Preview: UFC Fight Night ‘Mendes vs. Lamas’

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WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHTS

Liz Carmouche (9-5, 1-3 UFC) vs. Lauren Murphy (8-1, 0-1 UFC): After languishing in inactivity for almost a year, Carmouche finally gets another fight, drawing the dangerous Murphy. Carmouche lost a closely contested decision to Miesha Tate in her last outing, while Murphy dropped her UFC debut to Sara McMann. Murphy, a native of Alaska, is a high-energy, high-output fighter. She can strike a bit but is really at her best working takedowns and dropping bombs from top position. Carmouche is not a great striker, though she throws with some power; she does her best work forcing trips and double-legs from the clinch and pounding away from top position, where she can put her phenomenal strength to maximum use. This is a razor-thin fight and I expect a great deal of back and forth action, but I lean slightly toward the former Marine. The pick is Carmouche by decision.

LIGHTWEIGHTS

Gray Maynard (11-4-1, 9-4-1 UFC) vs. Alexander Yakovlev (21-6-1, 0-2 UFC): Two-time lightweight title challenger Maynard gets what looks to be his last chance against Russia’s Yakovlev. Maynard’s current run is as bad as it gets, a brutal 1-4-1 stretch with all four losses coming by knockout. Yakovlev is also on the cusp of a pink slip, having dropped his first two in the promotion to Demian Maia and Nicolas Musoke. The irony of Maynard’s recent losses is that his striking game -- and really his all-around skills -- has never looked better; the problem is his inability to absorb punishment. Yakovlev can do a bit of everything, with a nice volume striking game from his southpaw stance and decent takedowns, but he is not a great athlete and does not hit particularly hard. The American’s chin is fairly shot, but Yakovlev is not really the type to test it. The pick is Maynard by decision.

HEAVYWEIGHTS

Shamil Abdurahimov (15-2, 0-0 UFC) vs. Timothy Johnson (8-1, 0-0 UFC): Two debuting heavyweights get the call in a potentially interesting fight. Abdurahimov, a native of Dagestan, was once a highly touted prospect but fell off the radar in the last couple of years due to inactivity, while North Dakota’s Johnson made a name for himself by knocking out Travis Wiuff. The Dagestani is a striker by preference, with big power in his hands and a solid kicking repertoire to go along with a strong clinch game. Johnson is a wrestler who excels at grinding in the clinch, though he can crack a bit from his southpaw stance. Abdurahimov does not throw enough volume, but he is worlds beyond Johnson as a striker and should be able to stuff his takedowns. The pick is Abdurahimov by grinding, slow-paced decision.

MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Ron Stallings (12-7, 0-1 UFC) vs. Justin Jones (3-1, 0-1 UFC): Two middleweights on the chopping block meet in a sneaky-solid matchup to open the show. Stallings, a Strikeforce veteran, lost to Uriah Hall on late notice in his debut, while Jones dropped a decision to “The Ultimate Fighter” winner Corey Anderson at light heavyweight. Jones is mostly a puncher, and a powerful one at that, though he can also wrestle a bit and has a nice submission game in transition. Stallings likes to move forward and works behind a potent southpaw kicking game. There are a great many unknowns in this fight, but I lean toward Jones’ upside, power and athleticism. The pick is Jones by knockout in the second round.

Follow Sherdog.com preview expert Patrick Wyman on Twitter.

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