The Ultimate Fighting Championship has been on a roll as of late. Can Michael Bisping and Thales Leites keep it going in the main event of UFC Fight Night 72 from Glasgow, Scotland, on Saturday?
The table below also includes the entire card and predictions for each fight.
| UFC Fight Pass | 10 a.m. ET | |
| Matchup | Weight Class | Prediction |
| Daniel Omielanczuk vs. Chris De La Rocha | Heavyweight | Omielanczuk by submission |
| Marcus Brimage vs. Jimmie Rivera | Bantamweight | Brimage by TKO |
| Fox Sports 1 Prelims | 11 a.m. ET | |
| Matchup | Weight Class | Prediction |
| Rob Whiteford vs. Paul Redmond | Featherweight | Whiteford by TKO |
| Mickael Lebout vs. Teemu Packalen | Lightweight | Lebout by decision |
| Ilir Latifi vs. Hans Stringer | Light Heavyweight | Latifi by submission |
| Paddy Holohan vs. Vaughan Lee | Flyweight | Holohan by submission |
| Fox Sports 1 Main Card | 1 p.m. ET | |
| Matchup | Weight Class | Prediction |
| Stevie Ray vs. Leonardo Mafra | Lightweight | Mafra by TKO |
| Leon Edwards vs. Pawel Pawlak | Welterweight | Pawlak by TKO |
| Joanne Calderwood vs. Cortney Casey-Sanchez | Women's Strawweight | Calderwood by decision |
| Joseph Duffy vs. Ivan Jorge | Lightweight | Duffy by KO |
| Ross Pearson vs. Evan Dunham | Lightweight | Pearson by KO |
| Michael Bisping vs. Thales Leites | Middleweight | Leites by TKO |
Card per UFC.com, picks by Mazique
UFC 189 was one of the best shows in the promotion's history. Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson announced his legitimacy on the welterweight title scene with a spectacular spinning hook kick to KO Jake Ellenberger at The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale. Kamaru Usman also shined in clinching the final for the Blackzilians team.
Last but not least, heavyweight legend Frank Mir showed he still has tread left on his tires by scoring his second straight KO victory. He flattened Todd Duffee with a destructive left hand to cap off UFC Fight Night 71 in San Diego on Wednesday night.
There could very well be another memorable scrap set to take place on Saturday.
Main Event and Fight of the Night Candidate
Bisping and Leites certainly have the potential to put on a Fight of the Night scrap. Bisping generally keeps a torrid pace and prefers to keep the fight standing. Bisping proved his takedown defense was up to par when he stopped all but two of C.B. Dollaway's right attempts to take him down when the two met in April 2015.
Leites is a skilled submissions fighter. If he could take Bisping down, he'd have the advantage, but it will be a tougher task. It's more likely that the two men engage in an epic stand-up battle that goes into the later rounds.
While Bisping is tough as nails, Leites is the more explosive. I see him landing a body or head kick that stuns Bisping. Leites will take advantage and finish off the Brit to the dismay of the fans. Adam Martin of the Toronto Star considers himself a bit of an expert on Bisping.
He shares the opinion. He writes:
I haven't picked a Bisping fight wrong since he lost to Wanderlei Silva. I think I have a good read on him. Think Leites is a bad matchup.
— Adam Martin (@MMAdamMartin) July 17, 2015
Real Deal with KO Appeal
In the video below from MMACrazyTV, Evan Dunham calls Ross Pearson a one-dimensional fighter. The last time I heard that, Chad Mendes was saying it about Conor McGregor, and we all know how that turned out.
Pearson's boxing skills are among the best of any fighter in the UFC. His hands will carry him to victory over Dunham. The latter definitely has the edge when it comes to wrestling, but he has traditionally struggled against explosive strikers like Edson Barboza and Donald Cerrone.
Pearson isn't on that level as an overall fighter, but when it comes to pure striking, he can hang with anyone.
He'll crank a combination that puts Dunham down, and Pearson will finish the job with strikes to his downed opponent. Neither of these guys figure to be serious contenders, but it should still be a fun fight while it lasts.
There's Another Irish KO Artist in the UFC
No, we're not talking about McGregor.
"Irish" Joe Duffy needed just 1:47 to stop Jake Delaney in his UFC debut at UFC 185 in March.
He'll need just a little bit longer to stop Ivan Jorge, but look for Duffy to still get it done. Jorge is purely a submission fighter. He has 26 career wins, but only three of them have come by TKO or KO.
Duffy will have the clear edge in striking. As long as he avoids the takedown, or doesn't spend much time on the ground if he is taken down, he should pick Jorge apart.
Look for the hard right hand to hurt the Brazilian at some point and lead to a TKO victory for Duffy.
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