We have an action-packed card tonight straight from the Midwest. In the main event we have former TUF Coach Justin Gaethje taking on rising star James Vick. Also, on the card we have veterans Michael Johnson, Jake Ellenberger, and Drew Dober looking to stay on top of their game with much needed wins tonight. Also, on this card is a lot of high level Jiu jitsu players that have won several IBJJF Pan Gi and No Gi championships. Along with a few Muay Thai experts on the card this card will be very exciting to watch. As always, we will turn to UFC Fight Pass for the Early Prelims to start off the contest.

 

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UFC Fight Pass Prelims 6:30pm

Rani Yahya 25-9 vs Luke Sanders 13-2

Rani has an incredible 19 submission and 6 decision wins. He is 9-2 in his last 11 fights. He has a notable win over Eddie Wineland. He holds a black belt in Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai. He is a 3 Time World Jiu Jitsu Champion. He is also a 2007 Abu-Dhabi world Jiu Jitsu Champion.

Luke has 7 KO/TKO 2 submissions and 4 decision wins. He has 6 1st round wins and 1 Performance of the night bonus. He is a former high school state wrestling champion. He has a well-rounded game.

Rani will look to take this fight to the ground. Despite all his Muay Thai experience he feels more comfortable on the ground. Luke needs to keep this fight standing. He needs to avoid any clinch work to prevent strikes as well as any takedowns that can occur. In the end I see Rani with another impressive submission win over Luke.

Drew Dober 19-8 vs Jon Tuck 10-4

Drew has 8 KO/TKO 5 submissions and 6 decision wins. He has won 4 of his last 5 fights. He has 6 1st round wins. He has a notable win over Jamie Varner. He is well versed in Muay Thai and likes to utilize the clinch a lot.

Jon has 4 KO/TKO 5 submissions and 1 decision wins. He has 8 1st round wins. All his submission victories come by way of rear naked choke. He has a black belt in Jiu Jitsu and is a 2010 Abu-Dhabi World Pro Champion.

This is going to be a very even match. Both have a solid standup game. Who ever takes whom to the ground 1st will have the advantage. Drew will need to use his Muay Thai and slow Jon down and control the tempo of the fight. Jon will look for another quick and fast win. Look for him for a big takedown followed up with a dominate position and looking for a submission. I see this fight going the distance and Tuck with a win.

Joanne Calderwood 11-3 vs Kalindra Faria 18-7-1

Joanne has 5 KO/TKO and 6 decision wins. She has 3 1st round wins. She is on a 2-fight losing streak. Heavy striking background. Was the World, European and British Muay Thai Champion at one point in her career. Likes to get into the clinch.

Kalindra has 7 KO/TKO 5 submissions and 6 decision wins. She has 7 1st round wins. Has won 3 of her last 5 fights. She as well is on a 2-fight losing streak. Has faced Claudia Gadelha, and Jessica Aguilar. She is very fast with her striking.

This will be a fight that will be decided on their feet. Both have a solid striking background, although Kalindra has more of a well-rounded ground game. Joanne will need to keep control of the fight and distance to be successful. Kalindra’s best chance in a win will be to take the fight to the ground and gain a dominate position and submit her opponent. In the end I see Kalindra coming out on top.

 

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PRELIMS FOX SPORTS 2 8:00PM

Mickey Gall 4-1 vs George Sullivan 17-6

Mickey’s 4 wins all come by way of rear naked choke, 3 of which came in the 1st round. He has wins over Sage Northcutt and CM Punk. He is a high-level grappler and has won numerous grappling events. He has a brown belt in Jiu Jitsu.

George has 11 KO/TKO and 6 decision wins. He has 5 1st round wins. Has won 9 of his last 11 fights. He has a great takedown defense, and a heavy kickboxing background.

This will be a very tough fight for Mickey. He has not face someone like this with this much experience. He must take the fight to the ground. He can’t win this fight on his feet. George will look to stop Mickey’s takedown and utilize his standup game. I see Gorge winning with a KO tonight

Andrew Sanchez 10-4 vs Markus Perez 10-1

Andrew has 6 wins by KO/TKO 2 submissions and 2 decisions. He has 4 1st round wins. He has won 5 of his last 7 and has a 2-fight losing streak. He was on Team Claudia on TUF 23. Was a 2 Time College National Wrestling Champ. Also, is an IBJJF World Champ and a 2-time IBJJF Gi and No Gi Pans Champ.

Markus has 3 KO/TKO 4 submissions and 3 decisions. He has 5 1st round wins. He has a brown belt in Jiu Jitsu and has a win over Paulo Thiago.

