UFC 248 Prelims Undercard Betting Odds and Predictions

The UFC puts two belts on the line this Saturday, March 7, 2020, at UFC 248 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero dispute the UFC middleweight title in the main event while Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk fight for the UFC women’s strawweight belt in the co-main event. The main card also features notable veterans like Beneil Dariush, Neil Mangy, and Alex Oliveira. The Prelims Undercards aren’t as star-studded but the bouts are well-matched and we’re going to see fireworks even before the main card starts.

Let’s take a look at the prelims bouts and preview each one of them so you will know which fighters to pick on Saturday night. Read on:

Sean O’ Malley vs Jose Alberto Quinonez

Sean O’Malley was featured in Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series where he won by knockout. The 25-year old from Montana was awarded a UFC contract after knocking out Alred Khashakyan in that show. O’Malley fought for the Intense Fighting Championship before coming over to the UFC. He is undefeated at 10-0 with six knockouts and one win by submission. Sugar stands 5-11 tall with a reach of 72 inches and is a switch hitter.

Jose Alberto Quinonez was a finalist at The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 1 reality show. The 29-year old from Mexico lost to Alejandro Perez in the finals and joined the UFC afterward. The former Fight Club Mexico veteran has won five out of his last six fights since his loss to Perez at UFC 180. His overall record stands at 8-3 with two knockouts and one win by submission. El Tico is 5-8 tall with a reach of 69 inches.

O’Malley is taller by three inches and rangier by three inches as well. He is also the more powerful striker between the two. Quinonez relies heavily on his takedowns but against an opponent who has good wrestling and scrambling skills, it’s going to be a tough assignment for El Tico. O’Malley should be able to deal with Quinonez’s takedowns and he should keep this fight on the feet or get it right back up if it goes to the mat. Quinonez is going to eat plenty of power punches here. One of them could end this fight abruptly.

Prediction: Sean O’Malley

Mark Madsen vs Austin Hubbard

Mark Madsen is a former Olympic silver medalist in wrestling and a four-time medalist at the World Wrestling Championships. The 35-year old Danish mixed martial artist fought for European MMA and Cage Fights before joining the UFC in 2019. He made his octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 160 and won by knockout. Madsen has a record of 9-0 with three knockouts and three wins by submission. He stands 5-8 tall with a reach of 72 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

Austin Hubbard fought for Caged Aggression and LFA before joining the promotion in 2019. He lost to Devi Ramos in his UFC debut and then defeated Kyle Prepolec in his second UFC bout. The former LFA champion heads to this fight with a record of 11-3 with four knockouts and two wins by submission. Hubbard is 5-10 with a reach of 71 inches and is an orthodox fighter. The 28-year old fights out of Elevation Fight Team where he works out with the likes of Neil Magny and Justin Gaethje.

I don’t think that Madsen has improved the other parts of his game but I also think that his wrestling will be enough to win this bout. The former Olympic silver medalist in wrestling has frantic entries and the top game will make it difficult for Hubbard. Thud should struggle to stay on his feet here and Madsen is going to grind out a tough win on the ground. I’ll take Madsen’s pedigree over Hubbard here.

Prediction: Mark Madsen

Rodolfo Vieira vs Saparbeg Safarov

Rodolfo Vieira is one of the most decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners in the UFC. The 30-year old from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil is a four-time BJJ world champion and a seven-time World Cup champion. The 2015 ADCC world champion transitioned to MMA in 2016 and racked up a 5-0 record when he was signed by the UFC. Vieira won his UFC debut via triangle choke and he improved his overall record to 6-0 with one knockout and five submission victories. Vieira stands 6-0 tall with a reach of 73 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

Saparbeg Safarov fought for M-1 Global and Pro FC before joining the UFC. The 33-year old from Dagestan in Russia is a combat sambo and freestyle wrestling master. He lost his first two UFC bouts but bounced back to defeat Nicolae Negumereanu at UFC Fight Night 147 in March 2019. His record is 9-2 with six knockouts and two submission victories. Safarov stands 6-1 tall and has a reach of 78 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance.

This is Sararov’s first fight in nearly a year due to injury and it is also his middleweight debut so this is a lot for him already. The Russian has the size advantage but remember that Vieira is a monster and he started his MMA career at light heavyweight. Safarov also doesn’t have the power on his feet to take Vieira out nor does he have the skill to take it to the mat so I don’t like his chances in this fight. Whether Safarov tries to fight on his feet or decide to grapple on the ground, I think hat Vieira gets on his back and finds a way to choke out the Russian.

