Will Alexander Volkov rebound and get back in the win column? Can Movsar Evloev come out on top of the biggest test of his career? The predictions from the MMA Empire team, along with our guest picker, can be found below for the six-fight main card.
Our guest picker for this event is Canadian amateur lightweight fighter Sean Carroll (2-3). After rattling off back-to-back wins in 2018-2019, Carroll has dropped his last two contests, most recently at Unified MMA 44. He’ll be looking to get back in the win column again later this year.
Coming just a week after a pay-per-view, this Fight Night card offered heavyweight stakes at the top and a pair of intriguing prospect tests underneath — Volkov trying to bounce back against the always-dangerous Rozenstruik, and unbeaten Movsar Evloev getting his first real step up against Dan Ige. Cards in this slot tend to be thin on star power, but this one had genuine divisional relevance.
2022 standings thru UFC Fight Night 206
1. Jason Hagholm (60-30) N/A in 2021
2. Cody Rempel (58-32) 134-87-3 in 2021
3. Cole Shelton (57-33) 138-83-3 in 2021 *Champion
T4. Kylan Knowler (56-34) 128-93-3 in 2021
T4. Cooper Riehl (56-34) 136-85-3 in 2021
T4. Joe McDonagh (56-34) 122-99-3 in 2021
7. Dylan Bowker (55-35) 113-108-3 in 2021
8. Joel Griffith (53-37) 135-86-3 in 2021
9. Guest picker (48-42) 115-106-3 in 2021
The main event was a crossroads fight for both heavyweights. Volkov was coming off the submission loss to Tom Aspinall in London and needed to reassert himself among the contenders, while Rozenstruik — whose knockout of Alistair Overeem and wars with the division's elite made him one of the scariest counter-punchers in the weight class — was looking to end a stretch of alternating wins and losses. Neither man could afford to drift further from the title picture in a division with an unsettled top end.
Alexander Volkov vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Jason Hagholm: Alexander Volkov via TKO.
Cody Rempel: Jairzinho Rozenstruik via TKO.
Cole Shelton: Jairzinho Rozenstruik via knockout.
Kylan Knowler: Jairzinho Rozenstruik via decision.
Cooper Riehl: Alexander Volkov via decision.
Joe McDonagh: Jairzinho Rozenstruik via knockout.
Dylan Bowker: Jairzinho Rozenstruik via TKO.
Joel Griffith: Alexander Volkov via decision.
Sean Carroll: Alexander Volkov via TKO.
Picks – Alexander Volkov: 4, Jairzinho Rozenstruik: 5
Dan Ige vs. Movsar Evloev
Jason Hagholm: Dan Ige via TKO.
Cody Rempel: Movsar Evloev via decision.
Cole Shelton: Movsar Evloev via decision.
Kylan Knowler: Movsar Evloev via decision.
Cooper Riehl: Movsar Evloev via decision.
Joe McDonagh: Dan Ige via decision.
Dylan Bowker: Movsar Evloev via decision.
Joel Griffith: Movsar Evloev via decision.
Sean Carroll: Dan Ige via decision.
Picks – Dan Ige: 3, Movsar Evloev: 6
Mike Trizano vs. Lucas Almeida
Jason Hagholm: Lucas Almeida via submission.
Cody Rempel: Mike Trizano via decision.
Cole Shelton: Mike Trizano via decision.
Kylan Knowler: Lucas Almeida via submission.
Cooper Riehl: Lucas Almeida via TKO.
Joe McDonagh: Lucas Almeida via decision.
Dylan Bowker: Mike Trizano via decision.
Joel Griffith: Mike Trizano via decision.
Sean Carroll: Mike Trizano via decision.
Picks – Mike Trizano: 5, Lucas Almeida: 4
Karine Silva vs. Poliana Botelho
Jason Hagholm: Poliana Botelho via decision.
Cody Rempel: Karine Silva via submission.
Cole Shelton: Karine Silva via decision.
Kylan Knowler: Karine Silva via decision.
Cooper Riehl: Karine Silva via decision.
Joe McDonagh: Karine Silva via decision.
Dylan Bowker: Poliana Botelho via decision.
Joel Griffith: Poliana Botelho via decision.
Sean Carroll: Poliana Botelho via decision.
Picks – Karine Silva: 5, Poliana Botelho: 4
Ode Osbourne vs. Zarrukh Adashev
Jason Hagholm: Ode Osbourne via decision.
Cody Rempel: Ode Osbourne via decision.
Cole Shelton: Ode Osbourne via submission.
Kylan Knowler: Ode Osbourne via TKO.
Cooper Riehl: Ode Osbourne via decision.
Joe McDonagh: Ode Osbourne via knockout.
Dylan Bowker: Ode Osbourne via decision.
Joel Griffith: Ode Osbourne via submission.
Sean Carroll: Ode Osbourne via knockout.
Picks – Ode Osbourne: 9, Zarrukh Adashev: 0
Evloev's featherweight bout against Ige was arguably the most technically interesting fight on the card. The unbeaten Russian had quietly climbed the rankings on the strength of a suffocating, positionally-perfect grappling game, but had never faced a ranked veteran — Ige, a perennial gatekeeper to the top ten, was exactly the measuring stick to show whether Evloev belonged in the contenders' conversation.
Alonzo Menifield vs. Askar Mozharov
Jason Hagholm: Alonzo Menifield via TKO.
Cody Rempel: Alonzo Menifield via decision.
Cole Shelton: Alonzo Menifield via knockout.
Kylan Knowler: Alonzo Menifield via TKO.
Cooper Riehl: Alonzo Menifield via TKO.
Joe McDonagh: Alonzo Menifield via decision.
Dylan Bowker: Alonzo Menifield via TKO.
Joel Griffith: Alonzo Menifield via TKO.
Sean Carroll: Alonzo Menifield via TKO.
