UFC Fight Night 25 Picks & Predictions
UFC Fight Night 25 takes place on Saturday night from New Orleans with a solid card of four free fights.
Here is a look at which fighters I like on Saturday, and why.
UFC Welterweight Bout – Jake Shields (26-5-1) vs. Jake Ellenberger (25-5) – Shields is coming off the loss of his father, which may affect his performance, but I think this is his fight to lose. Ellenberger is a rising star and clearly the better striker, but he is taking a big step up in competition. I see Shields being able to work in his takedowns and grappling control to earn a tough decision victory.
UFC Middleweight Bout – Court McGee (12-1) vs. Dongi Yang (10-1) – This is a classic striker vs. grappler match up, and I like the grappler to prevail. Yang has big punching power, but I see McGee getting this fight up against the cage where Yang will be neutralized. From there, look for McGee to grind out a few takedowns and eventually secure a choke in the later rounds.
UFC Featherweight Bout – Jonathan Brookins (13-3) vs. Erik Koch (12-1) – Koch is considered the favorite according to the oddsmakers, but my pick goes with Brookins. He needs a lot of work in his striking, but his grappling takes a back seat to nobody in the division. I see Brookins taking a few punches early, but eventually getting inside Koch and using a judo throw or roll to get the fight to the ground. From there, I expect Brookins to work in a choke to get the win.
UFC Middleweight Bout – Alan Belcher (15-5) vs. Jason MacDonald (26-14) – Belcher makes his return after more than a year off and he has a lot to fight for. He was a rising star in the division prior to his eye injury and he should have the skills to get past MacDonald, who is somewhat one dimensional, with a great submission skill set. Look for Belcher to pick apart MacDonald on his feet and avoid the ground game as he gets a decision win.
Posted in: Events, Fighters, News, Predictions, UFC
Tags: Alan Belcher, Battle on the Bayou, belcher vs. macdonald, betting lines, brookins vs. koch, court mcgee, dongi yang, Erik Koch, Jake Ellenberger, Jake Shields, Jason MacDonald, jonathan brookins, mcgee vs. yang, mma betting odds, mma matchups, mma odds, mma picks, mma predictions, mma welterweights, shields vs. Ellenberger, spike tv, top 10 welterweights, ufc betting odds, UFC Fight Night 25, ufc matchups, ufc odds, ufc picks, ufc predictions, UFC welterweights, Ultimate Fight Night
