, but expects to be victorious over his college wrestling teammate.

This should be an exciting bout for the interim lightweight belt. Lee has the power to catch Ferguson that has shown some openings in his standup game. A mix of take-downs and big take-downs is the key for success for Lee. If you want a play on an underdog, this might be a good