UFC FIGHT NIGHT 140: LIVE FROM ARGENTINA

This is the first time that the UFC has put a show on in Argentina. We have several debuts tonight, and they are looking to make a statement and put on a good showing. This is also a strong international card and there are fighters representing many countries. In the main event we have Neil Magny vs Santiago Ponzinbbio in what will be an exciting fight. These two guys like to throw down and always have exciting fights. In the co-main event we have another great match up. We have Ricardo Lamas vs Darren Elkins. Another great fight between two octagon vets who are looking to make their way to the top. We start off on UFC Fight pass for the Early Prelims.

FIGHT PASS EARLY PRELIMS 7:00pm EST

Nad Narimani 11-2 vs Anderson Dos Santos 19-6

Nad has two KO/TKO, five submissions, and four decision wins. He has four 1^st round wins and has a four-fight win streak. He has a boxing and grappling background.

Anderson has five KO/TKO, eleven submissions, and three decision wins. He has eleven 1^st round wins. He is on a two-fight win streak. Most of his submission are via guillotine choke.

Great way to start off the card. Anderson is a last-minute replacement and his debut with the UFC. Nad will look to soften up his opponent before he takes the fight to the ground. He needs to stay away from the dangerous submission game of Anderson. Anderson will look to take the fight to the ground and start working his submission game. Look for him to setup the guillotine early. In the end I see Anderson winning his debut via submission.

Devin Powell 9-3 vs Jesus Pinedo 15-4

Devin has three KO/TKO, three submissions, and three decision wins. He has six 1^st round wins. His last lose was a close decision lose to Drakkar Klose. He is a black belt in Jiu jitsu.

Jesus has seven KO/TKO, four submissions, and four decision wins. This is his UFC debut. He has ten 1^st round wins and has a six-fight win streak going.

This fight is a good matchup. Devin has a very solid well-rounded game. He needs to be cautious of his opponents striking abilities. He needs to take the fight to the ground and use his Jiu jitsu to wear his opponent down. Jesus will look to keep the fight mostly standing. I see him trying to wear his opponent down before he takes the fight to the ground. In the end I see Jesus winning his debut.

PRELIMS FS1 8:00pm EST

Laureano Staropoli 7-1 vs Hector Aldana 4-1

Laureano has five KO/TKO and two submissions. He has won his last five in a row. He has four 1^st round wins. This is his UFC debut.

Hector has two KO/TKO, one submission, and one decision win. He has two 1^st round wins. He is coming off his first lose. He was a member of Team Gastelum on TUF Latin America 2.

Good matchup between two guys stating off their careers. Laureano has devastating strikes and will look to use this to back his opponent up and work him against the cage. He has a solid Muay Thai background so look for some clinch work. Hector needs to get the fight to the ground and stay on top. If he stays on his feet he needs to be a counter puncher and let his opponent wear himself down by striking to much. In the end I see this going all three rounds and Hector with the win.

Humberto Bandenay 14-5 vs Austin Arnett 15-4

Humberto has five KO/TKO, six submissions, and three decision wins. He is 6-1 in his last seven fights He has seven 1^st round wins. He has a variety of submissions he can use.

Austin has six KO/TKO, six submissions, and three decision wins. He has ten 1^st round wins. He does have three losses in a row. He has great standup.

Solid fight. Humberto will look to soften up Austin and then take him to the ground. He will look for what every submission presents itself to him. Austin will need to remain calm and not fight with his losing streak in his head. He needs to make good choices when striking and pick his opponent off. In the end I see the fight going all three rounds and Humberto will get the nod.

Alexandre Pantoja 19-3 vs Ulka Sasaki 21-5-2

Alexandre has six KO/TKO, six submissions, and six decision wins. He has six 1^st round wins. He is 12-1 in his last thirteen fights. Was a member of Team Cejudo on TUF Tournament of Champion. Great hands and fast takedowns.  

