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The UFC has put up an impressive undercard and prelims fight card for UFC 245: Usman vs Covington this Saturday, December 14, 2019, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Kamaru Usman defends the UFC welterweight title against former interim welterweight champion Colby Covington in the main event of UFC 245. But before these two welterweight stars lock horns, the UFC has assembled an interesting and entertaining prelim and undercard line-up which should set the tone for an exciting night of fights.
Let’s kick off UFC 245 by previewing some of the top fights in the prelims undercard:
Geoff Neal vs Mike Perry
Geoff Neal is the 14th ranked welterweight in the UFC. The 29-year old Neal appeared in Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series season 1 before he was signed by the UFC. Known as Handz of Steel, Neal stands 5-11 with a reach of 75 inches while fighting out of the Southpaw stance. He has a record of 12-2 with seven knockouts and two wins by submission. In his last bout, Neal knocked out Niko Price at UFC 240.
Mike Perry competed in several regional outfits before getting signed by the UFC in 2016. Known as Platinum, the 28-year-old from Orlando, Florida fights out of Fusion XL Academy and owns a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He owns wins over Jake Ellenberger and Paul Felder but only has a 6-5 record in the UFC. Perry stands 5-10 with a reach of 71 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. He has a record of 13-5 with 11 knockouts.
Neal is coming off a knockout win over Niko Price and that’s something you can’t look past even though Perry is the faster and more durable fighter here. But when you compare the two, Neal has the more versatile striking offense and he has the advantage in range. Perry needs only one big shot to take over this fight or even knock out Neal but I believe Neal is too skilled a striker for Platinum to handle.
Prediction: Geoff Neal
Ketlen Vieira vs Irene Aldana
Ketlen Vieira is the 2nd ranked female bantamweight in the UFC. The 28-year old from Brazil is a former Mr. Cage Bantamweight Champion in Brazil before she was signed by the UFC in 2015. Vieira owns black belts in Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and fights out of Nova Uniao Manaus. She stands 5-8 tall with a reach of 68 inches and fights out of the orthodox stance. Vieira is undefeated in 10 fights with two knockouts and four wins by way of submission.
Irene Aldana is the 10th ranked UFC female bantamweight and a former title challenger for the Invicta FC bantamweight title. The 31-year-old from Guadalajara in Mexico has a record of 11-5 with five knockouts and three wins by submission. Aldana stands 5-8 tall with a reach of 69 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. Aldana has won four out of her last five bouts in the UFC and she is coming off a unanimous decision win over Vanessa Melo last September.
Vieira
-175
Aldana
+150
Odds were taken from BetOnline as of 12/12/19
Vieira has very good judo skills but her boxing remains underdeveloped, at least that’s what I think when I last saw her fight. That is going to be a problem because that’s Aldana’s favorite part of her game and the Mexican is both faster and sharper with her hands. Aldana should dominate a fight on the feet and with a 90% takedown defense, I don’t think Vieira can put her on her back. Unless Vieira’s striking has improved vastly while she was away, I have to give this to Aldana
Prediction: Irene Aldana
Matt Brown vs Ben Saunders
Matt Brown is one of the more popular veteran fighters in the UFC. Known as the Immortal, the 38-year old from Columbus, Ohio was a contestant in the seventh season of The Ultimate Fighter series. Brown has been with the UFC since 2008 and he once fought in a welterweight title fight eliminator after putting together seven consecutive wins inside the octagon. Brown stands 6-0 tall with a reach of 75 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. He has a record of 21-16 with 13 knockouts and six wins by submission.
Ben Saunders is a former Bellator fighter who has two stints with the UFC. The 36-year old from Orlando, Florida is known as the Killa B and he has a record of 22-12-2 with 11 knockouts and six wins by submission. Saunders was a featured fighter at The Ultimate Fighter season six. He stands 6-2 tall with a reach of 77.5 inches and fights out of the southpaw stance. Saunders has lost five out of his last six fights and is coming off three consecutive stoppage defeats.
Brown
-350
Saunders
+285
Odds were taken from BetOnline as of 12/12/19
Saunders is a capable submission artist and he can beat Brown on the mat. However, he has poor wrestling and has a glass jaw that would make me think that Brown is going to land something big on his chin before he gets an opportunity to put the Immortal in a disadvantageous position on the ground. Brown’s body hasn’t been as Immortal as before and there is also a chance that Saunders can land something that cracks him but given Brown’s power, I think he walks in the pocket and lands something that Saunders can’t survive.
Prediction: Matt Brown
Brandon Moreno vs Kai Kara-France
Brandon Moreno is the 5th ranked flyweight in the UFC. The 26-year old from Tijuana, Mexico is a former Legacy Fighting Alliance fighter and a former competitor at The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions. He is a former World Fighting Federation flyweight champion who made three straight title defenses before signing with the UFC in 2016. He also won the LFA Fighting Championships flyweight title at LFC 69 before returning to the UFC last September.
Kai Kara-France is the 6th ranked UFC flyweight today. The 26-year old New Zealander won the KOZ flyweight title in 2015 and signed with the UFC in 2018. Kara-France stands 5-4 with a reach of 69 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. He has a record of 20-7-0-1 with nine knockouts and three wins by submission. Since returning to flyweight and moving to the UFC, Kara-France is 3-0 with three wins by decision. In his most recent fight, he defeated Mark De La Rosa last August.
Moreno
+142
Kara-France
-162
Odds were taken from BetOnline as of 12/12/19
Kara-France is shorter by three inches but he has shown excellent takedown defense and an uncanny ability to scramble inside the octagon. If he keeps his fight standing up he also has the edge in power and skill. But you can never count out Moreno because he can come up with creative submission moves anytime. If Kara-France takes this fight to the ground, Moreno may find his neck for a choke. I think Moreno tries to put Kara-France on his back but the latter will be able to scramble his way out and get the fight back on his feet where he will find ways to win.
Prediction: Kai Kara-France
Jessica Eye vs Viviane Araujo
Jessica Eye is the 2nd ranked female UFC flyweight. The 33-year old from Las Vegas, Nevada won all her Bellator bouts before entering the UFC with a 10-1 record. Evil Eye challenged for the UFC women’s flyweight title and lost to Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 238. She stands 5-6 tall with a reach of 66 inches and fights out of the orthodox stance. Eye has a record of 14-7 with three knockouts and one submission victory.
Viviane Araujo is a former IFC and Pancrase fighter who joined the UFC this year. The 33-year old from Brazil has a record of 8-1 with three knockouts and four wins via submission. Araujo is 5-4 and has a reach of 68 inches while fighting as an orthodox fighter. She knocked out Talita Bernardo in her UFC debut and Araujo decisioned veteran Alexis Davis in her second UFC fight.
Eye
+155
Araujo
-180
Odds were taken from BetOnline as of 12/12/19
This is a crossroad fight for Jessica Eye. After a terrible run at bantamweight, she has been able to build momentum before running into Valentina Shevchenko. Araujo made a statement in her octagon debut and she has takedown offense and defense to shut down Eye’s wrestling. Sure, Araujo showed many flaws and had trouble against Alexis Davis. However, I can’t find enough reasons to pick Jessica Eye here. I like Araujo’s power to be the key to this fight.
Prediction: Viviane Araujo
