Predictions! UFC 275 ‘Prelims’ Preview – Pt. 1

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is bringing more “Prelims” fights to ESPN and ESPN+ this weekend (Sat., June 11, 2022) when UFC 275: “Teixeira vs. Prochazka” storms Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. MMAmania.com’s Patrick Stumberg kicks off the UFC 275 “Prelims” party with the first installment of a two-part undercard preview series below.

Old school meets new school this Saturday evening (June 11, 2022) when veteran champions Glover Teixeira and Valentina Shevchenko defend their respective titles against surging contenders Jiri Prochazka and Taila Santos.

UFC 275, which will take place inside Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore, also hosts a rematch of one of the all-time great mixed martial arts (MMA) slugfests between Zhang Weili and Joanna Jedrzejczyk, as well as a pivotal Flyweight battle that pits fast-rising Manel Kape against lethal grappler Rogerio Bontorin.

Seven “Prelims” undercard bouts will set the pay-per-view (PPV) stage, three of which we’ve broken down for you below. Let’s dig in …

135 lbs.: Kyung Ho Kang vs. Danaa Batgerel

Kyung Ho Kang (17-9) quietly put together a 6-1 run from 2014 to 2019, interrupted by his mandatory military service, before being hit with another 23-month layoff. He returned to action in Nov. 2021 with a narrow decision loss to Rani Yahya, which snapped a three-fight win streak.

He has submitted 11 pro foes and knocked out another two.

Danaa Batgerel (12-3) lived up to his nickname, “Storm,” with three consecutive first round knockouts, one of which earned him the second post-fight bonus of his Octagon career. His most recent effort pitted him against Chris Gutierrez, who caught Danaa with a vicious spinning back fist midway through the second round.

All 10 of his pro stoppage wins have come inside of two rounds, eight of them via knockout.

Kang is legitimately one of the most frustrating fighters I’ve ever seen. He’s a phenomenal grappler with impressive physical tools for the division, but he constantly insists on fighting in the most self-defeating fashion imaginable. Literally half of his UFC bouts have gone to split decisions despite him having the tools to win most of them outright.

Keep all of that in mind when I say I like his chances in this one. Danaa struggled mightily with Alatengheili’s wrestling in his Octagon debut and recently showed a lack of depth to his striking attack when he couldn’t find the early knockout. Considering that Kang hasn’t been stopped with strikes since the Bush administration, odds are he can survive the early onslaught and take over with his overwhelming top game.

Just don’t expect him to make it easy for himself.

Prediction: Kang via split decision

115 lbs.: Na Liang vs. Silvana Gomez Juarez

Na Liang (19-5) rode a five-fight win streak into her Octagon debut, which pitted her against all-action Brazilian, Ariane Carnelossi. Despite some early grappling success, “Dragon Girl” ultimately succumbed to “Sorriso’s” ground-and-pound early in the second round.

All of her professional wins have come inside the distance, all but one in the first round.

Silvana Gomez Juarez (10-4) had the misfortune of meeting Lupita Godinez in her Octagon debut, which ended late in the first round courtesy of “Loopy’s” armbar. “La Malvada” managed to score an early knockdown of Vanessa Demopoulos her second time out, only to follow her into guard and get caught in another armbar.

She stands two inches shorter than Na and is on the wrong end of a four-inch reach discrepancy.

This match up is eerily reminiscent of Juarez’s fight with Demopoulos: theoretically, all she needs to do to win is keep it standing and let her power do the work. Her track record suggests that may be easier said than done, though, as she had zero answers for Godinez’s wrestling and lacked the awareness to wave Demopoulos back to her feet after hurting her.

Not really what you want to see from someone who’s up against a quick-kill submission artist, especially since Na showed better takedown skills than expected against Carnelossi. Plus, it’s hard to picture the armbar specialist losing to someone who’s been arm-barred twice in a row.

Make it three straight.

Prediction: Na via first round submission

135 lbs.: Ramona Pascual vs. Joselyne Edwards

Less than two months after winning her Invicta debut via 60-second knockout, Hong Kong’s Ramona Pascual (6-3) entered the Octagon to face Josiane Nunes. Though she turned in an admirably gutsy effort, her four-fight win streak came to an end as “Josi” out-slugged her to a unanimous decision.

Four of her five stoppage wins have come via (technical) knockout.

Joselyne Edwards (10-4) — who’d won eight of her previous nine bouts — started her UFC career strong with a decision win over Wu Yanan. “La Pantera” has yet to recapture that success, having dropped consecutive decisions to Karol Rosa and Jessica-Rose Clark.

She’ll have one inch of height and four inches of reach on Pascual.

Honestly, Pascual may have been better off staying at 145 pounds and taking advantage of the division’s lack of depth. Her all-offense approach may be fun to watch, but her poor cardio, limited grappling, and inability to keep the far shorter Nunes off of her suggest that she’ll have a bad time in the slightly more competitive Bantamweight division. She’s out-gunned by Edwards’ speed and technique on the feet, at least, unless the cut to 135 pounds has completely reinvented her as a fighter.

Pascual did show a bit of offensive wrestling skill against Nunes, which Edwards has struggled with of late, but its effectiveness quickly petered out after the first round. In the end, Edwards pieces her up without too much issue.

Prediction: Edwards via unanimous decision

Four more UFC 275 “Prelims” undercard bouts remain to preview and predict, including a potential war between Andre Fialho and Jake Matthews. Same time tomorrow, Maniacs.

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Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 275 fight card right here, starting with the early 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 275: “Teixeira vs. Prochazka” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.