Prediction: Rodolfo Vieira

Gerald Meerschaert vs Deron Winn

Gerald Meerschaert is the former RFA middleweight champion who also fought for Titan FC and King of the Cage. The 32-year old from Wisconsin joined the UFC after winning the belt at RFA and he won four out of his first five bouts. He is 1-3 since then and although two of his losses during that period were by split decision. Meerschaert has a record of 29-12 with six knockouts and 21 wins by submission. GM3 stands 6-1 with a reach of 77 inches and is a southpaw.

Deron Winn is a veteran of LFA, URCC, and Bellator. The 30-year old from the American Kickboxing Academy defeated Eric Spicely in his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 154 but lost his next fight to Darren Steward via split decision. Winn is 6-1 with four knockouts. He stands 5-6 tall and has a reach of 70 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. He lands an average of 6.6 significant strikes per minute but also absorbs 5.5 significant strikes per minute.

Meerschaert has been inconsistent as of late but his last two losses have been close, even questionable. If Winn’s strike defense hasn’t improved since his loss to Darren Stewart, I think we’ll see Winn fade late in the fight. Meerschaert fights with volume stikes and he has the reach advantage here. I don’t think Winn can handle those. Five months won’t be enough to improve Winn’s defense and I think he will be outstruck and outclassed here. Add his weight issues and I think Meerschaert takes the victory here.

Prediction: Gerald Meershcaert

Emily Whitmire vs Polyana Viana

Emily Whitmire participated in The Ultimate Fighter 26 TV series and was signed by the UFC after the show. The 28-year old from Portland, Oregon lost to Roxanne Modafferi in the quarterfinals of the TUF 26 contest and dropped a fight to Gillian Anderson in the finale of the show. Whitmire has a record of 4-3 with one win via submission. She stands 5-5 tall with a reach of 63 inches.

Polyana Viana fought under Jungle Fight before signing with the UFC. She submitted Maia Stevenson in her UFC debut but has since dropped her last three bouts. In her last bout, Viana was submitted by Veronica Mercado at UFC Fight Night 156. She has a record of 10-4 with four knockouts and six submission victories. She stands 5-5 tall with a reach of 67 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

Although she has lost three fights in a row, Viana has the tools to win this fight. She is a very good submission artist who also has a 3.5 advantage in reach over Whitmire. Whitmire’s wrestling and submission defense have failed her in the past and it’s most probably going to fail her again versus a decorated submission artist like Viana. Nine of Viana’s ten stoppage wins have come inside round one so she is a fast starter. I think she comes up with an early submission win here.

Prediction: Polyana Viana

Jamall Emmers vs Giga Chikadze

Pretty Boy Jamall Emmers fought in the West Coast regional scene before appearing in Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018. He also fought for LFA and is on a four-fight winning streak since his loss to Julian Erosa in the Contender Series two years ago. Emmers stands 5-10 with a reach of 74 inches and is an orthodox fighter. He has a record of 17-4 with seven knockouts and three wins by submission.

Giga Chikadze put up five consecutive wins at Gladiator Challenge before appearing in Dana White’s Contender Series Season 2, Episode 2. He lost to Austin Springer and returned to Gladiator Challenger before finally getting signed by the UFC in 2019. He defeated Brandon Davis via split decision in his octagon debut. Chikadze is 8-2 with five knockouts and two wins by submission. He is 6-0 tall with a reach of 74 inches and fights out of the orthodox stance.

Chikadze’s wrestling failed him in the Contender Series and it’s likely going to fail him against Emmers who is a decorated wrestler who possesses the skills to submit him on the ground. Emmers though tends to fight too much on his feet when he should take the fight to the mat. That could be Chikadze’s opportunity here but after his previous failures, I think that Emmers is going do what he does well. He drags Chikadze to the canvass and finished him via submission or ground and pound.

Prediction: Jamall Emmers

Danaa Batgerel vs Guido Cannetti

Danaa Batgerel is a product of Team Tungaa and hails from Mongolia. The 30-year old Legend FC and Mongol Fighting Championships before appearing at UFC Fight Night 157 where he lost to Heili Alateng. Storm is 5-7 tall and has a reach of 70 inches and is an orthodox fighter. He has a record of 7-2 with three knockouts and two wins by way of submission.

Guido Cannetti was a member of Team Werdum at The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America competition. He joined the UFC after the show and has posted an octagon record of 2-3. Cannetti lost to Marlon Vera in his most recent UFC bout at UFC Fight Night 140 way back in 2018. He stands 5-6 tall and has a reach of 68 inches and is a southpaw fighter. His record is 8-4 with three knockouts and three wins via submission.

This is a tough matchup for Cannetti because Batgerel can match him in every aspect of the game. He can withstand Cennetti’s flurries and then return fire with his own. Not to mention that the Mongolian is far more durable. Cannetti is also 40 years old and he has not fought in 16 months. There’s just too much going against Cannetti here to bet on him. I’ll take Danaa here.

Prediction: Danaa Batgerel

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