This fight will be decided on the ground. Both have a well-rounded game but are more comfortable on the ground. Andrew will use a lot of pressure and keep control of Markus. Markus needs to try and end the fight fast. He will be a little overwhelmed on the bottom. In the end I see Andrew with another win.

Cory Sandhagen 8-1 vs Iuri Alcantara 35-9

Cory has 3 KO/TKO 2 submission and 3 decisions. He is on a 3-fight win streak. He has 4 1st round wins. Holds a brown belt in Jiu Jitsu. He is also undefeated as a kickboxer.

Iuri has 14 KO/TKO 14 submissions and 7 decisions. Has won 7 of his last 11. Has a black belt in Jiu Jitsu. He is a 5-time State Muay Thai Champ in Brazil. Has wins over Brad Pickett and Ricardo Lamas. Has a loss against Uriah Faber.

Should be a great fight. Iuri has a ton of fighting experience that will prove to be a challenge for Cory. Both are very well rounded. Iuri will use his experience to control the fight and tempo. Cory needs to be fast and aggressive and push the pace the whole time. I can see an upset and Cory getting a win tonight.

 James Kruse 23-8 vs Warlley Alves 13-2

James has 6 KO/TKO 14 submissions and 3 decision wins. He has 16 1st round wins. Has won 4 of his last 5. He has a black belt in Jiu Jitsu. He has wins over Daron Cruickshank, Jamie Varner, and Sam Stout. He has losses to Jorge Masvidal and Donald Cerrone. He has a fight of the night and a submission of the night bonus.

Warlley has 2 KO/TKO 7 submissions and 4 decision wins. He has 4 1st round wins. He is on a 2-fight losing streak. He was the TUF Brazil 3 winner. Is a 3-time kickboxing champion. Has wins over Colby Covington and Alan Jouban. Has a performance of the night bonus.

Should be an exciting fight. Both are evenly matched in terms of fight abilities. I expect to see a good mixture of ground and standup in this fight. James will push the pace and try to end the fight early. Warlley needs to wear down James and take the fight into the later rounds. In the end I see James with another win tonight.

 

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Main Card Fox Sports 1:10pm

Eryk Anders 10-1 vs Tim Williams 15-4

Eryk has 6 KO/TKO 1 submission and 3 decision wins. He has 6 1st round wins. He is a NCAAF Champion with the University of Alabama. Is an IBJJF No Gi Pans silver and bronze medalist. Is a Golden Gloves Boxing champ. Is coming off a decision loss against former champ Lyoto Machida.

Tim has 2 KO/TKO 9 submissions and 4 decision wins. He has 5 1st round wins. Has won 5 of his last 6 fights. He has wins over Nah-Shon Burrell and Ron Stallings. Was on TUF Team Penn with team mate Anton Berzin. Has a black belt in Jiu Jitsu. Has a great wrestling background. Trains with many of the Philly and South Jersey Fighters like Anton Berzin, Eddie Alvarez, and Frankie Edgar.

Should be a great fight. Eryk has to watch himself on the ground. Tim is a very dangerous and sneaky player. He needs to keep the fight standing as much as he can. Tim’s last fight ended fast with a KO, so Eryk should look to do the same. Tim needs to get to the clinch and take the fight to the ground. With such a great grappling background, he needs to get a submission win. In the end I see this fight going the distance and Tim with a win.

John Moraga 19-6 vs Deiveson Figueiredo 14-0

John has 3 KO/TKO 8 submissions and 8 decision wins. He has 6 1st round wins. Is a former Arizona State University wrestler. Is on a 3-fight win streak. 2 Time All-American University Freestyle Wrestler. Notable wins against Wilson Reis and Justin Scoggins. Lost in the 5th round to former champ Demetrious Johnson.

Deiveson has 7 KO/TKO 5 submissions and 2 decisions. He has 8 1st round wins. Has a wrestling and boxing background. Relatively unknown fighter.

Deiveson needs to keep this fight standing. John is a far superior grappler than he is. He needs to rely on his striking abilities and look for a KO. John needs to get the fight to the ground as soon as possible and stay away from his opponent’s power. He needs to have a lot of pressure on him and keep him on the mat. In the end I see Deiveson still undefeated.

Bryan Barberena 13-5 vs Jake Ellenberger 31-14

Bryan has 9 KO/TKO 2 submissions and 2 decision wins. He has 3 1st round wins. Has won 10 of his last 13 fights. Notable wins over Sage Northcutt and his opponents twin brother Joe Ellenberger. Excellent striking abilities. Prefers to stay on his feet.

