UFC Vegas 62 predictions: Early ‘Prelims’ undercard preview | Grasso vs. Araujo

Deadly Flyweight strikers look to punch their tickets into title competition this Saturday (Oct. 15, 2022) when Alexa Grasso and Viviane Araujo sq. off inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. ESPN+ can even host Cub Swanson’s Bantamweight debut in opposition to Jonathan Martinez, in addition to a pivotal Flyweight battle between grappling aces Askar Askarov and Brandon Royval.

UFC Vegas 62 options eight “Prelims” undercard bouts this weekend, which we’ve cut up into two piece for ease of perusal. Let’s get cracking …

LIVE! Stream UFC Vegas 62 On ESPN+

FLYWEIGHT FRACAS! Final Preventing Championship (UFC) returns to UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sat., Oct. 15, 2022, with an intriguing ladies’s Flyweight contenders’ bout that can see No. 5-ranked Alexa Grasso and No. 6-seeded Viviane Araujo look to make an announcement of their first-ever UFC primary occasion. In UFC Vegas 62’s co-main occasion, all-action Bantamweight veterans collide as Cub Swanson faces Jonathan Martinez contained in the Octagon.

Don’t miss a single second of face-punching action!

135 lbs.: Raphael Assuncao vs. Victor Henry

An 11-1 run — the only real loss coming to T.J. Dillashaw — had World Excessive Cagefighting (WEC) veteran Raphael Assuncao (27-9) knocking on the door of title competition. 4 consecutive losses adopted, and he enters the cage this Saturday winless within the final 4 years.

He stands two inches shorter than Victor Henry (22-5) and provides up two inches of attain.

“La Mangosta” rode an 8-1 run into his Octagon debut, which he entered as an enormous underdog in opposition to harmful veteran Raoni Barcelos. Regardless of dropping the primary spherical, Henry’s stress finally turned the tide and earned him a unanimous determination win.

He’s submitted eight skilled opponents and knocked out one other six.

One of the best case state of affairs for Assuncao is that he simply can’t deal with elite-level competitors anymore. All 4 of the boys he misplaced to in his present skid are extraordinarily harmful, or at the very least they have been on the time. We will’t positively say how he’ll do in opposition to middle-of-the-pack guys like Henry.

Factor is, Assuncao’s 40 years outdated and it’s been ages since he confirmed even a flash of the potent counter-striking that made him such a risk up to now. Henry’s constant, high-volume stress labored in opposition to a youthful, extra instantly harmful counter specialist in Barcelos, and it must be simply as efficient right here. In the long run, he out-works Assuncao to a transparent unanimous determination win.

Prediction: Henry through unanimous determination

115 lbs.: Piera Rodriguez vs. Sam Hughes

Piera Rodriguez (8-0) adopted her LFA title-winning knockout of Svetlana Gotsyk with a dominant determination win over Valesca Machado on Contender Collection. Her efforts earned her a UFC contract, which “La Fiera” broke in by beating Kay Hansen in her debut.

5 of her skilled victories have come by knockout.

Sam Hughes (7-1) — a former LFA title challenger — struggled her technique to a winless (0-3) UFC begin. Leaning on her wrestling seems to have been the adjustment she wanted, nevertheless, and he or she steps into the cage within the midst of a two-fight profitable streak.

“Sampage” is the taller girl by two inches.

I feel I’m accomplished underestimating Hughes. She confirmed spectacular resilience in opposition to Istela Nunes and regarded higher than ever in opposition to Elise Reed, searching down the fleet-of-foot striker and totally mauling her on the mat. That renewed concentrate on wrestling ought to serve her effectively right here, as Rodriguez struggled off her again within the opening spherical of her combat with Hansen.

Although Rodriguez did find yourself turning the tables, Hughes is ostensibly a extra technically sound takedown artist than Hansen and appears to get stronger because the combat goes on. Rodriguez additionally lacks the firepower to place down Hughes for good, so anticipate Hughes’ aggression and fixed wrestling assault to hold her to an more and more one-sided determination.

Prediction: Hughes through unanimous determination

125 lbs.: Tatsuro Taira vs. C.J. Vergara

Tatsuro Taira (11-0) amassed an ideal (9-0) newbie report earlier than turning professional in 2018 and making his identify beneath the Shooto banner. He made his UFC debut in Could 2022, dominating two-time Contender Collection veteran Carlos Candelario for a large determination win.

5 of his eight skilled stoppage wins have come by submission.

An upset knockout of The Final Fighter (TUF): Brazil veteran Bruno Korea earned C.J. Vergara (10-3-1) a UFC debut in opposition to Ode Osbourne, who out-lasted the Texan to assert a unanimous determination victory. He then took on one other Contender Collection graduate, Kleydson Rodriguez, profitable a extremely controversial cut up determination at UFC 274.

He faces a one-inch peak drawback and a two-inch attain drawback.

Greater than the rest, this can be a check of Taira’s combat IQ. He’s an absolute wizard on the mat, however is commonly keen to eschew takedowns in favor of buying and selling fingers. Although he’s an adept striker — as we noticed in that masterclass in opposition to Candelario — this might simply enable Vergara to sway the judges with uncooked aggression as he did in what was, frankly, a transparent loss to Rodriguez.

I’ve been burned earlier than by Japanese grappling aces failing to really use their grappling, however I’ll be an optimist this time. In brief, Taira holds his personal on the toes and mixes in common takedowns till he finds Vergara’s again and chokes his lights out.

Prediction: Taira through second spherical submission

170 lbs.: Mike Jackson vs. Pete Rodriguez

The ignominious UFC debut for Mike Jackson (1-1) noticed him tapped in 45 seconds by Mickey Gall, and a failed drug check overturned his win over C.M. Punk two years later. It could be almost 4 extra years earlier than “The Fact” once more set foot within the Octagon, strolling away with a disqualification victory over Dean Barry.

He stands 5 inches taller than Pete Rodriguez (4-1) and boasts a three-inch attain benefit.

Rodriguez adopted a 7-2 newbie run with 4 straight knockouts in Jorge Masvidal’s iKon Preventing Federation. He subsequently stepped up on quick discover to combat Contender Collection graduate, Jack Della Maddalena, who knocked out “Lifeless Sport” halfway by way of the primary spherical.

Three of his 4 knockout wins got here in lower than 90 seconds.

This actually seems like an apology to Rodriguez for letting a monster like Della Maddalena use his head as a pace bag. I’m not saying he’s a world-beater or that Jackson can’t combat, however Jackson has all the time been a extra achieved photographer than blended martial artist. Even Rodriguez’s rudimentary slugging must be greater than enough to hold him previous a part-time fighter who couldn’t even impress in opposition to Punk.

Outdoors of one other weird state of affairs just like the Barry combat, the one possible means I can see Jackson popping out on prime is Rodriguez gassing himself out, which isn’t out of the query in opposition to a man who’s by no means fought for longer than 10 minutes. It appears likelier that Rodriguez simply brawls his technique to a first-round stoppage.

Prediction: Rodriguez through first spherical technical knockout

4 extra UFC Vegas 62 “Prelims” bouts stay to preview and predict, together with a possible slugfest between Mana Martinez and Brandon Davis. Identical time tomorrow, Maniacs.

Keep in mind that MMAmania.com will ship LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow protection of your complete UFC Vegas 62 combat card proper here, beginning with the ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, that are scheduled to start at 4 p.m. ET, then the remaining primary card stability (on ESPN+) at 7 p.m. ET.

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