Michael Bisping is feeling good about his picks.
“I’m going to give you some predictions, and I’m going to put my money where my mouth is,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “I am very confident in all of these picks.”
The former UFC champion turned commentator went down the majority of the UFC 290 main card and analyzed: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez, Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja, Robert Whittaker vs. Dricus Du Plessis, and Jalin Turner vs. Dan Hooker.
Below is a compilation of his analysis, and more importantly, predictions for Saturday’s fights in Las Vegas.
Jalin Turner vs. Dan Hooker
Breakdown: “I’ll be honest, I think Jalin Turner takes it. I like Dan Hooker. I like what he brings to the table, but I’ve trained with Jalin Turner extensively. He was my training partner when I fought Luke Rockhold the second time. He was my training partner when I fought Anderson Silva, and he is an incredible guy. He really is. He’s just such a skilled, sniper-like striker. And the speed of his combinations and the power for such a lightweight. … He has really good power, incredible whip to his kicks, strikes and shots. He’s got nice eyes, sees everything well and he’s got perfect timing. I just believe he gets the job done here.”
Prediction: Jalin Turner
Robert Whittaker vs. Dricus Du Plessis
Breakdown: “For the most part, when it comes to skill level, Whittaker is better. But Du Plessis does have the intangibles. He does have the ability, the heart, the will, the desire to win. And when someone has those kind of attributes, they’re very, very dangerous. … Du Plessis doesn’t even have the best gas tank, but he does have the will to win and he does have power in his hands. That makes him dangerous, but I just find it very, very hard to choose a reason why Robert Whittaker wouldn’t win. Robert Whittaker, no disrespect to Du Plessis because he’s a great guy and I love what he’s doing, but Robert Whittaker wins this one any way he likes.”
Prediction: Robert Whittaker
Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja
Breakdown: “Pantoja beat Moreno twice – one when Moreno was cut in 2018. He beat the breaks off him. He beat him from pillar to post. He was way more aggressive and kind of dominated the fight and busted up Brandon Moreno. That was the fight that got Brandon Moreno cut. And (beat him) before back in The Ultimate Fighter very, very long time ago. They’re both different people these days. That’s a fact.
“When you look at that version of Brandon Moreno compared to the version now, they don’t even look like the same fighter. However, some people just tend to have the number of certain guys. We’ve seen that with Pantoja? I don’t know. … Having beat Brandon Moreno twice, and I don’t think he’s going to give him any respect. That will be key. Now, granted, that can mean he’s going to walk into a big shot or something that’s going to put him down and potentially cause the end of the fight. But generally, I think Pantoja wins this fight. I’m a massive fan of Brandon Moreno and I love the way he’s reinvented himself and what he’s done for Mexican MMA. He’s a special guy, a special fighter, but Pantoja has done it twice before, and I think he can do it again.”
Prediction: Alexandre Pantoja
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez
Breakdown: “I had Grant Dawson, who’s a (lightweight) fighter, and it was a great point what he said. He said, don’t worry about Yair Rodriguez after what he did to Islam Makhachev. There’s not a single person at 145 that’s going to trouble him. And look, the next best person at 145 is Max Holloway, and look at what he did last time out against Max Holloway, ok? He separated himself from Max Holloway. The first two were close, the third was a shutout. …
I just think the movement is too much. The in and out movement, the speed, the combinations, the boxing, the takedown defense. You put it all together, and I don’t see how Yair can win this fight. I think it will be competitive for a while until Volkanovski starts to find the rhythm and starts to bust him up. … Yair is tough as hell, but if there’s anyone that can finish him, it will be Alexander Volkanovski. There’s a chance it goes to the scorecards, but make no mistake, I have Volkanovski winning this. No one in the featherweight division is going to trouble him anytime soon.”
Prediction: Alexander Volkanovski
