Predictions! UFC 260 ‘Prelims’ Preview – Pt. 1

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is bringing more “Prelims” fights to ESPN and ESPN+ this weekend (Sat., March 27, 2021) when UFC 260: “Miocic vs. Ngannou 2” returns to UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. MMAmania.com’s Patrick Stumberg kicks off the UFC 260 “Prelims” party with the first installment of a two-part undercard preview series below.

The greatest modern-era mixed martial arts (MMA) Heavyweight once again meets its most fearsome puncher this Saturday (March 27, 2021) when Stipe Miocic’s rematch with Francis Ngannou headlines UFC 260. The evening will also see former Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley attempt to end his freefall against Brazilian wrecker Vicente Luque and former blue chip prospect Thomas Almeida meet the returning Sean O’Malley.

Thanks to several last-second disasters, we’re down to just a half-dozen “Prelims” undercard this time. Here’s the first batch, which air on ESPN / ESPN+:

205 lbs.: Modestas Bukauskas vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk

Modestas Bukauskas (11-3) won and defended the Cage Warriors Light Heavyweight title en route to the Octagon, where he debuted with a first-round finish of late replacement Andreas Michailidis. Jimmy Crute proved tougher to crack, however, flattening the Lithuanian three months later with a bonus-winning knockout.

All but one of the wins for “The Baltic Gladiator” have come by stoppage, eight of them by form of knockout.

Though a failed drug test erased his debut Octagon victory over Khalil Rountree, Michal Oleksiejczuk (14-4) made inroads into the UFC Light Heavyweight division with brutal finishes of Gian Villante and Gadzhimurad Antigulov. He’s since struggled to maintain that momentum, tapping to successive submissions from Ovince St. Preux and the aforementioned Crute.

He stands three inches shorter than Bukauskas and gives up four inches of reach.

This fight will be decided by Bukauskas’ ability to stretch things out. He’s got a legitimately excellent gas tank that’s practically single-handedly carried him to victory in the past, and his edge in speed and striking variety should allow him to take over as the fight progresses and Oleksiejczuk’s single-minded advance begins to slow.

Unfortunately, actually surviving long enough to get that snowball rolling looks like too tall a task. Bukauskas is easy to hit even at the best of times and struggles to keep his back off the fence, both lethal flaws against a pressure-fighting slugger like Oleksiejczuk. Without the fear of takedowns to keep him honest, expect Oleksiejczuk to march forward and slam left hands into Bukauskas’ face and body until he crumples.

Prediction: Oleksiejczuk via first-round technical knockout

125 lbs.: Gillian Robertson vs. Miranda Maverick

Here’s another one from the “wrote it before it got canceled” pile …

A one-and-done TUF 26 run didn’t stop Gillian Robertson (9-5) from winning six of her first eight Octagon bouts and scoring five finishes in the process. Her ninth fight pitted her against Brazil’s Taila Santos, who successfully shut down “The Savage’s” wrestling to claim a unanimous decision in Dec. 2020.

She has tapped six professional foes overall and pounded out one other.

An impressive run in Invicta, which included victory in the Phoenix Series 2 tournament and a decision over UFC veteran Pearl Gonzalez, brought Miranda Maverick (8-2) to UFC last year. She entered her debut against Liana Jojua as a massive favorite and ultimately proved the bookies right with a first-round finish.

Though two inches shorter than Robertson, she’ll enjoy a two-inch reach advantage.

This is something of a reckoning for both women. Robertson has some of the best top control in the entire division, but has demonstrated an inability to get much done when the takedowns aren’t there. Maverick, on the other hand, is a strong wrestler and capable striker who’s historically left herself open to takedowns in return. Both are equipped to exploit the other’s weaknesses; the difference is that Maverick’s seemingly addressed her biggest flaws, while Robertson’s bugbears reared their heads against Santos in her most recent fight.

Robertson can absolutely ruin Maverick’s day if the latter gets lazy with her low kicks, and any prolonged exchanges on the mat will favor “The Savage.” Still, Maverick’s slight technical striking edge and raw output should carry her to a comfortable decision victory.

Prediction: Maverick via unanimous decision

185 lbs.: Abu Azaitar vs. Marc-Andre Barriault

Abu Azaitar (14-2-1) — originally slated to make his UFC debut against Siyar Bahadurzada in Sept. 2017 — saw injury troubles delay his arrival to the Octagon by another year. He successfully made up for lost time with a unanimous decision over TUF: “Brazil” veteran Vitor Miranda, extending his unbeaten streak to 10 in the process.

He fights for the first time since July 2018, having withdrawn from planned 2020 clashes against Alessio Di Chirico and Joaquin Buckley while failing a drug test along the way.

Canada’s Marc-Andre Barriault (11-4) claimed the TKO Middleweight title in 2017 and subsequently punched his ticket to UFC with two successful defenses. He’s yet to taste victory in the Octagon, however, losing three straight and seeing a knockout win over Oskar Piechota overturned due to a failed drug test.

His 11 professional wins include eight by form of knockout.

“Gladiator” was mediocre even at his best, an uninspiring brawler with just enough wrestling to bail himself out of rough spots. He’s now 35 years old and hasn’t seen action in more than 30 months, turning what was already a rough assignment into a nightmare. Barriault is by far the more impressive striker and Azaitar lacks the technical wrestling necessary to exploit “Power Bar’s” takedown defense the way other have before.

Unless Azaitar has made some truly spectacular adjustments during his time away, Barriault is too tough and too powerful for the German’s “swing big and hope for the best” approach. Barriault punishes him with increasing frequency before closing the show around the midway point.

Prediction: Barriault via second-round technical knockout

Three more UFC 260 “Prelims” bouts remain to preview and predict, including a clash of devastating Light Heavyweight finishers. Same time tomorrow, Maniacs.

---

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 260 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 260: “Miocic vs. Ngannou 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.