Ufc Fight Night 118 Predictions

Oct 20, 2017 UFC Fight Night 118 airs tomorrow on FightPass. Every now and then I like to break out of news mode and see how much I can embarrass myself by making fight predictions. We typically allow fight fan and friend of our site Devon Sawa to handle the big PPV cards, but I’m going to handle this one. Oct 20, 2017 UFC FIGHT 118: Harris’s preview & predictions for Cerrone vs. Till, Kowalkiewicz vs. Esquibel, Blachowicz vs. Clark, Piechota vs. Wilson BY JOHN HARRIS, MMATorch Contributor October 20, 2017. Oct 20, 2017 The Octagon heads to Gdansk, Poland, on Saturday, October 21, for UFC Fight Night 118. The event will kick off the final flurry of action in 2017, with 11 events scheduled between today and New.

UFC Fight Night 117 takes place at the Ergo Arena in Gdansk, Poland. Darren Till puts his undefeated record on the line when he steps into the cage against UFC veteran and fan favorite, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in the main event.

The co-main event takes place in the women’s strawweight division where Poland’s own, Karolina Kowalkiewicz will look to put a halt to a two-fight skid against UFC newcomer Jodie Esquibel.

The main card also includes another native of Poland as Jan Blachowicz steps into the cage opposite Devin Clark and Polish born Oskar Piechota makes his promotional debut against Jonathan Wilson.

Ufc Fight Night 118 Predictions Bleacher Report

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Here are the current odds and my predictions for each fight.

Note: The predictions in this column do not necessarily mean that I will be betting them. I have changed my mind in the past and gone the other way after conducting more research. For all of my official bets follow me on Twitter @FightChampBlog. You can also find all of my official MMA bets at betmmatips.com. For more information on my MMA bets go to thefightingchampion.com.

Main Card

Donald Cerrone (32-9, 1 NC) vs. Darren Till (15-0-1) – Welterweight 170 lbs.

Current Odds: Cerrone -155; Till +125

Pick: Cerrone by submission

Karolina Kowalkiewicz (10-2) vs. Jodie Esquibel (6-2) – Strawweight 115 lbs.

Current Odds: Kowalkiewicz -500; Esquibel +370

Pick: Kowalkiewicz by decision

Jan Blachowicz (19-7) vs. Devin Clark (8-1) – Light Heavyweight 205 lbs.

Current Odds: Clark -155; Blachowicz +125

Pick: Clark by decision

Oskar Piechota (9-0) vs. Jonathan Wilson (7-2) – Middleweight 185 lbs.

Current Odds: Piechota -200; Wilson +160

Pick: Piechota by TKO

Prelims

Marcin Held (22-7) vs. Nasrat Haqparast (8-1) – Lightweight 155 lbs.

Current Odds: Held -385; Haqparast +295

Pick: Held by submission

Damian Stasiak (10-4) vs. Brian Kelleher (17-8) – Bantamweight 135 lbs.

Current Odds: Kelleher -120; Stasiak -110

Pick: Kelleher by decision

Sam Alvey (31-9, 1 NC) vs. Ramazan Emeev (15-3) – Light Heavyweight 185 lbs.

Current Odds: Emeev -170; Alvey +140

Pick: Emeev by TKO

Artem Lobov (14-13-1, 1 NC) vs. Andre Fili (16-5) – Featherweight 145 lbs.

Current Odds: Fili -185; Lobov +155

Pick: Fili by decision

Salim Touahri (10-1) vs. Warlley Alves (11-2) – Welterweight 170 lbs.

Ufc Fight Night 118 Predictions Live

Current Odds: Alves -305; Touahri +245

Pick: Alves by submission

Lina Lansberg (7-2) vs. Aspen Ladd (5-0) – Bantamweight 135 lbs.

Current Odds: Ladd -270; Lansberg +215

Pick: Ladd by decision

Felipe Arantes (18-7-1, 2 NC) vs. Josh Emmett (11-0) – Featherweight 145 lbs.

Current Odds: Emmett -325; Arantes +255

Pick: Emmett by TKO

Enjoy the fights!

