UFC Fight Night 171 - Jacksonville Breakdown & Predictions
When is UFC Fight Night 171? Thursday 14th May, 2020 - 00:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Fight Night 171? VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, Florida
What channel is UFC Fight Night 171 on? BT Sport 2
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 171 BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ which can you sign up to here!
Are tickets still available for UFC Fight Night 171? https://www.ufc.com/tickets
Anthony Smith vs Glover Teixeira
Fight Nights are back in the midst of a global pandemic as Anthony Smith takes on Glover Teixeira.
Smith has not fought for nearly a year although he has had a tune-up fight against a home intruder. In seriousness, it was a frightening encounter and he will feel better getting after it in the octagon. Last time out, he put on on arguably the best performance of his career against Alexander Gustafsson where he submitted him in the fourth round at UFC Fight 153 and effectively retired the Swede.
At the ripe old age of 40, Teixeira remains active as he looks to keep up his 2019 momentum where bagged three wins – two submissions over Karl Roberson and Ion Cutelaba and a split decision over Nikita Krylov back in September.
PREDICTION
Two extremely tough fighters who rarely make a mistake are likely to put on a gritty battle. Although they are both natural finishers, their durability and experience could easily force this to the bell.
Smith will try and keep the fight at a distance and pick off Teixeira from range like Gustafsson did. However, he will not be deterred by the Brazilian’s clinch or going to the ground as he has some of the most underrated jiu-jitsu in the UFC. Wherever the fight goes, it should be fiercely competitive and, if a finish comes, it will be late.
Winner: Smith via Decision
Ben Rothwell vs Ovince Saint Preux
Ovince Saint Preux makes his debut at heavyweight and has been tasked with the rotund challenge of ‘Big’ Ben Rothwell.
Rothwell is fresh off his first win since January 2016 when he finished Stefan Struve at UFC on ESPN 7. It was his 28th knockout and came with great relief after losing his first two fights since serving his two-year ban for consuming a prohibited substance.
After his fights with Shamil Gamzatov and Ion Cutelaba both fell through due to the chaos surrounding Covid-19, Saint Preux is just hungry to fight even if that means taking on an opponent 60 lbs heavier. However, this is unlikely to be the start of a new chapter for Saint Preux especially as he is coming off a a dominant win and submission over Michal Oleksiejczuk.
PREDICTION
Despite the jump in weight, Saint Preux will not be under powered. He is a huge light heavyweight and will even have a slight reach advantage over Rothwell who is expected to weigh in around the limit of 265 lbs.
So, Rothwell will have the weight advantage, but Saint Preux is an extremely strong grappler and will welcome the fight to go to the ground, but the biggest difference will be the speed. Saint Preux should be too quick for Rothwell and inflict all the damage on the feet as long as he keeps moving. Rothwell is very durable so Saint Preux may not be able to knock him out but may hurt him enough to set up a submission.
Winner: Saint Preux via Submission
Alexander Hernandez vs Drew Dober
wo exceptional talents in the lightweight division look to build more momentum as Alexander Hernandez and Drew Dober look to make a dent in the stacked rankings.
After Hernandez’ slap or kick of reality back in January last year, he has bounced back into the win column with a hard-fought decision win over tough veteran Francisco Trinaldo. Hernandez had a reason to be cocky as he was riding an eight-fight winning streak but Donald Cerrone gave him a taste of the big time with a ruthless finish, and this will have been a steep learning curve.
Dober is only 31 but been around for a hot minute as he makes his 15th UFC appearance. Dober has looked sensational of late and after Beneil Dariush snapped his three-fight winning streak with a submission, Dober has proceeded to knock out his next two opponents – Marco Polo Reyes and Nasrat Haqparast.
PREDICTION
On paper, this is a very even contest between two dark horses in the division as they are both very well-rounded and explosive fighters. They are both strong grapplers but this could come down to who has the most output.
Winner: Hernandez via Decision
Ricky Simon vs Ray Borg
After failing to make the 125 lb mark for a third time in his last fight, Ray Borg has been forced back up to bantamweight and has a very tricky fight in the form of Ricky Simon.
Simon is in the unfamiliar territory of a two-fight losing streak. Firstly, he got finished by Urijah Faber, who came out of retirement in spectacular fashion, and then went on to lose a decision against Rob Font.
Borg still won his fight against Rogerio Bontorin - despite missing weight - with a unanimous decision to make it two in a row off the back of his win against Gabriel Silva back in July last year.
PREDICTION
This will all come down to the takedown defence of Simon. By looking at the takedown stats you would think Simon would be the one looking to utilise his wrestling but that is always Borg’s game plan and he is very efficient with it.
Simon is also an excellent striker and has a clear advantage over Borg so if he can keep him at a distance and prevent ending up on his back like he did in his last win against Rani Yahya, he should be able to take the control away from Borg.
Winner: Simon via Decision
Karl Roberson vs Marvin Vettori
After Karl Roberson and Marvin Vettori both had fights scrapped due to the postponement and restrictions caused by the current pandemic, they cross paths which should be a fantastic fight.
After a decision over Wellington Turman and a submission over Roman Kopylov, Roberson was scheduled to fight Makhmud Muradov at UFC 249 but he could not fly out due to travel restrictions.
Vettori was expected to fight Darren Stewart in London before UFC Fight Night 171 was cancelled. Fortunately, we will get to see the Italian back in action as he looks to build on his own two-fight winning streak (decisions over Cezar Ferreira and Andrew Sanchez).
PREDICTION
These two tough and powerful middleweights are expected to put on an attritional but exciting fight. Roberson is a beast with many tools in the locker as a top grappler and almost put Glover Teixeira away with his hands which very few of the elite have managed to do.
However, Vettori is also a beast and we have not seen the best of him yet. He should be able to take everything Roberson can throw at him. He can also grapple and is an excellent technical striker with a great chin. This will be competitive but Vettori gets the nod.