Ulka has two KO/TKO, fourteen submissions, and seven decision wins. He has seven 1^st round wins. He has a win over Justin Scoggins. Wrestling and Jiu Jitsu background. He has two Performance of the night bonuses.

Another exciting fight. Alexandre is going to come out fast. He will look to push the pace. He should try and keep the fight standing and avoid the ground game of Ulka. Ulka will try and take the fight to the ground fast, and stat implementing his ground game. He will look for a quick submission. In the end I see Alexandre with a win via judge’s decision.

Michael Prazeres 25-2 vs Bartosz Fabinski 14-2

Michael has one KO/TKO, ten submission, and fourteen decision.  He is 9-1 in his last ten. He has seven wins in a row. He has wins over Desmond Green, and Zak Cummings. He has a 2^nd degree black belt in Jiu jitsu.  He has one Performance of the Night bonus.

Bartosz has eight KO/TKO and six decision wins. He is 10-1 on his last eleven fights. He has heavy hands. He likes to overwhelm his opponents with strikes.

Classic grappler vs striker style matches up. Michael needs to stay away from the power of Bartosz. Michael will work to get into a clinch and work a takedown and then work his Jiu jitsu. Bartosz will look to set up a big knockout. He needs to avoid any ground game. If it goes to the ground, he needs to stay on top and carefully throw strikes, so he doesn’t get caught in any type of submission. In the end I see Michael with another submission win.

MAIN EVENT FS1 – 10:00pm EST

Cynthia Calvillo 6-1 vs Poliana Botelho 7-1

Cynthia has two KO/TKO, two submissions, and two decision wins. She has a 1^st round win over Amanda Cooper. Her only lose was a decision lose to Carla Esparaza. She as a win over Joanne Calderwood.  She is a Muay Thai and Jiu jitsu practioner.

Poliana has six KO/TKO and one decision win. She has won her last five in a row. She has four 1^st round wins. She has a win over Pearl Gonzalez. She has a black belt in Muay Thai and a blue belt in Jiu Jitsu.

Great matchup. Cynthia missed weight at weigh ins and came in three pounds heavier and looked sick. This may affect her if she can’t get hydrated and feeling better. She will need to be very technical and stay away from the Thai clinch of Poliana. Poliana will look to press the action and get into the clinch and work knees and elbows. If the fight goes to the ground, its anyone’s game. The extra weight may help Cynthia out. But in the end, I see Poliana with another win.

Guido Cannetti 8-3 vs Marlon Vera 11-5-1

Guido has three KO/TKO, three submissions, and two decision wins. He is 3-2 in his last five fights. He has six 1^st round wins. He is fighting in his home country. He is a Muay Thai specialist. He has one Fight of the Night bonus.

Marlon has three KO/TKO, six submissions, and two decision wins. He is 4-2 in his last six fights. He has wins over Wuliji Buren and Brad Pickett. He holds a black belt in Jiu jitsu. Was a member of Team Werdum on TUF Latin America.

Great match up. Both are looking to get on a winning streak. Guido has a great Thai clinch and will look to use that against Vera. He will look to setup legs kicks and then go for a takedown. Marlon is very comfortable on his back and will want the fight to end up there. He will look for a quick double leg and then work his Jiu jitsu. He needs to avoid any clinch work with Guido. In the end I see Guido with the home country advantage taking the win tonight.

Cezar Ferreira 13-6 vs Ian Heinisch 11-1

Cezar has three KO/TKO, four submissions, and six decision wins. He is 5-1 in his last six fights which include two in a row. He has four 1^st round wins. He has wins over Thiago Santos, Anthony Smith, Nate Marquardt. He is an arm triangle specialist. He has a 3^rd degree black belt in Jiu jitsu. He is also well versed in Capoeira.

Ian has four KO/TKO, two submissions, and five decision wins. H has three wins in a row. He has five 1^st round wins. This is his UFC Debut. Not much is known about him. He has a well-rounded game.

