Here’s a quick look at the UFC Fight Night 107 main card
UFC FIGHT NIGHT 107 MATCHUPS
A breakdown of the fights on the main card of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 107 card in London with picks from the Review-Journal’s Adam Hill and Heidi Fang:
Jimi Manuwa (16-2) vs. Corey Anderson (10-2)
· Class: Light heavyweight
· Line: Manuwa -140
· Storyline: Manuwa is a contender because of his fearsome power, but he’s headlining the London card because of his local popularity. That home-field edge in a rabid fight town may have bumped the line up just a bit. Anderson faces a big challenge going into hostile territory and taking on the powerful striker. A former winner of a season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Anderson can quiet the crowd and neutralize Manuwa by focusing on his wrestling base and controlling the pace of the fight by working towards clinching and getting the fight to the ground. He has relied a great deal on his improved striking in recent bouts, but doesn’t want to trade shots with Manuwa for very long. Anderson’s striking might be good enough to win on points if he can make the fight ugly, but over 25 minutes of a slugfest it’s likely Manuwa would find a place to knock him out.
· Hill’s Pick: Manuwa by second-round knockout
· Fang’s Pick: Anderson by decision
Gunnar Nelson (15-2-1) vs. Alan Jouban (15-4)
· Class: Welterweight
· Line: Nelson -360
· Storyline: Not a whole lot of mystery to this one in terms of breaking down the matchup. Nelson is one of the best jiu-jitsu practitioners in the division and Jouban is a very capable matchup. Jouban is very tough, though he may be in big trouble if the fight hits the mat. Nelson can make quick work of anyone on the ground. There is certainly a case to be made for Jouban at this price, however. He will have a big edge in the striking game and Nelson has been out of action for more than 10 months due to injury.
· Hill’s Pick: Nelson by second-round submission
· Fang’s Pick: Jouban by third-round knockout
Brad Pickett (26-13) vs. Marlon Vera (8-3-1)
· Class: Catchweight (140 pounds)
· Line: Pickett -140
· Storyline: Pickett went on the road to Sacramento, Calif., in December to challenge Urijah Faber in his hometown farewell fight. While Pickett lost, he enjoyed the experience so much that he decided he wanted a retirement bout of his own in his hometown. Expect the 38-year-old to be very emotional when he walks to the cage. The key will be how he channels those feelings once the bell rings. There is reason to believe he will have a big effort. Pickett is just 2-5 in his last seven fights, but the two wins were the only two fights over that time in London. Vera accepted the fight on very late notice as an injury replacement, thus the contracted catchweight for the bout. He has strong submission skills and should pose a problem for Pickett on the mat. Pickett hopes it won’t go there.
· Hill’s Pick: Pickett by decision
· Fang’s Pick: Pickett by decision
Arnold Allen (11-1) vs. Makwan Amirkhani (13-2)
· Class: Featherweight
· Line: Amirkhani -115
· Storyline: A good matchup of rising prospects who haven’t competed in more than a year. Interestingly, both have already proven to be more well-rounded than expected during their short UFC stints. Amirkhani has been known as more of a grappler with eight submissions on his record in 12 fights before entering the UFC. He debuted on the big stage with a flying knee knockout and then followed it up with a quick submission win and a decision victory. Allen is a high-level striker with boxing and kickboxing experience, so of course he debuted in the UFC by submitting Alan Omer with a guillotine choke. Neither fighter has lost in the UFC, so one of them will be catapulted toward the top of the division with a win in what could be the best fight on the card. Amirkhani is awkward as a striker and has enough power to keep the more polished Allen off balance. That should open him up for a takedown and put Amirkhani in his comfort zone.
· Hill’s Pick: Amirkhani by second-round knockout
· Fang’s Pick: Amirkhani by first-round knockout
Follow all of our MMA and UFC coverage at CoveringTheCage.com and @CoveringTheCage on Twitter.
