UFC 165 takes place this weekend at Air Canada Centre in Toronto and while most of the buzz surrounding the event is about Jon Jones defending his light-heavyweight title against Alexander Gustafsson in the main event, there is also an exceptional preliminary card in store for the fans.
The prelims feature eight fights and seven Canadians, Here’s a breakdown and prediction for each of them.
Watch the UFC 165 preliminary card Saturday with four fights on sportsnet.ca starting at 6:00 p.m. ET / 3:00 p.m. PT then four additional bouts on Sportsnet 360 at 8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT – Broadcast Schedule
Myles Jury vs. Mike Ricci
The featured bout on the Sportsnet 360 prelims is a lightweight bout between the undefeated Myles Jury and Montreal’s Mike Ricci, and it’s a fight that should provide some awesome action for however long it lasts.
This is a solid matchup and the winner will take a big step up in the 155-pound division. And while Ricci will have the hometown edge here, I think Jury is the better overall mixed martial artist and I see him taking Ricci out with a TKO finish as he continues to move up the ladder and into title contention.
Prediction: Jury via TKO
Ivan Menjivar vs. Wilson Reis
Adopted Canadian Ivan Menjivar takes on UFC newcomer Wilson Reis in what should be a fun fight between two surprisingly young veterans of the sport.
This is going to be a close fight and while many believe Menjivar will steamroll Reis, I actually think you’ll see an upset here with Reis getting his hand raised after taking a judges’ decision.
Prediction: Reis via decision
Chris Clements vs. Stephen Thompson
Ontario’s Chris Clements returns after a year-plus-long injury layoff to take on Stephen (Wonderboy) Thompson in a battle between two of the best strikers in the 170-pound division.
This fight is going to be a war while it stays standing, but I think Thompson will use his newfound grappling skills to sneak in some takedowns late in rounds and win a competitive decision on the judges’ cards.
Prediction: Thompson via decision
Mitch Gagnon vs. Dustin Kimura
Mitch Gagnon of Sudbury, Ont., takes on Hawaiian Dustin Kimura in a battle of bantamweights on the rise.
This is going to be an exciting bout, but we’ve seen time and time again that Gagnon has issues with his cardio and Kimura showed in his UFC debut against Chico Camus that he can take fights into the deep waters.
Look for a fun fight here but I think Kimura wins it just like how he won his last fight – via third-round submission.
Prediction: Kimura via submission
Michel Prazeres vs. Jesse Ronson
Ontario’s Jesse Ronson makes his UFC debut on short notice as a late replacement for the injured Mark Bocek as he takes on Brazilian Michel Prazeres in one of the more underrated fights on the card.
I think Ronson is a terrific prospect and I see him absolutely owning Prazeres in this fight. He’s going to knock Prazeres out in vicious fashion, and he’s going to make a statement that he’s an absolute stud while doing so.
Prediction: Ronson via TKO
John Makdessi vs. Renee Forte
Canadian John Makdessi takes on Brazilian Renee Forte in a lightweight matchup that is one of the harder fights on the entire card to predict.
If Forte can get the takedowns, he can certainly steal a decision here, but I think Makdessi will be able to stuff the majority of his takedown attempts and keep the fight standing and outstrike his opponent en route to a decision win.
Prediction: Makdessi via decision
Roland Delorme vs. Alex Caceres
This is an exciting bantamweight bout between two fighters on nice little rolls as Manitoba’s Delorme of takes on Alex (Bruce LeRoy) Caceres.
This could be Fight of the Night and I expect it to be extremely, but I think at the end of the 15 minutes Caceres is going to get his hand raised by split decision as he continues moving up the 135-pound ladder.
Prediction: Caceres via decision
Nandor Guelmino vs. Daniel Omielanczuk
A heavyweight bout between two UFC newcomers opens the online prelims as Austria’s Guelmino takes on Poland’s Omielanczuk in a fight that will not go the distance.
Like many heavyweight bouts in MMA, this fight could go either way but I’ll say Omielanczuk gets the takedown and submits Guelmino with a choke in the first or second round.
Prediction: Omielanczuk via submission