Good match up. Cezar is well rounded and will most likely use the 1^st round to feel out Ian’s style of fighting. If and once he takes it to the ground, look for him to use his Jiu jitsu and dominate the top position. Ian will need to stay on his feet and try to avoid any ground game. He has a better chance on keeping the fight up and picking his shots carefully. In the end Cezar will get the win via submission.

Khalil Rountree 7-1 (2NC) vs Johnny Walker 15-3

Khalil has five KO/TKO, and two decision wins. He is 3-0-1 in his last four fights. He has four 1^st round wins. Was a member of Team Joanna on TUF. He has heavy hands. His ground game isn’t the best but is improving. He has a Performance of the Night bonus.

Johnny has eleven KO/TKO, two submissions, and one decision win. He is 7-2 in his last nine. He has eleven 1^st round wins and has won his last six in a row. This is his UFC debut.

Two heavy hitters going at it. This fight will Definity be contest on their feet. Khalil will have to avoid the takedown and stay on his feet. His ground game isn’t the best, so he needs to be a very technical striker. Johnny is an unknown be likes to trade punches. I would expect to see him go for a takedown and start to ground and pound. In the end I see Johnny with an upset.

CO-MAIN

Ricardo Lamas 18-7 vs Darren Elkins 24-6

Ricardo has five KO/TKO, five submissions, and eight decisions. He is 2-3 in his last five fights and includes two losses in a row. He has wins over Charles Oliveira, Diego Sanchez, Dennis Bermudez, and Cub Swanson. He lost a decision to then champ Jose Aldo. He does have six 1^st round wins.  He has a black belt in Jiu jitsu. Was a NCAA Division 3 wrestler and All American. He has one Performance of the Night, and Submission of the Night bonuses.

Darren has six KO/TKO, six submissions, and twelve decision wins. He is 7-2 in his last nine. He has nine 1^st round wins. He has wins over Michael Johnson, Dennis Bermudez, and Duane Ludwig. He is a brown belt in Jiu jitsu. He has two Performance of the Night bonuses. Wrestled in high school and was a state champ.

Going to be a great fight. Ricardo needs a win to get back on top of the division. This fight will be a lot of big throws and lots of ground work. Ricardo needs to use his Jiu jitsu and ensure he controls Darren as best he can. Darren will look to soften Ricardo up with strikes before going to the ground. He needs to stay on top and be careful about his strikes and weight, so Ricardo can’t capitalize on those small mistakes. In the end I see Darren winning via decision.

MAIN EVENT

Neil Magny 21-6 vs Santiago Ponzinbbio 26-3

Neil has seven KO/TKO, three submissions, and eleven decision wins. He is 6-2 in his last 8. He has one 1^st round win. He has wins over Carlos Condit, Johny Hendricks, Hector Lombard, and Kelvin Gastelum. Was a member of Team Carwin on TUF. He holds a brown belt in Jiu jitsu. He has one Fight of the Night, and three Performance of the night bonuses.  He is a great striker and it comes from nowhere.

Santiago has fourteen KO/TKO, six submissions, and six decision wins. He is 8-1 in his last nine fights. He has fourteen 1^st round wins. He has wins over Mike Perry, Gunnar Nelson, and Zak Cummings.  Fighting in his home country. Black belt in Jiu jitsu, He has an extensive kickboxing background. Member of Team Nogueira for TUF Brazil 2. He won knockout of the season that season. He has one fight of the night and one performance of the night bonus

An exciting main event. Neil will need to stay inside of Santiago’s kicks. He needs to be a counter puncher. He can’t trade punches with him either. If it goes to the ground, he needs to remain on top and work some ground and pound. Santiago will look to use his kicks to gain some distance and then go for the clinch and work a takedown. I also expect to see him throw some high head kicks as well. In the end I see this fight going beyond 3 rounds and Santiago on top in his home country.