The UFC is returning to England this Saturday with a loaded show featuring some of the best prospects in the MMA universe. UFC Fight Night 107 will be headlined by a light heavyweight division bout as Jimi Manuwa faces Corey Anderson. Also, Gunnar Nelson will be fighting Alan Jouban and Brad Pickett will be competing in his retirement fight.
Main Card
Main Event
UFC Light Heavyweight Division Fight
Corey Anderson (9-2-0) vs. Jimi Manuwa (16-2-0)
Anderson has won four of his last five fights under the UFC banner, with those four wins coming over Jan Blachowicz, Fabio Maldonado, Tom Lawlor and Sean O’Connell. Manuwa will be competing on his first “Fight Night” card in nearly two years and he has a record of 2-1-0 in past “Fight Night” events. Anderson was the winner of the UFC Ultimate Fighter 19, defeating Matt Van Buren in the finals of the reality show. Manuwa is currently winless in his UFC main event fights, dropping a bout to Alexander Gustafsson at UFC Fight Night 37.
Prediction: Manuwa has great range and Anderson is an aggressive striker, Manuwa catches an overly aggressive Anderson to finish him with strikes in the second round.
Co-Main Event
UFC Welterweight Division Fight
Alan Jouban (15-4-0) vs. Gunnar Nelson (15-2-1)
Jouban will enter the fight riding a three fight winning streak, those wins have come over Mike Perry, Belal Muhammad and Brendan O’Reilly. Nelson will be competing for the first time in nearly a year after dealing with an ankle injury and surgery. Jouban has only suffered two defeats in the UFC, which came to the duo of Albert Tumoenov and Warlley Alves. Nelson’s last fight came at UFC Fight Night 87, where he got a neck crank submission win over Albert Tumenov.
Prediction: Nelson will have to survive the early onslaught of strikes from Jouban, which he will before grounding and submitting the fighter in the second round.
UFC Catchweight Division Fight
Brad Pickett (25-13-0) vs. Marlon Vera (8-3-1)
Pickett will be retiring after this fight, ending a professional MMA career that has lasted for nearly thirteen years. Vera will be entering this fight as a late replacement as Henry Briones pulled out of the fight a little over a week ago due to injury. Pickett has only won just one of his last six fights, with that lone win coming over Francisco Rivera at UFC Fight Night 84. Vera has won two of four fights under the UFC banner, defeating the duo of Roman Salazar and Guangyou Ning.
Prediction: Vera would have to ground Pickett and grind out a decision win, but Pickett picks apart Vera with strikes while mixing in takedowns to get a decision win.
UFC Featherweight Division Fight
Arnold Allen (11-1-0) vs. Makwan Amirkhani (13-2-0)
Allen is currently undefeated under the UFC banner, having earned a pair of victories over Alan Omer and Yaotzin Meza. Amirkhani is also undefeated under the UFC banner, with his victories coming over Andy Ogle, Masio Fullen and Mike Wilkinson. Allen will enter the fight riding a four fight winning streak, which has lasted almost three years now. Amirkhani will also be entering the fight riding a four fight winning streak, but his streak has lasted nearly four years.
Prediction: This is a classic striker versus grappler match up, it will be the grappler in Amirkhani walking away with a decision win here.
Preliminary Card Quick Picks
Joseph Duffy over Reza Madadi
Francimar Barroso over Darren Stewart
Timothy Johnson over Daniel Omielanczuk
Marc Diakiese over Teemu Packalen
Tom Breese over Oluwale Bamgbose
Vincente Luque over Leon Edwards
Brett Johns over Ian Entwistle
Scott Askham over Brad Scott
Lina Lansberg over Lucie Pudilova