NOW CHECK OUT THIS ARTICLE: UFC FIGHT 118: Harris’s preview & predictions for Cerrone vs. Till, Kowalkiewicz vs. Esquibel, Blachowicz vs. Clark, Piechota vs. Wilson

UFC Fight Night 118 airs tomorrow on FightPass

Every now and then I like to break out of news mode and see how much I can embarrass myself by making fight predictions. We typically allow fight fan and friend of our site Devon Sawa to handle the big PPV cards, but I’m going to handle this one. So without further adieu, here are who I feel will be victorious in Poland, and how.

Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone vs. Darren Till

Donald Cerrone (32-9) is one of the most popular fighters in the UFC. He’s not only popular because of how often he fights, but how he chooses to do so. He steps in and throws down, with little fear of consequence. He enters this fight on what is a rare slump. He’s lost two consecutive fights to Robbie Lawler and Jorge Masvidal. He is looking to rebound against Till, someone who Donald says he didn’t even recognize until fight week.

Darren Till (15-1) is a young up and coming fighter with a massive upside. He’s 3-0 since coming to the UFC, however, a fight with Cerrone marks a MASSIVE upgrade in difficulty. His strength of schedule is pretty low, as opposed to Cerrone who has been in with every top name fighter at Lightweight and Welterweight.

Darren Till has been very brash in regards to this fight. He sees it as he has little lost and a ton to gain with a victory. That said, if he steps in and is knocked out by Cerrone, it’s going to set him back. Cerrone is much more seasoned and I see him winning this one by submission. Cerrone might have to weather the early storm, but I see him hurting Till on his feet, and taking him to the canvas where he holds a massive advantage. I’m going with Donald Cerrone via Submission in Round 2.

Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Jodie Esquibel

Karolina Kowalkiewicz (10-2) is entering this fight on a two-fight losing skid. She lost to Joanna Champion as well as Claudia Gadelha. Karolina definitely needs a big win here, or she could find herself on the outside looking in in terms of the Strawweight division. She has good hands and championship experience. Not to mention she’s fighting in her home country of Poland.

Jodie Esquibel (6-2) is making her UFC debut here and is doing so in hostile territorial She has been on the Invicta roster and split her last two fights. She defeated DeAnna Bennett and lost to Alexa Grasso. She’s a talented fighter and has the potential to develop into a contender.

Even though I feel she can become a contender, doesn’t mean I think she can win this fight. She’s jumping into the deep end of the pool and could be overwhelmed here. Karolina is an active striker, and I feel like she will control the pace and dictate how the fight takes place. I expect to win this fight in pretty dominant style. She will win all three rounds, and might even hang up a 10-8. Karolina Kowalkiewicz via Unanimous Decision.

Jan Błachowicz vs. Devin Clark

Jan Blochowicz (19-7) is another fighter who is fighting in his homeland this weekend. He’s a tough fighter, known for his grit and toughness. He’s lost four of his last five fights and has plummeted in the rankings. If he were to lose this fight as well, he’d run the very serious risk of getting a pink slip.

Devin Clark (8-1) has won two in a row heading into this fight. He was part of Dana White’s Looking for a Fight series but lost his debut in the UFC to Alex Nicholson. He has a lot of positives, but he isn’t known to have elite striking or submissions. He’s got experience in wrestling from high school and college and brings it to the cage with him.

This fight is a tough one for me to pick. I think we’ll have a wild first round, with one or both men getting dropped. However, by the second round, I think Jan could be gassed, and Clark could start to control the action. In the end, I think Clark might get the finish, but more than likely Jan’s toughness is enough to go the distance. Devin Clark by Unanimous Decision.

Jonathan Wilson vs. Oskar Piechota

Jonathan Wilson (7-2) Jonathan is a talented fighter who has lost two fights in a row coming into this fight. Wilson used to fight at heavyweight but debuted in the UFC at Light Heavyweight. He’s gone 1-2 since joining the UFC defeating Chris Dempsey at Fight Night 73 in less than a minute. He has heavy hands and loves to throw him.

Oskar Piechota (9-0) is yet another Polish fighter on this card. He’s making his UFC debut here and brings to the Octagon a perfect record consisting of all victories via stoppage. He is a violent fighter and will be looking to debut in a big way in front of his home fans. He has the ability to hurt you standing and on the ground.

Ufc Fight Night 118 Predictions Straight Up

This is likely going to be a fun fight while it lasts. I’m pretty sure this one won’t go the distance. Expect a firefight until someone drops to the mat. I’m leaning towards it being Wilson who hits the canvas. Going with Oskar Piechota via 2nd Round TKO.