Jake has 19 KO/TKO 6 submissions and 6 decision wins. He has 14 1st round wins. Six of his last 10 wins have been KO. Has won 10 of his last 19 fights. Has wins over Josh Koscheck, Nate Marquardt, Diego Sanchez and Jake Shields. He has 2 Performance of the night, 1 Fight of the night, and 1 KO of the night bonuses.

Jake is fighting in his hometown and looking to avenge his brother’s loss. Jake has a ton of experience. He is well versed and will look to end this fight by any means he can. Most likely I see him trying to punish his opponent. Bryan needs to push the pace and not let Jake have any moments of rest. If he can beat Jake this would elevate his career fast. In the end I see the wily vet Jake with another win to add to his impressive career.

Angela Hill 8-4 vs Cortney Casey 7-5

Angela has 3 KO/TKO 5 decision wins. She has 1 1st round win. Was a member of Team Melendez on TUF 20. Has won 6 of her last 8 fights. She was 14-0 as an amateur and 2-0 as a pro Muay Thai fighter. Is the former Invicta FC Strawweight Champ. Likes to use clinch work.

Cortney has 3 KO/TKO  3 submission and 1 decision wins. She has 6 1st round wins. She has a brown belt in Jiu Jitsu. She has notable wins over Jessica Aguilar and Randa Markos. Great ground game.

This is a striker vs grappler matchup. Angela needs to keep the fight standing and use her clinch work to end the fight. Cortney will look to get the fight on the ground fast. She has a great ground and pound game. This will be an exciting fight between these ladies and I see it going all 3 rounds to the judges with Cortney with a win.

Michael Johnson 18-12 vs Andre Fili 18-5

Michael has 8 KO/TKO 2 submissions and 8 decision wins. Has 8 1st round wins. Was a member of Team GSP for TUF 12. Has a great wrestling background and looks for big takedowns. He has wins over Dustin Poirier, Joe Lauzon, and Edson Barboza. He has 1 performance of the night, 2 fight of the night and 1 KO of the night bonuses. He is on a 3-fight losing streak.

Andre has 8 KO/TKO 3 submissions and 7 decision wins. He has 6 1st round wins and is on a 2-fight win streak. He has wins over Dennis Bermudez, and Artem Lobov. He has 1 performance of the night bonus. Very well-rounded fighter. Can really mix it up with anyone he faces.

Great match for both guys. Andre is a up and coming UFC guy and really looking to make an impact. A win over the vet Johnson will help him. He needs to keep the fight fast paced and wear down Johnson. He will also need to ride the momentum he has with his win streak. Michael needs a win very badly. He needs to stay aggressive and stay engaged with his opponent. His best chance of victory is to take the fight to the ground and control and ground and pound Andre. In the end I see Andre with another win over a UFC Vet.

 

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Main Event

Justin Gathje 18-2 vs James Vick 13-1

Justin has 15 KO/TKO 1 submission and 2 decision wins. He has 6 1st round wins. He is on a 2-fight losing streak which were losses to Dustin Poirier and Eddie Alvarez. He has wins over UFC Vets Michael Johnson and Melvin Guillard. He was a Division 1 All American Wrestler. He has big and explosive takedowns. He has 3 Fight of the night and 1 performance of the night bonuses.

James has 3 KO/TKO 5 submissions and 5 decisions. He has 6 1st round wins. Is on a 4-fight win streak. He has wins over Francisco Trinaldo and Joe Duffy. Was a team member on Team Cruz for TUF Live. Was a 2-time Golden Gloves Boxing Champ in the open division. He has 1 performance of the night bonus.

Should be an amazing fight between 2 young upcoming fighters. Another classic wrestler vs striker. Justin has lots of KO power, but his grappling is amazing as well. He will look for those big takedowns and try and ground and pound James. He will look to rebound from his 2-fight losing streak. James will look to use his boxing skills and be very technical. He can get the job down on the ground but with his opponent being a dominate wrestler it will be no easy job. I see this fight going back and forth between both fighters and standing and ground work. It will go the distance and Justin will come out on top.

Optimal Lineups

Cash Lineup

FIGHTERSALARY
SANDHAGEN$9,000  
GAETHJE $7,600
SANCHEZ$8,000
YAHYA$8,300
CALDERWOOD$8,800
TUCK$7,300

GPP Lineup

FIGHTERSALARY
WILLIAMS$6,500
GALL$9,200
ELLENBERGER$6,700
ALVER$9,300
FILI$7,500
VICK$8,600