UFC Fight Night 149 Predictions

Due to time restrictions, I will only be doing predictions for the main card of this event. With that being said, here is my breakdown:

Alistair Overeem (44-17-0, 1 NC) vs Alexey Oleinik (57-11-1)

Overeem is a heavy -245 favorite for this card, making his late replacement Alexey Oleinik a +205 underdog. Overeem had an impressive first-round TKO over Russian prospect Sergei Pavlovich in his last fight, but prior to that, he has failed to show anything impressive. He lost to Curtis Blaydes, was sent into oblivion by Francis Ngannou, and won a very questionable decision over Fabricio Werdum. Oleinik, on the other hand, is coming off two first-round submission victories over Mark Hunt and Junior Albini. He lost to Curtis Blaydes at UFC 217, but prior to that defeated Travis Browne and Viktor Pesta by submission. I was surprised to see that Oleinik is such an underdog in this fight, especially considering past performances. If Overeem wins, it will have to be by KO or TKO in the first or second round. Otherwise, Olenik is going to submit him. 

Pick - Alexey Oleinik, Submission, 2nd Round

Islam Makhachev (16-1) vs Arman Tsarukyan (13-1)

Islam Makhachev (-500 favorite) and Arman Tsarukyan (+375 underdog) are both young prospects with similar fighting styles. They prefer to take the fight to the ground but have no problem standing and trading. Makhachev is 4-1 in his last five bouts, with the most recent ending in the first round. He also trains with lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who I expect to be in his corner come fight night. Tsarukyan is undefeated in his last five bouts and is actually making his UFC debut on this card. I see Makhachev taking this fight to the ground and keeping it there for three rounds. 

Pick - Islam Makhachev, Decision

Sergei Pavlovich (12-1) vs Marcelo Golm (6-2)

Sergei Pavlovich's UFC debut did not go as planned, losing to Alistair Overeem via first-round TKO. Do not let that fool you, however. This former Fight Night Global heavyweight champion is 4-1 in his last five fights and is a very talented striker with plenty of knockout power. Marcelo Golm showed promise in his UFC debut when he ran through Christian Colombo in the first round at UFC Fight Night 119. Since then, Golm has lost back-to-back decisions and will be looking to turn that around here. Unfortunately for Golm, he has an incredibly tough test ahead of him.

Pick - Sergei Pavlovich, KO/TKO, 1st Round

Ivan Shtirkov (15-0-1) vs Devin Clark (9-3)