by UFC Fight Night is early Saturday morning from the Land of the Rising Sun. Appropriate considering the time you’d have to get up to watch the whole card live, ( 5:AM)
For those of you who are like me and MMA Junkie’s, you will either get up early or watch later in the day on tape delay, if so, here are my picks.
Rei Tsuruya v Kevin Borjas
Pick – Tsuruya
Reason – Tsuruya is 11-1 with a 68 inch reach for the 125 fighter. He’s looked sharp in the UFC and puts his opponents away quickly.
Bilal Hasan v Nilson Rojas
Pick – Hasan
Reason – The battle of two unbeatens is sure to have fireworks. Hasan has been on a tear ending his last half dozen fights by TKO.
Aoriqileng v Kai Asakura
Pick – Asakura
Reason – Since 2023, both have had their share of losses, more so then wins. This is not a fight of two elite, but rather two men desperate for a win. Asakura is lightening quick and has a chance to spark some highlights with a KO.
Umar Nurmagomedov v Song Yadong
Pick – Nurmagomedov
Reason –At 8-1 in the UFC, Nurmagomedov has been on a tear and should be a heavy favorite to win the main event. For Yadong, he will have the hometown crowd, but how far can that carry him?
Lawrence Lui v Hector Santiago
Pick –Lui
Reason –This one can very easily go either way as north are evenly matched. This is a coin toss pick that came up LL.
Namsrai Batbayar v Andre Lima
Pick – Lima
Reason – Lima is my upset special. He is coming off the first loss of his 11-1 career and I full expect him to bounce back.
Liu Ce v Levi Rodrigues Jr.
Pick – Ce
Reason – He has a kickboxing background and is just now getting his feet wet in MMA. This will be interesting, I’m picking him simply because of the unknown element. However, if Rodrigues gets him to the ground, Ce is in major trouble.
Alex Perez v Sumudaerji
Pick – Perez
Reason – Perez has lost 5 of his last 7 fights and will be in desperation mode for a win here. Sometimes when you’re desperate, you pull off the upset.
