UFC 320: Ramiz Brahimaj vs Austin Vanderford Preview & Prediction
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Welterweights are on deck for the second fight of the night, with Ramiz Brahimaj tasked with welcoming the returning Austin Vanderford.
Ramiz Brahimaj vs Austin Vanderford facts
What time are Ramiz Brahimaj and Austin Vanderford expected to walk out?
Where is UFC 320: Ankalaev vs Pereira 2? T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC 320: Ankalaev vs Pereira 2? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC 320
What TV channel is UFC 320: Ankalaev vs Pereira 2 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream UFC 320: Ankalaev vs Pereira 2? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC 320: Ankalaev vs Pereira 2 main card
Magomed Ankalaev vs Alex Pereira (Light Heavyweight)
Merab Dvalishvili vs Cory Sandhagen (Bantamweight)
Jiri Prochazka vs Khalil Rountree Jr. (Light Heavyweight)
Josh Emmett vs Youssef Zalal (Featherweight)
Abusupiyan Magomedov vs Joe Pyfer (Middleweight)
UFC 320: Ankalaev vs Pereira 2 prelims
Ateba Abega Gautier vs Treston Vines (Middleweight)
Edmen Shahbazyan vs Andre Muniz (Middleweight)
Chris Gutierrez vs Farid Basharat (Bantamweight)
Daniel Santos vs Yoo Joo-sang (Featherweight)
Macy Chiasson vs Yana Santos (Women’s Bantamweight)
Patchy Mix vs Jakub Wiklacz (Bantamweight)
Punahele Soriano vs Nikolay Veretennikov (Welterweight)
Ramiz Brahimaj vs Austin Vanderford (Welterweight)
Veronica Hardy vs Brogan Walker (Women’s Flyweight)
Ramiz Brahimaj: Will Brahimaj be able to score a third successive finish?
Posting a 4-3 run since joining the promotion in 2020, Ramiz Brahimaj (12-5) enters this contest off the back of two successive Performance of the Night winning performances, finishing Mickey Gall and Billy Ray Goff with back-to-back first round stoppages. With a 100% finish rate in the fights where he’s been victorious, Brahimaj rarely likes to leave things to the judges with his grappling heavy fight style. However, it's also worth noting that four of his five professional losses have come via the scorecards.
Austin Vanderford: Can "Mister VanZant" pick up his second straight victory since joining the UFC?
A title challenger in Bellator and husband to former UFC strawweight, Paige VanZant, Austin Vanderford (13-2) makes the walk on Saturday night looking for his second win in as many UFC performances. Many dismissed Vanderford as no more than “Mister VanZant” when he was signed, but he silenced such talk with a dominant debut TKO over Nikolay Veretennikov in February. Vanderford is a wrestler first and foremost, blending takedowns with active ground-and-pound when the action hits the floor. The pinnacle of Vanderford’s career to date came when he fought MMA legend, Gegard Mousasi, for the Bellator middleweight championship, losing to “The Dreamcatcher” by first round TKO.
Ramiz Brahimaj vs Austin Vanderford prediction
Brahimaj’s most consistent route to victory has been through his grappling; a concerning omen when faced with a wrestler of Vanderford’s size and persistence. Vanderford is a good grappler in his own right and has never been dominated on the ground or submitted before.
Furthermore, “The Gentlemen” has only lost to fighters who come out hyper aggressive and blitz him with strikes in the early goings. Brahimaj simply does not look to fit this mold. While his superb finish over Mickey Gall proved that he is capable of landing a knockout blow, that was his first KO in fifteen professional fights; hardly the sort of numbers that indicate he’s likely to suddenly blast the enormous Vanderford unconscious on the feet.
If Themba Gorimbo can wear Brahimaj down and manhandle him in the wrestling department, Vanderford’s size and physicality indicates that he’s a pretty safe bet to do the same. “The Gentleman” either finishes with ground-and-pound early or controls Brahimaj with takedowns and wall-and-stall for a snooze worthy decision.
Prediction: Austin Vanderford to win
