UFC Fight Night Hernandez vs Pereira: Predictions and Best Bets for Saturday, October 19

UFC fans welcome back as we are fresh off cashing 3 of our 4 picks on our last article and hopefully, we can cash out a few more on this card!

This weekend’s main event is Anthony Hernandez vs Michel Pereira, in what should be an exciting main event. This card is full of exciting young prospects, and it should be a great card!

Michel Pereira a Dog?

Listen, I respect Anthony Hernandez, and he is very good. He is coming off a 5-fight win streak and has one of the best grappling takedown games in the UFC, but I truly think he is outmatched here. Hernandez averages over 6 takedowns per fight, and I think that is his only limited path to victory.

Hernandez most likely is going to try to get this to the ground. I don’t think he wants to stand and bang with Pereira; he is too vicious and too lethal with his strikes. I also think Pereira’s wild pace and speed of his strikes are going to do some damage on Hernandez.

I think Hernandez is going to have a tough time grappling and keeping Pereira down. Pereira has a 94% take down defense and is hard to get a hold of. Pereira is one of the most explosive and strong fighters on the UFC roster. All we have seen from Pereira since he moved up to the 185-weight class is 3 dominant performances, and I think we get another one here.

Almabayev Will Out Wrestle in This One!

Asu Almabayev gets another step up in competition here facing Matheu Nicolau, and I think he passes that test. Asu averages over 6 takedowns per fight, and while Nicolau has a 93% takedown defense, I believe Asu is going to be relentless in that department.

Asu averages absorbing 1 significant strikes per minute, which is wild, and it’s that low because he is hard to hit. He is quick, and he can get on you in a hurry. He will grapple and wrestle you to death and once he latches on, the round most likely will stay there.

Nicolau can also be hit as we saw him get dropped in his last fight, though to a striker, I think Asu can also find his shots on Nicolau to set up his takedowns and I don’t see a path of victory for Nicolau in this one.

Charles Johnson To Win 4 Straight?

Johnson has been impressive, especially in his KO victory over Joshua Van in his last fight. Johnson has been rolling, coming in on a 3-fight win streak looking for number 4. He looked to be in fantastic shape in his last fight and did what he does best, pressure.

Johnson likes to move forward with pressure to push your pace. He is a very polished striker who isn’t afraid to take a shot to give one back. He will have to avoid and be aware of Mudaerji’s strikes and the speed of his strikes, but I don’t think Johnson needs to worry about power here.

Mudaerji may be able to get some shots in on Johnson, but we love backing dogs and Johnson is a dog. When he gets down in a fight, he pushes back looking to inflict damage and I believe Johnson finds a way to get his hand raised Saturday night!

Best Bets:
Michel Pereira ML (+114) DraftKings

2-Leg: (+116) Bet365
A. Almabaev ML + C. Johnson ML