Jason Burgos
Get a round of bold UFC predictions for the promotion’s UFC Vegas 80 card this Saturday.
After a week away, the MMA world leader is back in action with an event led by an interesting matchup at lightweight. Grant Dawson has quietly been one of the more underrated talents in the division as he’s racked up an impressive 8-0-1 record in the company. Now, he gets his stiffest test yet in 45-fight veteran Bobby Green. A fighter who has been a tough out for nearly every single opponent during his long career.
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The card from inside the UFC Apex will also feature the return of several established Octagon veterans, including Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Joaquin Buckley, Drew Dober, and Alexander Hernandez. With all of that in mind, let’s make some bold UFC predictions for this weekend’s event.
UFC predictions: 5 UFC Vegas 80 fighters getting Ws on Saturday
Grant Dawson (20-1-1) vs. Bobby Green (30-14-1)
If you like MMA it is hard not to be a fan of Bobby Green. He loves to strike and talk some trash while in the cage. If he had power in his skilled fists, he would be one of the bigger stars in the sport. Nevertheless, he has cultivated a solid fan base for always being down for a scrap. However, his February 2022 loss to current champion Islam Makhachev showed he can be wrestled into submission.
Dawson has dominated opponents with his stifling wrestling, and he has the solid standup game to properly set it all up, just like Makhachev. Expect a very similar fight and oddsmakers placing “KGD” as a pretty huge favorite says it all.
- UFC Vegas 80 odds: Dawson (-500), Green (+380)
- Prediction: Dawson by submission, Round 4
Alex Morono (23-8) vs. Joaquin Buckley (16-6)
Joaquin Buckley vs. Alex Morono is one of the bouts on the card with serious “fight of the night” potential. However, Morono will need to force “New Mansa” into an ugly, down-and-dirty fight to make that possible. That is definitely a real possibility due to Buckley’s own ego and bravado.
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Yet, if the talented striker competes with a focused and measured approach, he is far more athletically gifted and can make this bout much easier for himself. Look for Morono to put an early scare in Buckley and make him wisen up to use a distance approach to slowly pick his foe apart over time and get the W.
- Odds: Morono (+150), Buckley (-180)
- UFC Prediction: Buckley by TKO, Round 3
Joe Pyfer (11-2) vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan (12-5)
Middleweight prospect Joe Pyfer vs. veteran Abdul Razak Alhassan is a fun matchup of some seriously heavy hitters. So it truly is a fight where you can’t blink. The big question is who lands the big bomb first. Alhassan has struggled recently during his UFC run but he has taken losses to some rock-solid competition. Pyfer is a rising star on a hot streak.
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The oddsmakers have “Bodybagz” as a sizable favorite and our UFC predictions also expect another win to land him a third straight KO win.
- Odds: Pyfer (-375), Alhassan (+295)
- UFC Prediction: Pyfer by KO, Round 1
Drew Dober (26-12) vs. Ricky Glenn (22-7-2)
Knockout artist Drew Dober is one of the biggest favorites at UFC Vegas 80. Part of it is due to an inconsistent schedule for opponent Ricky Glenn during his recent career and struggling with strikers who are not quite as dangerous as Dober.
While this will be a fun fight for however long it lasts, expect Dober to eventually find the chin of Glen and score the 14th KO win over his career.
- Odds: Dober (-395), Glenn (+300)
- UFC Prediction: Dober by TKO, Round 2
Karolina Kowalkiewicz (15-7) vs. Diana Belbiţă (15-7)
Strawweight stalwart Karolina Kowalkiewicz seems to be in the midst of a career renaissance. After losing five straight and seeming to be on the brink of being handed a pink slip, the 37-year-old has won her last three. On Saturday night, she gets a young fan favorite that offers a favorable matchup for the one-time title challenger.
Diana Belbita is a solid competitor, but Kowalkiewicz has been in there with the best of the best and that will show at UFC Vegas 80. She won’t get a finish, but she will earn a fourth straight definitive victory in her surprising late-career hot streak.
- Odds: Kowalkiewicz (-155), Belbiţă (+130)
- UFC Prediction: Kowalkiewicz by unanimous decision
