UFC Fight Island 7 Prelim Card Preview
Main Card UFC Fight Night Odds & Betting Predictions |
| When |
Saturday, January 16 2020 – 09:00pm GST |
| Where |
UFC Fight Island – Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates |
| Watch Live |
ESPN+, UFC Fight Pass, UFC.com |
UFC Fight Island 7: Prelim Card Preview
A new year of UFC action is upon us. Let’s take a look at the matchups and picks for UFC Fight Night:
Holloway vs. Kattar Prelim Card, beginning at 11:00am CT on ESPN+.
Jacob Kilburn vs Austin Lingo Latest Odds & Fight Info |
| UFC Betting Odds |
Kilburn +185 at Nags.bet | Lingo -220 at Nags.bet |
| UFC Weight Division |
Featherweight: Minimum 135 lb (61.2 kg; 9.6 st) | Maximum 145 lb (65.8 kg; 10.4 st) |
To open the afternoon of fights, we have Jacob Kilburn (8-3-1) facing Austin Lingo (7-1-0). Kilburn is coming off a December 2019 loss to Billy Quaratillo by 2nd round submission, while Lingo’s last fight took place in February of 2020, losing a unanimous decision to Youssef Zalal. Both men like to stick to the stand-up game, but each has 2 submission victories under their belt. Kilburn’s 3 losses to date have all come from submission, where Lago’s only loss was by decision. In a recent interview, Kilburn voiced that since his December loss to Quaratillo, he has made the transition to training at American Top Team in Florida. He quoted that this fight is a “must win”. Prior to his bout with Zalal, Austin Lingo’s 3 wins all came within 30 seconds of the first round, a stat that makes me want to take the under on rounds in this one. Both fighters like to push the tempo and close the distance and strike, which will make it a fun matchup to watch. I’m taking a shot at Kilburn here.
Sarah Moras vs Vanessa Melo Latest Odds & Fight Info |
| UFC Betting Odds |
Moras -230 at Nags.bet | Melo +190 at Nags.bet |
| UFC Weight Division |
Womens Bantamweight: Minimum 125 lb (56.7 kg; 8.9 st) | Maximum 135 lb (61.2 kg; 9.6 st) |
Sarah Moras (6-7-0) takes on Vanessa Melo (10-8-0) in our second prelim contest. Moras enters the fight off of a unanimous decision loss to Sijara Eubanks in May 2020, and Melo a July 2020 loss to Karol Rosa via unanimous decision. Vanessa Melo has yet to notch a win in the UFC, going 0-3 since her debut. Moras on the other hand has more UFC experience but is only 1-4 her last five fights. Furthermore, 13 of Melo’s last 14 fights have ended in a decision, setting up a nice prop bet. Go with the oddsmakers on this pick.
David Zawada vs Ramazan Emeev Latest Odds & Fight Info |
| UFC Betting Odds |
Zawada +210 at Nags.bet | Emeev -260 at Nags.bet |
| UFC Weight Division |
Welterweight: Minimum 155 lb (70.3 kg; 11.1 st) | Maximum 170 lb (77.1 kg; 12.1 st) |
The underdog David Zawada (17-5-0) faces the favorite Ramazan Emeev (19-4-0) in our third bout. Zawada is coming off of an impressive November 2019 submission over Abubakar Nurmagomedov, while Emeev is fresh off a July 2020 unanimous decision victory over Niklas Stolze. Zawada has went 1-2 so far in the UFC, while Emeev is standing at 4-1 in the UFC. These are two different fighters in terms of style. Zawada identifies as a striker and Emeev a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu practitioner. Both have success submitting opponents though, as Zawada has 4 submission victories and Emeev has 7. Both men have also been submitted one time each. The quote “styles make fights” will hopefully come into play here and give viewers an entertaining matchup come Saturday. Overall, I side with the favorite here, as Emeev has more UFC experience and ground-game talent.
Carlos Felipe vs Justin Tafa Latest Odds & Fight Info |
| UFC Betting Odds |
Felipe -195 at Nags.bet | Tafa +165 at Nags.bet |
| UFC Weight Division |
Heavyweight: Minimum 205 lb (93.0 kg; 14.6 st) | Maximum 265 lb (120.2 kg; 18.9 st) |
Carlos Felipe (9-1) takes on Justin Tafa (4-1) in our fourth prelim matchup of the weekend. Both fighters are 1-1 in the UFC and coming into this contest on a winning note. Felipe won a unanimous decision over Yorgan De Castro in October 2020, and Tafa won a unanimous decision over Juan Adams. The narrative for this fight is interesting because back in October of 2019, Justin Tafa lost by KO/TKO to Yorgan De Castro. This may lead bettors to lean on Felipe in this fight. Given this evidence though, the lines are not tremendously far apart. Of Felipe’s 9 professional wins 6 have come from KO/TKO, while all 5 of Tafa’s fights have ended in this manner. This sets up a prop that the fight does not go the distance. For my pick, I side with the bookmakers and take Felipe.
Fight Does Not Go The Distance
Wun Yanan vs Joselyne Edwards Latest Odds & Fight Info |
| UFC Betting Odds |
Yanan -115 at Nags.bet | Edwards -105 at Nags.bet |
| UFC Weight Division |
Womens Bantamweight: Minimum 125 lb (56.7 kg; 8.9 st) | Maximum 135 lb (61.2 kg; 9.6 st) |
Wun Yanan (11-3-0) takes on the UFC debuting Joselyne Edwards (9-2-0) in our fifth prelim matchup. This fight is nearly a pick-em, so oddsmakers are expecting a close one. Edwards is coming off of a July 2020 KO/TKO win over Pamela Gonzalez, and Yanan’s last fight was an August 2019 split decision loss to Mizuki Inoue. It will be interesting to watch Joselyne Edwards compete in her first UFC action, but keep in mind, the 25-year-old has already competed for a Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) Women’s Bantamweight championship back in November of 2018. Her opponent, Wun Yanan is 1-2 so far in the UFC, with her only win being by submission. I have to side with the hype of ever so slight underdog Edwards in this one.
Phillip Hawes vs Nassourdine Imavov Latest Odds & Fight Info |
| UFC Betting Odds |
Hawes -135 at Nags.bet | Imavov -105 at Nags.bet |
| UFC Weight Division |
Middleweight: Minimum 170 lb (77.1 kg; 12.1 st) | Maximum 185 lb (83.9 kg; 13.2 st) |
Welcome to the headline fight of the prelim card. Phillip “Megatron” Hawes (9-2-0) is taking on Nassourdine “The Russian Sniper” Imavov (9-2-0) for what looks to be an exciting bout. Hawes and Imavov are on 5 and 6 fight win streaks, respectively. Hawes’s won his last two fights within the first twenty seconds by KO/TKO, making a statement in the UFC. Imavov made his UFC debut in October of 2020 with a unanimous decision win over Jordan Williams. Hawes has the power edge in this matchup, with 7 of his 9 victories coming via KO/TKO, while Imavov has the advantage on the ground, finishing 4 of his 9 victories by submission. I believe Imavov’s game plan is to survive a 1st round onslaught by Hawes and then control the pace from then on out. On the flipside, Hawes will shoot out fast and strong, looking to pepper his opponent with heavy shots. In an exciting prelim main event, I lean Phillip Hawes to finish the fight within the distance.
Phillip Hawes Within Distance
