The Complete Guide to UFC 212: Aldo vs. Holloway

Raphael AssuncaoRon Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Bantamweight

Iuri Alcantara (34-7) vs. Brian Kelleher (16-7)

Alcantara tends to lapse sometimes in the heat of the moment. That won't happen this time. He's an unbelievable jiu-jitsu grappler. He can strike, too, but Kelleher's wheelhouse is wrestling. That plays right into the hands of the underrated Brazilian.

Prediction: Alcantara, submission, Rd. 2

Bantamweight

Johnny Eduardo (28-10) vs. Matthew Lopez (9-1)

Eduardo has outstanding boxing. As in, maybe some of the best boxing in the division. He doesn't have knockout power but he is still some kind of fun to watch.

Lopez's presence here is a product of the "Dana White Lookin' For a Fight" series on UFC Fight Pass, but he's not totally green, having defeated Mitch Gagnon in his UFC debut. 

Lopez likes to make things crazy. He likes to get donnybrooks going on the feet and scrambles going on the ground. Eduardo is aggressive in his own right but his is a controlled style. 

So what takes it: order or chaos? Sound the mild upset alarms for order and experience.

Prediction: Eduardo, unanimous decision

Middleweight

Antonio Carlos Junior (7-2) vs. Eric Spicely (10-1)

What we have to do before we do anything else is give it up for Shoe Face, maybe the best nickname there is in this entire game. Shoe Face is an outstanding grappler, and Spicely is going to have his hands full. Spicely's a very big middleweight with nasty submission skills, but his striking is not on the same level as that of Shoe Face, who should be able to get damage in and use combinations to set up takedowns. Once there, Shoe Face may be able to stifle Spicely's submission game with heavy top control. 

Prediction: Shoe Face, unanimous decision

Bantamweight

Raphael Assuncao (24-5) vs. Marlon Moraes (18-4-1)

If you don't know Moraes, enjoy this opportunity. His muay thai is murderous, and he uses it to chew his opponents up like a one-man pack of piranhas. He will simply kick you apart, if you let him. 

The problem for him is that he's fighting Assuncao, who has been one of the best bantamweights in this division since the UFC had this division. Assuncao has rock-solid defense, so Moraes has to know that any entry is going to be handled.

Assuncao also has a power edge, and he's going to find the angles that apply it best. Both these guys can grapple, and that may tell the tale. Assuncao is going to have a strength advantage. As marvelous as Moraes is, Assuncao will convert experience into a methodical game that will dampen the young man's debut.

Prediction: Assuncao, unanimous decision