UFC Fight Night 157: Preview and Predictions
The UFC makes its third trip to mainland China this weekend as UFC Fight Night 157 emanates from Shenzhen, China.
Headlined by a women’s strawweight title fight, Jessica Andrade will step into enemy territory for her first defence as she takes on China’s own Weili Zhang.
Accompanied by a hard-hitting welterweight co-main event between Li Jingliang and Elizeu Zaleski, the rest of the UFC: Shenzhen card isn’t the most intriguing prospect.
Jessica Andrade (20-6) vs. Weili Zhang (19-1)
Two of the strawweight division’s most physically imposing fighters meet here and both fighters rarely take a back foot.
Andrade has routinely shown her pressuring style in the Octagon as a barrage of hooks will pepper her opponents once backed up to the cage with aggressive footwork. Add in strength in the clinch and it’s a tough task to keep the Brazilian at distance for a sustained period of time.
Zhang meanwhile is also a keen employer of pressure but she has shown a greater level of comfort on the counter. With a better kicking game, Zhang could well look to slow down Andrade with leg kicks or even stick to the body as she wades forward.
Ultimately, I think this fight will come down to how well Zhang can absorb damage across a five-round fight.
With a remarkable output, it’s more than likely a question of when not if Andrade lands a punishing blow and whether Zhang can withstand that power.
Andrade has shown time and time again to have serious power at strawweight but Zhang’s more varied arsenal on the feet and her similar stature in terms of physicality have made me plump for the upset and a new 115 lbs champion.
Pick: Weili Zhang
Li Jingliang (16-5) vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (21-5)
Both Zaleski and Jingliang are aggressive and possess big power but Zaleski has more tools to choose from.
Jingliang is keen for a brawl but his distance management leads a lot to be desired as he often leaps into his hooks.
Zaleski meanwhile has a varied striking arsenal, can jump on a submission as shown in his last outing and doesn’t start as slow as Jingliang tends to.
If Jingliang has the durability to take it deep, he could get a favourable ‘hometown nod’ but I think the Brazilian has more than enough to get the win against ‘The Leech’.
Pick: Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
Kai Kara France (19-7, 1 NC) vs. Mark de la Rosa (11-2)
I think this fight will boil down to a grappler vs. striker bout as while De la Rosa has shown himself to be a well-rounded fighter in his UFC tenure thus far, Kai Kara France should hold the advantage on the feet while De la Rosa will be buoyed by France’s struggles with being held down.
I’m not overly confident with France’s abilities to keep the fight standing for 15 minutes but De la Rosa hasn’t always found great success with his takedowns.
It could be a close one but I fancy the New Zealanders sharper striking ability to make his opportunities count.
Pick: Kai Kara France
Song Kenan (14-5) vs. Derrick Krantz (24-11)
With Zhenhong Lu suffering a late cut, his prospective bout with Movsar Evloev has been scrapped and Song Kenan vs. Derrick Krantz has taken its place.
Moving onto the fight itself and it has the potential to be a fight of the night contender.
Kenan has decent power to his name as he scored back-to-back KO wins in his first two UFC bouts. ‘The Assassin’ would suffer his first promotional loss in his next outing but the fight allowed us to see more of his game.
Offering a decent output offensively, Kenan’s over-zealous approach can see him eat a lot of strikes despite his attempts to counter.
Krantz similarly is also a decent hitter but his ability to find a submission makes him a real threat as Vicente Luque found out on his short-notice debut.
With both men aggressive on the feet and packing a punch, this fight could go either way but Krantz’s ability to ground his opponent should put him in good favour when it comes to getting the victory.
Pick: Derrick Krantz
Wu Yanan (10-2) vs. Mizuki Inoue (13-5)
Both Wu and Inoue are prospects to look out for going forward but Inoue has shown more in the past and is further along the line in terms of development.
While Wu holds an advantage when it comes to physicality, and that could hold a strong benefit later in the fight, Inoue is sharper on the feet and a much more viable submission threat.
Pick: Mizuki Inoue
(Last Predictions: 2/5, Total: 89/143, 62% Success Rate)
(2016: 61%, ’17: 60%, ’18: 58% Success Rate)